THE REAGANS coming to DVD (May 18th)

from TVshowsonDVD.com....

"We here at TVShowsOnDVD don't want to get into overly political territory; we just want to report to you about TV series (and mini-series) that come to DVD. So it is with some trepidation that we bring you this report about The Reagans, the highly controversial mini-series starring James Brolin as Ronald Reagan, coming to DVD this spring.

Unless you've been living on the moon, then you've heard that during the Nov. 2003 sweeps period this 2-part mini was supposed to be broadcast on CBS, until a copy of the script was leaked to The New York Times. In the Oct. 21st issue of that paper, the script was painted as having a "disapproving tone" about the former White House couple. Some said it wasn't the final draft of the script, others said it was. Either way, Reagan supporters decided it represented a non-objective view of the ex-President and his wife, and mounted a huge grass roots campaign to convince CBS to change it, or else yank it from the schedule. They were quickly joined by the Republican National Party, who sees The Gipper as a sort of living icon: a letter was sent directly to CBS Chairman & CEO Leslie Moonves about the production.

The firestorm over the mini-series grew, even as edits were made to soften its portrayal of both Ron (supposedly shown as too forgetful and too unsympathetic toward AIDS) and Nancy (supposedly too controlling and shrill). Some claimed that the portrayal was "libelous". The crew and cast of the show fought back, with director Robert Ackerman stating that CBS execs "were very happy with the movie when they saw it in a rough cut" before it was attacked by Reagan supporters. But on Nov. 7th, it was announced that CBS would not air the mini-series. In an interview with Moonves in the Nov. 10th issue of Variety, he was asked, "Is this the most reaction from anything you've done at CBS?" His reply was, "Probably. Except for when we cancelled Dr. Quinn."

A week after that interview, it was announced that CBS had "sold" the production to Viacom sister-company Showtime, and that the pay-TV cable/satellite channel would show the now-edited version of the mini-series starting on Nov. 30th. This reduced the potential target for the show from 100 million homes that CBS reaches, to just 13 million homes that is Showtime's reach. When the show aired, it was watched by just under 10% of all Showtime viewers, amounting to little more than 1.2 million homes.

It's impossible, in this short amount of space, to paint a complete picture of the events surrounding this production. That story itself would probaby make a good movie-of-the-week, with all the twists and turns it took. Note that no one at TVShowsOnDVD has seen this mini-series yet, and so we don't have any opinions about its content, one way or the other. That seems to describe many other people as well. In the end, the folks who lost out the most were the audience who were interested in finding out for themselves what this mini-series was like, but who didn't have access to Showtime when it aired.

Well, the wait for them is over. In the middle of the current American Presidential race - which promises to be the most contentious national political battle since, well, the last Presidential race - The Reagans will come to DVD on May 18th. Billed as "the controversial story...banned from network television!", this 180 minute drama arrives on DVD from Lions Gate for an SRP of only $19.98.

But it's not only the aired version of the mini-series that will be on this release. Extras include "Deleted Scenes Too Controversial For Network TV", so we can all see and judge for ourselves about this debatable content. Also look for audio commentary with the Director/Producer, and an exclusive Cast/Crew Documentary to be present on the DVD as well. The soundtrack will sport English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. All of this information comes from DVDEmpire.com, where the upcoming release is already available for pre-order.

Whether or not you agree with its portrayal of one of the most interesting political subjects of modern times, The Reagans is sure to continue to provoke a response even on DVD, while the Presidential contest continues to heat up for this November. See for yourself what all the fuss is about: look to buy or rent this release on May 18, 2004."

:-)

"What? I thought you loved Reagan?"

on reagans. way........