Constant repeating on TV series

[Crewman47]

As yet another end came to Friends season 10 yesterday on UK channel E4 I was just wondering how many times have you actually watched a series from start to finish on TV and also do you feel that sometimes with the amount of re-runs that are on (which sometimes isn't a bad thing, good thing for Trek fans) do you think there must be a lack of new, creative ideas for new TV shows? Afaik even shows from just a few years ago have been rerun more than once.

So what are your thoughts on todays TV and how many times have you seen a series run?

 

[Christopher]

^^I think you're falling prey to what's known as the Recency Illusion. Constant reruns have been routine on TV for nearly 40 years; the only thing that's different now is the rise of cable, meaning there are more channels showing reruns. It's got nothing to do with whether there are fresh ideas for shows; after all, the majority of shows ever made just keep recycling the same basic ideas with different characters. The reason there are so many reruns is because it's cheaper than filling the airwaves completely with original programming.

In fact, a TV series almost always loses money during its original run. Syndicated reruns, along with home-video sales, are the primary way that shows earn back the expense of their production, and hopefully make a profit beyond that. This is why many shows strive to get to the "magic number" of 100 episodes, even if it costs them more in the immediate term -- because the conventional wisdom is that a syndication package smaller than 100 episodes is less marketable (although there have been many shows that have succeeded with smaller syndie packages, including the original Star Trek).

So if there were no reruns, they couldn't afford to make original shows in the first place.

 

[Hermiod]

Even E4 (who repeat Friends ad infinitum here in the UK) have started to make jokes about it, announcing exactly how many times they and their parent channel Channel 4 have shown the episode they are about to show.

Sky One and later Virgin 1 have endlessly repeated the Star Trek shows, but I don't really mind. They're like an old warm, comfy blanket that you don't want to let go of.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I rarely re-watch a TV series. Even with something I love - DS9 or Dexter - I have to be careful to watch episodes maybe once a year at the most so I don't get tired of it.

I don't bother with re-runs on TV - the only shows I'd rewatch are the ones I'd buy on DVD anyway.

also do you feel that sometimes with the amount of re-runs that are on (which sometimes isn't a bad thing, good thing for Trek fans) do you think there must be a lack of new, creative ideas for new TV shows?

There's definitely a lack of creativity, but re-runs aren't the problem! It's that Hollywood is scared to try anything risky so they end up giving us another cop show, another lawyer show, another hospital show, another dumbass sitcom.

They're even doing it with sci fi now - just the narrowly-defined sci fi that is based in present-day Earth and has some law enforcement element. There's a whole raft of shows like that debuting in the fall. Like the X-Files is the only template for success they understand. The space-opera output is skimpy by comparison. I don't think you could really count Caprica as space opera. Revolution and Boldly Going Nowhere would qualify, if we end up seeing either or both of those, and I hope we do...

Once in a while, you get something totally outside the accustomed boundaries like Pushing Daisies or Lost, but it's frustratingly rare.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

I hardly ever watch reruns on TV. I have to like a show alot to re-watch it...and if I like it that much I tend to buy it on DVD so that I can watch whatever episode I like, whenever I like.

As for creativity, I think that there is a tremendous lack of it. But I think it is perhaps more a tremendous lack of creativity, imagination, and/or adventuresome interest on the part of the general public than the networks. The networks are only feeding the demand for 'more of the same'.

Most people would rather watch 4 flavors of CSI and 4 flavors of Law & Order...and fill in with American Idol, Survivor, and Dancing With the Stars....than try new things. You take some of these outside-the mold shows - Bryan Fuller's shows for example - Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me...and they have to fight for survival....while yet ANOTHER incarnation of CSI rockets to the top of the charts.

Frankly, it boggles my mind. I will never understand why people want to watch what is essentially the same show every single night - same plot, same ending, and nearly the same characters, with only slight variations. But you can't blame the networks for supplying the demand that apparently exists.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I will never understand why people want to watch what is essentially the same show every single night - same plot, same ending, and nearly the same characters, with only slight variations.

A lot of people simply plop in front of TV after a hard day at work and want to switch off their brains with something numbingly familiar. If that's what they like, I can't really blame them. My brain works differently (due to being incredibly easily bored) so it's relaxing for me to try to figure out what the frak is going on with Lost, but I have no idea why I'm like that or others are different.

 

[HappyDayRiot]

Very few shows I can watch over and over, but I very often sit and watch Doctor Who and Scrubs whenever they're on and I'm not doing anything. Scrubs especially was always on at lunchtime, so perfect viewing.

Friends though I am truly utterly sick of seeing. For pete's sake E4 please please please put something else on instead.

 

[kalysto]

Reruns of Seinfeld always stay on here, even though we have most of the DVDs anyway. It never gets old!

Anyways, I agree, reruns are nothing new. I just wish someone somewhere would start running The Love Boat again!