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


Paul Raven

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1980-1981 season

For the week of January 25, 1981

Dallas featured Lucy and Mitch first wedding. Sue Ellen discovers a cheating JR has returned.

Special Guest Stars are Ted Shakelford and Joan Van Ark

 

 

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Correction, the ratings you posted cover January 18-24, 1982. Super Bowl XVI was held January 24, 1982.

The NBC lineup on January 23, 1982 was One of the Boys (series premiere), Harper Valley, Barbara Mandrell, Steve Martin Special.

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Ok Thanks. So One of the Boys finished #18. A good start but viewers quickly switched off.  The opposition was Kings Crossing - that was already failing and Walt Disney that may have been a repeat that week, so NBC got a sampling.

In a few weeks ABC debuted TJ Hooker, which took over as timeslot winner. It debuted #11 21.9/39  up against One of the Boys 10.2/18  and first half hour of Chicago Story 9.0/16 while CBS went with Disney 'The Moonspinners' Pt 1 11.9/21

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1982/83 Dallas loses #1 to 60 Minutes and the Dallas/Dynasty battle begins as Dynasty scores their first weekly win over Dallas.

That season Dallas had 5 out of 28 episodes finish #1, 20 episodes finish among the Top 5, and 3 episodes finish below the Top 10. 

On a win-loss basis, Dallas record vs. 60 Minutes was 13-15 and vs. Dynasty was 18-3.

Edited by kalbir
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The times I have listed are:

Oct 81-Nov 81 Thu 8:00-8:30

Dec 81-Jan 82 Sat 8:00-8:30

Jan 82-Feb 82 Sat 8:30-9:00

Apr 82-Jun 82 Sat 8:00-8:30

Jul 82-Aug 82 Sat 8:30-9:00

The show had initial success for NBC during its first season and came back for its second but as the show dropped the PTA name and changed the focus as the second season went on the show plummeted not long afterward. 

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1983/84 Dallas regains #1 but the battle with Dynasty explodes as Dynasty scores their first weekly #1 finish over Dallas.

That season Dallas had 9 out of 30 episodes finish #1, 19 episodes finish among the Top 5, 1 episode finish among the Top 10, and 1 episode finish below the Top 10. 

On a win-loss basis, Dallas record vs. Dynasty was 21-4.

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What was Riptide about anyways? I vaguely recall a robot being involved in the action but it’s been ages. I always see it doing well 1983-85 but then it appears NBC squandered the whole show it’s final season. At least Joe Penny later had success with Jake and the Fatman. 

All the five primetime soaps had good seasons IMO for 1983-84 season in both writing and in ratings of course. Hotel was better when Anne Baxter was alive although being the soap opera version of the Love Boat didn’t help the show’s cause overall.

Any thoughts as to why Saturday night soaps didn’t work? Dallas had a rather dismal 78-79 season before moving, both Secrets of Midland Heights and King’s Crossing flopped, and Berrenger’s floundered, and Hotel was killed off. I know in the 90’s though Sisters had success though. Just not enough available audience to stay home every Saturday night as opposed to Wed-Fri nights?

Edited by soapfan770
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CBS aired Any Which Way You Can on January 18, 1985.

Super Bowl week was the turning point of 1984/85.

The season began with all the hype being a Dallas/Dynasty battle for #1, but the momentum shifted after the Super Bowl when new episodes of The Cosby Show began regularly finishing #1.

Dallas had 9 out of 30 episodes finish #1, 16 episodes finish among the Top 5, and 5 episodes finish among the Top 10. Six of the #1 episodes were before Super Bowl week. On a win-loss basis, Dallas record vs. Dynasty was 12-14 and vs. new episodes of The Cosby Show was 14-8. Of the 14 episodes that finished ahead of new episodes of The Cosby Show, 13 of them were before Super Bowl week.

Dynasty had 5 out of 29 episodes finish #1 and the remaining 24 episodes finished among the Top 5. All five of the #1 episodes were before Super Bowl week. On a win-loss basis, Dynasty record vs. new episodes of The Cosby Show was 11-10. All 11 of the episodes that finished ahead of a new episode of The Cosby Show were before Super Bowl week.

The Cosby Show had 9 out of 24 episodes finish #1 in the week of their original broadcast, 6 episodes finish among the Top 5, 8 episodes finish among the Top 10, and 1 episode finish below the Top 10. Eight of the #1 episodes were after Super Bowl week.

The season ended with Dallas losing #1 to Dynasty and finishing 2nd. The Cosby Show finished 3rd.

Edited by kalbir
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