Streaming Recommendations (Netflix, HBO, Amazon, etc.)

Quote: Evenbob

Both are very good and talented people, but the writing sucks so bad on this show it's unwatchable. The pilot was funny, it was downhill from there.

There are certain sitcoms that are not really popular, but they star someone who used to have a supporting role on a popular sitcom, so they are watched by enough people that they just drag them out long enough so they have product that can be syndicated

Rules of Engagement list of episodes
1 7 February 5, 2007 March 19, 2007
2 15 September 24, 2007 May 19, 2008
3 13 March 2, 2009 May 18, 2009
4 13 March 1, 2010 May 24, 2010
5 24 September 20, 2010 May 19, 2011
6 15 October 20, 2011 May 17, 2012
7 13 February 4, 2013 May 20, 2013
Total 100

The New Adventures of Old Christine list of episodes
1 13 March 13, 2006 May 22, 2006
2 22 September 18, 2006 May 7, 2007
3 10 February 4, 2008 March 31, 2008
4 22 September 24, 2008 May 20, 2009
5 21 September 23, 2009 May 12, 2010
Total 88

'Til Death episodes (Brad Garret from Everybody Loves Raymond
1 22 2006 - 2007
2 15 2007 - 2008
3 22 2008 - 2010
4 22 2009 - 2010
Total 81

Quote: Pacomartin

they star someone who used to have a supporting role on a popular sitcom,

David spade plays the same character
he did on Just Shoot Me. But he was
mid 40's when RoG started, and he
looked even older. Young women
are not attracted to short 40's men
with long stringy hair who look like
their unemployed fathers. The writing
was just silly, stuff we've seen on a
dozen other sit coms. It did get decent
ratings from 10-14 mil an ep, I don't
know how.

Young women are not attracted to men
like Spade:

There are only 4 sitcoms left on the air with over 100 episodes. People like to see familiar actors, even if they are only marginally interesting like David Spade

217 The Big Bang Theory
175 The Middle
174 Modern Family
127 Two Broke Girls

You're nuts. David Spade is rich and famous. Young women are absolutely attracted to people like David Spade.

Quote: zippyboy

You're nuts. David Spade is rich and famous. Young women are absolutely attracted to people like David Spade.

Sigh, do try and keep up. I was referring
to the character he played on the show,
not him in real life. Maybe you can have
somebody explain a post to you before
you try to reply. Somebody who doesn't
have reefer madness..

Quote: Pacomartin

'Til Death episodes (Brad Garret from Everybody Loves Raymond
1 22 2006 - 2007
2 15 2007 - 2008
3 22 2008 - 2010
4 22 2009 - 2010
Total 81

Isn't 88 episodes the magic number a series needs to get to in order to get replayed forever in syndication?

Looks like we were spared from having to see 'Til Death ever again...

Quote: ams288

Isn't 88 episodes the magic number a series needs to get to in order to get replayed forever in syndication?

I think that is an "informal number" that means there is enough episodes to sell the show Off-network syndication while it is still running on the network. The informal number used to be 100, but seasons of only 22 episodes started to become more common.

Quote: ams288

Looks like we were spared from having to see 'Til Death ever again...

Brad reported on the decline of the show's ratings in a very funny self-depreciating manner.

Quote: Brad Garrett

"The other night, we got an 0.8 [rating]," Garrett reports in his famously deep voice. "Once your mom stops watching, you're an 0.4. The network said, 'What do you suggest?' I said, 'If you give me one more month, I can take you to a zero.' And there was dead silence."

Garrett adds that others who were involved in "'Til Death" have moved on to other projects: "After year two, when you're getting beat by Telemundo, it's time to go home. I mean, even the show my housekeeper watches was beating the show that was paying her salary. I'd come in the room, and she'd quickly turn off Telemundo."

The surprise renewal for a fourth season was attributed to a significant licensing discount offered to Fox by the production company of 'Til Death (Sony Pictures Television), because it needed one more season to make the program viable for syndication.

Because 'Til Death did not continue on network, than it can be practically syndicated with fewer than 88 episodes.

On July 26, 2011, it was announced that the show was picked up for syndication by affiliates and WGN America, which debuted the program on September 12, 2011. It was also announced on July 28, 2011 that Spike had picked up the show for syndication, which debuted on October 3, 2011. In June 2013, TV Land brought the show, but it was removed later on.




The Mindy Project was cancelled by Fox after 67 episodes because of low ratings, but Hulu picked it up for their streaming service for another 33 episodes to take the total to 100. Mindy Kaling was listed by Forbes as the 3rd highest paid actress on television ($15 million) behind only Modern Family's Sophia Vergara and TBBT Kaley Cuoco.

That confirms the theory that how much money you make in media is more about how much you personally control than it is about how much money the show makes. At times when one individual controls a lot of the show, and it also makes big money, you end up with massive paydays (Jerry Seinfeld, Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis, Judge Judy, Oprah, Ellen, David Letterman, etc.).

I wonder what determines which Netflix original series stay on.

With content from other producers it's simple. There's a contract for X time. When the time runs out, either the contract gets renegotiated and extended or the show is dropped.

But how do they determine what their own series are worth? Ratings? No doubt Netflix can tell how many times a show is streamed, and what portion gets watched. They even know show streams it, but not necessarily who watches it (you alone, with friends, with your family?) What's the metric? How many subscriptions are kept? How many people subscribe to see a specific Netflix show? And how would they know all this?

Quote: Nareed

I wonder what determines which Netflix original series stay on.

I was under the impression that if Netflix owns the rights to the show, it stays on forever.

Quote: Nareed

They even know show streams it, but not necessarily who watches it (you alone, with friends, with your family?) What's the metric? How many subscriptions are kept? How many people subscribe to see a specific Netflix show? And how would they know all this?

I imagine for all practical purposes that number of viewers doesn't matter. The average is probably pretty close to one anyway. The lack of publicly available hard viewing data probably hampers the actors in negotiating for salaries. I get the feeling that Netflix pays more than networks on average, but they are less likely to pay the top salaries of CBS for shows like TBBT. The agents are aware that some shows are hits, like "Stranger Things" and "Orange is the new Black" but they don't have hard numbers.

Hulu LLC, a joint venture with The Walt Disney Company (through Disney-ABC Television Group) (30%), 21st Century Fox (through Fox Entertainment Group) (30%), Comcast (through NBCUniversal) (30%), and as of August 10, 2016, Time Warner (through Turner Broadcasting System) (10%, minority stake). So I imagine that ABC, NBC, and FOX may stop selling recent tv series to Netflix. CBS has their own service called CBS/All Access.

Only CW Network has signed an agreement with Netflix to post their shows only 8 days after the season finale (that is "season", not "series"). CW network shows tend to have very low broadcast ratings, and many people won't watch the shows mid season, as they will wait until the appear on Netflix when they can guarantee to see them all in order. The only place you can watch a CW show outside of broadcast will be on the CW website, where they are limited to 5 most recent episodes.

Quote: Pacomartin

I was under the impression that if Netflix owns the rights to the show, it stays on forever.

I think what was meant was, what
determines if more seasons are
made.