Favorite era of TGIF?

[FHCastmember]

Favorite era of TGIF ?

Late 80s/Early 90s campy era

Mid 90s Boy Meets World grounded era

Late 90s Sabrina/clones era

Mid 2000s revival era

Late 2010s crap toilet era

[Merry24]

Late 80’s/Early 90’s Campy era! Was my favorite!

[AMackII]

Late 1980s/Early 1990s and Mid 1990s

[tlc38tlc38]

Family Matters
Boy Meets World
Step by Step
Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper

[MRPITT]

Late 80’s Early 90’s.

[blueberrymuffin]

I watched most of the TGIF shows on syndication when I was young, so I discovered the block a lot later in life. The schedule I remember tuning in to the most was:

Two of a Kind, Boy Meets World, Sabrina, Brother's Keeper (which I barely watched, and found boring)

After Two of a Kind ended, I mostly watched BMW and Sabrina, and would skip the other shows. Was not a fan of The Hughleys or Odd Man Out. When BMW ended, I watched less frequently, though I'd still catch Norm and Who Wants to be a Millionaire sometimes. After that, I stopped watching cold turkey.

[FHCastmember]

Originally Posted by blueberrymuffin

I watched most of the TGIF shows on syndication when I was young, so I discovered the block a lot later in life. The schedule I remember tuning in to the most was:

Two of a Kind, Boy Meets World, Sabrina, Brother's Keeper (which I barely watched, and found boring)

After Two of a Kind ended, I mostly watched BMW and Sabrina, and would skip the other shows. Was not a fan of The Hughleys or Odd Man Out. When BMW ended, I watched less frequently, though I'd still catch Norm and Who Wants to be a Millionaire sometimes. After that, I stopped watching cold turkey.

Norm was never on TGIF it ended in early September 2000

[TMC]

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1989-1990 Fridays

In the Fall of 1989, ABC gave its Friday night lineup of family sitcoms a new moniker that would become an iconic connection to shows that aired on ABC Friday nights throughout the 1990s. TGIF was the name and came with a jingle and hosting duties from stars of the ABC shows. While it never was as dominant in the ratings as Must See TV (this was still Friday night after all), it has had an enduring legacy thanks to how much it connected with 90s kids and families. The new lead-off was given to season three of Full House and it was the highest rated of the block. The new show in the block though was perhaps the one that is been most identified with TGIF to this day. Family Matters was a spinoff of Perfect Strangers (loosely) and fit like a glove in the lineup. Though the early episodes of Family Matters were much different than the Urkel days as Jaleel White did not even appear until midway through the first season. Perfect Strangers moved back an hour to 9pm. While its most to the night kick started ABC building a block of family friendly sitcoms, it was perhaps the least family-oriented of them since it was more of a buddy comedy. Just the Ten of Us followed at 9:30pm. The Growing Pains spinoff never really took off in the ratings and though it lasted in the 9:30pm slot all season, it was cancelled at the end after three seasons and 47 episodes. As usual, 20/20 closed the night at 10pm. ABC's first year of TGIF was a success with a stable lineup that was improving their fortunes on Friday nights.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1990-1991 Fridays

ABC was coming off its first year with the TGIF moniker on Friday nights and they continued to work on the lineup. The first hour really started to take off in the ratings with Full House coming in at #15 for the season and Family Matters just one spot behind it. These two shows were really the reason that TGIF took off as a brand. For Family Matters, the addition of Urkel (Jaleel White) to the cast midway through its first season helped with its breakout second season. Perfect Strangers followed at 9pm but that show was now in its sixth season and started to show its age. It lost a pretty significant chunk of the Family Matters audience. At 9:30pm was a new sitcom, Going Places. It came from Miller-Boyett Productions, the company behind the other three sitcoms. The series was purposely a little bit more young adult focused as the shows progressively were less for kids as the night went on. That seems like a good idea on paper but it didn't work out. Going Places, whose cast included Alan Ruck and Heather Locklear, lost a lot of audience from its lead-in (which was already down from the 8pm hour). And even more problematic was the fact that the ratings popped back up for 20/20 at 10pm. It underwent creative retooling about halfway through its run but that didn't make a difference and it was cancelled. It was replaced in March by Baby Talk, which had gotten delayed thanks to some drama before airing. The show, featuring a talking baby and coming from the people behind the movie Look Who's Talking, originally starred Connie Sellecca. However, Sellecca was unhappy with the show and ended up quitting after a couple episodes were filmed which caused its planned fall start to be delayed (it was replaced in the fall by Head of the Class). Sellecca was replaced by Julia Duffy. The show moved to Tuesdays and did get renewed but then Duffy didn't return to the show and the character was re-cast again for season two. Baby Talk also featured a young George Clooney as well as the voice of Tony Danza as the baby. Late in the season, Family Matters and Perfect Strangers both shifted back half an hour to make room for Dinosaurs, an unusual satire about a family of anthropomorphic dinosaurs. Coming from the Jim Henson Company about a year after Henson's death, it only aired five episodes in its first season but did get renewed.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1991-1992 Fridays

ABC's hit TGIF lineup had a big change for 1991-92 as Full House left the night after four seasons and headed over to Tuesdays. One of the reasons ABC was able to do that was the breakout success of Family Matters, which was entering its third year. Matters took over the 8pm slot and was not as powerful as Full House was in the slot but it proved to be a reliable lead-off for ABC's kid friendly block. It was followed by a new family sitcom from the Miller-Boyett factory. Step by Step was a Brady Bunch-type sitcom starring Patrick Duffy (fresh off of Dallas) and Suzanne Somers. The series received mixed reviews but was a perfect fit for the night as it settled into a long run on the night. The 9pm hour was not as steady as the 8pm hour. It started with Perfect Strangers and Baby Talk. Strangers was starting to seem like a relic from a different era of ABC sitcoms and it was showing its age. It wasn't really capable of being an anchor anymore and was moved to 9:30pm and then Saturdays. Baby Talk was a returning sitcom undergoing a major revamp. Star Julia Duffy (who had replaced Connie Sellecca) left the series and was replaced by Mary Page Keller. George Clooney also left the cast while Scott Baio joined (talk about a downgrade). The series also changed its setting. All these changes didn't turn things around for the show. It moved to 9pm and then back to 9:30pm but was cancelled at the end of the season. Late in the season, Billy aired briefly on the night. Billy was a spinoff of Head of the Class starring Billy Connolly, who had joined Class in its final season. It lasted just a couple months on the night. Dinosaurs returned to the night at the end of the season after an unsuccessful attempt at leading off Wednesdays. Throughout the season, 20/20 continued to air at 10pm of course.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1992-1993 Fridays

ABC's TGIF lineup on Fridays continued in the 1992-93 season and the 8pm hour continued to be stable while there was still trouble in the 9pm hour. Family Matters and Step by Step were a perfect pair with each other and produced nearly identical ratings. Dinosaurs returned at 9pm after moving to Fridays at the end of the 1991-92 season. It continued to not be a big player in the ratings and it was such an odd show to try to schedule. After being pulled from Fridays, it made a brief appearance on Sundays and was renewed for a fourth season but that fourth season didn't air until the Summer of 1994. A new show was added to the night at 9:30pm. Camp Wilder starred Mary Page Keller as a woman put in care of her teenage siblings after their parents died as well as her own six year old daughter. She opened her house to the many friends of her siblings as well. The roster of young actors included Jerry O'Connell, Hilary Swank, Jared Leto and Jay Mohr. Although it seemed like a fit with the other TGIF shows, it struggled in the ratings and was cancelled in February. Check back Wednesday for a One Season Wonder post on Camp Wilder! When both Dinosaurs and Wilder were pulled from the night, two new sitcoms took their place. Getting By came from the same production company as Family Matters and Step by Step and starred Cindy Williams and Telma Hopkins as friends and single mothers sharing a home and raising their families. The series did pretty well in the ratings, much better than Dinosaurs, and ABC planned to renew it for a second season. However, they planned to move the show to Saturday night which angered the producers who pulled the show from the network and NBC outbid CBS to pick it up (it only lasted one more season on NBC, which was not as good a fit for the show). At 9:30pm was Where I Live, a sitcom starring Doug E. Doug as a teen living in Harlem. The ratings were not strong but a strong fan campaign and public support from Bill Cosby helped it get renewed for a second season. 20/20 continued at 10pm and was a consistently strong performer.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1993-1994 Fridays

Since TGIF launched on ABC in 1989, they had some things that worked and some things that didn't on the night but the 1993-94 season gave them the winning formula with four sitcoms that would air for much of the next three seasons on the night. Family Matters continued leading off at 8pm as the highest rated show of the block while the other returning show on the night, Step by Step, slid half an hour back to become the 9pm anchor. A new show launched in between them. Boy Meets World starred Ben Savage as a sixth grader (at the start of the series) and became a beloved show in the block. Savage arrived on ABC just months after his older brother, Fred, ended his run on The Wonder Years on the same network. Meanwhile at 9:30pm, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper moved over from Tuesdays. The series went through an overhaul for its second season with the addition of Nell Carter and Raven-Symone to the cast among others. It made a lot more sense as a Friday show for ABC. Late in the season, it went on a hiatus to make room for Sister, Sister, a comedy starring Tia and Tamera Mowry as twins who were separated at birth. The series did enough to get a second season but there wasn't a place for it on TGIF. As usual, 20/20 wrapped things up at 10pm.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1994-1995 Fridays

ABC found a winning formula for its TGIF lineup in the 1993-94 season and kept rolling with that lineup into the 1994-95 season. The kid friendly lineup of Family Matters, Boy Meets World, Step by Step and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper were not ratings monsters but they hit the sweet spot in the demographic they were going for. ABC kept that lineup in tact for much of the year but they did give Boy and Mr. Cooper a short break in the spring. This was a common practice back in those days to give a chance to new midseason shows but in this case, it was to give a chance to two shows that had struggled in the fall. Sister, Sister had aired on Fridays briefly in Spring 1994 but then didn't do well on Wednesdays earlier in the season. It was cancelled by ABC at the end of the season but was then picked up by the young WB network to go with its stable of black-led, youth-oriented sitcoms. It ended up running for four more years after its ABC cancellation. On Our Own aired for a short time at 9:30pm after failing on Sunday nights before being cancelled for good. By the end of the season, the tried and true lineup was back in tact. Throughout the season, the reliable 20/20 continued at 10pm.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Fridays

ABC's TGIF lineup started the season with the same quartet of shows as the previous season. All four shows were youth driven and delivered well in that demographic but they were only modest ratings performers when looking across the entire TV landscape. Because TGIF was such an iconic brand and the shows have been well loved in the years since, it can be hard to remember that detail. In March, ABC attempted to shake up the night with two new entries while Boys Meets World and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper were slated to take a short break. Taking over at 8:30pm was Muppets Tonight, a variety show that was one of the first big Muppets project since the death of Jim Henson in 1990. Although the entire lineup was kid-friendly, this show was perhaps not the same type of kid-friendly and didn't really fit in with the sitcoms. It lasted 10 episodes on ABC and then Disney Channel picked up and ran the rest of the episodes after its cancellation. An even bigger flop aired at 9pm. Aliens in the Family was a family sitcom about a mixed marriage - a human dad and an alien mom. After ABC passed on 3rd Rock From the Sun, they picked up this one which also involved Jim Henson's production company. It lasted just two weeks before it was pulled from the lineup and eventually resurfacing on Saturday mornings. Check back tomorrow for a One Season Wonder post on Aliens in the Family! Family Matters star Jaleel White was critical of Muppets and Aliens joining the TGIF lineup because it turned a family night into a child night. The regular lineup was back in place in time for May Sweeps but ABC did change things up again for the Fall of 1996. 20/20 continued at 10pm all season.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1996-1997 Fridays

After two years of a very steady lineup for ABC's TGIF, there were many changes for the 1996-97 season. Both Step by Step and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper were held for midseason (and Mr. Cooper didn't even air until summer). Family Matters continued at 8pm while Boy Meets World was slated to close out the block at 9:30pm. In between were two fairly high profile new shows. At 8:30pm was Sabrina the Teenage Witch which starred then-Nickelodeon star Melissa Joan Hart as the title character from the comic book. At 9pm was Clueless, based on the hit 1995 movie of the same name. The series was a rare single camera sitcom in an era where multi-cam sitcoms were pretty much the only format on TV. Some characters reprised their role on the show though star Alicia Silverstone did not make the jump with Rachel Blanchard taking the lead role. ABC was pinning its new TGIF revamp around Clueless expecting that show to be the big hit, but it was Sabrina that ultimately proved to be the new hit. After just a couple weeks, ABC shuffled the lineup around and made Sabrina the 9pm tentpole while Clueless got bumped to 9:30pm and Boy Meets World returned to 8:30pm. Clueless was cancelled by ABC after 18 episodes and was picked up by UPN for a second season. ABC started to regret the cancellation when Clueless began to repeat well in the summer. They couldn't get it back from UPN but they did prevent it from launching on UPN until September when the rest of the UPN lineup started in late August. Speaking of changing networks, it was the changing of the guard at the end of the season as the production company behind Family Matters and Step by Step (which returned after Clueless ended for the season) was feuding with ABC and its new corporate parent, Disney. So ABC ended the season with only Boy Meets World and Sabrina slated for another season. And of course, 20/20, which remained a big hit at 10pm.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1997-1998 Fridays

It was an era of change for ABC's famed TGIF lineup. Gone from the lineup were longtime staples Family Matters and Step by Step as they had both been scooped up by CBS (more on that below). ABC leaned into the success of Sabrina the Teenage Witch the previous season by launching two more fantasy sitcoms with Sabrina as the lead-off to the night. You Wish was the I Dream of Jeannie to Sabrina's Bewitched. It centered on a genie who lived with a family with a single mom. Teen Angel was about a high school boy who dies after eating a six month old hamburger and comes back as a guardian angel to his best friend. The three fantasy shows, along with the odd show out - Boy Meets World, famously did a crossover event in early November that took each show to a different decade. That was the end of the road though for You Wish, which was pulled from the lineup after that night. Teen Angel limped along for a few more months and Hiller and Diller made a brief appearance on the night. But by the end of the season, ABC was just airing reruns of Sabrina and Boy Meets World alongside new episodes and it was clear that TGIF was losing its power. As usual, the top show on the night was 20/20 at 10pm.

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1998-1999 Fridays

ABC took care of the new competing CBS family lineup in 1997-98 but the battle seemed to leave ABC's once powerful TGIF lineup in a weaker state. They tried to liven up the night by bringing the Olsen Twins back to the night for their first TV show since Full House went off the air in 1995. It seemed like a good bet because the Olsen Twins were still quite well known in pop culture but Two of a Kind was met with a shrug by audiences and was not capable of leading off the night. It was off the air in early April and marked the end of the vaunted Miller-Boyett productions. Two veterans followed with Boy Meets World at 8:30pm and Sabrina the Teenage Witch at 9pm while another new sitcom, Brother's Keeper, debuted at 9:30pm. Brother's Keeper was an Odd Couple-style sitcom about two brothers and starred William Ragsdale and Sean O'Bryan. It was the lowest rated show in the block but actually lasted longer on the night than Two of a Kind as it aired the full season before being cancelled. When Two of a Kind was pulled from the lineup, ABC put Sabrina at 8pm briefly and moved Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place over to the night at 9pm. To close the season, Sabrina returned to 9pm while repeats of the soon-to-depart Home Improvement aired at 8pm. Throughout the season, 20/20 continued to easily be Friday's top draw on any network with another Top 20 showing.

[blueberrymuffin]

Originally Posted by TMC

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1998-1999 Fridays

Ironically, Two of a Kind ended up doing really well on Fox Family and ABC Family, if I remember correctly. Like I said in my previous comment here, that was the era I watched TGIF the most. I wonder if maybe they just didn't advertise the show enough or something.

BMW was pretty stable during that era, they never changed the time slot for it.

[Charles Knox]

They forgot to mention Capitol Critters.

[KurtfromPitts]

Late '80s-early '90s.

[Fallon97]

Late 80s to Early 90s was/is my favorite.

[Dead2009]

I watched from the 94/95 season to the 97/98 season. That was some good television.

[24/7 reruns]

I liked the before TGIF Fridays on ABC. Early 70's with-
The Brady Bunch
The Partridge Family
Room 222
The Odd Couple
Love American Style

[Charles Knox]

Originally Posted by 24/7 reruns

I liked the before TGIF Fridays on ABC. Early 70's with-
The Brady Bunch
The Partridge Family
Room 222
The Odd Couple
Love American Style

I much prefer this programming block over any of the late 80's or 90's era of TGIF.