Ratings from the 1990s

[kalbir]

1991/92 was a transition season for sitcoms, with four sitcoms reaching their highest finishes ever and five of the big 1980s sitcoms ending.

CBS: Murphy Brown (3rd), Designing Women (6th), Major Dad (9th) got their highest finishes ever. This was the first season since 1981/82 that CBS had multiple sitcoms in the Top 10.

ABC: Roseanne (2nd) was still going strong. New comedy Home Improvement (4th, tied w/ Cheers) was the breakout hit of the season. Full House (7th) got its first Top 10 finish (1991/92 was also its highest finish ever), and this was the season it moved from Friday 8 pm to Tuesday 8 pm. Coach (10th) got its first Top 10 finish. Who's the Boss and Growing Pains both were moved to Saturday and they ended this season.

NBC: Cheers (4th, tied w/ Home Improvement first season) was still going strong but the rest of the sitcom lineup was not looking good. A Different World and Empty Nest fell out of the Top 10. The Cosby Show and The Golden Girls fell out of the Top 10 in what would be their final seasons. This season was also the end of Night Court.

Edited January 5, 2023 by kalbir

[soapfan770]

Top 50 Shows for the week of 9/30/1996-10/06/1996, not including Baseball Playoffs that pre-empted both NBC and Fox's programs that week or Presidential Debates. 

1. ER (NBC/Thur) 22.2

2. Seinfeld (NBC/Thur) 21.8

3. Monday Night Football (ABC/Mon) 19.7

4. Suddenly Susan (NBC/Thur) 18.5

5. Home Improvement (ABC/Tue) 18.4

6. Friends (NBC/Thur) 17.3

7. Spin City (ABC/Tue) 15.8

8. Single Guy (NBC/Thur) 15.4 

9. CMA Awards SPECIAL (CBS/Wed) 14.9

10. Murphy Brown (CBS/Mon) 13.2

10. Walker Texas Ranger (CBS/Sat) 13.2

10. The X-Files (FOX/Fri) 13.2

13. 20/20 (ABC/Fri) 13.1

14. Cybill (CBS/Mon) 12.9

15. Roseanne (ABC/Tue) 12.8

16. CBS Tuesday Movie (CBS/Tue) 12.7

17. Life's Work (ABC/Tue) 12.5

18. Cosby (CBS/Mon) 12.4

18. 60 Minutes (CBS/Sun) 12.4

20. Pearl (CBS/Mon) 12.3

21. Touched by an Angel (CBS/Sun) 12.2

22. 3rd Rock From the Sun (NBC/Sun) 12.1

23. Early Edition (CBS/Sat) 11.9

24. Chicago Hope (CBS/Mon) 11.7

25. Drew Carey (ABC/Wed) 11.5

25. NBC Monday Night Movie (NBC/Mon) 11.5

27. Grace Under Fire (ABC/Wed) 10.7

27. Law & Order (NBC/Wed) 10.7

29. Primetime Live (ABC/Wed) 10.5

30. Boston Common (NBC/Sun) 10.2

32. Promised Land (CBS/Tue) 9.8

33. Nash Bridges (CBS/Fri) 9.7

34. Sabrina The Teenage Witch (ABC/Fri) 9.6

35. Ellen (ABC/Wed) 9.5

35. Family Matters (ABC/Fri) 9.5

37. Lois & Clark (ABC/Sun) 9.4

37. Diagnosis Murder (CBS/Thur) 9.4 

39. Doctor Quinn Medicine Woman (CBS/Sat) 9.1

40. Townies (ABC/Wed) 9.0

41. Moloney (CBS/Thur) 8.8

42. Clueless (ABC/Fri) 8.5

43. 48 Hours (CBS/Thur) 8.3

43. Melrose Place (Fox/Mon) 8.3

43. Men Behaving Badly (NBC/Wed) 8.3

43. Wings (NBC/Wed) 8.3

43. Relativity (ABC/Tue) 8.3

48. Dangerous Minds (ABC/Mon) 8.2

49. Boy Meets World (ABC/Fri) 8.1

50. ABC Thursday Night Movie (ABC/Thur) 7.8

[kalbir]

NBC was very fortunate in the Seinfeld/ER/Friends era (Fall 1994 to Spring 1998) that both CBS and ABC had primetime mess eras. That's probably why NBC was able to get away with scheduling forgettable shows at Thursday 8:30 pm and Thursday 9:30 pm that still finished in the Top 10. Does anyone have any memory of these shows: The Single Guy, Caroline in the City, Boston Common, Suddenly Susan, The Naked Truth, Fired Up, Union Square, Veronica's Closet.

CBS primetime mess era began with the loss of NFL broadcasting rights in 1994 which also cost them several established affiliates in major media markets. 1994/95 Murphy Brown fell out of the Top 10. 1995 was the sale to Westinghouse and Les Moonves arrived. 1995/96 the sabotage of Murder, She Wrote. 1996/97 Touched by an Angel moves to Sunday 8 pm and for four seasons (1996/97 to 1999/2000) it's CBS's only scripted show to finish in the Top 10.

ABC primetime mess era began 1995/96 with the Top 10 fallout of Roseanne. 1996 ABC sale to Disney completed. Home Improvement is ABC's only scripted show for three seasons (1996/97 to final season 1998/99) to finish in the Top 10.

CBS primetime would rebound in Fall 2000 with the start of the Survivor/CSI/Everybody Loves Raymond era. ABC primetime would rebound in Summer 1999 with the premiere of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

Edited February 15, 2023 by kalbir

[soapfan770]

NBC was in need of a ratings makeover following a very disappointing 1993-94 season:

NO. 3 NBC SCHEDULES 8 NEW SHOWS

May 14, 1994

NBC, which has been plugging along in third place behind CBS and ABC for two years now, announced a fall schedule yesterday that introduces six hours of new shows, including four one-hour dramas and four sitcoms.

In addition, "Homicide: Life on the Street" returns to the schedule but not as a Thursday replacement for "L.A. Law." Instead the cop show, starring Ned Beatty and Yaphet Kotto and filmed in Baltimore, will compete with ABC's "20/20" in the deadly 10 p.m. time slot on Fridays this time around.

NBC's biggest gamble would seem to be on Thursday night, when three new series are being introduced on what has been the network's most successful night. "Seinfeld" remains at 9 but "Frasier," the most popular new series on any network this past season has been rewarded with a move to Tuesday -- up against the still-strong "Roseanne" at 9.

That same slot almost killed "The John Larroquette Show" last season but John survived -- to move over to 9:30 on Tuesdays, against ABC's "Ellen" (a k a "These Friends of Mine").

"Dateline NBC," which was facing cancellation -- and worse -- barely a year ago after the GM pickup truck fiasco (producers rigged a fire to jazz up the story), not only returns to Tuesday night but this season will be joined by "Dateline NBC II" on Friday nights. The latter, also starring Jane Pauley and Stone Phillips, gets a summertime introductory run on Thursdays starting next month.

Only the current NBC Monday night schedule remains the same next fall. The network said yesterday "Nurses" and "The Mommies" are definite cancellations and insisted the other series missing from the new schedule from last year's various lineups -- even such marginal shows as "Viper" (102d last season) and "Winnetka Road" (114th) are candidates for a midseason return.

The new dramas include:

"The Cosby Mysteries," which had a tryout on the Friday night mystery wheel this past season. It stars Bill as Guy Hanks, "a retired New York criminologist who can't stay out of the business." Regulars will include James Naughton as his longtime colleague, Rita Moreno as his "ever-vigilant, holistic housekeeper" and his "beautiful physical therapist," Lynn Whitfield. This one's for the older folks.

"Earth 2," on the other hand, is for the kids, (and Trekkies who just can't get enough of the genre). The scheduling gives Steven Spielberg two straight hours of sci-fi on Sunday evenings next fall. This one is set, not underwater, but far in the future, when Earth's population is forced to live in gigantic orbiting space stations. Because her son is having trouble breathing on the space stations, scientist Devon Adair decides to lead "a covert expedition to a distant planet," which unfortunately crash-lands 3,400 miles short of the doc's goal. They all take a hike.
 

"E.R." finds executive producer and writer Michael ("Jurassic Park") Crichton back in his medical mode. The drama concerns a group of young residents working "in the chaotic emergency room of a mammoth Chicago general hospital" making life and death decisions on almost no sleep. It stars Anthony Edwards, George Clooney and Sherri Stringfield.

"Sweet Justice" stars Melissa Gilbert and Cicely Tyson "as a pair of Southern lawyers determined to champion the underdog." Gilbert, a former Wall Street attorney, turns down an offer to join Dad's "powerful, tradition-steeped law firm," opting to join Tyson, "the eccentric head of a maverick firm."

The new comedies include:

"Friends," the story of six young adults "who are trying to make it in Manhattan." No surprises here. There's Courteney Cox as "the attractive quick-witted woman with a talent for meeting all the wrong men." Jennifer Aniston is her "inexperienced but likable high school friend" and roommate. Matt LeBlanc is the aspiring actor. Matthew Perry is the office worker with a wry approach to his tedious life." David Schwimmer "is intimidated by bachelorhood" and Lisa Kudrow is Courteney's "offbeat former roommate."

"Madman of the People" stars Dabney Coleman as an "irreverent, legendary columnist ... who hates bosses and has a new one: his daughter," who's also his publisher. That can only lead to trouble, in 13 weeks or less.

"The Martin Short Show" stars Martin as a husband and father who is the star of a popular TV comedy/variety series.
 

“Young at Heart" stars Gene Wilder, in his first TV series role, playing a "late-in-life father who, along with his beautiful young wife is learning how to cope with raising twin sons." Gene has a "successful brother-in-law" and a "longtime secretary" who overschedules Gene, two surefire recipes for laughs.

On Monday, ABC announced a fall schedule with four hours of new shows, including two dramas and four sitcoms.

CBS is expected to announce its schedule on Tuesday. Fox will follow next week.

The fall schedule on NBC, with new shows listed IN CAPS and new times for holdover shows as NT:

Monday: "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" at 8, "Blossom" at 8:30 and "NBC Monday Night at the Movies" at 9.

Tuesday: "Wings" (NT) at 8; "THE MARTIN SHORT SHOW," 8:30; "Frasier" (NT) at 9; "The John Larroquette Show" (NT), 9:30; and "Dateline NBC" at 10.

Wednesday: "THE COSBY MYSTERIES" at 8; "Now With Tom Brokaw & Katie Couric" at 9; and "Law & Order" at 10.

Thursdays: "Mad About You" at 8; "FRIENDS," 8:30; "Seinfeld" at 9; "MADMAN OF THE PEOPLE," 9:30; and "E.R." at 10.

Friday: "Unsolved Mysteries" (NT) at 8; "DATELINE NBC II" at 9; and "Homicide: Life on the Street" (NT) at 10.

Saturday: "YOUNG AT HEART" at 8; "Empty Nest" (NT), 8:30; "SWEET JUSTICE" at 9; and "Sisters" at 10.

Sunday: "EARTH 2" at 7, "seaQuest DSV" at 8 and "NBC Sunday Night at the Movies" at 9.
 

 

[BetterForgotten]

Little did they know Seinfeld was about to skyrocket, and ER and Friends would be the breakout hits of that season.

[kalbir]

Seinfeld blew up in 1993/94, when it took over Thursday 9 pm and went from 25th to 3rd. 

1994/95 Seinfeld becoming #1 plus the breakout successes of ER and Friends revived NBC's fortunes and ushered in NBC primetime's next dominant era.

[soapfan770]

CBS’s Fall 1990 for Thursday nights was very strange, and except for Knots it flopped horribly:

8:00ET Top Cops #65

8:30ET The Flash (one hour drama based on the DC superhero) #71

9:30ET Doctor Doctor #81

10:00ET Knots Landing #30(tied with Rescue 911)

[kalbir]

1990/91 CBS was still in its 3rd place mess era, although there were some signs of life with Murphy Brown and Designing Women earning their first Top 10 finishes.

[Paul Raven]

Dabney had 3 attempts as a primetine lead- Buffalo Bill, Slap Maxwell and Madman -none of them worked and I guess they finally got the message that the public wasn't enamored of his onscreen persona.

 

Year after year Knots managed to outrate its lead ins and be competitive in its timeslot.

[soapfan770]

Indeed, and Northen Exposure had just premiered. I just found it interesting CBS scheduled a documentary tv show at 800, a full action/adventure hour drama at 830 of all times, and then the third season of Matt Freezer’s sitcom at 930. It just seems so haphazardly slapped together.

 

Didn’t all three shows have the same exact premise? Dabney is a fine actor and his typical antagonist jerk role was good in Mary Hartman and in movies like 9 to 5, Tootsie, War Games etc. but for an entire sitcom to centered around an irredeemable obnoxious jerk again and again didn’t allow for much growth. Dabney himself started doing more drama again after Madman’s cancellation.

Madman from the 2 or 3 eps I watched I recall wasn’t funny at all and in spite of decent ratings on paper the viewership drop between Seinfeld and ER was significant enough (along with the poor critical reviews) that NBC dumped it for Friends in the 8:30 slot instead, and the rest is history.

Edited March 10, 2023 by soapfan770

[kalbir]

That's how it survived the CBS 3rd place mess era and lasted until 1993.

[kalbir]

25 years ago today (May 14) was a historical night for NBC.

Seinfeld: The Clip Show, rating 33.6.

Seinfeld: The Finale, rating 41.3. Highest-rated episode of the series.

ER: A Hole in the Heart (season 4 finale), rating 28.8. Highest-rated episode of the series.

Edited May 14, 2023 by kalbir

[Khan]

You forgot about "Drexell's Class," his short-lived sitcom on FOX.  There, they tried softening his usual, abrasive persona by pairing him with a classroom full of precocious kids.  I guess the thinking was he'd come off as looking like a curmudgeon instead of an out-and-out [!@#$%^&*], lol.

[kalbir]

30 years ago today (May 20), one NBC Thursday era ends and another begins.

Seinfeld: The Pilot (season 4 finale), rating 21.3. Season high.

Cheers: Last Call, rating 39.6.

Cheers: One for the Road (series finale), rating 45.5. Highest-rated episode of the series.

 

 

[BetterForgotten]

And the highest rated finale of the entire 90's decade as well! The end of Cheers was also part of a greater cultural shift in many ways - 90's pop culture took years to get off the ground in music, fashion, film, and TV. The early 90's were largely a late 80's extension. 

By the time Cheers ended music trends had started to shift to grunge, adult contemporary, and hip-hop, the supermodel era in fashion was peaking, there was a greater emphasis on blockbuster film making and quicker box office hits, and certain TV shows like Seinfeld were about to hit the stratosphere (with others on its heels).  

Edited May 22, 2023 by BetterForgotten