# Series played on most channels **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 18, 2003, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-played-on-most-channels/149546 "2003-01-18T22:48:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Splanky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Splanky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Splanky)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-played-on-most-channels/149546/1 "2003-01-18T22:48:43Z")
What series has been played on the most number of channels? For example, SNL is syndicated on Comedy Central (80s/90s stuff), E! (70s stuff) and of course the current season is on NBC. Has any other series beaten that? ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-played-on-most-channels/149546/2 "2003-01-19T00:27:24Z")
If you’re talking syndication then I would guess _Seinfeld_ or _M_A_S_H\*. Seinfeld is run in syndication on TBS, and I’ve seen it run on ABC and Fox affiliates in different places. Same goes for M_A_S\*H, but Seinfeld seems more prevalent these days. ---
**Author:** ![typhoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@typhoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typhoon)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-played-on-most-channels/149546/3 "2003-01-19T00:32:39Z")
Considering that local affiliates of the major networks have their choice of what they want to show in syndication, I’d say it’s impossible to know. ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-played-on-most-channels/149546/4 "2003-01-19T00:59:50Z")
Walt Disney under various names (Disneyland, Walt Disneys Wonderful world of color,Walt Disney, Disneys Magical World,) aired 1954-1961 on ABC 1961-1975 on NBc 1981-1983 on CBS 1986-1988 on ABC 1988-1990 on NBC now back on ABC not counting reruns on Disney Channel ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-played-on-most-channels/149546/5 "2003-01-19T04:16:18Z")
It depends on what you mean “most channels”? Independent stations? Networks? Cable? Non-cable? Syndicated reruns or original episodes. “I Love Lucy” probably is the champ if you mean number of stations. It was on affiliates of all networks, plus independents, in cities around the U.S., and often switched from one to another. It’s also had more time to be broadcast than more modern shows. If you mean playing original episodes on networks, there are four shows that played on four networks: “The Arthur Murray Party,” “Down You Go,” “The Original Amateur Hour,” and “Pantomime Quiz.” The latter was on most recently, going off the air in 1963. (Yes, there was a fourth network – Dumont – in the early days of TV.) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-played-on-most-channels/149546/6 "2003-01-19T04:53:15Z")
Law & Order (various flavors) were for a short time on NBC, A&E, TNT and USA at the same time (making the numbers of hours of L&O you could see in a day roughly 25 😉 ). Now it’s on all of them but A&E. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-played-on-most-channels/149546/7 "2003-01-19T16:10:48Z")
Tom Corbett, Space Cadet was on 4 networks: [http://www.solarguard.com/tchome.htm](http://www.solarguard.com/tchome.htm) Brian