1984-85 Sitcoms -- NBC Says No to Soaps as ABC and CBS Binge on Dynasty and Dallas Cocaine

Written Doing a Flashdance by Bridger Cunningham

Welcome back to 1984, the year sitcoms experienced their first of many rebirths.  After the late 1970's fantasy bubble, plus the saucy primetime soap deliveries of the early 1980's, fans tired of the fast burn and crash.  Much like cocaine swept the country like an endemic, Escapist and Soap fares became a tiring trend.  Enter NBC, who never flourished during these trends.  They had a few middling 60-minute showings and several soft sitcoms.  Then, they tapped Bill Cosby to deliver a sitcom about everyday life for an upscale New York City black family.  Fans flocked, and NBC's fortunes changed.

Unlike the last two entries, which centered on 4 networks in the height of sitcom demand, 1984-85 was the first year of recovery as the previous crop of sitcoms aged, burned off or failed to capture landmark ratings.  Only 25 entries straddled the season, with 14 returning the following year.  This is less than half of the 1989-90 and 1992-93 seasons which tried out 55 and 53 sitcoms, respectively.  Of these 25 entries, NBC poised 48% of that market with 12 entries.  The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers and Night Court graced the solid Thursday evenings, placing between 3rd and 19th Place among all shows, and 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th highest as sitcoms.  CBS, who took 1st place the previous season, delivered successful Monday night laughs with Newhart and Kate and Allie, who placed 16th and 17th for the season, as well as 5th and 6th highest in this table.

ABC's biggest laughs were generated from Dynasty, which binged on enough vice to 1st place.  Sadly, that was not classified as a comedy, and it burned off like a wild night out.  ABC's highest-rated sitcom for the season was Webster, as it placed 23rd for the season.  Its minor success story is this season laid the bedrock for two sitcoms, as well as a stronghold on the Friday sitcom market which would continue well through the 90's.  Who's the Boss started soft and built momentum, while Mr. Belvedere held the Friday fort until critically-acclaimed sitcoms to join them in upcoming seasons.  It fared better than mid-season entry Off The Rack, which is only remembered as it featured Michael J. Fox's Back to the Future Girlfriend, Claudia Wells.

ABC struggled mid-decade to reinvent itself after reigning in the last eras.  As Three's Company aged, ABC attempted a rebirth centered on John Ritter, which crashed and burned.  Too many late nights of 70's jokes were irrelevant during the mid-80's.  Like ABC, CBS had to part with it's 70's kitsch and parted with Alice, the Jeffersons and spinoff After-MASH like bell bottoms and old social topics.  They also dispensed Happy Days sensation Scott Baio, an odd choice as his sitcom flourished in original syndication.  CBS seemed to be out of era in past and future, as they axed George Clooney's E/R.  No, not the powerhouse who ruled the 90's and 2000's on NBC.  But rather a sitcom which inappropriately cast a 23-year old as a doctor.  Viewers could not suspend disbelief.  Well, not until 1989's Doogie Howser that is.  Perhaps E/R may have succeeded had Clooney been typecast as a 16-year old Doctor.  Though CBS narrowly took 2nd place from ABC, this season left CBS in deficit for sitcoms.

While NBC ruled Thursdays, they also sported several soft sitcoms.  Silver Spoons and Punky Brewster teetered on rating in the Abyss, yet they stabilized a soft timeslot on Sundays and provided family-friendly laughs.  Gimme a Break! never excelled like 1982 entries Cheers and Family Ties.  Like Cheers' death of Nicolas Colasanto, Gimme a Break! was affected by the death of Dolph Sweet in early 1985.  Break stood in threat of cancellation, yet NBC treated its sitcoms loyal as they bolstered the network in leaner years.  That same fortune did not greet Diff'Rent Strokes, which was cancelled after 7 seasons.  However, their spinoff, Facts of Life, managed to settle the soft Saturdays.

NBC and ABC laid groundwork for future enterprises, the greatest victory of the season.  Who's the Boss would anchor ABC Tuesdays, whilst Mr. Belvedere waited around and gave ABC a purpose for sitcoms on Fridays.  NBC staked Thursdays to strong perfection for the next 20 years, and Gimme a Break! provided a need for laughs on Saturdays.  Mondays on CBS belonged to NBC, who two seasons later would have 4 sitcoms at all times on this evening for 28 years.  Most fittingly, NBC reclaimed 1st place, which it would retain for 14 of the 16 seasons.

1983-84 Sitcom Scorecard -- No More Happy Days for One Day at a Time as Three's Company Becomes a Crowd

Written Astounded at The Asinine Sitcoms Served This Season by Bridger Cunningham



Before delving into one of the most devastating seasons for the sitcom genre, take a moment and celebrate a landmark moment, as TV Ratings Guide has finally located the complete data from the 1983-84 season!  Prior to this post, the hard cut for complete data was 1984 with little data displayed from Nielsen besides the garden variety "Top 30 Shows."  While this gives the fickle readers "the only information they need to know," how will fans of longstanding shows find out how their shows fared?  Cheers rated abysmally its first season and did not crack into the top 30 until the 1984-85 season.  TVRG will continue ongoing efforts to locate the data to display to readers as Ratings History is not only entertaining to folks who track it, but also educational as it tells what was going on in America at that time.

A hearty 36 sitcoms traipsed the TV landscape over the three networks, and a high body count of 21 cancellations spelled trouble for the genre.  NBC hemorrhaged the most as a slew of failed sitcoms could not stick.  Not a single freshman show offered to viewers in the Autumn of 1983 were renewed as a few scant mid-season entries were picked up such as Night Court.  The peacock suffered the longest downturn in history as it anchored at 3rd place since 1975.  CBS fared better this season with the majority of their brand landing in the top 50, and ABC began its mid-80's decline in early 1984 as their late 70's/early 80's era shows aged or ended.  ABC and CBS cancelled three longstanding sitcoms aged between 8-11 seasons as Happy Days, Three's Company and One Day at a Time were cancelled.  This season was not a welcome market for sitcoms, as a scant three placed in the top 20, of which two would end the following season.

All good things come to an end, including longstanding sitcoms.  The three longstanding shows cancelled, One Day at a Time, Happy Days and Three's Company, all suffered ratings declines and frequent cast changes.  Happy Days shuffled the most, followed closely by One Day at a Time.  Late 1983 had One Day at a Time plunged in controversial headlines as troubled starlet Mackenzie Phillips (Julie Cooper Horvath) was dismissed a second time due to substance abuse issues.  The exit soured the remainder of the season in tone, and the actors agreed it was time to move on.  The longstanding Norman Lear sitcom endured an alarming 16 moves during its 9 seasons and miraculously remained in the top 20 until 1983.  Though a saddening loss to viewers not to see Mackenzie Phillips return for the finale, she did manage to make an appearance in the reboot in a therapy group!

Another oddity occurred as ODAT alum Glenn Scarpelli (Alex Handris) exited the series from his popular role to land on a dreadful cancellation on NBC titled Jennifer Slept Here.  Valerie Bertenelli of course had a promising career ahead of her and is still gracing our TV screens.  Incidentally, Rita Moreno also stars in the revival of ODAT, and this season saw her sitcom, 9 to 5 halted as ABC stopped its clock.  ABC purged the majority of their 70's staples as Happy Days ended a tired run after 11 years.  A top 20 nostalgia delight for the majority of its run, it dropped to 63rd place and endured a plethora of cast changes throughout its run.  Erin Moran returned for the final season after spinoff Joanie Loves Chachi tanked, and the series left ABC Tuesdays.

Three's Company finally recovered two seasons earlier after Suzanne Somers' controversial dismissal over a salary dispute, but the ratings eroded by early 1984.  Feeling the concept was dated, ABC opted to reboot the series around John Ritter (Jack Tripper) which his character married.  Three's a Crowd was chewed up and mashed in the garbage disposal by 1985.  Despite poor ratings and crafting some of the worst sitcoms this season (Mr. Smith, starring an orangutan and ghostly Jennifer Slept Here), NBC fostered several hits which would carry it through the mid-late 80's.  Cheers picked up steam after a dreadful 1st season, Family Ties perked up in popularity due to Michael J. Fox and Night Court entered the legal wranglings as John Larroquette's lecherous Dan Fielding became the symbol of wealth and sloth.

The peacock worked desperately to revive is depressed network and made the first efforts to block sitcoms together on Thursdays, birthing a tradition which reigned uninterrupted through to the mid-2000's.  NBC's starving in the Nielsens paid off, as the 1984-85 season would reward their suffering as Bill Cosby shook up Thursday evenings.


Source -- Take a special glance at where this article originated from, as this Akron Beacon Journal advertised the overall ranks for the referenced season.

Akron Beacon Journal, May 27, 1984. https://www.newspapers.com/image/153710465/

1981-82 Sitcom Scorecard -- The Tide Changes as CBS Revivives and ABC Ages

Written Bringing History to TVRG by Bridger Cunningham

Behold a rare treasure trove as TV Ratings Guide has uncovered partial ratings data from 1981-82 featuring ranks for the entire season.  TVRG continues to uncover historic ratings  and will work throughout the season to uncover data from 1967-73, 1975-77, 1979-81, 1982-83 and 2008-09.

This season found CBS reclaiming its trophy after losing its stranglehold in 1976 and ABC's late 70's treasures faded.  The Jeffersons, Alice and MASH continued to rule after lengthy runs, and One Day at a Time endured timeslot and casting changes with successful results.  ABC lost three prized players when Taxi, Mork and Mindy and Barney Miller exited the fray in 1982, while NBC exhibited some signs of growth with a successful trifecta with The Facts of Life, Diff'rent Strokes and emerging Gimme a Break!

Sources:

1. http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/archive/index.php/t-208373.html
2. /fbibler.chez.com/tvstats/by_5_yr_period/top_programs_1980-1985.html
3. https://books.google.com/books?id=SeoJAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA51&lpg=PA51&dq=complete+2003-04+FOX+ratings&source=bl&ots=J6SGqVTzZP&sig=U0cyMbht6P1RqeXzUvlhSMt3dyI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiK8PTV3pHVAhVCwWMKHf2sCgs4ChDoAQhNMAk#v=onepage&q=complete%202003-04%20FOX%20ratings&f=false

1977-78 Sitcom Scorecard -- ABC Dethrones CBS As The Sitcom Champ, NBC Cancels All Sitcoms

Written "Doing It Our Way" by Bridger Cunningham

What a difference three years can make.  Skip back to TVRG's last  Sitcom Scorecard from 1974-75, and how the dynamics have changed.  1977-78 has 15 more players than '74-'75, which sets TVRG's current record low of 23 sitcoms offered in a season.  The fortunes shined on ABC, as they turned the top of the table green with landmark hits bringing the element of "fun" back to the definition of sitcom.  The genre's mid-70's helping of CBS relevance delivered downers and heavy material, while ABC's fantasy-laden fares returned laughs to simpler problems such as forgotten anniversaries and ruining a roommate's dress right before her big date.  Indeed, preferences had changed as viewers wanted to experience forgetting the ugliness of everyday life for 30 minutes and be able to laugh at the ridiculousness of something like Soap.

Up until Summer 2017, complete listings of ratings were not available on the internet for years before 1995, and now this site possesses ratings for several years dating back to 1964.  Enjoy the latest entry, as complete 1978-79 and partial 1981-82 data is planned next for sitcom scorecards.

ABC was the 1st place champion in the overall ratings for the 1977-78 season, and they possessed a slew of winning sitcoms to accent their victory.  After wisely retooling Happy Days in 1975, ABC managed to strike lightning twice and crafted spinoff Laverne and Shirley, which became the landmark sitcom of the late 70's.  In a disco-laden time period which cocaine was on the rise, viewers enjoyed a simpler departure in a nostalgic high from the late 50's as these shows depicted.  Of course, nostalgia was not ABC's lone vice of choice.  Pushing the envelope of sexuality gave the network cheap fantasy thrills via Three's Company and their latest controversial Soap, which several affiliates refused to air because of the "suggestive" pilot.  Ha!  If only these opponents could flash forward 40 years and see the ladies of 2 Broke Girls regularly referencing their lady parts as though they are a character on the show.

Elsewhere, Barney Miller, Welcome Back Kotter and What's Happening delivered traditional helpings of sitcom delight.  Over at CBS, it was time to retool the issue-laden sitcoms as the network cancelled 11 of their 18 helpings.  All in the Family was still a top-10 player, yet suffered the loss of Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner, leaving the future of the tart sitcom up in the air.  Alice, MASH and One Day at a Time delivered nicely, but renewed Rhoda, The Jeffersons and Good Times all struggled with middling ratings.  The upstanding Newhart and issue-icky Maude met less than honorable endings after 6 seasons, and none of the 9 pilots offered this season survived.

Over at NBC, Sanford Arms, a spinoff of uber-successful Sanford and Son, delivered ratings near the drain.  After Freddie Prinze, Sr.'s suicide in early 1977, Chico and the Man was never  the same and NBC cancelled the series after 4 seasons.  Not a single NBC sitcom survived the season, as the network was in its longest depression to date, having started in 1974 and not subsiding until early 1984.

Sources:
1. https://books.google.com/books?id=g5rhcrA0Oi4C&pg=PA91&lpg=PA91&dq=lou+grant+nielsen+ratings&source=bl&ots=VwtexuNYB7&sig=kWbrSQRfsFIBhAXUzREOOo2wQec&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwig_drgyKvWAhXHsVQKHdy7DGcQ6AEIXzAI#v=onepage&q=lou%20grant%20nielsen%20ratings&f=false
2. 2. Chicago Tribune, August 20, 1978 -- https://www.newspapers.com/image/198777664/?terms=1977-78%2BSeason%2BNielsen%2BRatings%2Babc%2Bcbs%2Bnbc
3. http://fbibler.chez.com/tvstats/by_5_yr_period/top_programs_1975-1980.html

1974-75 Sitcom Scorecard -- A Lean Season With High Casualties and Poor Happy Days Ratings

Written Grateful Not to See Lean Sitcom Season Like This by Bridger Cunningham


The 70's were harsh economically, both on American wallets and their sitcoms.  Current TV Ratings Guide records indicate 1974-75 is the leanest season for sitcoms to date, with a paltry 23 helping.  Of which, 10 did not receive a return engagement for the following season.  NBC delivered the lightest helping of 4 sitcoms, CBS delivered 10, and ABC 9.  CBS renewed 8 of their options, while ABC only renewed 3 and NBC 2.  Ouch.

TVRG is proud to be the first website to publish the complete 1974-75 ratings, as only the common Top 30 shows have been the only source available online to see ratings performances.  Thanks to newspapers.com, the complete ratings featuring shows' Nielsens and ranks were recovered, and will be available in upcoming weeks.  Enjoy the Sitcom Scorecard as an early peek of what is to come, as the complete Ratings History will be published soon.

The 2000's have been regarded as one of the harshest eras to be a sitcom airing on broadcast television.  But the 70's gave them a run for their dastardly treatment of the common laugh box.  Relevance sitcoms flourished on CBS, with 8 top-20 sitcoms earning renewals.  NBC proudly flaunted Sanford and Son, as well as Chico and the Man (featuring Freddie Prinze, Sr, father of Freddie Prinze, Jr, who would have his own sitcom Freddie in 2003).  NBC did away with the failed Sunshine and Bob Crane, far less than the bloodletting ABC experienced.

That;s My Mama, a show so forgettable it would not survive outside the 1975 calendar year the next season, led ABC's brood of 9 sitcoms.  Their other two renewals were handed to an ailing Happy Days and mid-season replacement Barney Miller, which was the lowest-rated television show to be handed a renewal in 68th Place.  ABC wisely retooled the shows, as Barney Miller received a timeslot upgrade and enjoyed a lengthy run through to 1982.  And Happy Days?  Producers wisely mixed-in Henry Winkler into the plots, creating the show fans fondly loved which endured through to 1984 on Tuesdays.  The Odd Couple made a dramatic drop in the ratings and ended after 5 seasons.  Beyond that, readers best count their blessings they do not have to take a drink every time they have to stretch their mind to remember these forgettable cancellations.

Sources -- The Times Records, June 2, 1975 -- https://www.newspapers.com/image/58849538/?terms=1974-75%2BSeason%2BNielsen%2BRatings%2Babc%2Bcbs%2Bnbc