Time slots not nearly as important as they once were
Long ago, in a TV land far, far away, the time slot awarded to a new series mattered. It was so critical to a show’s success that quality was close to irrelevant.
Readers reminded me of that sad situation in reference to a column on the 1978-79 television season which noted that “Angie” was one of that season’s top five series. Comments ranged from “I never heard of ‘Angie'” to “Are you sure you didn’t mean ‘Charlie’s Angels?” (which would have been one heck of a typo!)
Even ardent viewers of a certain age can’t be faulted for forgetting about “Angie.” The sitcom premiered in February 1979, following the red-hot “Mork and Mindy” on Thursday nights. And because it was coupled with “Mork,” it immediately became a hit, attracting more than a 27 percent household share and spawning a Top 40 hit with “Different Worlds.” But ABC, which had an abundance of sitcom smashes that season, got greedy. That fall, in an attempt to win yet another night from CBS, it moved “Mork” to Sunday to take on “Archie Bunker’s Place” and shuttled “Angie” to Tuesday. Even though the competition was rather lame (“Sheriff Lobo” on NBC and “California Fever” on CBS), “Angie” faded. A panicked ABC shifted it multiple times in the next few months, but “Angie” was doomed to cancellation.
The absence of “Mork” wasn’t the only reason “Angie” tanked. Many critics blamed the show’s writers for quickly marrying the main character (played by Donna Pescow) to her boyfriend (played by Robert Hays), which entirely changed the show’s focus. But let’s give some credit here – the scripting mistake no doubt convinced the writers of “Cheers” to opt for several seasons of Sam-Diane sexual tension as opposed to a second-season wedding.
“Angie” also is far from the only series to benefit from a great time slot, only to be axed soon afterward. In 1971, Sandy Duncan’s “Funny Face” initially was a top 10 show when teamed with “All in the Family,” but viewers soon abandoned it. The following season, “Bridget Loves Bernie” suffered the same fate in the same time slot, but not before briefly becoming a No. 1 series. Other ’70s shows that were briefly popular because of favorable time slots include “Phyllis,” “The Ropers” and “Flo,” although those three spinoff series also benefited from a curiosity factor.
For similar reasons, “Joanie Loves Chachi” was a shooting star in the ’80s, as were “9 to 5,” “Goodnight Beantown” and “Dear John,” among others.
You may have also noticed that all of these series were sitcoms, which can easily be boosted by a lead-in sitcom. Dramas, unfortunately, have to stand on their own, which is one reason why their casualty rate is somewhat higher. Conversely, it’s also a reason networks sometimes give dramas with middlin’ ratings (“Chicago Fire” and “Nashville” are good examples) an extra season to find their footing.
Although Fox premiered many of its new series last week, the 2013-14 season officially began Sunday. And based on time slots, conventional wisdom would pick the winners as “Super Fun Night” (which follows “Modern Family”) and “The Millers” (teamed with “Big Bang Theory”).
But with viewers now having multiple options on when and where to watch shows, time slot isn’t nearly as important. Of the eight series that survived last season, most did not have terrific time slots. “Nashville” and “Chicago Fire” even challenged each other.
Increasingly, then, it’s curiosity that counts, at least initially. No matter where and how they watch it, viewers first have to want to sample a show. This fall, that should bode well for a half-dozen series with buzz – “The Michael J. Fox Show,” “The Blacklist,” “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “The Crazy Ones,” “Sleepy Hollow” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” The good news is that they’ll probably be Top 30 shows through October. The bad news is that if they don’t hold on to a large percentage of the initial audience, they’ll be quickly canceled.
Two of those buzz-worthy series premiered last week and both predictably did well. “Sleepy Hollow” topped 10 million viewers even though it faced off against “Monday Night Football,” and the season premiere of “Dancing with the Stars”was a winner. “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” had a somewhat more modest premiere, although considering it was paired with the horrendous “Dads,” its 6 million viewers is impressive. And viewers heeded the critics. Even though “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” followed “Dads,” it attracted more viewers than that justifiably panned sitcom.