Ratings from the 1990s

[kalbir]

The article even pointed out they were only hits because they were hammocked between Friends/Seinfeld/ER.

Fall 1995 until end of 1999 the only show I'd consider a breakout hit was Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

[BetterForgotten]

It’s now been 30 years since the start of the 1994-1995 season - arguably the definitive season of the 90’s with Seinfeld rising to #1 in the seasonal ratings, and of course, the premiere of both ER and Friends. 

Seinfeld would go on to be the definitive 90’s pop cultural sitcom and show in general. ER became the definitive hour-long drama of the 90’s and would go on top the seasonal ratings itself for the rest of the 90’s (save for the 1997-1998 season where Seinfeld came out on top again for its final season). Friends would go on to be its own pop cultural phenomenon and spawn a slew of imitators. 

[kalbir]

Also Fox became a legitimate network this season, thanks to them getting NFL broadcasting rights and established affiliates in major media markets. As far as Fox programming goes, 1994/95 was the peak season of Melrose Place.

I don't hold the Seinfeld/ER/Friends era in high regard. NBC was fortunate that both CBS and ABC had primetime mess eras and that's how they were able to get away with scheduling garbage shows at Thursday 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm that still finished among the Top 10.

1994/95 ABC was good with Home Improvement, Grace Under Fire, NYPD Blue but their one-time biggest hit Roseanne was weakening. ABC fortunes would change with the sale to Disney in 1996 and the start of their primetime mess era.

Poor CBS, 1994/95 was the start of another primetime mess era. It was back to Murder, She Wrote being their only hit. It's so funny that Murder, She Wrote premiered in 1984/85, the best and most pivotal season of the 1980s, and was still going in 1994/95, the most pivotal season of the 1990s. CBS primetime mess era would continue with the sale to Westinghouse in 1995 and arrival of Les Moonves.

[BetterForgotten]

I do think ER’s success was astounding for the time. It was a 10pm drama that wasn’t necessarily a family show, and a very different medical drama than what came before. The fact it outrated the rest of the Must See TV lineup for pretty much the rest of the 90’s wasn’t necessarily predictable either. It somehow managed to have mass appeal despite its content and timeslot. 

[I Am A Swede]

That's what you get when you put out such a quality show. ER is the benchmark for excellence. Maybe not all the way through, but at its peak it was unbeatable.

[kalbir]

ER was the highest-rated drama across the broadcast networks from 1994/95 to 2000/01 and three of those seasons (1995/96, 1996/97, 1998/99) it was the #1 show. ER was the first drama since Dallas to have three seasons as the #1 show. Fun fact, the #1 seasons of Dallas (1980/81, 1981/82, 1983/84) and the #1 seasons of ER are each separated by 15 years.

ER 15 season run places it as NBC's third longest-running primetime drama, behind Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order. Interestingly all premiered in the 1990s.

Edited September 6, 2024 by kalbir

[BetterForgotten]

Agreed, I may have tuned out after a while and not enjoy some of the later seasons as much. But ER always felt like ER. No matter what the rotation of characters were, the show never felt like it strayed very far from its identity and it's still the best medical-related drama that was ever produced, IMO. 

[Paul Raven]

E/R was quite a phenomenon. Debuting at # 2 and staying Top 10 for years. The only comparable series might be Bonanza but it took 3 seasons and a timeslot change to hit the Top 10.

E/R was one of a select few shows that never changed timeslots.

[BetterForgotten]

I think it had broad appeal too, it became my family's go to at 10pm on Thursday's after my mother couldn't find a substitute for no longer having Knots Landing on Thursday's in the same timeslot, lol. But definitely a phenomenon and I don't think its gotten much recognition for that as the years have by as Friends seems to get (but probably because ER went on for 15 seasons, actors came and went, and its pop cultural reverence wore off after a while). I think its a major discredit to the show when the press hypes it up as George's Clooney's training ground only...

Edited September 4, 2024 by BetterForgotten

[kalbir]

George Clooney was the breakout star of ER and ER was his career breakthrough after years of jobbing. In the off-season he starred in movies and when his ER contract was up, he left to focus on his film career. I say it was Oceans Eleven that cemented George Clooney as a Hollywood A-lister.

Friends seems like it will live on forever in syndication, DVD, streaming, but ER seems to have been forgotten in those mediums.

[BetterForgotten]

Unfortunately, it seems like hour-long dramas just don't have as much of an afterlife compared to sitcoms with a few exceptions. Probably because of their length. 

[Khan]

I agree.  And I think that's especially true for one-hour shows that employed continuing narratives.  Conversely, look at shows like "Law & Order" and "Murder, She Wrote," which didn't have ongoing narratives and were/are still going strong decades they stopped making new episodes.  Even Aaron Spelling's most disposable shows from the '70's and '80's do pretty well, I think, because viewers don't need to make a tremendous commitment to following them from the beginning.

[kalbir]

I would say the other comparable drama series to ER is Dallas.

Dallas ran 14 seasons. ER ran 15 seasons.

Both shows had three seasons as the #1 show. Dallas 1980/81, 1981/82, 1983/84. ER 1995/96, 1996/97, 1998/99.

Dallas was the highest-rated drama across the broadcast networks for 5 seasons (1979/80 to 1983/84). ER was the highest-rated drama across the broadcast networks for 7 seasons (1994/95 to 2000/01).

Dallas was a Top 10 show for 7 seasons (1979/80 to 1985/86). ER was a Top 10 show for 10 seasons (1994/95 to 2003/04).

Both shows had a breakout star in Larry Hagman and George Clooney respectively. Dallas was Larry Hagman's career resurgence that became his second signature role or some may say his career-defining role. ER was George Clooney's career breakthrough after years of jobbing and it lead to him becoming a Hollywood A-lister.

Edited September 6, 2024 by kalbir

[soapfan770]

ER was definitely a must see TV show for so many years I spent my Thursday nights watching for so long until Carter left in 2005 and then Sherry Stingfield left again not long ago. For a long running show with so many different characters and story arcs  I agree it remained consistent and fairly good in quality for a good decade before eventually getting old,  especially once NBC collapsed and plummeted in the late ‘00s. I don’t even recall the finale at all other than Clooney and Margulies coming back along with Carter meeting Greene’s daughter and Elizabeth Corday making a cameo appearance. 

But yes, ER I felt did lost in the shuffle as time when it on. Even back in the mid-00’s it flopped when The WB Network used it and a few other shows to start a daytime-lineup, and by the 2010’s was largely a memory until Hulu dug it up a few years back. 
 

Out of all the 1990’s dramas that probably withstood the test of time is probably The X-Files. Even the original Law & Order has its issues and limitations in the streaming world. 
 

Re: Home Improvement seems to be largely forgotten about too these days….I’m guessing the Tim Allen cringe factor made the show irrelevant for good. 

[Khan]

Probably, lol.  Unfortunately, I think the same might be true today for "The Cosby Show" and "Roseanne."  As a matter of fact, I really can't think of any Carsey/Werner-produced show that's still maintaining a presence in syndication or streaming today.  Not just HI, "Cosby" and "Roseanne,"* but others like "Cybill," "Grace Under Fire" and even "3rd Rock from the Sun" seem to have "disappeared," for lack of a better word. 

Of course, "That '70's Show" might be the one exception, since they've got that "sequel series" still happening over at Netflix.  (Is it still happening, lol?)

(*ETA: I take that back: AFAIK, Cozi-TV still runs "Roseanne" every night, but that's pretty much it, lol.)

Edited September 6, 2024 by Khan