# Most Frequently Rerun TV Series **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 1, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736 "2008-03-01T14:53:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![as\_u\_wish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@as\_u\_wish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/as_u_wish)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/1 "2008-03-01T14:53:54Z")
Can someone here point me in the right direction to find data on which television series is shown most frequently in reruns? I realize there are definition problems–most frequently on network television, most frequently in the U.S., based on number of stations or audience reached, based on residuals paid, etc. However, I haven’t been able to locate **any** data, so at this point I don’t want to fuss too much about narrowing down what I want. And, of course, we can all speculate. I’m thinking it’s **I Love Lucy** , my husband thinks it’s **Law and Order**. So, data if you can; speculation if you want. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2008, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/2 "2008-03-01T15:47:23Z")
I don’t know if this is what you’re looking for, but internationally, _Baywatch_ is the [most popular series of all time](http://web.archive.org/web/20061005022058/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=47873). ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/3 "2008-03-01T16:01:51Z")
Around here M_A_S\*H is airing more than any other show. Actually, it’s been that way for a long time. It comes on 8-12 times a day on Hallmark, several times in syndication on local channels, and a few times on TVLand. It must be on almost all day. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/4 "2008-03-01T16:20:52Z")
For a long time, one version or another of “I Love Lucy” was on television every minute of the day, somewhere. That’s got to be significant. My favorite quote on the subject of Baywatch was: “Mankind has spent more time watching Baywatch than actually building all of the Seven Wonders of the World.” Kind of explains the whole decline and fall of modern civilization, donnit? Tris ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2008, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/5 "2008-03-01T16:29:26Z")
Not a series but [this](http://www.slate.com/id/2133551) is surely the oddest story - the most frequently repeated TV program ever. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2008, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/6 "2008-03-01T17:39:52Z")
**Gilligan’s Island** was once a plague upon humanity, filling every niche in the schedule not filled by other programming. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2008, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/7 "2008-03-01T18:09:23Z")
You can watch several episodes of “The Andy Griffith Show” everyday around here. ---
**Author:** ![Charger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@Charger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charger)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2008, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/8 "2008-03-01T18:30:31Z")
“The Simpsons” is on somewhere all the time. With as long as that show has been on, however, the number of times **each** episode has been shown is probably smaller than that of “Gilligan’s Island.” There were only 97 episodes of “Gilligan’s Island.” “The Simpsons” currently has more than four times that. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/9 "2008-03-01T18:57:14Z")
There was a time a few years back that _I Love Lucy_ was on three different networks in this area and each played at least two episodes a day.\* I knew them all. ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2008, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/10 "2008-03-02T01:16:50Z")
Seinfeld and King of Queens are in pretty heavy rotation right now. Which is good because both are hilarious shows!! Star Trek, The Brady Bunch and Gilligan’s Island are the ones that come to mind that were on ad nauseum when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/11 "2008-03-02T01:24:22Z")
Friends was on continual loop here for a while. Even while it was in production, each season was followed by a repeat of the last season, before the new season started. Then, after it ended, we just got it over and over again, right through from the beginning to the finale. My mum finally managed to catch the last episode the (IIRC) sixth time around of the current run. M_A_S\*H could be up there, Fawlty Towers must have a look in. Another vote for the Simpsons too - we’ve been getting that between 5-8 episodes a week just on the free to air channels, more on Pay TV. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2008, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/12 "2008-03-02T02:38:45Z")
[QUOTE=Charger] There were only 97 episodes of “Gilligan’s Island.” “The Simpsons” currently has more than four times that. [/QUOTE] I never thought about episode numbers. _The Honeymooners_ is very popular in reruns (WPIX here in New York, which does a marathon every New Year’s, has been running it so long their syndicated prints still have the old Viacom “V of Doom” at the end), and it ran for only 39 episodes. However, 68 additional “lost episodes” (actually old _Jackie Gleason Show_ sketches) were added to the syndication package in the mid-80s, so that number no longer stands. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/13 "2008-03-02T03:15:53Z")
I seem to recall _Saved By The Bell_ accounting for a majority of TBS programming just a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2008, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/14 "2008-03-02T04:21:23Z")
[QUOTE=Atomicktom] I seem to recall _Saved By The Bell_ accounting for a majority of TBS programming just a few years ago. [/QUOTE] Adult Swim also ran the series as part of some sort of unusual drawn-out joke last year, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Captain\_Socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Socks)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2008, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/15 "2008-03-02T04:26:04Z")
I can watch 4 episodes of That 70’s Show in 2 hours on some days. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Captain\_Socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Socks)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2008, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/16 "2008-03-02T04:26:43Z")
I can watch 4 episodes of That 70’s Show in 2 hours on some days. Also, not that it’s relevant, but this is my 500th post! ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/20 "2014-08-27T12:50:09Z")
Around here it’s **The Golden Girls** or maybe that’s just my irritation showing ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/21 "2014-08-27T14:14:01Z")
> [@iconservation](#): > > It can be safely stated that _I Love Lucy_ is the REASON the rerun exists! With the exception of _The Lone Ranger_, which reran shows in the summer of 1952, without much fanfare and much smaller ratings, _I Love Lucy_ created the rerun on [October 20, 1952](http://greghowelldesign.com/iconservation/the-rerun-is-born-october-20-1952/), out of necessity. Pregnant Lucille Ball couldn’t film enough shows for the entire season (39 episodes), so the producers decided to fill in the season with repeats from season 1. The 9 repeated shows got larger ratings than the first airing, and the concept of big ratings with reruns took root. _I Love Lucy_ has been rerun endlessly since then. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Reported post by **iconservation** as spam. It doesn’t look like spam to me. It’s **iconservation** ’s own blog, but it’s relevant to the thread topic. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/22 "2014-08-27T14:20:08Z")
A couple of years ago, the saying was “If you’re not watching some version of Law & Order right now, you’re not trying.” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736/23 "2014-08-27T14:25:28Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > It doesn’t look like spam to me. It’s **iconservation** ’s own blog, but it’s relevant to the thread topic. What made me suspicious is that the website that hosts his blog is for his web design and SEO business. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-frequently-rerun-tv-series/439736.md?page=2)