Paul Raven

Thorn Birds was a biggie! ABC -TV wrote another chapter in the history of television mini-series last week when it aired its 10-hour adaptation of Colleen McCullough's best-selling novel, "The Thorn Birds." Expected to capture around a 40 share of the national viewing audience, Thorn Birds powered past this season's other major mini-series, Winds of War, and finished its run with an average 41 national rating and 59 share. It was the first major mini -series since ABC's first, Roots, to have substantially built its audience from first night to last. Competition from the other two networks was virtually flattened on all four nights of the ABC broadcast, but although ABC picked up four -tenths of a rating point in its season -to -date average and came within one -half of a rating point of first- ranked CBS -TV, network researchers predict the season, scheduled to end in about two weeks, has been all but won by CBS. Thorn Birds, which ran Sunday through Wednesday (March 27 -30), not only outperformed Winds of War in its national rating, but it did so episode for comparable episode. It takes its place behind Roots, which averaged a national rating and share of 45/66, as the second-highest rated mini-series of all time. Winds, now displaced from second, averaged a 38.6/53. On its opening night, Thorn Birds averaged a 39.5 rating/55 share, surpassing the first night of Winds (39/53) to become the highest-rated first episode of any mini-series. It also broke Winds' opening night record for capturing the highest number of households for a first episode by attracting 32.9 million homes per average minute. The number of homes using television soared that night to 69.8 million, up from 63.7 million the Sunday before and 62.1 million a year ago. Episode two's national average (42.4/59), surpassed Winds' second-episode average (40.2/54) by five share points and broke another record by capturing an average 35.3 million homes per minute. HUT levels averaged 70.8 million, 4% higher than the previous Monday's 67.8 million. Tuesday's episode three captured a 43.2 ating/62 share, compared with a 38.7/54 for Winds, part three, and attracted an average 35,990,000 homes per average minute. It ranks as the fourth highest-rated network entertainment program of all time, behind CBS's final episode of M *A *S *H, CBS's "Who Shot J.R." episode of Dallas, and episode eight of Roots. Thorn Birds' Wednesday finale averaged a 43.1 rating/62 share nationally, one-tenth of a rating point below Wednesday's performance. Doubling ABC's typical Sunday -night ratings to an average 32.8/47, Thorn Birds knocked nearly seven rating points from CBS's average Sunday night ratings performance and more than four from NBC's. On Monday, ABC averaged a 36.1 rating/51 share nationally, while on NBC, a rerun of the movie, Prom Night (11.8/16), finished more than six rating points behind the usual performance of the NBC Monday Night Movie (17.4/26). CBS's regular lineup finished nearly five points below its norm, averaging a 13.1/19 for the night. On Tuesday, national ratings fell short of doubling for the third consecutive night for ABC (34.8/50), but left CBS (10.8/16) with seven rating points fewer than it normally captures on Tuesdays (17/26). NBC, which pitted the second half of the two-hour pilot of its new hit series, A Team against the first hour of Thorn Birds, finished the night about a rating point ahead of its usual Tuesday- night performance, averaging a 15.2/ 22. The A Team repeat, which averaged a 26.4/39 in its premiere as a lead -out from the Super Bowl, averaged an 18/26 its second time around. Thorn Birds' Wednesday night performance left CBS's lineup, which included a rerun of the movie, Scavenger Hunt (10.2/ 14), with an average national rating and share (10.4/14.6) five rating points behind its norm. NBC's series lineup (11.6/16.3) came in six points under par. Overall, Thorn Birds captured an average 34.9 million homes per average minute and replaced Winds of War, which averaged 32.1 million homes per minute over seven days, as the top ranked mini -series for household delivery. All four episodes finished among the top 11 network entertainment programs of all time. ABC researchers estimate it reached 110 million people.

Probaly J&J are involved with something along these lines The Boston Bulletin is a weekly newspaper with local coverage in the Allston-Brighton, Northend, South Boston, Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury, Roslindale and Hyde Park neighborhoods. Company size 2-10 employees

Only the Top 5 scoring more than a 3 a week average. Everyone else below 9th is on 2 a week or less.

Yea, you're right come to think of it. I can see TL's Jack marrying Nikki but the story would have had a whole different flavor. Of course, Jack had to evolve and grow but I think 'Smilin Jack' still had a lot of gas left in the tank. And if Terry had stayed...

That story was a dud from start to finish, culminating decades later with another blandly written character (Ally) who also was quickly forgotten. Could you imagine TL's Jack heading for Vietnam ?-he would have done everything he could to avoid the draft. That was the beginning of Jack's transformation into Cliff Abbott.

@Beachstorm Yes I think AA is anonymous and whatever is spoken about must not be shared. It took away from the poignancy of the scene when Nikki started detailing how a crazed woman had kidnapped her and used an IV to load her up with booze. IRL I'm sure the other attendees would think she was still drunk and hallucinating. Had to laugh when Nikki was told the name of the song . It sounded like he said Titty Roll, which was quite appropriate.Think it was actually Kitty Roll. And Nikki couldn't recognize that music? Even people who've never been near a strip joint would associate straight away. Maybe the alcohol is clouding Nikki's memory. Jordan is graduate of the Phyllis Summers disguise course. Lesson #1 -if you don't want to be noticed wear a ginormous hat and glasses that would immediately draw attention as nobody gets around like that . PS how did Jordan know that Nikki danced to that song?

Wouldn't Susan Flannery have to agree to that? I can't La Flannery hopping b/w shows.

So Esther joined the job hoppers by moving from the short lived position at Chancellor/winters? I was ffing -did Esther just have that one scene? If so, why not have her at least in another scene at CL? Of course, it was odd she was there at all. I thought Nikki's AA scene was good and effectively staged-was that just a wall on the GCAC set? Goes to show what a little creativity can acheive. More than 2 extras would have been good,especially when one wider shot made that too obvious. I didn't like how the scene was used for recap with Nikki talking about how she was kidnapped. It took away from the mood of the scene. All she needed to say was that she was forced into having booze. Then they went to the trouble of having the pianist who spoke!! Those extra scenes add a lot, instead of Nikki just telling Victor about her AA or her playing the piano herself.

I was just about to make the same observation when I saw your post. Tristan is 77 and Finola is 64 so there is already an age difference. And Finola has had (good) work done and presents younger. Its just a fact that on TV these days just about every woman above 50 has some type of enhancement and it has become the norm. We are taken aback when we see someone who has aged naturally. I don't think Tristan took much care of himself when younger so a lot of wrinkles and sun damage. I don't think its ageism, just facts.

They put Nate into business as that was JG's(misguided) direction for the show. As a doctor he would have limited interaction with other characters unless they kept coming up with medical crises. They were trying to cut down on sets so a hospital/clinic set was untenable. It might have worked had Nate arrived in town already disenchanted with medicine due to some happenings before he arrived.

That NBC book would be a must read. Fred Silverman was under tremendous pressure to turn NBC around and I think he was overwhelmed by the task. NBC had a completely different culture to that he met when joining ABC.

I've read that before . Does that mean that when Flannery left they were thinking of killing off Laura so Marlena took on the role of town shrink? Or simply Laura was offscreen for a while and Marlena took on her cases? How much time was there b/w Flannery and Susan Oliver coming on?

CBS 1981 Valley of the Dolls should have been a bullseye but it didn't seem to hit the mark. Not campy enough for some maybe? I've never seen it.

It was a miscast on a number of levels. Especially for those who enjoyed JLB as Lorie. It was also a retcon that played against history. Firstly if Kate had have been Kate Winograd that would have been better. But Days didn't want to tell a story with people that old so they knocked at least 10 years off everybody's age and made up stuff that contradicted what we saw on screen, Otherwise have Bill involved with a woman after he left Salem in 1980.

I wonder what days Marlena was on? Was it a full 5 day thing? Maybe people tuned in and that story wasn't being played? Or more likely, people tuned in to see Marlena and there wasn't enough follow through or other interesting stories to hold their attention. Was there any explicit reason for the jump with GL? Regarding AMC (or any soap) if they decide to go a little out there to grab viewers they also need something more grounded to counterbalance and satisfy long term viewers .

Yes, is surprising.They are quite random about what plot points get shown and have a set and extras. Whole storylines eg Aria's adoption pretty much happened at Crimson Lights.

And the job switching continues...

Rage of Angels /The story continues Master of the Game If Tomorrow Comes Windmills of the Gods All CBS and again the 80's.Not sure about Memories of Midnight-was that network or syndicated?

Didn't know that Knots Landing did rank first for the week during its run. The season finale airing May 23rd 1985 was #1 for the week earning a 22.9/38. Falcon Crest, airing its finale the following night manage a #12 ranking 16.4/30.

Deceptions aired in May 85 and was based on a Judith Michael novel. Pt 1 ranked #4 for the week Sunday 9-11 beating Crazy Like Fox/trapper John on CBS and rerun of Indianpolis 500 on ABC. Part 2 was #2 for the week airing the following night. Despite that success I don't think any more Michael novels were adapted for TV

@DramatistDreamerOne our expert fellow posters will know more but I recall Porter playing Jack for more than a few episodes. Physically there was resemblance but that's as far as it went. Terry Lester was irreplaceable. Porter had a longer role on Search for Tomorrow. Best pics I could find including that Golden Girls ep

@j swiftYes, Scruples had significance from that aspect also. One point to correct is that NBC's daytime Scruples (which came very close to making it to air) did not have John Conboy involved as he was working on Capitol at the time. Doris Quinlan was the EP mentioned. Her follow up Princess Daisy was aired on NBC but Mistral's Daughter, I'll Take Manhattan,Till We Meet Again and Dazzle all aired on CBS. Her 1990 novels never got the mini series treatment. She was an 80's lady.

Scruples had significance as the first hit miniseries of the 80's, the first based on a woman author's 'sex and shopping' genre. Up until then those old standbys Harold Robbins '79 Park Avenue' and Arthur Hailey 'Wheels' 'The Moneychangers' had been the source for those more 'salacious' entries in the genre.

That's cos they have no idea what to do with Phyllis. That faking death story was a convoluted mess.

From snippets I've seen of Peapack era everyone looked so bedraggled-crumpled ill fitting clothes, stringy hair, bad makeup (if any)