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

[j swift]

Not to be too tangential, but, isn't interesting that the LA Riots seemed to have been written into more contemporary primetime shows in 1992 than COVID in 2022.  LA Law, A Different World, Doogie Howser, Fresh Prince, and 90210, all included the riots in their storyline, but you hardly even see people in masks on primetime TV today.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots_in_popular_culture#Television

Edited February 5, 2023 by j swift

[Franko]

Did they ever reference the riots on Melrose Place?

[kalbir]

There was a Fall 1992 issue of the week episode partly set in South Central Los Angeles. That episode might have referenced the riots.

[Paul Raven]

It's difficult sometimes to know who was actually responsible for a certain program.

Shogun for example aired when Silverman was in charge, but I have a feeling that a massive mini series like that may have been commissioned before he came on board.

When Silverman came to NBC, their programming was in tatters. They had no successful comedies, as this had never been an NBC priority, even when Sanford was a hit. They were locked into commitment deals with Universal, which he felt was restricting as other producers would not bring ideas to NBC. They were running long form programming most nights of the week.

Silverman believed series(especially comedies) were the key to success. He had a hit off the bat with Diff'rent Strokes but struggled to build on that. In his first couple of seasons he was constantly juggling the schedule and series were coming and going every few weeks.

Then he decided to go for more balance and quality programming buoyed by the success of Hill St Blues.

I think he felt the burden of expectations after super successful stints at CBS/ABC. He should have written a book about all of this.

[Contessa Donatella]

Oh, yes, you are so right! That makes sense. And, it would've been a best-seller since he had to have so many tales to tell! Wikipedia, which as I say I know can be wrong, does credit him with ShoGun.

They say the first person to work for or with all 3 networks was Irna & then there was Fred & the way he did it was nothing short of remarkable. Of course, that's the way they talk. 

Irna had worked with CBS with P&G soaps, with NBC with a P&G soap, with ABC with her daughter's soap & then with CBS again but not with P&G for what turned into a disaster, Love Is A Many Splendored Thing, but that's off-topic, so excuse me. 

 

[Soapsuds]

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[Franko]

Not to beat a dead horse, but I just want to marvel one more time at the amount of time ABC would devote to a big event miniseries (eight-day spans in most cases):

Roots (Jan. 23-30, 1977): 12 out of 26 potential hours.

Roots: The Next Generation (Feb. 18-25, 1979): 14 out of 26 hours

Masada (April 5-8, 1981): Eight out of 13 hours

The Winds of War (Feb. 6-13, 1983): 18 out of 26 hours

The Thorn Birds (March 27-30, 1983): 10 out of 13 hours

North & South, Book I (Nov. 3-10, 1985): 12 out of 26 hours

North & South, Book II (May 4-11, 1986): 12 out of 26 hours

Amerika (Feb. 15-22, 1987): 14 out of 26 hours

War & Remembrance, Part I (Nov. 13-23, 1988): 17 out of 35 hours

War & Remembrance, Part II (May 7-14, 1989): 11 out of 26 hours

Edited February 6, 2023 by Franko

[Paul Raven]

I think those last 3 didn't score so well and that was the end of those epic mini series.

The other networks did attempt some of more than the usual 3 parts/6 hours including

Shogun NBC 12 hours/5 nights September 1980

Space CBS 13 hours/5 parts April 1985

[Contessa Donatella]

And, they were all so good you didn't even mind that it destroyed your whole week or week & a day. And at the end of it you were tired, behind on homework, behind on laundry, uplifted and you knew you had  been through something. Later, when the mini-series shrank till it shrank itself out of existence they simply weren't as good. My favorites were ROOTS, NORTH & SOUTHs, THORNBIRDS and then changing channels SHOGUN. Thns for reminding me ... fond memories. 

[Franko]

Yup, ABC's last biggies underperformed. Space is actually slightly more extreme than The Winds of War. It took up 13 out of a potential 16 hours in its original five-night span.

 

It is interesting to think how these sort of things were shared by the viewing audience. Can you imagine throwing "Thorn Birds parties" for four straight nights (during Holy Week, incidentally!) of 1983?

[j swift]

While the shared viewing aspect of big media is gone (see last night's SNL Hollywood Quiz sketch), it seems like Netflix and HBOMax are incapable of producing content that isn't multiple episodes. 

[Contessa Donatella]

I was just wondering, ... how many nights was BARE ESSENCE? But, I honestly can't imagine it in today's world. 

[SFK]

Just two nights IIRC, two two-hour installments.

[BetterForgotten]

Like the Harpo/Oprah produced The Women of Brewster Place, which was a big ratings hit in 1989 - the second part even outrated the first from what I recall. 

[Contessa Donatella]

Thnx. Genie as Tiger was really something.