• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, 10 hours ago

While NBCU exits the first-run syndication business, Paramount is sticking with the business of selling content to broadcast TV stations.

Paramount’s syndication unit, CBS Media Ventures, this week announced a robust slate of syndicated offerings for next season, including high-profile renewals and two new shows.

The renewals are not surprising -- “Wheel of Fortune” (seasons 44 and 45), “Jeopardy!” (seasons 43 and 44), “Entertainment Tonight” (season 46) and “Inside Edition” (season 39).

They are all among the best-performing shows in first-run syndication and have been for years, which is likely a big reason why Paramount/CBS is staying in the syndication game.

Also returning are “The Drew Barrymore Show,” renewed for its seventh and eighth seasons; the game shows “Flip Side,” hosted by Jaleel White, and “The Perfect Line,” hosted by Deborah Norville -- renewed for their third and second seasons, respectively; and the court show “Hot Bench,” returning for season 13.

The most notable of the two new shows is “Adam’s Law,” a court show literally descended from the most successful syndicated court show of all time, “Judge Judy.”

The judge on “Adam’s Law” is Adam Levy, one of the sons of Judge Judy Sheindlin, star of one of the most successful first-run shows in the history of television, “Judge Judy.”

Levy, a son from Sheindlin’s first marriage, was a two-time district attorney in Putnam County in upstate New York.

More recently, he has been one of three judges on the TV court show “Tribunal Justice,” also produced by Judy Sheindlin and seen on Amazon Prime Video.

The other new first-run offering from CBS Media Ventures is “American Mayhem,” which seems to be a viral video clip show described by the company as “high-energy extreme video programming.”

In addition, the CBS syndication unit will also be offering an off-network package of “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” the first time the series has come to syndication since 2014.

“From beloved franchises to breakout new series, this upcoming slate reflects the incredible momentum across our entire portfolio and our continued commitment to deliver top-tier original programming for our stations and partners,” enthuses John Budkins, executive vice president of programming and syndication production for CBS Media Ventures and Stations. 

“With seven of the top 10 most-watched first-run syndicated titles currently on the air, we’re proud to continue to produce and distribute a wide range of high-quality shows that deliver for audiences, bringing engaging, proven entertainment to viewers in the season ahead,” he said.

Earlier this month, NBCUniversal confirmed that it is getting out of the first-run syndication business when it announced that it would not be renewing any of its first-run series -- including “Kelly Clarkson,” “Steve Wilkos” and “Access Hollywood.”