Outpost Daria - Daria on DVD

Daria on DVD
The Latest News, Gossip and Info

Obtaining Daria episodes on DVD has become a hot issue these days, particularly when one TV show after another appears on DVD yet our favorite show is nowhere in sight. Here is where you'll find the most up-to-date information on this topic, so check here often!

Current topics:

DVD Box Sets: Are They For Real?
Daria on DVD May Finally Become a Reality (Eventually)
Current Daria DVD Releases

DVD Box Sets: Are They For Real? November 28, 2005
There have been a lot of questions lately about this issue, so I thought it'd be best to address the issue here, for all to see, with what little knowledge I have. Basically, people have been seeing various ads for Daria DVD sets, which usually contain all 65 episodes, the two movies, and some bonus features. (A product from some outfit called Media Enterprises is mentioned frequently, thanks to their ads that seem to be in quite a few places.) Several people have asked if they're legitimate releases. Good question. The short answer: if Daria had been officially released on DVD (beyond the two movies, that is), I would've plastered the news on the Outpost Daria home page in 97-inch blinking red text. :-) The long answer, of course, is that these are not legitimate releases. MTV and Paramount are still dithering on the issue, and probably have many legal issues to resolve (mainly involving music rights) before we'll see Daria DVDs (if we ever see them at all; that's a possibility we don't want to hear, but it's a very real one we have to face). What you're seeing advertised are bootlegs, no doubt assembled from episodes broadcast on MTV and The-N (yes, the cut-up versions you've heard so much about). Bootlegs are a "tradition" that's been plaguing the industry for years, likely going all the way back to the non-Special Edition versions of the original Star Wars trilogy showing up on eBay. The problem facing consumers is that they're likely to pony up a ridiculous amount of cash for products that are nowhere near the quality of "official" Hollywood releases. In fact, you'd stand a very good chance of buying something whose quality is no better than that of a VHS recording! One way you can definitely tell if you're getting a bootleg product is that the discs would be created in a DVD burner, not pressed in a factory. (The Media Enterprises offering, for example, explicitly states that the discs come in DVD-R format, and offers a link to check your DVD player for compatibility. No officially released product would be offered on DVD-R, much less require a compatibility check.) Another clue would be if the advertising goes out of its way to label it as "genuine" or "official," in order to make you believe that you're getting the real deal. Keep this tidbit in mind: official releases usually don't need to be advertised as such. :-) Now, I'm not going to sit here and tell you what to do. It's entirely your choice as to whether or not to purchase one of these bootleg sets. Believe me, I understand the temptation; we've all been waiting a long time for MTV/Paramount to "shit or get off the pot" regarding Daria DVD releases. I'm simply informing you that, for now, what you buy will be a bootleg product (unless you're buying Is It Fall Yet? or Is It College Yet?, both of which were officially released). Caveat emptor -- "let the buyer beware" -- definitely applies here!

DVD Box Sets: Are They For Real?
November 28, 2005

There have been a lot of questions lately about this issue, so I thought it'd be best to address the issue here, for all to see, with what little knowledge I have. Basically, people have been seeing various ads for Daria DVD sets, which usually contain all 65 episodes, the two movies, and some bonus features. (A product from some outfit called Media Enterprises is mentioned frequently, thanks to their ads that seem to be in quite a few places.) Several people have asked if they're legitimate releases. Good question.

The short answer: if Daria had been officially released on DVD (beyond the two movies, that is), I would've plastered the news on the Outpost Daria home page in 97-inch blinking red text. :-)

The long answer, of course, is that these are not legitimate releases. MTV and Paramount are still dithering on the issue, and probably have many legal issues to resolve (mainly involving music rights) before we'll see Daria DVDs (if we ever see them at all; that's a possibility we don't want to hear, but it's a very real one we have to face). What you're seeing advertised are bootlegs, no doubt assembled from episodes broadcast on MTV and The-N (yes, the cut-up versions you've heard so much about).

Bootlegs are a "tradition" that's been plaguing the industry for years, likely going all the way back to the non-Special Edition versions of the original Star Wars trilogy showing up on eBay. The problem facing consumers is that they're likely to pony up a ridiculous amount of cash for products that are nowhere near the quality of "official" Hollywood releases. In fact, you'd stand a very good chance of buying something whose quality is no better than that of a VHS recording!

One way you can definitely tell if you're getting a bootleg product is that the discs would be created in a DVD burner, not pressed in a factory. (The Media Enterprises offering, for example, explicitly states that the discs come in DVD-R format, and offers a link to check your DVD player for compatibility. No officially released product would be offered on DVD-R, much less require a compatibility check.) Another clue would be if the advertising goes out of its way to label it as "genuine" or "official," in order to make you believe that you're getting the real deal. Keep this tidbit in mind: official releases usually don't need to be advertised as such. :-)

Now, I'm not going to sit here and tell you what to do. It's entirely your choice as to whether or not to purchase one of these bootleg sets. Believe me, I understand the temptation; we've all been waiting a long time for MTV/Paramount to "shit or get off the pot" regarding Daria DVD releases. I'm simply informing you that, for now, what you buy will be a bootleg product (unless you're buying Is It Fall Yet? or Is It College Yet?, both of which were officially released). Caveat emptor -- "let the buyer beware" -- definitely applies here!

Daria on DVD May Finally
Become a Reality (Eventually)
July 21, 2004

MTV may have finally realized what they have on their hands with regards to Daria, and the long-realized dream of getting the series on DVD may be a lot closer to becoming a reality. Here's what longtime Daria fan Michelle Klein-Häss posted today in the alt.tv.daria newsgroup:

Hi folks...I got word from Glenn Eichler about what's been going on with Daria DVD plans.

(deep breath)
It seems like all the fan action has finally served to wake the sleeping MTV Home Video giant. Right now, they are currently looking at all their options to bring some sort of release of more Daria to DVD.

Here's how Glenn Eichler put it, in his own words:

So there's no distributor and no release date but what there is is very strong interest from MTV in putting Daria out, and steady activity toward making that a reality. Does that make sense?

Furthermore, he added:

Yes, go ahead and mention that. It's the fans who have made this possible and we appreciate it.

Unfortunately that is all the detail he could give me for public consumption. MTV Home Video and Paramount Home Video may do this in-house, or they might be doing this with a partnership with another distributor. I suggested they might look into companies that do Anime distribution like ADV Films or Geneon because of their extensive experience in getting animation on DVD right. They know all the pitfalls...compression requirements, how to get the look right, how not to step all over drawn lines, etc. etc. Also there is a lot of overlap between Daria fans and Anime fans so an Anime distro might be perhaps the best choice as far as bringing the material to people who want it.

It's time to celebrate, all of you who have been keeping the pressure on the Viacom octopus to put out Daria on DVD and to do it right. Keep going, keep signing petitions, keep sending out letters, keep the faith. It won't come out in 2004, that I can say for sure. Even if they did deals tomorrow and got the commitments the production of a TV series on DVD is a time consuming process. But we will see it in our lifetimes. We might even see it fairly soon.

W00t! We did it!

Current Daria DVD Releases

The following are the only official Daria DVDs that have been released by MTV/Paramount. Sadly, the chances of finding them on the shelf at your local DVD store are pretty slim, as they aren't big sellers. Fortunately, they can still be ordered online from various sites, of which a few of the most popular are listed below.

Is It Fall Yet?

Running time: 75 minutes
Full-screen, English audio, closed captioned
Bonus episodes: "Fire!" (#412) and "Dye! Dye! My Darling" (#413)
Bonus features: Mystik Spiral video for "Freakin' Friends"
Suggested retail price: $14.98
Status: Current
NOTE: The original music in the movie and the episodes has been replaced with generic music.

Is It College Yet?

Running time: 66 minutes
Full-screen, English audio, closed captioned
Bonus episodes: "Lucky Strike" (#506) and "Boxing Daria" (#513)
Bonus features: Character sketches and profiles
Easter egg: A scene with Daria on Beavis and Butt-Head
Suggested retail price: $14.98
Status: Current
NOTE: The movie is the edited-for-time version, not the original broadcast version.
NOTE: The original music in the movie has been replaced with generic music.
NOTE: The two bonus episodes do not contain any music at all.

Sites where these DVDs can be purchased:

TIP: Be careful with eBay; it's an auction site, meaning highest-bidder-takes-the-prize. As such, it's possible that you could end up paying more than you would from other sites... or even full retail!