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Originally Posted by wiseguy182
It's been occuring to me lately that this would be a relatively short list. Even the worst shows have their fans, sports and game shows can be relived for their excitement, newscasts have historic value, etc. What would be shows or specials that have zero rewatch value?
The only thing I can think of is "The Mystery Of Al Capone's Vault", which ironically, was one of the highest rated programs of the 80's. It was never reran and deservedly so and I can't imagine anyone on the planet wanting to relive that atrocity. The only reason I can think to ever re-air it would be to embarass Geraldo enough so that he would finally get out of our lives forever.
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The biggest offender would have to be daytime talk shows. Can you envision anyone sitting down to watch a 5 year-old episode of Dr. Oz? It's a volume business designed to be disposable entertainment. Same deal for morning shows like
Good Morning America. Outside of an odd interview or segment here and there, the show is already gathering moss the next day. However I don't think late night talk shows fall victim to this, despite their volume, because the sheer entertainment value is way higher and material not quite as time sensitive.
Outside of daily talk shows, the shows with the absolute shortest shelf life are reality shows. And the crappier the reality show, the shorter the shelf life. Even monster hits of the genre like
Survivor almost never see syndication.
Jon and Kate Plus 8 might have been huge when it aired but who on earth wants to watch it now? So when a real crapfest like
Fat March or
Amish in the City comes down the pike, it's practically forgotten as soon as it airs. ZERO rewatchability.
There will always be an audience for scripted material regardless of its age. Shows that don't rely on exploiting a pathetic public figure or some form of over-hyping talentless hacks as genuine celebrities - the shows that place content above all - are the ones people will rewatch years down the road. Class and quality are timeless.