Any news on Welcome Back, Kotter??? (1 Viewer)

[MatthewA]

I've read the pressure to continue Chico after Prinze's death was because at the time three seasons was not considered enough to get a syndication deal. So money influenced their thinking on that point.

Gilligan's Island, Julia and What's Happening!! made it into syndication with only three seasons each.

NBC barely had any other sitcoms in 1977 and very few hits in general. Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson both left Sanford and Son for other series on other networks, and that's why Sanford Arms happened and why they were desperate to keep Chico and the Man going without Chico.

 

[Jack P]

Gilligan produced more episodes in three seasons than Chico had. I'm going by what Komack and others were recalling in a book "The Show Must Go On" which is about how various shows dealt with the matter of major cast members dying and the thinking at the time was that with only three seasons, it wasn't going to be enough.

 

[derosa]

Gilligan's Island, Julia and What's Happening!! made it into syndication with only three seasons each.

Generally speaking, networks like to see 100 episodes for syndication.If you google it, there are lots of articles on the topic.http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_episodes

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Generally speaking, networks like to see 100 episodes for syndication.If you google it, there are lots of articles on the topic.http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_episodes

I had always heard 65 was the magic number in those days, since it yielded 13 weeks of new episodes with the series being repeated only 4 times in a year.The Munsters is a good example of that, with only 70 episodes produced.

 

[Jack P]

Yes, but syndie deals in the late 60s I think were different from what they'd be a decade later. By then, I think more episodes were considered necessary to net a more lucrative deal.

 

[Mark Y]

So, what's this I'm reading about two different versions of an episode ("Beau's Jest" from Season 4) -- one version with Gabe Kaplan, and one without. (The one on the DVD has Kaplan in it. Supposedly the "non-Kaplan" version aired on Goodlife, and the one with Kaplan aired on WPIX, and elsewhere on the site it says WPIX's showings were uncut. I wonder if that made a difference -- I wonder if alternate shots could have been used in the edited reruns? http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=219257

 

[bmasters9]

Gilligan's Island, Julia and What's Happening!! made it into syndication with only three seasons each.

So did original-recipe NBC Star Trek (1966-69); not only did it make it there, but the syndication thereof has been quite the moneymaker for Paramount, and lately, CBS (where the DVD releases of it are concerned).

 

[The Obsolete Man]

I believe 87 or 88 are the number of episodes needed now for syndication purposes, hence why the renewals for on the bubble shows like Mindy Project and Nashville just this past summer.

Yeah, and IIRC, the magic number was 65 back in the olden days, which is why shows like Star Trek, The Munsters, and the Addams Family made it.


Gilligan's Island may have only had three seasons, but they were long seasons and the series had 98 episodes.



As or the Kotter episode in question that resurrected the thread... sounds like a Syndication edit. Of course, the powers that be and Gabe Kaplan weren't exactly on the friendliest of terms in that fourth season, so who knows?

 

[Vahan_Nisanain]

There was also a different version of the Pilot (Possibly original broadcast) that had an extra 30 second scene, and different opening titles. I saw this version of Hulu.


It's not there anymore, but trust me when I tell you that it DOES exist.

 

[Mark Y]

Interesting about the pilot. Kind of reminds me of the longer version of the Beverly Hillbillies pilot episode on the first MPI volume. But what they're saying about the "Beau's Jest" episode isn't just about an edit, they said there is actually a different opening scene -- in one version Beau is interacting just with Kotter one on one, while in the other he meets Horshack, Epstein and Washington, with Kotter absent. The episode in question aired fairly recently on MeTV, but I read about this after it aired, or I would have checked it out. I'll try and keep an eye out for it next time. I am guessing the MeTV reruns are cut? It gets me wondering how many other variations there could be in different episodes. You know how when theatrical movies would be shown on network television and they'd cut scenes out, but add outtake scenes that weren't in the theatrical version to fill time? That happened with "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (just to bring this full circle, the title character was voiced by Charles Fleischer, who played Carvelli on WBK).

 

[Brian Himes]

I have seen the MeTV version of Beau's Jest and Kotter is in it.

 

[Mark Y]

Cool, thanks! I wonder if that's just some urban legend then.

 

[Sa5150]

I did know this was in HD on Prime & Itunes . Anyone else airing these in HD ? A chance this gets a blu-ray set ?
Any opinions ?

My season 1 WB dvd set is hard to watch , bad quality. I never picked up the Shout complete set.

 

[B-ROLL]

I did know this was in HD on Prime & Itunes . Anyone else airing these in HD ? A chance this gets a blu-ray set ?
Any opinions ?

My season 1 WB dvd set is hard to watch , bad quality. I never picked up the Shout complete set.

Shot on 2 inch videotape - I doubt there would be much improvement in 2K. Many of the Sweathogs have passed on.

 

[Sa5150]

Shot on 2 inch videotape - I doubt there would be much improvement in 2K. Many of the Sweathogs have passed on.

Well just curious how they got them to HD , Usually iTunes is for real , Prime not always the claim.

 

[moviebuff75]

Shame that the brief Stayin' Alive song is muted on dvd. It was a nice little nod to John.

 

[tsodcollector]

i have to get all 4 years on tsod,it aged very well,tv land shown all 4 years of this classic family/teen tv sitcom from the 70's while goodlife tv network has also have welcome back kotter along with many warner brothers television shows such as the courtship of eddie's father,77 sunset strip,etc.but sadly it's not on television or on tsod,and this one is no exception.