kalbir

Fall 1985 to Spring 1988 was the peak of family sitcoms The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Who's the Boss, Growing Pains, and they all embodied mid-1980s Reagan era ideals. Fall 1988 Roseanne comes along and it's the anti-Reagan era ideal family sitcom. Roseanne is the breakout hit of 1988/89 and the first show to threaten The Cosby Show's overall dominance. One-by-one we saw the previous big family sitcoms decline and end: Spring 1989, Growing Pains falls out of the Top 10 and Family Ties ends. Spring 1990, Roseanne ties The Cosby Show for #1 and Who's the Boss falls out of the Top 10. Spring 1991, The Cosby Show loses #1 to Cheers. Spring 1992, The Cosby Show, Who's the Boss, Growing Pains all end.

Fall 1982 to Spring 1985 was the peak of action shows Magnum, P.I.; Simon & Simon, The A-Team. Their finishes in that era: Magnum, P.I. 3rd (tied w/ M*A*S*H) in 1982/83 (it's highest finish ever), 6th in 1983/84, 15th in 1984/85. Simon & Simon 7th in 1982/83, 5th in 1983/84 (it's highest finish ever), 7th in 1984/85. The A-Team 10th (tied w/ Monday Night Football) in 1982/83 (its first season), 4th in 1983/84 (it's highest finish ever), 6th in 1984/85. Fall 1985, all three got clobbered by counter-programmed sitcoms. Magnum, P.I. got weakened in 1984/85 by The Cosby Show (that season's breakout hit) and The Cosby Show becoming #1 in 1985/86 effectively finished Magnum, P.I. but CBS kept it until 1987/88. Simon & Simon got clobbered by Cheers in 1985/86 and the ill-fated move to Thursday 8 pm in Fall 1986 head-to-head w/ #1 The Cosby Show effectively finished Simon & Simon but CBS kept it until 1988/89. The A-Team got clobbered by Who's the Boss in 1985/86 and the move to Friday 8 pm in Fall 1986 didn't work thus NBC ending it Spring 1987.

Rebecca Barnes Wentworth abandoned her husband and children, remarried a wealthy man, became widowed, and inherited her late husband's business. Sound familiar?

@Vee Your recaps are great. Seasons 4-6 were the best.

The mention of Matt in the episode has me thinking of a few things. The original Victor backstory as written by Bill Bell had Albert abandoning a pregnant Cora and young Victor, and Cora was left poor and unable to take care of Victor thus she placed him in the orphanage on a Christmas night and later that night Matt was born. Later Albert returned to Cora and then passed away (we saw Cora visiting Albert's grave and the headstone had death year 1962; it was rewritten in 2003 that Albert faked his death). When Nikki found Cora, there was a mention by Cora that Matt left years earlier. When Matt arrived in 1985, was there any mention by Matt of being raised by Cora and Albert? Also with Matt's story arc in 1985-1987 I wonder if he was brought on to be a Jack replacement in the Jack/Nikki/Victor/Ashley quad in case Terry Lester left for primetime.

@YRfan23Based on the primetime lineup promos, I think episode is from July 23, 1984.

What a great episode. Cora tugging at the heart strings. Dina so fierce. This one needs to go in the vault if its not already there.

A few episodes in and Audra feels like a replacement for both Amanda and Imani.

Tucker was brought back as an Ashland replacement. Weren't there any age-appropriate actors that were considered or available? Trevor St. John is a good 15-20 years too young for the part.

Fall 1996 it looked like B&B was getting ready to expand to 1 hour in time for the 10th anniversary but as we all know that didn't happen. I also think the expansion plans falling through lead to the Spring 1997 cast purge.

I consider 1983 a bit of a transition as it had some big cast changes that lead to what we saw in 1984 and beyond: Tracey Bregman arrives as Lauren, Patty is recast w/ Andrea Evans, Marla Adams arrives as Dina, Brenda Dickson returns as Jill.

Flourished while following a stronger show - Will & Grace 1998/99: NBC initially schedules Will & Grace Monday 9:30 pm. It then moves to Tuesday 9:30 pm and the final four episodes of the season are Thursday 8:30 pm. Finishes below the Top 30. 1999/2000: Moves to Tuesday 9 pm and finishes below the Top 30. 2000/01: Moves to Thursday 9 pm and moves up to 14th. Thursday 8 pm Friends finishes 5th, tied w/ Monday Night Football and Everybody Loves Raymond. 2001/02: Remains Thursday 9 pm and moves up to 9th (tied w/ Leap of Faith). Thursday 8 pm Friends moves up to #1. 2002/03: Remains Thursday 9 pm but drops to 11th (tied w/ CSI: Miami). Thursday 8 pm Friends drops to 2nd. 2003/04: Episodes 1-9 Thursday 9 pm. Episodes 10-21 Thursday 8:30 pm. Episodes 22-24 Thursday 9 pm. Drops to 13th. Thursday 8 pm Friends drops to 4th in its final season. 2004/05: Moves to Thursday 8:30 pm and falls below the Top 30. 2005/06: Episodes 1 –9 Thursday 8:30 pm. Episodes 10-22 Thursday 8 pm. Episode 23 Thursday 9 pm. Finishes below the Top 30 and is cancelled.

35 years since this New Jack Swing classic dropped Not long after was this classic slow jam

@ltm1997 1983 was still a bit of transition but 1984 is when Y&R became Y&R as we know it today.

@Soapsuds Thank you for the correction.

@dragonflies EB is keeping it real like always 🤣

A few times in my day-to-day life I've referred to people I don't like or trust by their full name, but it doesn't sound like one word though.

Someone might have posted here before that the early years of Dallas were influenced by films like Giant, Hud, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense that Dallas was the most male-focused of the primetime soaps and drew a larger male audience than the other primetime soaps because Dallas at its heart and roots was really a western.

Murder, She Wrote also dropped in 1987/88, from 4th to 9th, but went back up to 8th in 1988/89. Then again, 1987/88 was the season Nielsen changed the audience measuring method and CBS's entire primetime lineup tanked resulting in the first of four consecutive third place finishes.

One has to wonder that if it had not been for the breakout success of The Cosby Show, would Family Ties, Cheers, Night Court have found the audiences that they eventually did? Then there's the other question of would Family Ties and Night Court have fallen as much as they did once they were no longer the lead outs to The Cosby Show and Cheers respectively? 1984/85: NBC's new Thursday lineup is new comedy The Cosby Show 8 pm, Family Ties 8:30 pm, Cheers 9 pm, Night Court 9:30 pm (moved from Wednesday 9:30 pm). The Cosby Show finishes 3rd. Family Ties moves from below the Top 30 to 5th. Cheers moves from below the Top 30 to 12th (tied w/ Hotel). Night Court moves from below the Top 30 to 20th. 1985/86: The Cosby Show moves up to #1. Family Ties moves up to 2nd. Cheers moves up to 5th. Night Court moves up to 11th. 1986/87: The Cosby Show remains #1. Family Ties remains 2nd. Cheers moves up to 3rd. Night Court moves up to 7th. 1987/88: NBC places new comedy A Different World Thursday 8:30 pm. Family Ties moves to Sunday 8 pm, where it's head-to-head w/ Murder, She Wrote (which was a Top 5 show heading into Fall 1987). The Cosby Show remains #1. Family Ties drops to 17th. NBC had to have known that moving Family Ties head-to-head w/ Murder, She Wrote would result in a drop. Cheers remains 3rd. Night Court remains 7th. 1988/89: NBC places new comedy Dear John Thursday 9:30 pm. Night Court moves to Wednesday 9 pm. Cheers drops to 4th. Night Court drops to 21st. Family Ties remains Sunday 8 pm but falls below the Top 30 and is cancelled. The Cosby Show remains #1. 1989/90: Night Court remains Wednesday 9 pm and finishes 28th, tied w/ The Simpsons and Doogie Howser, M.D. The Cosby Show tied for #1 w/ Roseanne. Cheers moves up to 3rd. 1990/91: Night Court moves to Friday 9 pm then Wednesday 9 pm but falls below the Top 30. The Cosby Show drops to 5th. Cheers moves up to #1. 1991/92: Night Court remains Wednesday 9 pm, finishes below the Top 30, and is cancelled. The Cosby Show drops to 18th in its final season. Cheers drops to 4th (tied w/ Home Improvement first season). 1992/93: Cheers drops to 8th (tied w/ CBS Sunday Movie) in its final season.

I debated about including Frasier, since it was critically acclaimed and well-loved, but the above might apply. 1993/94: NBC new Thursday lineup Seinfeld 9 pm (moved up from 9:30 pm) and new comedy Frasier 9:30 pm. Seinfeld moves up from 25th to 3rd. Frasier finishes 7th. 1994/95: Frasier moves to Tuesday 9 pm, where it’s head-to-head w/ Home Improvement. Frasier drops to 15th. Home Improvement drops from 2nd to 3rd. NBC had to have known that moving Frasier head-to-head w/ Home Improvement would result in a drop. 1995/96 to 1997/98: Frasier and Home Improvement are head-to-head Tuesday 9 pm. Frasier finishes 11th (tied w/ 20/20), 16th, 14th. Home Improvement finishes 7th, 9th, 10th. 1998/99: Frasier moves to Thursday 9 pm and moves up to 3rd (it’s highest finish ever). 1999/2000: Frasier remains Thursday 9 pm but drops to 6th. 2000/01: Frasier returns to Tuesday 9 pm and drops to 17th, tied w/ Temptation Island. 2001/02 to 2003/04: Frasier remains Tuesday 9 pm for its final three seasons. It finishes 14th (tied w/ JAG), 26th, 30th (tied w/ King of Queens).

Flourished while following a stronger show - Growing Pains, Moonlighting, The Wonder Years 1985/86: ABC's new Tuesday lineup is Who's the Boss 8 pm (in its second season and moved up from 8:30 pm), new comedy Growing Pains 8:30 pm, Moonlighting 9 pm (in its second season and moved up from 10 pm). Who's the Boss moves up from below the Top 30 to 10th. Growing Pains finishes 17th (tied w/ Knots Landing). Moonlighting moves up from below the Top 30 to 24th (tied w/ Falcon Crest and Valerie). 1986/87: No change to the Tuesday lineup. Who's the Boss remains 10th. Growing Pains moves up to 8th. Moonlighting moves up to 9th (it's highest finish ever). 1987/88: ABC changes the Tuesday lineup March 1988, new comedy The Wonder Years replaces Growing Pains at 8:30 pm and Growing Pains moves to Wednesday 8 pm for the final 7 episodes of the season. Who's the Boss moves up to 6th (it's highest finish ever). Growing Pains moves up to 5th (it's highest finish ever). The Wonder Years finishes 10th (tied w/ ALF). Moonlighting drops to 12th (tied w/ L.A. Law). 1988/89: ABC's new Tuesday lineup is Who's the Boss 8 pm, new comedy Roseanne 8:30 pm, Moonlighting 9 pm. ABC's new Wednesday lineup is Growing Pains 8 pm, Head of the Class 8:30 pm, The Wonder Years 9 pm. Midseason ABC redoes the Tuesday lineup to The Wonder Years 8:30 pm, Roseanne 9 pm, new comedy Anything but Love 9:30 pm. Moonlighting moves to Sunday 8 pm. Who's the Boss drops to 7th. The Wonder Years drops to 22nd (8 episodes aired Wednesday 9 pm and 9 episodes aired Tuesday 8:30 pm). Growing Pains drops to 13th (tied w/ L.A. Law). Moonlighting falls below the Top 30 and is cancelled (7 episodes aired Tuesday 9 pm and 6 episodes aired Sunday 8 pm). ABC had to have known that moving Moonlighting to Sunday 8 pm head-to-head with Murder, She Wrote (which was still a Top 10 show at that point) would be a death knell. 1989/90: ABC Tuesday lineup remains Who's the Boss 8 pm, The Wonder Years 8:30 pm. Who's the Boss drops to 12th. The Wonder Years moves up to 8th (it's highest finish ever). Growing Pains remains Wednesday 8 pm and drops to 21st. 1990/91: ABC's new Wednesday lineup is The Wonder Years 8 pm, Growing Pains 8:30 pm. The Wonder Years drops to 30th. Growing Pains drops to 27th. 1991/92: The Wonder Years moves to Wednesday 8:30 pm then back to 8 pm. Growing Pains moves to Saturday 8:30 pm then 9:30 pm. The Wonder Years falls out of the Top 30. Growing Pains falls out of the Top 30 and is cancelled. 1992/93: The Wonder Years remains Wednesday 8 pm. It finishes below the Top 30 and is cancelled.

The highest rated episodes of the big four primetime soaps Dallas: November 21, 1980, "Who Done It". Rating 53.3. Who shot JR revealed. Knots Landing: March 29, 1984, "Negotiations". Rating 23.3. 5th season finale. Dynasty: September 25, 1985, "The Aftermath". Rating 28.1. 6th season premiere. Falcon Crest: February 19, 1982, "Family Reunion". Rating 25.2. Lana Turner first appearance.

If we go by only works with a strong lead in, Coach might be considered a time slot hit. Premieres February 1989 and ABC schedules it Wednesday 9 pm, replacing The Wonder Years which moved to Tuesday 8:30 pm. Coach finishes below the Top 30. Returns November 1989 and ABC gives it the Roseanne lead out Tuesday 9:30 pm after Chicken Soup is suddenly cancelled. Roseanne tied The Cosby Show for #1. Chicken Soup finished 13th, tied w/ Murder, She Wrote. Coach finished 18th. 1990/91 and 1991/92: Roseanne Tuesday 9 pm, Coach Tuesday 9:30 pm. Roseanne finished 3rd and 2nd. Coach finished 18th and 10th (tied w/ Room for Two). 1992/93: Roseanne Tuesday 9 pm, Coach Tuesday 9:30 pm. November 1992 Coach moves to Wednesday 9:30 pm where it is now the Home Improvement lead out. Roseanne finished 2nd. Home Improvement finished 3rd. Coach finished 6th. 1993/94: Coach returns to Tuesday 9:30 pm and is again the Roseanne lead out. Roseanne finished 4th. Coach finished 6th. 1994/95: Roseanne moves to Wednesday 9 pm and Coach moves to Monday 8 pm. Roseanne finished 10th. Coach falls below the Top 30. 1995/96: Coach returns to Tuesday 9:30 pm and is again the Home Improvement lead out. February 1996 Coach moves to Tuesday 8:30 pm and is again the Roseanne lead out (Fall 1995 Roseanne moved to Tuesday 8 pm). Home Improvement finished 7th. Coach moves up to 14th, tied w/ NBC Monday Movie. Roseanne finished 16th, tied w/ The Nanny. 1996/97: Coach moves to Saturday 9 pm then Wednesday 8:30 pm. Coach falls below the Top 30 and is cancelled.

@Broderick Yes, that was Frank Benard. Another miniseries he was in was Bare Essence.