Never knew the show went from being #1 to #42 in just one season

[TVFactFan]

Never really focused on the ratings for L&S after the 1979-80 season because of its success in the previous three seasons. But I had no idea the show ranked #42 after the 1979-80 season when it was the number one show the previous two seasons. So the show moving to a new night caused it to fall to #42?


Information from Broadcasting Magazine, April 28, 1980, page 22

[Chocolate Moose]

we didn't know alot of things back then!

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Chocolate Moose

we didn't know alot of things back then!

Wonder what was so different about the show for such a huge drop. Thats probably why they decided to move the girls to California

[MRPITT]

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

Wonder what was so different about the show for such a huge drop. Thats probably why they decided to move the girls to California

I think it went from being sandwiched between Happy Days and Threes’s Company to being in between the news and Angie. The competition on Tuesday Nights was horrible.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by MRPITT

I think it went from being sandwiched between Happy Days and Threes’s Company to being in between the news and Angie. The competition on Tuesday Nights was horrible.

But you would think those fans they gained in the previous 3 seasons would follow the show to Thursday night. Especially since the show was number 1 the previous 2 seasons lol

[Missygal21880]

Actually, the show had been the number one series in America for two years running, and ABC got cocky about it and moved L&S to head up its own line on Thursdays. The trouble was, they partnered it with three shows it had nothing in common with audience-wise or theme-wise (they headed up a lineup of Benson, Barney Miller, and Soap), so it completely crashed. They moved Angie into its timeslot and it died too, and took Happy Days down the line-up with it. The only success they got out of the situation was Benson, which managed a successful launch with a low-rating lead-in.

MRPITT remembers the move ABC made after; they put Laverne and Shirley and Angie on before Monday Night Football, which also didn't work. The show bounced back into the top 20 after being moved back to its Tuesday slot and the retooling that happened when they moved the series to CA. It's amazing to me that more people watched Season 6 than Season 5.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Missygal21880

Actually, the show had been the number one series in America for two years running, and ABC got cocky about it and moved L&S to head up its own line on Thursdays. The trouble was, they partnered it with three shows it had nothing in common with audience-wise or theme-wise (they headed up a lineup of Benson, Barney Miller, and Soap), so it completely crashed. They moved Angie into its timeslot and it died too, and took Happy Days down the line-up with it. The only success they got out of the situation was Benson, which managed a successful launch with a low-rating lead-in.

MRPITT remembers the move ABC made after; they put Laverne and Shirley and Angie on before Monday Night Football, which also didn't work. The show bounced back into the top 20 after being moved back to its Tuesday slot and the retooling that happened when they moved the series to CA. It's amazing to me that more people watched Season 6 than Season 5.

Yeah it was #1 in 76-77 and 77-78 and then fell all the way to #42.

[James28]

Laverne & Shirley's rank for season 5 might be known to us now, but not its exact household rating (which I guess might have been in the 18s or 19s range).

Mork & Mindy did so well on that Thursday-at-8 slot the previous season (1978-79), there is just ZERO understanding to this day how Laverne & Shirley couldn't have remained a Top-10 (or at the very least, a Top-20) show on that Thursday slot in 1979-80. That move to Thursday was just too little, too late. L&S's failure as an anchor show compared to always doing excellently as a hammock show between Happy Days and Three's Company just makes it look terrible.

ABC should have moved L&S to Thursdays-at-8 in Fall '78 and put Mork & Mindy on after Happy Days instead. Then this would have been the Nielsen Top Five after 1978-79:

1. Three's Company
2. Mork & Mindy
3. Happy Days
4. Laverne & Shirley
5. Angie

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by James28

Laverne & Shirley's rank for season 5 might be known to us now, but not its exact household rating (which I guess might have been in the 18s or 19s range).

Mork & Mindy did so well on that Thursday-at-8 slot the previous season (1978-79), there is just ZERO understanding to this day how Laverne & Shirley couldn't have remained a Top-10 (or at the very least, a Top-20) show on that Thursday slot in 1979-80. That move to Thursday was just too little, too late. L&S's failure as an anchor show compared to always doing excellently as a hammock show between Happy Days and Three's Company just makes it look terrible.

ABC should have moved L&S to Thursdays-at-8 in Fall '78 and put Mork & Mindy on after Happy Days instead. Then this would have been the Nielsen Top Five after 1978-79:

1. Three's Company
2. Mork & Mindy
3. Happy Days
4. Laverne & Shirley
5. Angie

The share was 21 in February of 1980 and ranked 52 out of 57 shows for the week of Feb 11-17. That's all I can find so far since the final share wasnt provided with the final ranking for that season

Phila Daily news, Feb 20, 1980

[icecream]

I thought being sent against The Waltons killed Laverne and Shirley. But that year was season 8 for The Waltons, its least popular yet with Michael Lerned gone as well as Richard Thomas. Laverne and Shirley's other competitor Buck Rogers in the 25th Century didn't make the top 30 either, so the hour was wide open now. Ironically Benson lasted 7 seasons with the much weaker Laverne and Shirley as its first ever lead-in.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by icecream

I thought being sent against The Waltons killed Laverne and Shirley. But that year was season 8 for The Waltons, its least popular yet with Michael Lerned gone as well as Richard Thomas. Laverne and Shirley's other competitor Buck Rogers in the 25th Century didn't make the top 30 either, so the hour was wide open now. Ironically Benson lasted 7 seasons with the much weaker Laverne and Shirley as its first ever lead-in.

I just posted an article from 1980 that talked about L&S being moved to Monday Nights and still not being able to compete

[Missygal21880]

Yep, judging from that everyone was just as confused as to how they lost 35 percent of the audience, since none of their Thursday competition was great shakes. They predictably got killed against stuff like Little House on Mondays, which was still in is prime.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Missygal21880

Yep, judging from that everyone was just as confused as to how they lost 35 percent of the audience, since none of their Thursday competition was great shakes. They predictably got killed against stuff like Little House on Mondays, which was still in is prime.

and WKRP lol

[biffbronson]

You know I don't recall ever watching L & S in primetime when it didn't follow Happy Days, so I guess I was one of the "lost" viewers. I remember watching the old ABC lineup (with HD/L & S) while doing my school homework and not changing the channel. Tremendous popularity.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by biffbronson

You know I don't recall ever watching L & S in primetime when it didn't follow Happy Days, so I guess I was one of the "lost" viewers. I remember watching the old ABC lineup (with HD/L & S) while doing my school homework and not changing the channel. Tremendous popularity.

Looks like a lot of people got used to watching it after Happy days and it became a routine.