View Full Version : How many episodes does a show need for syndication?


mmc123
05-15-2001, 09:54 PM
How many episodes does a show need to have to go ont syndication like Friends and Seinfeld..3rd Rock...the simpsons..you know what I mean!

Matt

callmetootie
05-15-2001, 09:56 PM
I think that it needs at least 2 seasons to go into syndication.

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Andrew Carden

TJ
05-15-2001, 11:18 PM
The usual 'golden' number today is 100. For example, The Jamie Foxx Show went to 100 episodes this season then changed to a variety format so they would have 100 episodes - this is just for major syndication because the USA Network shows a lot of sitcoms that lasted only a season or two..

Truth
05-15-2001, 11:47 PM
Eerie, Indiana a kids tv show made only 19 episodes and i still see it on sometimes... it was made in teh early 90's

Slippery Dan
05-16-2001, 11:06 AM
Friends went into syndication with only 97 episodes in 1998. Seinfeld went into syndication in 1995 with 110 episodes. 3rd Rock in 1999 with only 97 episodes. Simpsons in 1994 with only 103 episodes. Usually once it has four full seasons, regardless of number of episodes it hits syndication. There are several exceptions. NewsRadio went into syndication in 1998 with only 75 episodes. But than again it was a mid season replacement show and its first season only had 7 episodes. In The House only has 75 episodes to show in syndication. Bosom Buddies is still in syndication in some markets, and only has 38 episodes to show. Then you have shows that waited long to go into syndication. Facts of Life wen tinto syndication in 1986 I believe and had 157 episodes. But than again it was rerun on NBC weekday mornings from 1982 - 1985. So I guess it all matters if they want to show it in syndication or not. Mad TV had been on since 1995, and it's only hitting syndication this fall when shows that premiered at the same time it did, like Drew Carey Show hit syndication two years ago.

Lance Link
05-19-2001, 04:20 PM
The Weakest Link has aired about seven shows and starting in June, it will be on Pax tv which I thought it would have to go about two or three seasons before going into syndication.

Devastation26
05-19-2001, 07:02 PM
PAX shows all the old eps of NBC game shows (remember 21? ) anyway, I always thought that it first)must have at least 2 distinct seasons and second)must have at least 8 episodes in each season.

Cokies
05-19-2001, 08:22 PM
Originally posted by JWillhight:
Eerie, Indiana a kids tv show made only 19 episodes and i still see it on sometimes... it was made in teh early 90's

Sometimes great shows with little amount of actual episodes get lucky simply because they were quite good. they just didn't find an audience... just look at Freaks and Geeks or My So-Called Life. Now they are cult favs...
By the way, I loved Eeria, Indiana...

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"It was just like Saturday Night Fever, only it was a Friday."

[This message has been edited by Cokies (edited 05-19-2001).]

Brett Ferino
05-20-2001, 11:36 AM
105.

Brett Ferino
05-20-2001, 11:43 AM
227 had about 116 eps in 1990 when it went into syndie (it was not on in fall 1990, so it went into syndication a couple of months before it was even cancelled, Who's the Boss had like 72 episodes when it went into syndie in 1987, Night Court had 100 episodes in 1988, Cosby Show had about 98 episodes in 88. Seinfeld went into syndie in 1996. Not 1995..

cp
05-20-2001, 11:42 PM
Gloria ran on WWOR in the early 90s. It had only 13 episodes but it aired only once or twice a week.

Slippery Dan
05-21-2001, 09:28 PM
Seinfeld did go in syndication in September 1995. Who's The Boss? went into syndication in 1988, not 1987. From June 1987 to July 1988 ABC aired reruns of Who's The Boss? weekday mornings. I doubt that WPVI aired it. WTXF probably aired the reruns just like they did for Perfect Strangers and Growing Pains when ABC reran that weekday mornings right before they hit syndication.

Slippery Dan
05-22-2001, 02:47 PM
Correction, Who's The Boss? started syndication in 1989, not 1988. My mistake.

Brett Ferino
05-22-2001, 03:20 PM
I have an old video that my grandmother bought me and it is a video of DuckTales that was taped from TV that someone sold at a local flee market in FLORIDA. And the video like happened in 1987 and there was a commercial for it when WBFS aired Who's the Boss when aired Untouchables.. I may not be so accurate..