Why is First-Run Syndication Dying?

[TMC]

http://www.411mania.com/movies/columns/138714

Whatever happened to original syndicated programming?: It was recently announced that "Legend of the Seeker," the syndicated action adventure fantasy show based on a book series by Terry Goodkind and produced by Sam Raimi, would be ending this year after two seasons on the air. I never watched the show, but the announcement made me sad because it meant the essential end to original syndicated programming, at least for the time being. I mean, besides "Legend of the Seeker," what else is there on TV in terms of original syndicated programming?

Nothing. Well, at least nothing that I know of. I've searched my cable guide high and low, especially on the weekends, to see if there is anything else I may have missed. I didn't miss anything. "Legend of the Seeker" appears to be the only real original syndicated show on TV.

So what the heck happened? Where have all of the original syndicated programs gone? Where are the "Xena: Warrior Princess" and "Hercules: The Legendary Journey" shows? Where are the "Pensacola: Wings of Gold" and "Highlander" type shows? Why has syndication become a wasteland of broadcast network reruns?

My guess is it's just cheaper to sell a show that already has an audience than to create a new show made specifically for syndication. Scheduling issues are probably a major hindrance, too (syndicated shows don't air at the same time in every market, making it difficult to find a large, reliable audience).

Plus, the original syndicated show has to keep pumping out new shows in order to stay on the air. At most, an original syndicated show is going to have, what, twenty/twenty-four new episodes a season? What the heck is the channel airing the show supposed to put on when there are no new episodes? A network show airing in reruns in syndication has the luxury of relying on both old episodes and relatively new ones (a network rerun show has to have, what, about eighty episodes in order to run in syndication?). As long as the network show keeps producing new episodes the syndication well will never run dry.

So I guess, at this point, the original syndicated action adventure show is a thing of the past. What do you think the TV stations that aired "Legend of the Seeker" will replace it with? Infomercials? Reruns of "Boston Legal?"

[Marvo301]

I think that there are so many cable channels out there where a TV show can find a home if it doesn't find one on network TV that it's no longer necessary to go the first run syndication route.

[TMC]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...o/LiveActionTV

Cable also pretty much killed off scripted shows in first-run syndication. Shows in first-run syndication were massively popular in the Nineties (Baywatch, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess,) however, shows that have tried since then haven't had the same success. First-run syndication was something of a shaky market anyway (after a show was bought, the station could air them whenever they wanted, and some would exile them to 1 AM dead zones, and even if they weren't, varying timeslots made it nearly impossible to advertise since many people couldn't figure out where or when to tune in, with the best they could do a generic "Check Local Listings.") With a guaranteed timeslot on cable and a promise of frequent reruns, shows that normally would have went the route of first-run syndication instead went to cable networks, and shows in first-run syndication struggled (She Spies, Mutant X) While first-run syndication is still used to create daytime fare like game shows, talk shows, and courtroom shows, Legend of the Seeker might go down as the last-ditch attempt at a scripted series in first-run syndication.