Oct 19, 2014 4 min read

Mention “Single Guy,” “Caroline in the City,” “Suddenly Susan,” “Union Square” or “Veronica’s Closet” to veteran NBC executives, and you’ll get a collective shake of the head.

Those were the five series the network unsuccessfully tried, in various configurations, to package with its two signature series, “Friends” and “Seinfeld,” between 1995 and 1997. The success rate wasn’t any better when the still-hot “Friends” and “Frasier” anchored the 8 and 9 p.m. positions in 1998 and 1999. Anyone remember “Jesse” or “Stark Raving Mad”?

Those are the most famous examples of network frustration in constructing a hit comedy block, even when two of the four components are already in place. There are a few legendary sitcom blocks, of course, the most famous being 1973’s CBS Saturday lineup of “All in the Family,” “MASH,” “Mary Tyler Moore” and “The Bob Newhart Show.” (It also didn’t hurt that “The Carol Burnett Show” wrapped up the night.)

CBS blew it, of course, as the following season it diverted “MASH” to Tuesdays and replaced it with something called “Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers.” Sand was hardly a household name. In fact, he was best known for appearing in an especially funny episode of “Mary Tyler Moore.” Needless to say, the hit Saturday sitcom block soon disintegrated.

There are a few other rare instances when the planets aligned:

• ABC Friday, 1971-72 – “Brady Bunch, “Partridge Family,” ‘Room 222″ and “Odd Couple”;

• ABC Tuesday, 1978-79 – “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley,” ‘Three’s Company” and ‘Taxi”;

• NBC Thursday, 1984-87 – “Cosby,” “Family Ties,” “Cheers” and “Night Court.”

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that all of those lineups eventually imploded when the networks attempted to use the nights as nesting for new series.

Here’s the point.

Since 2009, ABC has tried to find sitcoms compatible with its Wednesday hits, “The Middle” and “Modern Family.” It failed miserably with shows such as “Hank,” “Cougar Town,” “Happy Endings” and “Don’t Trust the B in Apt. 23.” No matter that some of those series were entertaining. Ultimately, they were incompatible with the anchors, which are clearly family comedies.

Last season, ABC stumbled again, with “Back in the Game” and “Super Fun Night,” and doubled down on the failure when it replaced them with “Suburgatory” and “Mixology.” Meanwhile, the family sitcom, “The Goldbergs,” was struggling on Tuesdays, where it was oddly matched with “Trophy Wife.”

Then, ABC executives, who evidently threw up their hands when not depositing their healthy paychecks, started to pay attention to emails from viewers, who suggested that “The Goldbergs” be moved to Wednesday. It finally happened. ABC inserted “The Goldbergs” and the new “black-ish” in the bottom-of-the-hour slots, and voilá! For the first time in years, the network has a sitcom lineup in which the remote control can remain at rest.

Through the first month of the new season, ratings have been encouraging. “The Middle” and “The Goldbergs” draw virtually identically sized audiences, and “Modern Family” and “black-ish” have the largest viewership of the night on any network.

Let’s hope ABC doesn’t use any of the shows to shore up its other comedy blocks, most of which are struggling. Frankly, the lifespan of the aging “The Middle” and “Modern Family” are limited. If “The Goldbergs” and “black-ish” continue to flourish, they will be called upon to anchor the hours within two years. And then the search for compatible shows will begin anew. For now, though, ABC controls Wednesday viewership. Finally.

You may well ask why, with all of the delayed viewing options, networks even care about creating compatible programming? It’s a valid question. The answer is that networks still prefer a “live” audience, especially when advertisers are promoting movie openings or special sales, and local stations are plugging their nightly news. A hit comedy – or drama – block reduces the impulse to launch the DVR or, for that matter, the DVD.

We’ll detail the hits and misses of the TV season next time, but “Manhattan Love Story,” “A to Z” or “Red Band Society” may be gone before that column appears. On the flip side, “How to Get Away with Murder” and “NCIS: New Orleans” loom as breakout new series.

While I’m generally not a fan of moving series to new time slots, the juggernaut that is “The Walking Dead” is playing havoc with the networks on Sundays. ABC’s “Resurrection” – which I’d assume draws much of the same audience as “Walking Dead” – needs to be shifted elsewhere immediately.