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Looking back...Primetime Ratings from the 80's


Paul Raven

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Wk 1 89/90

1 26.1/44 N Cosby Show 

2 24.7/38 A Roseanne 

3 24.1 /39 N Cheers 

4 23.5/42 N Golden Girls  

5 23.0/38 N Sister Kate preview 

6 20.7/32 A Doogie Howser, M.D.. special  

6 20.733 C Murder, She Wrote 

8 20.3/33 N Sat. Night Live. 15th Anni.  

9 19.6í31 N Matlock 

10 19.5/32 A Who's the Boss?  

11 19.3/36 N Bob Hope's Lucy  

12 19.2/32 N Unsolved Mysteries  

13 18.6/33 C 60 Minutes  

14 18.4/29 A Chicken Soup  

15 18.1/31 A Growing Pains  

16 17.8/30 N Hardball special  

17 17.026 C Murphy Brown 

18 16.4/30 N Amen  

19 16.3/29 A NFL Monday Night Football  

20 16.226 C Major Dad 

21 15.924 C Famous Teddy Z 

21 15 9/24 C Island Son special

21 15.9/25 N NBC Monday Movie  

24 15.6/25 N Nutt House 

25 15.3/27 N NBC Friday Movie 

26 15.2/24 A ABC Sunday Movie  

27 15124 C Designing Women 

27 15.1/28 A Full House

29 14.6/25 A Free Spirit special

29 14.6'23 C People Next Door

29 14.6/25 A Perfect Strangers

32 14.4/26 A China Reach

32 14.4/23 A Doogie Howser, M.D. (Wed.)

34 14.3/23 N ALF

35 14.0/22 N Hogan Family

35 14.0/22 C Jake and the Fatman

35 14.0/27 N 227

38 13.9/25 A Family Matters

39 13.8/23 C 48 Hours

40 13.7/22 A Young Riders, special

41 13.6/23 C Newhart

42 13.5/24 C Island Son

43 13.3/24 N Midnight Caller

43 13.3/24 A Thirtysomething

45 12.8/23 C Dallas

46 12.7/21 C Wolf special

47 12.6/23 N Baywatch

47 12.6/23 A 20/20

49 12.1/21 A PrimeTime Live

50 11.818 N My Two Dads

50 11.8/12  C Wiseguy

50 11.8/19 A Young Riders

53 11.5/21 C Paradise

54 11.0/18 C Top of the Hill

55 10.8/17 C Rescue: 911

56 10.4/17 A Free Spirit

56 10.4/19 C Snoops

58 10.2/15 F Married...With Children

58 10.218 C Tour of Duty

60 10.0/18 A Life Goes On

61 9.8/16 A MacGyver

62 9.7/16 C Peaceable Kingdom

62 9 7/17 N Quantum Leap

62 9.7/15 F Totally Hidden Video

62 9.7/17 C Wiseguy. Wed

66 9.6/16 F America's Most Wanted

67 8.9/15 N Sister Kate

68 8.7/14 A Homeroom

69 8.6/14 A .Mission: Impossible

70 8.1/13 C Wolf

71 7.6/15 C Sat. Night with Connie Chung

72 7.5/12 F Alien Nation

73 6.8/13 A ABC College Football

73 6.8/11 F 21 Jump Street

75 6.6/12 N ALF Takes Network

76 6.5/12 F Booker

77 6.3/12 F Cops

78 5.6/8 F Open House

79 4.4/8 F Reporters

80 3.6/6 F Tracey Ullman Show

81 3.0/5 F Beyond Tomorrow

 

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1986-1987 season 
 
Season Finale

3.  Dallas  21.5 - JR loses Ewing Oil, Sue Ellen vs Mandy showdown, Pam's car explodes 

9. Knots Landing 18.7 - Abby buries Peter's dead body at Lotus Point. 

11. Falcon Crest 18.6 - Melissa's car goes over a bridge. Chase goes into the water to save Melissa.

14. Dynasty  17.6 - Alexis car goes over a bridge, armed men hold the Carringtons hostage in their home, Matthew Blaisdel reappears.

44. The Colbys(series finale)  13.6 - At the end of the series, Miles's wife Channing phones to say she will abort their unborn baby; Sable kidnaps Monica's son; Francesca seemingly dies after a car crash involving herself and Philip; and Fallon, stranded in the desert, is seemingly abducted by aliens in the finale.

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Wk 23  88/89 Season

1.  27.2/42 N Cosby Show 

2. 24.9/38 N Different World

3. 24.2/35 A Roseanne 

4. 23.8/38 C 60 Minutes

5. 23.3 /35 N Cheers 

6. 22.8/33 C  Murder, She Wrote

7.  22.5/33  N  Golden Girls  

8. 21.9/33 A Who's the Boss?  

9. 21.2/33 C  Naked Lie

10. 19.8/30 N  Dear John

11. 19.7/34 N  Empty Nest

12. 19.6/32 N  L.A. Law

13. 19.2/30  N  In the heat of the night

14. 18.6/28 N Matlock

15. 18.5/34 N  Hunter

16. 18.4/27 N  Alf

17. 17.9/30 C  Dallas

18. 17.5/27 N  Unsolved Mysteries

19. 17.5/28  A  Full House 

20. 17.2/30  N  Amen

21  17.2/28 C  Knots Landing

 

Dynasty 10.3/16 share

Falcon Crest did not air. Dallas was a 2 hour special!

Edited by Soapsuds
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1980-1981 Season

Week ending November 23

.1.  Dallas  53.3/76

2. Dukes of Hazzard  32.0/48

3. 60 Minutes  29.8/45

4. Three's Company  26.3/39

5. Alice  26.1/36

6. The Jefferson's  26.1/36

7.  One Day At A Time  25.7/36

8. Happy Days  25.4/37

9. Too Close For Comfort  25.1/37

10. Love Boat  25.0/39

Edited by Soapsuds
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1985/86 was the season that the primetime soaps started to decline. Lots of factors I think: viewer fatigue, strategic counter-programming, sitcoms making a comeback, weak lead ins.

Edited by kalbir
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    • I'm happy to read whatever you provide, @Paul Raven. 

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