From 2006 to 2008, Universal Studios released
the first three seasons of
Coach on DVD, out of the nine seasons which were produced. As the economic downturn hit, however, this show was one of many whose further home video releases were stalled, because consumers simply didn't have as much expendable cash to use on entertainment products like these.
All along, Amazon has displayed a
Coach - Season 4 listing (as well as ones for the other unreleased seasons), but unfortunately those "sign up to be notified" entries at Amazon never mean a release is for-sure to be coming; it just means Amazon is collecting names of potential customers in case it's ever released. Still, with
Coach star Craig T. Nelson back on peoples' minds thanks to his current (and wonderful!) role in
Parenthood, it makes sense for the studio to look at bringing his classic sitcom back to DVD.
Today, one of our readers - our thanks to Tom Rogers! - has let us know that Universal is apparently getting ready to do just that. According to the e-mail Tom received earlier from the studio,
Coach - Season 4 is slated to be available starting Tuesday,
March 15th. We must caution our readers: we have not received independent confirmation of this information. Our retailer contacts say that Universal has not solicited the title to them so far, and the official schedule of releases only extends to mid-February at this time. No press release has gone out to the media, and Universal's own online store doesn't show the title yet, either.
Therefore, please keep in mind that the below info may not be 100% finalized, and could be subject to change. Truly, it could potentially not happen at all. In other words, don't get your hopes up TOO far just yet! Still, we've decided that it's worth passing along at this time, as a "rumor" if nothing else, while we continue to work on verifying all of this. Here's the e-mail Tom tells us he received; stay tuned for updates as further developments occur!
Dear "Coach" Fan,
We are delighted to share this news with you:
Universal Studios Home Entertainment announced today the DVD release of "Coach: The Fourth Season" on March 15, 2011.
Go the whole nine yards with Primetime Emmy Award winner Craig T. Nelson as he returns to his beloved role as Hayden Fox in Season Four of Coach! This three-disc set includes all 21 hilarious episodes chronicling the professional and private life of the curmudgeonly coach of the Minnesota State Screaming Eagles football team. By his side are Assistant Coach Luther Van Dam and the devoted Christine Armstrong (Primetime Emmy nominees Jerry Van Dyke and Shelley Fabares).
We appreciate your continued interest in the "Coach" series and hope that you will enjoy this and future Universal releases.
Sincerely,
Consumer Relations
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT
UPDATE (12/2): The studio has confirmed this release by officially soliciting the title with retailers. Video is full screen, audio is English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo with English subtitles, and the cost is $24.98 SRP. Stay tuned for package art!
