Why Was 'WKRP in Cincinnati' So Unliked By CBS & MTM Productions?!? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 09-17-2010, 11:43 PM

I read several articles that stated that WKRP was not a favorite of either CBS or even MTM productions. I just don't get why? The only reason CBS didn't cancel it right off the bat, is because the audiences really liked the show. What was so dang wrong with this sitcom???

Mr. Television · 09-18-2010, 12:06 AM

I have no idea. It was a great sitcom with some of the funniest characters ever. But I didn't even watch it regularly when it was originally on. It was just too hard to find. I think it changed timeslots every year it was on. I usually caught it in the summer I believe. Once it went into syndication and stayed in the same slot, it became a big hit.

MickeyMac · 09-18-2010, 03:19 PM

If CBS and MTM wanted to kill this show, I think they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. If they would have left this show at one time slot, they might have gotten more seasons than just four. If CBS didnt like it, then maybe they should have offered it to another network.

Marvo301 · 09-18-2010, 04:39 PM

I can't imagine why CBS and MTM Enterprises wouldn't like this show. It was well written. The cast was talented, got along well with each other, and had great chemistry. And viewers were watching. The only think I can think of is that WKRP may not have been a very good fit with CBS and MTM's other sitcoms. (TMTMS, TBNS etc.)

catlover79 · 09-18-2010, 07:41 PM

Well, WKRP had the last laugh when the reruns went into syndication and became a smash hit - bigger than all the other MTM sitcoms combined!!!! Plus, with the network and production company paying so little attention, WKRP was able to get away with more surreal and darker humor at times - which just made the show better.

glickmam · 05-18-2011, 09:26 AM

MTM did not dislike WKRP in Cincinnati. If anything, they pretty much got it right away. Indeed, series creator and executive producer Hugh Wilson has continually praised MTM co-founder and president Grant Tinker for his support of the program. The main reason that Tinker didn't meddle around with the show was simply that it was his personal conviction that writers and producers do their best work without interference, a philosophy he carried over to NBC when he became the network's chairman and CEO.

09-17-2010, 11:43 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Why Was 'WKRP in Cincinnati' So Unliked By CBS & MTM Productions?!? I read several articles that stated that WKRP was not a favorite of either CBS or even MTM productions. I just don't get why? The only reason CBS didn't cancel it right off the bat, is because the audiences really liked the show. What was so dang wrong with this sitcom??? Attached Images
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09-18-2010, 12:06 AM	#2
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,132	I have no idea. It was a great sitcom with some of the funniest characters ever. But I didn't even watch it regularly when it was originally on. It was just too hard to find. I think it changed timeslots every year it was on. I usually caught it in the summer I believe. Once it went into syndication and stayed in the same slot, it became a big hit.
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09-18-2010, 04:39 PM	#4
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,456	I can't imagine why CBS and MTM Enterprises wouldn't like this show. It was well written. The cast was talented, got along well with each other, and had great chemistry. And viewers were watching. The only think I can think of is that WKRP may not have been a very good fit with CBS and MTM's other sitcoms. (TMTMS, TBNS etc.)
	__________________ Only a life lived for others is worth living. Albert Einstein A life isn't worth living unless it has impact on other lives. Jackie Robinson Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin

09-18-2010, 07:41 PM	#5
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,382	Well, WKRP had the last laugh when the reruns went into syndication and became a smash hit - bigger than all the other MTM sitcoms combined!!!! Plus, with the network and production company paying so little attention, WKRP was able to get away with more surreal and darker humor at times - which just made the show better.
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

09-18-2010, 03:19 PM	#3
MickeyMac Member Forum Star Join Date: Jun 18, 2008 Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan Posts: 19,006	If CBS and MTM wanted to kill this show, I think they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. If they would have left this show at one time slot, they might have gotten more seasons than just four. If CBS didnt like it, then maybe they should have offered it to another network.

05-18-2011, 09:26 AM	#6
glickmam Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 03, 2007 Posts: 661	MTM did not dislike WKRP in Cincinnati. If anything, they pretty much got it right away. Indeed, series creator and executive producer Hugh Wilson has continually praised MTM co-founder and president Grant Tinker for his support of the program. The main reason that Tinker didn't meddle around with the show was simply that it was his personal conviction that writers and producers do their best work without interference, a philosophy he carried over to NBC when he became the network's chairman and CEO.