Classic TV Ratings and Rankings: 1977-78
ABC continued to dominate the TV landscape. It had the #1 program, LAVERNE & SHIRLEY, the #2 program, HAPPY DAYS, the #3 program, THREE'S COMPANY, and a #4 program, CHARLIES ANGELS (tie). ABC also had 11 of the top 20 programs and another three in the top 30. This was dominance that the industry was used to seeing from CBS, not ABC.ABC was also doing well with their development. Pf the seven freshmen series to make the top 30, ABC aired four of them, including classic like THE LOVE BOAT and FANTASY ISLAND.
CBS was still felling the effects of its collapse from last season. It does have five top 10 series, but that is also the same number of shows in the top 20, FIVE. The balance of their 11 top 30 programs are between #21 and #29.
Sunday nights and Wednesday nights are the stronger nights for the network, as eight of the night programs are in the top 30. However, freshmen series ON OUR OWN (#29) would end after the one season. The once proud Saturday night line up that was dominate just a couple years before, now had ZERO top 30 programs, despite BOB NEWHART SHOW, CAROL BURNETT and THE JEFFERSON still in the mix.
NBC was at rock bottom. It only had three programs in the top 30, and that includes the Monday Night Movie block. The network programmed nine new series and only one caught on and made the top 30, PROJECT UFO at #19.
Noteable freshmen series not to make the top 30 were THE HARDY BOYS/NANCY DREW MYSTERIES (ABC), THE BETTY WHITE SHOW (CBS), MAN FROM ATLANTIS (NBC), LOU GRANT (CBS), DALLAS (CBS), LOGANS RUN (CBS) and CHiPS (NBC).
Top 30 Network Programs by household ratings
(Households with TVs - 72.90 million)
- 31.6 - Laverne & Shirley (ABC)
- 31.4 - Happy Days (ABC)
- 28.3 - Three's Company (ABC)
- 24.4 - Charlies Angels (ABC)
- 24.4 - 60 Minutes (CBS)
- 24.4 - All In The Family (CBS)
- 24.1 - Little House on the Prairie (NBC)
- 23.3 - M*A*S*H (CBS)
- 23.2 - Alice (CBS)
- 23.0 - One Day At A Time (CBS)
- 22.5 - How The West Was Won (ABC)
- 22.2 - Eight Is Enough (ABC)
- 22.0 - Soap (ABC)
- 21.9 - The Love Boat (ABC)
- 21.7 - NBC Monday Night at the Movies (NBC)
- 21.5 - Monday Night Football (ABC)
- 21.4 - Fantasy Island (ABC)
- 21.4 - Barney Miller (ABC)
- 21.2 - Project UFO (NBC)
- 20.8 - ABC Sunday Night Movie (ABC)
- 20.8 - The Waltons (CBS)
- 20.6 - Barnaby Jones (CBS)
- 20.4 - Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)
- 20.3 - ABC Monday Night Movie (ABC)
- 20.1 - Rhoda (CBS)
- 19.9 - Family (ABC)
- 19.9 - The Incredible Haulk (CBS)
- 19.9 - Welcome Back Kotter (ABC)
- 19.6 - On Our Own (CBS)
- 19.4 - The Big Event (NBC)
No comments