Sitcom Scorecard 2019-20, Week 15: A Three-Way Tie at the Middle, and NBC’s in Last Place

Hello peoples, long time no see! The Sitcom Scorecard is back with a bang, just in time for 2020. Here are the current standings, as of December 30. Just a disclaimer: the Scorecards are separate from the Renew/Cancel predictions. Play along, play along.



You heard it right, NBC is in last place, with the majority of the helpings in the anemic range. We know Sunnyside was put to the pasture, and The Good Place and Will and Grace are in final seasons. Perfect Harmony, the second lowest rated show on NBC, has its odds changed to -5%, after getting capped at 13 episodes. Regardless of The Good Place production treatment, Perfect Harmony is not long for this world. This is no Good Place.

Other than Perfect Harmony's obviously doomed fate at NBC, the other network's fates are not as clear cut. On ABC, the odds for Single Parents and Schooled have switched. With Schooled at 45%, being a Sony production with ABC co-ownership is a negative indicator. Single Parents is produced in-house. Not to mention, Schooled was the last ABC comedy to get a full season backorder. Currently in third place, ABC, like CBS, only has one new comedy on the bench compared to the other networks. And ABC only has one comedy total on the bench. And the fate for each comedy will only depend on development and space. The big news for the middle of the pack, there is a three-way tie for seventeenth place. The three comedies tied are Carol's Second Act, black-ish, and Single Parents.

FOX, at #1, holds the most entries at Leading the Pack. But this could change after the Super Bowl. Will The Simpsons hold on to #1, or could The Connors make it or break it and unseat The Simpsons? Only time will tell.

What other surprises await for 2020? Sound off in the comments below!

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

1998-99 Sitcom Scorecard -- Post-Seinfeld Sitcoms Fade; FOX, WB and UPN Now the Three Nielsen Laughing Stocks

Whatever!  Written by Bridger Cunningham

Only 10 years earlier, the leading sitcoms experienced ratings in the 30's.  Flash forward as Y2K became a trend, carrying two digits before the decimal meant a show was a phenomenon.  NBC was still sitting pretty in 1st place, followed by re-emerging CBS who weathered tough ratings through 1996.  Next, ABC shadowed its 1988-96 prominence and rested in 3rd.  FOX was perennially in 4th place, yet it wasn't the greatest joke in the Nielsens as WB rest in 5th Place and UPN in 6th further down.  The sitcom ranks, however, handed the gold to ABC, who narrowly edged out a transitioning NBC.  CBS notched down further in 3rd, and the last three networks stayed in line with overall ratings trends.

Though 73 sitcoms made the Nielsen register compared to 27 entries in 1984-85, cancellation rates were high.  A rising trend in duplicate news magazines and reality TV shows spelled trouble for comedies as all consumed 60 minutes vs. the common 30-minute sitcom.

Compared with the mid 80's to 1998, this chart runs less blue-dominant in the upper range,  Troubled ABC claimed 8 of the 19 places in the "Leading the Pack" classification, in spite of Home Improvement ending a long run.  NBC's sitcom stable faded in the wake of Seinfeld's exit the previous season.  They opted to move Tuesday tentpole Frasier to Seinfeld's vacant place, leading to the show's growth.  The effect was opposite for Tuesdays, as the shows collapsed into ranks common in the 70's of the 161 original shows.  Ever heard of Jesse or Veronica's Closet?  Neither made it to syndication as their high Nielsen performances rode the fumes of Friends, Frasier and ER.  News Radio, Mad About You and NewsRadio were all cancelled after modest success.

ABC Tuesdays and Wednesdays were modest at best, with several top-50 players straddled across these comedy blocks.  Fridays, however, failed to recover their dominance in recent years with only Sabrina, the Teenage Witch claiming a register above the 50 mark.  CBS fastidiously maintained its Monday comedy block, while its Wednesday helpings crashed and burned.  CBS placed less emphasis on sitcoms in favor of procedural dramas, lighthearted fares, and a newly burgeoning reality TV trend.  FOX, of course placed emphasis in maintaining the laughs on Sundays.  It also expanded comedies to Tuesdays with mixed results as King of the Hill was its strongest delivery.

And does anyone remember the days of WB and UPN?  They aired five evenings of programming, with WB attempting sitcom success on Sundays and Thursdays, and UPN on Mondays and Tuesdays.  During this era, WB found its stride with younger-skewing dramas, and its sitcoms became filler.  And UPN....  Well it housed a name on an extra network.  And the bottom 11 places on this chart.  1998-99 was like reaching the top of the roller coaster in 1998 with Seinfeld's conclusion.  The carts were pointed downward, and the 2000's presented a steep drop awaiting a tradition dating back to the 50's.

1992-93 Sitcoms -- Ratings on The Technology Cusp

Written Tied to Coax Cables by Bridger Cunningham

What a year.  In 1992, America was engulfed in an economic recession triggered by real estate, similar to the recent devastating economy American culture has known since 2007.  Paid television became readily available.  An urban delight in the 1980's, extensive upgrades reached sub-rural regions.  $20 guaranteed subscribers could access 36-78 channels, some of which were paid platforms offered at $10 per installation.  And those too far out to tap into the grid could mount a satellite dish the size of a smart car on their land to enjoy what urban folks were raving about.  Televisions tied their futures with built-in coax options, allowing the masses to not only enjoy an exciting proliferation of channels, but also link up VCR's so viewers could "watch TV on their own schedule."

Politics remain polarized, as a then-aggressive smear presidential campaign would prove to be then the messiest fares involving the Bush and Clinton clans, like two soap opera families showing up over odd periods of time.  This, of course paled to 2016's political Dumpster Fire, which divided people regardless of preference and support.  Such economic and political conditions played the perfect platform for pace-setting sitcoms like Murphy Brown, Roseanne and The Simpsons to convey political messages.  Compared with the recently posted 1989-90 scorecard of sitcom performances, 1992-93 showed now only a 30-percent drop in sitcom performance, but also a shift in demand for sitcoms.  In 1989, the top-rated shows were sitcoms which all pulled in over 30 millions viewers for season averages.  By 1992, sitcoms which placed in the top 10 averaged between 15.8-20.7 million.

Three years made a noticeable dent in acceptable sitcom ratings.  Back in 1989, 55 shows were offered vs. 1992's 53, a stable retention in offerings.  However, a 15.8 or lower rating presented an unlikely renewal in 1989, whereas shows rating above a 12.0 in 1992 were almost certain for renewal.  Three years earlier, NBC colored the top of the chart blue, followed by ABC maintaining a close second.  CBS trailed in third from the Middle of the Pack downward, followed by FOX landing mostly in the Abyss.  The network rankings outside sitcoms followed the same hierarchy.

Flash forward to 1993, that dynamic changed.  ABC led the charge with 19 sitcoms airing, with 8 placing among the top 20 sitcoms.  However, the sitcom average was sharply below CBS's 11 sitcoms with 4 showings placing 13th Place or above.  NBC, once dominant in sitcom fares, plunged to an abysmal 3rd place among its sitcoms with 5 of its sitcoms placing in the top 20.  And of course FOX remained in 4th, with no top 20 showings.  However, FOX gained momentum and closely matched NBC's sitcom average, growing from 4 to 9 sitcoms with the Simpsons finally reaching the "Leading the Pack" classification after debuting in the Abyss.  Unlike 1992, the overall network rankings did not follow sitcom performances.  ABC narrowly edged a weakened NBC into 1st, CBS was still 3rd and FOX in 4th.

1992-93 presented heavy-hitters in transition, as well as modest and previously heavy-hitting sitcoms reaching cancellation.  Spring 1992 saw NBC's tentpole players, Golden Girls and Cosby, ending after 7-8 years having anchored Thursday and Saturday evenings.  In addition, Cheers declared its 11th season would be its last in 1993 and steadily lost steam.  Saturdays went soft, and Thursdays waded in transition.  Over at ABC, aged sitcoms Growing Pains and Who's The Boss also ended 7 and 8 year runs in Spring 1992, and faltering Perfect Strangers was declared finished after 8 seasons in 1993.  In addition, several shows ranging between 4-7 seasons declined and networks axed them.

CBS experienced this misfortune with Designing Women and Major Dad declining, first being shuffled to Fridays from their plum Monday homes before CBS pulled the plug in Spring.  ABC Wednesdays also suffered this hemorrhage, as The Wonder Years and Doogie Howser continued freefalls from the previous season and cancelled.  Back in 1989, A Different World enjoyed healthy 4th Place cushion behind The Cosby Show.  After its parent defected, A Different World struggled down to 74th before NBC rested the longstanding bohemian piece.

Out of the ashes, networks made proper decisions to groom predecessors to take their place.  On the cusp of "Must See TV", NBC mad-marketed "Thursdays on NBC".  A wise decision, as they stood poised to reclaim the glory of Cosby/Family Ties/Cheers from a land not too far ago.  ABC reveled in mild glory, as Rosanne burned strong, Home Improvement burgeoned stronger and Fridays ruled.  CBS reigned in Mondays and that is where the buck hoofed.  FOX expanded Sunday, whilst attacking Thursdays.

The aftermath spells results in ratings.  ABC tentpoles held like steel, with half of the offerings rusting before their prime.  CBS took the Monday victories with the sitcom lead, yet failed miserably to steal TGIF ratings.  FOX swam close to the ground, feeding higher as the primary three sank.  And NBC went anemic on Saturdays, yet marketed Thursdays to groom new viewers.

The technology cusp year left the dynamics to shift, as we shall explore the fallout of May 1993 in upcoming passages.

1989-90 Sitcom Scorecard -- ABC and NBC Vie in Prominence, FOX is Coming Up

Written Flushing a Full House of Sitcoms by Bridger Cunningham

The 2016-17 season is over, with 25 of 34 main season entries renewed.  This season delivered a hearty helping of sitcoms after years of reduced comedies.  However, those numbers pale in comparison to the glory days of the 80's.  Back in the 1989-90 season, the four networks bolstered a whopping 55 entries, with 31 network renewals.  32 returned, as the Hogan Family was resurrected on CBS after a 5-season run on NBC.  This season presented changes in the heart of the Family-First era, which dominated airwaves from 1984-92.

Back in 1989, the first president Bush entered into the White House, presenting the first time since 1929 that the Republican party had a president in a consecutive third term.  The Cold War which terrorized America like a passive-aggressive threat began to thaw; perhaps Global Warming aided the end to the longest war of the 20th century.  November 9 cracked the Berlin Wall after standing  for 28 years, and the US Government overthrew Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega on December 20.  These developments were indeed heavy, offset by topical issues such as the AIDS crisis and escalated drug usage.  Fittingly, TV presented a wholesome escape for Americans tired of everyday troubles.

Viewers were in the center of the Family First Era, which emerged due to The Cosby Show's prominence in 1984.  This year also presented the rebirth after a quieter 8-year Escapism era which sitcoms took a backseat to fantasy fares like Charlie's Angels, Dynasty, Dallas and The Love Boat.  Every evening this season featured a family-friendly sitcom, with ABC cornering the market with its Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday offerings.  1989-90 also featured a rise in workplace laughs for adults with an equal number of 25 offerings.  Seven sitcoms split the emphasis of subgenres of Hangout, Workplace or Family themes, of which five were renewed.

Above is the breakdown of the 55 sitcoms offered, minus the current covered 18-49 demographic.  Although these numbers were tracked by Nielsen, the target moneymaker with ratings was the share, or percentage of American viewers watching.  A show with a healthy 13.9 share meant 13.9% of the population was watching.  Also valued were overall Nielsens.  7 of the top 10 programs of this season were sitcoms scattered across Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday between ABC and NBC, both of which assured viewers 4 sitcoms at all times during the schedule.  Stacked against the current Sitcom Scorecards, the 4 classifications would break down with 21.9M overall viewers to break into the "Leading the Pack" range, 16M to enter the "Middle of the Pack", the delta of the "Anemic" range would be 11M, and everything below in "The Abyss".  

The 1989-90 breakdown differs from the 2016-17 classifications as majority of the Anemic range was cancelled, and The Abyss featured a true toss-up due to FOX dominating this region.  Nielsen winners and losers received their ratings by evenings.  Here were the evenings for sitcoms, by strongest evenings (out of order):

THURSDAY

Competitors knew to steer clearn and place softer fares on this evening, as NBC Thursdays featured three Top-4 players scattered between 8-9:30pm, with the 9:30 timeslot less prominent and scattered between 4 sitcoms.  Two weaker players who aired later in 1990 in that slot, Wings and Seinfeld, would become sleeper hits who ran until 1997 and 1998, respectively.  All four 9:30 shows were renewed, with Grand burning off the grid the following season, and Dear John making it to 85 episodes by 1992.  

TUESDAY

Cosby narrowly tied with ABC Tuesday's Roseanne, which built its pre-audience with The Wonder Years placing 6th at 8:30 and aging Who's the Boss taking 8th at 8pm.  Like Thursdays, the 9:30 ABC timeslot shadowed the earlier block with forgotten Chicken Soup and establishing hit Coach.  Chicken Soup placed 9th, yet was cancelled due to star Jackie Mason's controversial political remarks, making it the highest rated cancellation.  Successor Coach placed 16th that season, yet cost less as its marquee stars were Craig T. Nelson and Shelley Fabares against powerhouses of CS, Jackie Mason and Lynn Redgrave.

SATURDAY

NBC cornered this market with shares of gold, thanks to our polished seniors on Golden Girls placing 5th in Overall Nielsens and Shares (and 6th Place in overall network measures outside of sitcoms).  It led into Empty Nest, who retained nearly 95-percent of Nielsens and Shares.  The 8pm Hour rated 30-percent lighter by comparison, shared by aging fares 227, Amen, Hogan Family and ALF.  ALF and Hogan family relocated after 4 and 5 seasons from Monday as NBC opted to reinvent said evening against CBS' moderately rated sitcom block.  Of the four helpings, only Amen would survive as NBC opted against renewal.  Spring 1990 saw changes again as the 8pm slot went to dramatic piece A Home For Joe, and NBC's lowest rated and properly forgotten workplace sitcom 13 East at 8:30.  The 10pm hour opened the gates for Carol Burnett vehicle Carol and Company (14th Place) and Down Home (32nd).  Both fares were renewed, yet burned off the following season.  ABC made mild attempts at laughs with aging Mr. Belvedere and Who's the Boss spinoff Living Dolls (featuring upcoming stars Halle Berry and Leah Remini).  Both discontinued in December, with Mr. Belvedere receiving a one-evening sendoff in July 1990.

The remaining four evenings held less prominence, yet delivered respectable performances.  

WEDNESDAY

Aging ABC laughers  Growing Pains and Head of the Class placed 2nd in their timeslots against NBC's Unsolved Mysteries, the 9-10pm hour delivered respectable ratings with Anything But Love and Doogie Howser, MD.  After the young doctor outperformed Scream Queen Jamie Lee Curtis' ABL, it was sidelined, Doogie moved to 9pm and dramatic pices complimented Doogie with lackluster results.  Seeing softer ABC performances, NBC and CBS assembled half-hour affairs in each hour.  NBC's Night Court emerged victorious against ABL, yet Cloris Leachman workplace sitcom The Nutt House placed 3rd in its timeslot and roasted over an open fire.  Spring sitcom FM failed against Doogie Howser and faded out by Season's End.

FRIDAY

TGIF debuted this year with soaring results blazed by increasingly popular Full House (12th) and freshman Family Matters (17th).  Its parent spinoff, Perfect Strangers, held its ground in 25th Place, with 9:30 follow-up Just the Ten of Us retaining an impressive 95% in 26th Place.  The Growing Pains spinoff outrated CBS' ailing soap Dallas by 3 million viewers, yet received an unwarranted pink slip by the season's end.  The network's reasoning?  The 8-9:30 hours were produced by Miller-Boyett productions, who demanded a monopoly over the 8-10pm hour.  Subsequently, the 9:30pm timeslot struggled in succeeding years to find a suitable replacement, cancelling nearly all 1990-2000 players in this slot by season's ends.  CBS made a minor play for laughs in the springtime in the 8-9pm hour with Baghdad Cafe and Sugar and Spice.  The results?  Baghdad Cafe faltered mid-season the next year, and Sugar and Spice soured to staleness by May 1990.

MONDAY

However did Mondays rate weaker than Fridays in sitcoms!?  CBS managed to build a praised feminist workplace 9pm hour with Murphy Brown and Designing Women.  8pm launched moderately successful family/workplace fare Major Dad.  Beyond that, CBS took scheduling risks with the entire season housing sitcoms from 8-11pm from September-May.  The final season of Newhart disintegrated, moving from 10:30 to 10pm, and finally at 8pm after three failed freshman comedies faltered.  Among them: Wes Craven helmed The People Next Door, Teddy Z and City.  Teddy Z started in the plum 9:30 timeslot, then moved after The People Next Door died.  CBS reverted Newhart upward with freshman sitcoms Doctor Doctor and His & Hers, with the last dying in a cursed timeslot.  DD lasted another season, yet hemorrhaged at 9:30 in a soft order the following year.  Over at NBC, ALF and the Hogan Family declined and relocated to Saturdays.

SUNDAY

A sitcom wasteland, the greatest laugh was only two sitcoms (Married With Children, The Simpsons) survived among the three networks, and both rated in the scheduling Abyss.  ABC newbies Free Spirit and Homeroom lost spirituality and a sense of space early in the season, killing ABC's attempts at laughs.  NBC straddled three sitcoms over the 8pm Hour which landed in the Middle of the Pack -- Sister Kate, My Two Dads and Ann Jillian.  All failed to outrate CBS procedural Murder She Wrote and ABC reality platform America's Funniest Home Videos and learned N-ew B-usinesses C-rashed by May.  Conversely, FOX landed Share-d success with MWC and Simpsons.  Open House closed, as did original mainstays Tracy Ullman and Garry Shandling.

1989 was a successful television year as it offset the world's problems with 55 sitcoms over 4 networks.  32 returned (The Hogan family moved to CBS), with several lasting well into 1998.  And the Simpsons carries on....

Shows Which Enjoyed 4+ Seasons on this roster beyond May 1990:

The Simpsons (Ongoing in 29th season)

1998 Finale:

Murphy Brown (10 Seasons)
Seinfeld (9 Seasons)
Family Matters (9 Seasons)

1997 Finale:

Roseanne (9 Seasons)
Coach (9 Seasons)
Wings (8 Seasons)

1995 Finales:

Full House (8 Seasons)
Empty Nest (7 Seasons)

1993 Finales:

Cheers (11 Seasons)
Perfect Strangers (8 Seasons)
Designing Women (7 Seasons)
A Different World (6 Seasons)
The Wonder Years (6 Seasons)
Doogie Howser, MD (4 Years)
Anything But Love (4 Years)
Major Dad (4 Seasons)

1992 Finales:

Night Court (9 Seasons)
The Cosby Show (8 Seasons)
Who's The Boss (8 Seasons)
Growing Pains (7 Seasons)
Golden Girls (7 Seasons)
Dear John (4 Seasons)

1991 Finales:

The Hogan Family (6 Seasons)
Head of the Class (5 Seasons)
Amen (5 Seasons)