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9/10/2007 3:33 AM

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As we patiently await another new television season, let's flash back to premiere week 30 years ago - September 1977.

If disco ruled the radio that year, ducktails ruled TV. "Happy Days" and "Laverne and Shirley" were television's top-rated series, catapulting ABC into first place with hits such as "Charlie's Angels," "Six Million Dollar Man," "Baretta" and "Three's Company." In 1977, though, CBS strengthened its lineup by following ABC's lead - it added more sitcoms. It was the year variety died - Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor were well-publicized failures - and "The Love Boat" first sailed on Saturday night. No less than 26 sitcoms dominated prime time, the ratings and the radio (several theme songs became Top 40 hits).

Here's the schedule. Try not to hum along.

Sunday

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While ABC brought back its lineup intact ("Hardy Boys," "Six Million Dollar Man" and a movie), CBS retooled its night by adding what it called "The Sunday Funnies" - a two-hour block of sitcoms that packaged three comedies from other nights - "Rhoda," "All in the Family" and "Alice" - with one new show, "On Our Own," about two women (Lynnie Greene and Bess Armstrong) who worked in advertising. That series failed, but the concept worked - all three returning series increased in popularity. "Kojak," in its final season, followed the comedies. NBC limped along in third with the returning "Wonderful World of Disney" and "Big Event."

Monday

One of the first premieres of the new season, ABC's "San Pedro Beach Bums," also was one of the early casualties. It might have seemed logical to put a series about five guys living on a houseboat as a lead-in to "Monday Night Football," but it didn't work. Neither did CBS' "Young Daniel Boone," which was canceled after four episodes. "The Betty White Show," which followed "Boone" and premiered the same night, lasted only a few weeks longer. Ditto CBS' "Rafferty," with Patrick McGoohan in the title role. Only "Maude" made any noise for the network - and it was in its final season. As you may have concluded, Monday - and Monday only - belonged to NBC, with "Little House on the Prairie" and a movie.

Tuesday

This was television's most popular night. Anyone over 40 can probably tell you ABC's mega-hit lineup: "Happy Days," "Laverne & Shirley," "Three's Company," "Soap" (in its freshman year) and "Family." CBS, which had dumped most of its variety shows ("Captain and Tennille," "Sonny & Cher" and "Tony Orlando"), replaced Orlando with "The Fitzpatricks" and needn't have bothered. It bombed. Still, CBS wasn't hurting. "MASH" and "One Day at a Time" were solid contributors from 9 to 10 p.m. and "Lou Grant," a "Mary Tyler Moore" spin-off and one of the season's few hits, followed at 10. NBC's "Richard Pryor" show lasted all of five episodes (it didn't help that he angered the network with a semi-nude opening), and "Mulligan's Stew" soured almost as quickly. Angie Dickinson's "Police Woman" entered its final season, though few even noticed.

Wednesday

ABC's golden touch continued when it added spring hit "Eight Is Enough" to the already potent "Baretta" and "Charlie's Angels," while NBC went bust with its new lineup of "Grizzly Adams," "Oregon Trail" and "Big Hawaii." CBS, which had moved its big comedy hits to Sunday, stuck with "Good Times" at 8 and brought back a spring tryout, "Bustin' Loose (with Adam Arkin) at 8:30 p.m. It was gone in a few weeks. A movie followed at 9.

Thursday

CBS didn't change a thing - and wisely so. "The Waltons," "Hawaii 5-0" and "Barnaby Jones" were becoming a popular tradition (the same lineup lasted through the 1979 season). NBC scratched its entire Bicentennial lineup for "CHiPs," "The Man from Atlantis" and Rosetti and Ryan," and went one-for-three, with "CHiPs" becoming a hit as well as an icon of late '70s TV. None of this mattered to ABC. It anchored its evening with two Top 20 hits, "Welcome Back Kotter" and "Barney Miller," the returning "What's Happening" and the new "Carter Country," which garnered just enough viewers to warrant a two-year run. "The Redd Foxx Show" at 10 p.m. was another story. The heavily censored, black-themed variety show disappeared shortly after Christmas.

Friday

Let's just say there wasn't much reason to stay home on Fridays that year. ABC had "Donny & Marie" (which would become the last successful variety show on TV) and a movie, CBS offered "The New Adventures of Wonder Woman," "Logan's Run" and "Switch" and NBC countered with "Sanford Arms," the short-lived "Chico and the Man," the aging "Rockford Files and the 2-year-old "Quincy. M.E," one of TV's first forays into forensic medicine.

Saturday

NBC dumped its tired "Bionic Woman" on Saturday, along with a movie. ABC gave its gasping spring series, "Fish," one more try (it was soon canceled), along with a new series based on the movie "Operation Petticoat," the returning "Starsky and Hutch" and - are you ready? - "The Love Boat," which, when paired with "Fantasy Island" the following season, would become a Saturday staple. Sitcom-happy CBS packaged hits "The Bob Newhart Show" and "The Jeffersons" with soon-to-be-axed "We've Got Each Other" and "The Tony Randall Show."And Carol Burnett entered her final season as the 10 p.m. anchor. A year later, the timeslot was given to a show most said had little chance to succeed - "Dallas."

Terry Hazlett covers TV and radio for the Observer-Reporter. He can be reached at snowballrizzo@aol.com.

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