Time Slot Hits

[kalbir]

Let's discuss scripted shows on CBS/ABC/NBC that got the label of time slot hit and whether they deserved that label or not.

A show I initially labeled as a time slot hit was Crazy Like a Fox. It premiered mid-season 1984/85 and replaced The Jeffersons and Alice on CBS's Sunday lineup, becoming the new lead out to Murder, She Wrote. Crazy Like a Fox benefitted from being the lead out to Murder, She Wrote and finished 10th, tied with Falcon Crest. Murder, She Wrote finished 8th. Murder, She Wrote and Crazy Like a Fox were the second and third highest rated new scripted shows of 1984/85. Unfortunately, Crazy Like a Fox could not hold on to the Murder, She Wrote audience in Fall 1985 as ABC and NBC counter-programmed with big budget miniseries, notable examples being The Long Hot Summer on NBC and North & South on ABC, plus ABC also had the World Series. January 1986, CBS premieres their Sunday Night Movie and Crazy Like a Fox is moved to Wednesday 9 pm, head-to-head with Dynasty, where it's clobbered. CBS had to have known that being head-to-head with Dynasty (which was still a Top 10 show at that point) was a death knell. April 1986, Crazy Like a Fox is moved to Saturday 8 pm for its final four episodes. Strategic counter-programming lead to the Top 10 fallout and time slot changes lead to cancellation. 

A clear time slot hit was Anything but Love. It premiered mid-season 1988/89 when ABC redid their Tuesday lineup, moving The Wonder Years to 8:30 pm from Wednesday 9 pm, Roseanne down from 8:30 pm to 9 pm, and Anything but Love at 9:30 pm. As we all know Roseanne was the breakout hit of 1988/89, finishing 2nd. Anything but Love benefitted from being the lead out to Roseanne and finished 10th. Fall 1989, Anything but Love is moved to Wednesday 9:30 pm and finishes below the Top 30. Anything but Love would remain on Wednesday in 1990/91 and its final season 1991/92 and it also finished below the Top 30 in both those seasons.

NBC probably had the most time slot hits of any network as discussed before: A Different World, Empty Nest, all those Thursday 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm shows at the height of Friends/Seinfeld/ER.

 

Edited December 29, 2022 by kalbir

[Paul Raven]

Good topic for us scheduling nerds.

I'll start with 'Flo', the Alice spinoff.

In it's initial tryout in March 1980 following MASH , it debuted at #1 and stayed strong for the rest of it's 6 episode run, finishing # 7  for the season.

CBS believed they had a new comedy hit and moved it to 8pm Monday to lead off the night next season, counterprogramming That's Incredible on ABC and Little House on NBC.

It was strike season so debuts were staggered, with Flo debuting in November.

It debuted at #13,That's Incredible was #14 and Little House #18.

The following week Little House was #11,That's Incredible was #20 and Flo was out of the Top 20, never to return

It was shunted off to Saturday night against Love Boat to replace the flop 'Freebie and the Bean' and that was it for Flo

[kalbir]

When looking at the 1990s ABC comedies, Home Improvement lead out resulted in what might be considered a time slot hit, Grace Under Fire.

Grace Under Fire premiered Fall 1993 and was given the Home Improvement lead out Wednesday 9:30 pm. 1993/94 Home Improvement finished 2nd, its highest finish ever, and Grace Under Fire finished 5th.

1994/95 Home Improvement and Grace Under Fire move to Tuesday 9 pm/9:30 pm. Grace Under Fire moves to Wednesday 9 pm for the last six episodes of the season. Home Improvement finishes 3rd and Grace Under Fire finishes 4th.

1995/96 Grace Under Fire remains Wednesday 9 pm and finishes 13th. 1996/97 remains Wednesday 9 pm then moved up to 8 pm but falls out of the Top 30. 1997/98 moves to Tuesday 8 pm but still below the Top 30 and is cancelled.

In the 1990s, Roseanne lead out resulted in one time slot hit, Room for Two, which was discussed before.

 

[Paul Raven]

Fantasy Island

Debuted mid season as Love Boat, an instant hit at 10pm Saturday was moved to 9pm with FI inserted at 10.

77/78 season Love Boat #14 Fantasy Island#17

78/79 LB # 17 FI #22

So after 2 seasons of solid ratings ABC decided to try and shore up some of it's 8pm ratings woes and moved Fantasy Island to 8pm Friday. It ranked 53rd with a 19 share behind Diff'rent Strokes #16/37 share and Incredible Hulk.

After two showings it was moved back to Sat @10 where it once again won its timeslot.

79/80 LB #23 FI #28

80/91 LB #5 FI #17

81/82 LB 314 FI #30

82/83 LB  #9 FI not in Top 30

83/84 LB #17 FI #49

So Fantasy Island was definitely a timeslot hit, always rating respectably but lower than it's Love Boat lead in. And it's brief tryout in a lead in timeslot was a disaster.

[kalbir]

Another Aaron Spelling ABC show that might be considered a time slot hit, Hotel.

Fall 1983 Dynasty moved up an hour to Wednesday 9 pm and Hotel premiered as the lead out. 1983/84 Dynasty finishes 3rd and Hotel finishes 9th.

1984/85 Dynasty finishes #1 but Hotel drops to 12th, tied w/ Cheers. 1985/86 Dynasty drops to 7th, tied w/ The Golden Girls, and Hotel drops to 22nd, tied w/ NBC Monday Night Movie. 1986/87 Dynasty drops to 24th, tied w/ Highway to Heaven, and Hotel falls out of the Top 30. 1987/88 Dynasty moved to Wednesday 10 pm and Hotel moved to Saturday 10 pm then Thursday 9 pm; both finish below the Top 30 and Hotel is cancelled.

Edited September 27, 2022 by kalbir

[Paul Raven]

To my way of thinking a show can only be classified as a timeslot hit if it is moved out of a timeslot it is rating well in, and doesn't perform as expected/hoped for in the new timeslot.

That discounts a lot of shows that get moved at the end of their lifespan. I would put Hotel in that category along with other examples like Falcon Crest and Trapper John, which after several successful seasons were falling in the ratings and basically moved elsewhere to finish their runs.

Had Hotel been moved in Season 3 and bombed then its status as a timeslot hit would be proven.

Looking forward to your response!

[kalbir]

 

I agree.

With that in mind, I think we've pinpointed a good amount of 1980s and 1990s time slot hits.

Edited September 27, 2022 by kalbir

[Paul Raven]

Hope you can add some more.

My next contribution is Dear John on NBC.

In the 1998/89 season it took Night Court's 9.30 pm Thurs slot following Cheers. Cheers was # 4 and Dear John a respectable #11.

In it's 2nd season it kept the 9.30 pm slot till mid season when it was replaced by Grand. I believe NBC was under pressure from Carsey/Werner productions to place their new show in that plum slot (they supplied Cosby and A Different World)

Dear John got moved to Wed 9.30 following Night Court. It finished #17 for the season but that average was bumped up from the Thurs showings.

In 90/91 it retained the 9.30pm Wed slot but now followed a new show Fanelli Boys.

Wed 9-10 Wk 1 1990/91 season

ABC Doogie Howser #8

CBS Jake and the Fatman # 25

NBC fanelli Boys #42/Dear John # 52 

Fanelli flopped and NBC moved Dear John to 9pm. By Jan 1990 Night Court was back to 9pm and Dear John was back to 9.30 before being shunted to 10.30 Saturday. It's overall ranking was #50

For it's final season it was given the 9pm Fri timeslot but was moved to 9.30 . It ranked #77.

So it only worked with a strong lead in - timeslot hit.

Edited September 27, 2022 by Paul Raven

[kalbir]

If we go by only works with a strong lead in, Coach might be considered a time slot hit.

Premieres February 1989 and ABC schedules it Wednesday 9 pm, replacing The Wonder Years which moved to Tuesday 8:30 pm. Coach finishes below the Top 30.

Returns November 1989 and ABC gives it the Roseanne lead out Tuesday 9:30 pm after Chicken Soup is suddenly cancelled. Roseanne tied The Cosby Show for #1. Chicken Soup finished 13th, tied w/ Murder, She Wrote. Coach finished 18th.

1990/91 and 1991/92: Roseanne Tuesday 9 pm, Coach Tuesday 9:30 pm. Roseanne finished 3rd and 2nd. Coach finished 18th and 10th (tied w/ Room for Two).

1992/93: Roseanne Tuesday 9 pm, Coach Tuesday 9:30 pm. November 1992 Coach moves to Wednesday 9:30 pm where it is now the Home Improvement lead out. Roseanne finished 2nd. Home Improvement finished 3rd. Coach finished 6th.

1993/94: Coach returns to Tuesday 9:30 pm and is again the Roseanne lead out. Roseanne finished 4th. Coach finished 6th.

1994/95: Roseanne moves to Wednesday 9 pm and Coach moves to Monday 8 pm. Roseanne finished 10th. Coach falls below the Top 30.

1995/96: Coach returns to Tuesday 9:30 pm and is again the Home Improvement lead out. February 1996 Coach moves to Tuesday 8:30 pm and is again the Roseanne lead out (Fall 1995 Roseanne moved to Tuesday 8 pm). Home Improvement finished 7th. Coach moves up to 14th, tied w/ NBC Monday Movie. Roseanne finished 16th, tied w/ The Nanny.

1996/97: Coach moves to Saturday 9 pm then Wednesday 8:30 pm. Coach falls below the Top 30 and is cancelled.

Edited September 29, 2022 by kalbir

[Vee]

I would def call Coach a timeslot hit, lol.

[te.]

There was definitively a reason why the Coach revival from a few years ago was scratched.

 

I think there's also shows that did OK on their own and had a following, but whose audience were amplified by airing in certain time slots.  Mad About You and Just Shoot Me I feel were two of those comedies that technically had their own followings, but also were kind of middling on their own. Maybe Coach fits more into that category.

Edited September 28, 2022 by te.

[Vee]

idk about Mad About You but Just Shoot Me, Suddenly Susan, Caroline in the City, etc. all only survived because of Friends.

[te.]

Just Shoot Me mostly aired on Tuesdays in seasons 1-4 until it was moved to Thursdays in seasons 5-6. So it had survived on its own before it had its audience amplified by Friends - by the time it was moved back to Tuesdays the steam had just run out on the show.

Agreed on Suddenly Susan and Caroline in the City though.

Edited September 28, 2022 by te.

[DRW50]

I think Mad About You did have its own following, especially the first few seasons. By the last few, not so much. I remember the last season, which focused on the fallout of their marital problems and pregnancy, crashing hard in the ratings. 

[te.]

Don't get me wrong - both Mad About You and Just Shoot Me were never huge hits on their own and ended up crashing hard when they tried to "revamp" the shows (because they didn't have a large enough following to sustain a backlash in the first place), but I get the feeling when people talk about those shows online they had their own specific followings unlike Caroline in the City and Suddenly Susan.

Edited September 28, 2022 by te.