Booo Netflix

[violiavampyr]

It great that Netflix put Coupling back on, but oddly edited? wtf Netflix?

[Slayer]

That one isn't available for Canada, from what I can see, so I can't compare.

Sometimes companies aren't always able to get full rights to media so things get cut out or changed. It's usually common for music and stuff like that though, so the story is still the same.

Did they mess with the storyline?

[violiavampyr]

It's just off. Transitions are different from DVD or PBS. Most of the chapter titles are left out, and i feel some of the chapters are cut slightly. I think the "Stop playing Reseviour Dogs" bit was cut. words are edited out inconsitently. I've noticed "Penis", "Dick", and "Bitch" so far.

[Andara Bledin]

I'm not sure Netflix has the right to alter programs they offer; I suspect that any changes are made at the production level, not by Netflix.

Can't find any info either way, so can't know for certain.

I actually found another complaint about Netflix editing movies, but the person making the complaint is ignorant of the fact that the movie in question actually has different edit versions available and the copy they have is the one with all the scenes and the one Netflix gets to use is the "tv edit" like as not.

I've run into this with the movie Legend, specifically. The original version is the one I first saw, and it has all of the scenes. Then I saw it on TV, and it cut a few scenes that aren't vital, but help the flow of the overall narrative. Then I caught it on cable (a not-premium channel from way back in the early '90s) and they cut out different bits that actually did affect the story and made a couple of scenes not make any sense at all. I have no idea which version you'd get if you watched it on Netflix today.

^-.-^

[violiavampyr]

It's odd, then, why they would pick this version. Though I don't see the need for there to be multiple edits for this show.

[Aethian]

I dont think it's very much of a choice and up to the people who offer to sell them licensing that make them get the worst cuts.

[Ghel]

I had the same problem when I went to watch Miracle on 34th Street on Netflix last month. They took a 96-minute movie and chopped it down to 45 minutes. The weirdest part is they took out the drunk Santa at the beginning (which explained why Kris got hired in the first place) and left in the part where Kris strikes the guy with his cane in front of a bunch of kids.

[smileyeagle1021]

I've noticed Netflix edits too... the most recent example was rewatching a miniseries called "Jykell", and they, I wish I was making this up, edited the ring tone that one of the character's phones made (and it actually was a plot point with the ring tone, because the story behind it is that it once saved a man's life by making the character laugh).

[Dasota]

Netflix has done some strange things. But it seems like licensing stuff more than anything else. Like the theme song to Charmed was changed, and I thought that was odd when I watched through the series.

I haven't noticed, but my friend M did because it's his favorite series (and now one of mine too) but they'll change the backround music from time to time in Supernatural.

I'm sad and a little disappointed that there are no Brat Pack movies or other 80's and 90's classic chick flicks.

[depechemodefan]

One of my favorite shows I watch is Bones. I didn't see the whole first season when it came out. But when I started to watch it on re-runs years latter, it had two episodes with music from Depeche Mode. Seeing those same eps on Netflix had the same songs (though I think maybe edited to be a little shorter). But the DVDs for that season had one of the eps edited where they didn't play a song by DM. Though the music they replaced the song with was instrumental, but the closed captioning says "man singing". It's a licensing thing. No doubt the record company ok'd the song to be used for broadcast but not for use in the dvds.

[telecom_goddess]

Maybe I'm weird but I haven't noticed any odd edits on Netflix on anything so far.

I have found some great shows I never watched when they were on a few years ago like What About Brian and Samantha, Who? plus some interesting UK shows.

[Immortal1982]

Jekyll, Coupling i know are BBC series. Netflix doesnt edit anything, so it sounds like its on the networks or rights holders ends.

[thansal]

Yah, most likely none of this should be put at Netflix's feet. They license what they can, and clearly don't care what they show, either on streaming or on DVDs (Nude Nuns With Big Guns is on streaming, and Ichi the Killer is un-edited on DVD, which is actually decently hard to find).

Also, if they were actually editing them selves, that would likely be a big no-no. I don't remember who it was, but there was a large case about 10ish years back that involved a video rental/sale store/chain (possibly Walmart?) editing content they were selling. The end result was that the store owed the rights holders large amounts of money (remember, making and selling a derivative work from a copyrighted material is decidedly something you can't do).

The most you could lay at Netflix's feat is that they didn't work hard enough to get un-edited versions.

[wolfie]

One thing that Netflix *should* be able to do (don't see how this could be illegal on their part, but IANAL and I don't play one on TV either) is list WHICH version of a movie/TV series they are renting. Using Star Wars as an example, they could tell people it's the:

- Original version first released in theatres
- Edited for TV version of that
- Re-release from when Phantom Menace was in theatres (this is the one with the cheesy new scene of Jabba confronting Han, but Han's part in this scene is re-using his footage from another scene, stormtroopers riding CGI lizards, and the anti-canon bit with Greedo shooting first).

For "WKRP in Cincinati", they could include a reminder that the distributor of the DVDs they are using was unable to obtain rights to the original songs used when the series was in first-run broadcast, and therefore substituted alternate music.

[Immortal1982]

The most you could lay at Netflix's feat is that they didn't work hard enough to get un-edited versions.

The problem is there may not be unedited versions. Licensing music and a few other rights considerations change things. One of the many reasons we would never see shows like the real world on dvd is the music. I know charmed was mentioned upthread as having the theme music changed. they (meaning WB or whoever produces it) may not have the rights for the music for streaming or home media release.