Why do they "cut" syndication episodes?

Why do they cut and leave parts out for syndication?

Because the add more commercials.

There are more commercials during the syndication runs...60 seconds must be cut from every single episode before it's ready for syndication. Jerry personally helps to cut every single episode to prepare it, working with editors and the director (Andy Ackerman).

Michael Alexander

What does this mean for all those collectors out there (complete or otherwise)? I hope they bring all 180 uncut, commercial free episodes out on DVDs some day. But how much would you all be willing to pay for them? Maybe $500 for the lot? I bet they'd charge $1000 or maybe $2000 if the prices of A & E videos are anything

to go by. That's a lot of money for a show about nothing!

Jon

Alexande59 wrote:

I'd buy! Hell, we spent $25 per 4 episode tape for SOAP (23 volumes), I would shell out that & maybe a little more for [address] Columbia House TV Library/Re-TV to carry it.They send out request cards.

In , Jonathan writes:

hey big spender, spend a little dime with me

Alexande59 wrote:

Are you fucking shitting me!?! So the syndicated Seinfelds are not the original Seinfelds?!?

John Willoughby wrote:

They're all a minute shorter. Yep. Syndication has done similar things to nearly every other syndicated program. Seinfeld is the only one I know of where two principals from the original series are so involved in the small editing.

Best, WT

We can only hope that in the future some cable station gets the rights to run "Seinfeld" episodes in their original condition; or that the episodes become available for home video rental. Cutting for syndication, even if Jerry was involved, must change the whole comic rhythm from what was initially intended. I have only seen most "Seinfeld" episodes in their abbreviated syndication form. I hope I can see the originals before too long. Does anyone out there know if that is likely to become a possibility--via video?

Bob Seletsky

Actually that's not true. Both local stations and basic cable give syndicated re-reruns 22 minutes per half hour show. I was thinking of Comedy Central which seems to be airing things complete even if they run over the magic thirty-minute slot, like "Absolutely Fabulous," "Fawlty Towers," "Monty Python," "The Critic."

In article , [email] wrote:

Well, the Comedy Network in Canada carries the Simpsons in their original condition, uncut. Maybe someday they'll do the same with Seinfeld.

I don't know anything about the Canada Comedy Network, but
I can imagine that given the reason you were there, you were
not necessarily in the right frame of mind to judge anything
comedy related.
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Look at what they do to Star Trek! Whole SCENES are gone. Not that it matters much, because they've got them all memorized. In one show, Mick Fleetwood was left in the credits. Everyone tried to tell me he played a fish, but Mick is TALL. About 6' 4" I think, and the fish were shorter. He *may* have played a fish, but he also played one of the bad guys on the holodeck.

Maybe that's what Jerry needs on his final show, a holodeck ending. "Computer, end program." And Elaine, Kramer, George, Newman and a scimitar--wielding Babu all disappear. Jerry smiles, straightens his tunic, and walks out into the corridor of the Enterprise.

Portions of a show seem to always be deleted for syndication. This is why Nick at Nite received much praise 3 or 4 yrs ago when it began its run of "I Love Lucy", using complete episodes, with scenes unseen in over 30 yrs. The butchering of syndicated sitcoms is extremely obvious in "All in the Family" and "MASH." I was disappointed Jerry agreed to delete scenes,; probably the best bet for uncut episodes will be the CBS video club, when/if it offers Seinfeld.

This is completey untrue. Season 8 is now (or was a few months back) beginning its syndication run. I have a taped NBC version and a taped syndie version and they are exactly the same.

mchowkwa wrote:

That's very good news. But for episodes from seasons 1 through 7, comparisons of NBC originals and syndicated versions are not so happy. I got the feeling that as of last season, they were deliberatly making the originals shorter, thinking about future syndication.

Bob Seletsky

[email] (mchowkwa) wrote:

For much of season 8, the scene during the opening credits (where Jerry's stand-up used to be) was completely irrelevant to the rest of the episode, so as not to be missed when cut for syndication. Early seasons had stand-up cut from the middle of the episode. In the middle seasons, the ending stand-up is cut off. Starting with season 6, where the ending stand up disappeared, the opening stand-up got cut. Now the general rule is to cut the opening scene, as it is usually either irrelevant or unimportant (For instance, the first scene of "The Apology," where the naked girlfriend comes out for breakfast is repeated in the following scene in the diner. This is probably the scene that will get cut in syndication, but you'll be able to understand the episode without it.

To have more time for commercials to pay the exorbitant syndication fees.