WGN America - Programming

Programming

WGN America now relies primarily on a variety of reruns, such as Futurama, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Scrubs, The New Adventures of Old Christine, 'Til Death, 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother, Walker, Texas Ranger, Matlock, Monk, Rules of Engagement and edited syndication versions of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Most shows airing on the channel can also be seen on other over-the-air broadcast stations nationwide, but have been cleared by the studios' television syndication distribution units for "full-signal" rights, and therefore are allowed to air on WGN America as they do not fall under syndication exclusivity regulations (for example, although syndicated reruns of 30 Rock now air on other television stations nationwide, including WGN-TV/Chicago, it is allowed to air on WGN America due to its clearance by NBCUniversal for "full-signal" carriage).

Feature films also air on the channel, which are also cleared for "full-signal" carriage as the superstation feed runs films from syndicated packages distributed by Sony Pictures Television, Warner Bros. Television, Disney-ABC Domestic Television, 20th Television and other distributors for local broadcast syndication. These feature films formed the majority of the superstation's primetime schedule until the "Superstation WGN" branding era; though since September 18, 2010, WGN America has relegated its movie telecasts to Sunday afternoons and weekend late nights. The channel, as of 2012, was heavily reliant on reruns of older television series from the 1960s to the early 1990s during the morning and early afternoon hours, and it ran a Sunday night classic comedy block called Outta Sight Retro Night (which ran weekly from 5 p.m.-2 a.m. ET with a breakaway at 10 p.m. ET for the WGN News at Nine and Instant Replay) from August 2007 until September 5, 2010, showing reruns of The Cosby Show, Newhart, Barney Miller and Cheers.

In the early 21st century, WGN America acquired sub-run syndication rights to series that had been shown on the channel previously in first-run form between 1995 and 1999 when it carried WB network programming. 7th Heaven, The Wayans Bros., Sister, Sister and The Parent 'Hood have all aired in first-run and off-network syndication form on WGN America in the past. Between 2006 and 2009, WGN America ran sitcoms aimed at teen and preteen audiences during the mid-afternoon hours, such as Lizzie McGuire, Even Stevens and Sister, Sister, only to move these shows to late night graveyard slots, when the show's target audiences are usually not awake, after a short time and eventually dropped them, likely due to the restructuring of Tribune's television division and a deal with the Disney Channel which proved too expensive to maintain.