So 13 more times startrekwatcher will bitch and moan via lengthy paragraphs right after he finishes watching a show he says isn't worth his time watching? Stewey, is that you?
If you waited until now, you can wait for the big set. The only problem is that the big sets usually have terrible packaging. Fringe is good and occasionally great. It is half mythology episodes and half standalones. The main plot of the series really didn't start until halfway through season two. The main character is a little bland, but the supporting characters make up for it. The second half of season two all the way until the middle of season three has some of my favorite Sci Fi episodes ever. That's "Jacksonville" until "Marionette" for those Fringe fans wondering.
Lost did, and I think Alias did - but those were both released by ABC/Disney. Fringe is the first WB release; you'd be better off looking at past complete WB releases (which haven't generally had extra content) for a clue in this case, I think.
You just showed why foreign ratings don't count and then explained why they can still be a factor without making the connection. The networks don't profit from the ratings, the production companies do. Even if they share a corporate parent, the networks still need to produce a profit on their own. So Fox/NBC don't care what ratings a show gets in Europe, since their profit only comes from the ads they sell in the US. Now 20th Century Television or Universal Television indirectly care about foreign ratings, because that affects what the foreign networks will pay for the show. But if the US ratings are low then Fox/NBC will still cancel a show. The only way around that is if the production company agrees to sell the show for a lower license fee in the US. Which will only happen if they can make up the revenue elsewhere(foreign or increased syndication fees).
I'm watching Charlie Jade streaming on Netflix right now and I love it. I first discovered it when it aired a few years back on Syfy, but they eventually moved it from 9:00 or 10:00 Friday nights to like 1:00 or 2:00 Tue. mornings and then stopped showing altogether by about the 9th or 10th episode.