Disclaimer: I possess only the 2013 DVD box set with the not-so-good packaging [that is for another time]. Anything I can mention may or may not apply to the original pressings by Anchor Bay Entertainment. If anyone can attest to that using their original pressings then I welcome comparison and contrast. Moreover, I am bereft completely of eyesight thus my observations are for audio exclusively.

Before I explain why I feel cheated and why you shall also I must make a note about syndication. Edits for syndication are not what they used to be. In the ‘classic days’ of syndication less of Roseanne and presumably other television programmes were excised. In other words more of a cut scene existed. Nowadays, edits for syndication [not sure when this began] make any television programme with such ruins almost not worth watching. Thirty to forty-five seconds of a scene can be cut [usually the beginning of a segment] or five to ten seconds [usually at the end of a segment]. It is apodeictic adverts are more important than television programmes for more scenes regardless of their critical status are cut from a syndicated run. I pay not for any streaming services although I have got access to Roseanne from both Amazon Prime Video and Peacock. Based on comparisons from series nine I will state emphatically although both sources stream syndicated copies Peacock stream ‘first edit’ syndication howbeit at noticeably lesser fidelity. I call it ‘first edit’ because more than a decade ago I believe this was the round of edits made for syndication beginning in 1992 although I can be and likely am wrong. I know emphatically less cuts to scenes exist in the Peacock sourced copies. Contrariwise, Amazon Prime Video sourced copies are those for current syndication. These copies seem to be the exact same edits made for syndication shown on COZI TV in the United States since 2020. These edits are almost not worth watching for so much cumulatively is excised it almost ruins the entire programme and disrupts flow and continuity. In fact, some edits are so noticeable. An exemplar is the very last episode: twenty-four in series nine. Listen to both Peacock’s copy and Amazon Prime Video’s copy. Notice both begin with a scene thirty seconds approximately into it [I have not timed the cut part]. However, The distorted harmonica fades out logarithmically [abruptly] on the Amazon Prime Video copy with the doorbell ringing a fraction of a second thereafter whereas the doorbell rings one second approximately before the harmonica fades [presumably linearly] before dialogue begins on the Peacock copy. The first time I heard the former I knew something was not quite right with syndication. Another example of differences is in episode fourteen of series nine. Roseanne is in her car and it sounds as though she is changing radio stations. There is dialogue of a lady who phoned into a radio station about the guilt she feels for having a continual affair with a married man. On the Amazon Prime Video copy part of that dialogue is omitted, specifically the part where she proclaims her guilt and the response from another lady who calls her naïve [is it just me or is that response ominous as though she is the wife and knows more than the mistress?]. On the Peacock copy the entire dialogue is retained. I can have fun comparing and contrasting for ever but I will leave that for the critical listeners to make the thread more thought-provoking. The only positive facet about these two syndication versions is that they seem to have retained most of the music about which I am about to make a long and detailed diatribe.

Now on to the infuriating facet. We all know about the travesty that is the [presumably first edit] syndication versions on series one of the original pressings by Anchor Bay Entertainment. Seemingly series one to seven are not messed with on the pressings by Mill Creek Entertainment. However, series eight and nine are absolute shameful disservices, travesties, and tragedies of television programmes on home media. I may have missed something so fill in the blanks in this thread.

• Series eight episode one: This is likely the most infamous. At the very end originally is a super well-executed musical presentation and amongst my favourites in the serial. It is a spoof of the opening credits of a television programme called the Patty Duke Show. The music to that show is so well parodied here. The voices even sound the same. The instrumentation and vocal layering is superb here and the lyrics are comical [to me]. For shame Mill Creek Entertainment! For shame! Just because you as an entity refuse to pay licence fees, royalties, or any other charges to gain rights to include the music you decide to release the series with the theme song from series eight instead? This is such an insult to your customers! How dare you charge RRP of US$69.99 [to memory] or even US$23.99 [on Amazon] for such a glaring omission! It is absolutely critical because this is the episode when Lecy returned and the script continued to highlight the switch amongst both actresses [Lecy and Sarah] playing the same character of Becky making a spoof of a classic programme a perfect fit. You failed Mill Creek Entertainment, you are a disheartening disappointment beyond magnitudes of expression!
• Series nine episode five: Again, definitely and unquestionably amongst my favourite scenes in the entire serial. The final scene was excised. It is the scene wherein the character of Beverly is in the club in Harlem, some cat called Johnny is on keys playing a D minor, and layin’ it down slow as instructed by Beverly. I love the scene because she can sing well and the audience dug it. I wish that scene were extended; I would have liked to hear her sing the entire song or do an entire set as a special feature of the set on home media. In reality Mill Creek Entertainment cheated all of its customers once again! They omitted the scene and replaced it with an iteration of the theme song from series nine! Words cannot convey my dismay when I discovered this! It is such a critical scene because it personified Bev’s coolness. If she were not cool previous to this scene then this shall be the pivotal scene that makes her a cool lady. This episode is so lacklustre without this critical scene. Just because you as an entity refuse to pay licence fees, royalties, or any other charges to gain rights to include the music you decide to release the series with the theme song instead? This is such an insult to your customers! How dare you charge RRP of US$69.99 [to memory] or even US$23.99 [on Amazon] for such a glaring omission! You failed Mill Creek Entertainment, you are a disheartening disappointment beyond magnitudes of expression!
• Series nine episode twelve: This is not a critical cut but is notable. The final music was replaced. The original version contains some rendition of the winter wonderland song. Mill Creek sold us some rendition instrumental of the silent night song. Although not critical or pinnacle it truly does take away from the episode; it is just not the same. It could have been worse for it could have been replaced with the theme song from series nine. Regardless my rant applies. Just because you as an entity refuse to pay licence fees, royalties, or any other charges to gain rights to include the music you decide to release the series with a replacement instead? This is such an insult to your customers! How dare you charge RRP of US$69.99 [to memory] or even US$23.99 [on Amazon] for such a glaring omission! You failed Mill Creek Entertainment, you are a disheartening disappointment beyond magnitudes of expression!
• Series nine episode fourteen: There is positive and negative about this episode – mostly positive. The positive aspect is most of the music was retained. The two scenes which seemingly the same song plays [perhaps the song is different but it sounds the same] are different in both aforementioned syndication versions. In the first scene cut completely from both syndicated versions is wherein Roseanne was listening to radio stations. Two seconds approximately of a song can be heard followed by Rosanne saying ‘you got to be kidding me’. The second scene contains the same song [or so it sounds] but in glorious ‘stereophonia’. It is a quiet scene wherein the character of Dan prepares to exit the house. Almost immediately before he opens the door the song begins to play. It sounds like the end of whatever song that is. The voice of the vocalist sounds like Patsy Klein although that is just an uneducated guess for I am not at all familiar with her music and have heard her voice years and years ago. For both syndicated versions this song is replaced with guitar and piano incidental music that can be mistaken for the original music in that scene. This song fits the scene somehow and I am very glad it was retained. The negative aspect is not critical to the episode but is not favoured withal. The final music in the episode is not the theme song from series nine; it is a multi-instrumental tune without much form and truly I am not sure what it is exactly. I never knew what happens visually in this scene; the music fails to tell me anything although I interpret it as slightly anticipatory for some reason and never really fit in the episode. Regardless my rant applies because I like the composition. Just because you as an entity refuse to pay licence fees, royalties, or any other charges to gain rights to include the music you decide to release the series with the theme song instead? This is such an insult to your customers! How dare you charge RRP of US$69.99 [to memory] or even US$23.99 [on Amazon] for such a glaring omission! You failed Mill Creek Entertainment, you are a disheartening disappointment beyond magnitudes of expression!
• Series nine episode nineteen: This is such a big insult to insult to mental injury. Instead of a cut Mill Creek gave us a replacement. For both syndicated versions and the non-syndicated version that aired originally a cover of Blackbird by The Beatles plays whilst characters of Beverly, Roseanne, Jackie, Becky, Darlene, and Nancy are in a hospital room passing round prematurely born and just-named Harris like a freshly rolled joint. For hours I tried to find who made that cover but never did I find it. The instrumental sounds exclusively of keys with a chorus or reverberation effect applied to the instrumentation. The only dialogue was firstly when Dr Phillips is called to neonatal ICU and secondly when he says ‘this is the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen’. The replacement Mill Creek sold us is a three or four track guitar rendition of the arrangement of Blackbird. The only dialogue is when Dr Phillips is called to neonatal ICU. The line when he says ‘this is the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen’ is erased completely! Not only is the actual cover of the song gone but part of the voiced script is also! I tried to find the exact cover used because I like both the vocalist’s voice and the instrumentation. The replacement could have been non-existent and silence could have ensued which would not have been any better or worse – especially if the line by the character of Dr Phillips were retained. The cover of Blackbird added beauty to the scene – especially without having the luxury of eyesight to see the visual component but Mill Creek robbed me of it. Just because you as an entity refuse to pay licence fees, royalties, or any other charges to gain rights to include the music you decide to release the series with a replacement instead? This is such an insult to your customers! How dare you charge RRP of US$69.99 [to memory] or even US$23.99 [on Amazon] for such a glaring omission! You failed Mill Creek Entertainment, you are a disheartening disappointment beyond magnitudes of expression!
• Special feature: series nine episode twenty-one with commentary According to what I read in passing the original Anchor Bay pressing contains one special feature scilicet episode twenty-one with commentary. Again Mill Creek have failed all of its customers by not including this special feature even if not found on the original Anchor Bay pressing. I would have liked to know what was censored by all of the sound effects in the one scene with the second network executive to which Roseanne replied ‘wow, where the hell did you grow up?’. That may have not been mentioned in the commentary track but I cannot possibly know because Mill Creek never gave me the opportunity. I have repeated myself too many times and I am too exhausted to tell Mill Creek what they know already. I hope all of the powers that be there read this and one day re-release the entire serial with every singular original musical composition and dialogue retained no matter how many royalties and licences they must pay. Mill Creek have committed offence after offence as expatiated above by myself. Feelings and opinions of any other customer notwithstanding, Mill Creek Entertainment have deceived and victimised every last one of their customers. Ergo, each and every customer shall feel cheated for the collective of premisses aforementioned. If a hall of shame were ever to exist then Mill Creek Entertainment shall be its first inductee with Anchor Bay Entertainment possibly as its second.