Comments on: Not Wanting To Be Left Out: The Mentalist Sold Into Syndication, Too

By: lunakasha

lunakasha — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:38:18 +0000

This is wonderful news! I am a huge fan of this show, and Simon Baker is perfectly cast in the role of Patrick Jane. I can see this show continuing for several more seasons, and it is one of very few shows that I don’t mind watching in repeats. As Judy mentioned already, his smile and charm are irresistible. I really enjoy watching the entire cast/characters. Except for Bosco.

By: Diego

Diego — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:15:03 +0000

Yes!!!!! I love The Mentalist and Jane rocks I hate that Bosco I hate him hate him

By: forg

forg — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:43:48 +0000

Not really a surprise, I could see this show lasting for years. I think The Big Bang Theory could be next

By: Bill Gorman

Bill Gorman — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:39:38 +0000

Catherine, no change to the Index since both of these shows were locks to return next season because of their ratings. Is there a potential in a future year of potentially poor ratings for them to be kept on the air to achieve the number of episodes needed? Yes, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

By: nkinsey

nkinsey — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:15:26 +0000

But for the commentor saying that Mentalist should have gone to USA:

I highly doubt USA wanted to buy Mentalist, seeing as how they still air successful originals of the show that The Mentalist was based off of: Psych

By: nkinsey

nkinsey — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:14:03 +0000

Johnthemon- 100 used to be the preferred number for syndication, to allow shows to run 5 days a week without being stale, but even then it was just a preference. Lately syndication deals (especially with cable nets) have been more lenient, and seen as a win/win between the channels with the syndicated eps and the networks airing originals (reruns have most definately helped NCIS & House for their respective networks)

By: cool

cool — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:12:58 +0000

ANTM is on MTV or Oxygen.. I don’t remember.

By: johnthemon

johnthemon — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:37:50 +0000

I’m not sure I understand syndication, if someone could enlighten me.

I thought you had to have 100 episodes before you went into syndication, and that’s why shows like Ugly Betty and Til’ Death are still around.

By: Jon

Jon — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:23:36 +0000

The Mentalist would have worked on USA but TNT makes sense as it means Warner Bros gets to reap the benefit, NCIS: LA must have been sought after too but having NCIS and NCIS: LA will probably work out for USA in the long run.

A lot of networks like TNT got burnt buying shows like Without a Trace and Cold Case only for them to undeperform, so naturally they have been hestitant to buy shows straight away for more money hence why A&E got Criminal Minds for a bargain and Ghost Whisperer was sold to Syfy, WE and ION.

By: Holly

Holly — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:03:17 +0000

@bigSkinnyJerk, Could it have gotten more than $2.3 million in a couple of years? Maybe, but it definitely wouldn’t have been twice that. It did get more than every other hour-long in syndication besides NCIS:LA. Not exactly a major discount there.

@Cody, Yes, Heroes is on G4 and MOJO, Lost is on Syfy, Grey’s Anatomy is on Lifetime, and ANTM is on…something. Serialized shows can and do get syndication, but it happens less often, they get much lower ratings, and generally get lower prices.

By: The_GodfatherSJP

The_GodfatherSJP — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:02:25 +0000

Ummm, if Time Warner is selling a show from its studio to its network, they’re basically paying themselves, aren’t they? I know they have to report this on the books as a sale for each part of the company, but still, it’s not like money is really changing hands here.

While CBS is actually making money selling the show to another company, in this case NBC, right?

Is this an expensive sale for a show? 2 million or more?

By: Catherine

Catherine — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:56:41 +0000

Wasn’t there major litigation over how Fox was under selling syndication rights for X-Files to, well, Fox by “Fox”?

With all the syndication deals I guess that means that these shows are going to be renewed for a while? Does that affect your cancel/renew index?

By: Cody

Cody — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:30:01 +0000

People say that Serials dont work for syndication but thats not true. Heroes V for SYFY. Maybe not network syndication but cable it works.

By: SleeperActiveCompass

SleeperActiveCompass — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:59:34 +0000

Next Dollhouse sold in syndication to the Travel Network for $5 and episode! Travel Network needs the 0.8 in the 18 to 49 the show captures.

By: Jared

Jared — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:32:10 +0000

So when does V sell into syndication to Syfy?

By: the gothrage

the gothrage — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:25:35 +0000

the ‘HANK FLIES’

By: ABCFanatic2009

ABCFanatic2009 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:33:40 +0000

wow big salary for Simon Baker! who needs a movie when you get a million per episode in a TV Series

By: dsfjr1190

dsfjr1190 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:23:49 +0000

So when is someone going to buy the syndication rights to Supernatural?

By: Jason Hollowed

Jason Hollowed — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:32:30 +0000

Or Hankhouse?

By: Bill Gorman

Bill Gorman — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:45:24 +0000

You must be thinking of Hankfeld.

By: cool

cool — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:33:20 +0000

Castle is next!

By: Cullen

Cullen — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:31:42 +0000

I want in!

The Hank Lopez Show

By: BigSkinnyJerk

BigSkinnyJerk — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:30:55 +0000

Slow economy equals desparate deals, I suppose. WB could have gotten double had they waited two years, so that tells me there’s some cash flow problems.

By: Samantha

Samantha — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:12:35 +0000

‘Til Hank sounds even better.

By: Nightstar

Nightstar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:05:52 +0000

Coming soon! The greatest television series ever! Already sold into syndication on THREE cable channels! NEXT WEEK — THE PREMIERE!

By: Robert Seidman

Robert Seidman — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:52:35 +0000

The Mentalist is produced by the Time Warner owned Warner Bros and being sold to the Time Warner owned TNT. The CBS produced NCIS: LA is being sold to the NBCU owned USA network. I’m sure it’s at least partly (perhaps largely, or even 100%) a deficit in my brain that can’t grasp a deal going down under the umbrella of the same company actually being as lucrative as a deal between two companies that aren’t under the same umbrella. But yeah, my brain can’t grasp that as being as lucrative (even aside from NCIS: LA already costing more per episode based on the reports).

But I like the move regardless as all of the “broader” cable nets must be thinking “WOW, look at what NCIS reruns do on USA! WE need something like that.”

Holly, first Hank needs to be re-branded “According to Hank”

By: BlueLick

BlueLick — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:42:53 +0000

The USA vs. TNT wars are in full swing except the fact that USA’s Raw will have a separate Monday Night War II battle in 2010 against SPIKE’s TNA. Cable’s wars are going to get interesting here.

I really wanted The Mentalist to get on USA as I saw that as a good fit and USA tends to do better with their procedural repeats than TNT does. USA still has a shot at getting second-run rights to The Mentalist later in that decade doing a CSI: NY maybe where the show is on two networks and by then Psych will probably be canceled.

This now opens up the door to another character focus procedural in Castle whose fan base has grown quickly. Castle would be a huge fit on USA and would be a huge deal breaker for ABC which needs some procedurals to ship out. USA can market the Castle character and Stana Katic’s character.

BTW, Jane is just the funniest character on all of television. This guy was in jail and brought hiself out of a potential beating.

By: Judy

Judy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:36:03 +0000

I couldn’t be happier! The Mentalist is the best series on television! And that Simon Baker can win anybody’s heart with that smile of his!

By: Holly

Holly — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:30:41 +0000

Everybody’s in Syndication! Next announcement: Hank!