The 20 Biggest Mess-Ups/Mistakes in CBS History - Page 16 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

MA · 10-22-2017, 03:08 PM

The Bradys

cnnbcbs · 10-22-2017, 05:37 PM

Picking up Family Matters and Step by Step from ABC. One one hand it was an interesting move but both shows (especially FM) were long-in-the-tooth. There was no chance that they were going to be successful on CBS. TGIF was still a well-oiled machine and probably benefited by dropping the oldest shows on the line-up. CBS should've learned their lesson when they picked up The Hogan Family from NBC.

Jamey Greek · 12-28-2017, 11:51 PM

Making The Pat Sajak Show into a carbon copy of Johnny Carson instead of making it like Jack Paar's old talk show as originally planned. Jack Paar was Sajak's hero and role model. and Michael Brockman and Pat Sajak wanted it to be like Jack Paar's show but it ended up being a carbon copy of Johnny Carson.

simmytbone · 03-18-2018, 03:31 AM

Here's something for ya:

Dallas

Yes, the show was a successful hit from 1979-1986 when it was in the Nielsen Ratings Top 10

However, IMO, after the Who Shot J.R.? Cliffhanger and after the death of Jim Davis, the show seemed to lose its direction

Sure the show was still in the Top 2 and yes, Larry Hagman was the Heart & Soul of the show, but Jim Davis as Jock Ewing was the Team Captain and the Anchor for the show

No offense to the late Howard Keel who was a phenomenal actor, but he wasn't the answer for the replacement of Jim Davis and Clayton Farlow was NOT the answer to Jock Ewing

and also, after the Dream Season and bringing back Patrick Duffy after he quit after 1 season, the show went downhill with bad storylines and horrible scripts

Not to mention, Dallas along with Magnum, P.I., Simon & Simon and many other TV Dramas on CBS started losing viewers thanks to The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, The Golden Girls, A Different World, Empty Nest and many others, plus Murder She Wrote became THE Most Dominant Drama on Prime Time Television

The Final Years of Dallas saw the departures of Victoria Principal, Steve Kanaly and Linda Gray, the show took a HUGE DIVE and dropped out of the Top 30 and the Final 2 Seasons saw the openings without the split screens and the Final Season without Barbara Bel Geddes and Charlene Tilton and focusing on J.R. & Bobby was the final nail in the coffin

Even the Final Episode was downright stupid, but thankfully, 5 years later, CBS brought back Dallas with a 2-Hour Made for TV Movie "J.R. Returns" and it explained that J.R. blew a hole in his mirror, it was pretty good, but the 2nd movie "War of the Ewings"was awful

Dallas was AWESOME and it was voted by TV Guide as THE Greatest Prime Time Soap of All-Time, but not without its flaws

cnnbcbs · 03-19-2018, 12:10 AM

Cancelling The Crazy Ones with Robin Williams. The show gave him something to live for and he wouldn't have ended life when he did if the show was renewed. He felt like the masses have rejected him.

Rebecca Schaffer probably wouldn't have been murdered if My Sister Sam was renewed. See: The Butterfly Effect. She would've at least have had some security being a network star.

icecream · 03-19-2018, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnnbcbs

Cancelling The Crazy Ones with Robin Williams. The show gave him something to live for and he wouldn't have ended life when he did if the show was renewed. He felt like the masses have rejected him.

The Crazy Ones was a big disappointment for me. It was nowhere near Robin William's best work. Stars have shows get cancelled all the time, his depression and suicidal thoughts went a lot deeper than that.

TMC · 04-22-2018, 01:45 AM

CBS' sitcom outlook by the start of the '80s showed just how they had lost their way.

For example, in one fell swoop, they cancelled WKRP in Cincinnati only to turn around undermine One Day at a Time's premise by having Howard Hesseman come on as Sam Royer and marry Ann. If I'm not mistaken, even Bonnie Franklin thought so. And the audience at the time agreed: it was ranked #16 in the 1982-1983 season but fell out of the top 30 altogether in the 1983-1984 season. Ultimately, Bonnie Franklin and Valerie Bertinelli told TV Guide they would not be returning for a tenth season, hence the last-ditch effort to re-invent it with Schneider taking care of his dead brother's children.

Meanwhile, The Jeffersons and Alice hung on another year and just plain got old.

Jamey Greek · 09-16-2018, 10:46 AM

-expanding Family Feud to an hour. As a result The Bullseye round took too long to play. It overwhelmed Ray Combs so much that it was basically the beginning of his downfall.

- In 1990, CBS attempted to counter program ABC’s game show block of Super Jeopardy and Monopoly with a prime time version of The Price is Right. However, they failed to give Mark Goodson enough notice to prepare one and he candidly told them so

James28 · 10-17-2018, 11:14 PM

Never getting a sitcom to air after the Super Bowl. Ever since the modern era of Super Bowl led-out programs started with NBC's Friends in 1996, CBS has only had two reality series, two dramas, and one of their late-night talk shows air in the post-Super Bowl timeslot, and never a sitcom. It was announced today that another reality series, a competition titled The World's Best, will air after Super Bowl 53. The Super Bowl lead-out programs on CBS were:

2001 (XXXV): Survivor: The Australian Outback
2004 (XXXVIII): Survivor: All-Stars
2007 (XLI): Criminal Minds
2010 (XLIV): Undercover Boss
2013 (XLVII): Elementary
2016 (L): The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2019 (LIII): The World's Best

Jamey Greek · 11-02-2018, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMC

CBS' sitcom outlook by the start of the '80s showed just how they had lost their way.

For example, in one fell swoop, they cancelled WKRP in Cincinnati only to turn around undermine One Day at a Time's premise by having Howard Hesseman come on as Sam Royer and marry Ann. If I'm not mistaken, even Bonnie Franklin thought so. And the audience at the time agreed: it was ranked #16 in the 1982-1983 season but fell out of the top 30 altogether in the 1983-1984 season. Ultimately, Bonnie Franklin and Valerie Bertinelli told TV Guide they would not be returning for a tenth season, hence the last-ditch effort to re-invent it with Schneider taking care of his dead brother's children.

Meanwhile, The Jeffersons and Alice hung on another year and just plain got old.

Yes! Had Howard Hesseman not agreed to do ODAAT, we could have seen WKRP come back!

Jamey Greek · 12-06-2018, 03:44 PM

Cancelling Murphy Brown

Crusinforabrusin · 12-08-2018, 05:24 AM

Allowing "Good Times" to go on without John Amos. Show was never the same after his departure.

Not cancelling "The Andy Griffith Show" when Don Knotts left. The show got worse afterwards

king of comedy · 01-12-2019, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamey Greek

Cancelling Murphy Brown

Now they're canceling it again. There is a god.

jimpickens · 01-13-2019, 12:34 AM

Canceling Gilligan's Island and the Beverly Hillbillies without proper endings.

TMC · 01-13-2019, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnnbcbs

Cancelling The Crazy Ones with Robin Williams. The show gave him something to live for and he wouldn't have ended life when he did if the show was renewed. He felt like the masses have rejected him.

Rebecca Schaffer probably wouldn't have been murdered if My Sister Sam was renewed. See: The Butterfly Effect. She would've at least have had some security being a network star.

I'm not comfortable with the theory or narrative that had The Crazy Ones not been canceled so early, then Robin Williams wouldn't have ended his life. You have to keep in mind, that Robin Williams was sick with Lewy body dementia.

As far as Rebecca Schaeffer, what apparently drove her killer, Robert Bardo over the edge was her appearance in a movie called Class Struggle in Beverly Hills. There's a scene in which Rebecca is in bed with a man, which really upset Bardo because it tainted his image of her as this "pure, innocent young woman". Robert Bardo was also able to find out where Rebecca lived by going to the DMV, paying a small fee, and filling out a form stating who they are, what person they want information on, the reason, and how they intend to use it (even if they lie). Because the way that the general public and law enforcement viewed stalking of celebrities back then (and as an up and comer, Rebecca Schaeffer sadly, wasn't yet viewed as that big of a star to worth protecting), her murder may have been inevitable.

10-22-2017, 03:08 PM	#226
MA Member Moderator Forum Idol Join Date: May 20, 2017 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 127,083	The Bradys
	__________________ ~-Mikaela-~

12-28-2017, 11:51 PM	#228
Jamey Greek Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 28, 2001 Location: Elba Alabama USA Posts: 876	Making The Pat Sajak Show into a carbon copy of Johnny Carson instead of making it like Jack Paar's old talk show as originally planned. Jack Paar was Sajak's hero and role model. and Michael Brockman and Pat Sajak wanted it to be like Jack Paar's show but it ended up being a carbon copy of Johnny Carson.
	__________________ Jamey Greek

03-18-2018, 03:31 AM	#229
simmytbone Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 17, 2009 Posts: 1,514	Here's something for ya: Dallas Yes, the show was a successful hit from 1979-1986 when it was in the Nielsen Ratings Top 10 However, IMO, after the Who Shot J.R.? Cliffhanger and after the death of Jim Davis, the show seemed to lose its direction Sure the show was still in the Top 2 and yes, Larry Hagman was the Heart & Soul of the show, but Jim Davis as Jock Ewing was the Team Captain and the Anchor for the show No offense to the late Howard Keel who was a phenomenal actor, but he wasn't the answer for the replacement of Jim Davis and Clayton Farlow was NOT the answer to Jock Ewing and also, after the Dream Season and bringing back Patrick Duffy after he quit after 1 season, the show went downhill with bad storylines and horrible scripts Not to mention, Dallas along with Magnum, P.I., Simon & Simon and many other TV Dramas on CBS started losing viewers thanks to The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, The Golden Girls, A Different World, Empty Nest and many others, plus Murder She Wrote became THE Most Dominant Drama on Prime Time Television The Final Years of Dallas saw the departures of Victoria Principal, Steve Kanaly and Linda Gray, the show took a HUGE DIVE and dropped out of the Top 30 and the Final 2 Seasons saw the openings without the split screens and the Final Season without Barbara Bel Geddes and Charlene Tilton and focusing on J.R. & Bobby was the final nail in the coffin Even the Final Episode was downright stupid, but thankfully, 5 years later, CBS brought back Dallas with a 2-Hour Made for TV Movie "J.R. Returns" and it explained that J.R. blew a hole in his mirror, it was pretty good, but the 2nd movie "War of the Ewings"was awful Dallas was AWESOME and it was voted by TV Guide as THE Greatest Prime Time Soap of All-Time, but not without its flaws
	__________________ Lisa Marie Varon, Lisa Moretti, Jazz, Lilian Garcia & Dawn Marie The Fab 5-Underrated, but AWESOME in my book Atlanta Falcons: RISE UP

04-22-2018, 01:45 AM	#232
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,387	CBS' sitcom outlook by the start of the '80s showed just how they had lost their way. For example, in one fell swoop, they cancelled WKRP in Cincinnati only to turn around undermine One Day at a Time's premise by having Howard Hesseman come on as Sam Royer and marry Ann. If I'm not mistaken, even Bonnie Franklin thought so. And the audience at the time agreed: it was ranked #16 in the 1982-1983 season but fell out of the top 30 altogether in the 1983-1984 season. Ultimately, Bonnie Franklin and Valerie Bertinelli told TV Guide they would not be returning for a tenth season, hence the last-ditch effort to re-invent it with Schneider taking care of his dead brother's children. Meanwhile, The Jeffersons and Alice hung on another year and just plain got old.
	Last edited by TMC; 09-17-2018 at 02:53 AM.

10-17-2018, 11:14 PM	#234
James28 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 14, 2007 Posts: 3,967	Never getting a sitcom to air after the Super Bowl. Ever since the modern era of Super Bowl led-out programs started with NBC's Friends in 1996, CBS has only had two reality series, two dramas, and one of their late-night talk shows air in the post-Super Bowl timeslot, and never a sitcom. It was announced today that another reality series, a competition titled The World's Best, will air after Super Bowl 53. The Super Bowl lead-out programs on CBS were: 2001 (XXXV): Survivor: The Australian Outback 2004 (XXXVIII): Survivor: All-Stars 2007 (XLI): Criminal Minds 2010 (XLIV): Undercover Boss 2013 (XLVII): Elementary 2016 (L): The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 2019 (LIII): The World's Best
	__________________ "When the run of a network TV show has ended, some go out with a bang, some with a whimper, but all are...Future Endeavored." "Stay Safe"? More like "Stay Sad". #2020Hurts

10-22-2017, 05:37 PM	#227
cnnbcbs Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 08, 2017 Posts: 366	Picking up Family Matters and Step by Step from ABC. One one hand it was an interesting move but both shows (especially FM) were long-in-the-tooth. There was no chance that they were going to be successful on CBS. TGIF was still a well-oiled machine and probably benefited by dropping the oldest shows on the line-up. CBS should've learned their lesson when they picked up The Hogan Family from NBC.

03-19-2018, 12:10 AM	#230
cnnbcbs Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 08, 2017 Posts: 366	Cancelling The Crazy Ones with Robin Williams. The show gave him something to live for and he wouldn't have ended life when he did if the show was renewed. He felt like the masses have rejected him. Rebecca Schaffer probably wouldn't have been murdered if My Sister Sam was renewed. See: The Butterfly Effect. She would've at least have had some security being a network star.

09-16-2018, 10:46 AM	#233
Jamey Greek Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 28, 2001 Location: Elba Alabama USA Posts: 876	-expanding Family Feud to an hour. As a result The Bullseye round took too long to play. It overwhelmed Ray Combs so much that it was basically the beginning of his downfall. - In 1990, CBS attempted to counter program ABC’s game show block of Super Jeopardy and Monopoly with a prime time version of The Price is Right. However, they failed to give Mark Goodson enough notice to prepare one and he candidly told them so

12-06-2018, 03:44 PM	#236
Jamey Greek Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 28, 2001 Location: Elba Alabama USA Posts: 876	Cancelling Murphy Brown

12-08-2018, 05:24 AM	#237
Crusinforabrusin It's time to move on, Goodbye Senior Member Join Date: Dec 27, 2015 Posts: 2,056	Allowing "Good Times" to go on without John Amos. Show was never the same after his departure. Not cancelling "The Andy Griffith Show" when Don Knotts left. The show got worse afterwards

01-13-2019, 12:34 AM	#239
jimpickens Member Senior Member Join Date: Nov 01, 2007 Location: weston,wv Posts: 1,389	Canceling Gilligan's Island and the Beverly Hillbillies without proper endings.