Episodes that never aired

[Spmahn]

I was just thinking today, what became of episodes which for whatever reason never aired due to being pre-empted unexpectedly such as the episode scheduled for 9/11/01 or the week following or even more recently episodes that were pre-empted for the impeachment hearings? Are these episodes just stuck back in the rotation and the producers just account for having them available and reduce the taping schedule later on to compensate, or are they just lost forever?

Corrected a small grammatical error with the thread title. My journalist OCD kicked in. - PTR

[bigblue999]

I think the scheduled episode on 9/11 was a repeat since the 30th season premiere aired on 9/24. I could be wrong (Steve?).

The episode that Cover Up debuted was preempted in most of the country and never reaired.

[pricefan18]

I think the scheduled episode on 9/11 was a repeat since the 30th season premiere aired on 9/24. I could be wrong (Steve?).

Not Steve, but it woulda been per the FAQ. Season Premiere was pushed to a week later though, I assume that was due to 9/11 but don't quote me on that.

[SteveGavazzi]

I was just thinking today, what became of episodes which for whatever reason never aired due to being pre-empted unexpectedly such as the episode scheduled for 9/11/01 or the week following or even more recently episodes that were pre-empted for the impeachment hearings? Are these episodes just stuck back in the rotation and the producers just account for having them available and reduce the taping schedule later on to compensate, or are they just lost forever?

Regarding 9/11 specifically, the summer reruns were still underway when that happened, so there wasn't a new episode to pre-empt.  The entire new network TV season got pushed back a week in the aftermath, though, and that included TPIR.  They shuffled a few episodes around I don't think I ever knew, but the most notable change was that the entire third week of the season got shifted to January, presumably so that they could leave as many episodes as possible when they'd originally planned to air them.  (They also then shifted that week's Thursday show back to October in place of the second week's Thursday show, presumably because the former had the debut of Pass the Buck on it.)

Pre-empted episodes all get aired.  If they're only partially pre-empted, they might not get aired in their entirety in every timezone (and some parts occasionally don't get aired in any timezone), because they're never guaranteed to be rerun, but they do get broadcast.  Outside of a small number of shows that were intentionally pulled because of severe production errors, the only episode that's never been aired at all is September 14, 1978, a half-hour episode that was taped in anticipation of a magazine show pre-empting the first half of Price's time slot that day that ended up not being needed.

As for cutting the taping schedule, things don't work that way now, but it looks like they did in the past.  Up through Season 26, the show just appears to have done however many episodes it could fit in before the second or third week of June.  Starting in 27, it changed to a straight 175 shows per season (28 and 29 have fewer because of Bob's surgery in 1999 and some weirdness involving the first two weeks of shows taped under 29's contract being regarded as part of 28), and it was upped to 190 when Drew took over in 36.

[pricefan18]

As for cutting the taping schedule, things don't work that way now, but it looks like they did in the past.  Up through Season 26, the show just appears to have done however many episodes it could fit in before the second or third week of June.  Starting in 27, it changed to a straight 175 shows per season (28 and 29 have fewer because of Bob's surgery in 1999 and some weirdness involving the first two weeks of shows taped under 29's contract being regarded as part of 28), and it was upped to 190 when Drew took over in 36.

I feel like this was talked about before.....but...say the show stayed at a half hour in the 70's. Do you think they mighta never done a summer break then like they started to once they went to an hour? I'd presume it'd have to have been why just cause of the bigger load hour shows entailed on every level, although I know MANY shows used the studio in this period too so that could also have been a factor.

[sayingsorry]

Outside of a small number of shows that were intentionally pulled because of severe production errors, the only episode that's never been aired at all is September 14, 1978, a half-hour episode that was taped in anticipation of a magazine show pre-empting the first half of Price's time slot that day that ended up not being needed.

Do we know what happened during that episode? I wonder if Scott ever got to watch it/if it even still exists

[Gerald78]

Shall we assume the contestants on the 9/14/78 show never got their prizes?

[SteveGavazzi]

Shall we assume the contestants on the 9/14/78 show never got their prizes?

Dunno why we would.  I'm pretty sure Goodson was usually on the up-and-up about things like that.

[Spmahn]

So basically every episode airs somewhere, even if it’s heavily pre-empted in much of the country, it probably will not be pre-empted everywhere, and if for some reason it does get pre-empted in your market, in most cases you’ll be out of luck for seeing it unless you pay for CBS All Access?

What about in cases where a pre-emption is known in advance, say CBS has a sporting event scheduled, or on Inauguration Day or something, are those sorts of things factored into the taping schedule?

[TinoStar11]

What about in cases where a pre-emption is known in advance, say CBS has a sporting event scheduled, are those sorts of things factored into the taping schedule?

When it's March Madness , they only air a new episode on Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday shows are reruns. Thursday and Friday's shows are bumped due to the 1st tournament games on those days starting around Noon EDT.

[SteveGavazzi]

What about in cases where a pre-emption is known in advance, say CBS has a sporting event scheduled, or on Inauguration Day or something, are those sorts of things factored into the taping schedule?

Generally, yes.

(Although inauguration day specifically is kind of a weird thing -- over the years, more often than not, the show has managed to forget that they'll be pre-empted that day, do a show for it, and then end up airing it a couple months late when someone finally remembers.)

[LiteBulb88]

What would happen if an episode themed around a specific day got fully preempted (say, for example, the Valentine's Day Blind Date episode)? Would CBS show that later or just put it up on All Access and be done with it?

[moneygamelover]

What would happen if an episode themed around a specific day got fully preempted (say, for example, the Valentine's Day Blind Date episode)? Would CBS show that later or just put it up on All Access and be done with it?

In recent years at least, it's been common for themed shows to air during summer reruns anyway. Last summer, if I remember correctly, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Super Bowl, and Valentine's Day all were rerun during summer reruns despite the holidays not being in the summer rerun period. Dream Car Week and Big Money Week also got returns. It appears as though themed shows are given preference for rerun in the modern era.

[pricefan18]

In recent years at least, it's been common for themed shows to air during summer reruns anyway. Last summer, if I remember correctly, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Super Bowl, and Valentine's Day all were rerun during summer reruns despite the holidays not being in the summer rerun period. Dream Car Week and Big Money Week also got returns. It appears as though themed shows are given preference for rerun in the modern era.

I suppose that makes sense. Since you got so many, may as well.

[pricefan18]

Dunno why we would.  I'm pretty sure Goodson was usually on the up-and-up about things like that.

Those on the final weeks of MG 79....that were left unaired for many years till GSN showed them finally, had they been paid at the time in the same vein? I feel like I've seen it said they hadn't been.