What was the worst era for each of the major network?

[Big C]

Every major TV network has gone through ups and downs.

What were some of the down periods for the big networks?

IMHO:

ABC- They were far and away third in the three-network era in the 1950s and 1960s. The network was going nowhere until Aaron Spelling showed up and gave them some hit shows.

CBS- In the mid-1990s, they were saddled with the reputation as an old-persons network.

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by Big C

ABC- They were far and away third in the three-network era in the 1950s and 1960s. The network was going nowhere until Aaron Spelling showed up and gave them some hit shows.

Are you trying to say that ABC had no hit shows until Aaron Spelling came along? If so then you're sadly mistaken. ABC might not have been a ratings powerhouse during the 50's and 60's but they had respectable ratings with their shows including:

Bewitched
Disneyland
Wyatt Earp
Cheyenne
Sugarfoot
The Rifleman
Maverick
The Lawman
The Untouchables
77 Sunset Strip
The Flintstones
The Real McCoys
Ben Casey
The Donna Reed Show
The Patty Duke Show
Combat
My Three Sons
The F.B.I.
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Batman (II)
Batman (I)
The Lawrence Welk Show
The Johnny Cash Show


Some of Aaron Spelling's contributions certainly helped ABC but he was not solely responsible for the network's success.

[TVgeek14]

Id say NBC before the 80s.

The WB - 2004-2006
UPN - Entire Run
CW - Now...sort of

[Mr. Television]

Originally Posted by Zoneboy

Are you trying to say that ABC had no hit shows until Aaron Spelling came along? If so then you're sadly mistaken. ABC might not have been a ratings powerhouse during the 50's and 60's but they had respectable ratings with their shows including:

Disneyland
Wyatt Earp
Cheyenne
Sugarfoot
The Rifleman
Maverick
The Lawman
The Untouchables
77 Sunset Strip
The Flintstones
The Real McCoys
Ben Casey
The Donna Reed Show
The Patty Duke Show
Combat
My Three Sons
The F.B.I.
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Batman (II)
Batman (I)
The Lawrence Welk Show
The Johnny Cash Show


Some of Aaron Spelling's contributions certainly helped ABC but he was not solely responsible for the network's success.

You are right. It Actually was WB and Disney that saved ABC Until they joined ABC it looked like Dumont would be the 3rd network. After Disneyland and the WB shows came aboard Dumont's fate was sealed.

[JT]

Originally Posted by Zoneboy

Are you trying to say that ABC had no hit shows until Aaron Spelling came along? If so then you're sadly mistaken. ABC might not have been a ratings powerhouse during the 50's and 60's but they had respectable ratings with their shows including:

Disneyland
Wyatt Earp
Cheyenne
Sugarfoot
The Rifleman
Maverick
The Lawman
The Untouchables
77 Sunset Strip
The Flintstones
The Real McCoys
Ben Casey
The Donna Reed Show
The Patty Duke Show
Combat
My Three Sons
The F.B.I.
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Batman (II)
Batman (I)
The Lawrence Welk Show
The Johnny Cash Show


Some of Aaron Spelling's contributions certainly helped ABC but he was not solely responsible for the network's success.

As much as I love my Spelling, I have to agree with this. ABC gained some ground by the early 1960s, and was definitely as good as the other two by the latter part of the decade. They finally got their first #1 show for the whole season with Marcus Welby in 1970-1971.

I would say that ABC was pretty much the pits for most of the early 2000s up until the debuts of Housewives, Lost, and Grey's. Not that I'm a fan of Grey's or Lost, but before those three shows came along, ABC was stuck in absolute ratings hell, and it was getting harder and harder for them to try and spin it around and blame it on Millionaire.

NBC...now? I have a feeling Jay Leno is gonna crash and burn. A primetime show five nights a week is sooo not gonna work in the US. The only show that I watch on NBC is Friday Night Lights, and that's not technically an NBC show anymore, and after two more seasons, it's probably done anyway.

I don't think CBS has ever really had a bad era. They've consistently had good, high-rated shows for years and years. They only time I would say they might have had a slump was in the late 1980s.

[Jude The Obscure]

Are we forgetting the sitcom that put ABC on the map as a serious contender in the network game?? BEWITCHED!!!!!! #2 of all shows in its DEBUT season.

[MickeyMac]

ABC, NBC, CBS-Their worst era the early 80's to present

[bmasters9]

Originally Posted by MickeyMac

ABC, NBC, CBS-Their worst era the early 80's to present

I have DVD releases of several series from NBC and ABC from when I was a little boy, and I have absolutely enjoyed them. That said, I'm of the opinion that the worst era actually started in the '90's and has continued to the present. Nothing against your opinion, of course.

[benjamoon]

ABC had a terrible short era at the beginning of this decade after the Millionaire buzz wore off but before Lost and Desperate Housewives revived the network. They had some good shows (8 Simple Rules, According to Jim, etc) but no huge hits

CBS has been consistently good with maybe a few glitches here and there

NBC has been in lots of bad periods including now and the late 70s/early 80s

[megamanj2004]

NBC - In particular the Fred Silverman-era was a low point and the post 2004-present were two of their worst.

The only shows during the Silverman-era that helped NBC or were respectable shows were: Hill Street Blues, The Facts of Life, Diff'rent Strokes, "CHiPs," (even though that show was a bottom of the barrel show in the entire portion of the '70s), The Smurfs (that show alone not only revitalized their Saturday morning line-up, but it also helped rejuvenate Hanna-Barbera's fortunes), Gimme a Break! (even though it was never a Top 25 show), and Real People among shows.

NBC also had a bad period for Saturday Morning Cartoons from the very late '80s through the early-to-mid '90s as NBC was the 1st of the original big 3 networks to fold with Saturday Morning cartoons.



CBS - during the 1986-very early '90s period, this network was getting pummeled by NBC all over. Shows like Magnum, P.I., Simon & Simon, Cagney and Lacey, Dallas, Falcon Crest, Jake and the Fatman, and Newhart were all losing major steam by this period and were all gone by the end of the '80s or very early '90s.

CBS was in a daytime game show-less period from 1968-72 once the network canned To Tell the Truth.

Up until Million Dollar Password debuted, CBS had a terrible, TERRIBLE track record with primetime game shows. Not a single one of them lasted a full season.


ABC - before and even shortly after the WWTBaM craze, this network had no real direction going for them, this is up until shows like Grey's Anatomy and Desparate Housewives revitalized their fortunes.

Also, the post-1979-80 season was one of two low points for ABC in the '80s, with the other being the 1981-82 season. In 1982, most of ABC's sitcoms were either running out of steam or were on their way to cancelled city.

The late '80s/early '90s were also terrible for ABC with daytime game shows. Why? Because every game show that debuted on ABC in the late '80s/early '90s all lasted a year or less and they were also the 1st of the original big 3 networks to fold with daytime GS's.

[James]

ABC: 1993-present, when they canceled The Wonder Years and Perfect Strangers. The network is now broken beyond repair.

CBS: the late 1990s-present, after they abandoned their status as an old folks' network (which to me was "code" for not wanting to create a Waltons TV special--DYK that Earl Hamner submitted a script to CBS in like 1998 and so far they have no interest ... grr!!! )

FOX: 1987-present, after they foisted Married ... with Children on the American people and FAILED to cave to the demands of the public who complained about it!

NBC: 1994-present, after Friends started. They recovered a little in 2004 when it got canceled.

UPN: 1999-their end, when they were a safe haven for Smackdown!.

MyNetworkTV: the present time, at least until they put Smackdown! out to pasture.

[factsoflife]

Originally Posted by Zoneboy

Are you trying to say that ABC had no hit shows until Aaron Spelling came along? If so then you're sadly mistaken. ABC might not have been a ratings powerhouse during the 50's and 60's but they had respectable ratings with their shows including:

Disneyland
Wyatt Earp
Cheyenne
Sugarfoot
The Rifleman
Maverick
The Lawman
The Untouchables
77 Sunset Strip
The Flintstones
The Real McCoys
Ben Casey
The Donna Reed Show
The Patty Duke Show
Combat
My Three Sons
The F.B.I.
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Batman (II)
Batman (I)
The Lawrence Welk Show
The Johnny Cash Show


Some of Aaron Spelling's contributions certainly helped ABC but he was not solely responsible for the network's success.

I don't think that is what they were trying to say at all. But everybody knows that in this era ABC was not able to rise above 3rd in the overall ratings.


Sadly, ABC also had a difficult time during the late 1990's, after Millonaire faded from popularity and they were unable to produce any new hits. It wasn't until 04 or 05 that they were able to once again find popularity.

[factsoflife]

Originally Posted by James

ABC: 1993-present, when they canceled The Wonder Years and Perfect Strangers. The network is now broken beyond repair.

CBS: the late 1990s-present, after they abandoned their status as an old folks' network (which to me was "code" for not wanting to create a Waltons TV special--DYK that Earl Hamner submitted a script to CBS in like 1998 and so far they have no interest ... grr!!! )

FOX: 1987-present, after they foisted Married ... with Children on the American people and FAILED to cave to the demands of the public who complained about it!

NBC: 1994-present, after Friends started. They recovered a little in 2004 when it got canceled.

UPN: 1999-their end, when they were a safe haven for Smackdown!.

MyNetworkTV: the present time, at least until they put Smackdown! out to pasture.

are you kidding me? this is a total joke.

#1 leaving the old crowd behind was the best thing CBS could have donbe as it not only drove their ratings up but allowed them to get better ad dollars and it has been the #1 network for years now because of this new direction. Not only that but creatively it's been getting the best reviews it's ever gotten since it's new look was created.

#2 so you're saying that since it launched FOX has been a terrible network? You do realize that it's currently getting the highest ratings it's ever gotten right? thanks to shows like "House", "American Idol" and "Bones"? Plus, btw, not everyone hated shows like "Married with Children" afterall it did run for 11 years and was a big hit. so not the entire public wanted that show cancelled.

#3 The 1990's were among NBC's greatest success stories, they were the #1 network for most of the decade and "Friends" was among the biggest hits network tv has ever seen.

#4 ABC had a lot of success in the post-1993 era, with shows like "Roseanne", "Home Improvement", "Nypd blue" and "Millonaire" so honestly the cancellation of Wonder Years was not a big flop at all, the shwo had run it's course and it was time to end it. Plus, right now ABC is in a better position ratings wise (and creatively) than it has been in decades.

[James]

Originally Posted by factsoflife

are you kidding me? this is a total joke.

#1 leaving the old crowd behind was the best thing CBS could have donbe as it not only drove their ratings up but allowed them to get better ad dollars and it has been the #1 network for years now because of this new direction. Not only that but creatively it's been getting the best reviews it's ever gotten since it's new look was created.

What about the issue of age discrimination? There are people in their 50s and 60s, you know.

Originally Posted by factsoflife

... not everyone hated shows like "Married with Children" afterall it did run for 11 years and was a big hit. so not the entire public wanted that show cancelled.

What angers me was the media treatment of the protesters whose stories were spun to create interest in the show instead of sympathy for the plight of people from groups like the Parents Television Council (even though it didn't form until 1995) and the American Family Association. Talk about elitist!

#4 ABC had a lot of success in the post-1993 era, with shows like "Roseanne", "Home Improvement", "Nypd blue" and "Millonaire" so honestly the cancellation of Wonder Years was not a big flop at all, the shwo had run it's course and it was time to end it. Plus, right now ABC is in a better position ratings wise (and creatively) than it has been in decades.

First, "TWY" had not yet run its course because Kevin and company had not yet graduated. Another season concentrating on senior year and graduation would have been a good way to wrap things up. Second, "NYPD Blue" should never have been made because it broke a lot of taboos. ABC started this up right after they canceled "TWY" (no wonder it's like the show I hate the most!), like they wanted to go where TV has never gone before. Why? Like they say, if it ain't broke...

I'm sorry, Facts. I know you may not agree with me, but those are just my opinions. (Now I feel better having gotten that off of my chest.)

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by Jude The Obscure

Are we forgetting the sitcom that put ABC on the map as a serious contender in the network game?? BEWITCHED!!!!!! #2 of all shows in its DEBUT season.

I thought I had Bewitched on my list but I didn't.