This show does not do strong in syndication at all

[AngieTribeca]

It appears that when it comes to syndication this show is doomed. The last few stations that have gotten the rights to the show over the past decade have stopped airing it less than a year or so after getting it.

Antenna TV and TV Land dumped the show after having it for less that a year but at least TV Land aired all seasons and almost every episode. We never got past season 6 with Antenna TV and it appears to be the same situation with FamilyNet. We get all of seasons 1-5 on FamilyNet then about 6 episodes from season 6 then right back to season 1. The 7th season is completely skipped over as if the show never had that season.

I am glad to have gotten my hands on the entire 7th season in a trade because it looks like we may never get to see this season on TV again. TV Land was the only station in the last decade to even play season 7 episodes.

As for FamilyNet, I wouldn't count on the show sticking around too long because it never stays too long on any channel it is on. They can only cycle each episode around a certain amount of times and they are on their 3rd cycle of episodes already. Season 5 starts next week then on to an abridged season 6 before season 1 cycles back around.

[TV_on_the_Porch]

It was only ever a genuine hit in its first season. Season two bought changes in cast and timeslot that resulted in a steep ratings dropoff from which it never really recovered, though its pairing with Webster did make both shows competitive for a while in the mid 80s. When it was moved back to 9:30 in the fall of '85 it dropped like a stone.

[biffbronson]

It's on weeknights in my area (northern Indiana, WHME-46). If you receive a World Harvest channel, ask them to consider adding Benson to their lineup. I think there's a chance it can go into wider syndication -- WHME if I'm not mistaken is the flagship station for LeSea/World Harvest TV.

[AngieTribeca]

Originally Posted by biffbronson

It's on weeknights in my area (northern Indiana, WHME-46). If you receive a World Harvest channel, ask them to consider adding Benson to their lineup. I think there's a chance it can go into wider syndication -- WHME if I'm not mistaken is the flagship station for LeSea/World Harvest TV.

Being on a few local stations will not do any better for this show in syndication. It has been dying in syndication for years and will continue to do so because people don't seem to really be into it. I love the show but most of the people I know can't stand it and refuse to watch it.

For the show to do well it needs to be on more national channels and for longer than a few months. It needs to be on TV Land, Nick at Nite, Antenna TV, Me-TV or any channel that has many viewers. FamilyNet is not going to cut it because many providers do not have the station or it is available in a more expensive package that most do not subscribe to.

Maybe one day Benson will do better in syndication but in the mean time those of us who have access to FamilyNet need to give it constant viewership and have folks who may like the show to tune in if they have access to the channel.

[mets82]

I don't remember the last time it was on in syndication. I remember Antenna TV not showing the whole series and I don't think TV Land did either.

[AngieTribeca]

Originally Posted by mets82

I don't remember the last time it was on in syndication. I remember Antenna TV not showing the whole series and I don't think TV Land did either.

According to a DVD sets I traded with someone last year TV Land did air every episode of Benson. The set is missing 2 episodes so I am not sure if TV Land skipped those episodes of if he simply missed them when they were aired. If TV Land did not air those episodes then they aired all except 2 episodes which is still more than Antenna TV or FamilyNet showed.

I am happy that FamilyNet aired a majority of the first 4 years uncut so I I could improve my set with longer versions of the edited episodes on my set.

Since Benson has not been seen in syndication that often it appears that season 7 is rarely seen.

Benson aired briefly on Screen Gems but they never aired the full series to my knowledge.

[lj01]

Good points, all. IMO, the dropoff between Seasons 1 and 2 and (at least) seasons 3 and 4 is quite drastic (I haven't watched S5-7 yet) but I could see as to where a casual viewer would lose interest after Season 2. Could it be that's why the DVD releases stop at Season 2?

Don't get me wrong, overall I like it, and it's a good show.

However, it goes from fantastic (S1-2) to ?? in Season 3 - why? Same characters, things were mixed up a little, but seems the plots got weaker, or something.

Individually, I thought the loss of the Marcy character was huge - she and Benson played so well off of each other and could lean on each other as the "voice of reason" amongst the other quirky characters.

As far as the (S1) Taylor for (S2 onward) Clayton swap, I'd have to say while Taylor was also a great character, that Clayton was a classic and improved the show.

Pete - also a good character and I thought he added a lot as well.

Possibly the move from the "Head of Household Affairs" to state budget director wasn't the best. Although I could understand that it opened up new situations, the show seemed to work better and make more sense with Benson in the earlier role as head of household affairs - he had legitimate reason to interface with Kraus, the governor, Marcy, etc. and sort of tie everyone together.

Also, I think the show suffered from being too main character-centric. Of course, I know the show is named "Benson" but as the show matured, it may have worked better to let it become more of an ensemble. Such as - maybe just once, Clayton gets the better of Benson, or just once, someone other than Benson solves the problem of the day. At times, it seemed like Katie preferred Benson to her own father.

But, back on topic, I could see as to where someone would peter out by season 4 if watching in syndication. I don't think there's a huge nostalgia factor with this show as with some others and some of those Benson episodes end up so far off topic (Season 4 opener for instance - the murder on the yacht) it doesn't even seem to make sense in relation to what the show itself is actually about.

Overall, I think the bottom line - it was good, but it could have been much better after S2. Irrespective of all this, the remaining seasons should be released on DVD.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by TV_on_the_Porch

It was only ever a genuine hit in its first season. Season two bought changes in cast and timeslot that resulted in a steep ratings dropoff from which it never really recovered, though its pairing with Webster did make both shows competitive for a while in the mid 80s. When it was moved back to 9:30 in the fall of '85 it dropped like a stone.

http://terrencemoss.blogspot.com/201...elevision.html

Despite its longevity, Benson was never a ratings hit -- only ranking as high as #23 for its first season (1979-1980) when it aired on Thursday nights at 8pm. For its next five seasons (1980-1985), the show aired on Friday nights at 8pm. And for the first part of its final season (1985), Benson was pushed back to Friday nights at 930pm following Diff'rent Strokes -- which moved to ABC for its own final season after its cancellation by NBC earlier that year. At midseason, Benson was moved again to Saturday nights at 830pm following the short-lived The Redd Foxx Show -- where it ended its impressive seven-season run (three seasons more than its parent series).

[visaman666]

I will spoil it for you. Benson becomes Lt. Governor. Then runs against the Governor in the election.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by lj01

Good points, all. IMO, the dropoff between Seasons 1 and 2 and (at least) seasons 3 and 4 is quite drastic (I haven't watched S5-7 yet) but I could see as to where a casual viewer would lose interest after Season 2. Could it be that's why the DVD releases stop at Season 2?

Don't get me wrong, overall I like it, and it's a good show.

However, it goes from fantastic (S1-2) to ?? in Season 3 - why? Same characters, things were mixed up a little, but seems the plots got weaker, or something.

Individually, I thought the loss of the Marcy character was huge - she and Benson played so well off of each other and could lean on each other as the "voice of reason" amongst the other quirky characters.

As far as the (S1) Taylor for (S2 onward) Clayton swap, I'd have to say while Taylor was also a great character, that Clayton was a classic and improved the show.

Pete - also a good character and I thought he added a lot as well.

Possibly the move from the "Head of Household Affairs" to state budget director wasn't the best. Although I could understand that it opened up new situations, the show seemed to work better and make more sense with Benson in the earlier role as head of household affairs - he had legitimate reason to interface with Kraus, the governor, Marcy, etc. and sort of tie everyone together.

Also, I think the show suffered from being too main character-centric. Of course, I know the show is named "Benson" but as the show matured, it may have worked better to let it become more of an ensemble. Such as - maybe just once, Clayton gets the better of Benson, or just once, someone other than Benson solves the problem of the day. At times, it seemed like Katie preferred Benson to her own father.

But, back on topic, I could see as to where someone would peter out by season 4 if watching in syndication. I don't think there's a huge nostalgia factor with this show as with some others and some of those Benson episodes end up so far off topic (Season 4 opener for instance - the murder on the yacht) it doesn't even seem to make sense in relation to what the show itself is actually about.

Overall, I think the bottom line - it was good, but it could have been much better after S2. Irrespective of all this, the remaining seasons should be released on DVD.

I'm going to guess that besides what you said about it being "too main character centric", Benson is also undervalued as a sitcom because it's kind of dated. What I mean is that Benson when it started, perfectly mirrored or reflected what American government was like in the late '70s-early '80s. It's pretty well established that Gov. Gatling was modeled after then President Jimmy Carter. But I'm not entirely sure how the show adapted or evolved when Ronald Reagan took office in 1981 (Benson was half way into its run at the start of Reagan's second term).

[Ryan Chamberlain]

Scared OWN will cut it off before I see all of it. Lost ATV in my area right before season 3 started...exactly right before. The last episode ran before they pulled the channel here was the season 2 finale.

I wanna finish the show so bad. Just so I can see some of the later episodes with 80s makeover Gretchen Kraus. Haha.

[MA]

Originally Posted by Ryan Chamberlain

Scared OWN will cut it off before I see all of it. Lost ATV in my area right before season 3 started...exactly right before. The last episode ran before they pulled the channel here was the season 2 finale.

I wanna finish the show so bad. Just so I can see some of the later episodes with 80s makeover Gretchen Kraus. Haha.

Try not to be scared, OK?

[TMC]

As to why the series was never “popular” in syndication (a claim that may not be completely accurate) the reasons might include:

• Robert Guillaume, the lead, was never a major star - Prior to Benson, Guillaume was a minor actor who grew in popularity due to his appearance on the ABC sitcom (and Benson progenitor) Soap. Even after Benson left the air in 1986, while Guillaume was involved in several other projects on television, only one of them, Sports Night, lasted longer than a single season. His later career consisted primarily of stage work and voiceover roles, including the Lion King. Had he been more successful later it’s likely that Benson would have been more successful in syndication and on DVD.
• ABC overused the series on its own syndication - Younger viewers have never seen this, but networks (especially ABC) would use their popular sitcoms to fill in gaps in their daytime programming schedule. Local networks didn’t have programming to do so and the syndicated talk shows and “judge” series were still a decade or so in the future or were shown in the afternoons and evenings. For a number of years ABC aired Benson on ABC affiliates and this oversaturated any potential syndication market.
• The series is rather dated - A great deal of the comedy on the show was derived from topical themes which no longer resound with modern audiences. Additionally, the series got laughs from Krauss’ attitudes and persona which was a dated German stereotype even at that time. Finally, while the series touches upon race, it does so in a manner that seems quaint when viewed in the 21st century
• The series was shot on videotape - One thing that most 1980s and early 1990s series have in common is that many were shot on videotape , rather than film. While this was a major time and cost saver then (as it made editing far less time-consuming expensive) it unfortunately doesn’t transfer well to DVD and it certainly doesn’t air well on modern HDTV sets. Benson isn’t the only series which suffers from this, as most of the series which have done well on DVD and syndication have either been filmed or were “filmed” (shot on video and then processed to give it a “film” look) .
• The glut of sitcoms - There are a staggering number of sitcoms on the market and thus more product than there is time air it. Benson has to not only compete with its contemporaries (The Jeffersons, The Cosby Show, etc.) it also has to vie for airtime with such luminaries as Seinfeld, M*A*S*H*, Friends, and The Office. Benson is competing in a crowded market and thus it is likely suffering from having to do so.

[DustyTrails]

Show is back on AntennaTV and I watch it a lot. Enjoyed seeing Keenan Ivory Wayans on a great episode lol! The one thing that bothers me is the political slant like spin city, because I'm not overly interested in politics. But other than the political themes and constant bickering and put-downs I think it's enjoyable

[Chocolate Moose]

I remember loving it when it was new but not at all in recent years.