All those missing seasons in the UK

[Hour Man]

So far in the U.K we have seen all of B:TAS, 1 season of S:TAS, 2 Seasons of BB:TAS and all of JL and JLU.

Time and time again we have been told how were gonna get BB:TAS season 3, where has it gone?

and of course there was all that major fuss when S:TAS came out then it was just quietly swept under the rug after season 1.

Does anyone know when these shows are ever gonna be show.

[James]

So far in the U.K we have seen all of B:TAS, 1 season of S:TAS, 2 Seasons of BB:TAS and all of JL and JLU.

Time and time again we have been told how were gonna get BB:TAS season 3, where has it gone?

and of course there was all that major fuss when S:TAS came out then it was just quietly swept under the rug after season 1.

Does anyone know when these shows are ever gonna be show.

Maybe. Hell, it was only a couple of years back when Sky decided to show TNBA which I believe was it's first airing, so with Superman on the warpath this summer, maybe someone will buy the STAS seasons for some much needed airing.

As for BB, I have NO idea what happened there. We see reruns and ROTJ often enough. Not sure why they cut season three.

[S.C.B]

I remember seeing an interview awhile ago with Toonami UK, where they asked about season three of Batman Beyond, and they replied with news about The Batman.

Ah well. I'd rather have 'em on DVD anyway.

[James]

I remember seeing an interview awhile ago with Toonami UK, where they asked about season three of Batman Beyond, and they replied with news about The Batman.


Lol, that's an awesome yet tragic question dodge!

[mr.happy]

Superman The Animated Series was never very popular when it aired on BBC, ITV or Cartoon Network, and no more seasons were ordered. Except for Lois & Clark, Superman has alway been tough to sell in the UK, both as comics, toys, etc.

Toonami never had the rights to the final season of Batman Beyond/of The Future, and there are currently no plans to air it. Rumors that the final season was never produced for PAL consumption are not true, though.

Although previously on the official "don't hold your breath for it"-list, the final season of Static Shock will air on Toonami soon. Either next month or the month after, I can't remember.

The final season of Teen Titans will air on Toonami in May.

[Hour Man]

This brings in a very good point, where on earth are these DVD'S, the US are getting there must be some news on a UK release.

[Stu]

Batman: The Animated Series Volume One (the box set with the first 28 episodes) was actually released in the UK as a HMV exclusive. I never saw V2-V4, but I remember seeing the first one. Recent Batman releases include a pathetic 2 episode a disc set - from episode already available on DVD. It's baffling how they think anyone would buy 2 episodes from a show that's over 10 years old.

There's been no news on the likes of The Batman, Teen Titans or Justice League Unlimited being released over here either. It's quite shocking - I'm especially glad I bought a multi-region player.

[Jon T]

Superman The Animated Series was never very popular when it aired on BBC, ITV or Cartoon Network, and no more seasons were ordered.

When did S:TAS appear on the BBC?

[Stu]

When did S:TAS appear on the BBC?
I've heard this quite a lot, actually. I never saw it myself - I remember watching the odd episode on ITV on a Saturday morning. I used to watch both CBBC and CITV quite regulary, as Batman aired on CITV and the majority of the Marvel cartoons aired on BBC, usually on Saturdays.

So for those in the know, when did Superman air on the BBC?

[Sanguimane]

I echo the sentiments of the former correspondent-thank de laud for E Bay and DVDs!
To watch any of the shows cut to pieces to include hysterical kiddy show presenters is NOT my idea of a good time. I always recall with horror how out of sequence the UK showing of Batman Beyond was when it started! The second apearance of Inque was shown before her first, the first episode was the third etc etc... a pathetic shambles.

[mr.happy]

So for those in the know, when did Superman air on the BBC?Off the top of my head, Saturday mornings, spring/summer 1997, BBC1.

[leonardo]

Batman Beyond season 3 was definitely put on PAL because over here in Ireland we got it.

Its great that all the DCAU is getting released in America on DVD. But I'll only ditch my PAL tapes of all the DCAU episodes if the DCAU DVDs are released here in Europe too.

Why? Well, i imported the BTAS 28 episode collection region 1. I played it on my multi region DVD player, but the episodes play too slow! For example, i played the episode Mad As A Hatter alongside a Mad As A Hatter i taped off TV. The result? The Mad As A Hatter off the TV finished a minute earlier!

Its terrible. You can really hear the unnatural slowdown in the voices on the region 1 DVD. And the action is that bit slower than i'm used too.

Incidently, the region 2 release of the box set is fine. But i'm afraid that there doesn't look to be anymore box set releases of the DCAU on region 2.

So i stick with my tapes, off which i have a complete collection. (Thank you RTE television, and Toonami UK for the Justice League).

Bottom line: Region 1 DVDs are noticeable slower and its very frustrating. Enough for me not to buy them anymore.

[mr.happy]

Its great that all the DCAU is getting released in America on DVD. But I'll only ditch my PAL tapes of all the DCAU episodes if the DCAU DVDs are released here in Europe too.As of a few months ago, due to poor sales of previous DCAU releases, there were no plans for any more box sets to be released in the UK. That's always subject to change, though, but if there are any future releases, they would most likely be strategically targeted around holiday periods or releases of related movies.


Why? Well, i imported the BTAS 28 episode collection region 1. I played it on my multi region DVD player, but the episodes play too slow! For example, i played the episode Mad As A Hatter alongside a Mad As A Hatter i taped off TV. The result? The Mad As A Hatter off the TV finished a minute earlier!

Its terrible. You can really hear the unnatural slowdown in the voices on the region 1 DVD. And the action is that bit slower than i'm used too.You've got it the wrong way around. The PAL versions actually play too fast. The shows were originally produced at 24fps, which is how they are presented on the DVDs, and they are played at 25fps for PAL, which is a 4% speed increase, and which also changes the audio pitch, making voices and music sound different from the original. It's not uncommon for US fans to complain that the PAL versions sound like the actors are on helium, even though it's obviously a slight exaggeration. Either way, the NTSC/R1 versions are the correct speed and audio picth, not the PAL/R2 ones.

[Jon T]

Off the top of my head, Saturday mornings, spring/summer 1997, BBC1.

Really? That seems a bit odd to me considering ITV showed the series that same year.

I know for certain ITV showed it in the mornings in 1997, because I still have a couple of episodes taped at the time. As far as I was aware, the BBC channels have consistently passed over all the DCAU shows because they considered them too violent.


Batman Beyond season 3 was definitely put on PAL because over here in Ireland we got it.

Yes, I'm not really surprised about that. I believe Ireland also got TNBA many years before the UK, and if I'm not mistaken, the remaining 41 episodes of STAS too. Irish TV always seems to have been far better at importing US programmes than UK channels!

[Stu]

As of a few months ago, due to poor sales of previous DCAU releases, there were no plans for any more box sets to be released in the UK. That's always subject to change, though, but if there are any future releases, they would most likely be strategically targeted around holiday periods or releases of related movies.
That doesn't surprise me, but still angers me. These sets were never advertised, in the slightest. I've bought various Batman DVDs since the format has been released, and even bought a few for my brother, and I consider myself a huge fan of the character and the show, but if I don't know a box set is available, I'm not going to be able to buy it, am I?

The majority of consumers don't go to the DVD section to have a look around. They generally tend to check the new releases and sometimes check the sales and know what they're planning on buying before they go into the shop, especially males, who generally have no patience for standing around in a shop. If they don't know a show is available, they aren't going to buy it. Sounds silly, but it's very true.

A bit more of an effort from your marketing team, next time WB. It's a shame, if The Batman and Teen Titans sets were ever released over here, I was planning on buying them.

[Jon T]

A bit more of an effort from your marketing team, next time WB. It's a shame, if The Batman and Teen Titans sets were ever released over here, I was planning on buying them.

With this observation Stu, you've just reinforced my take on the situation in the UK. WB main TV distribution division (as opposed to the kids' only division), who handle all the DC Comics cartoons, have never really done a particularly good job in the UK.

How else then to explain the abscence of STAS's latter 41 episodes, and the final season of Batman Beyond? Even the many Superfriends series that have been a mainstay of the Cartoon Network/Boomerang US have never been on any of the equivalent UK channels. In fact, I don't believe any Superfriends series to have been shown here since the late 1970s!

There were once plans for WB to have their own channel in the UK, The Warner Channel. It was never launched, but they did make their schedule plans known, and they included many DC shows that had been made up to that time, including Superfriends (and even the non-DC related Thundercats, which similarly has never been on any Turner UK channel).

If only that channel had been launched, then we would have been guranteed to have all the DCAU shows on air close to the time of their production!

Exactly what WB TV dist's problem is with the UK when it comes to the these shows is unknown to me, but they clearly haven't been interested in going through any of the Turner UK channels (which at this point in time is probably a very wise decision!). And they've also opted for making one of the most critically acclaimed TV animation shows of all time available on DVD in only one store.

The situation stinks, but at least WB US has done a fantastic job at getting the shows they own onto DVD, so not all is lost for those of us over here who regularly import all our DVDs anyway!

[Hour Man]

I think Toonami is missing a chance here.

They just brought every single episode of Pokemon and all upcomming seasons from SKY, and are promoting the old episodes as new shows, same with those 70's and 80's shows their running right now.

The could do this with S:Tas season's 2 and 3 as well as BB and promote them as new never seen before shows.

Oh well i hope the DVD's will be released.