Different Strokes or Taxi? I'm asking this because I just found out that

[TVFactFan]

Different Strokes helped Taxi get knocked off the air. Taxi could not compete with DS in the 80-81 season on Wednesdays Nights. I was a little surprised by that. BTW i would pick Different Strokes too-lol

[Dean Winchester]

Taxi is the better show, but Diff'rent Strokes is the one I liked better.

[barwars]

I like both series a lot, but Taxi was better IMO.

[Adamantium]

Taxi is definately better in my opinion.

[EmoJoe]

Taxi, defiantley.

[AKA]

Taxi. It never jumped the shark.

It's kind of funny how Taxi began on ABC, but ended up on NBC, and Diff'rent Strokes started out on NBC and moved to ABC.

[TVFactFan]

Originally posted by AKA
Taxi. It never jumped the shark.

It's kind of funny how Taxi began on ABC, but ended up on NBC, and Diff'rent Strokes started out on NBC and moved to ABC.


I never understood that switching networks. If a show is bad on one network why would it change on another network? Then once Taxi moved to NBC it couldn't compete with Simon and Simon

[AKA]

It doesn't have to do with a show being bad - it has to do with the first network cancelling the show (usually due the bad ratings), and the second network believing the show can perform well with them.

Off the top of my head, I can think of three shows that have done well after switching networks:

JAG (NBC to CBS)
Leave It To Beaver (CBS to ABC)
Grounded For Life (Fox to WB)

[barwars]

I read somewhere that they had commercials for when Taxi moved to NBC with Danny Devito saying "Same Time, Same Night, Better Network"

[Dean Winchester]

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
I never understood that switching networks. If a show is bad on one network why would it change on another network? Then once Taxi moved to NBC it couldn't compete with Simon and Simon

some shows might be costing too much for one network to make, while another network sees "this show still has life in it" and snatches it up. When NBC snatched up Taxi in 1982, the only sitcoms they had were Facts Of Life, Diff'rent Strokes and Gimme A Break, and at the best, those were 20's and 30's, whereas ABC still had a top 10 hit with Three's Company, and shows like Happy Days were still in the top 20, so NBC probably figured Taxi would be a more sizable hit for NBC standards than for ABC... even tho the show fell to the 70's that season and was cancelled. The reason NBC cancelled Diff'rent Strokes in 1985 was because now that they had smash hit shows like Cosby, Family Ties, Cheers and Night Court (all of these shows exploded in popularity over the 1984-1985 season, DS was old hat, so ABC, which had lost all it's hit comedies, and Who's The Boss hadn't taken off yet (it eventually went top 10 in the 1985-1986 season), probably felt that DS would be beneficial to the network, however, most DS fans didn't switch to ABC and the show died.

There have been a few instances where a show changed networks and did well. JAG is a bigger hit on CBS than it ever was on NBC, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer's first season on UPN was bigger than the last two seasons on WB.

[TVFactFan]

Originally posted by barwars
I read somewhere that they had commercials for when Taxi moved to NBC with Danny Devito saying "Same Time, Same Night, Better Network"


Well it did no better because it was yanked after 82-83. Waste of Time

[Dean Winchester]

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
Well it did no better because it was yanked after 82-83. Waste of Time

Taxi is still regarded as one of the greatest sitcoms ever, the final season was actually one of the best.

[Dean Winchester]

I actually read something that HBO (keep in mind, this was 20 years ago, before Sopranos and Sex And The City) actually almost negotiated a 1983-1984 season of Taxi, but Judd Hirsch was getting tired of doing the show, so the sixth CABLE season never happened, plus, Andy Kaufman got ill and died (well, according to some) towards the end of that season anyways.

[TVFactFan]

Originally posted by BuffySlayer79
some shows might be costing too much for one network to make, while another network sees "this show still has life in it" and snatches it up. When NBC snatched up Taxi in 1982, the only sitcoms they had were Facts Of Life, Diff'rent Strokes and Gimme A Break, and at the best, those were 20's and 30's, whereas ABC still had a top 10 hit with Three's Company, and shows like Happy Days were still in the top 20, so NBC probably figured Taxi would be a more sizable hit for NBC standards than for ABC... even tho the show fell to the 70's that season and was cancelled. The reason NBC cancelled Diff'rent Strokes in 1985 was because now that they had smash hit shows like Cosby, Family Ties, Cheers and Night Court (all of these shows exploded in popularity over the 1984-1985 season, DS was old hat, so ABC, which had lost all it's hit comedies, and Who's The Boss hadn't taken off yet (it eventually went top 10 in the 1985-1986 season), probably felt that DS would be beneficial to the network, however, most DS fans didn't switch to ABC and the show died.

There have been a few instances where a show changed networks and did well. JAG is a bigger hit on CBS than it ever was on NBC, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer's first season on UPN was bigger than the last two seasons on WB.

Probably because kimberly and Willis was replaced by Sam and Maggie-lol

[Dean Winchester]

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
Probably because kimberly and Willis was replaced by Sam and Maggie-lol

I think DS could've done 10 seasons had it not been for hellspawn Sam, as well as NBC giving it better schedules.

[ramuno]

There were a few sitcoms in the 50's that switched networks MORE than once.

"Mary Kay and Johnny" (the very first sitcom on TV) went from Dumont-15 minute show to NBC-30 minute show and then CBS- 15 minute shbow.

"The Goldbergs" CBS to NBC to Dumont to Syndication. By the way, this had been the first sitcom on radio in the 1920s.

"Ethel and Albert" NBC to CBS to ABC. All episodes were live.

"The Adventures of Colonel Humphrey J. Flack" ABC to Dumont to Syndication.

"Bachelor Father" CBS to NBC to ABC.

[JT]

"Father Knows Best" was on CBS for a season (1954-1955) then was cancelled after low ratings, but then NBC picked it up and aired at a more family-friendly time and it ran until 1960 on that network. Then in 1960, ABC began airing reruns of it until 1963.

And of course, I have to talk about network-hopping soaps...

"The Edge of Night" was a popular show on CBS from 1956-1975, but then, for some reason, CBS cancelled it, and ABC began airing it for nine successful years. "Search for Tomorrow" premiered in 1951 and was cancelled by CBS in 1982 , to make room for the new show "Capitol." NBC picked up SFT and ran it for four more years, 1982-1986. EDGE and SEARCH are the only two soaps ever to switch networks.

[Lady T]

Neither, they both sucked:p

[TVFactFan]

Originally posted by Undercover Angel
Neither, they both sucked:p


awww Tara you didn't like little Arnold?-LOL

[Lady T]

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
awww Tara you didn't like little Arnold?-LOL hell no

[TVFactFan]

Originally posted by Undercover Angel
hell no


LMAO!!!!-LOL

[Lady T]

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
LMAO!!!!-LOL Gary Coleman is the anti-christ...

[dandelion wine]

Taxi

[Stuck In The '70's]

Well I watched Different Strokes. The only time I watched Taxi in its original run was when it aired after Three's Company. I do like Taxi, though I probably like it better now then I did then.

[Shine]

I have only seen Taxi a hand full of times but I loved Diff'rent Strokes when I was a kid. I remember having a crush on Kimberly!

[ramuno]

All of the examples that I gave above were shows that hopped more than once with ORIGINAL episodes. There have been many more that hopped networks and then went into syndication with reruns.

[TVFactFan]

Originally posted by ramuno
All of the examples that I gave above were shows that hopped more than once with ORIGINAL episodes. There have been many more that hopped networks and then went into syndication with reruns.


I think it was ok for DS to end instead of going to ABC because it was already on 7 years. And everyone was older so it was nothing left to do.

[Dean Winchester]

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
I think it was ok for DS to end instead of going to ABC because it was already on 7 years. And everyone was older so it was nothing left to do.

yeah, I remember several people on the DS board actually saying they would gladly sacrifice the final ABC season for a great "final episode" on NBC

[jamesanthony]

Two older shows that ran longer on their second network were Danny Thomas and My Three Sons. Danny Thomas ran 4 years on ABC, but had poor ratings because ABC had fewer affiliate stations than the other networks. It moved into I Love Lucy's Monday night timeslot on CBS in 1957 and became the #2 series, and remained in the top ten until it ended of its own choosing in 1964.

My Three Sons aired on ABC from 1960-65 but switched to CBS (in the same Thurs timeslot) because ABC didn't want to spend extra money to film it in color. It ran on CBS until 1972 and was in the top 20 in almost every year through 1971. CBS had to intentionally put it into a terrible 10 pm timeslot to get rid of it.

One reason I think networks pick up other network's throwaways is they figure the show has some life in it and already has some type of built in following in comparison to some new untested show that could bomb big time.

BTW: I remember the Same Time Better Network promo that Taxi had in 1982.

I believe Bachelor Father aired on all 3 networks between 1957-63.

[FamilyTiesGOP]

Taxi was better. Diffrent Strokes is unwatchable crap, IMO.

[Dean Winchester]

anybody else besides me, BarWars and AKA who are planning on getting both DS and Taxi on DVD?

[bb]

Originally posted by barwars
I read somewhere that they had commercials for when Taxi moved to NBC with Danny Devito saying "Same Time, Same Night, Better Network"

Not only was that true but many NBC stations at the time used that slogan to promote its own shows.

Example...Norfolk/Virginia Beach's WAVY-TV 10 ran ads promoting the fact they got The Peoples Court from a local UHF station by saying "same time BETTER station".

[TV Observer 101]

I prefer "Diff'rent Strokes". IMO, DS was the better show of the two.

[Chocoholic]

Taxi. The driving test episodes is one of the funniest sitcom moments, period.

[Adamantium]

Originally posted by BuffySlayer79
anybody else besides me, BarWars and AKA who are planning on getting both DS and Taxi on DVD?

I am. Taxi is one of my favorites, and I like DS too.

[TVFactFan]

Originally posted by TVAdam
I am. Taxi is one of my favorites, and I like DS too.

I will be buying DS, never Taxi

[Skywalker]

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
I will be buying DS, never Taxi

I'm surprised you don't like Taxi. Louie DePalma was the meanest, most vile sitcom character ever.

[Brian Damage]

Originally posted by BuffySlayer79
anybody else besides me, BarWars and AKA who are planning on getting both DS and Taxi on DVD?

I will :wave:

[Brian Damage]

BTW, Taxi was the better show. IMO

[Sean Snow]

I like both shows, but I prefer Diff'rent Strokes.