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Long-Running (at least 4 years) Shows whose reruns never get shown anymore

T

Tim from Springfield IL

The mention of "Gimme a Break" in the National TV board's new NBC shows thread prompted this post, but what long-running (about 4 years or more--usually enough shows for syndication) shows have not been seen in reruns for a long time anywhere (OTA or cable)?

My picks:

--"One Day at a Time" (CBS, 1975-84): Was in syndication widely through the rest of the '80s, but I last saw it in reruns on E! around 1998. Other than clips on YouTube I don't recall it resurfacing on cable ever since.

--"Alice" (CBS, 1976-85). I don't recall it on cable ever since the reruns aired on TNN (pre-Spike) during at least 1999-2000.

--"Amen" (NBC, 1986-91). Aired on BET in the late '90s and TVOne about 2006, but I haven't seen it much since.

--"ALF" (NBC, 1986-90). Went into syndication after leaving NBC, but haven't seen the reruns much since then (and I'm surprised Nick at Nite/TV Land didn't add ALF reruns to their regular lineups when the furry alien regained popularity in commercials and his short-lived TV Land talk show in the early 2000s).

--"Hart to Hart" (ABC, 1979-84). Hasn't seen the light of day since that show and the likes of "Vega$" and "Eight is Enough" left the FX lineup in 1998.

--"Love Boat" (ABC, 1977-86). I don't recall seeing it much since the late 80s, and I can't remember if it was on FX in its earliest years when they showed a lot of classics (particularly many of the Aaron Spelling classics of the 70s/early 80s--see above).

That and many others would be great to see again--hopefully MeTV, Antenna and by divine intervention RTV (TV Land is a hopeless cause) could bring some of those long-running but ignored shows back again.
 
--"Alice" (CBS, 1976-85). I don't recall it on cable ever since the reruns aired on TNN (pre-Spike) during at least 1999-2000.
Click to expand...



ION Television (formerly PAX and i: Independent Television) carried "Alice" about five years ago when the network acquired the Warner Bros. library.
 
A few others that quickly come to mind:

- "Blossom"

- "Doogie Howser, M.D."

- "It's a Living"

- "Grace Under Fire"

- "Webster"

- "Charles in Charge"

- "Dear John"

- "Head of the Class"


At one point, all of these series were seen in reruns, but seemingly haven't surfaced much (if at all) in the past 5-10 years.
 
Don't think we'll see any of these shows anytime soon...not that they were bad (many of them were quite watchable) but there's an oversupply of syndication-suitable off-network product out there these days.

With the exception of a few unique shows like Star Trek, The Original Series (which went into syndication as a cult favorite with only 80 episodes available) you need at least a 100 episode inventory to be a candidate for stripping in syndication. That cuts down the numbers bigtime (most shows since about 1960 never lasted the 4 to 5 seasons necessary to reach the 100 episode mark).

But with about 60 years of filmed or taped shows still available, there are still so many programs that can offer at least a 100 episode inventory, that the off-network shows which stay around past the first syndication cycle are the classics--shows like Seinfeld, Cheers, Frasier, Star Trek The Original Series, Star Trek; The Next Generation, or I Love Lucy. Those shows, and some others you also still see often, have one thing in common--they're not only well written and well acted, they're timeless and still entertain today's audiences anywhere from 15 to 60 years after their original network runs. A lot of the others that had a long production run the first time around are old and won't appeal to audiences today, either because of dated and even cringe-worthy subject matter, poor writing, crude production values or stiff performancesby today's standards (viewers were a lot easier to please 40 or 50 years ago), or in many cases because they were never filmed or taped in color and monochrome shows get passed over by viewers who aren't into nostalgia. Even more recent color shows which aren't obviously dated don't always compete well with the newest product. The syndication menu from which most stations and networks shop will invariably be heavy with the new or recent arrivals off-network, or first-run original series made specifically for the syndication market (talk shows, game shows or the occasional scripted show). Not much room left for renewed cycles of the shows which were once hits, but not quite the mega-hits you see in endless renewal cycles.
 
And irs Tuesday-night stablemate on ABC in the early '70s,
"Marcus Welby, M.D." Neither do I see some other ABC hits
of the era: "Charlie's Angels," "The Six Million Dollar Man," or
"The Rookies."

Back in the '80s I remember Pat Robertson's cable channel
carrying Burns and Allen and "Dobie Gillis" in the early evening;
and "Best Of Groucho," "Love That Bob!," and Ann Sothern's
"Private Secretary" late at night. None of those are shown now;
maybe it's the excuse station managers once used to turn down
Groucho: they're slow and in black and white.

Today's audiences certainly miss not only some classic television
but some great movies from the '30s, '40s, and even the '50s because
of their aversion to monochrome (and I don't want to seem self-righteous
but they'd get to see shows and movies where the actors and scripts--
not suggestive language or plots--carry the day).
 
Amen is currently running on TV1 in the mornings and on GMC in late night.

The Hub has been running Doogie Howser in primetime/late nights since the name change from Dicovery Kids.

As for Charlie's Angels, I know someone runs it (or has run it very recently); Cloo perhaps?
 
milwaukee_dave said:
A few others that quickly come to mind:

- "Blossom"

- "Doogie Howser, M.D."

- "It's a Living"

- "Grace Under Fire"

- "Webster"

- "Charles in Charge"

- "Dear John"

- "Head of the Class"


At one point, all of these series were seen in reruns, but seemingly haven't surfaced much (if at all) in the past 5-10 years.
Click to expand...

Hub is airing Doogie Howser
 
"The Cosby Show." Funny when it first ran on NBC. Cute in the reruns. Now, it's "I can't believe I watched that." Part of the probem may be that the show is now so dated. The outfits and some of the pop culture references are probably a reason, but another part could be some of the story lines.

Compare that to "The Dick Van Dyke Show" still being shown 50 years after its first airing. Hardly ever any pop culture references. In fact, Carl Reiner made a stipulation that popular trends from the time the show was on (1961 - 1966) be excluded from the show's scripts.
 
Mark_Giardina said:
This is going back a few years but one show that comes to mind is Naked City which ran from (I believe) 1958-1963.
Click to expand...

naked city is on me-tv at 1 am sunday night/monday morning eastern time.
 
WKRP was on WGN America a few years back when they were running their Out of Sight Retro Night, but it only ran a few months.

Are the original Honeymooners on anywhere now? I've seen pictures on ME-TV's website, but not on the schedule.

I hate to say it, but Bob1370's explanation of why some shows aren't seen any more is probably pretty accurate, even on what a lot of people would consider classics. On a lot of them our best hope might be for them to become available on DVD or online.
 
Small Wonder reruns, as I mentioned on another thread, hasn't been seen on TV, at least American TV, since 1996 (KTTV Fox 11 L.A. was the last station to air it.)
 
When I last checked, ALF is being shown in reruns here in Canada on CTS - Crossroads Television (the same Crossroads Television that produces 100 HUNTLEY STREET). They also have The Beverly Hillbillies. Some of the other shows mentioned above have also been shown on this side of the border over the years. One Day at a Time and Murphy Brown currently rerun on Comedy Gold (formerly TV Land Canada). Charles in Charge and The Rockford Files on DejaView.
 
Even on the shows mentioned how many of them were only run in larger cities that still had independent stations after the startup of Fox, UPN, and WB? There are some shows that have been listed that I can only remember seeing on cable, and never on any local stations in Memphis or Nashville.

TV Land in Canada became Comedy Gold? How long has that been, and are they staying true to their name? I wish that could happen in the US, but it probably never will. :-\
 
I think another issue is the proliferation of infomercials and syndicated talk shows that are filling
up the timeslots which used to be devoted to these reruns. Particularly on local OTA stations.
 
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