Good Times almost cancelled in Spring 1978 but CBS ditches Baby I'm Back instead

[GSU2004]

I was watching some reruns I had found of the series 'Baby I'm Back' which aired as a mid-season replacement in 1978. Being curious, I wanted to get some more information and came across this nugget.

Baby I'm Back was slated to return for a 2nd season with Good Times being cancelled. However, Norman Lear stepped in with a promise of another series in exchange for a 6th season of Good Times. At the time Lila Garrett (the creator of Baby I'm Back) had less pull than Lear so her show was cancelled in lieu of what Lear wanted.

The cancellation even caught series star Denise Nicholas off guard as she said in a 1978 interview with JET over that summer, she felt the show did good in ratings to warrant another season.

Source: https://books.google.com/books?id=8Drl_C7fGGkC&pg=PA133&lpg=PA133&dq=lila+garrett+baby+i%27m+back&source=bl&ots=JxmG6hR6yH&sig=zbZ1wF7Z259l19LfjHR_Ma_aVNg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjRqIz_gYbNAhVGV1IKHRTTCt8Q6AEIOjAF#v=onepage&q=lila%20garrett%20baby%20i'm%20back&f=false

[magellan333]

That is interesting. Thanks for sharing. I remember watching @Baby I'm Back" on BET in the early 90s and was surprised at how abruptly the story ended. I thought it warranted at least a few more episodes.

[EccentricGenius]

Wow. I did not know this. I knew "Baby, I'm Back" had a short run in early 1978 (it was a mid-season replacement), but I had no idea whatsoever that it actually garnered decent ratings and was slated to return for a second season. I also knew that "Good Times's" ratings had plummeted considerably during its fifth season, primarily because of Esther Rolle's departure after season four (in 1977), but I had no idea that CBS had intended to cancel "Good Times" in 1978. Thankfully, Norman Lear intervened and persuaded Rolle to return; thus, "Good Times" was renewed for what turned out to be its final season, and "Baby, I'm Back" was abruptly cancelled (fortunately, the thirteenth--and, as it turned, final--episode had aired in April of '78). Thanks for sharing, GSU2004.

[glickmam]

Originally Posted by EccentricGenius

Wow. I did not know this. I knew "Baby, I'm Back" had a short run in early 1978 (it was a mid-season replacement), but I had no idea whatsoever that it actually garnered decent ratings and was slated to return for a second season. I also knew that "Good Times's" ratings had plummeted considerably during its fifth season, primarily because of Esther Rolle's departure after season four (in 1977), but I had no idea that CBS had intended to cancel "Good Times" in 1978. Thankfully, Norman Lear intervened and persuaded Rolle to return; thus, "Good Times" was renewed for what turned out to be its final season, and "Baby, I'm Back" was abruptly cancelled (fortunately, the thirteenth--and, as it turned, final--episode had aired in April of '78). Thanks for sharing, GSU2004.

I really wouldn't be thankful that Good Times got renewed for a final season. IMHO, it and all the other Norman Lear programs should have been yanked off the schedule for how Lear and his other producers treated John Amos for bringing up very valuable points on J.J. and Lear and said producers should have been blacklisted in addition.

[GSU2004]

Originally Posted by magellan333

That is interesting. Thanks for sharing. I remember watching @Baby I'm Back" on BET in the early 90s and was surprised at how abruptly the story ended. I thought it warranted at least a few more episodes.

I watched it on BET as well back when it aired from 1990-1991 alongside Sanford (the 1980's edition), I fell in love with both shows growing up in the 1990's and always felt that Baby I'm Back seemed to leave us hanging and I was watching the show again wanting to know what really happened and found that nugget out.

Both Nicholas and Wilson were hot items at the time especially with Wilson being fresh off Sanford which was still in the top 30 when it ended. Nicholas was making her rounds in various productions. This show had a great feel with good casting and writing. It should have at least lasted until 1982 as the storyline was too tight to stretch it out and a good ending would have been keeping the Ellis' couple divorced by admitting too much time had passed.

[GSU2004]

Originally Posted by EccentricGenius

Wow. I did not know this. I knew "Baby, I'm Back" had a short run in early 1978 (it was a mid-season replacement), but I had no idea whatsoever that it actually garnered decent ratings and was slated to return for a second season. I also knew that "Good Times's" ratings had plummeted considerably during its fifth season, primarily because of Esther Rolle's departure after season four (in 1977), but I had no idea that CBS had intended to cancel "Good Times" in 1978. Thankfully, Norman Lear intervened and persuaded Rolle to return; thus, "Good Times" was renewed for what turned out to be its final season, and "Baby, I'm Back" was abruptly cancelled (fortunately, the thirteenth--and, as it turned, final--episode had aired in April of '78). Thanks for sharing, GSU2004.

Anytime, the following season of Good Times was terrible in the ratings and it was pulled in midseason with a handful of episodes including the finale airing over the summer of 1979. The unaired episodes later ran in syndication, if I recall, I think 3 or 4 episodes went unaired during the original run. It gave the show closure unlike what the Jefferson got which was nothing.

[GSU2004]

This is not the first time this has happened in what I call network politics. Half and Half (an Yvette Lee Bowser production for UPN) was slated to get picked up when the CW network launched but Will Smith (creator of All of Us) and Chris Rock (creator of Everyone Hates Chris-the most popular sitcom out of UPN-WB at the time) made some 11th hour calls for All of Us to get out of the cancellation heap and come back for another season.

The other available slot was the one Reba was given as her show was slated to end in Spring 2006 but WB realized that more money could be made if there more episodes to syndicate with (enough for at least airing once a day weekly for 4 months or more) and gave it another 13 episodes. Reba stated at the time, she wanted to do an additional 'back nine' but CW was ready to move on from the show citing demographics were not matching. Smackdown suffered this same fate, it was a high rated program but did not fit the demographic of the network (a viewer of Girlfriends or Smallville were not watching Smackdown and vice versa).

Bill Cosby pulled this move by moving Family Ties to Sundays so A Different World could air after his show and stayed in that slot for 5 seasons. Family Ties ratings suffered because of the move and was cancelled.

Same thing with Step by Step and Family Matters, ABC wanted to give them two additional seasons in 1997 but with Disney taking over Miller-Boyett (the producers of the shows) felt their clout was waning and couldn't compete so they offered the series to CBS in the attempt they can develop programming for them and both shows fell in ratings dramatically

[EccentricGenius]

Originally Posted by GSU2004

This is not the first time this has happened in what I call network politics. Half and Half (an Yvette Lee Bowser production for UPN) was slated to get picked up when the CW network launched but Will Smith (creator of All of Us) and Chris Rock (creator of Everyone Hates Chris-the most popular sitcom out of UPN-WB at the time) made some 11th hour calls for All of Us to get out of the cancellation heap and come back for another season.

The other available slot was the one Reba was given as her show was slated to end in Spring 2006 but WB realized that more money could be made if there more episodes to syndicate with (enough for at least airing once a day weekly for 4 months or more) and gave it another 13 episodes. Reba stated at the time, she wanted to do an additional 'back nine' but CW was ready to move on from the show citing demographics were not matching. Smackdown suffered this same fate, it was a high rated program but did not fit the demographic of the network (a viewer of Girlfriends or Smallville were not watching Smackdown and vice versa).

Bill Cosby pulled this move by moving Family Ties to Sundays so A Different World could air after his show and stayed in that slot for 5 seasons. Family Ties ratings suffered because of the move and was cancelled.

Same thing with Step by Step and Family Matters, ABC wanted to give them two additional seasons in 1997 but with Disney taking over Miller-Boyett (the producers of the shows) felt their clout was waning and couldn't compete so they offered the series to CBS in the attempt they can develop programming for them and both shows fell in ratings dramatically

Interesting point, GSU2004. NBC did indeed move "Family Ties" to Sunday nights in its fifth season in order to accommodate "A Different World," which was scheduled in the coveted 8:30 pm timeslot on Thursdays (between "The Cosby Show" and "Cheers"). Due to heavy competition from CBS's top ten hit "Murder, She Wrote," "Family Ties's" ratings plummeted ("Family Ties" was the second most watched program on television--behind, of course, "The Cosby Show"--during the 1985-86 and 1986-87 seasons) and it ended in 1989 after seven seasons.

As for "Family Matters" and "Step By Step," ratings for both sitcoms quickly nosedived after Disney purchased ABC's parent company, Capital Cities Communications, in 1995 (thus becoming ABC's new owners). In turn, Miller-Boyett Productions, the producers of both "Matters" and "Step," accepted a $40 million offer from CBS; Miller-Boyett realized that both sitcoms would not be as successful as they had previously been after Disney purchased ABC. CBS subsequently picked up "Matters" and "Step" from ABC in early 1997; both sitcoms were used that autumn as bookends for a brand new two-hour block of family-friendly sitcoms called "The CBS Block Party," which was scheduled directly opposite ABC's long-running "TGIF" (8 to 10 pm) block. "Matters" and "Step" were joined by two new sitcoms: "The Gregory Hines Show," starring the late Gregory Hines as a widower raising his teenage son; and "Meego," starring Bronson "Balki" Pinchot (from "Perfect Strangers" and "Step By Step"; Pinchot had actually departed from "Step" [he played flamboyant hairdresser Jean-Luc Rieupeyroux during "Step's" sixth season] once he was cast on "Meego") as an alien from outer space.

Sadly, CBS's attempt at emulating (as well as competing with) ABC's "TGIF" block was a dismal failure, for none of the four sitcoms were renewed for an additional season. ("Meego" was cancelled after only six telecasts [with seven additional episodes unaired], and CBS axed "The Gregory Hines Show" after fifteen episodes [apparently, CBS had picked it up for a full twenty-two episode season; sadly, the last seven episodes remain unaired].) As unsuccessful as "The CBS Block Party" was, it did put a significant dent in ABC's impenetrable "TGIF" block, mainly because of the audience fracture that had resulted from ABC yanking "Family Matters" and "Step By Step" from their schedule after Disney's acquisition of ABC had been finalized. The two new sitcoms that had replaced "Matters" and "Step" in the "TGIF" block that autumn, "You Wish," starring John Ales (best known for playing Eddie Murphy's lab assistant in "The Nutty Professor") as a genie; and "Teen Angel," about a teenager who dies after eating a six-month old hamburger and returns to Earth as a guardian angel, were both critically lambasted and ultimately cancelled ("You Wish" was yanked in early November of 1997 after seven telecasts [ABC aired its final five episodes the following summer]; and although "Teen Angel" managed to last throughout the autumn and into the winter, ABC pulled it in mid-February of 1998 after all seventeen of its episodes had aired).

CBS removed "Family Matters" from its schedule in late January of 1998, with its last seven episodes (including the two-part series finale) airing that summer to little fanfare or promotion. CBS placed "Step By Step" on hiatus in late February of 1998, with its last four episodes airing in June (once again, to little fanfare or promotion). You also have to remember that ABC had placed "Step By Step" on hiatus throughout much of the 1996-97 season; thus, the sixth season of "Step" didn't premiere until March of 1997 (after "Family Matters" was pulled to make room for the returning "Step By Step"). Sadly, although "Matters" and "Step" had both been picked up by CBS for full seasons, neither sitcom received a proper series finale (oddly enough, a tenth season of "Matters" had actually been planned by CBS, with scripts and story synopses completed; once the ratings for "Matters's" ninth season proved disastrous, however, CBS abruptly pulled the plug and disassembled the sets).

Well, there you have it, GSU2004...I hope I didn't bore you to death with my vast television knowledge! Enjoy your afternoon!

[Mr. Television]

Originally Posted by GSU2004

This is not the first time this has happened in what I call network politics. Half and Half (an Yvette Lee Bowser production for UPN) was slated to get picked up when the CW network launched but Will Smith (creator of All of Us) and Chris Rock (creator of Everyone Hates Chris-the most popular sitcom out of UPN-WB at the time) made some 11th hour calls for All of Us to get out of the cancellation heap and come back for another season.

The other available slot was the one Reba was given as her show was slated to end in Spring 2006 but WB realized that more money could be made if there more episodes to syndicate with (enough for at least airing once a day weekly for 4 months or more) and gave it another 13 episodes. Reba stated at the time, she wanted to do an additional 'back nine' but CW was ready to move on from the show citing demographics were not matching. Smackdown suffered this same fate, it was a high rated program but did not fit the demographic of the network (a viewer of Girlfriends or Smallville were not watching Smackdown and vice versa).

Bill Cosby pulled this move by moving Family Ties to Sundays so A Different World could air after his show and stayed in that slot for 5 seasons. Family Ties ratings suffered because of the move and was cancelled.

Same thing with Step by Step and Family Matters, ABC wanted to give them two additional seasons in 1997 but with Disney taking over Miller-Boyett (the producers of the shows) felt their clout was waning and couldn't compete so they offered the series to CBS in the attempt they can develop programming for them and both shows fell in ratings dramatically

While it's true that FT ratings suffered when it moved to Sundays, it was still in the top 20 during it's first season. The show was never cancelled though as the cast was ready to move on. Meredith Baxter was ready to leave the year before. Before the last season started there were plans to move Alex to NY but they were scrapped because of the writers strike. Anyway the final episode was ranked #1 for the week.

[glickmam]

Originally Posted by Mr. Television

While it's true that FT ratings suffered when it moved to Sundays, it was still in the top 20 during it's first season. The show was never cancelled though as the cast was ready to move on. Meredith Baxter was ready to leave the year before. Before the last season started there were plans to move Alex to NY but they were scrapped because of the writers strike. Anyway the final episode was ranked #1 for the week.

Besides, Family Ties creator and executive producer Gary David Goldberg had always planned to end the show in 1989, as he felt that it was a purely '80s show and that if it continued into the '90s, the political topicalism would be lost.

[Mr. Television]

Originally Posted by glickmam

Besides, Family Ties creator and executive producer Gary David Goldberg had always planned to end the show in 1989, as he felt that it was a purely '80s show and that if it continued into the '90s, the political topicalism would be lost.

That is true. I remember before the season even started, everyone knew it was going into it's last year. I remember watching the final episode. It was a big event. It aired opposite the final episode of Moonlighting and destroyed it. I was a fan of both shows so I watched FT live and videotaped Moonlighting to watch later.

[GSU2004]

Originally Posted by EccentricGenius

Interesting point, GSU2004. NBC did indeed move "Family Ties" to Sunday nights in its fifth season in order to accommodate "A Different World," which was scheduled in the coveted 8:30 pm timeslot on Thursdays (between "The Cosby Show" and "Cheers"). Due to heavy competition from CBS's top ten hit "Murder, She Wrote," "Family Ties's" ratings plummeted ("Family Ties" was the second most watched program on television--behind, of course, "The Cosby Show"--during the 1985-86 and 1986-87 seasons) and it ended in 1989 after seven seasons.

As for "Family Matters" and "Step By Step," ratings for both sitcoms quickly nosedived after Disney purchased ABC's parent company, Capital Cities Communications, in 1995 (thus becoming ABC's new owners). In turn, Miller-Boyett Productions, the producers of both "Matters" and "Step," accepted a $40 million offer from CBS; Miller-Boyett realized that both sitcoms would not be as successful as they had previously been after Disney purchased ABC. CBS subsequently picked up "Matters" and "Step" from ABC in early 1997; both sitcoms were used that autumn as bookends for a brand new two-hour block of family-friendly sitcoms called "The CBS Block Party," which was scheduled directly opposite ABC's long-running "TGIF" (8 to 10 pm) block. "Matters" and "Step" were joined by two new sitcoms: "The Gregory Hines Show," starring the late Gregory Hines as a widower raising his teenage son; and "Meego," starring Bronson "Balki" Pinchot (from "Perfect Strangers" and "Step By Step"; Pinchot had actually departed from "Step" [he played flamboyant hairdresser Jean-Luc Rieupeyroux during "Step's" sixth season] once he was cast on "Meego") as an alien from outer space.

Sadly, CBS's attempt at emulating (as well as competing with) ABC's "TGIF" block was a dismal failure, for none of the four sitcoms were renewed for an additional season. ("Meego" was cancelled after only six telecasts [with seven additional episodes unaired], and CBS axed "The Gregory Hines Show" after fifteen episodes [apparently, CBS had picked it up for a full twenty-two episode season; sadly, the last seven episodes remain unaired].) As unsuccessful as "The CBS Block Party" was, it did put a significant dent in ABC's impenetrable "TGIF" block, mainly because of the audience fracture that had resulted from ABC yanking "Family Matters" and "Step By Step" from their schedule after Disney's acquisition of ABC had been finalized. The two new sitcoms that had replaced "Matters" and "Step" in the "TGIF" block that autumn, "You Wish," starring John Ales (best known for playing Eddie Murphy's lab assistant in "The Nutty Professor") as a genie; and "Teen Angel," about a teenager who dies after eating a six-month old hamburger and returns to Earth as a guardian angel, were both critically lambasted and ultimately cancelled ("You Wish" was yanked in early November of 1997 after seven telecasts [ABC aired its final five episodes the following summer]; and although "Teen Angel" managed to last throughout the autumn and into the winter, ABC pulled it in mid-February of 1998 after all seventeen of its episodes had aired).

CBS removed "Family Matters" from its schedule in late January of 1998, with its last seven episodes (including the two-part series finale) airing that summer to little fanfare or promotion. CBS placed "Step By Step" on hiatus in late February of 1998, with its last four episodes airing in June (once again, to little fanfare or promotion). You also have to remember that ABC had placed "Step By Step" on hiatus throughout much of the 1996-97 season; thus, the sixth season of "Step" didn't premiere until March of 1997 (after "Family Matters" was pulled to make room for the returning "Step By Step"). Sadly, although "Matters" and "Step" had both been picked up by CBS for full seasons, neither sitcom received a proper series finale (oddly enough, a tenth season of "Matters" had actually been planned by CBS, with scripts and story synopses completed; once the ratings for "Matters's" ninth season proved disastrous, however, CBS abruptly pulled the plug and disassembled the sets).

Well, there you have it, GSU2004...I hope I didn't bore you to death with my vast television knowledge! Enjoy your afternoon!

No problem, I love that history as well and found out about the planned 10th season of Family Matters which would have concluded everything. Producers under the impression that CBS would honor the two season committment which sadly they didn't. The show was running it's course and it was time for it to go. One of the things was CBS to deal with was it could not promote Family Matters until mid summer and this was a new audience for the network. So, it wasn't like Murder She Wrote viewers were jumping up at the thought of Urkel coming to CBS this fall, lol.

Networks have so many things beyond ratings when it comes to a show's future. Good Times had the clout of Norman Lear behind it hence that additional season which was not deserved. Cosby made demands and Roseanne attempted to do that with her ex-husband's show, Jackie Thomas but ABC bucked back citing their legal agreements in place that prevented her from taking the show to other networks. Some shows like The Nanny were given time to build an audience as you had people on the inside who lobbied for it.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by GSU2004

I was watching some reruns I had found of the series 'Baby I'm Back' which aired as a mid-season replacement in 1978. Being curious, I wanted to get some more information and came across this nugget.

Baby I'm Back was slated to return for a 2nd season with Good Times being cancelled. However, Norman Lear stepped in with a promise of another series in exchange for a 6th season of Good Times. At the time Lila Garrett (the creator of Baby I'm Back) had less pull than Lear so her show was cancelled in lieu of what Lear wanted.

The cancellation even caught series star Denise Nicholas off guard as she said in a 1978 interview with JET over that summer, she felt the show did good in ratings to warrant another season.

Source: https://books.google.com/books?id=8Drl_C7fGGkC&pg=PA133&lpg=PA133&dq=lila+garrett+baby+i%27m+back&source=bl&ots=JxmG6hR6yH&sig=zbZ1wF7Z259l19LfjHR_Ma_aVNg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjRqIz_gYbNAhVGV1IKHRTTCt8Q6AEIOjAF#v=onepage&q=lila%20garrett%20baby%20i'm%20back&f=false

Good Stuff.

I guess if it had been picked up the show Facts of Life would have looked completely different. It was mentioned in the article that the show did good in the ratings but there is no evidence of that nowhere

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by EccentricGenius

Wow. I did not know this. I knew "Baby, I'm Back" had a short run in early 1978 (it was a mid-season replacement), but I had no idea whatsoever that it actually garnered decent ratings and was slated to return for a second season. I also knew that "Good Times's" ratings had plummeted considerably during its fifth season, primarily because of Esther Rolle's departure after season four (in 1977), but I had no idea that CBS had intended to cancel "Good Times" in 1978. Thankfully, Norman Lear intervened and persuaded Rolle to return; thus, "Good Times" was renewed for what turned out to be its final season, and "Baby, I'm Back" was abruptly cancelled (fortunately, the thirteenth--and, as it turned, final--episode had aired in April of '78). Thanks for sharing, GSU2004.

I never seen any evidence in any book or nowhere online that the show had decent ratings. So I am thinking the producer was lying because the show did not finish in the top 30 for the 1977-78 TV season

[GSU2004]

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

I never seen any evidence in any book or nowhere online that the show had decent ratings. So I am thinking the producer was lying because the show did not finish in the top 30 for the 1977-78 TV season

I need to find the ratings charts for that season to see how this show actually did fare. We all know politics and favorites playing can sometimes impact a show's future from internal viewing. Or could have been one of those convos on the lines of 'Good Times is struggling in ratings, if your show does better than them this season, we'll bring you back' type deals. Another TV mystery that we will never know.

There is a JET article I saw and will find the link where one of the reporters caught up with Denise Nicholas who felt the show did well enough to warrant a second season but she's not stressing as she has other offers and knows the business.