'Green' TV: Why is so Much Television Recycled?

It seems as if the world is getting greener. But television has always been quite good at recycling entertainment. And it seems as if today, there is more 'green' television programming than ever.

Whether it is to pay tribute to an old favorite, reflect back on a season or just to fill up a time slot because there are less and less new episodes of sitcoms and dramas being shot, recycling footage is a trend. And a lucrative one at that.

Here is a look at, from my own observations, the types of recycling happening in television today.

The Rerun

Self-explanatory, but it is worth a mention. In fact many years ago, NBC really played up its showing of reruns with its "It's New to You" campaign.

Best of Shows

"Best of..." shows usually have a host that takes viewers on a flashback of some of the best moments in that particular show's history. An example could be a look at old "I Love Lucy" shows and the funniest moments, or perhaps a show is celebrating its series finale and has a special dedicated to favorite moments on the show. Many of these shows may feature interview snippets with stars of the shows and perhaps are shot in front of a studio audience, who watches and reacts to the clips as they are shown.

Best of Shows: Montage Style

The idea for this article was born while watching Pimp My Ride on MTV. (Or was it MTV2?) Xhibit spent a whole episode narrating past clips of the show and its winners. This is a little different than the aforementioned "Best of," as this takes less of a budget as there is no audience, etc. It's not really billed as a special production, just merely a look back at past episodes in a montage style, perhaps going from one clip to the next. Other reality and DIY type shows are known to package together good moments for a all-inclusive episode.

Best of Shows: Genre-Specific and Pop Culture

This is another classic recycling trick on television shows. These are popular on music channels as well. These type of shows focus on a set genre or time period or trend, rather than a specific show. For example, a very popular "Best Of" show is the "Most Extreme Moments in Game Show History" which reflected back to games shows as early as the 60s. Or, perhaps a channel like E! will look at the best soap opera weddings. Pop culture driven best of shows could be based on a decade or year, ala' "I Love the 80s" or perhaps on a particular artist.

The Follow Up Show

This type of television programming can be found as part of many reality show genres, as well as talk shows. This is a classic way to capitalize on past episodes. A talk show may take a look at people who lost weight, had a makeover, rekindled a romance, etc. and follow up to see how they are doing now. The music networks, who are now known for their reality programming it seems, also do this with "Where Are They Now" type shows. Perhaps this could be a look at past contestants on a reality show and what they are up to now.

Season Recaps

Reality shows are known to do this. Season recaps of reality shows are popular to show after the last episode, but before the season finale when the winner is chosen. This type of show is relatively easy to put together, as editors just need to give an overview of the season by showing footage from the show. Also, many of these shows may feature unseen footage (which I guess does not fall into being recycled!). A season recap can also give newer viewers who came in midseason a look at what they missed.

Moments Type Shows

Whether we're talking the most shocking moments, the most surprising moments of the happiest moments, we are all surely familiar with this type of television show. More specifically, many of these types of programs can look at fashion, embarrassing moments, weddings, break-ups, fights, etc. all to bring little bits of common clips together for a half-hour or hour-long show. This type of programming can being sports and news into the entertainment realm by showcasing hot topics and events. This is also a way to cash in on celebrity brushes with the law.

So, while there are many exciting shows entering our TV Guide, it seems that reusing footage is a cheap way to create new forms of entertainment. And, we keep watching!