Ratings from the 1990s

[Paul Raven]

Cheers didn't really start to take off until Cosby debuted in Fall 84, the third season. So by the time Woody appeared the following season the show was firmly in the Top 10.

Here's Wk 1 of the 90/91 season.

Quite a few movies and specials in place of regular shows.

1 22.0/35 N Cheers

2 20.1/30 A Roseanne

3 20.0/31 C Designing Women

3 20.0/33 C 60 Minutes

5 19.8/33 N Cosby

6 19.6/30 C Murphy Brown

7 18.8/34 N Golden Girls

8 18.6/30 N A Different World

9 18.4/32 N Empty Nest

10 17.7/27 C Major Dad

10 17.7/30 N Unsolved Mysteries

12 17.3/28 A Doogie Howser, M.D.

13 17.1/25 C Murder. She Wrote

14 16.8/27 A Growing Pains

15 16.7/26 N Heat Of The Night

16 16.6/27 A Who's The Boss

17 16.4/26 C Movie:Field Of Dreams

17 16.4126 N Matlock

19 16.3/20 A Wonder Years

20 16.0/26 N American Dreamer Preview

20 16.0/24 A Married People Special

22 15.9/20 A Monday Night Football

23 15.8/24 A Head Of The Class

24 15.7/26 C Movie:Leona Helmsley Queen of Mean

25 15.6/28 C Knots Landing

26 15.3/23 A Americas Funniest Videos

27 14.9/27 A Family Matters

28 14.8/25 C Trials Rosie O'Neill

29 14.7/23 N Movie:She Said No

30 14.6/28 A Full House

31 14.4/23 C Jake and The Fatman

32 14.3/23 A Married People

32 14.3/21 A America's .Funniest People

34 14.2/23 C The Flash

35 14.1/23 C Uncle Buck

36 14.0/22 C Rescue:911

37 13.9/26 N Carol & Company

38 13.5/22 N Movie:Babies

39 13.1/24 A Beverly Hills Cop

40 12.7/21 N Fresh Prince of Bel Air

40 12.7/23 A Going Places

40 12.7/23 N Hunter

40 12.7/24 A 20/20

44 12.6/24 C Evening Shade

45 12.3/18 F Married...With Children

46 12.1/19 A Movie:The Running Man

46 12.1/22 A An Evening w Bette Midler

48 1 1.9/22 C Movie:Oldest Bridesmaid

49 1 1.7/19 A Tribute:Oprah Winfrey

50 11.4/18 N Fanelli Boys

50 11.4/19 A Macgyver

52 1 1.3/22 N American Dreamer

52 1 1.3/21 N Law and Order Preview

54 I I.1/18 N Dear John

55 10.9/20 C Top Cops

56 10.7/17 N Ferris Bueller

57 10.6/17 A Father Dowling

57 10.6/20 N Working It Out

59 10.3/19 N Movie:Murder C.O.D.

61 10.2/16 A Gabriel's Fire

62 9.9/16 A Young Riders

63 9.4/14 F Get A Life

64 9.3/17 A Primetime Live

65 9.0/16 A Life Goes On

66 8.7/17 N Parenthood

67 8.3/16 C Hogan Family

67 8.3/14 N Movie:Camp Cucamonga

67 8.3/14 F Simpsons

70 8.1/16 C Family Man

71 7.4/12 C Doctor, Doctor

71 7.4/14 C 48 Hours

71 7.4/13 C Lenny

74 7.3/14 N Super Bloopers /Prac.Jokes

75 6.5/10 F Babes

76 6.2/11 C E.A.R.T.H. Force

77 5.8/10 F Parker Lewis

78 5.0/9 F Amer. Most Wanted

79 4.9/9 F True Colors

80 4.7/8 F Cops

81 4.5/9 F Totally Hidden Video

82 4.2/8 F Haywire

83 3.9/6 F Against The Law

83 3.9/6 F Against The Law

84 3.5/6 F DEA 27

84 3.5/6 F 21 Jump Street 2

86 3.1/5 F Glory Days

87 2.7/4 F Alien Nation

88 2.6/5 F Amer. Chronicles

 

 

 

 

[BetterForgotten]

By the end, it seemed NBC couldn’t wait to get ADW off its schedule. This promo is basically just a “bye, bitch!” to the show. Compare that to say the “goodbye” they gave to Family Ties, Cosby, and Cheers and you’ll see the difference.

 

[Vee]

The Cheers farewell tour seemed to last years. I love watching that show in binges in these pandemic times, but yes, the difference is stark. I don't think the network ever really appreciated ADW. We've all talked about it needing to be revived, but IIRC we discussed it being a Cosby rights issue?

Edited January 18, 2022 by Vee

[Forever8]

This was one tired and depressing promo. 

Debbie Allen said she tried but the Cosby rights issues were still in the way. 

[BetterForgotten]

The Carsey-Werner Company owns the right to ADW (along with Roseanne, TCS, and others). ADW may be in a unique position because Bill was a creator on it, and has some vested interest that requires his or his estate's participation. 

I think The Carsey-Werner Company only exists as a syndication arm now though, and Marcy Carsey is no longer involved. The Conners is produced under Werner Entertainment and Sara + Tom (a joint venture between Sara Gilbert and Tom Werner). 

[Khan]

Perhaps.  But, I think its' permanence in the post-Cosby time slot was actually Cosby's doing.  IIRC, Cosby had total say over what show followed his on Thursday nights, and he wanted that show to be ADW, period.

S4, which was the first w/ Woody, was also the first to rank in the Nielsens' top 10, at #5.  The previous season, which was also the first w/ Frasier, ranked only thirteenth.

James Burrows and the Charles brothers looked at Michael J. Fox's popularity on "Family Ties" and figured adding a young male character to their cast (to replace the late Nicholas Colasanto, who had played Ernie "Coach" Pantusso) would boost the ratings...and they were right.

Now, I know that "Cheers" was an established hit BEFORE Woody, despite its' rough, first two seasons; and I know that conventional wisdom (for lack of a better word) today says that "Cheers," and the Sam/Diane relationship, were beloved by all (or, at least by those who began watching during S1) from start to finish.  But, I ALSO know that that's a somewhat revisionist take on its' actual history.

The truth is, even as "Cheers" was climbing in the ratings -- thanks, in large part, to NBC's newfound success w/ their Thursday night lineup -- there was also growing backlash to the Sam-and-Diane saga, which had been, up to that point, the show's dominant storyline.  People were already getting tired of that merry-go-round -- and they were REALLY getting tired of Diane in particular.

Remember that remark, on "The Golden Girls," that Paula Kelly's maid character made to Sophia as she was leaving the house for the last time?  Trust me when I say she wasn't the only one glad to see "that uppity white woman," Shelley Long, finally leave, lol.

The premiere of "The Cosby Show" and its' impact on the entire NBC Thursday night lineup helped "Cheers" finally become a hit, but what KEPT it a hit -- and, in fact, helped it become even stronger in the ratings -- was the combination of Shelley Long's exit and the subsequent expansion of the show's focus (to Woody; to Frasier/Lilith; and eventually, to Woody/Kelly and Rebecca and her ill-fated affair with Robin Colcord).  Otherwise, had none of those things happened, and had Sam and Diane been allowed to continue dominating the show, I don't believe it would have ever cracked the top 10.

Me neither.  FOX likes to pretend that it was "The Simpsons" that helped them grow from "fledgling network" to major player, but that isn't exactly the truth.  FOX became the player that it is today, thanks to shows like "Martin," "In Living Color," "Living Single" and even "Married...with Children"; all shows that appealed to the so-called "urban demographic."

Between that period of FOX's history, and the origins of The WB and UPN, I really believe there's a book that's still waiting to be written -- about how POC helped alter the network TV landscape in the early '90's, and how they were eventually discarded by the very networks who once openly courted them.

[BetterForgotten]

In fact, until Empire a few years back, ADW was the last show with a predominantly black cast that was in the Nielsen top 10.  

[Khan]

 

True, on both counts.  NBC only green-lit ADW in the first place because it was Cosby's show and they wanted to remain in business with him.  And when they did green-light it, they never expected it to become the kind of show that it did when Debbie Allen assumed control in S2.  Remember, this is the same network that thought it was perfectly okay to have a heavyset black woman play Mammy to a white widower and his three, spoiled daughters.  (Of course, I can't see Grant Tinker ever green-lighting a show like "Gimme a Break!," but....)

I still laugh at the thought of "Murder, She Wrote" handing "Family Ties" its' Reagan-lovin' ass in the ratings.  FT so needed to die.

[Franko]

Late to the thread, but I've always wanted to make "four-year flops" catch on as a way to describe the likes of Caroline in the City, Suddenly Susan and Veronica's Closet (and for an earlier example, Dear John). Shows that had their greatest success airing after another hit, but did last long enough for syndication, and were usually driven by a familiar face.

Hot Take (?): I think the show overdid it with Dwayne & Whitley in Season Five. I'd love to know whose decision (leaning towards NBC, which seemingly never met a primetime couple whose courtship they didn't want to drag out) it was to have sweeps-friendly milestones. They're engaged! They break up! She's got a new man! Dwayne gets her back!

I swear I'm not just trying to only quote you, Khan ...

I have mixed feelings about the 3-5 minutes of pop culture discussion that often opened DW episodes. On the one hand, the characterizations often made it work. (I'm vaguely remembering a moment where Anthony sarcastically commented on the varying things they'd talk about.) On the other hand, talk about material that could instantly date a given episode.

[Franko]

As long as we're speculating, I wonder how A Different World would have done had NBC dared to move it to Mondays at 8 either at midseason or fall of 1990? In this new timeline, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air has to wait a few years to be the Monday night anchor.

[Khan]

Good question, but I'm sure the producers, with or without pressure from the network, designed S5 like they did every season with sweeps in mind.

It's as if Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and/or her writers didn't know what that week's episode was going to be about, so they'd just start with the four talking about whatever popped into her head.  It was her method of stalling until she could think of something to write about.

[Franko]

That's true. As easy of a scapegoat NBC is, it's not like A Different World didn't have producers/writers who (for better or for worse) knew what they were doing.

Oh, also, anyone have thoughts on CBS's Monday night comedy block in fall 1992 being all Linda Bloodworth Thomason or Diane English shows? Evening Shade, Hearts Afire, Murphy Brown and Love & War.

[Vee]

We talked a lot about FOX going back to its roots when Empire became a hit. Sadly it didn't last long for them, at least from what little I've paid attention. Yes, the Spelling soaps were giants as well at the same time, but they did have a diverse audience too and the lineup remained diverse until maybe 1996-1997.

NBC just letting mediocre shows like Caroline, Susan, Veronica's Closet, etc. run and run always indicated to me a deep level of security with a handful of monster hits like Friends and Frasier that could simply not be penetrated by rivals for a long time. 

Edited January 18, 2022 by Vee

[BetterForgotten]

When X-Files became their first top 10 ratings hit, Fox made a conscious decision to become more vanilla and less inclusive. 

[Vee]

I'd forgotten how early X-Files started; I thought it was '94 or '95 but no, it was '93 and that was right when Melrose Place was really just starting to build nuclear heat. I think the actual shift in programming took several more years, at least that's how I remember it; I remember what happened to New York Undercover and Living Single, and IIRC those both went down hard (and in NYU's case, very rebranded white) in '97-'98.