"The Honeymooners" is still the best...but the Blu-Ray looks like a rip-off

My all-time favorite television show is without a doubt "The Honeymooners." Now, I love the Lost Episodes, and I enjoy the color episodes from the 1960s, but like many my favorites are the so-called Classic 39, the filmed episodes we saw for years and years in reruns.

(By the way, folks, if you have been ignoring the Lost Episodes, do yourself a favor and go get that box set. Many of those episodes are as good as if not better than the 39. End of PSA.)

WPIX ran its annual New Year's Eve 'Mooners marathon last week, and it was once again a welcome supplement to my holiday merriment. For several years in a row now, I've had it on well after midnight, ready to wave the white flag and call it a night, and decided to keep leaving it on "for one more episode," wanting to "just see which one is on next."

The next day is for leaving it on in the background while recovering/relaxing/reloading for other activities. No disrespect to the SyFy "Twilight Zone" marathon, but I choose the Honeymooners if I have access to WPIX 11.

Given that I own the show in a fine DVD collection yet am willing to watch it so often on regular TV, you might think I'd be part of the target audience for CBS Paramount's upcoming Blu-Ray set of the Classic 39. Well, yeah, I might be willing to buy these episodes all over again...if it didn't look like such a freakin' rip-off.

I wrote about this when it was first announced, but more details are now available. According to this article on TV Shows on DVD, the 5-disc set streets April 8. According to an Amazon link provided, the retail price is 130 bucks. 130! So even with an Amazon discount, the collection is up for pre-order at $110.50.

This is the best sitcom of all time, and there's no way it's worth that kind of coin. The press release indicates the episodes are "brilliantly remastered in high definition," which is cool except they already look pretty good. As for the "wealth of extras," well, the 1966 hourlong "Adoption" special (an adaptation of a Lost Episode) is something collectors have wanted for years, and the inclusion of several other anniversary specials is nice, but there is not nearly enough here to justify that high price point.

Maybe--maybe--if I didn't own these already, I would consider taking out a loan and investing in this release, but I can't justify a double dip, even on my all-time favorite, at well over 100 bucks. Here's hoping that between now and April the price goes down and the list of extras goes up. If not, I have my good old-fashioned SD set.