The 20 Biggest Mess-Ups/Mistakes in ABC History - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 10-02-2013, 05:30 PM

This is the fourth part in my series (I next intend on covering Fox) of all-time worst decisions that the American broadcast TV networks have made.

*The one mess-up involving ABC that most immediately comes to mind from the start is them oversaturating amd overrelying on Who Wants to be a Millionaire by putting it on almost every weeknight.

*Another case of ABC oversaturating something is when off the heels of Sabrina the Teenage Witch being a success in its first season on TGIF, ABC (who had just lost Family Matters and Step by Step to CBS, who started their own short-lived version of TGIF called "The Block Party") ordered two more supernatural/special effects heavy sitcoms in You Wish (basically a '90s version I Dream of Jeannie if Jeannie were male) and Teen Angel. These two shows only lasted for a single season and that was to me, the beginning of the end of TGIF (all of the other shows besides Sabrina and Boy Meets World didn't last beyond a single season if I'm not mistaken).

*And speaking of TGIF, there was the whole reasoning behind ABC cancelling Just the 10 of Us after two seasons, even though it I believe, won it's time slot. ABC basically wanted all of the shows in TGIF to be produced by Miller-Boyett Productions (just like Perfect Strangers, Full House, Family Matters, Step by Step, and Hangin' w/ Mr. Cooper). In the place of Just the 10 of Us (which was outright canceled when ABC couldn't find another suitable timeslot for it) came Going Places. This proved to bite ABC in the butt because Going Places wound up only lasting one season.

*ABC's micromanagment during at least the initial years that Disney owned the company (w/ Michael Eisner still around as CEO). With this came some serious errors in judgement. For example, ABC turned down a chance to broadcast CSI instead of CBS. Eisner also apparently didn't want Lost (or Desperate Housewives for that matter) even though it was a huge success for ABC.

*Diluting ABC Sports during the late '90s early 2000s in favor of more emphasis on ESPN. This in a way, hurt ABC's ability to promote new programming and through a wrench in the unique relationships (if you want to call it that) affiliate stations. More to the point, ABC had a chance at landing the Sunday night prime time package in 2006 instead of NBC, but for whatever the reasons fumbled

(while at the same time, resting on its laurels by worrying about moving Desperate Housewives) and Disney wound up overpaying for Monday Night Football on ESPN (which was really just the old ESPN Sunday Night Football package a day later).

*Meddling w/ Mork & Mindy after its first season (which was the third rated show in America I think) in order to further appeal towards younger viewers.

*The whole controversy involving ABC pulling the plug on long running soaps like All My Children and One Life to Live.

*The David Westin regime at ABC News.

jimpickens · 10-03-2013, 01:18 AM

Allowing Happy Days to continue once Richie left it should've ended.
Messing with said show once it went from being about Richie and became the Fonzie show that is when the show started getting goofy.
Canceling Battlestar Galactica and replacing it with Galactica 1980.
Canceling The Carol Burnett Show.
Canceling Sledge Hammer.
Ruining Starsky and Hutch by dumbing it down with silly plots involving cults, viruses, and Hutch getting hooked on and off heroin in one episode.
Canceling Soap.
Not scrapping their news network with everybody now with basic cable and internet access network news is obsolete.

treky · 10-03-2013, 01:44 AM

THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW was on CBS not ABC

2Point5D · 10-03-2013, 06:59 AM

Cancelling great shows like Twin Peaks, The Critic, My So-Called Life, High Incident, Townies, Strange World, Invasion, Pushing Daisies, Samantha Who?, Eli Stone, and The Unusuals.

You see folks, ABC isn't this "Holy" network that people make them out to be as they cancel more good shows than any other network (and yes, this does include FOX, which gets too much unnecessary hate).

Another screw-up ABC has done is their oversaturation of generic, cookie-cutter shows. Webster was the first of this kind, then Who's The Boss, Mr. Belvedere and Growing Pains all came along and got popular. This led to ABC bringing in those crappy Lorimar-era Miller-Boyett sitcoms that they would shove down our throats for a freaking decade. I mean, Full House (worst show ever) was almost cancelled after the first season, but some jackass executive decided to keep it on for way too long. It even had generic and cookie-cutter dramas like Thirtysomething and Life Goes On.

So ABC decides to cancel cool innovative shows while keeping generic, unoriginal, cookie-cutter crap, which is why I rip them more than any other TV network (not counting The CW, which isn't even a real network).

MrCleveland · 10-03-2013, 01:30 PM

I think...ABC's biggest mess-up was...having it be Disney-owned!

By 1997, ABC lost "Family Matters" and "Step by Step", but favored less successful shows for TGIF. Then for SatAM...ABC had "One Saturday Morning" which I felt was a Monopoly after 2000 when "Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show" ended its run on ABC. And somewhere in the 2000's, "Wonderful World of Disney" ended since I think it was on a Saturday which it should've been on Sunday.

That...and losing MNF!

James · 10-03-2013, 01:46 PM

* letting The Wonder Years end with no closure (the gang had their senior year left ahead of them)

* breaking down taboos with NYPD Blue (as opposed to, say, entertaining the masses) after canceling TWY

Regulus · 10-03-2013, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMC

This is the fourth part in my series (I next intend on covering Fox) of all-time worst decisions that the American broadcast TV networks have made.

*The one mess-up involving ABC that most immediately comes to mind from the start is them oversaturating amd overrelying on Who Wants to be a Millionaire by putting it on almost every weeknight.

*The David Westin regime at ABC News.

I agree with you on WWTBAM. I could see that it was cheaply-produced, and that FIVE other series got cancelled to make room for it. This IMO was the point where TV, as I knew it, had just "Jumped the Shark".

mr awesome · 10-03-2013, 05:43 PM

This proved to bite ABC in the butt because Going Places wound up only lasting one season.

But 'Step By Step' basically took its place on the sked so it worked out.

ABC turned down a chance to broadcast CSI instead of CBS. Eisner also apparently didn't want Lost (or Desperate Housewives for that matter) even though it was a huge success for ABC.

Also, ABC had first look at The Cosby Show, which buoyed NBC to first in the 80s.

mr awesome · 10-03-2013, 05:49 PM

Allowing Happy Days to continue once Richie left it should've ended.
Messing with said show once it went from being about Richie and became the Fonzie show that is when the show started getting goofy.

HD should have ended after the '80-81 season when expectant Lori went off to join husband Ritchie. The Cunninghams should have been written out, with the exception of Chachi and Joanie and Happy days should have transformed into an official Fonzie spin-off. Joanie and Chachi could spinoff into their own show mid-season (Spring '82) like IRL.

Just my thoughts.

TMC · 10-03-2013, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Regulus

I agree with you on WWTBAM. I could see that it was cheaply-produced, and that FIVE other series got cancelled to make room for it. This IMO was the point where TV, as I knew it, had just "Jumped the Shark".

ABC basically pulled a Jeff Zucker type of move (and ironically, before I think Zucker really began to ruin NBC)!

jimpickens · 10-03-2013, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by treky

THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW was on CBS not ABC

Thanks for the correction.

noveel · 10-03-2013, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrCleveland

I think...ABC's biggest mess-up was...having it be Disney-owned!

By 1997, ABC lost "Family Matters" and "Step by Step", but favored less successful shows for TGIF. Then for SatAM...ABC had "One Saturday Morning" which I felt was a Monopoly after 2000 when "Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show" ended its run on ABC. And somewhere in the 2000's, "Wonderful World of Disney" ended since I think it was on a Saturday which it should've been on Sunday.

That...and losing MNF!

Disney isn't interested in putting sports on ABC since they can make more $$$ on E$PN

MrCleveland · 10-04-2013, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noveel

Disney isn't interested in putting sports on ABC since they can make more $$$ on E$PN

That's why I don't like Disney. If it wasn't for The Disney Ducks (Donald, Scrooge, Daisy, etc.), Touchstone Pictures, and the former Disney Afternoon...I'd dodge them like the plague because all they want is cash cows like tween music and overusing Mickey Mouse which in my honest opinion is one of the most unfunniest characters out there and NOTHING really happens to him.

Maybe this should be their theme rather than "When you Wish Uopn a Star"....

What will Disney buy next?

mr awesome · 10-07-2013, 04:11 PM

When Disney took over ABC the first thing that happened was meddling with GMA. GMA was number 1 at the time, changes were made, trips to Walt Disney World, replacing the veteran on-air staff with relative rookies. Today was on a surge with Matt Lauer's popularity increasing and GMA stumbled not too long after. Lucky for Disney/ABC, Today has been mismanaged and GMA is on top.

I love the Disney company, their characters, their parks, their movies now for years. At the time I was so excited when they bought ABC as I was anticipating 'The Disney Network.'

UMFaninMD · 10-08-2013, 01:34 PM

I totally agree with the oversaturation of WWTBAM. I think Regis Philbin is annoying anyway and him being all over the network didn't help. I also agree about cancelling AMC and OLTL in favor of more generic boring reality/lifestyle shows with The Chew and The Revolution.

Thinking Welcome to the Neighborhood, a reality show where rich, white surburbanites get to pick which minority family would be moving into a home in their neighborhood would be good drama. They pulled it after complaints there could be potential racism and stereotyping.

Constantly preempting the popular soap Edge of Night and then ultimately cancelling it in 1984.

Not giving V a chance with the constant preempting of that show.

Allowing The Bachelor and The Bachelorette to continue despite only having one successful contestant finding love and actually getting married.

10-02-2013, 05:30 PM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,428	The 20 Biggest Mess-Ups/Mistakes in ABC History This is the fourth part in my series (I next intend on covering Fox) of all-time worst decisions that the American broadcast TV networks have made. The one mess-up involving ABC that most immediately comes to mind from the start is them oversaturating amd overrelying on Who Wants to be a Millionaire* by putting it on almost every weeknight. Another case of ABC oversaturating something is when off the heels of Sabrina the Teenage Witch* being a success in its first season on TGIF, ABC (who had just lost Family Matters and Step by Step to CBS, who started their own short-lived version of TGIF called "The Block Party") ordered two more supernatural/special effects heavy sitcoms in You Wish (basically a '90s version I Dream of Jeannie if Jeannie were male) and Teen Angel. These two shows only lasted for a single season and that was to me, the beginning of the end of TGIF (all of the other shows besides Sabrina and Boy Meets World didn't last beyond a single season if I'm not mistaken). And speaking of TGIF, there was the whole reasoning behind ABC cancelling Just the 10 of Us* after two seasons, even though it I believe, won it's time slot. ABC basically wanted all of the shows in TGIF to be produced by Miller-Boyett Productions (just like Perfect Strangers, Full House, Family Matters, Step by Step, and Hangin' w/ Mr. Cooper). In the place of Just the 10 of Us (which was outright canceled when ABC couldn't find another suitable timeslot for it) came Going Places. This proved to bite ABC in the butt because Going Places wound up only lasting one season. ABC's micromanagment during at least the initial years that Disney owned the company (w/ Michael Eisner still around as CEO). With this came some serious errors in judgement. For example, ABC turned down a chance to broadcast CSI* instead of CBS. Eisner also apparently didn't want Lost (or Desperate Housewives for that matter) even though it was a huge success for ABC. Diluting ABC Sports during the late '90s early 2000s in favor of more emphasis on ESPN. This in a way, hurt ABC's ability to promote new programming and through a wrench in the unique relationships (if you want to call it that) affiliate stations. More to the point, ABC had a chance at landing the Sunday night prime time package in 2006 instead of NBC, but for whatever the reasons fumbled (while at the same time, resting on its laurels by worrying about moving Desperate Housewives) and Disney wound up overpaying for Monday Night Football* on ESPN (which was really just the old ESPN Sunday Night Football package a day later). Meddling w/ Mork & Mindy* after its first season (which was the third rated show in America I think) in order to further appeal towards younger viewers. The whole controversy involving ABC pulling the plug on long running soaps like All My Children* and One Life to Live. *The David Westin regime at ABC News.

10-03-2013, 01:44 AM	#3
treky star trek fan Eternal Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Feb 25, 2002 Location: Conshohocken, pennsylvania Posts: 14,490	THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW was on CBS not ABC
	__________________ the Clampetts are in a fancy Beverly Hills jewelry store. Granny points to a tray of rubies. Granny: "How much fer one o' them red diamonds?" clerk: "Madam, those are rubies." Granny: "OK ask her kin we buy one offa her." clerk: " The ruby I am talking about is not a lady." Granny: "Lissen, how she got them diamonds is her business. I'm just sayin' ask her kin we buy one from her."

10-03-2013, 06:59 AM	#4
2Point5D Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Sep 25, 2013 Location: North Carolina Posts: 8	Cancelling great shows like Twin Peaks, The Critic, My So-Called Life, High Incident, Townies, Strange World, Invasion, Pushing Daisies, Samantha Who?, Eli Stone, and The Unusuals. You see folks, ABC isn't this "Holy" network that people make them out to be as they cancel more good shows than any other network (and yes, this does include FOX, which gets too much unnecessary hate). Another screw-up ABC has done is their oversaturation of generic, cookie-cutter shows. Webster was the first of this kind, then Who's The Boss, Mr. Belvedere and Growing Pains all came along and got popular. This led to ABC bringing in those crappy Lorimar-era Miller-Boyett sitcoms that they would shove down our throats for a freaking decade. I mean, Full House (worst show ever) was almost cancelled after the first season, but some jackass executive decided to keep it on for way too long. It even had generic and cookie-cutter dramas like Thirtysomething and Life Goes On. So ABC decides to cancel cool innovative shows while keeping generic, unoriginal, cookie-cutter crap, which is why I rip them more than any other TV network (not counting The CW, which isn't even a real network).
	Last edited by 2Point5D; 10-04-2013 at 10:05 AM.

10-03-2013, 01:30 PM	#5
MrCleveland Drew Carey from Hell Forum Star Join Date: Nov 10, 2007 Location: The City of Cleveland, in The State of Cleveland, in The United States of Cleveland Posts: 14,222	I think...ABC's biggest mess-up was...having it be Disney-owned! By 1997, ABC lost "Family Matters" and "Step by Step", but favored less successful shows for TGIF. Then for SatAM...ABC had "One Saturday Morning" which I felt was a Monopoly after 2000 when "Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show" ended its run on ABC. And somewhere in the 2000's, "Wonderful World of Disney" ended since I think it was on a Saturday which it should've been on Sunday. That...and losing MNF!
	__________________ Thank God for kids that love Obscure Things. Lee Hazlewood (1929-2007) You ARE Special to God! Rev. Ernest Angely (August 1921-May 2021)

10-03-2013, 01:18 AM	#2
jimpickens Member Senior Member Join Date: Nov 01, 2007 Location: weston,wv Posts: 1,389	Allowing Happy Days to continue once Richie left it should've ended. Messing with said show once it went from being about Richie and became the Fonzie show that is when the show started getting goofy. Canceling Battlestar Galactica and replacing it with Galactica 1980. Canceling The Carol Burnett Show. Canceling Sledge Hammer. Ruining Starsky and Hutch by dumbing it down with silly plots involving cults, viruses, and Hutch getting hooked on and off heroin in one episode. Canceling Soap. Not scrapping their news network with everybody now with basic cable and internet access network news is obsolete.

10-03-2013, 01:46 PM	#6
James Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jan 07, 2001 Location: Dayton, Ohio, USA Posts: 6,370	* letting The Wonder Years end with no closure (the gang had their senior year left ahead of them) * breaking down taboos with NYPD Blue (as opposed to, say, entertaining the masses) after canceling TWY

10-03-2013, 05:43 PM	#8
mr awesome Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 23, 2013 Location: pittsburgh Posts: 275	This proved to bite ABC in the butt because Going Places wound up only lasting one season. But 'Step By Step' basically took its place on the sked so it worked out. ABC turned down a chance to broadcast CSI instead of CBS. Eisner also apparently didn't want Lost (or Desperate Housewives for that matter) even though it was a huge success for ABC. Also, ABC had first look at The Cosby Show, which buoyed NBC to first in the 80s.

10-03-2013, 05:49 PM	#9
mr awesome Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 23, 2013 Location: pittsburgh Posts: 275	Allowing Happy Days to continue once Richie left it should've ended. Messing with said show once it went from being about Richie and became the Fonzie show that is when the show started getting goofy. HD should have ended after the '80-81 season when expectant Lori went off to join husband Ritchie. The Cunninghams should have been written out, with the exception of Chachi and Joanie and Happy days should have transformed into an official Fonzie spin-off. Joanie and Chachi could spinoff into their own show mid-season (Spring '82) like IRL. Just my thoughts.

10-07-2013, 04:11 PM	#14
mr awesome Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 23, 2013 Location: pittsburgh Posts: 275	When Disney took over ABC the first thing that happened was meddling with GMA. GMA was number 1 at the time, changes were made, trips to Walt Disney World, replacing the veteran on-air staff with relative rookies. Today was on a surge with Matt Lauer's popularity increasing and GMA stumbled not too long after. Lucky for Disney/ABC, Today has been mismanaged and GMA is on top. I love the Disney company, their characters, their parks, their movies now for years. At the time I was so excited when they bought ABC as I was anticipating 'The Disney Network.'

10-08-2013, 01:34 PM	#15
UMFaninMD I love a mystery Senior Member Join Date: Apr 19, 2011 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,287	I totally agree with the oversaturation of WWTBAM. I think Regis Philbin is annoying anyway and him being all over the network didn't help. I also agree about cancelling AMC and OLTL in favor of more generic boring reality/lifestyle shows with The Chew and The Revolution. Thinking Welcome to the Neighborhood, a reality show where rich, white surburbanites get to pick which minority family would be moving into a home in their neighborhood would be good drama. They pulled it after complaints there could be potential racism and stereotyping. Constantly preempting the popular soap Edge of Night and then ultimately cancelling it in 1984. Not giving V a chance with the constant preempting of that show. Allowing The Bachelor and The Bachelorette to continue despite only having one successful contestant finding love and actually getting married.