The last time they had it was 30 - 40 - 50 years ago.

9 minutes ago, Stevel said:

The last time they had it was 30 - 40 - 50 years ago.

Good point. It's easy to forget how MTM and Norman Lear helped CBS draw younger, more upscale viewers in the '70's after appealing so much to rural audiences.

46 minutes ago, Khan said:

Good point. It's easy to forget how MTM and Norman Lear helped CBS draw younger, more upscale viewers in the '70's after appealing so much to rural audiences.

Lear especially

And I show my Gen Z relatives and friends the Norman Lear shows and they roll their eyes at how cringe it is. I have to admit that the shows was a lot of preaching and a lot of yelling so I kind of understand why they found his shows a chore to get through. At least MTM & Rhoda were headlined by funny female performers, though I much prefer the married era on Rhoda over the divorced era.

Oddly, they get a kick out of Dallas especially how they always had breakfast, dinner, and after dinner family time in the living room where they argued and bickered over business matters saying it reminded them of their families.

Speaking of short-lived primetime soap operas, I will forever be intrigued with NBC and their inability to ever showcase a successful one going all the way back to the 80s, including their 2013 attempt that was promising, but the concept made it sound like it would have made a good mini series instead of a long running primetime soap.

Deception only seemed to get ordered because Revenge was a hit on ABC. I thought it was okay, but clearly not as tight as the first (and third) seasons of Revenge. But both suffered from the same thing really - limited concept.

19 hours ago, Khan said:

I'm not sure CBS has ever found that audience. I mean, look at their current programming slate. I doubt many 20-year-olds are making it a point to watch "NCIS" every week, lol.

They're definitely streaming it, I'd say. My 15-18 year old students love those CBS procedural shows, but the very idea of watching a show when the TV tells you to watch it is very foreign to them.

10 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

And I show my Gen Z relatives and friends the Norman Lear shows and they roll their eyes at how cringe it is. I have to admit that the shows was a lot of preaching and a lot of yelling so I kind of understand why they found his shows a chore to get through. At least MTM & Rhoda were headlined by funny female performers, though I much prefer the married era on Rhoda over the divorced era.

Norman Lear was vitally important in moving TV forward, and he remained a good man all his life (unlike many) but I think many of his shows were dated even as the '70s wound down, which is why he struggled in creating new successes. Of any of them I think Mary Hartman is the most current.

1 hour ago, All My Shadows said:

They're definitely streaming it, I'd say. My 15-18 year old students love those CBS procedural shows

REALLY?? Wow. Okay. Maybe there is hope for our nation's youth yet, lol.