First-run syndicated television dramas from the late 80s-90s

Discussion in 'TV & Media' started by Aragorn, Oct 11, 2012.

  1. Aragorn

    Aragorn Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Anyone have fond memories this era of first-run syndication? Production costs for one-hour dramas were up and profits from one-hour reruns were down. So syndication became a pretty popular model during this time.

    Everyone on this board already knows about Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Highlander and Babylon 5. And Baywatch was the top show in the world.

    We had everything from Hercules and Xena to Forever Knight, Earth: Final Conflict and Andromeda. And a lot of stuff in between. Probably a lot more shows than we even know about, both short-lived and successful, and some that were pretty awful.

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URByn3rdQbI[/yt]

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUA1lVXEw2o[/yt]

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvEpEGWw-5k[/yt]

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDV8Vaz7ymI[/yt]

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F_Tk3Ep8oU[/yt]

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCtL0NH1X8w[/yt]

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUZZwG0Shck[/yt]

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OinoZW2abB0[/yt]

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A7_MimN3Q8[/yt]

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5tcn3Y2PM8[/yt]

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slOxN92RYsk[/yt]

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnscR_K0Glw[/yt]

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bsoTvdGrMQ[/yt]

    I have a soft spot for the Action Pack lineup:

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLs4GDCugg4[/yt]
     
  2. Drago-Kazov

    Drago-Kazov Fleet Captain

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    Pensacola was downright awfull.
     
  3. BigFoot

    BigFoot Admiral Admiral

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    Man this thread brings back some memories... I watched a LOT of those shows when I was a kid.
     
  4. IndyJones

    IndyJones Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Bonus points for remembering The Cape. :techman:
     
  5. C.E. Evans

    C.E. Evans Admiral Admiral

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    I watched far more of these shows than I did what was on the main broadcast networks. In the days before infomercials took over local stations, these shows often aired in non-primetime slots in my area when nothing else was on. Sure, they were campy as hell, but that's what I liked about them.
     
  6. John Clark

    John Clark Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    When I saw it, they were airing it in the middle of the night here if I recall correctly.

    I remember enjoying it a lot and probably still have at least some of them recorded on tape somewhere.
     
  7. Enterprise is Great

    Enterprise is Great Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Looks like they're making a comeback:

    Dolph Lundgren To Star In Emmett/Furla’s ‘Rescue 3?; Tribune Gives
    Show 2-Year Order


     
  8. C.E. Evans

    C.E. Evans Admiral Admiral

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    That'sa good to hear. I really miss solidly-based action-adventure shows on TV.

    But I guess in hindsight what really made these types of shows somewhat unnecessary in syndication was the influx of so many shows from the various broadcast and cable networks. Unlike the networks, local stations could buy reruns of proven shows with built-in audiences rather than take any kind of chance on unknown shows that could be hit or miss with viewers.
     
  9. davejames

    davejames Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I think the only ones I watched regularly were War of the Worlds and Time Trax.

    I was never able to get into Hercules and Xena, and got tired of Earth: Final Conflict after the first season.

    And most of those "action" shows were just lame as hell.
     
  10. shivkala

    shivkala Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I only saw a few episodes, but I couldn't help but like V.I.P.E.R.. It's kind of funny how it was viewed as a rip-off of Knight Rider, but the recent Knight Rider series kind of ripped it off with K.I.T.T.'s ability to morph.

    Speaking of which, I only saw one or two episodes, but there was also T.K.R. (Team Knight Rider).
     
  11. Nerys Myk

    Nerys Myk A Spock and a smile Premium Member

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    Don't think I watched a single one.
     
  12. Random_Spock

    Random_Spock Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Same, I remember quite a few of these shows O_O.
     
  13. Icemizer

    Icemizer Commodore Commodore

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    Really liked War of the Worlds first season and Hercules wasnt bad for what it was.
     
  14. cardinal biggles

    cardinal biggles A GODDAMN DELIGHT Moderator

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    I remember some of these, but can't recall watching any of them.
     
  15. Ian Keldon

    Ian Keldon Fleet Captain

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    LOTS of memories. But you left out a few like Time Cop and Tek War.

    Secret Adventures of Jules Verne and Arthur Conan Doyle's: The Lost World came in at the very tail end of the 1st run syndie era.
     
  16. Aragorn

    Aragorn Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Timecop was on ABC, unless you're thinking about Time Trax. The TekWar TV movies were syndicated, but the series was on USA.

    This wasn't meant to be a comprehensive list, because obviously a ton of shows weren't mentioned (many of them godawful), just a refresher for anyone who watched syndicated shows back then.
     
  17. tomalak301

    tomalak301 Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I've been trying to remember but it's a bit fuzzy, wasn't there a show where a theme song sequence featured a speed boat (Not Baywatch) that was part of the network that brought Kung Fu: The Legend Continues and Babylon 5? The only other show I remember was Time Trax, which I actually never saw. Still, the 90s first run syndication was very memorable.
     
  18. Aragorn

    Aragorn Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Dec 30, 2002
    I posted the Thunder in Paradise opening. Is that what you're thinking of?
     
  19. tomalak301

    tomalak301 Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Yeah. That's another thing I miss. The Cheesy songs in the intros. I'm listening to this theme song and it is so close to the Baywatch theme it's not funny. I didn't know Hulk Hogan was in this show.

    I guess they had two songs. The one I listened to sounded close to Baywatch. The one you posted, Aragorn, sounds nothing like the Baywatch theme.
     
  20. Chris3123

    Chris3123 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I've never really watched it, but I've heard how bad it was. Not just in quality, but also accuracy (in regards to both Pensacola itself and Pensacola NAS).

    I've lived here for 18 years. I can assure you there are no mountains or deserts in Pensacola! :lol: