Customer Reviews

1st and Ten - Complete Collection

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Ok guys, here's the deal. I must be the TANGO "GUY' that previous reviewers have mentioned.I am Director of Sales.

I have now watched the Entire Collection of 1st & Ten , and here's the deal.

First of all, TANGO did not lie in regard to this title. Of the 6 seasons included, only the first 3 have been edited. We purchased an entire Hollywood catalogue, and this was the only version available.

Although I am old enough to have enjoyed the series when aired originally, I , too, was disappointed that the early seasons were cut and laugh tracked for Network. We feverously checked into it, and found out that these were the only episodes available in that format.

While we agree it is a tad annoying, we can assure you that seasons 4-6 are COMPLETELY uncut. How do we know? 5 minutes into season 4 , there is an audition for Topless Waitresses.With Big Hair!!


Would we have rather had ALL uncut episodes? Absolutely!

Were they available to TANGO? Unfortunately not.

However, we can assure you that 1st & Ten is a very watchable, still funny addition to anyone's TV DVD collection.

In addition, you can watch the first 3 seasons with the kids, put them to bed, and then watch the raunchy bits by yourself. Making the first 3 seasons Family Fare.

This series is STILL very topical and works on many levels.

Enjoy, and be confident in the notion that TANGO has given our customers the best versions we found available. No lies or purposeful misinformation from this end.

TANGO appreciates all the letters of concern and especially those who continue to support the TANGO Ent. line of DVD's.

HBO's first original series has finally been released on DVD, and it is somewhat worth the wait. I was a regular watcher of this show, and enjoyed it during its original run. This package is attractive, since you get all of the episodes in one package for a VERY good price. As other reviewers have stated, many of the episodes are edited, and all of them are altered. The beginning sequence for season one has been completely changed. From what I remember, in the first season, Fran Tarkenton (your scrambling announcer) introduced the main players and plot points at the beginning of the show, but on the DVD's, there are action sequences from later seasons that feature Miracle Miles Coolidge, who didn't appear until the last season. The "Victory's Won" song wasn't used in the first three seasons, I believe that the song "White Lines" was the theme song in the second and third seasons, but I could be wrong about this.

Most of the episodes are still very watchable. The first season suffers the most from the editing, taking the bite away from the raunchier bits. The show really hit its stride in seasons 2,3, and 4, dealing with some more serious issues (drug testing, steroids, players struggling with the end of their careers, and recreational use of illegal drugs). Despite some shark jumping ("Team Picture" and "The Dark Side" in season 4), these were the strongest seasons. The last two seasons mix a more serious tone with the silliness of season one, with a ridiculous ending in the championship game.

Of course, this was an entertaining series, but not great art by any stretch of the imagination. Cheesiness abounds, from the use of pirated USFL footage to the bad acting of the NFL superstars of the day. There was also not a strong emphasis on narrative continuity. In season one, the team's star running back signs a long term contract, but by season two he disappears, never to be seen again (sort of like Chuck on Happy Days). Ty Taylor (Rick Moser) is an openly gay player who is caught in bed with Diana Barrow's husband, leading to her getting the team in a divorce settlement, but in subsequent seasons he's suddenly straight. T.D. Parker (O.J. Simpson) is introduced as a superstar at the end of a great career. Supposedly, he played with the Bulls for a long time and was a teammate of many of the Bulls players, but he was never even mentioned in season one. T.D. also goes from washed-up player, to assistant coach, to General Manager in the space of about one season. The Bulls reach the championship game on three separate occasions with quarterbacks who never played college football. One of them, Tom Yinessa, disappears with no explanation. The other, Johnny Gunn, served time in prison. The team, in the space of about 2 seasons, drafts Rick Lambert (Marcus Allen) and Achilles Byron (the actors name escapes me), two superstar running backs. Lambert is a holdout in season 2. He eventually signs, but he is gone by the next season and we never see him play. Byron was supposed to be a superstar, but he is barely mentioned for the rest of the show.

Interesting notes: AC Cowlings had a recurring role as an assistant coach. Ron Shipp, who testified against O.J. in his murder trial, has a role as a cop in one of the later episodes. Micheal Toland is introduced as a troubled player with a cocaine problem in season one, and he returns as Billy Cooper in season 3, and eventually becomes a troubled player with an alcohol problem. John Kassir, who played Zagreb, beat Sinbad on Star Search.

I purchased an "exclusive" advance copy of this complete series set at Wal-Mart. The price seemed too good to be true BECAUSE IT WAS. Only a couple of episodes are the HBO versions. The rest are syndicated television versions. Based on the added laugh track, inappropriate trumpet flourishes and cutaways, I'd guess the syndicated versions in the set weren't even intended for American audiences (they seem like Mexican sit-coms, but do Mexicans care about USA Football?). Even the adult content is cut on all but three episodes from the first season. THIS IS NOT THE 1ST AND 10 YOU REMEMBER unless you watched it second hand on basic cable.

I can't speak for everyone else, but I'm doubting if there are different versions of this set. I bought mine at Circuit City, and most of the episodes are edited. I could tell from the 1st episode when I saw "Power Burst" on the scoreboard, and the "newer" them song started.

I notice that one reviewer posted an email from someone at Tango. Well, it seems to me that Tango was either lied to or is lying. They mentioned the "full 50 minute episodes", but during the time I watched the show (3rd season on) they were 30 minutes long. The "Victory's Yours" theme song was introduced late in the show's life and wouldn't have been on the early episodes. Some of the scenes during the credits are from later seasons. Factor in the laugh track and most of these are definitely from the syndicated run. Since the comapany says that some masters couldn't be used, I wonder if they only used the unedited versions when they had to. If Tango is being truthful, then they were ripped off.

I'm skeptical that a company would have released this set at such a low price if they were releasing the uncut episodes. I wonder if the majority of the orginals were in poor shape, and they went with the synicated versions to cut costs. I can see anyone being hesitant in making a big investment in restoring and advertising the show considering who its biggest "star" was.


That being said, despite the deception, having the complete series for under 20 bucks is a great bargin. I would recommend it to anyone who can be satisfied with just seeing the show again after all this time. Even after all these years, the show is enjoyable. I think I'll be able to appreciate it more now, since much of it was over my head when I was 10. Some of the humor doesn't hold up, but I'm surprised that some of the dramatic issues didn't cause a stir, considering how Playmakers was received.

I can live with the edited episodes and the bares bones set at this price. But if there is a version with the episodes as they orginally aired, I'll pick it up in a heartbeatand get rid of this one. I'm still hoping that at least one episode with have the old theme song by the time I finish. I can hear it in my mind, but I can't remember all the words.

This is now down to $5 at Wal-mart, if you are willing to search through the bargain bin. At that price, to get all of the episodes, does it really matter if some of them have been edited? There's more to watching the show than hoping to see nudity. So it is still a good deal, you get what you pay for.

OK. HBO, in the mid-80's, sold the syndicated rights to this show to NBC, which preceded to badly edit the show, removing all nudity and dubbing in a horrible laugh track. This happens on the first 3 seasons.

However, NBC cancelled the show after the 3rd season. The last 3 seasons are COMPLETELY unedited and air the way HBO originally intended them to be aired.

Because this package is so inexpensive, I'm planning on picking it up, along with the first 3 seasons as they are individually released, and then substituting the unedited DVD's for the edited ones (assuming they'll fit).

I bought this set on a whim at a local store for 10 buck, 80 episodes, why not. I remember talk about the series, but never saw it the first time through. I am through two season currently, and the show does get better in the second season. The first season was definitly a beginning. But, it did address issues in pro football at the time, and reflect currently what baseball is going through. And yes, It was very apparent the second season was the edited versions of the show from syndicate, they dubbed over some of the words the coach used, and they cut away from scence that likely progressed farther in the bedroom etc. The set is mixed with edited and unedited shows. What do you expect for a rather inexpensive price. 6 total DVDs, double sided, 80 episodes total. Hey, if they sell enough of these, maybe HBO will release the original unedited series complete....and really, can the canned laughter...why would anybody ever add that into a filmed show anyway.

One of the best shows HBO ever had on... way before the Sopranoes there was this light hearted show, that made me laugh beyond belief! I'm so happy it's now on DVD! Thank You!

I was also expecting the unedited shows as they first aired on HBO but so far have only seen what appears to be three original, un-edited shows out of the first thirty or so I've watched. The fact that I've watched nearly the first three seasons tells me that it's still watchable and the fact that you get 80 shows for under $20 almost makes it a bargain, edited or not. While I miss some of the more adult parts of the original shows my wife certainly doesn't and has actually been watching this with me (so maybe it's not a bad thing, or is it?). Oh well, I'm giving this 3 stars overall because at less than a quarter-a-show I cant complain too much.

This is not what I remenmber about this series, I could not even watch iot with the laughing and cuting away secens. Dont Not Buy!!!!! Wait until you know it is orignal. I bought mine a wal-Mart and I am very Disappointed....