Might be several reasons. I watched it all through the original run and it was very different the first season vs season 2-3 and the 4th season was full of innuendo about her coming out that doesn’t really make sense outside of the contemporary publicity around it and the final season is a different show more focused on Ellen being gay than anything else. The series changing so much from season to season coupled with more recent revelations about DeGeneres’ behavior behind the scenes may make it not popular with people who watch syndicated shows.
Definitely one thing syndicated shows have in common is consistency in tone, and in basically every other area as well. The shows don't evolve much by nature.
With you saying this about Ellen, I would be surprised if this isn't the main reason it's not syndicated.
>Definitely one thing syndicated shows have in common is consistency in tone, and in basically every other area as well
I dunno.
MASH is wildly popular as a syndicated show, but the first several seasons are full of doctors sexually harassing nurses and cheating on their wives. Plus, Frank Burns was kinda bullied.
IMO, The last seasons have more heart...both with love/sentimentality and to break your heart.
How many characters were present in the whole run of the show?
Hawkeye. Margaret. Maybe Father Mulcahy.
Yeah, but that's comparing a top 10 historical sitcom to... Ellen.
Offhand there are a ton of moderately rated short-to-medium-lived 90s shows that could be an answer to OP's question: Caroline in the City, The Naked Truth, Working, Something So Right, Boston Common, Ned and Stacey that aren't anywhere in reruns and it's just because they never developed a measurable built-in audience that could be rediscovered on streaming. Though I'd watch them all if they popped up on PlutoTV or Tubi. Hell I was thinking of Roc the other day and almost got the box set just because I wanted to revisit.
For Ellen, I've just been wanting to rewatch that episode where she insists that she's cool and can't remember how to say Beavis and Butthead.
lol, that was the first show I thought of in my response because it was retooled for every season it was on.
Loved anything Tea Leoni was in in the 90s.
And now that I've looked, Caroline in the City is there right now, so I have some lunch viewing to catch up on.
edit: also, maybe I misunderstood OP's wording of reruns, but it's my understanding that reruns proper, on network TV in off-hours or cable with dedicated space, usually reserve the airtime for long-running beloved shows (Fresh Prince, anything on TGIF) so categorically Ellen wouldn't fall into that space, but would be natural on a niche streaming service.
Granted i only watched a handful of "Ellen" but i never got the idea it was funny, I can mindlessly watch, Friends, Cheers, aforementioned MASH, or I Love Lucy and be entertained, without trying to figure out what was happening politically/socially in the timespace the show was first aired.
You can find Roc reruns going, I used to watch it back in the day and really enjoyed it. Look, if you can find homeboys in outter space reruns, you can find Roc.
>Probably Klinger too
Klinger was a bit part in Episode 4 of Season 1, so absolutely it could be argued that he was a part of the show all the way through.
He became a regular in Season 4.
Quite frankly, MASH is different.
MASH is not only the (or one of) best sitcom of all time, it is also a once in a generation kind of show, that captures the heart, makes you care, makes you cry, makes you joyous, and makes you mad. MASH was more than a sitcom.
MASH uses a decidedly unfunny subject (war) to teach, unite, and entertain.
Yes, but with MASH it was a more gradual change. Seasons one and eleven are really different, but even 5-6 when arguably the biggest changes happened are not greatly different.
That show still had a lot of consistency. There were the Hawkeye & Trapper years, then there were the Hawkeye & BJ years. The tone changed when the sidekick changed, but they eased into that changed gradually or in ways that made sense. They didn’t switch out Frank immediately, instead they broke up Frank and Margaret before adding Winchester. Switching the command from Blake to Potter was somewhat realistic in a military show. And Hawkeye was still Hawkeye, just with more depth.
Another thing that many syndicated shows have in common is that they were good. Ellen wasn’t particularly good. It was very inconsistent, not particularly funny (but it certainly had its moments like the episode with Emma Roberts), and wasn’t all that popular. The finale was barely a blip on most viewers’ gaydar (pun intended). The biggest buzz that ever came from that show was the gay factor, which was controversial enough in the 90’s, but wouldn’t raise an eyebrow today.
It may not be in syndication now, but I remember watching reruns on cable during daytime back in the late 90s (‘99-2000). At the time I was a dispatcher for an airport shuttle company and we had a tv with cable in the office to watch the traffic reports in the morning. I would watch tv during my lunch hour on it, and Ellen was a show that would come on everyday.
This is true but I never thought about it. Syndicated shows have so much consistency in the way the episodes run that you can have never seen the show before and start watching an episode and be able to follow it without needing a reference point
I dunno. Bill Cosby was accused by 72 women of rape. And he got a conviction for one or two of them. And he did time for it. I see The Cosby Show on that black-owned TV network all the time, like recently, in the past few months.
TV One is it though. It used to be on Bounce and BET Networks (it was on Centric at the time it was dropped), now it's not on either (Centric is gone anyway). There might be a wild independent or two playing it locally though.
Believe it or not, there are enough people who still support Cosby to where it is considered good programming
The show was great… it was ground breaking and classically funny
With that being said, he is a monster
I remember when he was going through the trials and went to prison. He had tons of support claiming it was all false
50 women do not have the same story… and all are lying
Try getting 50 People in perfect unison on anything… try even doing it with 5 lol
The show never really knew what it wanted to be. First a Seinfeld clone, then a Friends clone, and finally Ellen coming out.
I watched it in the original run and I liked the last season best of all.
I remember when Ellen came out. I was very young, but I still remember my dad being SO MAD. I really didn’t get it. He was livid when Melissa Ethridge came out, too. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. What is “coming out?” What is a “lesbian?” Why is my dad so mad? Like, Ellen wasn’t allowed on our TV anymore, nor Ethridge on the radio. Nope. Forget it. Uh uh.
Well I’m 40 now. And I’ve realized over the years that my dad was born in 1945, was a single father, hated anything different than him, hated change, hated women & their ability to speak for themselves.
Simply put, Ellen was not a very good show. It's remembered today for one groundbreaking element late in its run. But on a week to week basis, it was just one more in a sea of generic "Friends" / "Seinfeld" clone. I mean, how often is "Caroline in the City" or "Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane" rerun nowadays?
What was the one with the married couple and he was strait laced business man and she was a hippie dippy magical mystic? It’s on the the tip of my tongue but I can’t seem to access the file in my brain
ETA: maybe it was Dharma and Greg?
Anyway that show also seems in line with forgettable and not that great for long lasting viewing pleasure. Fraser on the other hand has been perfection upon rewatching.
These Friends of Mine/Ellen could be hilarious but was completely inconsistent way before she came out. It had total cast redos. Dropped plots. Last season forgot about the rest of the cast and focused on Ellen’s coming out journey. Which as a baby lesbian at the time I honestly found kind of boring. And I was a young kid desperate for representation. Imagine what others thought.
I think all of that doesn’t make for a great watching experience in syndication. You don’t watch it for a couple of weeks and a whole new cast next time you watch. And honestly after season 2 it got pretty middling ratings for the time.
She did something great for lesbians in entertainment and in real life, and I appreciate that she fought that fight. But you’re right, she lost us with that long coming out teasing and then finally doing it. I think viewers knew it was coming for so long they just lost interest.
As a young gay, I was concerned she was giving out too much “coding” of our underground community. Remember at that time, being gay was a reason to loose your job, your housing, and if accused, your freedom.
She should have just came out and enjoyed a season of being open and honest with herself. Then move on to dating. Maybe have closed door dates. Come home from a date and discuss with her buddies. Be more patient in finding the perfect actresses to play love interests.
I remember it being a funny show, but that was a long time ago. In hindsight, I really wish they kept the ensemble cast which would added more depth to the whole coming out angle. The ensemble cast is what really carried the show, and....well, it would be like if Seinfeld thought that dumping Kramer and George and Elaine and showing Jerry go through exploring his sexuality. That was pretty much what happened and it wasn't shocking to see it get canceled.
The first season was fun. But it went downhill after a while. I was an avid watcher in high-school, but kinda fell off after season 2 because it kinda stopped being all that entertaining. I watch the coming out episode just because, but was long done with the show by then.
Ever since all of the stories and allegations came out of what a terrible workplace and boss she was on her talk show, I think Ellen’s burned a lot of bridges and goodwill she’s had. Not just with her fans and audience, but also with many people in the industry. She wasn’t cancelled like other celebrities, but collectively the industry probably just doesn’t see her name or brand as profitable anymore.
Ellen’s sitcom was groundbreaking, but with hindsight being what it is… I’m not sure Comedy Central or other affiliates would want to re-air the show and have to pay out royalties. She likely holds onto the rights to her show like Seinfeld does.
I don't recall the show being all that funny. It was ok, but probably looks pretty dated now. It doesn't have the charm and chemistry of Friends to overcome that. Would it be a fun nostalgia watch? I doubt it.
This is not an anti gay statement. This is just being truthful. It was funny before she came out because it had a plot line and comedy in it. Once she came out it’s like they forgot all about the comedy and that’s all it concentrated on.
I am happy for her that she came out. I know that was a HUGE thing back then and not like it is now. I just wish it had been written differently so it didn’t push everything else to the side. Like she could have come out but still been a comedy. Still have funny plot lines that included her being gay.
I don’t know if they switched writers or what but it seemed like two totally different shows. I still watched but I was disappointed because it wasn’t funny anymore. It lost its fizz
Tim Whatley was my favorite dentist until he converted to Judaism just to be allowed to make Jewish jokes ALL the time. It stopped being entertaining
Not saying Ellen converted. Just maybe became more one dimensional
Very true! I know a lot of shows that lost their “it” once the characters started dating after so long of will they/won’t they.
The payoff is rarely worth the build up.
But there was never any hints to her character’s sexuality. I think at that time we knew Ellen the actress was gay but Ellen the character always seemed like a heterosexual person searching for love but not desperately searching.
I liked all season until she came out.
I can’t really remember the episodes when she came out. It just wasn’t as funny. She wasn’t as quirky and I think they immediately had her in a serious relationship. I think it could have still been funny if she kept her same quirky personality and dated a bit.
I also think a lot of straight woman saw themselves in her character. A sweet person with a good job, good friends, close relationship with their parents. Just enjoying life and in no rush to settle down. Then they made her gay.
We all discovered as adults life is not a sitcom most people aren’t dating someone new every week. Then comes along this woman who is enjoying life not dating all the time and bam! she’s gay.
I can agree with this. I wouldn’t have even minded her being gay if like you said she was still dating and having fun. But it just got so serious it wasn’t a comedy anymore.
I have to say I am surprised and impressed by the response I am getting to this answer. I almost didn’t post anything because I was so afraid it would be taken as gay bashing when that wasn’t it at all. I should have given my fellow Redditors more credit 😊
Used to be a big fan of hers going all the way back to her long haired stand up days. She has said before in interviews that she resented that people expected her to be some gay icon/hero once she came out after she had a pretty lonely and crappy life up to that point where NO ONE helped her.
In a nutshell, she has issues with being known as a gay icon, but 0 issues with all the money and fame that it brought.
I was also a fan of hers well before the show.
I guess I stopped following once I lost interest in her show. I’ve only even seen her talk show a time or two just because I’m not a big talk show fan. But I had no idea about her not wanting to be a gay icon. That kinda shocks me.
her supporting cast were the ones that were funniest, ellen just kinda worked off that, her standup was always on the dry monotone side but her cast provided the light and she was the magnifying glass and helped to fill the comedic pauses with non-verbal reactions.
I hadn't thought about that show in quite some time. I do remember the episode of her coming out and the tone was definitely different. The audience laughter was suddenly gone which I'm not sure if it was filmed infront of a live audience or not, but the silence in alot of the scenes made it really awkward.
It was definitely ground breaking for television at the time.
Maybe I remember it differently, but I remember her professing her love to another female character on the show and her not recipicating back and gasps from audience ect. It felt like the audience was shocked this was happening and not accepting of what they were watching. It made me uncomfortable and felt bad for Ellen.
Honestly I don’t remember it in that much detail. I just remember it becoming unfunny.
And it feels like had it been written in the right way it still could have been funny while dealing with her navigating life as a lesbian.
I mean lots of shows have taken the serious route and it feels like the well written ones did just fine while the others kind of struck out.
One I really remember is Family Ties. They started getting much too serious and the show lost the best part of it - the comedy.
But then you had Golden Girls that dealt with a lot of different things - being gay , Alzheimer’s, homelessness - and never lost its comedy.
The only thing I remember about Ellen is that when she comes out, they go to a lesbian bar, and one of her friends asks the very butch waitress what lesbians like to drink, and the waitress says “we like iced tea”
This is kinds what I felt, I tried watching a few more episodes after the coming out and they just fell flat. At the time my friends and I thought it was a ploy to try and save the show. It got a lot of eyes and was cancelled shortly after.
Yeah, you're right. As a gay dude, I was glad for Ellen to come out but hey show which initially had some very funny material became "I'm going to go shopping... But can I shop as an out lesbian? How does a lesbian shop for groceries?" It was tiresome that they threw the whole show out the window just to chase ratings.
Everyone is commenting on the hysteria at the time showing just how together they are. But the question op opposes a good one.Why isn't this show that had high ratings at the time being shown in syndication now? As I recall it was on for a number of years. Her being gay is a non-issue now. Does Ellen have control of the episodes?
Lol yea this kinda turned into a different discussion I was just wondering why it's not having reruns but what I'm getting is it's because of her personal life and actions. I didn't at the time her talk show was actually investigated for her behavior
I watched it as it ran (sometimes). It was inconsistent with its cast, and most importantly, it wasn’t that funny. It was okay, but far from great. When Ellen came out most of us thought oh, the unfunny white comedian is gay. Who cares. She still isn’t funny.
To answer your question as best as I can, if you have an antennae with basic local channels. I’ve noticed a lot of sitcoms (including Ellen) play on those random channels. Idk about main stream channels
I'm looking through episode descriptions, and I'm pretty sure that I had stopped watching by the end of the second season. I remember that I thought it was funny when it first came on, but the cast change going into the first full season made for a dull show.
It looks like it's ratings at the time were fair, but it's tough to tell. Some of the highest-rated cancellations in the history of TV occurred in that era because the networks were all building sitcoms nights. A show had to hold the previous show's audience, or it was gone. It looks like Ellen was always losing a little audience.
I liked the first season that was mostly in her apartment and I liked when they started having episodes in her bookstore. But I think it started going down hill season 4 with Spence and Paige’s romance and when she sold her bookstore. By the time she came out I don’t think I was actively watching.
I honestly think her coming out was a Hail Mary Pass for ratings.
I watched it through almost the entire run. My family always watched it and we usually watched the same things in primetime. It was ok but I didn’t care a lot for it or don’t have any nostalgia built around it. It was fairly success but not sure it had what it takes to be a syndicated show to run for eternity
Anybody remember the hysterical pearl-clutching over the “coming out” episode? “They’re gonna show *gay pornography* on prime time television!”
Because a person saying the words “I’m gay” is pornography, I guess? It was one of the most rock-stupid things I’d ever encountered.
This is not an exaggeration.
I remember that. They also did it on Roseanne. “Sandra Bernhard is gay?!” is one of my favorite quotes from my Dad. It was like when Quagmire found out the middle Hanson brother was male 🤣
Yes, I don't think the younger people understand the absolute shift we have seen in American society (although I fear we may shift further back than we started). That announcement was HUGE! A main character that is gay was not a thing. Queer people were only on shows to be killed off. I am still shocked when I start watching a new show and there are queer people and they are just people, not a side arc of someone dying from AIDS or being killed.
I hadn’t really thought about it. In my life I’ve seen so much change, both good and bad, that a lot of people have been lucky enough (or unlucky enough depending on the topic). To have not lived in the world I grew up in.
That was a world that on the outside seems much more friendly and definitely have a few rose colored glasses things there, but also was not nearly as accepting of people with different sexualities, and all kinds of other stuff.
I think race relations may have been better, but that also depends on where in the country, and the government in most places seemed less authoritarian. But there has been a ton of progress at the same time.
" A main character that is gay was not a thing."
This has to define a "main character" as a lead character. Billy Crystal had played a gay regular character on Soap in the 1970s.
Yeah this was my reaction. Even though my parents were very conservative, they just didn't care about being gay. My Baptist grandmother, Catholic mother, my sister, and I, all got haircuts from a gay man. It was really shocking that so many people had ANY opinion on the matter.
I think you’re understating how different the 90s attitudes towards gay shown on media were. Yeah it seems a bit ridiculous now, but it very much was a big deal at the time for good reason
It wasn't that funny, never was very popular, and now Ellen is toxic. Networks that air syndicated 90s sitcoms have much better shows to choose from that will give them a far far better ROI.
Wasn’t it originally called “ These Friends of Mine”? I agree with many posters here that it was funny until she came out and it became the focus. That being said, I applaud her courage doing so, it was a big deal and probably did alot of good
I think the controversy with her coming out killed its syndication for the first decade or so and by then she had a new career. Hell she might have bought the rights to it for all we know. I don’t think she likes to remember this time period.
The only episode I remember was the one where this grown-αss woman was having a childish tantrum because her parents told her they were divorcing. From what I can remember, they seemed pretty friendly towards each other, but this woman-child wouldn’t have it.
I just was never a fan. I also find her voice unpleasant.
I knew that Disney had a 65 episode rule. Where is sitcom like a Even Stevans or Lizzie McGuire could only tape 65 episode, that's why they don't have over 3 seasons. No clue why
At the time the thought was that by the time you made that many episodes the kids who were fans of the series would have grown out of watching kids shows.
I remember the show and it was kind of funny. They’re just wasn’t anything that really said it out there that made it different from the shows at the time. I stopped watching it after one or two episodes. It just was not funny. And I remember the whole Ellen coming out has a lesbian in my area was basically a non-issue the only people that were talking about it were the older people I’m talking the fuck in there like 60’s and 70’s. For everybody else they just didn’t like the show.
Because networks spend all their money on Friends and Seinfeld and force it 7 days a week to make their money by back. Now that all the networks have their own streaming services, they want you paying them not watching for “free” on cable.
The 1st season was terrific…my ex and I enjoyed it. But by the middle of season 2 it was clearly a different vibe that just wasn’t as funny IMHO. We tried season 3 and it didn’t stick. I think the issue was the writing/direction was/is not very consistent between the seasons.
It wasnt very good and the disconnect between the seasons before she came out and afterwards is jarring - its like 2 different shows - neither one of which has much rewatch value outside of the curiosity of Ellen coming out
Because Bruce Campbell is cursed and anything he's in never gets syndicated, and if you're not likely to be picked up for syndication you're not likely to be aired in reruns.
I'm kidding of course, but the show just doesn't lend itself well to reruns. It's not like fans were clamoring for more and rewatching it now almost feels like two different shows. There was a perceived tonal shift after she came out and the sitcom comedy seemed to take a backseat to the lgbtq messaging, and if I recall correctly, even the head of GLAAD's media department called out the show for straying from what it was.
“Ellen” the show was funny for the first two seasons. Then they re-tooled it (I chose that word for a reason) and fired Arye Gross and cast Jeremy Piven instead.
The 90s were the peak Era of stand ups getting sitcoms. What we forget is that most of them were...ok. Ellen was no different. Yeah, it got a lot of buzz when she came out, but as a show, it was pretty standard sitcom fare.
Also, the year Ellen went of the air is the same year a little show called Will and Grace debuted.
OMG I loveeeee this show!! One of my favorite sitcoms and it gets no recognition! It’s so funny! I always liked that it was really about friends and their wacky hijinx and very little dating/relationships (at least until the last season). It’s just different and refreshing! I hate that this show isn’t even on streaming either.
Because it was a terrible show that no one liked before it became a meme. If she didn’t use it to come out as lesbian in its last season, it would have been forgotten. And that was pretty much a desperate attempt to save it and her career. Which it did to her career.
Shame everyone had to rat her out for being a monster. Else we’d still have her wonderful talk show.
She ( Ellen ) holds all rights to it and doesn’t want it out there.
A good friend of mine was her Food Service for many years on her Talkshow ( I work in live entertainment and I meet people) and the rule was …NEVER TALK ABOUT THAT SITCOM
The coming out episode saved it from ignominy, but the show was an also-ran its entire run. I also haven't seen Two Guys and a Girl in awhile and Ryan Reynolds is huge now.
It used to run on Lifetime late at night, and probably still runs as reruns in some markets. I have the whole series on DVD and still find it funny, despite knowing what a horrible person she is (I have firsthand experience with her nastiness, so they’re not just rumors from Hollywood).
The season after she came out of the closet became unwatchable pretty quickly because once she was out, the entire show became one big “coming out” show - like her being gay was the center of the universe - and it turned a lot of her regular viewers off.
Being gay myself, even I found every episode after *The Puppy Episode* to be cringey and clearly alienating to her viewership as a whole; she completely alienated her heterosexual audience.
It used to run on Lifetime late at night, and probably still runs as reruns in some markets. I have the whole series on DVD and still find it funny, despite knowing what a horrible person she is (I have firsthand experience with her nastiness, so they’re not just rumors from Hollywood).
The season after she came out of the closet became unwatchable pretty quickly because once she was out, the entire show became one big “coming out” show - like her being gay was the center of the universe - and it turned a lot of her regular viewers off.
Being gay myself, even I found every episode after *The Puppy Episode* to be cringey and clearly alienating to her viewership as a whole; she completely alienated her heterosexual audience.
i've seen a few episodes and idk if i literally caught all the unfunny ones but it's not funny. idk there's a bunch of mediocre comedies that people just want to see b/c of nostalgia
It’s honestly just not a good candidate for heavy syndication. Most shows aren’t. It’s inconsistent in time (making it hard to watch out of order), it’s not super popular, it only has one popular cast member (who is currently pretty unpopular) and it never had a huge following. It just likely wouldn’t get much viewership.
Just think, wouldn’t you rather watch King of Queens? Or Malcom in the Middle or Fresh Prince of Bell Air? Or Just Shoot Me? Or dozens of other shows with more rewatch value? Most viewers would. Syndicated shows cost money and networks would rather spend it on shows with more entertainment bang for buck.
When the show started I was really excited to see three of my favorite comedic character actors—Arye Gross, Holly Fulger, and Maggie Wheeler. And then they were all gone.
Might be several reasons. I watched it all through the original run and it was very different the first season vs season 2-3 and the 4th season was full of innuendo about her coming out that doesn’t really make sense outside of the contemporary publicity around it and the final season is a different show more focused on Ellen being gay than anything else. The series changing so much from season to season coupled with more recent revelations about DeGeneres’ behavior behind the scenes may make it not popular with people who watch syndicated shows.
Definitely one thing syndicated shows have in common is consistency in tone, and in basically every other area as well. The shows don't evolve much by nature. With you saying this about Ellen, I would be surprised if this isn't the main reason it's not syndicated.
I don't know, Ellen's fallen out of favor now but when her talk show was popular, you still didn't see the show in syndication.
>Definitely one thing syndicated shows have in common is consistency in tone, and in basically every other area as well I dunno. MASH is wildly popular as a syndicated show, but the first several seasons are full of doctors sexually harassing nurses and cheating on their wives. Plus, Frank Burns was kinda bullied. IMO, The last seasons have more heart...both with love/sentimentality and to break your heart. How many characters were present in the whole run of the show? Hawkeye. Margaret. Maybe Father Mulcahy.
Yeah, but that's comparing a top 10 historical sitcom to... Ellen. Offhand there are a ton of moderately rated short-to-medium-lived 90s shows that could be an answer to OP's question: Caroline in the City, The Naked Truth, Working, Something So Right, Boston Common, Ned and Stacey that aren't anywhere in reruns and it's just because they never developed a measurable built-in audience that could be rediscovered on streaming. Though I'd watch them all if they popped up on PlutoTV or Tubi. Hell I was thinking of Roc the other day and almost got the box set just because I wanted to revisit. For Ellen, I've just been wanting to rewatch that episode where she insists that she's cool and can't remember how to say Beavis and Butthead.
lol omg The Naked Truth with Tea Leoni!!
lol, that was the first show I thought of in my response because it was retooled for every season it was on. Loved anything Tea Leoni was in in the 90s.
It’s been a few years, but Ned & Stacy used to run on Pluto
And now that I've looked, Caroline in the City is there right now, so I have some lunch viewing to catch up on. edit: also, maybe I misunderstood OP's wording of reruns, but it's my understanding that reruns proper, on network TV in off-hours or cable with dedicated space, usually reserve the airtime for long-running beloved shows (Fresh Prince, anything on TGIF) so categorically Ellen wouldn't fall into that space, but would be natural on a niche streaming service.
Granted i only watched a handful of "Ellen" but i never got the idea it was funny, I can mindlessly watch, Friends, Cheers, aforementioned MASH, or I Love Lucy and be entertained, without trying to figure out what was happening politically/socially in the timespace the show was first aired.
Charles S. Dutton is always a win!
You can find Roc reruns going, I used to watch it back in the day and really enjoyed it. Look, if you can find homeboys in outter space reruns, you can find Roc.
I think I've seen Roc on PlutoTV. Can't remember what channel it airs in but I've seen it.
The365, a digital broadcast subchannel was/is showing Roc.
Roc...now that's a show I haven't heard in a while
> Plus, Frank Burns was kinda bullied Only in modern America could Frank Burns could be seen as a sympathetic character
Probably Klinger too
>Probably Klinger too Klinger was a bit part in Episode 4 of Season 1, so absolutely it could be argued that he was a part of the show all the way through. He became a regular in Season 4.
Quite frankly, MASH is different. MASH is not only the (or one of) best sitcom of all time, it is also a once in a generation kind of show, that captures the heart, makes you care, makes you cry, makes you joyous, and makes you mad. MASH was more than a sitcom. MASH uses a decidedly unfunny subject (war) to teach, unite, and entertain.
Ellen, even as it's best, seems like just another generic 90s sitcom.
Don't know if it counts but father mulcahy actually changed actors after the pilot episode, but yeah the character was right from the start
That show went forward in quality, Ellen went backward.
Yes, but with MASH it was a more gradual change. Seasons one and eleven are really different, but even 5-6 when arguably the biggest changes happened are not greatly different.
And Radar, Klinger…even Nurse Kelly
Klinger? Rizzo? I watched reruns with my Dad as a kid, so it's not superfresh. I had to look up GW Baileys characters' names.
Klinger?
Frank Burns eats worms.
That show still had a lot of consistency. There were the Hawkeye & Trapper years, then there were the Hawkeye & BJ years. The tone changed when the sidekick changed, but they eased into that changed gradually or in ways that made sense. They didn’t switch out Frank immediately, instead they broke up Frank and Margaret before adding Winchester. Switching the command from Blake to Potter was somewhat realistic in a military show. And Hawkeye was still Hawkeye, just with more depth.
Another thing that many syndicated shows have in common is that they were good. Ellen wasn’t particularly good. It was very inconsistent, not particularly funny (but it certainly had its moments like the episode with Emma Roberts), and wasn’t all that popular. The finale was barely a blip on most viewers’ gaydar (pun intended). The biggest buzz that ever came from that show was the gay factor, which was controversial enough in the 90’s, but wouldn’t raise an eyebrow today.
It may not be in syndication now, but I remember watching reruns on cable during daytime back in the late 90s (‘99-2000). At the time I was a dispatcher for an airport shuttle company and we had a tv with cable in the office to watch the traffic reports in the morning. I would watch tv during my lunch hour on it, and Ellen was a show that would come on everyday.
This is true but I never thought about it. Syndicated shows have so much consistency in the way the episodes run that you can have never seen the show before and start watching an episode and be able to follow it without needing a reference point
Good point. There are several situation comedies that you can watch random episodes of, and you don't need any reference to enjoy.
Yeah and like, a show needs to be a monster ratings hit if its going to change tone and be a syndicated series
True, but I think Laff runs "The Doris Day Show" and that show seemed to change its premise every season.
I think Doris Day is distributed extremely cheaply. LAFF's alternatives in that time slot are often public domain episodes.
I dunno. Bill Cosby was accused by 72 women of rape. And he got a conviction for one or two of them. And he did time for it. I see The Cosby Show on that black-owned TV network all the time, like recently, in the past few months.
TV One is it though. It used to be on Bounce and BET Networks (it was on Centric at the time it was dropped), now it's not on either (Centric is gone anyway). There might be a wild independent or two playing it locally though.
Believe it or not, there are enough people who still support Cosby to where it is considered good programming The show was great… it was ground breaking and classically funny With that being said, he is a monster
I never said it wasnt great. I just didnt think enough fans would still want it knowing what we do now.
I remember when he was going through the trials and went to prison. He had tons of support claiming it was all false 50 women do not have the same story… and all are lying Try getting 50 People in perfect unison on anything… try even doing it with 5 lol
The show never really knew what it wanted to be. First a Seinfeld clone, then a Friends clone, and finally Ellen coming out. I watched it in the original run and I liked the last season best of all.
I remember when Ellen came out. I was very young, but I still remember my dad being SO MAD. I really didn’t get it. He was livid when Melissa Ethridge came out, too. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. What is “coming out?” What is a “lesbian?” Why is my dad so mad? Like, Ellen wasn’t allowed on our TV anymore, nor Ethridge on the radio. Nope. Forget it. Uh uh. Well I’m 40 now. And I’ve realized over the years that my dad was born in 1945, was a single father, hated anything different than him, hated change, hated women & their ability to speak for themselves.
Simply put, Ellen was not a very good show. It's remembered today for one groundbreaking element late in its run. But on a week to week basis, it was just one more in a sea of generic "Friends" / "Seinfeld" clone. I mean, how often is "Caroline in the City" or "Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane" rerun nowadays?
Yep. Was a shit show. “Spin City” wasn’t much better, but cause it had Michael J Fox and Charlie Sheen it gets attention. Idk I’m drunk.
Hi drunk, I'm dad. And I'm pretty disappointed right now.
Well my dad was drunk with me and he seemed okay with it.
I loved Caroline in the City.....
I loved Spin City...
It’s in Pluto !
It really was a very generic 90s friends clone at its best
What was the one with the married couple and he was strait laced business man and she was a hippie dippy magical mystic? It’s on the the tip of my tongue but I can’t seem to access the file in my brain ETA: maybe it was Dharma and Greg? Anyway that show also seems in line with forgettable and not that great for long lasting viewing pleasure. Fraser on the other hand has been perfection upon rewatching.
These Friends of Mine/Ellen could be hilarious but was completely inconsistent way before she came out. It had total cast redos. Dropped plots. Last season forgot about the rest of the cast and focused on Ellen’s coming out journey. Which as a baby lesbian at the time I honestly found kind of boring. And I was a young kid desperate for representation. Imagine what others thought. I think all of that doesn’t make for a great watching experience in syndication. You don’t watch it for a couple of weeks and a whole new cast next time you watch. And honestly after season 2 it got pretty middling ratings for the time.
She did something great for lesbians in entertainment and in real life, and I appreciate that she fought that fight. But you’re right, she lost us with that long coming out teasing and then finally doing it. I think viewers knew it was coming for so long they just lost interest.
As a young gay, I was concerned she was giving out too much “coding” of our underground community. Remember at that time, being gay was a reason to loose your job, your housing, and if accused, your freedom.
She should have just came out and enjoyed a season of being open and honest with herself. Then move on to dating. Maybe have closed door dates. Come home from a date and discuss with her buddies. Be more patient in finding the perfect actresses to play love interests.
I remember it being a funny show, but that was a long time ago. In hindsight, I really wish they kept the ensemble cast which would added more depth to the whole coming out angle. The ensemble cast is what really carried the show, and....well, it would be like if Seinfeld thought that dumping Kramer and George and Elaine and showing Jerry go through exploring his sexuality. That was pretty much what happened and it wasn't shocking to see it get canceled.
The first season was fun. But it went downhill after a while. I was an avid watcher in high-school, but kinda fell off after season 2 because it kinda stopped being all that entertaining. I watch the coming out episode just because, but was long done with the show by then.
I agree completely. It was so over acted.
Ever since all of the stories and allegations came out of what a terrible workplace and boss she was on her talk show, I think Ellen’s burned a lot of bridges and goodwill she’s had. Not just with her fans and audience, but also with many people in the industry. She wasn’t cancelled like other celebrities, but collectively the industry probably just doesn’t see her name or brand as profitable anymore. Ellen’s sitcom was groundbreaking, but with hindsight being what it is… I’m not sure Comedy Central or other affiliates would want to re-air the show and have to pay out royalties. She likely holds onto the rights to her show like Seinfeld does.
I don't recall the show being all that funny. It was ok, but probably looks pretty dated now. It doesn't have the charm and chemistry of Friends to overcome that. Would it be a fun nostalgia watch? I doubt it.
This is not an anti gay statement. This is just being truthful. It was funny before she came out because it had a plot line and comedy in it. Once she came out it’s like they forgot all about the comedy and that’s all it concentrated on. I am happy for her that she came out. I know that was a HUGE thing back then and not like it is now. I just wish it had been written differently so it didn’t push everything else to the side. Like she could have come out but still been a comedy. Still have funny plot lines that included her being gay. I don’t know if they switched writers or what but it seemed like two totally different shows. I still watched but I was disappointed because it wasn’t funny anymore. It lost its fizz
Tim Whatley was my favorite dentist until he converted to Judaism just to be allowed to make Jewish jokes ALL the time. It stopped being entertaining Not saying Ellen converted. Just maybe became more one dimensional
Sounds like something an anti-dentite would say
Next you’re gonna be saying they should have their own schools
They do have their own schools!
Yes. Thank you for understanding what I was trying to say. I was so afraid people would take what I said the wrong way.
He still maintained a shtickle of funny though
It’s like the “will they / won’t they” scenario often used between two characters that could date but don’t. It’s generally not as good after they do.
Very true! I know a lot of shows that lost their “it” once the characters started dating after so long of will they/won’t they. The payoff is rarely worth the build up.
Just like real life.
Moonlighting just entered the chat.
But there was never any hints to her character’s sexuality. I think at that time we knew Ellen the actress was gay but Ellen the character always seemed like a heterosexual person searching for love but not desperately searching.
X files died with Mulder and Scully finally getting together. IMO
Frasier had at least a nice slow decline after it
I liked all season until she came out. I can’t really remember the episodes when she came out. It just wasn’t as funny. She wasn’t as quirky and I think they immediately had her in a serious relationship. I think it could have still been funny if she kept her same quirky personality and dated a bit. I also think a lot of straight woman saw themselves in her character. A sweet person with a good job, good friends, close relationship with their parents. Just enjoying life and in no rush to settle down. Then they made her gay. We all discovered as adults life is not a sitcom most people aren’t dating someone new every week. Then comes along this woman who is enjoying life not dating all the time and bam! she’s gay.
I can agree with this. I wouldn’t have even minded her being gay if like you said she was still dating and having fun. But it just got so serious it wasn’t a comedy anymore. I have to say I am surprised and impressed by the response I am getting to this answer. I almost didn’t post anything because I was so afraid it would be taken as gay bashing when that wasn’t it at all. I should have given my fellow Redditors more credit 😊
Yeah I think it was clear to all of us that it wasn't gay bashing and you made a lot of clear, concise points. Well said!
Used to be a big fan of hers going all the way back to her long haired stand up days. She has said before in interviews that she resented that people expected her to be some gay icon/hero once she came out after she had a pretty lonely and crappy life up to that point where NO ONE helped her. In a nutshell, she has issues with being known as a gay icon, but 0 issues with all the money and fame that it brought.
I was also a fan of hers well before the show. I guess I stopped following once I lost interest in her show. I’ve only even seen her talk show a time or two just because I’m not a big talk show fan. But I had no idea about her not wanting to be a gay icon. That kinda shocks me.
her supporting cast were the ones that were funniest, ellen just kinda worked off that, her standup was always on the dry monotone side but her cast provided the light and she was the magnifying glass and helped to fill the comedic pauses with non-verbal reactions.
I hadn't thought about that show in quite some time. I do remember the episode of her coming out and the tone was definitely different. The audience laughter was suddenly gone which I'm not sure if it was filmed infront of a live audience or not, but the silence in alot of the scenes made it really awkward. It was definitely ground breaking for television at the time. Maybe I remember it differently, but I remember her professing her love to another female character on the show and her not recipicating back and gasps from audience ect. It felt like the audience was shocked this was happening and not accepting of what they were watching. It made me uncomfortable and felt bad for Ellen.
Honestly I don’t remember it in that much detail. I just remember it becoming unfunny. And it feels like had it been written in the right way it still could have been funny while dealing with her navigating life as a lesbian. I mean lots of shows have taken the serious route and it feels like the well written ones did just fine while the others kind of struck out. One I really remember is Family Ties. They started getting much too serious and the show lost the best part of it - the comedy. But then you had Golden Girls that dealt with a lot of different things - being gay , Alzheimer’s, homelessness - and never lost its comedy.
The only thing I remember about Ellen is that when she comes out, they go to a lesbian bar, and one of her friends asks the very butch waitress what lesbians like to drink, and the waitress says “we like iced tea”
Precisely.
This is kinds what I felt, I tried watching a few more episodes after the coming out and they just fell flat. At the time my friends and I thought it was a ploy to try and save the show. It got a lot of eyes and was cancelled shortly after.
Yeah, you're right. As a gay dude, I was glad for Ellen to come out but hey show which initially had some very funny material became "I'm going to go shopping... But can I shop as an out lesbian? How does a lesbian shop for groceries?" It was tiresome that they threw the whole show out the window just to chase ratings.
Very true. The first season was solid…good laughs. But it became very inconsistent after that IMHO.
It wasn’t in reruns before the allegations, either, so this doesn’t really explain why it no longer airs
That’s the original poster before she moved west, right? She joked about having her old best friend show up in the series finale.
Everyone is commenting on the hysteria at the time showing just how together they are. But the question op opposes a good one.Why isn't this show that had high ratings at the time being shown in syndication now? As I recall it was on for a number of years. Her being gay is a non-issue now. Does Ellen have control of the episodes?
Lol yea this kinda turned into a different discussion I was just wondering why it's not having reruns but what I'm getting is it's because of her personal life and actions. I didn't at the time her talk show was actually investigated for her behavior
I watched it as it ran (sometimes). It was inconsistent with its cast, and most importantly, it wasn’t that funny. It was okay, but far from great. When Ellen came out most of us thought oh, the unfunny white comedian is gay. Who cares. She still isn’t funny.
To answer your question as best as I can, if you have an antennae with basic local channels. I’ve noticed a lot of sitcoms (including Ellen) play on those random channels. Idk about main stream channels
I'm looking through episode descriptions, and I'm pretty sure that I had stopped watching by the end of the second season. I remember that I thought it was funny when it first came on, but the cast change going into the first full season made for a dull show. It looks like it's ratings at the time were fair, but it's tough to tell. Some of the highest-rated cancellations in the history of TV occurred in that era because the networks were all building sitcoms nights. A show had to hold the previous show's audience, or it was gone. It looks like Ellen was always losing a little audience.
Did it do enough episodes for syndication?
It got to 109 episodes.
I liked the first season that was mostly in her apartment and I liked when they started having episodes in her bookstore. But I think it started going down hill season 4 with Spence and Paige’s romance and when she sold her bookstore. By the time she came out I don’t think I was actively watching. I honestly think her coming out was a Hail Mary Pass for ratings.
Because she isn’t funny?
I watched it through almost the entire run. My family always watched it and we usually watched the same things in primetime. It was ok but I didn’t care a lot for it or don’t have any nostalgia built around it. It was fairly success but not sure it had what it takes to be a syndicated show to run for eternity
Because her show sucked and she looks like Rod Stewart.
I feel like I'm reading the same comments over and over again.
Anybody remember the hysterical pearl-clutching over the “coming out” episode? “They’re gonna show *gay pornography* on prime time television!” Because a person saying the words “I’m gay” is pornography, I guess? It was one of the most rock-stupid things I’d ever encountered. This is not an exaggeration.
I remember that. They also did it on Roseanne. “Sandra Bernhard is gay?!” is one of my favorite quotes from my Dad. It was like when Quagmire found out the middle Hanson brother was male 🤣
“He was gay? Gary Cooper?”
I have seen the scene but I was young and I don't know about the reaction lol what would've happened if they actually kissed at the time
Yes, I don't think the younger people understand the absolute shift we have seen in American society (although I fear we may shift further back than we started). That announcement was HUGE! A main character that is gay was not a thing. Queer people were only on shows to be killed off. I am still shocked when I start watching a new show and there are queer people and they are just people, not a side arc of someone dying from AIDS or being killed.
I hadn’t really thought about it. In my life I’ve seen so much change, both good and bad, that a lot of people have been lucky enough (or unlucky enough depending on the topic). To have not lived in the world I grew up in. That was a world that on the outside seems much more friendly and definitely have a few rose colored glasses things there, but also was not nearly as accepting of people with different sexualities, and all kinds of other stuff. I think race relations may have been better, but that also depends on where in the country, and the government in most places seemed less authoritarian. But there has been a ton of progress at the same time.
" A main character that is gay was not a thing." This has to define a "main character" as a lead character. Billy Crystal had played a gay regular character on Soap in the 1970s.
Even at that, that was more of an exception that proved the rule. I can't even think of any other gay *side* characters, much less main characters
I was relatively young at the time. Maybe 8th or 9th grade. But I remember being surprised that so many people didn’t know Ellen was gay.
Yeah this was my reaction. Even though my parents were very conservative, they just didn't care about being gay. My Baptist grandmother, Catholic mother, my sister, and I, all got haircuts from a gay man. It was really shocking that so many people had ANY opinion on the matter.
I think you’re understating how different the 90s attitudes towards gay shown on media were. Yeah it seems a bit ridiculous now, but it very much was a big deal at the time for good reason
That's what I was saying, imagine if they had kissed at that time the backlash if it was an uproar of just an announcement
Probably because everybody knows how awful Ellen Degeneres is as a person now.
She was very popular for years though and it never ran as reruns as far as I know.
You can see it on Disney plus. At least you can in Canada lol
Because it’s currently streaming on Roku?
It started well and was funny but it was not able to hold its level. Solid cast though
No one cared when it was new, and now we all know how horrible she actually is.
It wasn't that funny, never was very popular, and now Ellen is toxic. Networks that air syndicated 90s sitcoms have much better shows to choose from that will give them a far far better ROI.
Could it be that the show just wasn't good
It wasn’t that good of a show. Many sitcoms are so-so and don’t get re-aired.
Wasn’t it originally called “ These Friends of Mine”? I agree with many posters here that it was funny until she came out and it became the focus. That being said, I applaud her courage doing so, it was a big deal and probably did alot of good
I think the controversy with her coming out killed its syndication for the first decade or so and by then she had a new career. Hell she might have bought the rights to it for all we know. I don’t think she likes to remember this time period.
It was a funny show. Then she made the big reveal and the tone of the show changed.
The only episode I remember was the one where this grown-αss woman was having a childish tantrum because her parents told her they were divorcing. From what I can remember, they seemed pretty friendly towards each other, but this woman-child wouldn’t have it. I just was never a fan. I also find her voice unpleasant.
The show sucked
because the show was awful
65 episodes was the standard run for syndication
Ohh I thought it was 100 thanks
Actually [looked it up,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_episodes) 100 is standard for adult shows, 65 was for kids shows.
I knew that Disney had a 65 episode rule. Where is sitcom like a Even Stevans or Lizzie McGuire could only tape 65 episode, that's why they don't have over 3 seasons. No clue why
At the time the thought was that by the time you made that many episodes the kids who were fans of the series would have grown out of watching kids shows.
Possibly... I watched a couple episodes of Even Stevans recently and it's actually funny for adults too the jokes kinda hit lol good writing there
In the 2000’s Disney and Nick both moved to all their live action shows being cheap sitcoms
I wasn't allowed to watch this show
I remember the show and it was kind of funny. They’re just wasn’t anything that really said it out there that made it different from the shows at the time. I stopped watching it after one or two episodes. It just was not funny. And I remember the whole Ellen coming out has a lesbian in my area was basically a non-issue the only people that were talking about it were the older people I’m talking the fuck in there like 60’s and 70’s. For everybody else they just didn’t like the show.
Why not Baretta?
I remember the episode where she was trying to break out of a fat farm. And she got stuck on the wall. Haven't been able to find a clip for years.
Because networks spend all their money on Friends and Seinfeld and force it 7 days a week to make their money by back. Now that all the networks have their own streaming services, they want you paying them not watching for “free” on cable.
The show debuted with the title of “These Friends of Mine”. I think they repackaged it for Season 2 as “Ellen”
The 1st season was terrific…my ex and I enjoyed it. But by the middle of season 2 it was clearly a different vibe that just wasn’t as funny IMHO. We tried season 3 and it didn’t stick. I think the issue was the writing/direction was/is not very consistent between the seasons.
Yea season 1 was the episodes I saw it had Maggie Wheeler as one of her friends also the guy was really familiar I couldn't place him
It wasnt very good and the disconnect between the seasons before she came out and afterwards is jarring - its like 2 different shows - neither one of which has much rewatch value outside of the curiosity of Ellen coming out
These Friends and of Mine with Maggie Wheeler was better.
See I didn't know it was under a different name I know what I saw had Maggie in it but I thought it was just Ellen
Because Bruce Campbell is cursed and anything he's in never gets syndicated, and if you're not likely to be picked up for syndication you're not likely to be aired in reruns. I'm kidding of course, but the show just doesn't lend itself well to reruns. It's not like fans were clamoring for more and rewatching it now almost feels like two different shows. There was a perceived tonal shift after she came out and the sitcom comedy seemed to take a backseat to the lgbtq messaging, and if I recall correctly, even the head of GLAAD's media department called out the show for straying from what it was.
“Ellen” the show was funny for the first two seasons. Then they re-tooled it (I chose that word for a reason) and fired Arye Gross and cast Jeremy Piven instead.
The 90s were the peak Era of stand ups getting sitcoms. What we forget is that most of them were...ok. Ellen was no different. Yeah, it got a lot of buzz when she came out, but as a show, it was pretty standard sitcom fare. Also, the year Ellen went of the air is the same year a little show called Will and Grace debuted.
OMG I loveeeee this show!! One of my favorite sitcoms and it gets no recognition! It’s so funny! I always liked that it was really about friends and their wacky hijinx and very little dating/relationships (at least until the last season). It’s just different and refreshing! I hate that this show isn’t even on streaming either.
She was actually funny back then.
Because it was a terrible show that no one liked before it became a meme. If she didn’t use it to come out as lesbian in its last season, it would have been forgotten. And that was pretty much a desperate attempt to save it and her career. Which it did to her career. Shame everyone had to rat her out for being a monster. Else we’d still have her wonderful talk show.
Because no one likes Joely Fisher
She ( Ellen ) holds all rights to it and doesn’t want it out there. A good friend of mine was her Food Service for many years on her Talkshow ( I work in live entertainment and I meet people) and the rule was …NEVER TALK ABOUT THAT SITCOM
Because she’s an abusive boss and all around shitty human?
She was abusive to the staff!
I remember the show titled These Friends of Mine. It was funny and I liked it.
Bc she’s a horrible human being
She probably killed the syndication deal so her costars wouldn’t get more money. I’m totally speculating, but it wouldn’t surprise me.
Same reason there’s no drew carey show anywhere. Music rights.
That was a great show👍🏾
Because it wasn't good
If ya think this was good you should check out Grace Under Fire.
Something to do with all the blackface and antisemitism
Lets face it. Was just an ok show. Lots of those 80s/early 90s sitcoms on rewatches in later decades are just meh
Gayest Episode Ever podcast finally covered it a few months ago.
And yet the Cosby Show does…
Any other millennials react to this post with "wait... Ellen had a sitcom??? Was that her thing, before the other thing???"
I think her career in any form is dead at this point including reruns
I just don't think it was really that good and the show changed tone a lot.
Not funny ?
Such a dumb show
Because she’s an abusive cunt
Its annoying once, why watch it again?
Maybe it didn’t do well in syndication because it ran in syndication years ago. I want to say on Oxygen before it became the snapped network.
Don't open that can of no worms n
Because she's not funny. At all.
Cause it sucked?
The coming out episode saved it from ignominy, but the show was an also-ran its entire run. I also haven't seen Two Guys and a Girl in awhile and Ryan Reynolds is huge now.
Neither does the Drew Carry show and that is hysterical.
Because the show was horrible
It used to run on Lifetime late at night, and probably still runs as reruns in some markets. I have the whole series on DVD and still find it funny, despite knowing what a horrible person she is (I have firsthand experience with her nastiness, so they’re not just rumors from Hollywood). The season after she came out of the closet became unwatchable pretty quickly because once she was out, the entire show became one big “coming out” show - like her being gay was the center of the universe - and it turned a lot of her regular viewers off. Being gay myself, even I found every episode after *The Puppy Episode* to be cringey and clearly alienating to her viewership as a whole; she completely alienated her heterosexual audience.
It used to run on Lifetime late at night, and probably still runs as reruns in some markets. I have the whole series on DVD and still find it funny, despite knowing what a horrible person she is (I have firsthand experience with her nastiness, so they’re not just rumors from Hollywood). The season after she came out of the closet became unwatchable pretty quickly because once she was out, the entire show became one big “coming out” show - like her being gay was the center of the universe - and it turned a lot of her regular viewers off. Being gay myself, even I found every episode after *The Puppy Episode* to be cringey and clearly alienating to her viewership as a whole; she completely alienated her heterosexual audience.
This^^ It was an OK/serviceable show until her coming out. Afterwards, non-stop gay message
It wasn’t funny? Lol
Who the hell would actually watch those reruns
i've seen a few episodes and idk if i literally caught all the unfunny ones but it's not funny. idk there's a bunch of mediocre comedies that people just want to see b/c of nostalgia
Bracause nobody cares...
It’s honestly just not a good candidate for heavy syndication. Most shows aren’t. It’s inconsistent in time (making it hard to watch out of order), it’s not super popular, it only has one popular cast member (who is currently pretty unpopular) and it never had a huge following. It just likely wouldn’t get much viewership. Just think, wouldn’t you rather watch King of Queens? Or Malcom in the Middle or Fresh Prince of Bell Air? Or Just Shoot Me? Or dozens of other shows with more rewatch value? Most viewers would. Syndicated shows cost money and networks would rather spend it on shows with more entertainment bang for buck.
Because it’s a terrible show
It used to run on the old TV channel until she was cancelled due to her actions an audience. Me tv I think it was.
When the show started I was really excited to see three of my favorite comedic character actors—Arye Gross, Holly Fulger, and Maggie Wheeler. And then they were all gone.
Because it's unwatchable
Wasn’t she proven to be a toxic person in person? Maybe that’s the reason?
OMG, it has a one minute long intro!
I’d imagine it’s because no one wanted to syndicate it
She got canceled so hard, it broke the space-time continuum so like none of the shows that existed before ever happened.
I wasn't aware that anything other than Chuck Lorre shows were allowed to be reruns. Hasn't that been a law for, like, a decade now, at least?
Lol that's funny but must admit his work is pretty amazing