The Changing Tide in Weekend Syndication

Once upon a time, escapist scripted syndicated action/adventure hours was a key programming choice on the weekend. “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” perhaps, was the origin of the one-hour scripted weekend format. This first spin-off from “Star Trek” aired from 1987 to 1994, building scores of diehard viewers…and consistently strong ratings.

But then there came others.  “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys” and its spin-off series, “Xena: Warrior Princess” also won a place in the hearts and minds of its fervent followers. There were entries that ran the gamut of “V.I.P.” with Pamela Anderson and “Amazon” from Peter Benchley to “Relic Hunter,” “She Spies” and “T & T,” starring Mr. T. And, of course, there was also that little show set on that torrid beach, “Baywatch,” which rebounded from a premature cancellation on NBC to another ten seasons in first-run syndication primarily in weekend time periods. NBC, in fact, was in talks to reboot the Lucy Lawless action hero, but it never surfaced. And we all know that “Baywatch” was so successful it made it to the big screen.

The menu was a potpourri of this cheesy escapist fare back in the late 1980’s through the early part of 21st century in weekend syndication. And there was also a barrage of anemic first-run sitcoms (including“The New Monkees.” “Bustin’ Loose” and ”Small Wonder”) not to mention canceled network show continuations like “Mama’s Family,” “It’s a Living” and “What’s Happening Now!!” , and they often filled weekend time periods.

TV historians will also remember NBC’s checkerboard sitcom strategy, a series of stripped sitcoms airing in access in the late 1980’s (“Marblehead Manor,” “She’s The Sheriff,” “You Can’t Take it With You,” “Out of This World” and “We Got It Made”) that also sometimes ended up in weekend time periods.

Also visible were weekend editions of first-run newsmagazines like “Entertainment Tonight,” “Access Hollywood” and “Extra;”game shows like “Name That Tune” and “Headline Chasers;” and music-themed “Solid Gold,” among others. There were random entries, including “The Muppet Show,” “In Search of” and “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.” There were – and still are – off-network scripted hours (including “Chicago PD,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and “Madam Secretary”). There were – and still are – off-network sitcoms (such as “The Big Bang Theory,” “Modern Family” and “The Goldbergs” at present). And, just three years earlier, there was even a game show called “Millionaire Monopoly Club,” hosted by “Mike and Molly” star Billy Gardell.

The moral of this story: there was no shortage of original programming, scripted and non-scripted to populate the weekend airwaves.

“This was before there was UPN and The WB, and a few years prior to that Fox, so there were more opportunities for primetime airings on what we used to call independent stations,” noted media analyst Bill Carroll. “And there were also opportunities, in some cases, on traditional affiliates in prime access on the weekend. And, what had been the staple, feature length movies, started to move to cable, and that migration opened the door to more time periods.”

“Ultimately, things that might have aired on Fox, UPN and The WB in primetime during the week ended up on the weekend,” he added. “More and more sports programming – both network and local – became a more cost effective ingredient in daytime. And stations now have to meet the commitment of E/I (educational and informative) programming.”

“So, for a new project airing on the weekend to standout, there needs to be something particularly unique about that series,” added Carroll.

One such project takes an established name, Joe Brown, with his commanding presence as a proven syndicated court show judge, as the key ingredient in an unpredictable and unfiltered discussion in talker “Hot Topics With Judge Joe Brown.”

Each weekly half-hour episode, which is scoring clearances both during the week and on the weekend, will feature a lively exchange between Judge Joe and his guests. Each episode will debate the trending issues in all subjects – pop culture, sex, health and breaking news, in particular controversial and timely issues of the day. And each installment can certainly play in any daypart on the weekend against any applicable competition. The freewheeling talk show will be a great way to get seriously informed about the “hot topics” of the moment, but also be entertained in the process.

“Right now I don’t know of anything out there that is comparable, so Joe Brown can be an immediate advantage for any time period,” noted Robert Russo, President, RNR, Media Consulting. “And what I particularly like is attempting something new instead rehashing yet another court show derivative. People certainly know Judge Joe, and that is certainly advantageous.”

As we segue into part four next week we delve into the origins of the upcoming weekly show, “Hot Topics With Judge Joe Brown.”