Of all the classic Hanna-Barbera shows that “hit it big,” the one I probably have the least amount of nostalgia for is The Flintstones. I’ll defend Scooby-Doo, Jonny Quest, and The Jetsons without shame or regret, but The Flintstones? I never actively disliked the show or characters; it just wasn’t top tier for me.

Which is ironic since the original run of the show was FAR more popular than any other Hanna-Barbera show at the time, and it lasted longer on TV – and had far more episodes – than those other shows.

Indeed, The Flintstones ran for an impressive SIX seasons from 1960 to 1966. Its success not only paved the way for other Hanna-Barbera shows (certainly, there’d be no The Jetsons without The Flintstones), but its groundbreaking placement on primetime TV (it was the first animated show to ever have a primetime slot) set a precedent for so many other “adult-oriented” shows to follow, such as The Simpsons.

So it shouldn’t have been a surprise to find, when I picked my way through the new Complete Series Blu-ray set, that the show holds up remarkably well. Sure, there are dated references, sexist comments and situations, and jokes that no longer land quite as well as they did in the 60s, but the show – on the whole – is still entertaining… except for the laugh track, which is still just as irritating as it’s always been.

What’s included?

If you’re a fan or are looking to visit/revisit the show, you’re in for a ride. The new Blu-ray set includes all six seasons of the show – encompassing 166 half-hour episodes – across 10 discs, along with a bevy of fun extras (see below).

Also included is the 1966 feature film The Man Called Flintstone, which makes this set a goldmine for original 60s Flintstones.

NOT included are any of the films or TV specials that came after the show stopped airing new episodes. Thus, there’s no The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones (1987) or other films from the 70s through the 90s. (You can check out Warner Archives’ Movies and Specials DVD for those.)

Also not included is a redemption code to download digital versions of the episodes, which is odd, considering the recent complete set of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? included a digital option.

I should probably also mention that the entire run of The Flintstones is streaming on HBO Max. So if you’re a subscriber, you have access to the episodes there. But let’s be honest, for $15/month, I don’t think you subscribed for The Flintstones… or will likely spend much of your HBO time watching the show. There’s certainly no shortage of prestige content available on HBO Max, and if you’re one of those subscribers who drops in and out of the service to binge specific shows, you have other priorities.

And even though HBO Max also features the two live-action films (which we won’t speak of), it does not currently carry the two animated films included in this Blu-ray set.

What do the episodes look (and sound) like?

As far as I can tell, none of the episodes underwent any sort of restoration or remastering. They’ve all been upgraded to 1080p and cleaned up, though, so they’re incredibly clear – especially if you’re used to watching grainy animation on DVD or a standard-def TV.

I never owned any of the previous releases for this show, so unfortunately I couldn’t compare this new release against the old DVDs, but if you’re a fan of the show and already own the DVDs… you might want to think about upgrading just for the HD image quality.

Likewise, the audio hasn’t been upgraded to 5.1 (or even a lossless format). We’ve got a Dolby Digital 2.0 track, which makes the show sound pretty much like it always has. Nothing to write home about, but nothing too dissimilar from the original.

Are there special features?

Does Fred like bowling? Though it’s not prominently announced in any of the marketing, these discs are actually fairly loaded down with special features. However (and it’s a big however), almost none of it is new.

With two notable exceptions, all of the bonus features included in this set are the same bonus features that were included on the DVD single-season and complete-series sets (and are still presented in standard-def DVD quality):

• The Flagstones: The Lost Pilot: the original conceptual pilot for the show, clocking in at less than 2 minutes
• How to Draw Fred Flintstone: a fun drawing tutorial featuring Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera (6 minutes)
• Carved in Stone: The Flintstones Phenomenon: a retrospective on the show’s popularity, featuring a variety of talking head interviews (20 minutes)
• Songs of the Flintstones Album: a re-creation of the 1961 Golden Records album (28 minutes)
• All About the Flintstones: a brief look at the show’s origins (5 minutes)
• Wacky Inventions: a humorous look at the show’s Stone Age “inventions” (5 minutes)
• Bedrock Collectibles: Collecting All Things Flintstone: a focus on merch and collectibles with Scott Shaw
• The Flintstones: One Million Years Ahead of Its Time: a focus on the show’s endurance and popularity (8 minutes)
• First Families of the Stone Age: a focus on Wilma and Betty (7 minutes)
• Hanna-Barbera’s Legendary Music Director Hoyt Curtain: a focus on the music of the show and Curtain’s career with Hanna-Barbera (7 minutes)
• The Flintstones Meet Pop Culture: a focus on how The Flintstones influences pop culture, hosted by Stephen Baldwin (11 minutes)
• The Great Gazoo: From A to Zetox: a focus on the Season 6 character and on creator Joanna Lee

The two notable exceptions are the two feature-length films, which are included as special features on the final disc in the set:

• The Man Called Flintstone (1966): This theatrical spinoff was released at the height of the show’s popularity and is a spoof of the Bond films.
• The Flintstones and WWE: Stone Age Smackdown! (2015): This direct-to-video film was the first to be made without Hanna and Barbera… and features the Bedrock gang meeting up with various WWE wrestlers.

I could take or leave the WWE film, but The Man Called Flintstone is a great addition to the set. And since it was noticeably absent from the previous DVD releases, it’s a compelling argument to upgrade your collection… or finally take the plunge.

So? Is this worth it?

If you’re a fan of the show/franchise and don’t already own these episodes, then this is a no-brainer. They look fantastic, and with 4,217 minutes of classic animation, it’ll keep you occupied for a while.

If you aren’t a fan, don’t have a kid who’s a fan, or are just curious to revisit the series for nostalgia’s sake, then it’s a tougher call. This release retails for $84.99 (currently cheaper on Amazon and other online retailers). And when you can still buy the DVDs or watch on HBO Max for much less than that, it makes this release a relatively tough sell.

But Flintstones fans will find a lot to love here. And the original, classic show has never looked this good.