DVD Tuesday: Room 222, Andy Richter Saves the Universe

None of the new releases out on DVD today really scream “obscure” or even “somewhat forgotten” but you can pick up the first season of a classic sitcom, the complete series of two recent shows that didn’t last long, and a miniseries from 1984.

The first season of Room 222 includes all 26 episodes from the 1969-1970 season. You can read a press release from Shout! Factory here, courtesy of TVShowsOnDVD.com. The drama, which ran for four and a half seasons, starred Michael Constantine, Karen Valentine, Lloyd Haynes, Denise Nicholas. It ended in January of 1974.

Andy Richter Control the Universe, a FOX sitcom starring Andy Richter, premiered in March of 2002 as a mid-season replacement. It returned in December for a second season only to be cancelled with five episodes left unaired. A total of 19 were produced and now you can own them all as part of Andy Richter Controls the Universe: The Complete Series.

Runaway, a drama starring Donnie Wahlberg, ran for all of three episodes on The CW at the start of the 2006-2007 season before being pulled. Nine episodes were produced and are now available on Runaway: The Complete Series. If these had aired just a decade ago it’s unlikely they would ever be released on DVD.

Also being released today is “Master of the Game”, a miniseries that aired on CBS in 1984. It was based on Sidney Sheldon’s novel of the same name. The three-part miniseries originally aired on Sunday, February 19th through Tuesday, February 21st. Part One drew a 24.2 Nielsen rating (third for the week), Part Two a 27.7 (third for the following week) and Part Three a 28.2 (tied for first with the premiere installment of ABC’s “Lace” miniseries) [1, 2].

Works Cited
1 Buck, Jerry. “Last Week Of Olympics Coverage Brings ABC Ratings Gold.” Associated Press. 22 Feb. 1984: PM Cycle.
2 Buck, Jerry. “CBS’ ‘Master of the Game’ and ABC’s ”Lace” Outdraw ‘Star Wars’.” Associated Press. 29 Feb. 1984: MM Cycle.


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3 Replies to “DVD Tuesday: Room 222, Andy Richter Saves the Universe”

  1. Would be interested in the Andy Ritcher one the best, since it’s be great to see him again with Conan June 1!!!

  2. I remember watching at least a few episodes of Andy Richter Controls the Universe. I think I enjoyed it at the time but it isn’t something I’d want to spend money on.

  3. The only people who watched “ANDY RICHTER CONTROLS THE UNIVERSE” were about two or three million “cult viewers”, and almost every major TV critic in print {they virtually gave the series rave reviews at the outset}…but the “mass audience” stayed away from it in droves because it was too “quirky” and “hip” for them. And, quite frankly, for all his comedic talents, Andy isn’t “star material”; EVERY series he’s headlined in prime-time waved bye-bye after several episodes. And when the creator/producer reworked the series into ABC’s “BETTER OFF TED” a few months back, it seemed to attract more of an audience, and it’s been renewed for the fall. How long it’ll stay on, I don’t know. But I’m betting it has a chance because Andy Richter ISN’T the star.

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