Ratings from the 1990s

[Khan]

I really would love to know the thinking that went into CBS' rebuilding their Friday night lineup around two sitcoms from another network that were already past their primes.

[soapfan770]

Desperation lol they even tried to market it as basically ABC’s  TGIF on CBS. It didn’t work. The only saving grace at this time for CBS was once Jamie Tarses took over at ABC that network astonishingly imploded rapidly and would later need Regis to save the day.

Why did NBC send Wings flying out of its Thursday night slot? I liked the show’s early seasons but upon rewatch it just wasn’t memorable IMO. 

[kalbir]

Going back to CBS's primetime mess era, the first half of the 1990s showed some signs of life, but it didn't last.

1990/91 CBS's Top 10 shows were 60 Minutes (#2), Murphy Brown (#6), Designing Women (#10), and its Top 30 shows were Murder She Wrote (#12), CBS Sunday Movie (#19), Major Dad (#21). The new fall shows that returned in 1991/92 were Evening Shade and The Trials of Rosie O’Neill. No midseason/summer returns. 1990/91 was the final seasons for Bagdad Cafe, Dallas, Doctor Doctor, Paradise, Wiseguy. I don’t count The Hogan Family as 1990/91 was its first and only season on CBS after being moved over from NBC.

1991/92 CBS's Top 10 shows were 60 Minutes (#1), Murphy Brown (#3, its highest finish ever), Designing Women (#6, its highest finish ever), Murder She Wrote (#8), Major Dad (#9, its highest finish ever), and its Top 30 shows were CBS Sunday Movie (#14), Evening Shade (#15), Northern Exposure (#16), 48 Hours (#29). The only new fall show that returned in 1992/93 was Brooklyn Bridge and the midseason/summer returns in 1992/93 were Bodies of Evidence, Raven, Street Stories with Ed Bradley. 1991/92 was the final seasons for Jake and the Fatman and The Trials of Rosie O’Neill. I don’t count Davis Rules as 1991/92 was its first and only season on CBS after being moved over from ABC.

1992/93 CBS's Top 10 shows were 60 Minutes (#1), Murphy Brown (#4), Murder She Wrote (#5), CBS Sunday Movie (#8), and its Top 30 shows were Northern Exposure (#11), Rescue 911 (#12), CBS Tuesday Movie (#14), Love & War (#15, first season), Evening Shade (#19), Hearts Afire (#20, first season), Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman (#23, first season), 48 Hours (#26). The new fall shows that returned in 1993/94 were Bob, Doctor Quinn Medicine Woman, Hearts Afire, Love & War, Picket Fences, Walker Texas Ranger. I don’t count In the Heat of the Night as 1992/93 was its first season on CBS after being moved over from NBC. The only midseason/summer return in 1993/94 was Good Advice. 1992/93 was the final season for Bodies of Evidence, Brooklyn Bridge, Designing Women, Knots Landing, Major Dad, Raven, Street Stories with Ed Bradley, Top Cops.

1993/94 CBS's Top 10 shows were 60 Minutes (#1), Murphy Brown (#9), CBS Sunday Movie (#10), and its Top 30 shows were Murder She Wrote (#11), Love & War (#13), Northern Exposure (#14), Dave’s World (#21, first season), CBS Tuesday Movie (#25), Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman (#25), Evening Shade (#27, final season), Rescue 911 (#27). The new fall shows that returned in 1994/95 were Dave’s World, Diagnosis Murder, Eye to Eye with Connie Chung, The Nanny and the midseason/summer returns were Burke’s Law and Christy. 1993/94 was the final seasons for Bob, Evening Shade, Good Advice, In the Heat of the Night.

1994/95 CBS's Top 10 shows were 60 Minutes (#6) and Murder She Wrote (#8), and its Top 30 shows were Murphy Brown (#16), CBS Sunday Movie (#18), Dave’s World (#21), Cybill (#22, first season), The Nanny (#24), Chicago Hope (#29, first season). The new fall shows that returned in 1995/96 were Chicago Hope, Due South, Touched by an Angel, and the only midseason/summer return was Cybill. 1994/95 was the final seasons for Burke’s Law, Christy, Eye to Eye with Connie Chung, Hearts Afire, Love & War, Northern Exposure. 

1994/95 was the season CBS lost NFL broadcasting rights to Fox, and that resulted in CBS losing many established affiliates. CBS would get back NFL broadcasting rights in 1998/99 and that also played a part in their 2000s comeback.

Edited March 25, 2022 by kalbir

[Khan]

IIRC, CBS tried to counter-program with original movies based on Harlequin romance novels - a precursor, if you will, to the kind of entertainment that the Hallmark channels would perfect in later years.

Poor Jamie Tarses.  I think she was a talented executive who was just in over her head.

[soapfan770]

Agreed she was a great producer but out of her league as an executive. And of course ABC/Disney used her as a scapegoat, with all the alleged drama that went on as icing on the cake. May she RIP but I recall some folks were unhappy over various obits about her focusing on those tumultuous ABC years instead of her producer career.
 

 

Great analysis @kalbir and that doesn’t include all those shows CBS went through trying make something be an instant hit instead of letting it grow….Second Chances, Road Home, Hotel Malibu, One West Waikiki, High Society etc. along with leftovers and rehashes  from other networks and historic show( 704 Hauser really?!)

 

[Khan]

"704 Hauser" had an interesting and novel premise -- for those who don't know, Archie Bunker's old Queens neighborhood has become gentrified, with a Black family (with a left-leaning husband and wife constantly exasperated by their conservative son and his white gf) now taking up residence in the old Bunker homestead -- but the writing made even "Archie Bunker's Place" look good.

Edited March 20, 2022 by Khan

[kalbir]

Thanks @soapfan770. There were too many one season and done shows on CBS in their primetime mess era, that's why I didn't list them LOL.

[soapfan770]

“704 Houser" may have been a good idea, but it should have remained on paper, or even better, in Lear's mind.  I think it might have been a better show if Joey himself had moved into that house, ("All in the Family, the Next Generation"?). Instead a total misfire. John Amos deserved so much better. 

[Khan]

For sure, I would have loved to have seen an episode where Mike, accompanied by his new wife/gf, comes over for Thanksgiving and has to confront Gloria, who's never remarried, for the first time since their divorce years before.

[Soapsuds]

I was like what is James Evans doing in Archie's house? 

[Khan]

What else?  Singin' this song:

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[Vee]

That was so bizarre. They were such bad shows as is, and then I remember them culling the existing casts for those seasons.

[Khan]

Agree.  If CBS wanted to rebuild Friday nights with Miller/Boyett shows, here's a thought: why not ask Miller and Boyett develop brand-new shows for them?  God knows the two pumped them out like a damn factory!

[Vee]

And I mean, Step by Step was kind of the bottom of the barrel for them. I don't even know what they did after that, if anything.

[Paul Raven]

The new CBS Friday lineup bombed from the get go.

8pm Family Matters #72 5.8/12

8.30 Meego #72 5.8/11

9pm Gregory Hines #75 5.5/10

9.30 Step by Step #77 5.4/10

ABC was still airing reruns that week but they still beat CBS.