Broadcast syndication

====Dramatic first-run syndicated programs====

====Dramatic first-run syndicated programs====

The broadcast networks aired many [[action (fiction)|action-adventure]] programs from the 1950s to the 1980s. By the late 1980s, however, increasing production costs made them less attractive to the networks. Studios found that reruns of one-hour dramas did not sell as well as sitcoms, so they were unable to fully recoup the shows' costs using the traditional [[deficit financing]] model.{{cite news |url=http://articles.latimes.com/print/1992-11-01/entertainment/ca-1591_1_action-series |title=TELEVISION : Action, Adventure, Aliens ... Ratings? : Syndication is going where the action ''was''. Mixing revivals of old TV hits with brand-new series, programmers are pinning hopes on a once-vibrant genre |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=November 1, 1992 |access-date=May 11, 2011 |author-last1=Cerone|author-first1= Daniel |archive-date=July 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708182924/http://articles.latimes.com/print/1992-11-01/entertainment/ca-1591_1_action-series |url-status=dead }} When NBC canceled the television series adaptation of ''[[Fame (1982 TV series)|Fame]]'' after only two seasons, the producers made special arrangements with [[Lexington Broadcast Services Company|LBS Communications]], which resulted in MGM reviving the series for first-run syndication in the fall of 1983, where it continued for four more seasons, with the last first-run episode airing in the U.S. on May 18, 1987.

The broadcast networks aired many [[action (fiction)|action-adventure]] programs from the 1950s to the 1980s. By the late 1980s, however, increasing production costs made them less attractive to the networks. Studios found that reruns of one-hour dramas did not sell as well as sitcoms, so they were unable to fully recoup the shows' costs using the traditional [[deficit financing]] model.{{cite news |url=http://articles.latimes.com/print/1992-11-01/entertainment/ca-1591_1_action-series |title=TELEVISION : Action, Adventure, Aliens ... Ratings? : Syndication is going where the action ''was''. Mixing revivals of old TV hits with brand-new series, programmers are pinning hopes on a once-vibrant genre |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=November 1, 1992 |access-date=May 11, 2011 |author-last1=Cerone|author-first1= Daniel |url-status=dead }}{{New archival link needed|date=April 2026}} When NBC canceled the television series adaptation of ''[[Fame (1982 TV series)|Fame]]'' after only two seasons, the producers made special arrangements with [[Lexington Broadcast Services Company|LBS Communications]], which resulted in MGM reviving the series for first-run syndication in the fall of 1983, where it continued for four more seasons, with the last first-run episode airing in the U.S. on May 18, 1987.

''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' debuted in 1987, and became the most-watched syndicated show throughout its seven-year run. Its great success caused many others to debut. ''[[Friday the 13th: The Series]]'' (a horror series which shared its title with the successful [[Friday the 13th (franchise)|movie]] franchise) also debuted in 1987. The next syndicated shows that debuted in 1988 were ''[[War of the Worlds (1988 TV series)|War of the Worlds]]'' and ''[[Freddy's Nightmares]]''. ''[[Baywatch]]'', which debuted in 1989 on [[NBC]] and was canceled after one season also became one of the most watched syndicated shows throughout its ten-year-run, garnering a worldwide audience.

''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' debuted in 1987, and became the most-watched syndicated show throughout its seven-year run. Its great success caused many others to debut. ''[[Friday the 13th: The Series]]'' (a horror series which shared its title with the successful [[Friday the 13th (franchise)|movie]] franchise) also debuted in 1987. The next syndicated shows that debuted in 1988 were ''[[War of the Worlds (1988 TV series)|War of the Worlds]]'' and ''[[Freddy's Nightmares]]''. ''[[Baywatch]]'', which debuted in 1989 on [[NBC]] and was canceled after one season also became one of the most watched syndicated shows throughout its ten-year-run, garnering a worldwide audience.