Is it Possible to Resurrect TGIF?

ABC held a strong tradition of family-friendly programming from 1985-2000, eventually earling the TGIF branding in 1989.  Long successful due to hit shows such as Full House, Family Matters, Boy Meets World, Step By Step and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, the franchise folded in 2000 as Boy Meets World and Sabrina left the schedule.  A brief revival effort came from 2003-06 anchored on the successful George Lopez Show, though a lineup littered with duds led ABC to reformat again.  The closest to Friday success came with relaunching sitcoms in the 8:00 hour from 2012-17, and again from 2018-present.

Could ABC reignite the magic again?  Their sitcom pallet certainly offers compatible family-friendly choices to populate.  And Fridays have become the latest hotbed for television.  No longer a wasteland to dispose of aged or decaying shows, networks are getting competitive with this evening.  CBS houses a sturdy lineup of quality procedurals which regularly win the evening.  NBC houses longstanding dramas at 8:00, followed by progressive reporting on Dateline.  FOX phoned it in with WWE, and ABC holds American Housewife and outgoing Fresh Off The Boat to lead into 42-year old 20/20.  These networks deliver sturdy for the evening save for ABC struggling to schedule strong pieces in the 8:30 timeslot (for a comprehensive history of its clunkers, click HERE).

TGIF returning is possible, although likely not in the next season.  ABC needs all sitcom hands on deck in its other evenings with longstanding shows such as Fresh Off The Boat and Modern Family bow out after 6 and 11 seasons, respectively.  Save for The Conners and an aging Goldbergs, the Tuesday and Wednesday lineups underwhelm.  Tuesdays feature The Conners outlying a sea of middling shows.  Wednesdays are in tatters with The Goldbergs losing steam, its sophomore spinoff Schooled is also struggling and capped at 13 episodes, Modern Family is bowing out and Single Parents just exists.  Fridays still have American Housewife belting out competitive ratings, and Fresh Off The Boat ready to sail on next week.

In order to successfully colonize Fridays again, ABC needs to locate a compatible, established hit next door to American Housewife.  The network has long treated Fridays as a disposal ground vs. a place to repurpose capable players.  Moving Last Man Standing and American Housewife made excellent examples of moving capable players, vs. 2018's blatant shelving of aged Fresh Off The Boat and declining Speechless in the 8:00 hour.  Once ABC succeeds in two back to back hits, they hold room to expand deeper into the 9:00 hour, used as overlay coverage for 20/20.  Repopulating its sitcom roster with strong players is priority, as the drama department on ABC performs weak.  Reality TV is relegated to Sundays and Mondays, and 10:00 slots tend to be show killers.

Which existing shows may make companion pieces for a TGIF branding?  American Housewife fits the bill perfectly with its premise, and "ish" factors Black-ish and Mixed-ish take the crown as well.  Bless This Mess is compatible with American Housewife, which has been used to spackle together ABC's tenuous sitcom nights.  Perhaps parking Black-ish and Mixed-Ish in the 8:00 timeslot may hold well, leaving AH to return to Tuesdays and Wednesdays to help rebuild weak lineups.  New players are needed in the deck to generate sitcom life as most are aged.  In an era of no megahits like Big Bang Theory and Modern Family, ABC will need to compromise and locate cost-effective sitcoms which will likely belt out 0.4-0.6 ratings in the 2020-21 season.

ABC has struck lightning several times in the past, and TGIF remains a strong piece of its legacy.  With proper planning, it could reign again with consuming laughter.  The network will need to work on developing quality showings, as well as not treating the evening as a disposal ground for clunkers.  That is what 10:00 timeslots and Sundays exist for.

2002-03 Sitcom Scorecard -- Reality TV Continues to Cull The Sitcoms Into Remote Nielsen Ranges

Written Grateful Sitcoms Still Exist In 2017 by Bridger Cunningham

"The Big Four" faced crossroads this season, as each pair faced a narrow fight for ranks.  NBC took another victory in 1st, yet CBS lashed at their heels a mere .03 ratings points in average of defeat.  Down below, perennial 4th Place joke left egg on ABC's face by narrowly besting them by .01, thanks to latest Reality TV sensation American Idol.  It served ABC right, as they delivered (at this time) one of the most tenuous seasons to date.  Down below, WB managed to overthrow UPN, but is that a victory?  Both networks combined could not match 4th Place ABC (or is that FOX) in the race.  Sadly, this season frowned on sitcoms, as the count dropped from 59 to 49.  Sabrina, The Teenage Witch's exit after 7-years ironically fit the theme of culling the sitcom herd this year.

This season, Friends was down 10% in ratings.  Rather devastating.  But look at their neighbors.  Will and Grace took 12th place, and Scrubs managed to place at a lackluster 14th after being moved to NBC's prime hotbed for launching sitcoms.  2002 spelled a Silent Spring for sitcoms, as only 5 placed in the top 20, compared to seasons past which boasted 14.

Must See TV endured assaults from an increasingly-strong CBS' reality/procedural platform.  CBS Mondays played strong, keeping their previous season' retention rates on-par.  ABC sitcoms managed to best FOX, yet that was where the buck stopped on bargains.  Drew Carey's ratings were flopped to the floor like a bad hairdo when Christa Miller defected, landing so low CW was cracking jokes.  FOX sitcoms maintained Sundays neatly, but they too had the buzz of the clippers shaving shows left and right.  Malcolm in the Middle, King of the Hill and Bernie Mac felt the buzz, while 7pm cuckold Futurama ended after 5 seasons of valiantly poor scheduling.  Grounded For Life was slapped with a cancellation after 3 episodes, yet WB wisely snapped the show down to their walkout basement.

Speaking of walkout, only Sabrina, The Teenage Witch defected from WB's lineup sans forgettable freshman pilots.  The 2000's reflected a devastating delivery for a tried and true television form which delivered over six decades of syndication.  And for that, be grateful we still have sitcoms in 2017, despite so many talentless loads from reality TV hogging the spotlight.

Source -- https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.arts.tv/7oLAZAvK6wY

2001-02 Sitcom Scorecard -- NBC and CBS Rule The Pack, ABC Disintegrates

Written Mourning The 90's Sitcom Ratings by Bridger Cunningham

The sitcom economy diminished their value this season, as this season offered 59 original helpings, down significantly from the previous season.  CBS Mondays and NBC Tuesdays and Thursdays maintained respectable performances, while ABC Tuesdays and and Wednesdays struggled with aging shows and failed pilots.  ABC's performance again placed behind FOX sitcoms, which faced similar ratings woes as several of their sitcoms performed so low, they were in the grab of WB and UPN.  .  Down in the cellar, UPN bested WB, in spite of Reba's debut leading WB's next successful sitcom entry.

NBC enjoyed a nice season as Friends Will and Grace and Just Shoot Me soaring on Thursdays despite CBS moving two of its strongest shows (Survivor, CSI) directly attacking the sitcoms.  NBC emerged victorious.  Frasier and successful freshman Scrubs holding up 9pm on Tuesdays.  Beyond that, NBC's sitcoms delivered disasters in the remaining spaces.  CBS Mondays delivered a steadfast season, strong enough so a stinker like Baby Bob survived.  Fridays, however, couldn't earn a renewal in the wake of ABC ditching Friday comedies.

ABC sitcoms began to show their age, and Dharma & Greg and Spin City were retired.  Drew Carey did not crack the top 50, My Wife and Kids landed at 40th, and only George Lopez and According to Jim were given passes for a second season.  The remains were dispensed.  FOX also experienced a soft season, yet The Simpsons, despite a down season, outrated the entire offering of ABC sitcoms.  UPN originals Girlfriends and The Parkers held respectable for network standards, and Reba became WB's latest sensation.  Beyond that, the recycled favorites and other originals performed tepid or poorly.

Source -- http://fbibler.chez.com/tvstats/recent_data/2001-02.html

2000-01 Sitcom Scorecard -- New Milestone as FOX is 3rd in Sitcoms for the First Time, New Low as ABC Comedies Sink to 4th

Written Surviving The Reality Crunch by Bridger Cunningham

What a difference a millennium makes.  NBC dominance was no more, as they were now 2nd in both overall network ratings and in sitcoms.  That 1st place gold standard now belonged to CBS, who not only formed an alliance with Survivor, but also cultivated a rock-solid Monday comedy block, anchored by Everybody Loves Raymond, Becker and the King of Queens.  Must See TV on NBC Thursdays was still strong, yet their fortunes failed to move beyond that evening.  ABC, briefly in 1st place the previous season, plummeted back to 3rd after Who Wants to be a Millionaire faded due to saturation.  Their sitcom fortunes fell harder as they lost 17% of their viewers, falling over one whole point below a resurgent FOX's 27% gain.  FOX of course was still 4th in overall ratings, yet their new brand of sitcoms pushed into 3rd with strong ratings.  And legions below (nearly 2 full points behind 'the big four), UPN experienced a resurgence and nipped at WB's heels late 90's prominence faded.

2000-01 held 54 sitcoms like the previous season, yet placement in the top-10 and top-20 showed tastes were changing as only 6 shows reached the top-20.  NBC's Friends was aging in its 7th season, yet the breakout star was Will and Grace, who passed an ailing Frasier's 8th season, which fell below Just Shoot Me's 5th season.  These four shows proved to be the peacock's winners while only one other show survived among the 11 entries.  3rd Rock From the Sun also ended a successful 6-season run with dwindling CBS enjoyed the popularity of Everybody Loves Raymond, which bolstered its Monday evening.  Coming up in popularity was Kevin James and Leah Remini vehicle King of Queens, and Becker and Yes, Dear rode the lead-in wave.  Outside these four entries, CBS sent the other three failures to the farm.

Like CBS, FOX also had 7 original sitcoms, yet they gave double airings to That 70's Show and Malcolm in the Middle which counted into the figures as they aired multiple showings.  Family Guy took a noticeable absence this season as it was renewed, yet did not return until July 11, 2001.  Elsewhere, The Simpsons, Titus, King of the Hill and Grounded for Life all experienced respectable ratings.  Futurama trailed, yet held the Sunday 7pm timeslot and improved performance.  ABC failed to generate hits this season, and its two leading sitcoms, Dharma and Greg and Drew Carey, dropped below the top 30 and began to show their age.  Spin City's fortunes were mixed in the wake of Charlie Sheen replacing Michael J. Fox, and My Wife and Kids debuted tepid.  Beyond that, most freshman sitcoms ended their runs, along with Norm and Two Guys and a Girl well below the syndication finish line.

Remember UPN and WB?  They are becoming a distant memory.  They recycled several shows, including The Hughleys, For Your Love, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and The PJ's this season with renewals.  UPN parted with its successful Moesha after six seasons, yet had The Parkers and Girlfriends gaining attention.  Beyond that, let's try to remember which shows wound up cancelled.  This year of declines sadly foreshadowed the state of sitcoms in the 2000's, as the audiences wanted to form alliances with reality TV.

1999-2000 Sitcom Scorecard -- The Scripted Purge Creates Harsh Realities for Sitcoms

Written Mourning the Loss of Laughs by Bridger Cunningham

What a harsh reality this year faced.  Following Seinfeld's exit two seasons earlier, powerhouse sitcoms became a thing of the past.  For the first time since 1984, a sitcom did not rank in the top 3 positions in the overall Nielsens, ending a 15-year trend dominated by NBC.  They still dominated sitcom performance, yet the overall network ratings show how sitcom demand plunged.

For the season, ABC narrowly nosed NBC out of 1st place, a position they had not seen in years, ending 14 seasons of the peacock in front.  yet they placed 1st with their sitcom stable.  NBC tested its lead-in-dependent shows this season and discarded failures on Thursday.  ABC's sitcom performance dropped a massive 14%, landing neck to neck tied with CBS for 2nd place with comedy.  The results spelled the tragic end to ABC's 11-year old TGIF franchise, as ABC cancelled all entries.  However, WB and UPN were on hand to salvage discarded pieces, many of which enjoyed 2-3 additional seasons.

CBS again landed in 3rd in overall sitcom ratings and by one-hundredth in sitcom averages.  FOX too experience massive drops, yet showed signs of investment in the early 2000's as Malcolm in the Middle and Titus created great installations with the previous seasons' successes with Family Guy and That 70's show.  FOX boasted the highest renewal rate among the six networks with a respectable 9 sitcoms, as all networks downgraded their sitcom orders.  UPN treated this season as no laughing matter and slashed their sitcom entries from 13 to 5 sitcoms, and they experienced a 17-percent increase in Nielsen performance.

WB experienced massive drops in both sitcom and overall Nielsens, taking 6th place in sitcoms performance behind UPN.  So why did sitcoms become weakened this season?  Seinfeld's exit left few sensations shaking up the sitcom world, causing several lead-in dependent shows burning off and being cancelled.  Networks opted to duplicate their news magazines, because evidently the world was too peaceful and the newscasts had to change that.  A rash of gameshows such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and reality platforms perked the interests of viewers.  They were one-third cheaper to produce, making them marketable to networks.  Therefore, this aided what began in 2000 known as "The Scripted Purge."  Who needs Seinfeld laughing about nothing when reality TV stars get drunk like rednecks at a keg party laughing about nonsense.

The one pro which emerged in the sitcom world during this relevance-fueled era was the rising trend in the absence of canned laughter, predominantly with FOX displaying successful entries with Malcolm in the Middle and its animation block.  Times looked bleak for sitcoms, which dropped 19 original showings among the networks inside one season.

Ratings Source: http://fbibler.chez.com/tvstats/by_5_yr_period/1999-00.html