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View Full Version : Flashes In the Pan: Fast Rises & Falls of a Show

TMC
03-24-2002, 07:49 PM
The only show that shoots in my mind right now is Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Some time after the show caught fire and became a "phenomeon" ABC got greedy (no pun intended) and watered the show's novelty by overexposing it (i.e. as much as four days a week) and piling up on the number of celebrity editions all at once.

http://www.geocities.com/tmc_132000/The_Tech_Party.html
http://www.geocities.com/tmc_132000/Speedway_Adventures.html
http://www.geocities.com/tmc_132000/Superfriends_Game.html
Sean Snow
03-24-2002, 08:48 PM
I think any network would've done that to "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" and it payed for off for it's first season, in which it was #01, #02, and #03

The "Three's Company" spinoff, "the Ropers", died soon after it's first hit season. It didn't really fall that bad, but ABC was afraid of declining numbers.

"Angie" is another example. It was #05 it's first season, next season it was out of the top 30.
DJM77
03-25-2002, 09:58 PM
Bridget Loves Bernie (1972-1973) - It was #5 in the season ratings for its first and only season. It got cancelled because it was considered controversial at the time.
joan davis fan
03-26-2002, 05:38 AM
Good Times was really popular when it first went on the air ( top 10 hit ) but once James Amos ( the father on the show ) and Ester Rolle ( Florida ) gave that rather critical interview ( Ebony Magazine ? )about their own show, that turned off many viewers, then once they "killed" of James Evans, even more people stopped watching.

If I remember correctly Ester Rolle thought the character of JJ was "stupid" and sends a negative image to Black youngsters by saying that you can make it in life by standing on the corner saying "dynamite".

Anyway the ratings for Good Times really felt bad times after James "died" and once Florida left I believe it fell out of the top 25.

Florida of course did come back but by then, even with Janet Jackson and much improved stories, the ratings never did improve. Though I must admit Good Times, the final episode was one of the better series finals I have seen.