So there is definitely an alternate universe where Friends spent its entire run on Seven then.
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Seven tried Everybody Loves Raymond but it was a flop. From what I recall, they onsold the rights to Ten who were looking for more content and were satisfied with mediocre ratings. It’s their persistence that made it somewhat of a hit.
Ten did the same with Seinfeld when Nine wasn’t interested after screening the first season and it wasn’t an instant hit. Nine did the reverse by picking up Frasier from Ten and making that a hit.
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I think Nine wanted to keep Seinfeld but were unable to due to some contractual restraint, can’t rescall what exactly.
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Ten initially had Frasier?
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I didn’t think so but maybe I’d just forgotten
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Whenever Seinfeld was repeated, it would always be from Season 2 onwards.
The first season was rarely if ever repeated.
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Similar to The Simpsons, Whenever Ten would go back to the start during its 6 pm showings they would only ever go back to Season 2 and never show Season 1.
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Did they just not repeat the first season or was it a rights thing?
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I’d just assume they chose to never rerun it. The first season is kind of jarring when you compare it to Season 2 onward.
I think a lot of shows are in the same boat. Family Guy and South Park on 7mate/7flix and 10 Shake/SBS Viceland also skip season 1.
The last time I saw the 1st season of South Park on FTA was in 2008 when SBS aired it.
Going back to 2012/2013, Gem would only shows season 3-10 of Friends. I used to actually think that Season 3 ep1 was the pilot!
I thought it was a network deal… due to Seven losing Lois & Clark (the new adventures of Superman) the same time. Surprisingly enough it’s returned all these years to 7+.
I think Nine became the exclusive partner to all WB content from 1996.
Yes this was as a result of Lorimar Telepictures being folded into WB and only WB output deals stood. The previous output deals were voided.
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it’s not even on Disney+! Although his later sitcom Last Man Standing is on that platform.
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Friends was originally from Lorimar? That makes perfect sense now. Full House, also from Lorimar, moved from Seven to Nine
If Lorimar doesn’t get acquired then yeah. Friends probably becomes the giant hit for Seven that it was for Nine.
In the same alternate universe, Seven gets The Simpsons from 1994/95
Source: SMH - 3 March 94
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I presume that was the start of Seven’s output relationship with Fox, continuing through the 2000s.
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