"Classic TV" - why are so many shows neglected?

Every once in a while while looking at what's on the tube, I return to the same thought: Why is The Munsters or Leave It To Beaver on again instead of something else? Mind you, I'm not saying that I dislike either the Munsters or Leave It To Beaver, but it seems to me that there are many, many old tv shows that have rarely, if ever, been seen in syndication. I'm sure that many of these shows may hold little interest if they were shown again, but some shows I would like to see on occasion again are:

The Partridge Family - A "kid" comedy like the Brady Bunch but with a kid who could actually sing.

The Addams Family - This gets shown on occasion, but I don't understand why the Munsters seems to never go off the air while the Addams Family is only trotted out on rare occasions.

The Odd Couple - (R.I.P. Tony Randall.) Mr. Randall and Jack Klugman were a great pair.

Maude - Instead of airing Golden Girls every other hour, Lifetime could air this show -- as much "television for women" as GG and the Nanny, another Lifetime staple.

Old "American Bandstand" and "Soul Train" shows. Instead of another repeat of "Behind The Music" or a decade-oriented chat fest, imagine how much fun it would be to discover on your TV the "Soul Train" episode where Rufus sang (not lip-sync'd) "Tell Me Something Good."

And there are many, many others.

I guess that the real answer to my question comes down to $$$. I'm sure it's cheaper to air the same shows over and over. I'm sure that many focus groups were held (and Nielsen ratings consulted) that told TVLand and the like to show the same dozen shows ad nauseum. And I would guess that some old shows are simply not available because whoever owns the rights is either not interested in syndicating the show or wants too much money. But how I wish that TVLand would act like a broadcast network and have different program line ups for different nights of the week and that other networks would spice up their programming choices with some alternatives.

 

Amen, brother!

 

Let's not forget what was once referred to on "Mystery Science Theater 3000" as the Paul Henning Hooterville Trilogy: "The Beverly Hillbillies", "Green Acres", and "Petticoat Junction"!

 

I agree! It's the same thing as with the music industry, the same old reruns.

I'd love to see some old Soul Train shows! I'd also love to see Room 222 or Welcome Back Kotter. Dennis The Menace?

I think we will now get our fill from the DVD market. I just noticed Barney Miller on the shelves last night.

 

I guess some shows have more of a universal appeal. Also, shows like Golden Girls, etc have a certain familiarity and are more recent than stuff like Maude.
It's all a ratings game too.

I would love to see Alice and One Day At A Time back on the air.

TV reruns are cyclic anyways. Maude used to be in reruns back when I was kid. Golden Girls is in reruns now but will be off in a few years to make room for Gilmore Girls or some Lifetimey friendly show.

Some will just run forever like I Love Lucy, etc.

TV Land should sprout off like HBO and do TV Land 2, 3 etc. There's enough old shows out there to do it.

 

Some great picks there Steve. IIRC, He & She only aired for one season, 1967-68 and was cancelled.
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Here's a review from Internet Movie Database that sums up the show nicely.

"This show was actually hip when in 1967 nothing was hip unless it was camp like Get Smart or bad like Lost in Space. And it was just as funny as rural classics like The Andy Griffith Show and campers like Get Smart. While this wasn't the first show to feature a married couple sans children, its writing and plots pointed more toward sitcoms of the 80s (e.g. Cheers). If it's ever shown on one of the re-run channels or released on video, catch it! Classic dialog: She, "What are you saying?" He, "Never mind what I'm saying, just listen to me!"
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Although it did not win, He & She was nominated for 3 Emmy Awards, March 1968.

Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series

Winner:
"Get Smart" (1965) - Don Adams (I); NBC

Other Nominees:
"Bewitched" (1964) - Dick York (I); ABC
"He & She" (1967) - Richard Benjamin; CBS
___________

Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series

Winner:
"Lucille Ball Show, The" (1962) - Lucille Ball; CBS

Other Nominees:
"Bewitched" (1964) - Elizabeth Montgomery (I)
"Get Smart" (1965) - Barbara Feldon; NBC
"He & She" (1967) - Paula Prentiss; CBS
"That Girl" (1966) - Marlo Thomas; ABC
___________

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy

Winner:
"Hogan's Heroes" (1965) - Werner Klemperer; CBS

Other Nominees:
"He & She" (1967) - Jack Cassidy (I); CBS
"Lucille Ball Show, The" (1962) - Gale Gordon; CBS
"My Three Sons" (1960) - William Demarest; CBS
___________

 

Steve, If the above was a typo...There's a nice 2 DVD set of "I Married Joan" The quality is decent She was one of my favotites...I'm happy with it
http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/dvd.cfm?itemID=VCI082780

 

You'd think that with all these cable and satellite channels, that there'd be a place for all of the great shows from the previous decades, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

Instead, like it was stated earlier, a select handful of shows are rerun ad-infinitum. In some cases, several times a day.

If these rarely-seen shows could find a place on the tube, it would be great. I would also like to have a channel devoted to showing short-lived shows that never had a chance to find an audience or only lasted a season or two. Nick-At-Nite and TV Land dabble in this occasionally, but not enough for my taste.

 

I Married John is actually gonna follow Will & Grace next fall....

I also wish a lot of those more obscure shows would turn up. Considering cable's appetite for reruns, it might just be a matter of time.

Evan

 

Please, not another remake - gay or straight!

 

...Debuting in Massachusetts.

 

I'd love it if "The Fugitive" makes it back on the air in reruns. Does anyone know anything about the possibility?

 

We need Season box sets! Being cableless, it would be the only way for us...Nothing like personal ownership of your Favs!

 

One of the great dramas in TV history....yes, box sets would be nice, to say the least...

I was amazed today to see a KIMBA box set...WOW! The 1966 cartoon about the white lion, my sister loved that show....I feel gift-giving coming on....

 

I don't recall that one? I'm revved up on the upcoming TOP CAT 1st Season Box Set!!!...before long, we'll see all our favorites...Life is good

 

Ah, that it is, Michael....

No, I wasn't aware it was coming out, either! Strange I missed it...as for TOP CAT, well, goes without saying...maybe finally I'll remember all their names. Right now, I can only think of TC, Fancy, Officer Dribble--I mean Dibble......

 

Here's the crew...TC, Brain, Spook, Choo Choo, Benny and Officer Charlie Dibble...
I had the Marx "Tinykins" Top Cat figures, sure wish I had 'em now
Great memories...

 

What I think these channels are doing is targeting Generation-X. The executives are Gen-X'ers, so that's all they know, what appeals to their peers. For instance, I am on the bottom end of the Baby-Boom generation, so I wouldn't know much of anything Steve listed beyond SEA HUNT. My knowledge doesn't kick in until around the time of FATHER KNOWS BEST, TWILIGHT ZONE, or LEAVE IT TO BEAVER, sometime in the early 60s. but, I know I LOVE LUCY, and THE HONEMOONERS, though.

 

And I was happily surprised when I discovered an "Odd Couple" show on TVLand last night. I assume they made a programming change as a result of Tony Randall's death earlier this week.