Fans ofThe Drew Carey Showmay finally get to enjoy the series on streaming. In a new interview withTV Insider, comedian andThe Price Is RighthostDrew Careydiscussed why the hit 1990s series has been unavailable online. His comments reveal that efforts are underway to clear the obstacles holding up the blue collar sitcom from being discovered by a new generation of viewers.
The Drew Carey Show
Currently, the only way to seeThe Drew Carey Showfor free is on Antenna TV. The series is available digitally from retailers like Amazon Prime Video or Vudu/Fandango, but even that option is limited to the first season only.DVD sets of the series are out of print, leaving fans with few options. According to Carey, the hold-up to getting the series on streaming services is gettingclearance rights for the musicthat is featured in a number of episodes:
[It’s] because of music rights and stuff. We’re going to try to change that around and get it back out there.
Getting clearance rights for music in older television shows can be tricky, asstreaming rights were not secured back when the shows were made, and must be negotiated separately. That’s one of the reasons the classic seriesMoonlightingonly recently became available to streamon Hulu, as it took years to negotiate rights to songs featured in nearly every episode.
Carey’s comment about “changing it around” could indicate the possibility that the music may be changed or even removed, which has happened for some shows unable to secure streaming rights for music. The brilliant ’90s seriesNorthern Exposure, for instance, had tochange its sound mix and replace songsin order to release the show on home media. Drew Carey hopes the rights can be worked out soon, as he believes the show has the potential to win over a new generation of fans, likeFriendsandThe Officedid:
“It’s pretty funny, and a lot of it’s kind of timeless. It was weird, (and the cast and creators) were allMad Magazinefans and stuff, sowe weren’t afraid to go bananas.”
The 20 Best Sitcoms of the 90s, Ranked
Life was simpler in the 90s and television was at its peak. Here are the best sitcoms of the nostalgia-filled decade, ranked.
All AboutThe Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Showpremiered in September 1995 and ran for 233 episodes over nine seasons. Carey played a fictionalized version of himself, a football-loving everyman who worked in the offices of a Cleveland retail store and spent his nights drinking beer with his friends. Ryan Stiles and Diedrich Bader played his friends Lewis and Oswald, and his office nemesis was the scene-stealing Mimi (Kathy Kinney). Christa Miller played Kate, Drew’s childhood friend and secret crush. Other regular cast members included Craig Ferguson, John Carroll Lynch, and Cynthia Watros.
The show’s working class cast of characters found an audience on ABC, and the show ranked among the top 30 in TV ratings for a number of seasons.The Drew Carey Showconstantly found innovative ways to draw in viewers, including performing several episodes live and bringing in high-profile guest stars. Ratings dropped in later seasons, however, and the show ended in 2004.
Carey would go on to host the American version of the improvision showWhose Line is it Anyway?, which starred hisDrew Carey Showfriends Ryan Stiles and Diedrich Bader as regulars. Carey took over as host ofThe Price is Rightin 2007, after the retirement of Bob Barker. He has not provided a timeline as to when, or if,The Drew Carey Showmight come to streaming. If it does, it will likely be on Max, which is owned by Warner Bros., producers of the series.
The Price is Rightis streaming on Paramount+, andWhose Line is it Anywayis streaming on Max.
