SUNDAY:
“60 Minutes” was the top-rated show on all of TV. “Archie
Bunker's Place,” “The Jeffersons,” “One Day at a Time” and “Trapper John” were
all in the teens and winding down, creatively at least. After ABP was
one-season wonder “Gloria” -- a strange concoction. Only ABC could muster any
heat, with a 9pm movie.
MONDAY:
What a rad lineup! “Square Pegs,” “Private Benjamin,” “MASH,”
“Newhart,” “Cagney & Lacey”... unfortunately, only “Newhart” would survive
into the next year (though “Cagney” would return in spring '84 after viewer
outrage). Again, only ABC could muster any heat, with “That's Incredible” and
then another 9pm movie.
TUESDAY:
ABC's traditionally strong slate was showing its weakness at
8pm: “Happy Days” and “Laverne & Shirley” plunged to the low 20s thanks to “The
A-Team.” On CBS, that meant Disney (and later, Tim Conway's "Ace
Crawford") were in the ratings cellar. A 9pm movie did okay for CBS (#27)
up against ABC’s lineup: “Three's Company” (#6), “9 to 5” and “Hart to Hart.” BTW
that meant NBC's 10pm “St. Elsewhere” ranked a lowly #87.
WEDNESDAY:
ABC had “The Fall Guy” (#14) and “Dynasty” (#5). So CBS
couldn't gain any traction with “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” “Alice,” or “Filthy
Rich” (a proto-“Designing Women”). NBC had “Real People” (#30) at 8, but then
from 9-11p did terribly with various combinations of “The Facts of Life,” “Family
Ties,” “Buffalo Bill,” “Quincy,” “Taxi”... and "The News Is The
News," which sounds just like "Yesterday," proposed in 1980 by
Herb Sargent (SNL). It was essentially an expansion of "Weekend
Update" to a nightly series.
THURSDAY:
"Must See TV" wasn't quite a hit yet, so CBS was
flying high with #2 “Magnum,” #7 “Simon & Simon,” and #20 “Knots Landing.”
NBC had “Fame” (with Yummy Award-winner LEE CURRERI!!!!!!!), “Cheers,” “Taxi”
and “Hill Street Blues” (#21), billed in promos as the Best Night of Television
on Television. ABC had several shows which are well-remembered today but
weren't doing so great in '82-83: “20/20,” “Too Close For Comfort,” “Benson,” “Greatest
American Hero”... plus a string of weird flops (“Joanie Loves Chachi,” “Condo”
w/McLean Stevenson) and British adaptations (“Reggie” and “Amanda's”).
FRIDAY:
Another big night for CBS, a few years before stiff
competition from ABC’s TGIF: “Dukes of Hazzard,” despite its weird recasting,
still managed to come in at #30 (tying “Real People”), followed by #2 “Dallas”
and #8 “Falcon Crest.” Among many floundering series on the other networks,
standouts (for various reasons) include ABC's “The New Odd Couple” and NBC's “Knight
Rider” and “Remington Steele.”
SATURDAY:
Seemingly a dumping ground for all three networks, except #9
“Love Boat” on ABC. CBS offered Disney at 8p (soon replaced by “Wizards &
Warriors”) followed by a 9p movie.
