So, out of curiosity, I did a very simple, crude, basic, unofficial bit of research.  According to Amazon.com's rankings of bestsellers in Movie/TV, I learned the following:

Name of Show/Season----current ranking

WEBSTER 1 -- 36,868

WEBSTER 2 -- 92,753

WEBSTER 3 -- 92,775

PUNKY BREWSTER 1 -- 27,867

PUNKY BRESTER 2 -- 34,889

PUNKY BREWSTER 3 -- 27,196

PUNKY BREWSTER 4 -- 22,742

PUNKY BREWSTER COMPLETE SERIES  -- 75,887

FACTS OF LIFE 1&2 --   8037

FACTS OF LIFE 3 -- 22,572

FACTS OF LIFE 4  -- 9461

FACTS OF LIFE 5 --  15,498

Maybe I'm misinterpreting the data, but, with the exception of FOL season 3, FOL is selling better than the two other shows in my data sample and by quite a significant margin.  I chose PUNKY BREWSTER because it was from the same era and has had its entire run released and WEBSTER because, again, it is from the same era and is getting a season 4 release imminently by Shout!

My conclusion from this bit of research is that the hold-up for a season 6 of FACTS OF LIFE must have to do more with 'unknown factors' than with sales.  I choose to take a bit of comfort from this.  I now have confidence that we WILL see season 6 out on DVD one day.

I continue to hold out hope every single day that one time I will open tvshowsondvd.com and see The Facts of Life Season 6 listed with a street date!!  I check a few times a day, as well as here for any new information, or cause for celebration. 

One day!  One day!

Whoever worked out this acquisition and not getting the whole show ought to be FIRED! You had no problem getting other series (etc, All in the Family, Barney Miller, much of MST3K, and many others) , so why is this one an issue? They probably had more issues to deal with than Facts of Life and yet you managed to release them. Maybe somebody's not doing a good job in that department (it's not just the buyers' fault). If I was working there (and maybe if I have Oprah's money or power), oh boy, things would certainly change or get moving.

Another thing, if FOX is always giving you trouble, the STOP DEALING WITH THEM! If they keep treating you like this, REFUSE THEM! I know it's harsh, but like you said, that's business. If they can play hardball, So CAN YOU! You're giving them power that they don't need more of, so if they are going to bend, then you need to hit them where it hurts.

Why is it that the majority of posts on these boards revolve around complaining? It has to do more with the individuals making the posts than the company. It would be nice to go into one of these mb's and see some discussion around the actual series or releases instead of what Shout! has done to ruin people's lives. :)

I think we can all agree that companies are in business to make a profit and as has been stated numerous times on many other boards concerning many other series there are several factors that go into making a release. For a company like Shout! who may not own the rights to a particular series outright, these have to be negotiated and the onus is back on the shoulders of the company that owns the rights. Our job as consumers, if we are going to indeed continue to complain ad nauseam on these boards, is to buy every release that comes out and support our shows. HOWEVER, that should be with the understanding that it doesn't always translate into enough numbers to continue a release of a particular series. While we all like to think our personal favorite shows sell the big numbers that perpetuate additional releases, it isn't always going to be the case. There is only so much we can be privy to from the business side no matter how much people demand otherwise. It's been said many times that it all depends on how the shows are offered to Shout! from whomever owns them. Sometimes they are offered in one big batch, other times it is season by season and while there are the best of intentions to put a whole series out, it may come to a screeching halt if something can't be negotiated (music rights, too much money requested, etc.). Sometimes the costs to license are just too prohibitive to make a profit for any company because the holders feel they are sitting on a pile of gold and are holding out yet know they won't make enough of a profit to release it themselves. Makes sense I suppose but they don't, in many cases, have a clear understanding what the market is for the property whether it be tv or film.

For example. I am a big Abbott and Costello fan. Years ago they released their Universal films in 4 separate box sets with the lone exception of 'It Ain't Hay'. The reason for that? The controller of the estate of Damon Runyon (who's story the film was based on) wanted too much money to license it for home video distribution. So...the series came out sans that one title. Fast forward about 8 years or so. The estate changed hands and the new person was much easier to deal with so they were finally able to negotiate and get the film out as part of a 'complete' box set and also separately. Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis did a film based on another Damon Runyon property (Money From Home) and that was then able to be licensed and released as well.

Make no mistake about it, if Shout! continued to release things on good faith then many of you would no longer have a forum to do nothing but bitch because they would be out of business.

As long as companies like Shout! can survive, there is a 'chance' that our favorites will contine to see releases. In the meantime, go volunteer or do something to keep you centered so something as minuscule as a DVD release does not continue to envelop your life and ruin your day.

No, they shouldn't stop dealing with them. That's not the right thing to do at all, and you know it.

Trust me, that's not gonna work. The only thing that will work will be if fans buy more copies of those Fox shows that Shout licensed. Only then will we see more seasons of them.