Heck, some may even argue that DALLAS was a timeslot hit due to its lead-in, the immensely popular DUKES OF HAZZARD!! (All three shows were produced by Lorimar.)

It's kind of funny to think that FC was created by the same guy who created THE WALTONS!!!

I was just a kid at the time but vividly remember watching the Dukes on Fridays with my folks, who would also stay watching the Ewings and their counterparts over at FC. I have one vivid memory of FC as it aired:

Emma standing on the ledge of the house, dressed in a white gown and blond hair whipping all around (due to the wind), threatening to jump. Does anyone else remember this? Why did she want to jump? Who finally convinced her not to?

Heck, some may even argue that DALLAS was a timeslot hit due to its lead-in, the immensely popular DUKES OF HAZZARD!! (All three shows were produced by Lorimar.)

It's kind of funny to think that FC was created by the same guy who created THE WALTONS!!!

I was just a kid at the time but vividly remember watching the Dukes on Fridays with my folks, who would also stay watching the Ewings and their counterparts over at FC. I have one vivid memory of FC as it aired:

Emma standing on the ledge of the house, dressed in a white gown and blond hair whipping all around (due to the wind), threatening to jump. Does anyone else remember this? Why did she want to jump? Who finally convinced her not to?

Dukes numbers never matched Dallas. Even after Dukes left the air Dallas was still a big hit! Dukes had awful ratings the last few years where Dallas was still very high at that time.

FC did reach top 10 status but never number 1.

I still preferred Knots over FC....FC was my 4th favorite soap behind Knots, Dynasty and Dallas..my favorite.

OK, you got me there. Like I said, I was still in the single digits at that time, so I didn't have a clue about ratings and lead-ins and whatnot. LOL Not to get too far off-topic, but didn't the real slide begin for Dukes after John Schneider and Tom Wopat left due to that royalties dispute and it never regained its momentum, even after they came back? Even to this day, the Coy and Vance era of the show is its most reviled by fans.

My mom says that Bobby in the shower is still the biggest anti-climax of all-time. Well, next to Geraldo and the vault. LOL

If anyone remembers that Emma moment, let me know.

I think FC's biggest rated episode was Lana Turners's first appearance as Chase's mother,It hit #2.

Yes, FC was a timeslot hit but it was a solid show in its own right, winning its timeslot for several seasons.

Some of the competition over the years

Strike Force

The Quest

Remington Steele

Matt Houston

For Love and Honor

Miami Vice (first show to make a dint in FC's ratings) so much so that NBC moved it up an hour opposite Dallas

Starman

LA Law

20/20

Private Eye

Nick Mancuso FBI

In its final season the show was moved to Thursday @ 9 to play out the last few episodes against Cheers so it didn't finish out with any fanfare.

http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1981.htm

Dallas at number 1 with Dukes at number 6 with FC at 13 during the 1981-82 season

http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1983.htm

FC at number 7....the highest it reached and that was during the 83-84 season after that season FC never made the top 10 again. FC was ahead of Knots during that season. As for weekly(for the week) rating I dont know how high FC got.

OK, you got me there. Like I said, I was still in the single digits at that time, so I didn't have a clue about ratings and lead-ins and whatnot. LOL Not to get too far off-topic, but didn't the real slide begin for Dukes after John Schneider and Tom Wopat left due to that royalties dispute and it never regained its momentum, even after they came back? Even to this day, the Coy and Vance era of the show is its most reviled by fans.

My mom says that Bobby in the shower is still the biggest anti-climax of all-time. Well, next to Geraldo and the vault. LOL

If anyone remembers that Emma moment, let me know.

Yeah, Dukes started dropping once John and Tom left. I kind of liked Coy but couldnt stand Vance. By the time John and Tom came back it was too late. The ratings continued to slide as viewers had been lost.

I think FC's biggest rated episode was Lana Turners's first appearance as Chase's mother,It hit #2.

Yes, FC was a timeslot hit but it was a solid show in its own right, winning its timeslot for several seasons.

Some of the competition over the years

Strike Force

The Quest

Remington Steele

Matt Houston

For Love and Honor

Miami Vice (first show to make a dint in FC's ratings) so much so that NBC moved it up an hour opposite Dallas

Starman

LA Law

20/20

Private Eye

Nick Mancuso FBI

In its final season the show was moved to Thursday @ 9 to play out the last few episodes against Cheers so it didn't finish out with any fanfare.

I loved Lana Turner. I think it was a mistake to write her off. Dont get me wrong it was a great cliffhanger but I thought she brought a Dynasty vibe to the show.

It's kind of funny to think that FC was created by the same guy who created THE WALTONS!!!

Believe me, Earl Hamner, Jr. still can't believe he created it either.

Not to get too far off-topic, but didn't the real slide begin for Dukes after John Schneider and Tom Wopat left due to that royalties dispute and it never regained its momentum, even after they came back?

Pretty much.

I think FC's biggest rated episode was Lana Turners's first appearance as Chase's mother,It hit #2.

Unfortunately, thanks to the tension between Turner and Jane Wyman, neither Turner nor Jacqueline Perrault were long for FC. Which is shameful, IMO, b/c I think (if Turner had been persuaded to remain on the show) Jacqueline/Richard would have made an awesome combination against Angela.

Emma standing on the ledge of the house, dressed in a white gown and blond hair whipping all around (due to the wind), threatening to jump. Does anyone else remember this? Why did she want to jump? Who finally convinced her not to?

I remember that. It occurred in the S6 finale, the same one where Melissa drove her car into SF bay (w/ Maggie's baby on-board), Chao-Li collapsed while trying to help Emma, Chase disappeared in the waters after rescuing the baby, and Angela learned (via a letter from Peter Stavros, who had departed from the valley) that Richard was the son she believed had died in childbirth. I don't recall exactly WHY Emma was attempting suicide (I tend to block out a lot of the silly [!@#$%^&*] she did over the years), but I do remember it was Lance who talked her down at the start of the following season.

Edited April 8, 201411 yr by Khan

Thank you, Khan. Was that the last hurrah for Robert Foxworth's Chase? Was it his choice to leave the show?

Not sure if you all know this, but Abby Dalton (Julia) played Barney Miller's wife in the original 1974 pilot. It is included in the complete series boxset of Barney Miller. I think she brought a softness and a warmth that I found lacking in the role once Barbara Barrie took over when the show went to series. Also in the pilot was Anne Wyndham, as the Millers' daughter, who would move East the next year to start a three-year turn on SFT as Amy.

Was that the last hurrah for Robert Foxworth's Chase? Was it his choice to leave the show?

Yes, and yes. Robert Foxworth chose to leave in order to care for his future wife, Elizabeth Montgomery ("Bewitched"), who was battling her first round with cancer. Reportedly, Foxworth was supposed to be gone only for a year. Obviously, though, plans changed.

Wow, really? I had no idea she was already battling the horrible disease that early. (She ended up passing away only four days after my grandmother did - heard about it on the radio the day after my grandma's funeral. Very sad times.)

Believe me, Earl Hamner, Jr. still can't believe he created it either.

LOL!! Good night, John-Boy indeed!!

I do recall that Lorenzo Lamas was quite the party boy back then - both on AND offscreen!! I still find it amazing, that of all the people who were on this show and stayed for extended periods of time - the only actor to appear in every single FC episode was Lorenzo Lamas!!!