Do networks go overboard with the marathons?

K

Kido

New member
I know it applies to live action as well, but every other weekend or day they do a five hour marathon or whatever of the same shows over and over, and while I get it's due to ratings, it sometimes smacks of laziness. CN used to do the Super Chunk thing and all that, but it was varied, at least.
 
I indulge myself in cartoons the same way that I do food: in massive quantities. Give me a little taste and I want more. So I've found myself sitting and watching hour after hour of Family Guy/Phineas And Ferb marathons. And as long as there's people like me who will sit and watch, the networks will keep airing the shows in such a way.
 
YES!

There used to be a time when marathons were a special event. Nowadays, they sorta understate the lack of variety in most channel programming.
 
It kinda goes back to the phrase "Too much of a good thing." I remember when marathons were special, not what seems to be a cheap way to fill air time.

Granted, I'll watch a marathon of a show I like, but variety is the spice of life and the TV stations are not utilizing it enough.
 
CN isn't too bad when it comes to marathon programming. They have a lot more variety in their schedule now (especially with Dexter's Lab and PPG's return) than they've had in several years. It almost (keyword: almost) harkens back to the Powerhouse Era days, when they were perhaps the most varied network on TV.

Nick and Disney, on the other hand? Don't even get me started. Nick especially. Quite frankly, there isn't much more to say that hasn't already been said. The fact that they've actually burned off one whole slot of Spongebob (out of, like, 10) for a daily episode of Rugrats could be seen as a small miracle. That schedule still needs a lot of help, though.
 
Cartoon Network seems fine in that department. I notice Johnny Test and Total Drama airing quite a bit on the network, but I don't think they do weekly marathons of those or most shows, and they have a pretty varied weekday schedule.

From what I notice, Disney's alright there as well. Sure they mostly play their various kidcoms across the day, but there seems to be some amount of consistency on there.

Nick though... whenever I turn to that channel, I swear if SpongeBob or iCarly aren't on, it's a fluke. If that's what is doing fine for them, then great, but I doubt that every kid in the country wants the same five hours of both shows everyday that Nick puts on. A little more variety wouldn't be too bad.

I don't pay attention to the digital cable channels even though I have them. From what I can tell on NickToons Network though, Avatar fans should be happy since they must replay the entire series at least once a week.
 
Back in the days before DVD sets of complete television seasons, the idea of marathons had a certain appeal, but if like a TV series enough to revisit it, I'm gonna buy the DVD sets and watch them whenever I want, not sit through a three or four-hour block of the same show just hoping a favorite episode will pop up at random.
 
I speak from experience when I say marathons can be very exhausting. I normally avoid cable TV channels that only air about five or six different shows a week.

I don't care that some shows are more popular than others. I like a little diversity in a network.

Nickelodeon has been making their own cartoons for TWENTY YEARS now. There shouldn't be any reason for their Nicktoons channel not to change up their schedule now and again.
 
Well, just wait until they get TMNT and Power Rangers (the latter of which should be coming soon). Nicktoons will be airing the '03 series, which has 156 episodes... a little less than SpongeBob, but the reruns won't be that redundant for awhile (not to mention at first seasons 3 and 4, which 4Kids hadn't been showing much lately, will get some attention). But as for Power Rangers, even if they give it the SpongeBob/Avatar treatment, it has 700 episodes. Therefore, the reruns won't feel repetitive for a long time (especially RPM, which did not even air everywhere).
 
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