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


Paul Raven

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In 80/81 Knots finished its run and was replaced by Nurse starring Micheal Learned, which spun off from a high rating TV movie. It did well first outing 18.3/31 which placed it in the Top 30 and in Wk 33 was #15 so viewers were coming back.

So next season CBS moves it to Wed @9 where it bombed.

Why not leave it Thurs @10 and run Magnum/Knots/Nurse which on paper looks good or Magnum/Nurse/Knots giving Nurse a nice position b/w 2 hits. The new 10pm Thur show Jessica Novak also flopped whereas Nurse might have done better in a timeslot where viewers were accustomed to seeing it.

So many odd programming decisions on the face of it. Who knows what goes on behind the scenes...

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Further evidence why extra episodes of the soaps were ordered.

May sweeps 1981 CBS repeated Who Shot JR, the highest rated primetime show ever at that point.

Up against Battle of the Network Stars on ABC Dallas scored a 17.3/30 while Battle managed a 19.3/34, the first time Dallas had been beaten  all season.

The next week NBC ran TV Censored Bloopers  Fri @10 22.3/40 and 5th place while Dallas was 46th 13.4/24

CBS was in 3rd place that week. They only had 2 shows in the Top 10 -  TV Movie Stand by Your Man #7 and 60 Minutes #8 and 4 in the Top 20  Mash #13 Trapper John #19 .

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Thank you! I was curious to see ratings for the soap premieres for the 1985/6 season considering their strong overall performance the previous season. Dallas, Dynasty, Hotel and Knots premiered week ending September 29 and Falcon Crest the following week. Wonder if Falcon Crest's later premiere hurt it.

Not surprised that MacGyver's series premiere didn't do well up against the season premiere of Murder, She Wrote. 

Edited by GLATWT88
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Dallas debut was rather low compared to earlier years. Dallas lost viewers when Patrick Duffy left.

Dynasty actually increased. It was their highest rating for the shows entire run. Viewers tuned in to see who survived the massacre.

Knots dipped too with the continuation of Val twin babies being alive storyline.

Falcon Crest dropped too. I thought the resolution to Richard house exploding with him and Maggie in it was lame. I believe they fast forwarded the cliffhanger two months ahead.

Edited by Soapsuds
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The Cosby Show season 2 premiere picks up where it left off the previous season with a #1 finish.

Murder, She Wrote season 2 premiere also picks up where it left off the previous season with a second weekly win over Dallas.

The new hotness Miami Vice about to blow up.

Murder, She Wrote got their first weekly win over Dynasty.

The tide is shifting on Fridays with Miami Vice finishing ahead of Falcon Crest season 5 premiere.

Two weeks into the season and it's pretty clear Dallas and Dynasty were no longer battling for #1, they were jockeying for position in the Top 10. 

Edited by kalbir
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@Soapsuds 1983 American Music Awards were held January 17 so you posted the week ending January 23.

No Magnum, P.I. on January 20, 1983; that date CBS aired new 2 hour Simon & Simon and a CBS Reports documentary. No Dallas on January 21, 1983; that date CBS aired new The Dukes of Hazzard, Knots Landing, Falcon Crest.

January 23, 1983 was the series premiere of The A-Team.

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Some ratings of note that week.

Hill St Blues at #2 its best rating ever due to Knots being replaced by a CBS News Special which scored a 13 share and ranked 68th - last place of the week.

Knots held up well in the Dallas slot-viewers wanted their 9pm soap fix.

The 2 hr Simon & Simon special was actually a reworking of the original pilot 'Pirate's Key' from a couple of years back. CBS passed on that show but liked the leads so reworked it into Simon & Simon. They used footage from the pilot as flashback material in a new storyline.

Mama's Family debuted Sat @9 on NBC  to an 18.6/28 - highest NBC rating in that slot for the season.

NBC would have been thrilled with The A Team-the first out and out hit they had in years.

ABC 17.9/27 second weekly win of the season

CBS 17.4/27 only the 4th time in 17 weeks they were not #1

NBC 16.4/25 best score since World series week at the start of the season

Mon

ABC win That's Incredible(season high)#7  /AMA's#3

CBS  Square Pegs/ Filthy Rich 18 share MASH (lowest rating new episode of season) #16/Newhart (season low)/Cagney and Lacey(season low)

NBC Little House/Movie

Tues

ABC win Happy Days/Laverne & Shirley/3's Company #4/9 to 5 #17/Hart to Hart #19

CBS Walt Disney/Movie

NBC Father Murphy/Hill St special/St Elsewhere

Wed

ABC win Tales of Gold Monkey/Fall Guy #12/Dynasty #10

NBC Real People #20/Facts of Life/Family Ties/Quincy

CBS 7 Brides for 7 Bros/Movie

Thurs

NBC win (first time CBS had not won Thurs) Fame(2nd best rating of the season/Gimme A Break/Cheers (best rating of the season,beating It Takes Two))/ Hill St Blues (best rating ever)#2

CBS Simon & Simon 2hr #9/CBS News Report #68

ABC  Greatest American Hero (season low)/Too Close for Comfort/It Takes Two (both season lows)/20/20

Fri

CBS win Dukes/Knots #6/Falcon Crest #8

ABC Benson/New Odd Couple/ Movie 'Alligator' #64 11.8/19

NBC Powers of Matthew Star/Knight Rider #23 (best rating for hour long ep)/Remington Steele

Sat

ABC win TJ Hooker 17.1/27(season high) Love Boat #11/Fantasy Island

NBC Diff'rent Strokes/Silver Spoons (both season highs, winning timeslot)/Mama's Family/ Taxi 20 share/ Family Tree #67 10.1/16

CBS Bring Em Back Alive #65 10.8/17 /Movie

Sun

CBS win 60 Min #1/Bunker #14/Gloria #18/Jeffersons #15/One Day/Trapper John

NBC Voyagers 10.8/16 #66 /Chips/A Team 2 hr debut #5

ABC Ripleys 14.1/21 (second best score of the season)/Matt Houston #29 18.2/26 (second best rating of the season)/Malibu Pt1 18.6/28

 

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I wonder if the time change helped Knots in the ratings or did viewers tune in to Mac and Karen wedding? Were they that popular at the beginning as a couple?

Landing at #6 with a 22.9 rating was their highest rating at the time during that season. The combo with FC did well  The erosion of audience from Knots was less than with Dallas.

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The following week when Knots was again up against Hill St 

#10 Hill St Blues 22.2/34

# 16 Knots Landing 19.6/30

So a lot of viewers from the week before who had the chance to catch Hill St stayed with it and Knots was weakened by being moved.

And Knots had a strong lead in Simon & Simon #6 24.9/35 whereas Hill St had a much weaker lead in- Cheers

Edited by Paul Raven
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@Paul Raven 1982/83 Knots Landing finished 20th and Hill Street Blues finished 21st, and Knots Landing would out-rate Hill Street Blues in the seasonal ratings for the remainder of Hill Street Blues run.

1982/83 was also Cheers first season and as we all know, it didn't take off until The Cosby Show came along and pulled up the rest of the NBC Thursday comedy block.

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