Digital networks, or diginets as they’re increasingly referred to in the media, that specialize in classic television may soon be able to afford to purchase short-lived TV shows. The New York Times reported on Monday that a new agreement has been reached between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and three Hollywood guilds: the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America, and the recently combined Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists regarding residual fees paid for TV shows licensed to cable or
Under the new agreement, residuals will be paid on a percentage basis. According to the article, the previous fixed-fee licensing structure reportedly made it too expensive for cable channels or diginets to acquire even recent programs, let alone ones decades old. However, all of shows mentioned in the article — Gilligan’s Island, The Love Boat, Charlie’s Angels and The Flying Nun — are currently airing on one of the classic TV diginets, so they obviously weren’t too expensive to license.
The article directly references short-lived shows, calling them “broken shows, or series that are canceled after a few dozen episodes,” suggesting that under the new agreement they will be much more affordable. It’s too soon to say what impact this will have on diginets like Me-TV, Cozi TV or Antenna TV. TV Land once aired a wide variety of short-lived and less popular TV shows from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Perhaps
Earlier today, Antenna TV announced that it will be adding 11 new shows to its schedule in 2015, including popular favorites like Mork & Mindy and Leave It To Beaver, as well as Dear John, Evening Shade and Small Wonder. Could some or all of them have been licensed under the new deal?
I would love to see some of those older, so-called forgotten shows broadcast. Sure, you can find some of these shows on places like YouTube, but these are often of lesser video quality. It would be great to see something like I’m Dickens… He’s Fenster or Occasional Wife on TV.
See ya ’round the web.
PS-I just found your blog/site, and I am really enjoying your writings on the obscura of television history.
Metv chips
Chips bring returns
Fall in Oct 3, 2016!
Thank you
Kathy Bizilia
Antenna TV does show IT’S ABOUT TIME and MY MOTHER THE CAR, a pair of one-season sitcoms. Hopefully, more of these short run memories will be brought back on the diginets.
I in particular here in Canada want to see these short-lived (and rare) shows:
East Side/West Side
Slattery’s People
The Eleventh Hour
Breaking Point
I’m Dickens, He’s Fenster
Run For Your Life
T.H.E. Cat
Coronet Blue
Hey Landlord
Jericho
The Double Life Of Henry Phyfe
Run Buddy Run
Mr. Terrific
Captain Nice
Love On A Rooftop
Hennessy
The Trials Of O’Brien
Mr. Broadway
Hank (1965 TV series)
Dundee and the Culhane
Rango
The Good Guys
The New People
My World, And Welcome To It
Bridget Loves Bernie
Garrison’s Gorillas
The Young Lawyers
Storefront Lawyers
The Young Rebels
Iron Horse
Medic
Decoy
Man With A Camera
Brenner
For The People
Hard Time On Planet Earth
The Wizard
Firefly
Babylon Project: Crusade
Beware The Batman
Young Justice
Max Headroom
VR.5
Space: Above and Beyond
Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)
Mr. Merlin
The Fitzpatricks
Lucan
Apple’s Way
Babes
The Famous Teddy Z
I really hope you will make LUCAS TANNER (Starring David Hartman) and JOE FORRESTER (Starring Lloyd Bridges) available. I’ve got some episodes on disc, but only a few. These would be my two top requests, and I hope I see them soon!