Throughout the mid-to-late 1980s into the early 1990s, sitcoms continued to enter first-run syndication after being canceled by the networks, the most successful of which were Mama's Family and Charles In Charge. Other sitcoms during this time to enter first-run syndication after network cancellation included Silver Spoons, Punky Brewster, Webster, It's a Living, Too Close for Comfort, 9 to 5, What's Happening!! (retitled as What's Happening Now!!), and WKRP in Cincinnati (as The New WKRP in Cincinnati). Many of these sitcoms produced new shows in syndication mainly to have enough episodes for a profitable run in rerun syndication. Other sitcoms, such as Small Wonder, Out of This World, The Munsters Today, and Harry and the Hendersons (as well as more action-adventure oriented series including Superboy and My Secret Identity) enjoyed success in syndication throughout the entire run.
0–9 9 to 5 – After ABC cancelled it five episodes into the 1983–84 season, new episodes of 9 to 5 resurfaced in first-run syndication in late 1986. Valerie Curtin was back as Judy Bernly as was Rachel Dennison as Doralee Rhodes. Assuming the starring role, in place of the unavailable Rita Moreno (Violet Newstead), was Sally Struthers as slightly naive single mother Marsha McMurray Shrimpton, who added fresh perspective to the group. For the second time in the TV series, the company that the lead characters worked for changed again, this time to Barkley Foods International. In the syndicated version, Franklin Hart was history; the girls' superiors were ladies' man Russ Merman (Peter Evans), Bud Coleman (Edward Winter), and Marsha's boss in the 1986–87 season, Charmin Cunningham (Dorian Lopinto). The following season, Vice President of Sales E. Nelson Felb (Fred Applegate) became Marsha's boss. The series enjoyed a revival in popularity, and with its additional seasons in first-run syndication, 9 to 5 became eligible for rerun syndication.
A The Abbott and Costello Show – The show was not a network program when first introduced but was sold into syndication by MCA Inc. to about 40 local stations across the country. As a result, it was broadcast on different days and at different times in different cities. In New York, it first appeared on the CBS affiliate, WCBS, on December 5, 1952 but was not carried nationally on that network. (The 1953–54 season was telecast locally on WNBT, as NBC's New York flagship station was then known). However, first season episodes were repeated as part of CBS' Saturday morning schedule during the 1954–55 season. All That Glitters – All That Glitters debuted the week of April 18, 1977 on about 40 stations in late-night syndication. After initially capturing 20% of viewers in major markets in its opening weeks, All That Glitters eventually lost about half of that audience mid-way through its run. The series was cancelled after 13 weeks, last airing on July 15, 1977.
B The Baxters – Unlike most other sitcoms, each episode was open-ended, the first half of each episode being a vignette featuring the Baxter family and presenting a situation or dilemma they faced, and the second half, an "instant analysis" talk-show format, giving a live studio audience and guests a chance to talk about the topic being presented. Stations carrying the show could choose between producing their own discussion segments locally, or presenting a national version of the segment which, during its first season, was produced in Los Angeles, and in its second season, Toronto. The discussion moderator in the second segment was different in each city, and in some local markets, viewers were invited to call in and voice their reactions. Boogies Diner – Boogies Diner (also known as Boogie's Diner) is a syndicated Canadian sitcom which first aired in 1994. It stars Jim J. Bullock, Monika Schnarre, and James Marsden in one of his first appearances on television. The series ended in 1995. Bustin' Loose – Bustin' Loose is an American sitcom that was loosely based on the 1981 film of the same name starring Richard Pryor. The series premiered in first-run syndication in 1987 and lasted for only one season.
C Charles in Charge – It was first broadcast on CBS from October 3, 1984 to April 3, 1985, when it was cancelled due to a struggle in the Nielsen ratings. It then had a more successful first-run syndication run from January 3, 1987 to November 10, 1990. 126 original episodes were aired in total. The show was produced by Al Burton Productions and Scholastic Productions in association with Universal Television. When the show ended its run on CBS, and entered first-run syndication in 1987, the story explained that the Pembrokes sub-leased their house and moved to Seattle, and the Powells moved in instead, thereby allowing Charles to live downstairs yet again. This time, the family consisted of grandfather Walter, mother Ellen (whose husband was in the Navy, and consequently could only visit his family sporadically), and her three children, Jamie, Sarah, and Adam. Check It Out! – Check it Out! is a Canadian television sitcom, which aired on CTV from September 1985 to April 1988. The series also aired in the United States in syndication and on the USA Network. Colonel Humphrey Flack – Colonel Humphrey Flack was an early American television series that ran from October 7, 1953 to July 2, 1954 on the DuMont Television Network, then revived from 1958 to 1959 for first-run syndication. When the series was revived in 1958, it was retitled Colonel Flack.
D D.C. Follies – It was syndicated in many markets, although it often aired at odd hours (7:30 p.m. in Los Angeles, but 1:30 a.m. in Washington, D.C.), making it difficult for the show to build a following. Dusty's Trail – Dusty's Trail is an American Western/comedy series that aired in syndication from September 1973 to March 1974.
F The First Family – The First Family is an American sitcom that debuted in first-run syndication in the United States on September 22, 2012. Created by Byron Allen and produced by Allen's production company Entertainment Studios, the series (along with Mr. Box Office, which debuted the same weekend and is also produced by Entertainment Studios) is the first situation comedy to air in first-run syndication since the 2000 cancellation of Malibu, CA. The First Family is primarily syndicated to stations affiliated with The CW and MyNetworkTV and to independent stations for broadcast in weekend primetime timeslots. The series will produce a total of 104 episodes, borrowing a similarly-formatted episode order as several sitcoms produced and distributed by Debmar-Mercury, such as Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Anger Management (though the aforementioned Debmar-Mercury produced programs operated under a syndication model where the programs were sold to cable networks with an initial ten-episode order, and obtained an additional order of at least 90 episodes if the series was successful).Byron Allen Casts New Syndicated Comedy 'First Family', The Hollywood Reporter, September 28, 2012. The series, which was sold as part of a two-hour comedy block with Mr. Box Office, was initially picked up by stations owned by Tribune Broadcasting, Weigel Broadcasting and CBS Television Stations; by May 2012, the program had been sold to stations in markets covering approximately 85% of the United States.Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios Clears Syndicated Sitcom Block For Fall ’12 Launch, Deadline Hollywood, May 21, 2012.
H Harry and the Hendersons – Harry and the Hendersons is an American sitcom based on the film of the same name, produced by Amblin Entertainment for Universal Television. The series aired in syndication from January 13, 1991 to June 18, 1993, with 72 half-hour episodes produced. The series is about a family who adopt a Bigfoot called Harry. Hey, Jeannie! – Twenty-six segments aired on CBS from September 8, 1956 to May 4, 1957 in the Saturday slot following The Gale Storm Show and preceding the western series Gunsmoke. Six additional episodes aired in 1958 in syndication. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show (hour long) – It debuted in first-run syndication on September 27, 1997 and ran for three consecutive seasons, concluding with the 66th episode on May 20, 2000. The show was cancelled due to Disney's unwritten policy of not producing shows with more than 65 episodes, even though it had one more episode. How to Marry a Millionaire – How to Marry a Millionaire is an American sitcom that aired in syndication from September 1957 to August 1959.
I Isabel's Honeymoon Hotel – In January 1987, The Jeffersons star Isabel Sanford starred in her own sitcom Isabel's Honeymoon Hotel, which aired five days a week in syndication. The series was created to showcase Sanford's comedic skills, but it failed to attract an audience and was quickly cancelled. It's a Living – While the show was never a hit on network TV, its fortunes would later turn around in 1983, when all 27 episodes went to syndication. The series began to attract a following along with surprising ratings for the reruns, which prompted the producers and Golden West Television to bring the series back. Another factor in its sudden rediscovery was Ann Jillian's public disclosure that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 1984, the same year as the announcement to bring the show back. In 1985, the show was revived under its old name - the title changed to Making a Living in its second network season - for the syndicated market. Most of the cast remained intact from the former version. A new waitress, Amy Tompkins (Crystal Bernard), arrived at the restaurant and was immediately accepted by the group. When Jillian decided to leave the show in 1986 (she had agreed to do only one season in syndication, plus she wanted to continue her treatments for breast cancer), she was replaced by Ginger St. James (Sheryl Lee Ralph). With these core cast members in place, the show continued to produce episodes for syndication until it ended in 1989.
L Learning the Ropes – Learning the Ropes is a Canadian-produced sitcom that aired on CTV in Canada and in syndication in the United States from September 1988 to March 1989. The series stars Lyle Alzado as Robert Randall, a teacher who works as a professional wrestler in the evening. Although his children knew about Randall's double life, the family was forced to keep it secret at school. The series featured guest appearances by many members of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Life with Elizabeth – The low-budget comedy was produced by and filmed at a local Los Angeles TV station where Betty White and Del Moore were on the staff (the series was originally a live production on KLAC-TV in 1952).
M Mack & Myer for Hire – Since each episode was approximately 12 minutes long, it was usually shown as part of a longer program. This was common at the time, as many stations across the United States would have shows, often hosted by clowns, which consisted of the Mack & Myer, Clutch Cargo and The Three Stooges shorts, combined with station-produced host segments. Madame's Place – Madame's Place aired for one first-run season from September 20, 1982 until February 25, 1983, although the actual number of episodes produced is disputed (some references say 150, some say 75). The show was unusual for a sitcom in that it was produced for first-run syndication to air five days a week.
Malibu, CA – Malibu, CA is an American teen sitcom television program produced by Saved by the Bell creator Peter Engel that aired from 1998 to 2000 on syndication.