'WKRP' Is The Most Unjustifiably Canceled Show of All Time!!!

[Brian Damage]

Never realized this factoid about WKRP, but if it is 100% true, then the title of this thread stands pat!

Soon after WKRP was cancelled in June of 1982, summer reruns of the series shot into the top ten and stayed there throughout the summer. The reason, most likely, was that after CBS executives cancelled the show, they stopped moving it around the schedule; they left it in one time slot for the whole summer, and viewers finally knew where to find it. The last CBS broadcast of WKRP was # 1 in its timeslot, and # 7 in the ratings for the week.

- According to one book (whose title I currently forget but which I'll locate as soon as possible), CBS executives attempted to bring back WKRP after the summer reruns took off, but by that time it was too late; Howard Hesseman, Loni Anderson and Gary Sandy had all become involved with other projects.

[TV_on_the_Porch]

Yes, it did so well that it lifted Private Benjamin into the top ten too. When WKRP went off the air that boost evaportated and PB fell from the upper ten to the low forties within the month.

The real question is why CBS wouldn't just leave it on Monday. Except for the fall of '78 it always did well in that Monday slot. Every time CBS f'd up and moved it to another night, the audience always found it when it was moved back to Monday.

[catlover79]

I agree with you both, but at least the show went out at the top of its game with all the original regulars still intact. Had it gone on longer, the network would've found a way to stick its nose into things, cast members would've started to leave, and the show's quality would've suffered. Just my two cents!!!

[Jamey Greek]

KRP had a couple more seasons going for it.

[Jamey Greek]

I do wish WKRP was revived in syndication between the cancellation by CBS in 1982 and the NEW WKRP. Someone actually approached MTM twice and inquired sbout reviving WKRP but MTM turned him down.

[opus]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

- According to one book (whose title I currently forget but which I'll locate as soon as possible), CBS executives attempted to bring back WKRP after the summer reruns took off, but by that time it was too late; Howard Hesseman, Loni Anderson and Gary Sandy had all become involved with other projects. [/b]

This book?

[Svenfan1234]

WKRP should have ran for a fifth season. It had a long life ahead of it

[Jamey Greek]

Originally Posted by Svenfan1234

WKRP should have ran for a fifth season. It had a long life ahead of it

Agreed it had a couple more seasons going for it. I think Grant Tinker should have snatched it up for a couple more seasons on NBC and it would have been perfect for Must See TV! Perfect Slot too! Between Gimme a Break and Cheers!

[Jamey Greek]

Better yet after it too kind off in syndication I think it should have been revived in the 80s with Hugh Wilson as showrunner.

[glickmam]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

Never realized this factoid about WKRP, but if it is 100% true, then the title of this thread stands pat!

Soon after WKRP was cancelled in June of 1982, summer reruns of the series shot into the top ten and stayed there throughout the summer. The reason, most likely, was that after CBS executives cancelled the show, they stopped moving it around the schedule; they left it in one time slot for the whole summer, and viewers finally knew where to find it. The last CBS broadcast of WKRP was # 1 in its timeslot, and # 7 in the ratings for the week.

- According to one book (whose title I currently forget but which I'll locate as soon as possible), CBS executives attempted to bring back WKRP after the summer reruns took off, but by that time it was too late; Howard Hesseman, Loni Anderson and Gary Sandy had all become involved with other projects.

You know something, that probably also explains why it didn't move to NBC after CBS cancelled it.

[glickmam]

Originally Posted by Jamey Greek

Agreed it had a couple more seasons going for it. I think Grant Tinker should have snatched it up for a couple more seasons on NBC and it would have been perfect for Must See TV! Perfect Slot too! Between Gimme a Break and Cheers!

Well, as mentioned above, Howard Hesseman, Loni Anderson, and Gary Sandy were already involved with other projects. At that rate, Grant Tinker probably had too much respect for the program to just offer up replacements for them.

[glickmam]

Originally Posted by catlover79

I agree with you both, but at least the show went out at the top of its game with all the original regulars still intact. Had it gone on longer, the network would've found a way to stick its nose into things, cast members would've started to leave, and the show's quality would've suffered. Just my two cents!!!

Not only that, but the potential fifth season scripts were now dealing with the problems of trying to run a "successful" station, rather than the "unsuccessful" station that WKRP was always supposed to be. To me, that would have just ultimately ruined the dynamic of the show.

[Jamey Greek]

Times like this when I wish the internet was around in 1982 and we could have written CBS or wrote ABC or NBC to pick up the show.

[Yong Fang]

From what I have read, the brass of CBS didn't like WKRP for whatever reason and moved it around the schedule to try to kill it, but being that it was an MTM Enterprises series, didn't want to cancel it outright to ruin CBS' relationship with MTM. So they moved it around the schedule to confuse the viewers so in the end they could go to MTM and state that ratings were the issue, even though it was them who sabotaged the show.

I think the show had one more year to it. Actually the "New WKRP" syndicated show wasn't bad and Howard Hesseman was actually a semi-regular on that show, and the new supporting characters were not that bad.

[Jamey Greek]

Actually I think it had a couple more seasons going for it