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

[Soapsuds]

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[TEdgeofNight]

Feb 8, 1985

8:00 PM Benson (ABC) 16.2/25 Rank 31 for the week

8:30 PM Webster (ABC) 16.9/26 Rank 27 for the week

Code Name:Foxfire (NBC) 14.9/23 Rank 41 for the week

Dukes of Hazzard (CBS) 14.7/23 Rank 43 for the week

The lead out from Dukes, Dallas, rose to a 25/38, ranking #4 for the week. 

[kalbir]

@TEdgeofNight Thanks for the info. The Dukes of Hazzard series finale was last in the time slot. CBS did promote the episode as a series finale (at 19:38).

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[Paul Raven]

Puzzled as to why CBS kept Dukes of Hazzard as its Friday lead in in the 84-85 season. 

It was already dropping and there was no reason to think there would be some kind of rebound.

Friday had been a powerhouse for CBS throughout the 80's and Dukes weakening gave the competition the opportunity to take over 8-9 and build from there if Dallas showed signs of weakening.

Fortunately for CBS the opposition didn't do that. ABC won with Benson/Webster but they weren't major hits as Dukes had been.

Surely a CBS priority would have been developing a new light action show to replace Dukes.

Wk 1 1984/85 season

Friday

CBS

Dallas #1 @9  Falcon Crest # 2 @10, Dukes of Hazzard #42 @8

ABC

Benson #27 Webster #24 Hawaiian Heat #61 @9 Matt Houston @10 # 59

 

 

[kalbir]

I guess CBS logic was Dallas is our biggest hit scripted show and The Dukes of Hazzard and Dallas both appealed to the same audience.

I think 1983/84 The Mississippi might have worked at Friday 8 pm, but then that could have lead to The Dukes of Hazzard getting tank jobbed at Tuesday 8 pm vs. The A-Team.

[Paul Raven]

The Mississippi had already established itself as a Friday show in tandem with Dallas in it's tryout so a move to 8pm Friday would have made more sense than sending it to 8pm Tuesday where The A Team was hot and CBS had repeatedly failed there.

Dukes could have been moved to Sat @8 up against TJ Hooker and Diff'rent Strokes and Cutter to Houston to Tues @8. 

[Khan]

That would have been my guess as well.

[Paul Raven]

Dukes and Dallas were initially a strong back to back duo and in fact it was Dukes instant hit status Fri @9 that propelled Dallas into the Top 10. Yes they had similar audience appeal but Dukes faded long before Dallas so a lot of that Dukes audience went elsewhere. Hence the need for a stronger lead in.

I guess The Mississippi would have skewed older and CBS were constantly trying to grab younger viewers. Dukes probably was one of CBS' most 'youthful' shows even if overall ratings were no longer so great.

[kalbir]

For whatever reason, CBS decided not to tank job The Dukes of Hazzard but in the mid-1980s they did tank job other 1970s holdovers The Jeffersons, Alice; Trapper John, M.D.; and possibly One Day at a Time.

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[kalbir]

Here's what happened on the soaps and two rookie hits the week of February 4-10, 1985.

The Cosby Show - Theo and the Joint (episode 17, February 7, rating 26.1, #1): Theo searches for the culprit who put marijuana in his schoolbook.

Dynasty - The Ball (February 6, rating 25.9, 2nd): Alexis attempts to persuade the head of the Chinese delegation to hire Colbyco. Blake is surprised that Lady Ashley is an Acapulco. Amanda has a romantic fling with Prince Michael of Moldavia.

Dallas - Sins of the Fathers (February 8, rating 25.0, 4th): Cliff gets an injunction, but victory is short-lived. Pam learns Mark may be in Hong Kong. Lucy and Eddie's construction project starts.

Knots Landing - Fly Away Home (February 7, rating 21.9, 10th): Ben has a flat tire on the road to Empire Valley. A truck with radio receivers stops to help him. Ben takes one of the receivers and tells Mac that he thinks that Empire Valley is only a cover for something bigger.

Falcon Crest - Retribution (February 8, rating 20.3, 13th): Angela's kidnapping results in a meeting with Julia. Chase risks all to save Julia. Gustav finally finds the Falcon Crest treasure. This episode of Falcon Crest is notable in that it would be the last episode to finish ahead of a new episode of Murder, She Wrote.

Murder, She Wrote - My Johnny Lies Over the Ocean (episode 14, February 10, rating 19.9, 16th): Jessica goes on a cruise with her friend Pamela, who has just been released from a sanatorium where she was recovering from the suicide of her husband Johnny. However, on board the ship Pamela is the victim of a terror campaign, and then another passenger is found dead.

 

[Khan]

A great episode, except for one thing: who on Earth would bring their husband's suicide note with them on a cruise?

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[kalbir]

1986/87 was on the whole not a very memorable season.

Amen, Matlock, L.A. Law, ALF were the main new shows I remember, but they weren't exactly breakout hits.

NBC Thursday continued their domination from 1985/86. Other strong nights were CBS Sunday, NBC Saturday, ABC Tuesday.

NBC had a historical night January 22, 1987 where The Cosby Show and Family Ties each had their series high and Cheers had their series high until the series finale.

Pivotal events for CBS were Murder, She Wrote having their only #1 episode (Night of the Headless Horseman) and their series high (Simon Says, Color Me Dead), and Dallas falling out of the Top 10. It was a sign of things to come.

ABC saw the further weakening of the Aaron Spelling hit factory (Dynasty fell out of the Top 10, Hotel fell out of the Top 30, The Colbys was cancelled) but Tuesday made a comeback with Who's the Boss, Growing Pains, Moonlighting all finishing in the Top 10.

[Paul Raven]

Outlaws was another one of those shows that started out strong but quickly faltered and was cancelled.

The opening pilot/TV movie aired Sunday following MSW and ranked #3.

It's first Saturday showing was a time slot winning #15 The Saturday movie was #28. Facts of Life, the NBC competition to beat at 8pm was #24

CBS was looking competitive on a night that had been historically weak for them

Next week it dropped to #35 Facts of Life was #31 The movie was #44. Less impressive.

The following week Outlaws #59 and the movie #64. Facts of Life #25.

By that point I'm sure the cancellation was inevitable.

Possibly a case of a  pilot with strong writing and $$$ spent but the resulting series just not as good.