How I Met Your Mother to Be Shown on Lifetime
By JD
Twentieth Television sold off-net sitcom How I Met Your Mother to female-focused cable network Lifetime Television for a once-per-week run starting in fall 2010.
I’m not at all happy about this. First Project Runway, now HIMYM. I respect that Lifetime’s trying to expand their reach past shitty movie-of-the-week but I wish they’d picked up a different show than How I Met Your Mother. It just doesn’t seem like a good fit. Maybe for the Lifetime of the future, but that rebranding is going to take a longer time than between now and when HIMYM stars airing.
Although, I can’t fret too much. Look at shows like Scrubs that, right now, have episodes on three or four different networks. We’ll see I guess. I was holding out for TBS.
What do you guys think?
NOTE: As far as I can tell this only refers to syndication, not first-run content. Sorry that wasn’t clear.
Update: Reader Humberto points out:
“Lifetime forked over a strapping $82.5 million (or about $750,000 an episode multiplied by 110 half hours). That’s the second biggest license fee ever ponied up by a cable network for a sitcom in the first cycle” -Variety
Well done HIMYM!
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed
18 Comments to “How I Met Your Mother to Be Shown on Lifetime”
Leave a Reply
This is a Gravatar-enabled weblog. If you want your own picture instead of the monster, register for free at Gravatar with the email address you use to comment.
Wait for it…
Subscribe to RSS
Become a Fan
Ike | Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 07:04 pm GMT -4
Hmmm yeah that doesn’t excite me. It’s nice to know someone has bought syndication rights, which means a guaranteed season 5. TBS would be a better fit, but it seems they don’t go for the rights first and wait for lower rates. I bet it will eventually be syndicated by one of the big networks and tbs or comedy central.
Wingman | Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 08:03 pm GMT -4
“As the destination women turn to first, Lifetime Television is the premier source of entertainment and information for and about women.” according to Time Warner Cable Media Sales.
I always figured HIMYM to be a genderally well-balanced show.
But Lifetime is not one of the channels I ever casually surf past, not like TBS or USA. And lord knows I’ll turn my tv off after watching a rerun, and my friends will come over to watch football, turn on the TV to find the Golden Girls playing – although Rue Mclanahan is the original Barney.
Mike | Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 08:16 pm GMT -4
Yeah, I am not so thrilled it’s Lifetime but reading GMMR (http://www.givememyremote.com/remote/how-i-met-your-mother-has-life-on-lifetime/), it’s at least good to know there was a bidding war and that they bought up to eight seasons of the show.
The $725k per episode price tag sounds good too. I’m sure it’s not top 5 or 10 for the last 10-15 years but I’d be curious to see how that matches up.
Liz | Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 08:32 pm GMT -4
It would have been a better fit on TBS. Maybe Lifetime wants to be known for something other than its hilariously awful movies. It doesn’t matter because syndication is a step in the right direction no matter what network
Liz | Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 08:34 pm GMT -4
It would have been a better fit on TBS. But syndication is a good thing, so it doesn’t matter. As long as they don’t sell the rights for a spin-off Lifetime movie, the show should be okay.
mothership | Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 08:52 pm GMT -4
nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Tim | Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 09:10 pm GMT -4
I am just happy it is in syndication!!!
Hee | Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 09:49 pm GMT -4
Lifetime…. that’s so random…
Though I don’t think the other channels are going to feel much threat from Lifetime so I forsee multi-channel syndication.
john darc | Thursday, September 25th, 2008 02:37 am GMT -4
I think it will be funny for Barney’s tactics to be shown on a women’s channel. Take that, feminism!
Taryn | Thursday, September 25th, 2008 06:49 am GMT -4
I’m just happy its in syndication, but Lifetime definitely doesnt share its demographic with HIMYM…
Humberto | Thursday, September 25th, 2008 06:55 am GMT -4
“Lifetime forked over a strapping $82.5 million (or about $750,000 an episode multiplied by 110 half hours). That’s the second biggest license fee ever ponied up by a cable network for a sitcom in the first cycle” -Variety
jackatak08 | Thursday, September 25th, 2008 12:03 pm GMT -4
That sucks. TBS or Comedy Central or ABCFam would have been better. I just don’t want to tell my friends, “hey there is this hilarious show…you should check it out!” Oh what is it on? “Lifetime… :-[“
TheMix | Thursday, September 25th, 2008 04:16 pm GMT -4
If I could’ve imagined the absolute LAST place HIMYM being syndicated…..
I still probably couldn’t have come up with Lifetime.
Good for them though!
Jason
Alaina | Thursday, September 25th, 2008 04:19 pm GMT -4
Not the ideal…..but, being the huge Golden Girls fan that I am, I only found this show because of Lifetime….they do have shows like Will and Grace and Frasier, so they do have some smart sitcoms….maybe some freshman in college will find this when she’s getting ready for classes and fall in love, like I did with Golden Girls!
Humberto | Thursday, September 25th, 2008 05:34 pm GMT -4
I hope the cast and writers are getting a raise out of this? If Charlie Sheen gets $1 million an episode for a show that sells at $800K/ep. then surely this cast deserves more than the rumored $50K/ep. they get. I know 50K is insane money for a week’s work but why should the studios get to keep all the swag? This cast would probably use that money to finance independent film projects instead of the hookers and coke that Charlie Sheen uses his cash for.
AR | Friday, September 26th, 2008 05:52 am GMT -4
Humberto- NPH mentioned on Howard Stern that he gets $50-60,000 per episode and that AH probably gets more; that suggests that Josh Radnor, Jason Segel and Cobie Smulders are getting less. Sure, it’s by no means terrible money (considering that’s how much lots of people get in a year!) but they’ll definitely end up getting more money through syndication.
AF | Friday, September 26th, 2008 11:08 am GMT -4
I don’t think Lifetime is the best fit for HIMYM as many others have shared but…the pricetag is awesome. And the fact there was a bidding war over who got to have it.
Carl Hoffman | Saturday, June 12th, 2010 09:03 pm GMT -4
How I met your mother continues to amaze me.After 5 years on CBS the writing for this show continues to be good. The show has talented actors and just enough comedy to make this show work. The Lifetime network understands how important this program is. CBS also understands how important this comedy is.This show is in a tough 8PM Mondays schedule.You have Dancing With the Stars and House MD.Yet this show stands its ground.Lifetime made the smart move.This show should do well in Lifetimes 2010 fall scedule