Sitcoms more popular "now" than they were "then"

[Schmo]

I have read that "Leave It to Beaver" and "The Brady Bunch" had only average ratings when they were first-run series but became more successful years later when they went into syndication. Why do you suppose that is? And what other sitcoms have gained a "cult" following after an unsuccessful or average first run?

[Zoneboy]

Original runs = one night per-week
Syndication = 5 days/nights per-week

Syndication obviously gave viewers more opportunities to watch a show thus building it's fan base.

[retrofan05]

Originally Posted by Schmo

I have read that "Leave It to Beaver" and "The Brady Bunch" had only average ratings when they were first-run series but became more successful years later when they went into syndication. Why do you suppose that is? And what other sitcoms have gained a "cult" following after an unsuccessful or average first run?

Not sure about "Leave it to Beaver," but perhaps the airing of "The Brady Bunch" on both Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite during the 90's brought in a large kid as well as adult following? I know this is when I really got into "The Brady Bunch."

[DSfan]

Originally Posted by retrofan05

Not sure about "Leave it to Beaver," but perhaps the airing of "The Brady Bunch" on both Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite during the 90's brought in a large kid as well as adult following? I know this is when I really got into "The Brady Bunch."

I remember my uncle would always put Nick at Nite on for the Block Party Summer Brady Bunch marathons and it would also be on at 5:30 weeknights in like 1999 I think. I used to watch it before All That came on at 6pm.

[tvfan25]

The reason that the older shows have better ratings now is because a lot of people want to see those kinds of sitcoms (clean, family friendly) instead of the trash they put on TV now. I know I would rather watch older sitcoms on DVD than the junk that's on now.

[Rookielove]

I heard that I Dream of Jeannie and Star Trek also did much better in reruns.

[Vahan]

How about game shows?

Press Your Luck was originally fairly-successful at best, when it ran for 3 years on CBS from 1983 to 1986. But it didn't truly take off until it hit reruns in Syndication a year later. First, it was seen on a handful of local stations, then the USA Cable Network (back when it was one of the best channels ever), picked it up, where reruns ran three times as long as it originally aired.

Today, it can currently be seen on GSN.

[Regulus]

Originally Posted by tvfan25

I know I would rather watch older sitcoms on DVD than the junk that's on now.

Sec on and ded!

[noveel]

Originally Posted by Schmo

I have read that "Leave It to Beaver" and "The Brady Bunch" had only average ratings when they were first-run series but became more successful years later when they went into syndication. Why do you suppose that is? And what other sitcoms have gained a "cult" following after an unsuccessful or average first run?

the audience that watches sitcom reruns in syndication is different than the primetime audience, less adults watching in the late afternoon/early evening time slots where they usually air syndicated sitcom rerun on local stations

[noveel]

Originally Posted by Rookielove

I heard that I Dream of Jeannie and Star Trek also did much better in reruns.

they were more concerned about total audience numbers instead of demographics back then

[Schmo]

Originally Posted by noveel

they were more concerned about total audience numbers instead of demographics back then

That seems to have been the problem with Star Trek.

[Impressions]

Arrested Development, Futurama, and Family Guy in their original runs on FOX. They were all canceled, but the reruns were what brought them back to air.

[LUNCH]

Originally Posted by retrofan05

Not sure about "Leave it to Beaver," but perhaps the airing of "The Brady Bunch" on both Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite during the 90's brought in a large kid as well as adult following? I know this is when I really got into "The Brady Bunch."

They were big hits way before channels like Nickelodeon even existed.The Brady Bunch alone became a smash hit in reruns a year or two after it's original run.

[Torgo]

Originally Posted by retrofan05

Not sure about "Leave it to Beaver," but perhaps the airing of "The Brady Bunch" on both Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite during the 90's brought in a large kid as well as adult following? I know this is when I really got into "The Brady Bunch."

Happened before the 90's. It was a staple of many kids like myself watching reruns on TV after school in the late 70's through 80's.

[TMC]

WKRP in Cincinnati could be considered the sitcom equivalent to the original Star Trek in the sense that it became a bigger hit in syndicated reruns than it was during its original network run.