SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1987-1988 Saturdays

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Saturdays in the 1987-88 season!

ABC	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	Once a Hero	Ohara	Hotel
Oct	Various Programs
Nov	Sable
Dec	Ohara	Sable
Jan	Dolly	Ohara	Spenser: For Hire
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

Saturdays continued to be a nut that ABC couldn't crack in 1987-88 but it wasn't for lack of trying as they tried several different shows over the course of the season with none of them living to see the 1988-89 season. A trio of dramas started things off. At 8pm was Once a Hero, an action dramedy about a comic book artist whose creation comes to life. It lasted just three episodes and has the distinction of being the lowest rated show in the 1987-88 season among the big three networks. It was followed by two returning dramas: the second season of Ohara and the fifth season of Hotel. Ohara had aired on Saturday nights the previous season and was a borderline renewal while Hotel was finally broken apart from its longtime home following Dynasty on Wednesday nights. Once a Hero was quickly replaced with another show that had comic books in its DNA. Sable was about a children's author by day and a vigilante by night and based on a comic book series. It also starred a young Rene Russo. It was a slight improvement on Once a Hero, but not much. For a short time, it switched spots with Ohara but was cancelled after just seven episodes. The night was revamped in January with Ohara staying put and two Sunday shows moving over to the night. The Dolly Parton variety series Dolly aired at 8pm and Spenser: For Hire at 10pm. Neither show fared any better on Saturday and both were cancelled. Spenser: For Hire ended after three seasons and 66 episodes while never finding a consistent audience or timeslot. It did live on though with a spinoff (A Man Called Hawk) a year later and some TV movies in the 90s.

CBS	8:00	8:30	9:00	10:00
Sep	Various Programs
Oct	My Sister Sam	Everything’s Relative	Leg Work	West 57th
Nov	Saturday Night Movie
Dec
Jan	High Mountain Rangers		Houston Knights
Feb
Mar			Tour of Duty
Apr
May

CBS had a plan for a new Saturday night lineup that lasted all of one month. The original lineup had a comedy block, a drama and a newsmagazine. First up was My Sister Sam, a second year comedy that had done well in a protected Monday night slot. When it was thrown to the wolves on Saturday nights, its ratings declined dramatically. It was followed by Everything's Relative, a comedy about two brothers starring John Bolger and a pre-Seinfeld Jason Alexander. The comedies were followed by Leg Work, a crime drama starring Margaret Colin as a private investigator. The night ended with the third season of West 57th. While 57th survived the entire year at 10pm and was renewed, the scripted programming did not make it long. My Sister Sam resurfaced on Tuesdays later in the season but Everything's Relative and Leg Work were not seen again after the first week of November. A movie took over the first two hours for awhile but scripted series returned in January, led by new drama High Mountain Rangers. The action drama starred Robert Conrad and his real life sons and was centered on search and rescue officers in Tahoe, Nevada. It lasted the rest of the season but was then cancelled. The 9pm slot first went to Houston Knights, which moved over from Tuesdays and then headed back to Tuesdays before being cancelled. It was replaced on Saturdays by Tour of Duty, which had aired on Thursdays and did just enough to get renewed for a second season.

NBC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	The Facts of Life	227	The Golden Girls	Amen	Hunter
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan					J.J. Starbuck
Feb
Mar					Hunter
Apr
May

NBC easily continued to be the top network on Saturday nights and their lineup was pretty much exactly the same as the previous year with one small change at 10pm for a short time. Leading off was once again The Facts of Life. But the show that had been on since the 1970s was finally at its end. It ended in May 1988 after a hugely successful run of nine seasons and 209 episodes. It still did pretty well in its final season in the ratings but some of the stars were ready to move on and it had run its course. It was followed by the third season of 227, which was a reliable lead-out show. The Golden Girls followed at 9pm and remained the top show on TV that didn't air on NBC Thursday nights though it was not able to make it a three-peat at the Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series. Amen followed at 9:30pm. The second year sitcom was similar to 227 in that it was a very capable lead-out show but I'm sure NBC had some questions about its capability of being an anchor show. 10pm mostly belonged to Hunter. The fourth year drama had found its niche in a difficult slot on Saturdays. For a brief time, NBC swapped Hunter with J.J. Starbuck but it was an ill-fated move that lasted only a couple months before Hunter returned.

FOX	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30
Sep	Werewolf	The New Adventures of Beans Baxter	Second Chance	Duet
Oct
Nov	Mr. President	Women in Prison	The New Adventures of Beans Baxter	Second Chance
Dec
Jan	Second Chance			Mr. President
Feb
Mar
Apr	Family Double Dare	Second Chance	Werewolf	Werewolf
May			Dirty Dozen: The Series

FOX had expanded to Saturdays in the Summer of 1987 and some of their shows continued when the 1987-88 season kicked off. First up was Werewolf, a half hour drama a college student who had transformed into a werewolf. It lasted one (long) season but has since had a small cult following. At 8:30pm was The New Adventures of Beans Baxter, an adventure dramedy about a teenager who also operated as a spy. It aired it last original in November 1987 but reruns continued all the way through March. At 9pm was Second Chance, a sitcom starring Kiel Martin as a deceased man and Matthew Perry as his younger self. The high concept show was the only brand new fall entry on Saturdays for FOX but it struggled out of the gate. It was sent into reruns to be revamped into a show that was less high concept. Martin left the cast and it was rechristened in January 1988 as a buddy comedy called Boys Will Be Boys. The revamp didn't work and it was cancelled at the end of the season. At 9:30pm was Duet, a show that had been airing on Sundays and was quickly sent back to Sundays in November. The Saturday lineup was completely rejiggered in November with Mr. President moving over from Sunday and Beans Baxter and Second Chance sliding back half an hour. A new entry aired at 8:30pm. Women in Prison came many years before Orange is the New Black and centered on a women's prison in Wisconsin. It lasted just 13 episodes. Late in the season, the lineup was shuffled again with Nickelodeon game show Family Double Dare taking a run on a broadcast network and Second Chance (now Boys Will Be Boys at 8:30pm). The 9pm slot was first a double dose of Werewolf but in May, it was a new hour long drama. Dirty Dozen: The Series was based on a film franchise and set during World War II. FOX was struggling to find a defining show for Saturday nights like the several they had for Sundays.

Top Rated Saturday Show in 1986-87: The Golden Girls (#4)
Lowest Rated Saturday Show in 1986-87: Once a Hero (#105)
(Please note FOX shows were not included in the ratings)

What would I have watched on Saturdays in 1986-87?
Probably The Golden Girls and maybe 227 or Amen. That's probably about it.

Tomorrow: Top 10 Theme Songs of the 2000s!

Next Monday: A look at Sundays in 1987-88!