Why Does it Take So Long for the DVDs to come out?

[J Dog]

I do understand that the animations for the DVDs can be a bit time-consuming, especially when I saw the explination in the Season 10 collection, but it's really annoying that only one season comes out on DVD every year now. Basically, the process looks like it takes nine years for the season to go from completing its run on TV to being on DVD (or, in the case of the 14th season, Blu-Ray).

Personally, I'm not really going to collect those DVDs, but my observation is more of the fact that other shows can get their DVDs out faster, and classic shows seem to be able to get their shows out faster.

I guess it's a price to pay for the quality we get and details, but I do have to ask this; when we get to the 20th Season, will they actually bring out a real DVD set with commentaries and special features, or will they just lazily move on to the 21st season.

[Flimpson Tide]

I believe the staff complained about how they had no input in the season 20 DVD and they definitely plan to actually put some work into it, as long as Fox is okay with releasing a DVD all over again. I would assume that once the DVD is 100% finished, it just pointlessly sits around for months, though, as marketers say, "Oh, let's release it in time for Christmas," or "It'll sell better if we wait until this month."

[Septimus Singus]

Well it's probably because they need to make season boxes in different languages for different seasons whilst making new episodes aswell. It takes time to make season boxes quickly with all the other stuff they do aswell.

[cymek]

Timestamps on files on Season 14 DVDs suggest that they were finished on 2011-07-02. So it took them five months to produce and release them. Who knows how much of that time the boxsets were collecting dust in warehouses.

[Lionheart]

They do commentaries for every episode, and a lot of people involved with the commentaries are still involved to some extent with the show. Maybe it's a timing issue.

Most likely though, MONEY.I assume that the more recent seasons are not selling as well as the older seasons, and FOX probably wants to stretch it out as long as possible and release a set every year near Christmas. They're not making as much money off of new episodes and syndication as they used to.

[Jesse Pinkman]

When the first season was released, they were already on like the 13th season. And then they released one a year. They started releasing 2 but who knows why they stopped. I don't know how well the post-classic seasons sell, since there are people out there who might not be as precise as to when the 'post-classic' episodes started, but I doubt they sell as well as they used to. Fox wants money, and the more they wait to release them, the more people will eventually buy 'em, more than likely. Christmas-time is a great time to do it because obviously people will want it for a present. They also have a great deal of bonus features; deleted scenes, easter eggs, old commercials, commentaries, animatics, etc. A lot of shows that have every season out don't do that amount of bonus features; hell, some barely do any at all. And shows like South Park and Family Guy, that are pretty much all caught up, it's easier because they didn't have to wait as long. When the first season of Simpsons was released, they were already in their 13th season; it's easier for South Park to stay caught up, for example, because they weren't so far in their run when the first one was out, and because they don't have as many bonus features. I have no idea how long bonus features take, but considering a lot of the people who participate on commentaries and the like are also working on the show (voice actors, producers, Al Jean obviously), it probably takes a good deal of time. It is annoying that the show is so far behind, but it's understandable in a lot of ways.

And I really hope we get an actual s20. I don't know if I am going to buy it when it is released, but if I did, it would be nice to have bonus features and whatnot. The set that was released a couple years ago was a joke. Every single thing about it was a joke, and I hated it. So, hopefully they do re-release it. We'll find out... in like 5 years

[Oh, that's raspberry!]

As was said above the staff is still planning/assuming a proper Season 20 DVD. Al Jean even mentions some deleted scenes from that season's THOH in an interview he said would be on the set. But as was also said it depends on if FOX is willing to give it another set. At this pace it won't come out until close to a decade after the other set did anyway...

What I'm more interested in at the moment is how Season 16, my favorite season of the Jean Era, will be from a DVD design standpoint. It should be the first of a new 5 season cycle after all, but maybe they'll keep what they've been doing who knows?