Television The pilot episode was aired by
ABC in the United States in March 1992. The pilot, the feature-length
Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal, was later re-edited as two separate episodes, "Egypt, May 1908" and "Mexico, March 1916." Eleven further hour-long episodes were aired in 1992 (seven in the first season, four were part of the second season) – during the second season, it was placed as the lead-in to
Monday Night Football, just as fellow Paramount series
MacGyver had done for the previous six years. Only 16 of the remaining 20 episodes were aired in 1993 when ABC canceled the show.
The Family Channel later produced four two-hour TV movies that were broadcast from 1994 to 1996. Though Lucas intended to produce episodes leading up to a 24-year-old Jones, the series was cancelled with the character at age 21.
Home media The revised and updated edition of the book
George Lucas: The Creative Impulse, by Charles Champlin, explains how
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles series would be re-edited into the new structure of twenty-two
Chapter TV films, for the 1999
VHS release. New footage was shot in 1996 to be incorporated with the newly re-edited and re-titled "chapters" to better help it chronologically and provide smooth transitions. The newly shot
Tangiers, 1908 was joined with
Egypt, 1908 from the
Curse of the Jackal to form
My First Adventure, and
Morocco, 1917 was joined with
Northern Italy, 1918 (now re-dated as
1917) to form
Tales of Innocence. Also included in the home video release were four unaired episodes made for the ABC network:
Florence, May 1908;
Prague, 1917;
Transylvania, 1918; and
Palestine, 1917. The series itself was also re-titled as
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones. The 93-year-old Indy bookends for the original series were removed, as well as Sean Patrick Flanery's bookend for "Travels with Father"; however, the Harrison Ford bookend, set in 1950, from "Mystery of the Blues" was not cut.
Laserdisc and VHS The series received its first home video release on April 21, 1993, when a
Laserdisc box set was released in Japan containing fifteen of the earlier episodes and a short documentary on the making of the series. The discs were formatted in NTSC and presented with English audio in Dolby surround with Japanese subtitles. In 1994, eight NTSC format VHS tapes with a total of fifteen episodes from the first two seasons were released in Japan. On October 26, 1999, half of the series was released on VHS in the United States for $14.99 each, along with a box set of the feature films. The series was labeled as Chapters 1–22, while the feature films were labeled as Chapters 23–25. In an effort to promote the series, the episode "Treasure of the Peacock's Eye" was included with the purchase of the movie trilogy box set in the US. The episode was chosen for the fact that its plot continues into the opening of
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which was labeled as the first film chronologically in the film trilogy. In other countries different chapters were included, for example in the UK
The Phantom Train of Doom was included. The twelve VHS releases were released worldwide over the course of 2000, including the UK, Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, Mexico, France and Japan. The UK, German, French, Hungarian and Netherlands tapes were in PAL format, while the tapes released in the rest of the countries were in NTSC format.
DVD In 2002, series producer Rick McCallum confirmed in an interview with
Variety that DVDs of the series were in development, but would not be released for "about three or four years". At the October 2005 press conference for the
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith DVD, McCallum explained that he expected the release to consist of 22 DVDs, which would include around 100 documentaries which would explore the real-life historical aspects that are fictionalized in the show. For the DVDs, Lucasfilm upgraded the picture quality of the original 16 mm prints and remastered the soundtracks. This, along with efforts to get best quality masters and bonus materials on the sets, delayed the release. It was ultimately decided that the release would tie into the release of the fourth Indiana Jones feature film. Two variations of Volume 1 were released by
CBS DVD, one simply as "Volume One", and the other as "Volume One — The Early Years" in order to match the subtitle of Volume 2.
The History Channel acquired television rights to all 94 of the DVD historical documentaries. The airing of the documentaries was meant to bring in ratings for the History Channel and serve as marketing for the DVD release and the theatrical release of
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The History Channel and
History International began airing the series every Saturday morning at 7AM/6C on The History Channel, and every Sunday morning at 8AM ET/PT on History International. A new division of History.com was created devoted to the show. As Paramount and Lucasfilm had already reserved IndianaJones.com solely for news and updates related to
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, StarWars.com temporarily served as the official site for the DVDs—providing regular updates, insider looks and promotions related to them. However, Lucasfilm and Paramount soon set up an official website proper for the series—YoungIndy.com. Paramount released a press kit for the media promoting the DVDs, which consists of a .pdf file and several videos with interviews with Lucas and McCallum, and footage from the DVDs. A trailer for the DVDs was also published on YoungIndy.com, with a shorter version being shown on The History Channel and History International. Lucas and McCallum hope that the DVDs will be helpful to schools, as they believe the series is a good way to aid in teaching history. Lucas explained that the series' DVD release will be shopped as "films for a modern day high school history class." He believes the series is a good way to teach high school students 20th-century history. The plan was always to tie the DVD release of the series to the theatrical release of the fourth
Indiana Jones feature film,
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which was released on May 22, 2008.
Companion historical documentaries Ninety-four historical documentaries were created over a nearly five-year period by Lucasfilm's documentary crew for the DVD release of the series. Each documentary covers a historical topic connected to the chapter to which it is associated. The television broadcast rights for these documentaries was secured by the
History Channel. They were executive produced by Lucas and McCallum.
From Volume One, The Early Years My First Adventure Special Features (Vol. 1 Disc 1) • Archaeology – Unearthing Our Past •
Howard Carter and the Tomb of
Tutankhamun • Colonel Lawrence's War –
T.E. Lawrence and Arabia • From Slavery to Freedom -meeting
Emily Keene Passion for Life Special Features (Vol. 1 Disc 3) •
Theodore Roosevelt and The American Century • Ecology – Pulse of the Planet • American Dreams –
Norman Rockwell and the
Saturday Evening Post • Art Rebellion – The Making of the Modern •
Edgar Degas – Reluctant Rebel •
Braque &
Picasso – A Collaboration Cubed
The Perils of Cupid Special Features (Vol. 1 Disc 5) • The
Archduke's Last Journey – End of an Era. Meeting
Sophie •
Carl Jung and the Journey to Self Discovery •
Giacomo Puccini – Music of the Heart •
Sigmund Freud – Exploring the Unconscious • It's Opera! • Powder Keg – Europe 1900 to 1914 • Psychology – Charting the Human Mind
Travels with Father Special Features (Vol. 1 Disc 6) • Seeking Truth – The Life of
Leo Tolstoy • Unquiet Voices – Russian Writers and the State •
Aristotle – Creating Foundations • Ancient Questions – Philosophy and Our Search for Meaning
Journey of Radiance Special Features (Vol. 1 Disc 7) •
Jiddu Krishnamurti – The Reluctant Messiah •
Annie Besant – An Unlikely Rebel • Medicine in the Middle Kingdom • Eastern Spirituality – The Road to Enlightenment
Spring Break Adventure Special Features (Vol. 1 Disc 9) •
Thomas Edison – Lighting Up the World • Invention and Innovation – What's Behind a Good Idea? • The Mystery of
Edward Stratemeyer • Wanted: Dead or Alive –
Pancho Villa and the American Invasion of Mexico • General
John J. Pershing and His American Army •
George S. Patton – American Achilles '''Love's Sweet Song Special Features (Vol 1. Disc 11)''' •
Easter Rising – The Poets' Rebellion • The Passions of
William Butler Yeats •
Sean O'Casey vs. Ireland •
Ireland – The Power of the Poets •
Winston Churchill – The Lion's Roar • Demanding the Vote – The Pankhursts and British Suffrage • Fighting for the Vote – Women's Suffrage in America
From Volume Two, The War Years Trenches of Hell Special Features (Vol 2. Disc 1) •
Siegfried Sassoon – A War Poet's Journey •
Robert Graves and the White Goddess • I Am France – The Myth of
Charles de Gaulle •
The Somme – A Storm of Steel
Demons of Deception Special Features (Vol 2. Disc 2) •
Marshal Pétain's Fall from Grace • Flirting with Danger – The Fantasy of
Mata Hari • Into the Furnace – The
Battle of Verdun • Reading the Enemy's Mind – Espionage in World War I
Phantom Train of Doom Special Features (Vol 2. Disc 3) • Chasing the Phantom –
Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck • Dreaming of Africa – The Life of
Frederick Selous • At Home and Abroad – The Two Faces of
Jan Smuts Oganga, The Giver and Taker of Life Special Features (Vol 2. Disc 4) •
Albert Schweitzer – Reverence for Life • Waging Peace – The Rise of Pacifism •
Congo – A Curse of Riches
Attack of the Hawkmen Special Features (Vol 2. Disc 5) • War in the Third Dimension – Aerial Warfare in
World War I • Blood Red – The Life and Death of
Manfred von Richthofen • Flying High for France – The
Lafayette Escadrille •
Anthony Fokker – The Flying Dutchman
Adventures in the Secret Service Special Features (Vol 2. Disc 6) •
Karl – The Last Habsburg Emperor • The
Russian Revolution – All Power to the Soviets! •
V.I. Lenin – History Will Not Forgive Us
Espionage Escapades Special Features (Vol 2. Disc 7) • Impresario –
Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes • Ballet – The Art of Dance •
Franz Kafka's Dark Truth
Daredevils of the Desert Special Features (Vol 2. Disc 8) • Lines in the Sand – The
Middle East and the Great War • Col. Lawrence's War –
T.E. Lawrence and Arabia (note: repeated from Vol 1. Disc 1)
From Volume Three, The Years of Change Tales of Innocence (Vol. 3 Disc 1) • Unhealed Wounds – The Life of
Ernest Hemingway • The Secret Life of
Edith Wharton •
Lowell Thomas – American Storyteller • The
French Foreign Legion – The World's Most Legendary Fighting Force
Masks of Evil (Vol. 3 Disc 2) • For the People, Despite the People – The
Atatürk Revolution • The Greedy Heart of
Halide Edib •
Dracula – Fact and Fiction • The
Ottoman Empire – A World of Difference '''Treasure of the Peacock's Eye (Vol. 3 Disc 3)''' •
Bronisław Malinowski – God Professor • Anthropology – Looking at the Human Condition •
New Guinea – Paradise in Peril
Winds of Change (Vol. 3 Disc 5) •
Woodrow Wilson – American Idealist •
Gertrude Bell – Iraq's Uncrowned Queen •
Ho Chi Minh – The Price of Freedom •
Paul Robeson – Scandalize My Name •
Robert Goddard – Mr. Rocket Science • The Best Intentions –
The Paris Peace Conference and the
Treaty of Versailles Mystery of the Blues (Vol. 3 Disc 7) •
Al "Scarface" Capone – The Original Gangster •
Ben Hecht – Shakespeare of Hollywood • On the Trail of
Eliot Ness •
Louis Armstrong – Ambassador of Jazz •
Jazz – Rhythms of Freedom •
Prohibition – America on the Rocks •
Hellfighters –
Harlem's Heroes of World War I
The Scandal of 1920 (Vol. 3 Disc 8) •
Tin Pan Alley – Soundtrack of America •
Broadway – America Center Stage • Wonderful Nonsense – The
Algonquin Round Table Hollywood Follies (Vol. 3 Disc 9) •
Erich von Stroheim – The Profligate Genius • The World of
John Ford •
Irving Thalberg – Hollywood's Boy Wonder • The Rise of the Moguls – The Men Who Built Hollywood
Historical overview lectures • Vol. 1 – Historical Lecture: "The Promise of Progress" • Vol. 2 – Historical Lecture: "War and Revolution" • Vol. 3 – Historical Lecture: "New Gods for Old" Content here was copied from which has a compatible CC-BY-SA-3.0 license: http://indianajones.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_The_Adventures_of_Young_Indiana_Jones_DVD_additional_features
Streaming As of 2023, the series was available to stream on
Disney+ for American subscribers only alongside the original four
Indiana Jones feature films, to commemorate the release of
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. The series was removed from Disney+ in the United States for unknown reasons in May 2024. ==Reception==