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I saw RHODA at #1 and was immediately baffled, like, "Geez. I didn't expect her show to be that popular!" But then I remembered her wedding episode that shot the ratings through the roof.
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RHODA was higher rated in its first two seasons than its parent series, but that didn't last too long -- RHODA just had no central identity.
The above listing for October 1966 contains the very first airing of THE GREAT PUMPKIN at Number One (the previous December 1965, A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS was Number 2).
I was surprised GUNSMOKE was still in the weekly Top 10/15 at this point (the infamous Bette Davis episode aired 1 October 1966, prior to this list); because GUNSMOKE dropped to 35th place by the spring of 1967 and was cancelled (again, but that didn't last long -- again). They moved the western from Saturdays to Monday nights by fall of 1967, and it rebounded into the Top 10 again. (35th place was high enough to keep most series on the air, but I guess the CBS board figured that GUNSMOKE, Number One for years and almost always in the Top 10, must be slipping after a dozen years on the air; William Paley reversed the board's decision, but cancelled GILLIGAN'S ISLAND to make way for GUNSMOKE on Mondays).
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I'm always a little baffled that MARY TYLER MOORE wasn't higher-rated than it was. And for one season, both RHODA and PHYLLIS bested it in the ratings.
As much as I like GUNSMOKE and knowing it lasted two solid decades on primetime TV, I wish GILLIGAN'S ISLAND had stuck around for just one more year. Maybe then we could've gotten a farewell episode with Tina Louise still hanging around as Ginger.
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I think the highest seasonal rating MARY got was 7th place for its third (1972-73) year. RHODA and PHYLLIS got a head start by being spin-offs.
the only time MARY ranked Number 1 for the week was its final episode in 1977.
I kind of agree with that. GILLIGAN was a Top 10 show and, formulaic as it was, it seemed to warrant another year.
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Okay, I need one of the numerous Dallas experts we keep on retainer here to explain what was going on during that Nov. 3-9 week. I assume this was the Big Reveal of Who Shot What's-his-name, but four episodes in one week?
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Okay, I need one of the numerous Dallas experts we keep on retainer here to explain what was going on during that Nov. 3-9 week. I assume this was the Big Reveal of Who Shot What's-his-name, but four episodes in one week?
Due to the legendary actors' strike during that long, hot summer of 1980, the fall TV season started late -- not until November (instead of the usual September). So, to maximize ratings, CBS was repeating the lead-up-to episodes of "WSJR?'" all over the damned place.
As I recall, in the hour prior to the Friday 21 November 1980 "Whodunnit?" episode, the network re-aired the "WSJR?" episode (even though three new episodes had already aired in the previous weeks).
But it's been 45 years. So don't hold me to the details.
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Okay, I need one of the numerous Dallas experts we keep on retainer here to explain what was going on during that Nov. 3-9 week. I assume this was the Big Reveal of Who Shot What's-his-name, but four episodes in one week?
Not a Dallas expert but as @Snarky Oracle! mentioned, the writers strike led to later premiere dates that season, so the gaps in the schedules were filled in with repeats. The week in question saw two new Dallas episodes airing - the season four premiere on Friday (which was preceded by the season three cliffhanger repeat) and episode two of season four on Sunday (the top rated episode of the week). Airing two new episodes in one week was either to build momentum or just fill in a gap as series began returning. The Thursday episode was presumably a repeat of the second last episode of season three.
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I still say they reran "A House Divided" yet again in the hour preceding "Whodunnit" on 21November 1980.
I just believe it!
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I’d imagine that some stations opted to do that but this was the official lineup for the night.
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When it comes to accurate TV listings, ultimate70s is the perfect place to go, as it also lists the correct reruns.
Prime time TV listings from Friday November 7, 1980
Prime time TV listings from Friday November 7, 1980
www.ultimate70s.com
Prime time TV listings from Sunday November 9, 1980
Prime time TV listings from Sunday November 9, 1980
www.ultimate70s.com
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Yes, perusing it, it really does seem to be unusually accurate -- so far.
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That’s a great resource. Looking at the listings for Thursday 6th, the episode aired was indeed a rerun of the second last episode of season three “The Wheeler Dealer”.
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There was a time when I probably wouldn’t have agreed with this but I think I do now. After the first couple of seasons it does start to get repetitive. Funny ‘cause back then I watched all eight seasons without noticing a drop in quality at all but it’s pretty obvious when viewing it now.
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Maybe it is because there were only a few major networks at the time. TV shows that were getting millions of viewers then were cancelled, even though far more people saw those shows, compared to now. I still think overall quality was better in the 60s 70s and 80s
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I agree that the lack of competition had a lot to do with it. I think that even in the late-1960s, ABC was not treated as an "equal" to NBC and CBS as far as networks go. In the chart shown in Post # 75, almost all the "Bottom" rated shows were ABC series. This is similar to how the Fox Network looked in the first ten or so years of its existence---a few hits but many, many more losers that filled up the "bottom rated" lists.
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16 of the 20 are ABC shows.
