Hollywood Reporter Hails 100-Episode Mark
Posted on: Wednesday, 8 September 2004, 06:00 CDT
LOS ANGELES - Counting to 100 used to be so much easier for TV producers. The Hollywood Reporter is dedicating a 108-page issue Thursday to explore TV programs that have reached that benchmark, which determines whether the show will live on in syndication heaven after its network run.
"I was sitting at the Museum of Television & Radio one day and the thought occurred to me that it is so difficult to get to the 100-episode milestone that I kind of wondered how many there were and who they were," Robert J. Dowling, editor and publisher of the trade newspaper, told The Associated Press.
"At the beginning of the year there are upwards of 400 scripts that are bought with the idea of getting on television," he said. "They're going to make 80 to 100 pilots. ... Out of that you're going to end up with maybe 20 on the air. As they go through the whole process, somewhere around two to three of them actually make it to 100 episodes."
The newspaper documented 296 shows that have crossed the threshold since the 1940s, but it's clear that it used to be much easier for programs to do well in the era of three TV television networks.
"Kraft Television Theatre," which started in 1947 had 585 episodes. "Dragnet" from 1952 had 342, and "The Beverly Hillbillies" from 1962 totaled 274.
"I was shocked at 'Bonanza' with over 450 episodes. I think I saw every one of them, but it's inconceivable to me that a show would have that many," Dowling said. "'Gunsmoke' (the longest-running fictional prime-time series in TV history from 1955 to '75) was over 600."
Most modern shows top out at about 100, usually because the studio or network push the show until it reaches that mark and then give up on it in favor of something new. Look at "Angel" with 110, "Ally McBeal" with 112, and "Mad About You" with 164.
Decades ago, the TV season also lasted longer - 39 weeks compared to the current 22.
There are some modern marathoners, though, such as "The Simpsons" with 335 and "Law & Order" with 326. Both are still counting.
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On the Net:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/
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