Ask JKM: Peer-to-Peer Downloading Sites?

A reader, U., writes:

“Hi John, What's your take on peer-to-peer downloading? I know you buy what you see because you've mentioned that, but have you ever watched a movie or an episode that was downloaded from say The Pirate Bay?

I only ask because a lot of the times for things that have never been released on dvd officially, they can be found on these sites, or even on Youtube. This is especially the case of course for so many movies or shows you write about that are rare.

I was curious on your thoughts on all this.”

U, that’s a good question, and I’m afraid my answer reveals my age. 

I have never downloaded any episode or movie from any site like the one you mentioned, mainly because I know almost nothing about any of them. I don’t know which sites are good, which ones are bad.  I literally have no experience on that front.

I began my writing career in the mid-1990s, and so VHS was the prominent format of the day.  I worked with a great tape trader in Pennsylvania, so I could see episodes of the series I wanted to cover in my book Terror Television, for instance.  I was heavy into tape trading till about 2000, I suppose, because of that book, and because of the fact that I wanted to see as many episodes of each series as I possibly could.  I cobbled together resources from libraries, video stores, on-air tapings, my own collection, and tape trades.

These days, I am usually able to find what I’m looking for on either Youtube, as you mention, or third party sites that sell “bootlegs” of programs otherwise not available. 

Of course, as you know, I’m reviewing these obscurities for purposes of genre history, art appreciation, and scholarship. 

You wouldn’t think there’s a huge demand for writing about Quinn Martin’s Tales of the Unexpected, but that post last week on the subject garnered quite a lot of hits.  There are lots of folks out there who want to know about these older, unreleased programs, and are hungry for information about them.

I am hoping to get my act together and contact a friend about garnering some more TV obscurities, mainly from the 1970s.   This is one of my favorite aspects of blogging: re-visiting old series that are hard to find, or not officially available.  It would be a shame for great old programs to disappear down the memory hole, and if I can shine a new light on them, I’m always happy to do so.

But please, if you have any recommendations about the best peer-to-peer download sites, please let me know.  Like I said, I really know nothing whatsoever about this subject. 

Don’t forget to ask me your questions at Muirbusiness@yahoo.com