14 replies to this topic

[allmc2008]

I know some Primetime shows were often in syndicated markets and of course most talk shows are. I was thinking that maybe instead of soaps being restricted to a network such as ABCD could they be distributed like talk shows. Could Sony syndicate DOOL and the Bell soaps to some ABC or NBC affiliates and ABC syndicate GH as well? I am wondering because I am under the impression that in some cases Syndicated shows make more money.

[JackPeyton]

No, because soaps need the licensing fee to be made.

It would last a year or so, but after that itd be out of money.

Syndaction as a whole seems to be out for first run.

[SFK]

Rituals is probably the most (in)famous syndicated soap. I think it ran for two years (Carl?), but that of course was during the soap-crazed '80s.

[quartermainefan]

In the 70s there were syndicated soaps that ran in the evening. Prisoner: Cell Block H, All That Glitters, Mary Hartman, they all had a gimmick and none lasted long (although Prisoner did run for years in Australia)

[JackPeyton]

Swans Crossing in the 90's was syndicated, right?

Wasnt that christian soap also syndicated?

None seem to have lasted long.

I do not think there are any first run scripted shows right now, none that i know of anyways. I think the last one was Legend of the Seeker.

[AdelaideCate007]

Prisoner was actually an Australian show that was then picked up and shown in the US. It was so popular here that we're now getting a spinoff and some of the original cast is going to be on it.

[SFK]

Swans Crossing in the 90's was syndicated, right?

Wasnt that christian soap also syndicated?

Swans was syndicated, usually on FOX stations, and AL was first run on CBN and later syndicated and rerun on TBN.

[antmunoz]

RITUALS lasted one year.

ANOTHER LIFE was on CBN. THE CATLINS was on TBS.

[quartermainefan]

Prisoner was actually an Australian show that was then picked up and shown in the US. It was so popular here that we're now getting a spinoff and some of the original cast is going to be on it.

I knew that! Prisoner became an international cult show. They used to show it where I live 11 PM every night.

[Gray Bunny]

Wasn't there something called Paradise Beach that ran in the U.S. in 1993 (I only remember this because it was the summer after Swans Crossing and I figured it was another attempt at a teen soap)?

Swans Crossing was wonderfully cheesetastic, and cheap as all hell. But it gave us Sarah Michelle Gellar

[~bl~]

Paradise Beach was an Aussie soap that ran as a syndicated show in some markets years before Ingo Rademacher was on GH.

[dragonflies]

I loved Paradise Beach

[SFK]

Oh, and that late night Valley of the Dolls we have a thread on in cancelled soaps.

[EricMontreal22]

Syndication just doesn't seem to work for scripted shows whatsoever anymore. I think that Seeker was the last major one--a hope to get some of the Xena market, but even in the years between teh shows, that market had just tapped out (it seemed to get played at 1am, etc). Back in the 80s there were popular syndicated sitcoms (Mama's Family) etc that I believe would often play on weekend afternoons or at the 7-8pm slots (and those campy cheap kids ones like Out of This World, Small Wonder, etc--I admit I kinda loved Out of this World as a kid, but even I couldn't handle Small Wonder).

[SFK]

Cable now provides the various types of syndicated scripted series we used to see in the '80s and '90s. Like you mention Eric, I used to watch shows like Small Wonder and Out of This World on what are now CW/MyNetwork stations during afterschool hours. Kids-oriented sitcoms are now on Disney or Nick. Degrassi TNG has singlehandedly been the teen soap success that Tribes and Swans Crossing never were.

I miss all of those charmingly cheap syndicated sitcoms that used to air on weekend afternoons, and I guess Tyler Perry's shows have sort of assumed that role. A lot of those sitcom spots are now occupied by reruns of judge shows.

I hope that Antenna TV and This continue to be successful. I would love to see, say, Antenna on the level of Nick @ Nite where they were producing their own series.

Does anyone remember, or has anyone ever researched the early days of TBS? Turner did lots of sitcoms and even a soap for his new station. They weren't successful but I admire the effort. It's just sad that in order to get something new and interesting it has to be on a premium cable network (with notable exceptions, of course). I guess talent really is money because apparently there is no one hilarious or brilliant out there who will work for syndicated prices. You just know there are young, brilliant writers out there who could deliver us the best soap we've seen in years if given the chance in syndication.