New Item Alert: The Dukes of Hazzard Complete Collection DVD Box Set

This one snuck up out of nowhere.  It is a very unfortunate situation that this extremely nice item, that we have been waiting over ten years for, is going to be a sought after, rare, collector's item and not an item every casual fan of the Dukes of Hazzard can own.  This is the complete series in a single box set.  It also contains the movie as well as the Beginning.  And it's not for sale in the general marketplace.

This may be the last Dukes of Hazzard item of an era.  I'm not prepared to make that sweeping proclamation yet.  This item was supposedly released on July 15, 2015.  For those keeping score, that's over a week after Warner Bros. announced they would no longer sell Dukes of Hazzard items that include the Confederate Flag.  Obviously, the flag is a centerpiece of this box set.  The release of this set must have been in the works for some time before the events that lead to the Dukes of Hazzard being the center of a national debate, but I never knew of those plans.

The rumors I'm hearing include this set being held back by WB and stockpiled.  One source told me that some were mistakenly sold at Costco stores in Canada where they then went to eBay.  I was also told that they were recalled from all of the Costcos before they sold out.  None of this information is verified, and it is only what I've heard from different people.

I'm not opening my set.  I would imagine the individual sets are very similar to the season sets released over the years.  Season one originally came out in 2004, with the next six seasons released over a two year span.  It's interesting to see Johnny, Seann, and Jessica along with John, Tom, and Catherine.  It's altogether crazy to see April Scott along with our Dukes.  I wonder why "The Beginning" is on the left of the movie as if it's portraying it came out first.  The two movies on the bottom are not presented in chronological order.  The box shows that both movies included are the unrated versions.  These versions do not follow the family friendly theme of the original series.

The bottom of the box shows the copyright and trademark information.  The series is presented in its original standard definition.  Both movies are in widescreen.  When CMT and then TVLand began showing the series in newly converted High Definition, I really hoped we would eventually get a Blu-ray release of the show.  This isn't it.  I'm still holding out hope.

The 2015 year is very important.  It will be remembered as an infamous year in the history of the Dukes of Hazzard.

This is a very nice package design.  The main picture was also used on the season three DVD set.

The General Lee picture used on the back of the box is new to promotional Dukes items.  I haven't seen it on any other item.  Unlike the recent Auto World replicas, the AMT model kit, the last few calendars, and other Dukes items that have hidden the flag on the outside of the box, the designers of this box set seem to be showing it off.  Even before the events of the summer, I would have been surprised the flag is so prominent.

  
This is a great collection.  I'm not sure why WB didn't release this set as soon as all the seasons were out.  Seriously bad timing will haunt this set.  You can find some on eBay right now, mostly coming from Canadian sellers.  Michael of Cooter's Place tells me they just received a shipment but have a very limited supply.  I don't expect them to last long.  This is an item any Dukes Collector should have in their collection.  Give Cooter's a call or hop on their website before they are gone forever.

I'm not giving up on Warner Bros. and their commitment to the Dukes of Hazzard.  Hopefully they will redesign the box to their standards and re-release this set for casual release.  I'm also keeping my fingers crossed for those Blu-rays, and I can't wait until the Dukes are back on television.