Reading up on Wikipedia I found out that Mr. Belvedere barely even cracked the Top-30 in the ratings and that almost cancelled or put on hiatus several times.

Strangely it always remained on Friday nights (except for its last season where it moved to Saturdays) and got a second chance when the TGIF block was created in 1988, many forgotten sitcoms came and went on Fridays but Mr. Belvedere was still hanging in there.

Today a show with these numbers would get canceled right away but maybe ABC had a bit of faith in the show's underdog performance, ......or they didn't have anything else to put on.

It's a miracle it lasted this long. I think it began, and ended at the right time. It ended when Wesley was nearing the end of Middle School, and the kids were about to move on with their own lives.

From what I've learned about sitcoms with kids and families, there is only so much you can do with them.

Reading up on Wikipedia I found out that Mr. Belvedere barely even cracked the Top-30 in the ratings and that almost cancelled or put on hiatus several times.

Strangely it always remained on Friday nights (except for its last season where it moved to Saturdays) and got a second chance when the TGIF block was created in 1988, many forgotten sitcoms came and went on Fridays but Mr. Belvedere was still hanging in there.

Today a show with these numbers would get canceled right away but maybe ABC had a bit of faith in the show's underdog performance, ......or they didn't have anything else to put on.

My guess is that after seeing how well Cheers and Family Ties succeeded on NBC despite having abysmal ratings on their inaugural seasons, ABC decided that it could work for Mr. Belvedere.

Yes I remember it from Friday nights. My X and I used to watch it. Than the kids came and money was tight so we didn't go out much on the weekends , we really liked Mr. Belvedere. Watching it now brings back good memories of my boys being babies, and even I think of the X in a good way because it was Friday night and he was usually in a good mood cause the weekend!

Reading up on Wikipedia I found out that Mr. Belvedere barely even cracked the Top-30 in the ratings and that almost cancelled or put on hiatus several times.

Strangely it always remained on Friday nights (except for its last season where it moved to Saturdays) and got a second chance when the TGIF block was created in 1988, many forgotten sitcoms came and went on Fridays but Mr. Belvedere was still hanging in there.

Today a show with these numbers would get canceled right away but maybe ABC had a bit of faith in the show's underdog performance, ......or they didn't have anything else to put on.

I wonder if this is in part why Mr. Delvedere seems to be mostly forgotten (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088576/board/flat/20474098?p=1) by modern audiences/television (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088576/board/flat/83639051?p=1) today.

I wonder if this is in part why Mr. Delvedere seems to be mostly forgotten (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088576/board/flat/20474098?p=1) by modern audiences/television (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088576/board/flat/83639051?p=1) today.
I wouldn't say forgotten entirely, it has developed a cult following but last time I remember seeing it was early 90's.

It was one of the first sitcoms I gravitated to that wasn't your standard wacky physical comedy sitcoms which I think most little kids shied away because of it but now as adults have grown to appreciate it especially the clever banter between George and Belvedere.

I read in a "Where Are They Now?" article once in I believe People Magazine over 10 years ago where Ilene Graff said that now and then when the cast would get glum over low ratings, Christopher Hewitt would take the lead and take them all out to dinner and cheer them up. :)

The show is being rerun in Chicago weekday afternoons. I also bought the first season/second season DVD set. I think one of the reasons that we don't see Mr. Belvedere more often is that this is show that was clearly aimed at kids in the 1980's, which I was. The show's portrait of middle class America during the 1980's makes it a really great time capsule of that period. Which means kids today probably would not really like it very much.

I read in a "Where Are They Now?" article once in I believe People Magazine over 10 years ago where Ilene Graff said that now and then when the cast would get glum over low ratings, Christopher Hewitt would take the lead and take them all out to dinner and cheer them up. :)


How nice of Mr. Hewitt !!! ;)

The show is being rerun in Chicago weekday afternoons. I also bought the first season/second season DVD set. I think one of the reasons that we don't see Mr. Belvedere more often is that this is show that was clearly aimed at kids in the 1980's, which I was. The show's portrait of middle class America during the 1980's makes it a really great time capsule of that period. Which means kids today probably would not really like it very much.
That could be why many other 80's style family sitcoms (The Hogan Family, Just The Ten Of Us, Growing Pains) are never in reruns but The Cosby Show seems to be the lucky one to do huge in syndication.

I just wish these outlets like AntennaTV and MeTV can pick up the pace and air more 1980's shows.

The show is being rerun in Chicago weekday afternoons. I also bought the first season/second season DVD set. I think one of the reasons that we don't see Mr. Belvedere more often is that this is show that was clearly aimed at kids in the 1980's, which I was. The show's portrait of middle class America during the 1980's makes it a really great time capsule of that period. Which means kids today probably would not really like it very much.

Are you talking about Antenna TV or is there another local station in Chicago that airs it as well?

I think one of the reasons that we don't see Mr. Belvedere more often is that this is show that was clearly aimed at kids in the 1980's, which I was. The show's portrait of middle class America during the 1980's makes it a really great time capsule of that period. Which means kids today probably would not really like it very much.

I wouldn't say that, I think it's more of a "ratings game" than anything else. The shows from every decade that raked in the really BIG ratings---"I Love Lucy", "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", "The Cosby Show", "The Golden Girls", "Who's the Boss?", "Cheers", "Friends, etc.---have easily found their way into syndication for years now, but it's harder for shows that weren't as successful to do so. Then you have shows like "Mama's Family" which find themselves being syndicated because they started out in syndication anyway.

I wouldn't say that, I think it's more of a "ratings game" than anything else. The shows from every decade that raked in the really BIG ratings---"I Love Lucy", "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", "The Cosby Show", "The Golden Girls", "Who's the Boss?", "Cheers", "Friends, etc.---have easily found their way into syndication for years now, but it's harder for shows that weren't as successful to do so. Then you have shows like "Mama's Family" which find themselves being syndicated because they started out in syndication anyway.
Mama's Family was on NBC before it was a first run syndication show.

Mama's Family was on NBC before it was a first run syndication show.

Yes, starting in January 1983 - I'm one of the biggest fans of that show around, but I was thinking of what most people think of when they hear "Mama's Family", which is syndicated Iola/Bubba years. That's when the show really took off, and had 3 more seasons than the network years.

Are you talking about Antenna TV or is there another local station in Chicago that airs it as well?

I sure am. :)

I am not so sure that I would agree and say that Mr Belvedere limped along, but it was never a ratings powerhouse. It did last for 5+ years! From a quick glance, it seemed that all other ABC sitcoms on Friday nights during the run of Mr Belvedere had similar or even worse ratings than MB.

Yeah I seem to remember the 9:30-10:00 timeslot was a graveyard for short lived sitcoms.

I think it was able to stay on the air for so long because it's budget for the cast was relatively low compared to other sitcoms. None of the actors were well known or seemed to aspire to a long career in show business, so they were just content with what they had.

My guess is that after seeing how well Cheers and Family Ties succeeded on NBC despite having abysmal ratings on their inaugural seasons, ABC decided that it could work for Mr. Belvedere.

Lowest rated TV show to have ever gotten renewed? (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=747464)