100 episodes
In the U.S. television industry, 100 episodes is the traditional threshold for a television series to enter syndicated reruns.[1][2][3] One hundred episodes are advantageous for stripped syndication because it allows for 20 weeks of weekday reruns (depending on the number of episodes produced once the program debuts in syndication) without repeating an episode, and such shows can be sold for higher per-episode pricing.[4]
One of the first series made specifically for syndication, the 1953–1955 sitcom Life with Elizabeth, purposely ended its run after only 65 episodes, concerned that producing more would saturate the market and reduce the syndication package's value.[5] In recent years, the minimum number of episodes for off-network, stripped syndication has been set at 88 (typically four seasons of 22 episodes), although some programs have been relatively successful in syndication with fewer episodes. The Jetsons, for instance, only aired 75 episodes.
Overview
Syndication is often a profitable enterprise because a series can be rerun for years after it ends production. Shows of limited profitability during their first run will still prove to be viable to the production company if they can last 100 episodes. This point is usually reached during a series' fifth season.
Decade | Program | Episodes |
---|---|---|
1950s | I Love Lucy | 31 (1952–53) |
The Jack Benny Program | 16 (1955–56 )
| |
1960s | The Beverly Hillbillies | 1963–64 )
|
The Andy Griffith Show | 1966–67 )
| |
1970s | All in the Family | 1974–75 )
|
Happy Days | 1978–79 )
| |
1980s | Dallas | 1983–84 )
|
The Cosby Show | 1986–87 )
| |
1990s | Cheers | 1990–91 )
|
Seinfeld | 24 (1994–95 )
| |
2000s | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | 23 (2003–04 )
|
The Mentalist | 23 (2008–09) | |
2010s | Person of Interest | 22–23 (2012–13) |
Shows that have produced fewer episodes have become syndication successes, in some cases prompting additional episodes to be commissioned specifically for syndication to reach the 100-episode mark.
More recently, Clueless had reasonable success in syndication, especially on cable, even though only 62 episodes had been produced by the time the series ended in 1999. Chappelle's Show entered syndication despite only producing 33 episodes, five of which were clip shows. Series which have entered the public domain, such as Dusty's Trail, Meet Corliss Archer, and Life with Elizabeth are sometimes aired regardless of the number of episodes because there is no licensing fee.
Dramas, which do not require daily runs, have also had success in syndication with shorter runs. For example,
The growth of cable and satellite television has prompted channels to rerun series more often, with fewer episodes. Reruns of a particular show may air multiple times a day, several days a week, despite having only one or two seasons of episodes produced.
By the early 2010s, the milestone for syndication was accepted at 88 episodes, which is typically reached after four seasons. Shows approaching the 88-episode target are often renewed despite low ratings in order to ensure syndication. Production companies can offer discounts on licensing fees to the networks to encourage renewal. Shows that are approaching the 88-episode syndication milestone while suffering from poor ratings are often moved to
An extreme example of a show renewed primarily for syndication purposes was
Niche genres
The 100-episode threshold is generally applied solely to scripted prime time programming, since
Game shows
On rare occasions, game shows have been rerun on broadcast television. Despite having very high output as far as numbers of episodes (a typical 13-week run of even an unsuccessful game show yielded 65 episodes) are concerned, most networks instead opted to
With the advent of cable channels such as
Cartoons and children's programming
Rerunning children's programming generally requires fewer episodes than programming for adults. For most children's series, reruns are aired for a short period of time after the series finishes production, then are replaced. For weekly series, this practice dates to at least the 1960s, when
It was noted in a study that when the animated series Robotech aired in 1985, daily strip syndication for a series for children required 65 episodes at minimum.[33] Until the mid-2000s, the Disney Channel notably stuck to a 65-episode limit—which allows for four series to be shown every weekday for a year—until That's So Raven was renewed to end at 100 episodes.[34]
References
- ^ Barry Garron (March 29, 2006). "Anatomy of a hit: George Lopez". Hollywood Reporter. HollywoodReporter.com. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
- ^ John Dempsey (September 14, 2003). "Cablers raise syndie stakes". Variety. Archived from the original on May 23, 2009. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
- ^ Michael Schneider (July 6, 2004). "Duo 'Standing' tall in 20th deal". Variety. Archived from the original on October 15, 2008. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
- Robert Seidman (May 14, 2011). "Bubble Watch Season Finale: On Fringe, Chuck, and V One More Time". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the originalon May 17, 2011. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
What's so magical about 88 episodes? The prevailing Hollywood mindset is that 88 episodes is the minimum number of episodes necessary to be able to 'strip' a show in syndication, i.e., run it Monday–Friday at the same time. All shows, regardless of number of episodes can be sold into syndication, but shows that can be stripped can command higher per-episode pricing. The magic number for being able to strip a show in syndication used to be 100 but for the last few years it has been 88.
- ISBN 978-0-786-48732-5.
- ^ WKRP in Cincinnati TV.com Show Summary, retrieved 05-21-2013.
- ^ Boone, Brian. "The Monkees, The Old New Monkees, and New Monkees: How to Destroy A Beloved Franchise". SplitSider. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ [1] TV.com -- The Jackie Gleason Show.
- ^ "Vicki Lawrence". Archive of American Television. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
- ^ Lyman, Dorothy. "Mama Knows Best: A Mama's Family Cast Reunion". Mama's Family The Complete 4th Season DVD (Interview).
- ^ Lost in Space Forever, DVD, Twentieth Century Fox, 1998.
- ^ "Galaxy Beings Maveric Lions: The History of TVs Lost in Space". galaxybeingsmavericlions.blogspot.com.
- ^ "Once Upon A Time's 100th episode and the magic of syndication". TV Club. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
- ^ "Feeling the Churn: Why Netflix Cancels Shows After a Couple of Seasons & Why They Can't Move to New Homes". March 18, 2019.
- ^ Porter, Rick (2024-02-06). "How Comfort Shows Conquered Streaming TV". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
- ^ ABC Medianet (May 27, 2009). "Season Rankings". ABC Medianet. Archived from the original on August 12, 2009. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ Fox Broadcasting. " 'Til Death Fact Sheet" Archived July 22, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. FoxFlash.com. Press release. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
- ^ Longsdorf, Amy (January 24, 2010) "Kate Micucci: 'Really exciting things are starting to happen'" The Morning Call. Retrieved March 8, 2010. Archived March 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Fox Broadcasting. (March 2010) "Primetime Schedule Mar 7-13". FoxFlash.com. Press release. Retrieved March 28, 2010. Archived November 9, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Schneider, Michael (March 23, 2010). "Fox finally finds a way to kill "'Til Death"". Variety. Archived from the original on March 26, 2010. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
- ^ "Nobody's watching: The strange genius of the fourth season of 'Til Death". avclub.com. 22 June 2010.
- ^ "WGN America Fall 2011 Schedule; MeTV Network Celebrates Lucille Ball's 100th Birthday With 100 Episodes of Lucy Series - SitcomsOnline.com News Blog". sitcomsonline.com.
- ^ "Spike TV Fall 2011 Schedule Adds 2 Sitcoms; TCA Summer 2011 Press Tour: Cable - SitcomsOnline.com News Blog". sitcomsonline.com.
- ^ Christopher Lisotta (2004). "Reality Gets Reworked for Prime". Television Week. Vol. 23, no. 33. pp. 40–41.
- ^ Amanda D. Lotz (2007). The Television Will Be Revolutionized. New York: New York University Press.
- ^ Industry News: Revised radio ratings with public stations numbers Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine. Buffalo Broadcasters Association (April 27, 2015). Retrieved April 27, 2015.
- ^ Davis, Alex. GSN Refreshes Classics Lineup with New "Press Your Luck", "Password", "Match Game", and "Sale of the Century" Archived April 30, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
- ^ Bouma, Luke (July 17, 2019). "Sinclair's Free Stirr Streaming Service Plans to Add 12 New Channels & Hits 1 Million Downloads". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
- ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (30 November 2020). "'The Price Is Right: The Bob Barker Era': Fremantle & Pluto TV Launch Channel Dedicated To Game Show's Heyday". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
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- ^ "The strange story of M-U-S-H, the M*A*S*H cartoon spoof that nearly ruined its studio". MeTV. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
- ^ Fredale, Jennifer Ph.D. (2008) "The rhetorics of context: An ethics of belonging" University of Arizona
- ^ "That's So Raven changed Disney Channel in ways no one could have predicted". TV Club. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 2021-03-28.