While reading posts this evening I have learned that "Bridget Loves Bernie" was the highest rated show ever to get cancelled. Does anybody know exactly why it was cancelled, it was the 5th highest rated show during the 1972 TV season.

The two reasons that I have read are:

1. Protests from Religious Groups - In those days interrelitious marriage would have been a very controversial topic.

2. The show wasn't really that good. - Perhaps it rated well out of curiosity or because it was shown in between "All in the Family" and "Mary Tyler Moore".

Does anybody know what exactly happned to this show? Also, for those of you who ever saw it, I never did, do you think it would have lasted a few seasons? I'm just wondering if it did well due to it's subject matter rather than the quality of the show's episodes?

Considering that The Mary Tyler Moore Show was ranked lower than it, I think it was the religious aspect that got it canceled. Both MASH and Maude were ranked 4th after AITF and they stayed on the air. That was only one spot above BLB. Funny Face was ranked 8th after AITF during the 1971-72 season. Although the show was canceled, it was because of Sandy Duncan's eye surgery. The show was then retooled and brought back the following year as The Sandy Duncan Show. The one show that did flop after AITF was Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers. It was ranked at #25 during the 1974-75 season and was canceled in mid-season. All in the Family really fell in 1976-77. It went from #1 to #12. The show that followed it was a little show called Alice. It was ranked all the way down at #30. It was given time to grow and eventually became a top 10 hit so CBS was patient with it.

Here is a good article that explains it:
http://thiswastv.com/2012/09/25/1970s-fun-flops-bridget-loves-bernie/

Wikipedia claims it was controversial but I don't recall that. The article does refer to Jewish people not liking it. But the behind the scenes stuff seems far more likely. They wanted to re-tool the show and the network did not like the idea, plus Birney reportedly thought he was too good for TV and probably created some drama for the producers.

Me and every one of my Jewish friends loved it and that was the problem. Jewish groups were up in arms over the fact that it made interfaith marriage so appealing. Every Jewish guy I know dreamed about being Bernie and finding a rich, blonde, gorgeous Catholic girl like Meredith Baxter. CBS received a lot of pressure about the show and if you watch some of the later episodes, the religious aspects of the show start to get toned down a good deal. Whatever bull**** reason CBS gave is false. It was due to pressure from the religious groups.

that's right; it was due to pressere from religious groups. I'm 55 and still remember hearing all the controversy surrounding it.

As for the show itself, I haven't seen it in30 years since it first aired, but as I recall it was pretty good and could have lasted a few years.

Hey treky its been "40 years" since the show aired :wave: I have the show on DVD and wish it had gone on for a few more years. It was a cute show!!

that's right; it was due to pressere from religious groups. I'm 55 and still remember hearing all the controversy surrounding it.

As for the show itself, I haven't seen it in30 years since it first aired, but as I recall it was pretty good and could have lasted a few years.

Hey treky its been "40 years" since the show aired :wave: I have the show on DVD and wish it had gone on for a few more years. It was a cute show!!

After reading about this series on several sites, this is my hypothesis for why the show was cancelled:

1. Religious Protests - Not only was intermarraige a controversial issue back then, but CBS didn't seem to be prepared for the controversy it generated.

2. General Presentation - "All in the Family" another controversial show was much better written and the network and it's producers were ready for the reaction it might get from the general public. The show was not as funny as "All in the Family" either, which has been named as one of the best written shows ever.

3. From what I have read CBS, nor the producers audience tested the show, which from my research was not as popular back then. The testing would have given the network and creators an idea of what to expect.

4. Ratings - Yes, the ratings were very high. However, it could not fail going between "All in the Family" and "Mary Tyler Moore". I also would think that people tuned in out of curiosity and once that curiosity died the show would die as well.

These are just some of my thoughts after doing some reseach on it.

They wanted to re-tool the show and the network did not like the idea, plus Birney reportedly thought he was too good for TV and probably created some drama for the producers.
Birney probably had a lot to do with it. I read a TV Guide story about Birney from 1976, and said he'd earned a "difficult" reputation in the industry. Basically if the script wasn't Shakespeare he would rip the script both behind the scenes and in interviews.

After reading about this series on several sites, this is my hypothesis for why the show was cancelled:

1. Religious Protests - Not only was intermarraige a controversial issue back then, but CBS didn't seem to be prepared for the controversy it generated.

2. General Presentation - "All in the Family" another controversial show was much better written and the network and it's producers were ready for the reaction it might get from the general public. The show was not as funny as "All in the Family" either, which has been named as one of the best written shows ever.

3. From what I have read CBS, nor the producers audience tested the show, which from my research was not as popular back then. The testing would have given the network and creators an idea of what to expect.

4. Ratings - Yes, the ratings were very high. However, it could not fail going between "All in the Family" and "Mary Tyler Moore". I also would think that people tuned in out of curiosity and once that curiosity died the show would die as well.

These are just some of my thoughts after doing some reseach on it.

Reason number one was the one and only reason. The other 3 things are a bunch of hooey. The show wasn't meant to be nor trying to be All In The Family and was not in the least bit intended to be controversial. Comparing the two shows is asinine. BLB was a typical cute Screen Gems young couples comedy, which if you were around then you would know instead of coming to the table 40 years later. They had gotten too much crap from religious groups and that's the sole reason. Everything else you said, you're just talking out of your ass.

Reason number one was the one and only reason. The other 3 things are a bunch of hooey. The show wasn't meant to be nor trying to be All In The Family and was not in the least bit intended to be controversial. Comparing the two shows is asinine. BLB was a typical cute Screen Gems young couples comedy, which if you were around then you would know instead of coming to the table 40 years later. They had gotten too much crap from religious groups and that's the sole reason. Everything else you said, you're just talking out of your ass.

Reaon number one was the major reason for the cancelation, however, all the others had something to do with it from what I have read online regarding "Bridget Loves Bernie". You might be right that it was meant to be a cute Screen Gems comedy, however, enough people saw the topic of religious intermarrage seriously enough that it became a controversial show. Remember, this was 40 years ago, not today where people accept the concept more openly.

Reaon number one was the major reason for the cancelation, however, all the others had something to do with it from what I have read online regarding "Bridget Loves Bernie". You might be right that it was meant to be a cute Screen Gems comedy, however, enough people saw the topic of religious intermarrage seriously enough that it became a controversial show. Remember, this was 40 years ago, not today where people accept the concept more openly.

What you "read online". That's your source of information? I was alive and a big fan of the show so I think I know more about it than your third generation sources of information.

What you "read online". That's your source of information? I was alive and a big fan of the show so I think I know more about it than your third generation sources of information.

Besides your sarcastic tone, I was alive at that time too....maybe a bit younger than you.....but I remember when the show was on the air.

What you "read online". That's your source of information? I was alive and a big fan of the show so I think I know more about it than your third generation sources of information.
I was alive then too and saw the show. I apparently did not have inside sources at CBS in the 70's. I have read interviews with people who were in the know and there were multiple problems but as stated a very powerful minority especially in the entertainment industry (and I have sources) were offended and once they were heard nothing was going to save that show.

Regardless, reasons 2, 3 and 4 are bull****.

Big Bump !

Decades will be airing this show on their Weekend Binge 6/23 and 6/24

Big Bump !

Decades will be airing this show on their Weekend Binge 6/23 and 6/24
GREAT!!! I haven't seen it in YEEEARS (since it originally aired) and I've always wanted to see it again.

As with most shows that claim to "take on" serious issues, the failing of Bridget Loves Bernie was that it trivialized those issues and just created a whole new set of stereotypes:

https://www.jta.org/1972/10/24/archive/jewish-groups-score-new-tv-show-for-intermarriage-theme

This is a very common sequence with respect to these sorts of shows: the producers turn out a shallow take on the issue, then portray anyone with reasonable objections as closed-minded.


I remember watching it as a kid but don't remember that much about it except that forever character actor Ned Glass was in it but most of all how good looking Meredith Baxter was.

Looking at the subject now and what I know about TV as an adult I disagree that it trivialized the issue of interfaith marriage. Liberal show biz types want to destroy religion and trivializing religion is how they did it back then. I'm completely non-religious myself but it has to be obvious to anyone with half a brain that religion is skewered in movies and TV - except of course for the one religion that really deserves it, islam. At best, religious people are portrayed as oblivious simpletons but generally as pure evil racists homophobic devils that want to kill everyone that isn't like them.

Big Bump !

Decades will be airing this show on their Weekend Binge 6/23 and 6/24

Square Pegs is also airing on the same days too.

I saw an episode the other day. It was fun seeing David Doyle and Audrey Lindley before their Charlie's Angels and Threes Company roles. My parents and I saw the show when it first aired.

As with most shows that claim to "take on" serious issues, the failing of Bridget Loves Bernie was that it trivialized those issues and just created a whole new set of stereotypes:

https://www.jta.org/1972/10/24/archive/jewish-groups-score-new-tv-show-for-intermarriage-theme

This is a very common sequence with respect to these sorts of shows: the producers turn out a shallow take on the issue, then portray anyone with reasonable objections as closed-minded.

This article claims “BLB”’s high ratings was due to its time slot rather than its premise.
https://thiswastv.com/2012/09/25/1970s-fun-flops-bridget-loves-bernie/