# "Rare" episodes of syndicated reruns? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 7, 2005, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442 "2005-09-07T00:23:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/21 "2005-09-07T18:11:57Z")
TVLand has never aired the “Firehouse Quintet” ep of “Emergency!” It’s one where the guys play basketball. According to TVLand, the only copy they were able to procure had so many “technical difficulties” (their unelaborated words) that it was not usable. With the series being put onto DVD in the near future, it will be interesting to see if that ep makes it. The first (Peggy-less) season of “Mannix” has never been syndicated (as well as the eighth/final season). The first several seasons of “Petticoat Junction” have never been syndicated. The early “My Three Sons” with William Frawley are rarely shown, and the same goes for the later ones with “Dody.” TVLand has, but refuses to air, one ep of “The Munsters” (“Herman’s Peace Offensive”). ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/22 "2005-09-07T18:49:48Z")
> [@Earl Snake-Hips Tucker](#): > > TVLand has, but refuses to air, one ep of “The Munsters” (“Herman’s Peace Offensive”). Why not? Can you elaborate on this one? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/23 "2005-09-07T19:12:31Z")
I think they’ve been quoted as saying something like, “It doesn’t represent TVLand’s values” or some such nonsense. It involves, I think, Herman getting Eddie to stand up to a bully. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/24 "2005-09-07T19:23:18Z")
The infamous _Home_ episode of **The X-Files** wasn’t rebroadcast for several years. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/25 "2005-09-07T19:31:05Z")
There’s something like four Bonanza episodes that never get aired. There’s one in particular which is sympathetic to Mormanism (from the later, color, more hippy-ish influenced episodes) that the then CBN (now Hallmark, I think) refused to air. Hmmm, just did a quick Google search and found this [page](http://ponderosascenery.homestead.com/lostepisodes.html). Evidently there were _171_ Bonanza episodes that were originally withheld from syndication. Then Hallmark bought the rights but there were four episodes that were pulled from the line-up. ---
**Author:** ![Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@Chance\_the\_Gardener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chance_the_Gardener)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/26 "2005-09-07T19:31:07Z")
> [@Big\_Norse](#): > > Didn’t the _Simpsons_ episode with Homer at the World Trade Center get pulled after 9/11? It wouldn’t surprise me if it had been, and I’ll bet that it probably was for a while. However, I saw this episode in syndication at least two years ago, on the Fox affiliate here in New York City, no less. Much of the rest of the country seems to be touchier about September 11 than New York city is, so it might not run in other markets, but I’ve definitely seen it in syndication here at least twice since the attacks. Which is wonderful, because it’s a fantastic episode. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/27 "2005-09-07T19:42:22Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > The infamous _Home_ episode of **The X-Files** wasn’t rebroadcast for several years. I remember some X-Files marathon on FX a few years back, and that episode was the #1 in a viewer poll for ranking favorites. Personally, it’s one of my least-favorites ever. ---
**Author:** ![St\_Ides](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@St\_Ides](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St_Ides)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/28 "2005-09-07T19:49:42Z")
> [@Big\_Norse](#): > > Didn’t the _Simpsons_ episode with Homer at the World Trade Center get pulled after 9/11? I’ve seen it at least 6 times, probably more, since 2001, on several different networks, both Canadian and American. (CBC, Global, Fox and a few other Canadian ones that I either can’t remember the name of right now, or don’t feel like differentiating from other networks… Why there’s so many channels named the “A-Channel” I’ll never know. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/29 "2005-09-07T20:31:20Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > Kind of like Fox pussying out and refusing the show the Weinstein Episode of **Family Guy**. The most offensive thing in the episode was William Shatner singing the lead in “Fiddler on the Roof”. The “Special people’s games” episode was much worse. Fox did eventually air this episode. The only change made was to a lyric in a song where Peter claims that the Jews killed Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/30 "2005-09-07T21:04:01Z")
Perhaps the most famous incident of an episode never being syndicated (and, as the rapidly-becoming-a-SDMB-cliche goes: “I can’t believe no one has mentioned…”) is the two-part _Maude_ in which Bea Arthur’s character becomes pregnant and has an abortion. I don’t think this has ever been aired aside from the original network screening. I don’t know if the series has been released on DVD, but I wonder if they’ll even release the episodes in that format. A more recent non-syndicated episode would be the _Frasier_ installment with Christine Baranski. She played “Dr. Nora”, a thinly-veiled caraciture of “Dr.” Laura Schlessinger. Supposedly, the episode was shelfed because the Schlessinger’s ill-fated talk show was being produced by the same company that made _Frasier._ (According to the producers of _Frasier_, Laura Schlessinger or someone from her show objected to her being ridiculed, and insisted that episode be taken out of syndication.) ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/31 "2005-09-07T21:15:00Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > After it originally aired, it was pulled from the syndication line-up, but it has recently been put back in. I think the part with Kramer burning the Puerto Rican flag was snipped out, though. No, it’s in there. > [@kunilou](#): > > There’s supposedly a Christmas episode of I Love Lucy that’s been pulled from syndication. I read one that Desi Arnaz did not make this episode a part of the syndicated package because he didn’t want networks showing it outside of Christmastime. > [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > There’s the episode of Drew Carey about Mimi’s Polish heritage that’s been heavily edited to remove the Polish jokes. A Polish-American organization took offense at the idea that Mimi was of Polish decent. (I guess they thought she wasn’t a good Polish role model). They forced the company to edit all references to Mimi’s Polish heritage out of that episode, and to never refer to Mimi as being Polish again. The episode, as aired in syndication, now focuses on the subplot, a new employee who mimics Drew. (The episode is so short without the Polish plot, the opening is taken from another episode. Two episodes have the exact same opening. I can still remember parts of it… “Are you sure this is the porno channel? Why don’t you just pay for it?” “No, I already get the Cartoon Network, and if you get both, they put you on a special list.”) ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/32 "2005-09-07T21:33:03Z")
What about that one episode of This Old House where Norm Abrams fellates a donkey? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/33 "2005-09-07T21:39:02Z")
> [@Jpeg Jones](#): > > What about that one episode of This Old House where Norm Abrams fellates a donkey? Are you sure it was Norm? That sounds like something Bob Vila would do. He’s such a whore. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/34 "2005-09-07T22:13:17Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > Two early episodes of _Saturday Night Live_ were never rerun, the ones with Milton Berle and Louise Lasser hosting. Lorne Michaels didn’t like their performances. If he didn’t show those episodes because he didn’t like their performances, then he should have told everyone to stay home for most of the latter 1980s rather than produce and broadcast the utter crap that largely constituted SNL for the bulk of that time. As for Louise Lasser, it wasn’t a question of performing, it was one of completely losing it. Her episode came on the heels of a recent cocaine bust, and she had a nervous breakdown on the air. I’m surprised that they allowed those of us in Tape Delay Land to see it even once. I may be confusing Milton Berle with someone else, but if I remember _The Backstage History of Saturday Night Live_ accurately, its account says that Berle generally spent the week of his show strutting around the studio being arrogant and making himself beloved by none, so that might account for his episode being pulled. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/35 "2005-09-07T23:25:35Z")
> [@Art Vandelay](#): > > Perhaps the most famous incident of an episode never being syndicated (and, as the rapidly-becoming-a-SDMB-cliche goes: “I can’t believe no one has mentioned…”) is the two-part _Maude_ in which Bea Arthur’s character becomes pregnant and has an abortion. I don’t think this has ever been aired aside from the original network screening. I don’t know if the series has been released on DVD, but I wonder if they’ll even release the episodes in that format. Comcast has a channel called “Tube Time” as part of their “On Demand” service that offers old shows like _Barney Miller_ and _Maude_. The abortion two-parter were two of the episodes offered. Robin ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/36 "2005-09-08T00:23:47Z")
The local affiliate that shows re-runs of “Frasier” almost always plays the episodes from the last few seasons. It’s been ages since they’ve showed older episodes (say from the first few seasons). ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/37 "2005-09-08T00:51:21Z")
Two episodes of the original _Star Trek_ - “Plato’s Stepchildren” and “The Empath” - weren’t shown on the BBC for many years; I believe the reason was that both episodes contained depictions of torture that contravened broadcasting standards guidelines. (I’m pretty sure that both episodes were broadcast, though, the last time the BBC did _Star Trek_ re-runs.) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/38 "2005-09-08T00:54:41Z")
I don’t recall having seen the Simpsons episode where the family goes to New York, and Homer pees in the World Trade Center since before 9/11. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/39 "2005-09-08T00:54:47Z")
In the ten years that the comedy sketch _All That_ has been on the air, I have only seen the original pilot twice. [TV.com](http://www.tv.com/all-that/show/3090/episode_guide.html) claims that the pilot was first aired Christmas Eve 1994. I knew that didn’t seem right! I checked with [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_That) and the infamous first airdate was April 16th 1994. All That didn’t become a regular series until Christmas '94. I don’t believe this “Nickelodeon Special” was ever in fact put in syndication. The pilot wasn’t even aired for the 10th All That Anniversary. ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442/40 "2005-09-08T01:32:06Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I don’t recall having seen the Simpsons episode where the family goes to New York, and Homer pees in the World Trade Center since before 9/11. I’ve seen it several times since 9/11. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rare-episodes-of-syndicated-reruns/320442.md?page=3)