Syndication
The cable channels of Encore Westerns, MoviePlex and RetroPlex began airing complete uncut commercial free episodes of The Virginian starting with a premier marathon in January 2010. Seasons 1 through 8 have been shown. In October 2011, James Drury's personal assistant verified that Encore Westerns will be dropping the show in December of the same year. Personal correspondence with an Encore employee has yielded the following results: " Thank you very much for your correspondence concerning The Virginian. I’ve checked our schedule and it seems The Virginian will not be available for a few months but will come back into license window 8/2012 through 01/2014. Of course there is always the chance that something will come up to change these dates..." Although the staff has stated that the show will be available for a renewing of the license in August 2012, they have firmly stated that the show will not be available until that time. Concerned fans have sent numerous letters, emails and telephone calls to the company voicing their concern. They feel that it is unfair to cancel the show, especially in its 50th anniversary year.
The Inspiration Network cable channel began an exclusive three year agreement to run The Virginian starting with a marathon of episodes on September 22, 2012 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the show.
Read more about this topic: The Virginian (TV series)