Timeslot moves that killed or almost killed a show - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Jude The Obscure · 04-12-2012, 08:03 PM

Sometimes networks think they have an ace in the hole and move an established hit (or a promising newcomer) to a new timeslot in order to bolster their ratings on a weaker night. Sometimes this resulted in said show losing so many viewers that the show is canceled or put back in the old timeslot. What examples of this can you come up with? One of my fave bonehead moves was when ABC moved Laverne & Shirley from its very established Tuesday timeslot to a Thursday timeslot, only to see the show's ratings go from #1 to out of the top 30 (1979, fall). Eventually ABC put the show back, but it never really regained its ratings powerhouse status (storyline changes may have helped in that regard as well).

mets82 · 04-12-2012, 08:25 PM

Off the top of my head, I remember FOX moved Married with Children to Saturday nights which didnt last long before moving back to Sunday.

Regulus · 04-12-2012, 08:37 PM

Equally bad is when a Network preempts a Show for several weeks at a time for "Special" Programming. An example is the final season of the original Hawaii Five-O. In 1980 CBS Preempted the series for up to one month at a time, prompting many viewers to believe the show was already cancelled. By the time this show returned, its viewers had moved on to other Programs, sealing this shows fate.

retrofan05 · 04-12-2012, 08:51 PM

When they tried to recreate TGIF on ABC and moved 8 Simple Rules to Friday nights.

catlover79 · 04-12-2012, 08:53 PM

Mork & Mindy took a swan dive in the ratings when ABC moved it from Thursdays to Sundays in the fall of 1979.

Vahan · 04-12-2012, 09:25 PM

ABC killed Mr. Belvedere when they moved it to Saturday nights in 1989.

old grouch · 04-12-2012, 09:41 PM

Too many to count, but here are a few I can think of:

'My Three Sons' got moved to Mondays at 10 during its final season.

The same season that 'Laverne and Shirley' and 'Mork and Mindy' got moved around, 'Angie' got bounced all over the place and ended up being cancelled.

'Alice' was moved from Sunday to Wednesday in 1982, and almost got cancelled.

'Bewitched' moved from Thursday to Wednesday to Saturday during its final season.

factsoflife · 04-13-2012, 01:21 AM

FOX moved "Boston Public" from Monday night to Friday night and that killed the series.

NBC used to move "Newsradio" around it's schedule a lot, almost to the point it was difficult to find it on the schedule at all.

TMC · 04-13-2012, 02:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retrofan05

When they tried to recreate TGIF on ABC and moved 8 Simple Rules to Friday nights.

I honestly believe that ABC intentionally did this to justify canceling it since they really didn't have it in their hearts to do it when John Ritter suddenly died.

The TV Tropes website has a whole page on this called "Screwed by the Network". NBC moving the original Star Trek to Fridays for its final season is a prime example of this.

TMC · 04-13-2012, 02:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by factsoflife

FOX moved "Boston Public" from Monday night to Friday night and that killed the series.

NBC used to move "Newsradio" around it's schedule a lot, almost to the point it was difficult to find it on the schedule at all.

Incidentally, the same sort of thing happened w/ WKRP in Cincinnati on CBS a decade prior.

Jude The Obscure · 04-13-2012, 04:20 PM

Wasn't Fringe actually doing decent for Fox, when they decided to move it to another night, therefore killing the momentum it had. Sort of the same with The O.C.

Goldilocks · 04-13-2012, 04:24 PM

When CBS moved Touched by An Angel from Sunday nights to Saturday nights. It limped for a couple of more seasons after that then it got cancelled.

Jack Gomez · 04-13-2012, 04:32 PM

Fox moved Terminator: TSCC from Monday nights where it was doing okay to their Friday night death slot, which pretty much killed it.

factsoflife · 04-13-2012, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goldilocks

When CBS moved Touched by An Angel from Sunday nights to Saturday nights. It limped for a couple of more seasons after that then it got cancelled.

that's a good one. I forgot about that one.

Jude The Obscure · 04-13-2012, 07:49 PM

CBS moving Murder She Wrote from Sunday to Thursday was I guess their subtle way of murdering Jessica Fletcher.

04-12-2012, 08:03 PM	#1
Jude The Obscure Retired Eternal Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 10, 2006 Posts: 7,520	Timeslot moves that killed or almost killed a show Sometimes networks think they have an ace in the hole and move an established hit (or a promising newcomer) to a new timeslot in order to bolster their ratings on a weaker night. Sometimes this resulted in said show losing so many viewers that the show is canceled or put back in the old timeslot. What examples of this can you come up with? One of my fave bonehead moves was when ABC moved Laverne & Shirley from its very established Tuesday timeslot to a Thursday timeslot, only to see the show's ratings go from #1 to out of the top 30 (1979, fall). Eventually ABC put the show back, but it never really regained its ratings powerhouse status (storyline changes may have helped in that regard as well).
	Last edited by Jude The Obscure; 04-12-2012 at 08:28 PM.

04-12-2012, 08:25 PM	#2
mets82 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Mar 14, 2011 Location: Connecticut Posts: 5,058	Off the top of my head, I remember FOX moved Married with Children to Saturday nights which didnt last long before moving back to Sunday.
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04-12-2012, 08:37 PM	#3
Regulus Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 07, 2011 Location: Port Orange, Florida Avatar - Poiuyt Posts: 3,374	Equally bad is when a Network preempts a Show for several weeks at a time for "Special" Programming. An example is the final season of the original Hawaii Five-O. In 1980 CBS Preempted the series for up to one month at a time, prompting many viewers to believe the show was already cancelled. By the time this show returned, its viewers had moved on to other Programs, sealing this shows fate.
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04-12-2012, 08:53 PM	#5
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,382	Mork & Mindy took a swan dive in the ratings when ABC moved it from Thursdays to Sundays in the fall of 1979.
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04-13-2012, 01:21 AM	#8
factsoflife Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Sep 11, 2000 Posts: 8,745	FOX moved "Boston Public" from Monday night to Friday night and that killed the series. NBC used to move "Newsradio" around it's schedule a lot, almost to the point it was difficult to find it on the schedule at all.
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04-12-2012, 08:51 PM	#4
retrofan05 Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 25, 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 1,111	When they tried to recreate TGIF on ABC and moved 8 Simple Rules to Friday nights.

04-12-2012, 09:25 PM	#6
Vahan Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 14, 2008 Posts: 2,712	ABC killed Mr. Belvedere when they moved it to Saturday nights in 1989.

04-12-2012, 09:41 PM	#7
old grouch Member Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2010 Location: montana Posts: 1,877	Too many to count, but here are a few I can think of: 'My Three Sons' got moved to Mondays at 10 during its final season. The same season that 'Laverne and Shirley' and 'Mork and Mindy' got moved around, 'Angie' got bounced all over the place and ended up being cancelled. 'Alice' was moved from Sunday to Wednesday in 1982, and almost got cancelled. 'Bewitched' moved from Thursday to Wednesday to Saturday during its final season.

04-13-2012, 04:20 PM	#11
Jude The Obscure Retired Eternal Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 10, 2006 Posts: 7,520	Wasn't Fringe actually doing decent for Fox, when they decided to move it to another night, therefore killing the momentum it had. Sort of the same with The O.C.

04-13-2012, 04:24 PM	#12
Goldilocks Member Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 08, 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 693	When CBS moved Touched by An Angel from Sunday nights to Saturday nights. It limped for a couple of more seasons after that then it got cancelled.
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04-13-2012, 04:32 PM	#13
Jack Gomez Felipe's son Forum Regular Join Date: Oct 18, 2003 Posts: 614	Fox moved Terminator: TSCC from Monday nights where it was doing okay to their Friday night death slot, which pretty much killed it.

04-13-2012, 07:49 PM	#15
Jude The Obscure Retired Eternal Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 10, 2006 Posts: 7,520	CBS moving Murder She Wrote from Sunday to Thursday was I guess their subtle way of murdering Jessica Fletcher.