Reruns Go From Déjà Vu to New

TV networks are trying to get viewers excited about some of the most boring things on the air: reruns.

ABC has spiced up week-old episodes of "Lost" by running onscreen commentary that offers viewers more background on the action taking place and even points out a few clues to the story that might go unseen by the untrained eye.
'Lost' for ideas? ABC added onscreen commentary to old episodes, as well as clues to the story that may have gone unseen.
'Lost' for ideas? ABC added onscreen commentary to old episodes, as well as clues to the story that may have gone unseen.

CBS, meanwhile, has run themed trivia questions and behind-the-scenes notes about production on episodes of both "Ghost Whisperer" (where the comments were called "Love Notes") and "CSI: Miami" ("Bullet Points").

Getting couch potatoes to take a gander at programs that ran weeks, months or even years ago has never been easy. NBC breathlessly made a run at the task by telling viewers in the summer of 1997 that repeat episodes of its programs were "new to you" if they hadn't been watched before. But with networks still trying to fill their programming slates after the three-month writers strike, reruns are all they have for some time slots.

Filling holes
Networks "are all going to have to fill some holes, and they are going to have to be creative with how they go about it," said Laura Caraccioli-Davis, exec VP at Publicis Groupe's Starcom USA. The broadcast networks have come under more pressure to reduce costs while at the same time preventing the gradual erosion of ratings taking place as more viewers turn to the web or mobile devices for entertainment.

The situation could last into the fall, because many networks reduced the number of pilots they've ordered -- more fallout from the strike. Media buyers expect most broadcast networks to have empty patches in their schedules come September and believe these bell-and-whistle reruns might work as a temporary solution.

These "enhanced" repeats use tactics often seen in the marketing of DVDs. To entice viewers to rent or buy a DVD of a movie they may have seen in theaters or earlier seasons of a TV show, studios often include deleted scenes, commentary from actors or directors and original movie trailers. Ms. Caraccioli-Davis said networks might try to treat repeats as something ripe for "extended versions" or background scenes.

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