Jump to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

Soap Opera Network Community

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Featured Replies

  • Member
On 6/2/2025 at 3:07 PM, Franko said:

Slightly OT. Somehow I ended up following Kami Cotler (Elizabeth, the youngest one) on Facebook, or her posts just show on my feed. She's got some great info. about the ins and outs of retro TV production.

 

Funny I randomly saw Kami’s lengthy post about the 44th anniversary of the Walton’s finale last week pop up in my news feed on Facebook. A few inaccuracies to her post but overall it was pretty insightful and interesting to read. 

  • 1 month later...
  • Replies 1.1k
  • Views 194.1k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

  • Author
  • Member

This is weekbeginning July 27 1981 .

Royal Wedding was a preview of Charles/Diana nuptials that aired Tues 8-9

It's A Living  aired after 3's Company,  hence the Top 10 ranking.

Taxi and 20/20 aired 9.30 and 10pm Thursday showing that during Summer people tune in later as they outrated Barney Miller  at 9pm. 

CBS Royal  Wedding special aired Wed at 8 and Champions was the CBS Wed movie at 9pm.

In fact all networks had Royal  Wedding specials on Wed. CBS at 8pm ABC at 9pm  and NBC at 10pm. 

Robert Klein was a repeat airing Fri @9 opposite Dukes.

Eight is Enough,  BJ and Games People Play all aired Sat night.

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Member

Re: 1983/84, I don't believe Hotel was a better show than Knots Landing that season. Hotel rode off the coattails of Dynasty. Knots Landing was excellent in 1983/84 (that was my second favorite season of the show) and it unfortunately missed the Top 10 by very little.

  • Member
3 hours ago, kalbir said:

Re: 1983/84, I don't believe Hotel was a better show than Knots Landing that season. Hotel rode off the coattails of Dynasty. Knots Landing was excellent in 1983/84 (that was my second favorite season of the show) and it unfortunately missed the Top 10 by very little.

Agreed. I feel like the 83-84 season was actually the real season all the big four primetime soaps were firing on all cylinders. Not really sure why Hotel ranked so high other than being a timeslot hit as St Elsewhere was also the better Wednesday night show…I guess something new although The Love Boat still came in at #17 while Fantasy Island was all the way down at #49. 
 

 

  • Author
  • Member

Hotel was following the #3 show up against the second half of a mostly low rated movie #75 and an acclaimed but low rating St Elsewhere#70. St Elsewhere did not have the mass appeal of Hotel or as strong a lead in.

Knots faced 20/20 #61 which always outperformed it's lead ins and Hill St Blues #32, so stronger competition.

As we know, ratings are no indication of quality. Knots may have been better that season than Hotel but other factors come into play.

  • Member
17 minutes ago, soapfan770 said:

I feel like the 83-84 season was actually the real season all the big four primetime soaps were firing on all cylinders. 

Dallas last #1 season. Dynasty was threatening Dallas dominance (I think Dynasty 1983/84 was better than 1984/85). Falcon Crest best season. Knots Landing second best season.

17 minutes ago, soapfan770 said:

Not really sure why Hotel ranked so high other than being a timeslot hit as St Elsewhere was also the better Wednesday night show…I guess something new although The Love Boat still came in at #17 while Fantasy Island was all the way down at #49. 

Hotel was The Love Boat on land but a little soapier. 1983/84 was the final season for two shows from Aaron Spelling hit factory, Hart to Hart and Fantasy Island.

  • Author
  • Member

ABC misread the market. There were enough primetime soaps airing. Maybe Paper Dolls could have worked but not as 9pm show.

Love Boat/Fantasy Island were falling so ABC orders Glitter and Finder of Lost Loves, more Aaron Spelling glitz.

 

  • Member

TV ratings for the week Of March 2-8 1987. The Judith Krantz miniseries I’ll Take Manhattan dominated the week. Dallas was pre-emoted for the Wizard of Oz. Dynasty had a new episode but was a no show for the Top 30:

 

  • 1. Family Ties 34.8 
  • 2. Cosby 34 
  • 3. Cheers 29.6 
  • 4. Night Court 26.1 
  • 5. Murder She Wrote 24.9 
  • 6. Who’s The Boss? 24.7 
  • 7. Growing Pains 24.6 
  • 8. 60 Minutes 23.7 
  • 9. The Golden Girls 23.6 
  • 10. NBC Monday Night Movie: The Karate Kid 22.6 
  • 11. CBS Miniseries: I’ll Take Manhattan Part 4 22.5 
  • 12. CBS Miniseries: I’ll Take Manhattan Part 3 21.4 
  • NBC Sunday Night Movie: The Abduction of Kari Swenson 21.4 
  • 14. Moonlighting 21.3 
  • CBS Miniseries: I’ll Take Manhattan Part 2 21.3 
  • 16. Matlock 20.5 
  • 17. My Sister Sam 20 
  • 18. Kate & Allie 19.5 
  • 19. CBS Sunday Night Movie: Deadly Deception 
  • 20. Alf 18.3 
  • 21. Amen 18.1 
  • 22. 227 18 
  • 23. Highway to Heaven 17.9 
  • 24. Knots Landing 17.5 
  • 25. Falcon Crest 17.1 
  • 26. CBS Special Movie: The Wizard of Oz 16.9 
  • Perfect Strangers 16.9 
  • 28. L.A. Law 16.1 
  • 29. Harry 16 
  • 30. Miami Vice 15.8 

 

Edited by soapfan770

  • Member
10 hours ago, soapfan770 said:

 March 2-8 1987.

The Cosby Show; Murder, She Wrote, and The Golden Girls were repeats but still finished in the Top 10.

  • Member

A look back at 1985/86, the turning point season of the 1980s, as we approach its 40th anniversary.

#1 NBC (1984/85 2nd)

Top 10: 1. The Cosby Show (1984/85 3rd), 2. Family Ties (1984/85 5th), 5. Cheers (1984/85 12th), 7. The Golden Girls (first season), 9. Miami Vice (1984/85 below the Top 30)

Top 30: 11. Night Court (1984/85 20th), 13. Highway to Heaven (1984/85 19th), 19. You Again? (first season), 20. 227 (first season), 21. NBC Sunday movie (1984/85 below the Top 30), 22. NBC Monday movie (1984/85 18th), 24. Valerie (first season), 27. The Facts of Life (1984/85 below the Top 30), 30. The A-Team (1984/85 6th)

Top 30 fallouts: Remington Steele (1984/85 25th), Hill Street Blues (1984/85 30th)

Below the Top 30: Gimme a Break!, St. Elsewhere, Hunter

Final season: Riptide (1984/85 14th), TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes (1984/85 22nd), Knight Rider, Silver Spoons, Punky Brewster

New fall shows returning in 1986/87: The Golden Girls, 227, Amazing Stories

New midseason/summer shows returning in 1986/87: You Again?, Valerie, 1986, Me & Mrs. C, Stingray

2nd CBS (1984/85 #1)

Top 10: 3. Murder, She Wrote (1984/85 8th); 4. 60 Minutes (1984/85 4th), 6. Dallas (1984/85 2nd)

Top 30: 12. CBS Sunday Movie (first season), 14. Kate & Allie (1984/85 17th), 16. Newhart (1984/85 16th), 17. Knots Landing (1984/85 9th), 24. Falcon Crest (1984/85 10th), 28. Scarecrow & Mrs. King (1984/85 22nd), 29. Simon & Simon (1984/85 7th)

Top 30 fallouts: Magnum, P.I. (1984/85 15th), Cagney & Lacey (1984/85 28th)

Below the Top 30: CBS Tuesday movie

Final season: Crazy Like a Fox (1984/85 10th), Trapper John, M.D. (1984/85 29th); Airwolf

New fall shows returning in 1986/87: The Equalizer, The Twilight Zone

New midseason/summer shows returning in 1986/87: CBS Sunday Movie, West 57th

3rd ABC (1984/85 3rd)

Top 10: 7. Dynasty (1984/85 #1), 10. Who’s the Boss? (1984/85 below the Top 30)

Top 30: 15. Monday Night Football (1984/85 25th), 17. Growing Pains (first season), 22. Hotel (1984/85 12th), 24. Moonlighting (1984/85 below the Top 30)

Top 30 fallouts: ABC Sunday movie (1984/85 21st), Webster (1984/85 25th)

Below the Top 30: ABC Monday movie, Monday Night Baseball, 20/20, Mr. Belvedere

Final season: The Fall Guy (1984/85 22nd), The Love Boat, Hardcastle and McCormick, Benson, Ripley's Believe it or Not!, Life's Most Embarrassing Moments, ABC Thursday movie

New fall shows returning in 1986/87: Growing Pains, Spenser: For Hire, MacGyver, The Colbys

New midseason/summer shows returning in 1986/87: Disney Sunday Movie, Perfect Strangers

1985/86 is best remembered for sitcoms making a comeback and the primetime soaps tanking. It was a sign of the times that escapism was on the way out. Television viewers sought comfort and warmth because the world around us was changing so much.

Edited by kalbir

  • Author
  • Member

NBC's axing of Bret Maverick was puzzling, By no means a smash hit , but in light of what they had, there was some potential for growth, maybe in another timeslot.

But I guess it skewed old and expensive-James Garner would not have come cheap.

In 81-82 NBC relied upon on older stars-Garner, James Arness, Mickey Rooney, Tony Randall. Angie Dickinson etc.

The following season they went with younger skewing shows/stars David Hasselhoff, Pierce Brosnan, Ted Danson etc

On that 62nd ranking Flamingo Road deserved the chop, but it actually was doing better in the second half of the season when it moved to 9pm Tues and improved it's numbers. Again, no world beater but might have improved in Season 3.

It would have been worth a try as NBC's next attempt at  a soap was Bare Eseence, which bombed.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

Recently Browsing 0

  • No registered users viewing this page.

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.