tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post3996829121023526102..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Shows that work in syndication and shows that don'tBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-18501127202807778132017-07-08T04:23:49.657-07:002017-07-08T04:23:49.657-07:00No, your not the only one who doesn't like Sei...No, your not the only one who doesn't like Seinfeld... Urgh.,.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08626050497833553602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-80393123057384608542017-07-08T04:23:30.947-07:002017-07-08T04:23:30.947-07:00No, your not the only one who doesn't like Sei...No, your not the only one who doesn't like Seinfeld... Urgh.,.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08626050497833553602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61826300794808155452016-06-22T09:00:13.272-07:002016-06-22T09:00:13.272-07:00Your commentary did not address the numerous serie...Your commentary did not address the numerous series in black and white from the 1950s and early 1960s that are sitting on a shelf. It was the same mindset that saw little value in the 3 Stooges shorts. The shows are mostly available through non-commercial sources for those who love the past programming. Given the number of channels out there in the world you'd think there would be room for broadcast of some very old series that would be like new to a younger generation...and would be a reward to older viewers being able to see some talented people from the past in shows they might have missed.RJBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04753118575070504327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66790208884412968812016-03-15T07:14:22.524-07:002016-03-15T07:14:22.524-07:00I do not watch any of the sitcom shows that are cu...I do not watch any of the sitcom shows that are currently airing. I hear great reviews on some so I try to get into them, but find the humor to be too scripted. The ones I loved all the quality of near reality in life. Especially Seinfeld! So many of them were similar to things or thoughts i have experienced (and others I'm sure). When it was first aired I used to tell others I was going to throw my t.v. away once the show was cancelled.<br />So with that, here are my favorites in no particular order except for #1 and 2:<br />1. Seinfeld<br />2. The Andy Griffith Show<br />3. Soap<br />4. King of Queens<br />5. Barney Miller<br />6. Cheers<br />7. Frasier<br />8. Rosanne (the early ones)<br />9. Taxi<br />10. The Honeymooners (Jackie Gleason Show)<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-52791849189349234592015-03-04T09:44:59.580-08:002015-03-04T09:44:59.580-08:00People have the attention spans of tee-see flies. ...People have the attention spans of tee-see flies. That's why a lot of these sitcom reruns don't make it. PAY ATTENTION PEOPLE!!Jamesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69144043642884753352015-02-12T17:30:39.319-08:002015-02-12T17:30:39.319-08:00I quite agree with you. My family loved "Home...I quite agree with you. My family loved "Home Improvement" in first run, but I didn't care much for it. For some strange reason, when it went into syndication, I started to "get" it and laughed a lot more.Steve Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07460010481523481647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71696511150990117162015-02-12T16:10:18.889-08:002015-02-12T16:10:18.889-08:00The M*A*S*H finale was not part of the syndication...The M*A*S*H finale was not part of the syndication package of 30 minute episodes. CBS continued to rerun it annually for several years after it aired, even while the rest of the 11th season aired in syndication. In the early 1990s, Fox syndicated the finale as a special, and it didn't necessarily air on the same local station that carried the regular reruns.<br /><br />Even today, the finale has not been cut up into 30 min episodes and added to the rerun rotation. FX and TV Land have rerun the finale in its full length. But ME-TV doesn't have it - only the 30-minute episodes.Marknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43374081376437661592015-02-12T13:27:48.292-08:002015-02-12T13:27:48.292-08:00I also wonder if Netflix/Hulu is the new model for...I also wonder if Netflix/Hulu is the new model for the dramas or plot-based series that don't syndicate well.SCANDAL, BREAKING BAD, LOST, X-FILES... they might provide a "binging" opportunity for new viewers. Whereas syndication might prove the best place for comedies for the many reasons listed.<br /><br />When I was looking for something to watch on Netflix while at the gym, I watched two episodes of CHEERS and then FRASIER. It was perfectSERnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1689845303154272772015-02-12T12:26:48.168-08:002015-02-12T12:26:48.168-08:00@JohnnyWalker said:
I wonder how the M*A*S*H fina...@JohnnyWalker said:<br /><br />I wonder how the M*A*S*H finale does in reruns...<br /><br />***<br /><br />Thanks for reminding me because it's a FRIDAY QUESTION I've been meaning to ask: Was the M*A*S*H finale not part of the syndication package originally?<br /><br />In the late '80s, when I discovered M*A*S*H as a kid, I recall the "time capsule" episode being the "last" one shown before it started over again with the pilot. I recall having to rent the finale from Blockbuster. I don't think the rest of the series was available on home video at this time so did the finale get a "TV movie" treatment?<br />SERnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1309114612155827622015-02-12T10:49:41.398-08:002015-02-12T10:49:41.398-08:00Great writing.
Great acting.
Then the elusive X fa...Great writing.<br />Great acting.<br />Then the elusive X factor.<br />I still think Igor's theory is the most intriguing (and I think some people misunderstood it)--he wasn't talking about a series finale, he was talking about the end of each show. Does it end with a laugh or a hug, and does that fact mean there is a different construct to the whole show. Fascinating.Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23339634383810039862015-02-12T09:43:31.378-08:002015-02-12T09:43:31.378-08:00Speaking as someone who works in television, if an...Speaking as someone who works in television, if any of you guys can figure out a magic formula that'll successfully predict which shows will be a hit in syndication and which won't, you'll be able to get rich off of it. Personally, I think it's entirely a crap shoot, and I've never been able to see any rhyme or reason to what hits and what doesn't. Playing Monday morning quarterback and cooking up reasons why this was a syndie hit and that wasn't is easy. Figuring it out beforehand is a lot tougher.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6906929778535131412015-02-12T06:25:21.972-08:002015-02-12T06:25:21.972-08:00The best year of my life was when Comedy Central w...The best year of my life was when Comedy Central was stripping Scrubs every night. Every time you watch an epi you catch something new.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61184068039197255042015-02-11T22:09:55.602-08:002015-02-11T22:09:55.602-08:00"I will never get sick of 'Is anyone here..."I will never get sick of 'Is anyone here a marine biologist?'" I laughed out loud just reading that. <br /><br />Ken's observations make perfect sense to me, though I watch "30 Rock" in this same way too. Tracynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-28983389589293081702015-02-11T22:06:54.512-08:002015-02-11T22:06:54.512-08:00Actually, Johnny W., Diane and Sam had some pretty...Actually, Johnny W., Diane and Sam had some pretty heart-wrenching scenes, but I think you're probably right that we don't like repeating heavy emotional journeys. I skip those episodes of Cheers.<br /><br />Hank Gillette, J.D. did treat Elliot horribly several times (to the point of it being out of character) and that may be why I wasn't interested in watching reruns, but with Cheers I just skip those episodes that are too heavy.Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-25758803968138407032015-02-11T17:27:05.672-08:002015-02-11T17:27:05.672-08:00Thinking about this more, I wonder if we don't...Thinking about this more, I wonder if we don't like repeating emotional journeys? Scrubs was often great the first time you viewed it, but there were some very heavy episodes, and I wonder if knowing there was heavy emotional stuff on its way, we instinctively flinch and change the channel. <br /><br />All of the shows that everyone seems to agree are great to rewatch are low on emotional content. Or to be more specific: Very few heart-wrenching scenes for the protagonists. No agonising. If the protagonist can cope with what they're going through, without too much of a struggle, we'll repeat the journey with them. <br /><br />I'm sure Frasier was cut up about being left at the alter by Diane, but the way he dealt with it was funny. Hawkeye would struggle with the insanity of war, but he'd almost always be able to cope, and would almost always be proactive about finding a solution. Almost...<br /><br />I wonder how the M*A*S*H finale does in reruns...Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61370329187666488012015-02-11T12:38:41.882-08:002015-02-11T12:38:41.882-08:00My dad has worked in television programming on a r...My dad has worked in television programming on a regional level for many years. He says that to this day, the biggest bomb he's seen in syndication in terms of cost per episode relative to ratings performance was LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY. Stations paid record-breaking prices for that show when it was first syndicated in 1981, based on a widespread belief that it was going to be the next I LOVE LUCY. And it just died in reruns, leaving a lot of stations with an extremely expensive dud.<br /><br />He says the average show, even a successful one, has a shelf life in syndication of five to ten years. Most tend to fade away after that. There aren't that may shows that retain their audience decade after decade. He said when you are aware of how many shows had their moment in syndication but have long since been relegated to the vaults, you start to appreciate what an anomaly something like I LOVE LUCY really is.<br /><br />Something that interests him is that, despite the large number of broadcast outlets these days, there's still a tendency to rely on a relatively small number of shows. Outfits like MeTV and Antenna TV, for example, both run a lot of oldies, but neither ventures very far from what's safe and well known -- at least to the audiences for those stations.<br /><br />The biggest change he's seen in syndication since he started in television is that up into the early-mid '80s, success in syndication depended heavily -- not entirely, but heavily -- on kid appeal. There are certainly exceptions to that, but he said that, overall, when you think about the shows that were syndication staples back then, they tended to be shows that kids would gravitate to. The ones they'd watch when they got home from school and plopped down in front of the set. Which was the standard explanation back then for why more sophisticated fare like THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW disappointed in reruns. Cable changed that, and it's changed even more since the cable boom.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72180092329681576792015-02-11T10:59:05.158-08:002015-02-11T10:59:05.158-08:00I'm at a loss to the attraction of Friends re-...I'm at a loss to the attraction of Friends re-runs. I like the show initially, but then grew tired of it, this seems like similar sentiments to people's view of Seinfeld.<br /> But one show that my wife and I have watched over and over, and over, is Frazier(according to TCM). Never Saw Golden Girls live, but hae seen them all in syndication multiple times.<br />I think part of what is shown on TV has to do with costs, Community is/was a great show, never see it in syndication as much as others(Chicago). I would guess it is because of it's lower cost.<br /> Funny someone mentions LA Law being "dated", while Perry Mason re-runs are still going.<br /> Other shows I watched, but can't re-watch in syndication, X-files, Heroes. Current shows that are popular, that I doubt will make it in syndication, Good Wife, Person of Interest, Chicago Fire/PD, but The Mentalist will probably succeed.<br />Stealing Mark Eveniar's idea, the law and orders should have multiple endings, one they are guilty, others innocent, so the episode will be "new" in syndication.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-81422597538176956022015-02-11T08:39:00.289-08:002015-02-11T08:39:00.289-08:00Ken cogently summed up all my thoughts about syndi...Ken cogently summed up all my thoughts about syndication, and now I can preface them with "as Ken Levine noted..."<br /><br />As for LAW AND ORDER, it's not just a cop and courtroom drama, it's also pretty damn funny, especially when Briscoe or Schiff are in an episode. When I watch an episode I've seen countless times, I find myself doing so for the witty banter ("That jury's got enough reasonable doubt to bottle and sell it...") than for the twists and turns. TNT recently replaced repeats of SMALLVILLE with LAW AND ORDER -- again for the reasons Ken noted.<br /><br />Speaking of the COSBY SHOW, which I think is very much of its time and just isn't "marathon" or "passive" viewing (both keys to success for syndication), it's interesting that the "anti-Cosby" series MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN is huge in syndication (TBS airs at least 2 hours of it a day). THIS IS NOT A STATEMENT TO ITS OVERALL QUALITY (I feel I have to add this codicil when discussing a polarizing show) but it's an almost 30 year old series.<br /><br />WILL & GRACE became very "dated" over time == perhaps a better term is "intentionally trendy." Unlike FRIENDS or SEINFELD, I can't think of any "bits" related to it, which I think is a hallmark of classic sitcoms. FRIENDS has "Pivot!" or "I'm going to Yemen!" and SEINFELD has "Yadda yadda yadda" and "sponge-worthy."SERnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24058481721154678582015-02-11T08:06:35.134-08:002015-02-11T08:06:35.134-08:00Diane D. said...
BTW, would anyone else be wi...<i> Diane D. said...<br /><br /> BTW, would anyone else be willing to give their opinion of Scrubs? I'd be very curious.</i><br /><br />I loved <i>Scrubs</i>. I even liked <i>After Scrubs</i> (incidentally, Eliza Coupe got screwed again with cancellation of <i>Benched</i>). But, I have almost never watched it in syndication. I’m not sure exactly why. Perhaps because I thought J.D. treated Elliot horribly several times and I don’t want to go through that again.Hank Gillettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17328364486555780403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82518200240132168022015-02-11T07:59:43.916-08:002015-02-11T07:59:43.916-08:00For some reason, for me, single-cam sitcoms resona...For some reason, for me, single-cam sitcoms resonate more in syndication -- mostly for the reasons one of Ken's blog posts covered not too long ago about how single-cam shows generally don't have laugh tracks and let *you* decide what's funny. That's why 'The Middle' is a total gem for me late nights these days, despite the bits of narration, especially "the lesson learned" at the end, which one of Ken's blog posts also addressed not too long ago.<br /><br />My only consternation with TV stations (I'm talking antenna-TV, not cable) is that they yank all the really *good* sitcoms (i.e. Frasier, New Adventures of Old Christine, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Scrubs) far too soon, but yet endlessly beat to death the procedurals like Criminal Minds and the Law & Order Criminal Intent and SVU franchises.ScottyBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90663678988966208952015-02-11T07:39:38.489-08:002015-02-11T07:39:38.489-08:00@Diane D: I liked 'Scrubs' when it was in ...@Diane D: I liked 'Scrubs' when it was in syndication, but generally maybe only the first half of the series' run because pregnancies and babies usually ruin sitcoms for me. And eventually for me, with very few exceptions, a series gets pretty tired or starts becoming a parody of itself. I liked 'Scrubs' because it was just ... unusual. <br /><br />For me, Sarah Chalke was easy on the eyes with a nice caboose even tho her character was neurotic as hell, and Neil Flynn was *always* priceless as the custodian. All in all, the show was just *fun*.ScottyBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31346581689826390012015-02-11T06:54:29.115-08:002015-02-11T06:54:29.115-08:00Not disagreeing. But I will add that I think show...Not disagreeing. But I will add that I think shows do better in syndication if they also have a smallish cast and not too many settings. Why? Because then the audience doesn't have to sit through several episodes to figure out who everyone is and how they connect. Syndication is the place you go when there's nothing else on tv. And it's saying something that shows like MASH in their 232nd rerun are still preferred over most of what's on the air today. Anyway, any show that you can drop into at any point in it's run and be comfortable you know what's going on within 5 minutes is going to do well. Modern Family is all about complicated family dynamics, that's the premise. So if you've never seen the show before and you see one old episode sometime mid season, it will be hard to figure out how all these folks are related. It's a great show, and given a good timeslot in syndication, it might still do well for viewers with no interest in reality tv or serial dramas (we used to call them soap operas; they change the setting from a mansion to a courtroom, and suddenly it's a serial drama)McAlvienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35897037913316452892015-02-11T06:21:05.921-08:002015-02-11T06:21:05.921-08:00Hey, I just wrote an entry for the comments and it...Hey, I just wrote an entry for the comments and it disappeared!Aaron Sheckleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36857163854447516362015-02-11T05:38:14.223-08:002015-02-11T05:38:14.223-08:00BTW, would anyone else be willing to give their op...BTW, would anyone else be willing to give their opinion of Scrubs? I'd be very curious.Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-508349523874961552015-02-11T05:35:54.135-08:002015-02-11T05:35:54.135-08:00The above was supposed to be addressed to Owlchum....The above was supposed to be addressed to Owlchum.Diane D.noreply@blogger.com