There was a thread today asking about the number of episodes a show has to have before it goes into general syndication. That thread had to be deleted (ask Euty). So I’m going to re-post it:
The rule of thumb is a show needs 100 episodes to make it into syndication. There are plenty of exceptions, of course. Genre-themed shows can make it (Max Headroom, for example, is currently being shown on TechTV). Basic cable channels desparate for programming will pick up a few shows (The Critic on Comedy Central, for example).
The big question would be that, when and if video-on-demand becomes a common thing, will the owners of these orphaned shows offer them?
You could pay a fee per episode(s), download them and burn them to a DVD. Box sets of TV shows on DVD have taken off quite well. I think it would save the studios a lot of money by offering this service.
There are plenty of shows I’d like to see again (ie Quark) that will likely never be shown on TV again.
I would kill and eat kittens to see Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman on T.V. or video again. Unfortunately, it was killed by ABC after four seasons (88 episodes, give or take), falling just short of a syndication guarantee.
Lois and Clark has been running pretty much continually on TNT. If it had gone into syndication odds are it wouldn’t have gotten many people to pick it up since stations aren’t interested in one hour dramas in syndication typically. Anyway, kill and eat your kittens and then check the listings (I don’t know if you can get TNT in Calgary but you’ve got a shot; maybe get one of those dishes that the government doesn’t want you to have ).
The Tick (the cartoon) is something I’d love to have seen in syndication. Comedy Central ran it for a few years and on occasion I spot it on the listings for something like 2am.
If you’re really hurting to see “Quark” again you might try to find a tape-trading group that may have some episodes. Meanwhile I’m still waiting for TV Land to realize the comic genius of “The Bill Cosby Show” from 1971.
“Homefront” was a great show. It was on one of the big three networks in the early nineties. It was abruptly cancelled after only two seasons. I’m not sure why.
Although it only aired for a couple of years, ABC’s memorable sketch comedy show Fridays disappeared after its run. I’m surprised Comedy Central or another specialty cable network never ran it.
Archie Bunker’s Place. which ran for four years, was never syndicated.
Chicago Hope hasn’t been syndicated yet.
WKRP in Cincinnati was wildly popular, but seldom shown in syndication.
I don’t remember Wonder Years ever being in syndication; it probably was, but in few markets.
That may have to do with licensing. I am led to believe at any rate that wrangling over licensing agreements on the music which permeates that show is the reason it has not made it nor is likely to make it to DVD.
There seem to be several shows missing from that era; Barney Miller and Night Court were also quite popular at the time but I don’t remember seeing much evidence of them in syndication either.
There’s a whole untapped subcategory of show that has a premise so intrinsically flawed that even top-notch scripts and amazing casts can’t make the concept fly, which is why the following VERY ENTERTAINING shows will likely never be seen again, even on TNT:
ARNIE
BOSOM BUDDIES
BRIDGET LOVES BERNIE
HACK (Not cancelled yet, but it’s pretty doomed)
THE MAGICIAN
WE GOT IT MAID (MADE?)
WHEN THINGS WERE ROTTEN
The former was on TVLand until recently, and the latter was on A&E as recently as a couple of years ago, on top of having enjoyed a heavy-rotation tour of syndication even before it was cancelled: I remember watching Night Court back-to-back at 7 p.m. weekdays circa 1990-1991.
Moe, do you have PBS where you live? Dr. Who is usually on weekends on most of the PBS stations I’ve encountered.
For me I’d have to say I’d love to see Tales of the Darkside make the rounds in syndication again (is it on the Sci-Fi channel?) or the 1980s version of the Twilight Zone.
I’ll second Tales From the Darkside, but I’d also like to see The Prisoner and Soap. They showed Soap on Comedy Central a few years back, but THEN THEY STOPPED!!! God, I miss that show. I thought it was hilarious.
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