Do syndicated sitcoms like "Saved by the Bell" sell for as much as primetime ones ?

[The Gooch]

Although it's a rare exception, do you think that "Saved by the Bell" which was probably the most popular syndicated sitcom of the 90s, sold for $ 100 million ? And although not as popular, what do you think "Charles in Charge" and "Small Wonder" got in the 80s ? I know that primetime shows like "Diff'rent Strokes" and "The Facts of Life" each only cracked the top twenty-five once, but because of their popularity with children, sold for $ 1 million per episode in 1983. Now with cable, is it better or worse for the success of these shows when it comes to how much they can fetch in the marketplace ?

[TV Guy]

With a few exceptions, shows that ran exclusively in syndication don't command the same revenue as similar shows that ran on the networks, simply because network shows have better ratings histories and name recognition than first-run syndicated shows. That said, I'm betting that "Charles in Charge" made more money when it went into reruns than say, "Mr. Belvedere" did. But no syndicated sitcom will ever pull in the same kind of revenue as a "Friends" or a "Seinfeld". And producers of syndicated sitcoms know this, and do their shows on a much tighter budget than network shows. So they can still be very profitable.

BTW, "Saved by the Bell" originally ran on NBC Saturday mornings. Only reruns ran in syndication.

[This message has been edited by TV Guy (edited 10-11-2001).]