
In my home theatre, we run weekly shows, so we usually can run a complete serial over 12-15 weeks.
Over the years, I have found the best serials, were indeed, Republic after 1939. The Universal serials ran way too long per chapter and could be slow going. The Columbia serials were a mixed bag--some quite good, others fair. Yes, the production values dropped in 1950--but Republic's product was still enjoyable.
From a shorts program standpoint, I like the post-1949 Republic serials due to their quick action in 13 to 14 minutes runtime.
As far as content, my theatre audiences laugh at most of them with their implausible stories and situations--but that is entertainment. When I was a kid, I saw serials in the theatre and took them very seriously.
I'm just glad we have ANY excellent quality DVD releases for serials--I like them all--if customers are too picky with a distributor's efforts to bring serials in gorgeous quality to the public, then the effort may stop too soon--SO EMAIL THE DISTRIBUTORS WITH YOUR REQUESTS--they do listen if many fans suggest the same titles.
Over the years I got pretty tired of the garbage quality 16mm dupes, gray market VHS and DVDs, so I'm delighted at these new releases.
BTW, you may want to try this: I suggested for purchase on our county library system's website, both COMMANDO CODY and PANTHER GIRL and they bought several copies of each!