kalbir

Thanks @soapfan770. There were too many one season and done shows on CBS in their primetime mess era, that's why I didn't list them LOL.

Going back to CBS's primetime mess era, the first half of the 1990s showed some signs of life, but it didn't last. 1990/91 CBS's Top 10 shows were 60 Minutes (#2), Murphy Brown (#6), Designing Women (#10), and its Top 30 shows were Murder She Wrote (#12), CBS Sunday Movie (#19), Major Dad (#21). The new fall shows that returned in 1991/92 were Evening Shade and The Trials of Rosie O’Neill. No midseason/summer returns. 1990/91 was the final seasons for Bagdad Cafe, Dallas, Doctor Doctor, Paradise, Wiseguy. I don’t count The Hogan Family as 1990/91 was its first and only season on CBS after being moved over from NBC. 1991/92 CBS's Top 10 shows were 60 Minutes (#1), Murphy Brown (#3, its highest finish ever), Designing Women (#6, its highest finish ever), Murder She Wrote (#8), Major Dad (#9, its highest finish ever), and its Top 30 shows were CBS Sunday Movie (#14), Evening Shade (#15), Northern Exposure (#16), 48 Hours (#29). The only new fall show that returned in 1992/93 was Brooklyn Bridge and the midseason/summer returns in 1992/93 were Bodies of Evidence, Raven, Street Stories with Ed Bradley. 1991/92 was the final seasons for Jake and the Fatman and The Trials of Rosie O’Neill. I don’t count Davis Rules as 1991/92 was its first and only season on CBS after being moved over from ABC. 1992/93 CBS's Top 10 shows were 60 Minutes (#1), Murphy Brown (#4), Murder She Wrote (#5), CBS Sunday Movie (#8), and its Top 30 shows were Northern Exposure (#11), Rescue 911 (#12), CBS Tuesday Movie (#14), Love & War (#15, first season), Evening Shade (#19), Hearts Afire (#20, first season), Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman (#23, first season), 48 Hours (#26). The new fall shows that returned in 1993/94 were Bob, Doctor Quinn Medicine Woman, Hearts Afire, Love & War, Picket Fences, Walker Texas Ranger. I don’t count In the Heat of the Night as 1992/93 was its first season on CBS after being moved over from NBC. The only midseason/summer return in 1993/94 was Good Advice. 1992/93 was the final season for Bodies of Evidence, Brooklyn Bridge, Designing Women, Knots Landing, Major Dad, Raven, Street Stories with Ed Bradley, Top Cops. 1993/94 CBS's Top 10 shows were 60 Minutes (#1), Murphy Brown (#9), CBS Sunday Movie (#10), and its Top 30 shows were Murder She Wrote (#11), Love & War (#13), Northern Exposure (#14), Dave’s World (#21, first season), CBS Tuesday Movie (#25), Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman (#25), Evening Shade (#27, final season), Rescue 911 (#27). The new fall shows that returned in 1994/95 were Dave’s World, Diagnosis Murder, Eye to Eye with Connie Chung, The Nanny and the midseason/summer returns were Burke’s Law and Christy. 1993/94 was the final seasons for Bob, Evening Shade, Good Advice, In the Heat of the Night. 1994/95 CBS's Top 10 shows were 60 Minutes (#6) and Murder She Wrote (#8), and its Top 30 shows were Murphy Brown (#16), CBS Sunday Movie (#18), Dave’s World (#21), Cybill (#22, first season), The Nanny (#24), Chicago Hope (#29, first season). The new fall shows that returned in 1995/96 were Chicago Hope, Due South, Touched by an Angel, and the only midseason/summer return was Cybill. 1994/95 was the final seasons for Burke’s Law, Christy, Eye to Eye with Connie Chung, Hearts Afire, Love & War, Northern Exposure. 1994/95 was the season CBS lost NFL broadcasting rights to Fox, and that resulted in CBS losing many established affiliates. CBS would get back NFL broadcasting rights in 1998/99 and that also played a part in their 2000s comeback.

Touched by an Angel could not have been a Top 10 show for four seasons just on the 50+ audience alone. It was a show that families could watch together. It was smart of CBS to move Touched by an Angel from Saturday 9 pm to Sunday 8 pm in 1996/97, where it basically inherited the Murder She Wrote audience.

I didn't know this until recently but apparently Les Moonves was at Lorimar/Warner Brothers from 1985-1995 and then went to CBS not long after. When the CBS big three went into budget mode, it was mostly the long-time female cast members that were salary dumped and not the males. Given what we know about Les Moonves, I wonder if there's a connection.

I always thought ES took over November 1986, based on some recaps from that time I came across. Nathan ended up replacing Andy as Paul's sidekick, and I guess Lynne replaced Amy in the office. If Bill Bell kept Amy, we might not have gotten the Barber sisters. I think Liz got dropped in order to set the stage for Katherine's attempt to adopt Phillip III and the custody battle w/ Jill. If Liz was around, Phillip III could've easily lived w/ her instead of Jill or Katherine. By the end of Dina's first arc, I think she had mended her relationships w/ Jack, Ashley, Traci so Dina could've stayed on as Genoa City's second grande dame. Dina was more business-minded than Katherine though, and Mergeron could've been part of the future Jabot/Newman corporate battles. Jazz and Tyrone were part of the action/adventure element and that whole aspect was dropped when H. Wesley Kenney left. Tyrone could've been another lawyer in town (at that point there was only Michael Crawford and Mitchell Sherman) and Jazz could've maybe become a restaurant/bar/nightclub owner. If Bill Bell kept the Jackson brothers we might not have gotten the Winters brothers. Jill becoming more involved at Jabot after the divorce sort of made Lindsay redundant. Margo was a much better part for Lauren Koslow than Lindsay. Diane had run her course. Jack wasn't going to commit to her (plus he and Nikki had a friends w/ benefits thing going on) and Andy moved on w/ Faren. Matt also ran his course. He had no chance w/ Nikki (who was juggling both Victor and Jack) and Ashley had moved on w/ Steven.

Second half of 1986 through the end of 1987 was a mini-transition era. Ed Scott takes over as EP in November 1986, and June 1987 was the first of the big three late 1980s recasts (Brenda Dickson/Jess Walton). There's also a cast purge w/ the departures of Marla Adams, Colleen Casey, Alex Donnelly, Steven Ford, Lauren Koslow, Julianna McCarthy, Phil Morris, Robert Parucha, Jon St. Elwood, James Storm, Stephanie Williams. Bill Bell casted Lauren Koslow and James Storm on B&B. Marla Adams, Alex Donnelly, Steven Ford, Julianna McCarthy, Robert Parucha, Stephanie Williams would have brief returns years later.

CBS’s identity crisis in the second half of the 1990s was bad, but the decline of its primetime lineup in the second half of the 1980s was worse. 1985/86 CBS’s Top 10 shows were Murder She Wrote (#3, its highest finish ever), 60 Minutes (#4), Dallas (#6), and its Top 30 shows were CBS Sunday Movie (#12), Kate & Allie (#14), Newhart (#16), Knots Landing (#17), Falcon Crest (#24), Scarecrow and Mrs. King (#28), Simon & Simon (#29). CBS's new fall shows that returned in 1986/87 were The Equalizer and The Twilight Zone and their only midseason show to return in 1986/87 was West 57th. 1985/86 was also the final seasons for Airwolf, Crazy Like a Fox; Trapper John, M.D. 1986/87 CBS’s Top 10 shows were Murder She Wrote (#4) and 60 Minutes (#6), and its Top 30 shows were Dallas (#11), Newhart (#12), CBS Sunday Movie (#15), Kate & Allie (#19), My Sister Sam (#21, first season), Falcon Crest (#23), Knots Landing (#26). CBS's new fall shows that returned in 1987/88 were Designing Women and My Sister Sam and their midseason/summer shows to return in 1987/88 were The Cavanaughs, CBS Summer Playhouse, Houston Knights. 1986/87 was also the final seasons for Scarecrow and Mrs. King and The Twilight Zone. 1987/88 CBS's Top 10 shows were 60 Minutes (#8) and Murder She Wrote (#9), and its Top 30 shows were CBS Sunday Night Movie (#18), Dallas (#22), Newhart (#25). CBS’s new fall shows that returned in 1988/89 were Beauty and the Beast, Jake and the Fatman, Tour of Duty, Wiseguy, and their midseason/summer shows to return in 1988/89 were 48 Hours, Coming of Age, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. 1987/88 was also the final seasons for Cagney & Lacey, Houston Knights, Magnum, P.I.; My Sister Sam. CBS's primetime lineup really tanked this season, and they fell to 3rd place. 1988/89 was the writer’s strike delayed season and CBS’s Top 10 shows were 60 Minutes (#5) and Murder She Wrote (#8), and its Top 30 shows were Knots Landing (#27), CBS Sunday Night Movie (#27), Dallas (#29). CBS’s new fall shows that returned in 1989/90 were Murphy Brown and Paradise, and their only midseason/summer show to return in 1989/90 was Doctor Doctor. 1988/89 was also the final seasons for The Cavanaughs, CBS Summer Playhouse, Coming of Age, The Equalizer, Kate & Allie, Simon & Simon, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, West 57th. 1989/90 CBS’s only Top 10 show was 60 Minutes (#7), and its Top 30 shows were Murder She Wrote (#13), Designing Women (#22), CBS Sunday Movie (#24), Murphy Brown (#27). CBS’s new fall shows that returned in 1990/91 were Major Dad and Rescue 911 and their midseason/summer shows to return in 1990/91 were Bagdad Cafe, Northern Exposure, Top Cops. 1989/90 was also the final seasons for Beauty and the Beast, Falcon Crest, Newhart, Tour of Duty. 1989/90 was the low point I'd say and things were really looking bad heading into 1990/91 season. To think that just a decade earlier CBS was riding high w/ Who Shot JR mania.

There's even a promo for a February 1982 episode of The Price is Right that pays tribute to Y&R. That's three Y&R themed episodes of TPiR that we know of in the 1980s (February 1982, June 1983, February 1985).

Agree, that hair toss was epic. @will81 Thank you for the clips guide. I can't believe Christmas 1981 is in there but no Victor/Nikki scenes. I really want to see the scenes of where we first learn of Victor's childhood. EB has always credited those scenes w/ his decision to stay on past Victor's initial storyline. Bill Bell creating the back story of Victor's childhood and his becoming a self-made man opened up so many more layers to Victor's character instead of him being just a one-dimensional villain.

Hahaha, I haven't read that expression in years! JW rocked the s--t outta that big ass hair well into the 1990s.

@Orea Mou Kiria Rick ended up as B&B's version of Phillip III. Bradley later redid Phillip III/Nina/Cricket with Rick/Amber/Kimberly.

Y&R (in date order): JC tribute, MTS 40th anniversary, KSJ tribute, EB 40th anniversary, 12000th episode

Would we count M*A*S*H and Trapper John, M.D., or is that more sequel than spin off?

Thanks @Soapsuds for the TPiR video.

CBS should have placed Angela Lansbury front and center in these promos as she was basically carrying their primetime lineup at this point.

Thanks @Paul Raven

The Four Ls quad had influence from literature (Le Morte d'Arthur as @Broderick pointed out) and biblical allusions. I guess the romance novel element might be due to the contrasts between the siblings: suave sophisticated Lance, rugged elemental Lucas, kind-hearted emotionally fragile heroine Leslie, jealous scheming vixen Lorie.

@Paul Raven Are any F bombs dropped in the interview?

Hahaha, yeah they really are. NCIS is in its 19th season. JAG was on for 10 seasons (1 on NBC, 9 on CBS). It's crazy that the spin off has been on almost double the number of seasons of the parent show.

1982/83 was the first Top 10 season (#8), 1983/84 was the highest-rated season (#7), and 1984/85 was the final Top 10 season (#10). Then the decline: 1985/86 #24, 1986/87 #23, 1987/88 to 1989/90 were below the Top 30.

@yrfan1983 That latest clip set is amazing. Do we dare hope Christmas 1981 might surface soon?

JAG spun off NCIS. NCIS franchise: NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Hawai'i CSI franchise: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, CSI: Cyber, CSI: Vegas Criminal Minds had two spin offs, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.

The crime element was always there, but it was amplified in that era. Not the awards, but the best of 1987 and 1988 issues. I think the writeups were posted here before. It really would've been. Spring 1985 was the zenith of primetime soaps as a genre.

In those Lorie edits, Victor seemed really drawn to Lorie. I think she was the one that got away. I'm pretty sure Victor/Lorie was Bill Bell's initial plan until behind the scenes events changed the storylines. Now if Victor/Lorie happened would they have worked as a 1980s high society power couple, with Victor running Newman Enterprises and Lorie writing bestsellers?

Dynasty is a different beast than the CBS big three. That show blew up once Joan Collins arrived and Alexis was the breakout character that became a pop culture phenomenon on the level with JR. Season 2 was the only year where the writing and acting were on point. After that it was as though Aaron Spelling's entire goal was to have Dynasty be bigger and better than Dallas and all storytelling logic and acting ability went out the window.