Selleck's Reaction to Magnum DVDs

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Kahunagirl · #1 Post by **Kahunagirl** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 5:26 am

Just stumbled across a 2-year old interview, which included this Q&A:

Zap2it: With the first season of "Magnum, P.I." now out on DVD, and the second season coming in April, are you glad the show is getting its due that way?

Selleck: I was a little worried at first. Our first season, there was a musicians strike, so we had a bunch of "canned" music like many shows. It wasn't the traditional "Magnum" stuff, but it evolved over the course of the first season. If I were King Tom, I would have released a "Best of 'Magnum'" set first, then released it season by season. I guess they've had phenomenal success with it. They don't pay me anything for it, so I have no real way of knowing.

You can read the entire article/interview at: http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_ma ... 7C,00.html

#2 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 3:02 pm

The actors certainly get hosed on these DVD residuals. The producers get 80% of the residuals and the writers, directors and actors then receive a small portion - 1.8 to 5.4 percent - of the remaining 20 percent. At least that's my understanding of it, anyway.

#3 Post by **Doc Ibold** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 4:55 pm

Looks like TS wasn't a big fan of Ian Fairborn-Smith.

Steve · #4 Post by **Steve** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:27 pm

Geez...........The actors get little or nothing from the DVD sales, that sounds so unfair! It certainly wouldn't have been a hit without Tom and the chemistry of the rest of the cast. At least Tom became a Producer part way thru season seven, hopefully he will see a lil' somethin somethin on the Season Seven and Eight DVD's.....

Steve
Chicago

Shermy · #5 Post by **Shermy** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 10:51 pm

James J. Walters wrote:The actors certainly get hosed on these DVD residuals.

Definitely. It reminds me of the similar situation that occurred when syndication began to take off. No one had really planned for it, so the actors weren't reimbursed. For example, I think William Shatner once revealed that the actors were only paid for the first few times an episode of Star Trek was re-aired. After that, the royalties stopped.

But just as Selleck probably got a better syndication deal in the 80's, today's actors probably get a bigger slice of the dvd pie. I believe that was one thing the Seinfeld cast had to work out, before the studio could begin releasing the show on dvd.