Did you know that CBS pulled Alice off the air in season 7 because of the - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TVFactFan · 08-20-2023, 05:09 PM

huge drop in ratings from season 6 when the show finished #6 to season 7 when the show finished #41.

The show aired on Sunday Nights at 9pm during the 81-82 season in between One Day at a time and the Jeffersons and only competed with a ABC sunday night movie. Then the next season CBS moved Alice to Wednesday Nights at 9pm in between Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Flithy Rich. Both were new shows that were cancelled at the end of that season. Alice aired on Wednesdays nights from October to mid November and then was taken off the CBS schedule until January 1983.

In January of 1983, Alice aired on Sunday Nights again at 930pm after the Jeffersons with no competition but Movies on ABC and NBC. Then after two airings in January, the show was taken off the schedule again until February 28th. When Alice returned on February 28th it was aired on a Monday before the Mash Finale and of course it was ranked in the top 10 for that week. The show stayed on Mondays until the remainder of the 82-83 season

So it looks like CBS was the cause of the drop in ratings because if a show is off the air for 6 weeks and then returns for 2 weeks and off the air again for another 5 weeks, there is no way it will have a lot of viewers.

CJMD03 · 08-20-2023, 08:47 PM

It was Lavin’s fault for being jealous of Holiday and Holiday leaving.

CJMD03 · 08-20-2023, 09:20 PM

Lol! Sorry, but “Alice’s” ratings plunged when PH left the show and the reason she left the show was due to LL’s hideous treatment of her. PH has went on record, as has Diane Ladd about the abuse LL dished out.

Mr. Television · 08-21-2023, 02:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CJMD03

Lol! Sorry, but “Alice’s” ratings plunged when PH left the show and the reason she left the show was due to LL’s hideous treatment of her. PH has went on record, as has Diane Ladd about the abuse LL dished out.

Polly left in 1980 and this happened in 1982. It was still a top 10 hit for 2 years after Polly left. CBS caused the ratings to go down. I was a regular watcher of the show then and I couldn't watch it because of the time switch. . I Didn't have a VCR at the time.

CJMD03 · 08-21-2023, 03:03 PM

Maybe they intended to cancel it on purpose for some reason.

CJMD03 · 08-21-2023, 06:19 PM

Maybe they wanted to sabotage it due to LL’s (alleged) bad behavior behind the scenes. Odd they would take a hit show then cancel it.

BestTVever · 08-27-2023, 11:46 AM

This happens all the time on shows. Even Seinfeld was almost cancelled after the first season and then second season because NBC kept changing the timeslot. The Ropers suffered the same fate. Laverne and Shirley also suffered a similar fate with changes in timeslots. Some bozo TV executive always thinks they know best. When you have a core following of fans over a few years you dont change things up and expect all of those fans to try and find the show.

TVFactFan · 08-27-2023, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BestTVever

This happens all the time on shows. Even Seinfeld was almost cancelled after the first season and then second season because NBC kept changing the timeslot. The Ropers suffered the same fate. Laverne and Shirley also suffered a similar fate with changes in timeslots. Some bozo TV executive always thinks they know best. When you have a core following of fans over a few years you dont change things up and expect all of those fans to try and find the show.

But in this situation is different because the show was in the top ten the previous two seasons and then suddenly dropped in the ratings. You would think that the fans of the show would follow it to the new time slot. So it was odd because it was the same cast that just had the show has #6 the previous season. It wasnt like someone left the show.

James28 · 08-27-2023, 05:44 PM

Hey, I've been wanting to talk about Alice's topsy-turvy ratings during its seventh season for some time now. At this pointt's impossible to find out what the average rating for Alice's season seven was.

Alice was pulled from the CBS schedule after the sixth episode of its seventh season because of that huge ratings drop after its move from Sundays to Wednesdays. For example, one airing ("Alice at the Palace", on October 27, 1982) had an 11.5 rating and 18 share. It was narrowly beaten by its lead-out, Filthy Rich (11.9/19), and its lead-in, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (the TV series) (14.7/24). (Ratings info according to the November 8, 1982 edition of Broadcasting magazine.

There were two special Sunday airings of Alice on January 9 and 16 of 1983, and it recovered big time. CBS had a late-afternoon NFL game on the 9th (32.4/52), and Alice (with "Carrie on the Rebound") had a 25.3/38. On the 17th, there was another late afternoon NFL playoff (39.9/62), and Alice (with "Jolene's Brother Jonas") scored a 23.3/36. Alice's biggest rating of season seven came when it was the lead-in for M*A*S*H's blockbuster series finale (60.3/77); "Alice Sees the Light" scored a 30.7/41! Astounding figures for a series that had been dwelling in the mid-to-lower 10s earlier in the season.

Alice would remain on Mondays, in M*A*S*H's former timeslot (with the original One Day at a Time having moved from Sundays to be its lead out, swapping nights with freshman Newhart), until April 24, and was then moved back to Sundays after May 1 to finish out its seventh season.

So it was all a matter of the programmers at CBS (B. Donald Grant and Harvey Shephard) wanting to bury Alice, and then trying their hardest to save Alice.

TVFactFan · 08-27-2023, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James28

Hey, I've been wanting to talk about Alice's topsy-turvy ratings during its seventh season for some time now. At this pointt's impossible to find out what the average rating for Alice's season seven was.

Alice was pulled from the CBS schedule after the sixth episode of its seventh season because of that huge ratings drop after its move from Sundays to Wednesdays. For example, one airing ("Alice at the Palace", on October 27, 1982) had an 11.5 rating and 18 share. It was narrowly beaten by its lead-out, Filthy Rich (11.9/19), and its lead-in, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (the TV series) (14.7/24). (Ratings info according to the November 8, 1982 edition of Broadcasting magazine.

There were two special Sunday airings of Alice on January 9 and 16 of 1983, and it recovered big time. CBS had a late-afternoon NFL game on the 9th (32.4/52), and Alice (with "Carrie on the Rebound") had a 25.3/38. On the 17th, there was another late afternoon NFL playoff (39.9/62), and Alice (with "Jolene's Brother Jonas") scored a 23.3/36. Alice's biggest rating of season seven came when it was the lead-in for M*A*S*H's blockbuster series finale (60.3/77); "Alice Sees the Light" scored a 30.7/41. Astounding figures for a series that had been dwelling in the lower 10s earlier in the season.

Alice would remain on Mondays, in M*A*S*H's former timeslot (with the original One Day at a Time having moved from Sundays to be its lead out, swapping nights with freshman Newhart), until April 24, and was then moved back to Sundays after May 1 to finish out its seventh season.

So it was all a matter of the programmers at CBS (B. Donald Grant and Harvey Shephard) wanting to bury Alice, and then trying their hardest to save Alice.

For a show to have so many fans one season and to lose so many viewers the very next season is mind boggling since there were no changes to the cast.

BestTVever · 08-29-2023, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

But in this situation is different because the show was in the top ten the previous two seasons and then suddenly dropped in the ratings. You would think that the fans of the show would follow it to the new time slot. So it was odd because it was the same cast that just had the show has #6 the previous season. It wasnt like someone left the show.

Is that not what happened to Laverne and Shirley. It was the most watched TV show and moving it from Tuesday to Thursday made it drop out of the top 20. It was moved again and the ratings got worse. When they moved it back to its original timeslot ratings improved considerably. But it never fully recovered to its glory. When something is not broken, dont fix it! ABC made a terrible assumption that being the #1 show that fans would automatically find and watch the new timeslot. WRONG. It was one of the biggest drops in ratings for any show on TV.

Laverne & Shirley debuted in the 1975–76 TV season, with its first episode airing in January 1976, in the Tuesday night time slot after Happy Days. By its third season, it had become the most-watched American television program according to Nielsen ratings. In August 1979, before the start of its fifth season, Laverne & Shirley was moved to Thursdays at 8 pm opposite The Waltons on CBS and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century on NBC. By the end of the fifth season, ratings fell sharply and the sitcom failed to make the list of the top 30 programs. In an effort to improve the show's ratings, ABC moved Laverne & Shirley to Mondays at 8 p.m. in December 1979. The ratings fared no better, so in February 1980 the network moved the series back to its familiar Tuesday-night berth, where it remained for the next three years. Between 1980 and 1982, the ratings improved considerably, but, despite having regained its original time slot and changing its format, Laverne & Shirley never regained the popularity it had attained during its first four years on the air, and during its final season struggled against The A-Team on NBC. By the time of its cancellation in 1983, the series ranked at number 25 for the season. The show aired in reruns on ABC daytime from 1979 to 1980.

rusty spike · 08-29-2023, 10:26 AM

If people can't find their show on a given day, they are obviously not watching it. I liked Alice, but with it jumping around I probably didn't find it. And what if a network moves a show to counterprogram another show that you're already watching? I didn't own a VCR in 1982. So you will pick one show over the other.

Mr. Television · 08-29-2023, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rusty spike

If people can't find their show on a given day, they are obviously not watching it. I liked Alice, but with it jumping around I probably didn't find it. And what if a network moves a show to counterprogram another show that you're already watching? I didn't own a VCR in 1982. So you will pick one show over the other.

I just checked and Alice was up against The Facts of Life and The Fall Guy. I believe I was watching The Facts of Life at that time followed by Family Ties. Alice was surrounded by all new shows and it was going up against established shows. That's why ratings fell.

rusty spike · 08-29-2023, 02:04 PM

No doubt that my family was watching FOL. There's no way they were going to give up antics at Eastland for Mel screaming at the dingy (Vera). I liked Alice, but I watched for Flo telling Mel off. Polly may have already left Alice by then.

BestTVever · 08-30-2023, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Television

I just checked and Alice was up against The Facts of Life and The Fall Guy. I believe I was watching The Facts of Life at that time followed by Family Ties. Alice was surrounded by all new shows and it was going up against established shows. That's why ratings fell.

Funny that siblings on different shows were up against each other on different networks.

08-27-2023, 05:44 PM	#9
James28 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 14, 2007 Posts: 3,967	Hey, I've been wanting to talk about Alice's topsy-turvy ratings during its seventh season for some time now. At this pointt's impossible to find out what the average rating for Alice's season seven was. Alice was pulled from the CBS schedule after the sixth episode of its seventh season because of that huge ratings drop after its move from Sundays to Wednesdays. For example, one airing ("Alice at the Palace", on October 27, 1982) had an 11.5 rating and 18 share. It was narrowly beaten by its lead-out, Filthy Rich (11.9/19), and its lead-in, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (the TV series) (14.7/24). (Ratings info according to the November 8, 1982 edition of Broadcasting magazine. There were two special Sunday airings of Alice on January 9 and 16 of 1983, and it recovered *big time. CBS had a late-afternoon NFL game on the 9th (32.4/52), and Alice* (with "Carrie on the Rebound") had a 25.3/38. On the 17th, there was another late afternoon NFL playoff (39.9/62), and Alice (with "Jolene's Brother Jonas") scored a 23.3/36. Alice's biggest rating of season seven came when it was the lead-in for MASH's blockbuster series finale (60.3/77); "Alice Sees the Light" scored a 30.7/41! Astounding figures for a series that had been dwelling in the mid-to-lower 10s earlier in the season. Alice* would remain on Mondays, in MASH's former timeslot (with the original One Day at a Time* having moved from Sundays to be its lead out, swapping nights with freshman Newhart), until April 24, and was then moved back to Sundays after May 1 to finish out its seventh season. So it was all a matter of the programmers at CBS (B. Donald Grant and Harvey Shephard) wanting to bury Alice, and then trying their hardest to save Alice.
	__________________ "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

08-20-2023, 05:09 PM	#1
TVFactFan Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Aug 17, 2002 Posts: 98,966	Did you know that CBS pulled Alice off the air in season 7 because of the huge drop in ratings from season 6 when the show finished #6 to season 7 when the show finished #41. The show aired on Sunday Nights at 9pm during the 81-82 season in between One Day at a time and the Jeffersons and only competed with a ABC sunday night movie. Then the next season CBS moved Alice to Wednesday Nights at 9pm in between Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Flithy Rich. Both were new shows that were cancelled at the end of that season. Alice aired on Wednesdays nights from October to mid November and then was taken off the CBS schedule until January 1983. In January of 1983, Alice aired on Sunday Nights again at 930pm after the Jeffersons with no competition but Movies on ABC and NBC. Then after two airings in January, the show was taken off the schedule again until February 28th. When Alice returned on February 28th it was aired on a Monday before the Mash Finale and of course it was ranked in the top 10 for that week. The show stayed on Mondays until the remainder of the 82-83 season So it looks like CBS was the cause of the drop in ratings because if a show is off the air for 6 weeks and then returns for 2 weeks and off the air again for another 5 weeks, there is no way it will have a lot of viewers. Attached Images

08-20-2023, 08:47 PM	#2
CJMD03 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 18, 2018 Posts: 412	It was Lavin’s fault for being jealous of Holiday and Holiday leaving.

08-20-2023, 09:20 PM	#3
CJMD03 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 18, 2018 Posts: 412	Lol! Sorry, but “Alice’s” ratings plunged when PH left the show and the reason she left the show was due to LL’s hideous treatment of her. PH has went on record, as has Diane Ladd about the abuse LL dished out.

08-21-2023, 03:03 PM	#5
CJMD03 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 18, 2018 Posts: 412	Maybe they intended to cancel it on purpose for some reason.

08-21-2023, 06:19 PM	#6
CJMD03 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 18, 2018 Posts: 412	Maybe they wanted to sabotage it due to LL’s (alleged) bad behavior behind the scenes. Odd they would take a hit show then cancel it.

08-27-2023, 11:46 AM	#7
BestTVever Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 29, 2021 Location: Miami Posts: 1,877	This happens all the time on shows. Even Seinfeld was almost cancelled after the first season and then second season because NBC kept changing the timeslot. The Ropers suffered the same fate. Laverne and Shirley also suffered a similar fate with changes in timeslots. Some bozo TV executive always thinks they know best. When you have a core following of fans over a few years you dont change things up and expect all of those fans to try and find the show.

08-29-2023, 10:26 AM	#12
rusty spike Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 08, 2015 Location: Southwest Posts: 1,124	If people can't find their show on a given day, they are obviously not watching it. I liked Alice, but with it jumping around I probably didn't find it. And what if a network moves a show to counterprogram another show that you're already watching? I didn't own a VCR in 1982. So you will pick one show over the other.

08-29-2023, 02:04 PM	#14
rusty spike Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 08, 2015 Location: Southwest Posts: 1,124	No doubt that my family was watching FOL. There's no way they were going to give up antics at Eastland for Mel screaming at the dingy (Vera). I liked Alice, but I watched for Flo telling Mel off. Polly may have already left Alice by then.