Syndicated drama. Last week I shared the 13 most lucrative sitcoms in syndication. TV dramas are often rerun, too, but less often because they tend to be an hour long, which makes them less flexible to schedule. While old comedies like I Love Lucy are still often rerun, I don't see any vintage dramas on this list.
Platforms report views differently so it's impossible to determine what shows are most popular. Instead this list is the 13 titles that cost the most for channels and platforms to buy. Mark Harmon was rumored to make $500,000/episode during his last seasons on NCIS. Considering that it's still making a ton of money for CBS/Paramount, they got their money's worth.
1. NCIS (2004 - )
2. Grey's Anatomy (2005 - )
3. The X-Files (1993-2002)
4. Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
5. The Sopranos (1999-2007)
6. Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
7. Mad Men (2007-2015)
8. ER (1994-2009)
9. Law & Order: SVU (1999- )
10. Stranger Things (2016- )
11. House (2004-2012)
12. The Walking Dead (2010-2022)
13. Criminal Minds (2005-2020)
How about you? Any favorites here? To be honest, I wouldn't curl up to watch any of these. I am second to none in my appreciation for Mad Men, but it gives me PTSD. (Do you suppose many mobsters watch The Sopranos?) I enjoyed SVU and NCIS when they first ran, but I dunno, now they either seem too violent/depressing or not worth the investment of time. If I'm going to settle in for more than an hour, I'll watch a movie.
Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.
