Angel doesn't rerun well?

POSTED BY: Killedbyriversbrain
UPDATED: Thursday, April 1, 2004 04:56
VIEWED: 7442
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PUNKINPUSS

Tuesday, March 30, 2004 12:14 AM

Angel doesn't rerun well in regular network scheduling because it's an arc-heavy show. It does better in syndication such as on TNT where it's shown daily Monday thru Friday. Arc-heavy shows are always problematic for reruns because eps don't make sense out of sequence. Ergo, you don't see Fox airing any old ep of 24. Also, that arci-ness is why Alias' recent syndication deal was much lower than many people expected.

Unlike sitcoms or procedural dramas like L&O which are basically all standalones, arc-heavy shows don't do so well in reruns on it's first-run network. That's why the WB mandated more standalones when they renewed Ats for a 5th season.

So why aren't we seeing any Angel reruns this season? There are plenty of standalone eps this season that could've been rerun but we're not getting a stretch of them because the WB had already decided not to renew AtS for next season. So, rather than show Angel reruns, they're showing Smallville reruns in Angel's timeslot to promote a show they still give a rat's ass about.

GHOULMAN

Tuesday, March 30, 2004 4:39 PM

^^^ great responces and I'd agree if I didn't have a buzz in the back of my mellon telling me that rerunning TV shows is what cable is for. If someone (either the WB or whoever) can't figure that out I can only offer flowers to yet another failed notion about TV. The entire 'stand alone ep' thinking has been around since the Networks ruled in the 50s. Surely we are beyond that.

Just a thought - Even if this theory does hold in some way it seems to me everything you lot have been saying above makes for great DVD viewing. After all, isn't a long story (think mini-series) sold best on DVD?

What's the score? DVDs 1 pointb / reruns 0.

Cable TV looses in both scenarios!

PUNKINPUSS

Tuesday, March 30, 2004 5:00 PM

Ghoulman, you have to remember that when a network buys scripted programming (as opposed to reality tv), that product is meant for both a first-run airing and some reruns to fill out the lag time between 2-3 hiatuses. A season is 22 shows but over a time frame of 30 or more weeks. A show has to perform somewhat marginally well in reruns to make it worth their while. The WB decided that AtS doesn't do that, so in the cost analysis, they're paying for a show they can only air once. Not a good thing.

The WB doesn't care how AtS does in 2nd-run syndication on TNT or in dvd sales, since they don't see a penny of that revenue stream. They make money off AtS thru advertising revenue and the fewer commercials they sell (because of fewer reruns), the less valuable AtS becomes. Fox TV, which owns AtS, gets the moola for both dvd sales and selling syndication rights to cable channels or individual stations in various markets.

GHOULMAN

Tuesday, March 30, 2004 5:20 PM

Hey, thanx for the comments punkinpuss - you're the best. Now I remember some of the finer points - TV has had a rather long history of trying to rationalize it's weird methods of determining 'success'. Of course, this has been greatly changed by the 90s deregulation of broadcasters, networks, and ownership. Convergence wasn't just a buzz word for Corporate piracy and takeovers of production and distribution, Convergence was the paridigm shift into a new era of media.

The era of crap!

PUNKINPUSS

Tuesday, March 30, 2004 6:40 PM

The TV business is byzantine yet based on networks who really have no friggin idea what works and what doesn't.

Oh and another thing, which makes me hate Dark Shadows & the WB even more, is that the WB owns part of the new Dark Shadows series that John Wells (of ER & West Wing) is producing for them. So, if DS does well, the WB will earn more than just ad revenue. And that's why when push came to shove, the only vampire show they had room for was Dark Shadows. Bastards.

KILLEDBYRIVERSBRAIN

Tuesday, March 30, 2004 9:25 PM

Quote:
And that's why when push came to shove, the only vampire show they had room for was Dark Shadows. Bastards.

You said it. Someone should tell them if we don't watch it they still get no money, only now they look bad for trying to foist crap on us.

I hope you like Guinness, sir. I find it a refreshing substitute for . . . food.
-Jack O'Neill

GHOULMAN

Wednesday, March 31, 2004 3:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by punkinpuss:
The TV business is byzantine yet based on networks who really have no friggin idea what works and what doesn't.

Oh and another thing, which makes me hate Dark Shadows & the WB even more, is that the WB owns part of the new Dark Shadows series that John Wells (of ER & West Wing) is producing for them. So, if DS does well, the WB will earn more than just ad revenue. And that's why when push came to shove, the only vampire show they had room for was Dark Shadows. Bastards.

Aaaaah. I grok your insight and wisdom. Now I'm really mad at the WB!

ANGELDOVE

Thursday, April 1, 2004 4:56 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Killedbyriversbrain:
This may be a stupid question, but isn't one of the prime reasons TNT was targeted for a campaign to save Angel how well the show is doing in reruns on that network?

Just wanted to post the verbatim quote from Levin regarding this whole rerun thing:

"We have a lot of veteran shows that are aging, and we're going to have to make room for new programs," Levin said. "I know this will make lots of fans unhappy. But we have to have more at-bats, and we need to create timeslots where we can repeat shows the same week episodes premiere."

So in other words, he doesn't feel it will capture enough viewers a second time around during the same week, as they have done with Gilmore Girls, Smallville, Onetree Hill, & Everwood on The WB Big Sunday, however have they ever tried? To answer this question, they did try running a repeat episode on Thursday nights Season three when Angel was on Tuesday nights, but it only lasted two weeks and they stopped doing it because of lack of viewership. However, Thursday has always been a difficult night for TV against NBC, especially two years ago, and for a second run episode from the previous Season this was a death sentence from the get go. They never gave it a chance and tried adding it to their Sunday recap, who knows how it would have done then? But Levin feels that reality shows make the best second run premiere fare, and that is what he is going to stand by as we are forcefed High School Reunion on Sunday and Tuesday nights (? not exactly sure on those nights and don't feel like getting the TV guide, but you catch my drift).

I only fell is all.

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