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

[Khan]

From what I remember, CLAF was like "Magnum, P.I." and "Simon & Simon," with the emphasis placed more on the quirky, father-and-son dynamics between Jack Warden and John Rubinstein than on actual detective work.  It wasn't good or bad; it was just "okay."  But it definitely was a "time slot hit."  It needed a strong lead-in, such as MSW, to be successful.  When CBS dislodged it (and "Trapper John, M.D.") to make room for "The CBS Sunday Movie," CLAF was as good as gone.

[kalbir]

 

 

I brought up Crazy Like a Fox in the Time Slot Hits thread.

 

Edited April 17 by kalbir

[kalbir]

40 years ago this month, the best and most pivotal television season of the 1980s came to an end. Here’s how the rookie breakout and the four soaps wrapped up the season.

The Cosby Show – Cliff’s Birthday (season 1 finale, May 9): Clair and the children surprise Cliff by planning a birthday celebration around a Lena Horne concert.

Dallas – Deliverance (May 10): Bobby seeks evidence to free Jenna. The Ewings go confidently to court. Mitch asks Lucy to move in. J.R. wants Sue Ellen hospitalized.

Dynasty - The Heiress (May 8): Krystle learns Daniel is dead. King Galen courts Alexis. Amanda sees Michael with Elena. Sammy Jo learns Krystle will handle her money and is furious about the decision.

Knots Landing – One Day in a Row (May 9): Ben aids in Karen's search for Val's babies. Mack replies to the governor's offer. Ruth uses Abby to break up Laura and Greg.

Falcon Crest – Cold Comfort (May 10): Fugitive Lance desperately searches for Lorraine, who lies comatose in a San Francisco hospital. Robin returns with startling news.

 

Dallas – Swan Song (season 8 finale, May 17): Jenna's release from jail depresses Pam. Sue Ellen thinks she saw Dusty. Donna tells Ray about her pregnancy. Cliff consults an attorney about an annulment. Lucy and Mitch remarry. Sudden tragedy strikes Bobby.

Dynasty – Royal Wedding (season 5 finale, May 15): Sammy Jo makes her roommate look like Krystle. Elena reassures Amanda about her upcoming marriage. Terrorists come for the royal wedding of Prince Michael and Amanda.

Falcon Crest – Confessions (May 17): Melissa confesses to framing Lance. Pamela gives Maggie proof that Richard bribed Judge Holder. Connie reveals her love for Chase.

Knots Landing – Vulnerable (May 16): Ruth wants Abby to break up Greg and Laura. Karen makes a breakthrough in her hunt for Val's babies. Joshua hampers Val's recovery.

Knots Landing – The Long and Winding Road (season 6 finale, May 23): Abby fears being linked to the disappearance of Val's babies. Laura leaves Greg. The Fishers are determined to keep Val's babies.

Falcon Crest – The Avenging Angel (season 4 finale, May 24): Lorraine dies. Angela throws a victory party. Cassandra's mother arrives. An explosion rips through Richard's house.

1984/85 was the season the primetime soaps pulled out all the stops to out-do each other and everything culminated in the spring. May 1985 was the zenith of primetime soaps as a genre.

[Soapsuds]

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[Khan]

Fixed, lol?

[kalbir]

Hahaha. I took the episode descriptions from Google.

[Khan]

I apologize to any Kate Vernon/Lorraine fans out there for my last post, but, dear Lord, was I ever glad to see her gone from the show.  Aside from Melissa, in fact, I don't think any of Lance's love interests worked.

Edited May 4 by Khan

[kalbir]

@Soapsuds You posted the week April 23-29, 1984.

Dynasty was the only soap that aired a new episode that week.

Knots Landing was a repeat as their season finale was March 29.

Dallas and Falcon Crest were pre-empted for Borderline.

 

[soapfan770]

Thanks @kalbir what a time to have enjoyed the peak of the primetime soaps.

Haha you’re good. The only complaint I have with Lorraine’s death as I mentioned recently in the FC thread was it was overkill, and all we got Apollonia. If a pregnant woman had to be killed off, I would’ve chosen just killing off Robin instead in some freak accident or in the explosion at Richard’s to save us from us that disaster lol. 
 

Did Hotel have a cliffhanger that year? I imagine if Hotel had been soapier we would’ve had cliffhangers like the hotel catching on fire or bombed by an ex-lover of Christine. Peter pisses everyone off and is shot in his office. Or a major Golden age star like a Olivia de Havilland shows and tells how she originally owned the Hotel and how Victoria Cabot & Laura Trent stole it from her but now she owns it etc.

[Soapsuds]

I was wondering what week it was, and it explains the low rating for Knots Landing.

I was also wondering what preempted Dallas and Falcon Crest.

[kalbir]

You're welcome.

Fall 1982-Spring 1985 was the peak of primetime soaps. What a time to have been alive.

[Khan]

Or Megan is shot as retaliation for Dave's unpaid gambling debts...while Julie confesses she's the biological mother of Special Guest Star Barry Bostwick's little boy.

Edited May 4 by Khan

[kalbir]

Hotel was The Love Boat on land but a little soapier. I will forever maintain that Hotel was a time slot hit. I don't believe that 1983/84 Hotel was a better show than Knots Landing.

[Khan]

I don't believe it either, @kalbir.  Ironically, I think KL's first producer, Joseph B. Wallenstein, ended up producing "Hotel" as well.

[Paul Raven]

Hotel no doubt benefited from the Dynasty lead in and didn't move until it was jettisoned to Sat night wasteland to play out a final season.

Maybe it should have been moved earlier to perhaps bolster another night and allow ABC to nurture another show in the post Dynasty timeslot when the former was still a ratings winner.