# What happened to the in-house production? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 10, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-in-house-production/634348 "2012-09-10T22:57:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bmasters1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@bmasters1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmasters1)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-in-house-production/634348/1 "2012-09-10T22:57:17Z")
Per the subject line, what I mean is, what became of the concept of in-house productions (those series that were, IAT being broadcast by a network, also produced and packaged by that same network [either solo or with other people])? Series like this have included: _Gunsmoke_, _Perry Mason_, the original _Five-O_, et al. (CBS) _Little House_, _Bonanza_, et al. (NBC) _Moonlighting_ (ABC) ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-in-house-production/634348/2 "2012-09-11T00:21:01Z")
Actually it is extremely common for Networks to own the shows they air. For a long time it was illegal as it was (rightly in my opinion) seen as a potential conflict of interest but this was changed either in the late eights or early 90s, I forget. Watch the production credits at the end of shows and you will often see the Network’s production company show up, sometimes with another company as well. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2012, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-in-house-production/634348/3 "2012-09-11T00:21:52Z")
For awhile, if a network produced a show, they had to sell it to someone else to syndicate it. Since syndication is where the money is, the networks didn’t do. However, that rule was repealed and you’ll see network-owned shows like **Castle** on the air. ABC also produces **Scandal** and **Revenge** , among other shows. NBC, CBS, and Fox (as well as smaller networks) do the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Rollo\_Tomasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58956e/32.png) [@Rollo\_Tomasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rollo_Tomasi)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-in-house-production/634348/4 "2012-09-11T00:34:48Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Actually it is extremely common for Networks to own the shows they air. For a long time it was illegal as it was (rightly in my opinion) seen as a potential conflict of interest but this was changed either in the late eights or early 90s, I forget. Could you expand on this a little? I’ve never really thought of it in terms of a conflict of interest, and since I don’t remember when it was illegal for a network to own a show, I’m not familiar with the original thought process. ---
**Author:** ![bmasters1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@bmasters1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmasters1)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-in-house-production/634348/5 "2012-09-11T00:55:00Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Actually it is extremely common for Networks to own the shows they air. For a long time it was illegal as it was (rightly in my opinion) seen as a potential conflict of interest but this was changed either in the late eights or early 90s, I forget. Watch the production credits at the end of shows and you will often see the Network’s production company show up, sometimes with another company as well. A darn good point there! I have 9 seasons’ worth of the original _Five-O_ on DVD (albeit not in order; I have nos. 1-8 and #12); the first 7 have “A Leonard Freeman Production in association with The CBS Television Network,” #8 has “A CBS Television Network Production,” and #12 was one of the two (the other was #11) to have “A CBS Entertainment Production” (8-12 also had a card that said “Developed by Leonard Freeman Productions,” IIRC). ---
**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:** [September 11, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-in-house-production/634348/6 "2012-09-11T01:24:33Z")
> [@Rollo\_Tomasi](#): > > Could you expand on this a little? I’ve never really thought of it in terms of a conflict of interest, and since I don’t remember when it was illegal for a network to own a show, I’m not familiar with the original thought process. If the network were given the choice of two shows, one they produced (and could get syndication money) and another produced by someone else (where they could not get syndication money), they would have chosen their own production. This vertical monopoly means that other producers can’t sell their product. It was a bigger issue when there were only three networks. Now that there are dozens, there are more places to sell it to. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-in-house-production/634348/7 "2012-09-11T03:31:18Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > For awhile, if a network produced a show, they had to sell it to someone else to syndicate it. Since syndication is where the money is, the networks didn’t do. However, that rule was repealed and you’ll see network-owned shows like **Castle** on the air. ABC also produces **Scandal** and **Revenge** , among other shows. NBC, CBS, and Fox (as well as smaller networks) do the same thing. ABC (owned by Disney) also produces shows for other networks: Army Wives for Lifetime, Criminal Minds for CBS, and Perception for TNT. ---
**Author:** ![Rollo\_Tomasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58956e/32.png) [@Rollo\_Tomasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rollo_Tomasi)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-in-house-production/634348/8 "2012-09-11T16:08:39Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > If the network were given the choice of two shows, one they produced (and could get syndication money) and another produced by someone else (where they could not get syndication money), they would have chosen their own production. This vertical monopoly means that other producers can’t sell their product. > > It was a bigger issue when there were only three networks. Now that there are dozens, there are more places to sell it to. Ah, I see now. I was missing the “only two other networks” part of the problem.