7 hours ago, te. said:

I remember feeling that for a show about a community, characters felt from the start oddly isolated in their own little bubbles. It kind of seemed like an after thought from everyone involved (from Spelling to Fox), which didn't help.

I agree. PP should've been a younger, more upscale version of KL, helped by the fact that several who worked on it - Peter Dunne, Joel J. Feigenbaum, Lynn Marie Latham and, of course, the Stanleys - also had worked on the earlier series (although, not at the same time). Yet, when I watched it, I just felt like I was watching another MP or CPW.

Edited May 15May 15 by Khan

3 minutes ago, Khan said:

I agree. PP should've been a younger, more upscale version of KL, helped by the fact that several who worked on it - Peter Dunne, Joel J. Feigenbaum, Lynn Marie Latham and, of course, the Stanleys - also had worked on the earlier series (although, not at the same time). Yet, when I watched it, I just felt like I was watching another MP or CPW.

I don't think the issue was that it felt like another MP/CPW - I think the issue was that everyone felt isolated. I think community soaps should have interaction - early Melrose had that, the first 13 episodes of CPW had cast interactions over the canvas (though I feel they were building for more and then Darren Star essentially got sacked). Pacific Palisades felt later seasons of Melrose, or Knots, in the sense that in those shows characters started living in individual bubbles but at least dynamics had been established between characters before that.

If I were to compare it in "feel", I'd say Paper Dolls is better where you it sort of felt tonally mismatched and like you were entering a fifth season show. A lot of story bubbles that never seemed to interact or connect, which I think is important in the early years.

10 hours ago, te. said:

I'm not sure about that - Pacific Palisades just seemed to bomb straight out of the gate. I remember feeling that for a show about a community, characters felt from the start oddly isolated in their own little bubbles. It kind of seemed like an after thought from everyone involved (from Spelling to Fox), which didn't help.

Pacific Palisades came along when 90210 and Melrose were tanking and Savannah had ended so perhaps the Aaron Spelling audience wasn't really there anymore.

Finally found some breathing room with the school year ending to post these, and apologies if they had been posted before, but here are weeks from May 1990, May 1991, May 1993, and May 1996 containing ratings for the final eps of FC, Dallas, Knots, and MSW. Only FC did poorly against a Cheers rerun, Wings, and Twin Peaks despite Knots season finale that night ranking at #13

Edited 22 hours ago22 hr by soapfan770

@soapfan770 Thanks for posting the above.

CBS moving the final four episodes of Falcon Crest to dead zone Thursday 9 pm looks like sabotage but it was more to fill space in the schedule because nothing was working. That week's Murder, She Wrote was the season 6 finale (The Sicilian Encounter) and it was the season low. Dallas season 13 finale was one week earlier.

Dallas finale was the season high. That episode was Dallas highest-rated episode since October 9, 1987 (Gone with the Wind). It was also the first Dallas episode to finish ahead of a new episode of Murder, She Wrote since October 23, 1987 (Tough Love) and the first Dallas episode to finish ahead of a new episode of The Cosby Show since February 22, 1985 (Shattered Dreams). That week's Murder, She Wrote was season 7 penultimate episode (Tainted Lady). The following week was Murder, She Wrote season 7 finale (The Skinny According to Nick Culhane) and it was the season low.

Knots Landing finale was the season high. That week's Murder, She Wrote was the season 9 finale (Love's Deadly Desire). Cheers ended the following Thursday with so much hype.

Murder, She Wrote finale wasn't the season high. The season high was February 25, 1996 (Track of a Soldier), the first episode of the season to air at Sunday 8 pm. "Death by Demographics" shaded CBS and I don't blame Angela Lansbury at all for it.

Edited 15 hours ago15 hr by kalbir

3 minutes ago, kalbir said:

"Death by Demographics" shaded CBS and I don't blame Angela Lansbury at all for it.

Neither do I, lol.

dp

Edited 18 hours ago18 hr by Khan

Murder, She Wrote was only a hit after 60 Minutes. The minute they move it away from it, the ratings tank. I miss the Sunday sitcom block.

1 hour ago, Spoon said:

Murder, She Wrote was only a hit after 60 Minutes. The minute they move it away from it, the ratings tank.

Well, it certainly didn't help to reposition it against what was the hottest sitcom at the moment, lol. If CBS had moved it to Fridays or Saturdays, MSW might have retained more of their audience. But Leslie Moonves deliberately moved it up against "Friends," knowing MSW would fail.

Edited 43 minutes ago43 min by Khan

6 minutes ago, Khan said:

But Leslie Moonves deliberately moved it up against "Friends," knowing MSW would fail.

100% this.

We all know Les Moonves sabotaged Murder, She Wrote.