Classic TV Ratings and Rankings: 1976-77
It was inevitable, ALL IN THE FAMILY was finally dethroned as the #1 program, after five years. The new #1 program was also a sitcom, ABC's HAPPY DAYS. Now in its fourth season, HAPPY DAYS took the nation by storm. The 50's were cool and everyone wanted to be like THE FONZ.HAPPY DAYS lead into the #2 program on TV, sophomore comedy LAVERN & SHIRLEY. The HAPPY DAYS spin-off was a hit right off the bat, grabbing #3 its freshman season. ABC was on a roll, with hit shows coming out almost regularly. This season, six of its new series made the top 30.
ABC produced 7 of the top 10 shows, including four of the top 5. Plus, it had 17 of the top 30. In just two short years, ABC went from just three top 30 series to 17. That is a 567% jump. And as much as they were doing things right, they also have to thank CBS for doing things wrong.
CBS just had to fix the those schedules which showed no signs of being broken. Two years of dominating, but moving shows all around came to roost. Everything was not working. Monday nights went from dominate to a door matt. Saturdays were not clicking. Sunday's developed holes and none of the new series were catching on.
Starting things off, they moved ALL IN THE FAMILY for the second straight season, now on Wednesdays. But if that was not bad enough. They saw that the ship was sinking. ALL IN THE FAMILY dropped to 12th in that Wednesday time slot and their strong Saturday night line up only had THE JEFFERSONS (#24) making the top 30. So in the winter, THE JEFFERSONS moved from Saturdays to Mondays. PHYLLIS and RHODA move to Sundays, with little success. The only consistancy the network had was M*A*S*H and ONE DAY AT A TIME on Tuesdays and THE WALTONS and HAWAII FIVE-0 on Thursdays. Everything else was in shambles.
CBS could only muster 9 series into the top 30 and only ALICE (#30) made the top 30 as a frehsman series. They only way things could get worse was if CBS was NBC.
NBC only placed four programs in the top 30, and two of those were movie blocks. Its once shinning hit SANFORD AND SON dropped all the way down to #27 and the once hot comedy CHICO & THE MAN was out of the top 30. The only other scripted series NBC had on the chart was the family friendly LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRARIE.
Notable new shows that didn't make the top 30 were FISH (spin-off from BARNEY MILLER), SERPICO (Adapted from the theatrical movie), CPO SHARKEY (Don Rickles), THE LIFE AND TIMES OF GRIZZLY ADAMS, and BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP.
Top 30 Network Programs by household ratings
(Households with TVs - 71.20 million)
- 31.5 - Happy Days (ABC)
- 30.9 - Laverne & Shirley (ABC)
- 26.0 - ABC Monday Night Movie (ABC)
- 25.9 - M*A*S*H (CBS)
- 25.8 - Charlie's Angels (ABC)
- 24.2 - The Six Million Dollar Man (ABC)
- 24.4 - The Big Event (NBC)
- 23.4 - One At A Time (CBS)
- 23.4 - Baretta (ABC)
- 23.4 - ABC Sunday Night Movie (ABC)
- 23.1 - Three's Company (ABC)
- 22.9 - All In The Family (CBS)
- 22.7 - Welcome Back Kotter (ABC)
- 22.4 - The Bionic Woman (ABC)
- 22.3 - The Waltons (CBS)
- 22.3 - Little House on the Prairie (NBC)
- 22.2 - Barney Miller (ABC)
- 21.9 - Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)
- 21.9 - 60 minutes (CBS)
- 21.8 - NBC Monday Night at the Movies (NBC)
- 21.6 - Rich Man, Poor Man, Book II (ABC)
- 21.2 - Monday Night Football (ABC)
- 21.1 - Eight Is Enough (ABC)
- 21.0 - The Jeffersons (CBS)
- 20.9 - What's Happening (ABC)
- 20.5 - Good Times (CBS)
- 20.3 - Sanford and Son (NBC)
- 20.2 - ABC Friday Night Movie (ABC)
- 20.1 - The Tony Randall Show (ABC)
- 20.0 - Alice (CBS)
No comments