http://flashbak.com/bad-american-tv-89-check-1989-fall-preview-385894/

It’s the Fall of 1989 in America, and, from the looks of things, television has gone to hell. It would be a good while before Netflix and cable would breathe new life into the medium (via Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, True Detective, The Sopranos, etc.). With precious few exceptions, the TV lineup is an undifferentiated heap of garbage. Let’s have a look at the coming attractions for Fall of ’89 and see for yourself…

Really cool link! I enjoyed that. Homeroom aired on BET in the late 90s. It was decent but not special enough to stand out and last.

Bookmarked that site. Not bad. Although the guy who wrote the article, geez. The guy knocked every show. They all couldn't have been that bad.

I wouldn't say that the state of TV in 1989 was necessarily bad as opposed to the networks being adverse to taking risks given new corporate ownership and the strength of their returning programs. Executives in this period relied heavily on testing and mass appeal, and with the possible exception of FOX, didn't feel the need to try unconventional programming. The climate wouldn't change until the early 90s (Twin Peaks, Eerie, Indiana, Cop Rock).

Network TV in the mid-to-late 1980s had really stagnated. Fox had just started in 1986, and wasn't a serious threat, yet, to the Big Three networks. And much of cable TV was still imported from overseas, and didn't receive high ratings. The Big Three had a stranglehold on television, and so there just wasn't much innovation.

Still, this author lists Quantum Leap, Life Goes On, and Alien Nation, three highly innovative programs, lumping them in with some real clunkers? That seems weird.

I do remember many of these. "Free Spirit" was pretty bad; a kind of "Bewitched" re-make.

Cool post!

Quality is subjective, personally I never got Life Goes On. Seemed dumb to me, but I don't really care for family dramas that much either.

I never watched Free Spirit but I like the concept, a Bewitched-type fantasy for the late-80s.

Quality is subjective, personally I never got Life Goes On. Seemed dumb to me, but I don't really care for family dramas that much either.

I never watched Free Spirit but I like the concept, a Bewitched-type fantasy for the late-80s.

Well, objectively, Life Goes On won or was nominated for a ton of awards (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Goes_On_(TV_series)#Awards_and_nominations), which is some indication of quality.

Free Spirit had some interesting visual effects, much like Bewitched (or maybe Merry Poppins, considering she was a housekeeper/nanny to the kids) but it only lasted 13 weeks due to very poor ratings, and was voted the "worst show on television" (https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=r9NRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZW4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6229,1365705&dq=free+spirit+abc+homeroom&hl=en) by TV critics. I think its biggest claim to fame is starting the career of Alyson Hannigan, who actually was quite good in her role as the teenage daughter.

I'd say there's definitely justification for including a 13-week half-season-wonder voted the "worst show on TV" in an article about bad 80s TV. But then the author of the article also includes shows which were the subject of critical acclaim, which I think weakens his argument that 1989 was a bad year for TV.

Well, you can arguably grab any TV Guide Fall Preview from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and the overall impression is going to be lame. Because each season has its normal abundance of failures, with short-lived series full of flaky premises, and forgotten lead stars who immediately disappeared into the woodwork. I think I have copies of just about all those Fall Previews issues, and they almost always come across this way.

But this reality doesn't reflect that back in those days, I still found (percentage-wise) far more watchable fare than any time in the past decade or more, even with all the hundreds of additional channels. It's been such an avalanche of sick, depraved drek, that I eventually ditched both cable and dish. So, I can hardly find myself pointing back and laughing at the oftentimes corny misfires of long ago.

Well, objectively, Life Goes On won or was nominated for a ton of awards (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Goes_On_(TV_series)#Awards_and_nominations), which is some indication of quality.

Free Spirit had some interesting visual effects, much like Bewitched (or maybe Merry Poppins, considering she was a housekeeper/nanny to the kids) but it only lasted 13 weeks due to very poor ratings, and was voted the "worst show on television" (https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=r9NRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZW4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6229,1365705&dq=free+spirit+abc+homeroom&hl=en) by TV critics. I think its biggest claim to fame is starting the career of Alyson Hannigan, who actually was quite good in her role as the teenage daughter.

I'd say there's definitely justification for including a 13-week half-season-wonder voted the "worst show on TV" in an article about bad 80s TV. But then the author of the article also includes shows which were the subject of critical acclaim, which I think weakens his argument that 1989 was a bad year for TV.

I watched Free Spirit and Life Goes On and i liked both. But yeah, i watched shows that had very poor ratings.

I liked Major Dad.

Some good shows in the muck. Major Dad was a great show. I never wanted it, but Anything But Love was on for awhile. Cops began or was new then. Another show I didn't watch was "Alien Nation" but that was on for awhile. Teddy Z supposedly was one of those shows that the critics loved but few watched, but I think it made a second season.

TV wasn't bad in 1989, a lot of the 1980's shows were still first run, NBC Must See TV for instance.

Oh dear God, another know-it-all critic offending anything that isn't postmodern and represent 'classic' values.

Lol at It would be a good while before Netflix and cable would breathe new life into the medium (via Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, True Detective, The Sopranos, etc.)
In 1989 the were a notable bunch of shows that just started: Seinfeld, Roseanne, Wonder Years, Married with Children, The Simpsons. And let alone what hapened in the 90s. I guess it's not so much compared with the so-edgy today shows with anti-hero, violence and pessimism.
Also, bragging about disliking an actor with down syndrome is a new low for the already low levels set by internet cynics.

Also, bragging about disliking an actor with down syndrome is a new low for the already low levels set by internet cynics.

He referred to the Corky Thatcher character as "Corky Romano." If someone is going to criticize something then they should at least bother to know what they're talking about.

That writer is a scumbag.

There's lots of great shows from that time...actually LOTS more than in the past 10 years.

He referred to the Corky Thatcher character as "Corky Romano." If someone is going to criticize something then they should at least bother to know what they're talking about.
Pardon me the confusion, sir.
But character or actor doesn't change much.

Pardon me the confusion, sir.
But character or actor doesn't change much.

Speaking of confusion, I'm not real sure what you're trying to say.

Speaking of confusion, I'm not real sure what you're trying to say.
Sorry DJM77, I totally misintrerpreted your previous post.
I thought you were correcting me (since he was talking about the character and at first I undestood the actor), then I was trying to say that I still found it to be in poor taste.

So, we had "an undifferentiated heap of garbage" for '89?

Coincidentally I just bought a book on Knots Landing, and the series was still pretty much going strong that year. It was one of my friends' favorites in the late '80s. For '89, I was watching Night Court, Head of the Class, Murphy Brown, Cheers, and Matlock pretty regularly, and occasionally Wonder Years, Married with Children, Major Dad, Newhart, and Perfect Strangers.

I would trade those shows for the Fall 2017 lineup without hesitation. The writer is free to be an idiot.

In 1989, i was watching American Gladiators, China Beach, Matlock, The Wonder Years, Life Goes On and Quantum Leap. If i watched other shows, i don't remember them.

In 1989, I was watching Quantum Leap (parents' choice), Rescue 911 (parents' choice), Hey Dude, Saved By the Bell, American Gladiators, Life Goes On (parents' choice), Sister Kate, Family Matters, Free Spirit, The Simpsons, Family Ties, Small Wonder, Kate and Allie (parents' choice), Day By Day, Hard Time on Planet Earth, MacGyver, Married With Children, Newhart, Designing Women, The Hogan Family, ALF, Who's the Boss, Roseanne, Growing Pains, Head of the Class, My Two Dads, The Cosby Show, A Different World, Cheers, Full House, Mr. Belvedere, Perfect Strangers, Just the Ten of Us, Father Dowling Mysteries, The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, Murder She Wrote (parents' choice), My Two Dads, Grand, 20/20 (parents' choice), Double Dare, You Can't Do That on Television, Hometime, The Joy of Painting, This Old House, reruns on Nick at Nite, and possibly a few others.

The Fox shows aired on a really poor UHF signal, and I couldn't always get a strong enough signal to watch them, even with every piece of aluminum foil in the house; even at the best of times, those shows were pretty snowy. And only the small television in my bedroom received the signal. The main family TV in the living room couldn't receive the signal well enough to see much of anything.

We didn't have cable, so I could only watch the Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite shows when we were at my grandparents' house, my aunts' house, or a friend's house. I loved going to my grandparents' house just for the opportunity to watch a kids' channel!

Life Goes On was a great show and so was Quantum Leap and both lasted awhile. Let's not forget they mentioned Family Matters which became very popular. I admit I watched both Free Spirit and Living Dolls and neither lasted.

In 1989, I was watching Quantum Leap (parents' choice), Rescue 911 (parents' choice), Hey Dude, Saved By the Bell, American Gladiators, Life Goes On (parents' choice), Sister Kate, Family Matters, Free Spirit, The Simpsons, Family Ties, Small Wonder, Kate and Allie (parents' choice), Day By Day, Hard Time on Planet Earth, MacGyver, Married With Children, Newhart, Designing Women, The Hogan Family, ALF, Who's the Boss, Roseanne, Growing Pains, Head of the Class, My Two Dads, The Cosby Show, A Different World, Cheers, Full House, Mr. Belvedere, Perfect Strangers, Just the Ten of Us, Father Dowling Mysteries, The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, Murder She Wrote (parents' choice), My Two Dads, Grand, 20/20 (parents' choice), Double Dare, You Can't Do That on Television, Hometime, The Joy of Painting, This Old House, reruns on Nick at Nite, and possibly a few others.

The Fox shows aired on a really poor UHF signal, and I couldn't always get a strong enough signal to watch them, even with every piece of aluminum foil in the house; even at the best of times, those shows were pretty snowy. And only the small television in my bedroom received the signal. The main family TV in the living room couldn't receive the signal well enough to see much of anything.

We didn't have cable, so I could only watch the Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite shows when we were at my grandparents' house, my aunts' house, or a friend's house. I loved going to my grandparents' house just for the opportunity to watch a kids' channel!


For the most part, i watched China Beach, American Gladiators, Life Goes On(that was my moms choice), Full House, Mr. Belvedere, Perfect Strangers, Just the Ten of Us, The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, and i can't remember any others. For Saturday mornings, it was Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters, The Smurfs, The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show and that's it.

In 1990, there were changes, for example on Wednesdays, i replaced China Beach with Quantum Leap, so that was the first NBC show i had watched regularly since St. Elsewhere. However, I'll count On Scene: Emergency Response too, even though it was syndicated by Group W Productions, it aired on the NBC affiliate. I didn't watch The Golden Girls or Empty Nest that year either, since China Beach was on opposite both. Twin Peaks was another show i watched regularly in 1990 too.

Life Goes On was a great show and so was Quantum Leap and both lasted awhile. Let's not forget they mentioned Family Matters which became very popular. I admit I watched both Free Spirit and Living Dolls and neither lasted.

Well, as popular as Family Matters was, it was not a good show. I watched it until it became The Steve Urkel Show, simply a vehicle for Jaleel White. One day I tuned in, and instead of a show about a black family in Chicago, there was a "cool" Urkel, a robotic Urkel, a time-traveling Urkel, a female Urkel, a girl in love with Urkel, an Urkel-mobile, and little Judy Winslow's bones were apparently buried in the basement.

For the most part, i watched China Beach, American Gladiators, Life Goes On(that was my moms choice), Full House, Mr. Belvedere, Perfect Strangers, Just the Ten of Us, The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, and i can't remember any others.

I never watched much China Beach, but I know that one got a lot of critical acclaim, and I do remember they had a great theme song: Reflections (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH_-ugUwagI) by Diana Ross and the Supremes.


In 1990, there were changes, for example on Wednesdays, i replaced China Beach with Quantum Leap, so that was the first NBC show i had watched regularly since St. Elsewhere. I didn't watch The Golden Girls or Empty Nest that year either, since China Beach was on opposite both. Twin Peaks was another show i watched regularly in 1990 too.

I never cared for Twin Peaks (too weird), but the rest you mention were ones I watched. Not all great television, but entertaining at the time, for sure. And many are now classics!

Allot better than 1979 or present.

and little Judy Winslow's bones were apparently buried in the basement.
:lol:

I don't remember watching several of the sitcoms mentioned in this thread in primetime -- My Two Dads, Designing Women, Just the Ten of Us, A Different World, Who's the Boss, Kate & Allie, and Empty Nest -- but I later sought all of those out, and viewed most of them regularly in syndication.

A couple of mentions, This Old House and Hometime, I've watched from back then to the present.

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Family Matters is the only show I can remember that started in the fall of 89 and had success.

what other show started in fall of 89 and lasted well into the 90's?

COPS Rescue 911 Anything But Love Major Dad Baywatch.

Network TV in the mid-to-late 1980s had really stagnated. Fox had just started in 1986, and wasn't a serious threat, yet, to the Big Three networks. And much of cable TV was still imported from overseas, and didn't receive high ratings. The Big Three had a stranglehold on television, and so there just wasn't much innovation.

Still, this author lists Quantum Leap, Life Goes On, and Alien Nation, three highly innovative programs, lumping them in with some real clunkers? That seems weird.

I do remember many of these. "Free Spirit" was pretty bad; a kind of "Bewitched" re-make.

Cool post!

http://www.tvratingsguide.com/2017/07/1988-89-sitcom-scorecard-wga-strike.html

Written Laughing at Terry Rakolta's Boycott by Bridger Cunningham

The Writer's Guild Strike which lasted from March 7 - August 8, 1988 damaged the television landscape, as several premiere dates were pushed as far back as November 1988. Along with the preemption, this season reduced its original sitcoms by 8, dropping the total 17% from the 1987-88 figures. Still, growth reached two networks' sitcoms by impressive margins. ABC was on par with its last season's overall network average, yet its sitcoms increased by an 8% margin for their overall average. The largest percent gain came when FOX experienced a 116% increase, due to picked up affiliates and the controvery of Michigan housewife Terry Rakolta's failed boycott of Married.... With Children, causing the show to more than double its Nielsen Ratings. NBC held steady, and CBS dropped 9%

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xetNLOShGr8/WVq74od1EOI/AAAAAAAAAeg/31FTfoTfOhQQjR3Qymn3PdkKeHpx6E9sQCLcBGAs/s640/a1.JPG

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cb9TIllNC1Y/WVq8HIusuEI/AAAAAAAAAek/MLqyWC1o9HQLh2ckn-88Mzg1rjwQpnYeQCLcBGAs/s640/a1.JPG

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1BhIPojWW-Q/WVq8YPLKllI/AAAAAAAAAeo/kEOvLmSqzgkJQ3K_YwvPgEqhTE_oW_LpACLcBGAs/s640/a1.JPG

The 1987-88 Scorecard's headline included the antagonistic "FOX is a Joke" portion of the headline. Flash forward one season, and they turned that joke into a juggernaut. While other shows endured delays and damage due to the strike, FOX stepped into offensive territory and gained sensational eyeballs. The Infamous January 15, 1989 episode "Her Cups Runneth Over" triggered Rakolta to lead an unsuccessful cancellation of the crasscom, as the two leading males wandered an adult boutique in search of a bra. The result? Millions who had no clue a network called FOX existed tuned in, and smaller markets lacking a FOX affiliate scrambled to make space to cover this channel. All FOX shows increased in Nielsens this season, with It's The Garry Shandling Show taking a significant increase as well. Duets, however, only increased 20% from these developments and was not asked to return to the young station.

FOX was previously cited as a joke, as its average could be multiplied 3-6 times withinthe other three network's averages. This season, however, the sitcom stepping between average ranks left 3-4 ratings points between the four ranks, with FOX in 4th behind a faltering CBS. Elsewhere, another brash and unpolished family sitcom swept ABC by storm. Roseanne debuted to critical acclaim in October, taking 2nd place in both sitcom and overall ranks. Depicting the struggles of a working class family who overdosed the audience with crass jokes, Roseanne cornered the market away from the upscale NBC franchise of sitcoms. ABC's fortunes were mostly positive. Friday evenings accelerated due to Full House gaining attention. Having struggled and ranked 71st Place the previous season, ABC bumped the series to 8:30 behind Perfect Strangers to foster growth. During this season, Full House overtook Perfect Strangers and cracked into the top 30, leading to a brief ratings surge for anemic Mr. Belvedere reaching 42nd place. Full House's growth inspired returning it to the 8pm timeslot to lead the evening.

The weakest of the Friday franchise was Growing Pains spinoff Just the Ten of Us, which trailed the block with improved results over the prior year of failed entries. All were asked back for another season. Wednesdays softened in ratings, leading to the cancellation of Hooperman. Tested in its place was Coach, which performed at a lower bar yet cost less in production. Over at NBC, it was business as usual. Thursdays were on fire, and Dear John moved into Night Court's former slot, shoving it into a newly-created Wednesday comedy block which did not fare as well. Saturdays hit another top-10 with Golden Girls spinoff Empty Nest, and Sunday shows retired as Family Ties ended its run after 7 seasons, taking struggling sophomore Day By Day with it. And of course, Alf and Hogan Family continued orange popularity on Mondays.

CBS sitcoms endured the worst effects of the strike, as Kate and Allie was preempted to mid-season. Along with Newhart, it dropped into the high 40's, having positioned themselves around 15th in previous seasons. Wednesday and Saturday comedy blocks failed, and CBS had to rebuild Mondays.

In 1989, I was watching Quantum Leap (parents' choice), Rescue 911 (parents' choice), Hey Dude, Saved By the Bell, American Gladiators, Life Goes On (parents' choice), Sister Kate, Family Matters, Free Spirit, The Simpsons, Family Ties, Small Wonder, Kate and Allie (parents' choice), Day By Day, Hard Time on Planet Earth, MacGyver, Married With Children, Newhart, Designing Women, The Hogan Family, ALF, Who's the Boss, Roseanne, Growing Pains, Head of the Class, My Two Dads, The Cosby Show, A Different World, Cheers, Full House, Mr. Belvedere, Perfect Strangers, Just the Ten of Us, Father Dowling Mysteries, The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, Murder She Wrote (parents' choice), My Two Dads, Grand, 20/20 (parents' choice), Double Dare, You Can't Do That on Television, Hometime, The Joy of Painting, This Old House, reruns on Nick at Nite, and possibly a few others.

The Fox shows aired on a really poor UHF signal, and I couldn't always get a strong enough signal to watch them, even with every piece of aluminum foil in the house; even at the best of times, those shows were pretty snowy. And only the small television in my bedroom received the signal. The main family TV in the living room couldn't receive the signal well enough to see much of anything.

We didn't have cable, so I could only watch the Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite shows when we were at my grandparents' house, my aunts' house, or a friend's house. I loved going to my grandparents' house just for the opportunity to watch a kids' channel!

What station showed AG at that time in your area? i hope it wasn't the one that your main family TV in the living room couldn't receive the signal well enough.

I actually think TV was a lot better in 1989 than it is today!

I actually think TV was a lot better in 1989 than it is today!

So do I. We have lot more choices today, but that has led to too much niche programming. There's very little broad appeal.

Now that I think of it there were no new hit shows from the 89-90 season

Cosby show, Married with children, Roseanne, A Different world, already started

Now that I think of it there were no new hit shows from the 89-90 season


I'd count the following as being successful...

Doogie Howser, MD
Family Matters
Major Dad
Saved By The Bell

I'd count the following as being successful...

Doogie Howser, MD
Family Matters
Major Dad
Saved By The Bell

Thanks, I forgot about Family Matters because it wasnt a INSTANT HIT

In 1989, I was watching Quantum Leap (parents' choice), Rescue 911 (parents' choice), Hey Dude, Saved By the Bell, American Gladiators, Life Goes On (parents' choice), Sister Kate, Family Matters, Free Spirit, The Simpsons, Family Ties, Small Wonder, Kate and Allie (parents' choice), Day By Day, Hard Time on Planet Earth, MacGyver, Married With Children, Newhart, Designing Women, The Hogan Family, ALF, Who's the Boss, Roseanne, Growing Pains, Head of the Class, My Two Dads, The Cosby Show, A Different World, Cheers, Full House, Mr. Belvedere, Perfect Strangers, Just the Ten of Us, Father Dowling Mysteries, The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, Murder She Wrote (parents' choice), My Two Dads, Grand, 20/20 (parents' choice), Double Dare, You Can't Do That on Television, Hometime, The Joy of Painting, This Old House, reruns on Nick at Nite, and possibly a few others.

The Fox shows aired on a really poor UHF signal, and I couldn't always get a strong enough signal to watch them, even with every piece of aluminum foil in the house; even at the best of times, those shows were pretty snowy. And only the small television in my bedroom received the signal. The main family TV in the living room couldn't receive the signal well enough to see much of anything.

We didn't have cable, so I could only watch the Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite shows when we were at my grandparents' house, my aunts' house, or a friend's house. I loved going to my grandparents' house just for the opportunity to watch a kids' channel!

The only channel i could get clearly was ABC..so all the ABC shows, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, American Gladiators were my favorites. And the soaps were all ABC too.

I actually think TV was a lot better in 1989 than it is today!

I agree. The quality of TV shows overall was on the decline however TV was still much better in every way. Not only the programs,but television itself. Back in 1989 it was not the obnoxious and commercial filled mess it later turned into and is now. Not to mention cable TV was actually good back then.

100% correct

1989: the year Seinfeld premiered. We all know how dominant that show became, although it struggled at first.

1989: the year Seinfeld premiered. We all know how dominant that show became, although it struggled at first.

Yes, but it wasn't on the fall schedule. It was a summer show that returned a year and a half later in January 1991!

Well, objectively, Life Goes On won or was nominated for a ton of awards (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Goes_On_(TV_series)#Awards_and_nominations), which is some indication of quality.

Free Spirit had some interesting visual effects, much like Bewitched (or maybe Merry Poppins, considering she was a housekeeper/nanny to the kids) but it only lasted 13 weeks due to very poor ratings, and was voted the "worst show on television" (https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=r9NRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZW4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6229,1365705&dq=free+spirit+abc+homeroom&hl=en) by TV critics. I think its biggest claim to fame is starting the career of Alyson Hannigan, who actually was quite good in her role as the teenage daughter.

I'd say there's definitely justification for including a 13-week half-season-wonder voted the "worst show on TV" in an article about bad 80s TV. But then the author of the article also includes shows which were the subject of critical acclaim, which I think weakens his argument that 1989 was a bad year for TV.

i remember watching Free Spirit once...after an Eagles-Broncos game from CBS. Free Spirit had some interesting visual effects for it's time. It was followed by The Real Ghostbusters ep "The Halloween Door."

i remember watching Free Spirit once...after an Eagles-Broncos game from CBS. Free Spirit had some interesting visual effects for it's time. It was followed by The Real Ghostbusters ep "The Halloween Door."

You must be from philly, Channel 10CBS. Whenever the eagles was on the road at a AFC team in those days the game was always on CBS

What station showed AG at that time in your area? i hope it wasn't the one that your main family TV in the living room couldn't receive the signal well enough.

Whoops! Sorry, Danderson, I just noticed I hadn't replied to some of your comments here.

I don't remember which Big Three station in my area aired American Gladiators, but it definitely wasn't the low-powered Fox affiliate. We got a good quality signal.

The only channel i could get clearly was ABC..so all the ABC shows, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, American Gladiators were my favorites. And the soaps were all ABC too.

Glad to know I wasn't the only person who struggled with poor antenna reception in those days! :wave:

Glad to know I wasn't the only person who struggled with poor antenna reception in those days! :wave:

The pre cable days

The pre cable days

Yeah, the "good ole days" when we got three channels. :lol::lol::lol::lol:

Yeah, the "good ole days" when we got three channels. :lol::lol::lol::lol:

And then when we got cable it wasnt Comcast it was Wade Cablevision

I wouldn't say that the state of TV in 1989 was necessarily bad as opposed to the networks being adverse to taking risks given new corporate ownership and the strength of their returning programs. Executives in this period relied heavily on testing and mass appeal, and with the possible exception of FOX, didn't feel the need to try unconventional programming. The climate wouldn't change until the early 90s (Twin Peaks, Eerie, Indiana, Cop Rock).

The more unconventional programming was on Fox for sure. I remember seeing Cops the first time and i thought, "that's the most unconventional I've seen!"

Other place was syndication. I remember thinking the same thing when i saw American Gladiators too- I thought it was unconventional too.

I think the Nineties was when Fox and some cable networks became credible contenders.

I think the Nineties was when Fox and some cable networks became credible contenders.

That's very true: Fox was all about taking risks. The Big Three had absolutely no reason to take risks: they held all the cards. Cable channels, too, spent a great deal of time convincing viewers that they should be tuning in, so they started creating shows that were much more distinctive. Think about Hey Dude and Mystery Science Theater. These were shows that seem tame today, but they were a major change in the TV landscape: they weren't about a mom and dad, and 2.5 children. They were breaking the hold the Big Three held on the viewing audience.

Xena and Hercules in syndication, Buffy and Charmed on the WB, Married With Children on Fox. These shows are still remembered.

I liked several of those shows.

Really cool link! I enjoyed that. Homeroom aired on BET in the late 90s. It was decent but not special enough to stand out and last.


I do not remember Homeroom on in the late 90s on BET.

Seinfeld started in 89

Really cool link! I enjoyed that. Homeroom aired on BET in the late 90s. It was decent but not special enough to stand out and last.

I actually liked Homeroom when it originally aired but it seemed like it was cancelled before it got started. It had a very solid cast in my mind.

IMDB https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096612/

Summary
Gentle soul Darryl Harper (Darryl Sivad) leaves the fast paced world of advertising for teaching fourth grade which his medical student wife Vicki (Penny Johnson) supports. Not so much her father Phil (Bill Cobbs), who focuses on the money Darryl isn't making. The kids and Darryl's brother Anthony (Claude Brooks) keep things light.

Pilot Episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4mTAKPBqBc


Who'll Be My Role Model Now That My Role Model Is Gone? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTTyVPXdA_Q

https://flashbak.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/TV-Guide-Fall-Preview-1989-12.jpeg

Very weak lineup for sure but no worse than todays current shows.

I actually liked Homeroom when it originally aired but it seemed like it was cancelled before it got started. It had a very solid cast in my mind.

IMDB https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096612/

Summary
Gentle soul Darryl Harper (Darryl Sivad) leaves the fast paced world of advertising for teaching fourth grade which his medical student wife Vicki (Penny Johnson) supports. Not so much her father Phil (Bill Cobbs), who focuses on the money Darryl isn't making. The kids and Darryl's brother Anthony (Claude Brooks) keep things light.

Pilot Episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4mTAKPBqBc


Who'll Be My Role Model Now That My Role Model Is Gone? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTTyVPXdA_Q

https://flashbak.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/TV-Guide-Fall-Preview-1989-12.jpeg


I remember him from Fresh Prince

1989: I wish there was anything new on TV anywhere near as delightful as Seinfeld, Cheers and Knots Landing.

2021: Dour, dark, deconstructed, dogmatic, and disenfranchised is a total downer.

Better than 81-82.

Better than 81-82.

Better than 71 or 72.

Agree on that.

The 1990’s wasn’t my decade

Of all those shows, the only hot show I liked was Major Dad. That was a good show. I watched Chicken Soup with Jackie Mason because he was funny. That should have lasted but it didn’t. There were some other hot shows on there, but never saw any of them, usually from lack of interest.

Better than 81-82.

Only Falcon Crest and Gimmie A Break stood out from that season

I never watched much China Beach, but I know that one got a lot of critical acclaim, and I do remember they had a great theme song: Reflections (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH_-ugUwagI) by Diana Ross and the Supremes.



I never cared for Twin Peaks (too weird), but the rest you mention were ones I watched. Not all great television, but entertaining at the time, for sure. And many are now classics!

China Beach was one show that blew my mind every time. And there's a reason why Dana Delany won two Emmys for her role as McMurphy.

I forgot Family Matters started in 1989.

China Beach was one show that blew my mind every time. And there's a reason why Dana Delany won two Emmys for her role as McMurphy.

I don't doubt she deserved her Emmy wins! The critics loved that show.