SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1987-1988 Sundays

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

ABC	7:00	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	Disney Sunday Movie	Spenser: For Hire	Dolly	Buck James
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan		Various Programs	Sunday Night Movie
Feb
Mar		Supercarrier
Apr
May		Various Programs

ABC had just had two movies on Sunday nights through the 1986-87 season but they were more ambitious for the 1987-88 season. First of all, the Disney Sunday Movie was reduced to just one hour. And at the beginning of the season, the Sunday Night Movie is gone and ABC went with weekly series. At 8pm was season three of Spenser: For Hire. The drama had not found a steady audience over the past couple years on Tuesdays, Fridays or Saturdays. It seems surprising it was given such a prominent slot, trying to kick off a revamped night. It also was not compatible with its lead-out, the variety series Dolly hosted by Dolly Parton. Although Dolly premiered to big numbers, it dropped quickly. It was a valiant but ultimately failed effort at reviving the variety format which had been dead for quite awhile by 1987. It was actually Parton's second attempt at a variety show. She had a syndicated one that ran for one year in the mid 1970s. At 10pm was Buck James, a medical drama starring Dennis Weaver as a Texas surgeon. In January, Spenser: For Hire and Dolly went to Saturdays while Buck James went on hiatus before resurfacing on Tuesdays. The Sunday Night Movie returned at 9pm while some two hour Disney movies, specials and the Olympics filled the time before a new drama launched in March. Supercarrier was a military drama about Navy Pilots on an aircraft carrier. It lasted just eight episodes before cancellation.

CBS	7:00	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	60 Minutes	Murder, She Wrote	Sunday Night Movie
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

It was status quo for CBS on Sunday nights with their same successful lineup of 60 Minutes, Murder She Wrote and the Sunday Night Movie that it had for most of the previous season. With both 60 Minutes and Murder placing in the Top 10, there was little reason to attempt to change things.

NBC	7:00	8:00	8:30	9:00	10:00
Sep	Our House	Family Ties	My Two Dads	Sunday Night Movie
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar			Day by Day
Apr
May

After briefly switching to a drama at 8pm the previous spring, NBC returned to a comedy hour on Sunday nights for the fall. First up though was the return of Our House to the 7pm slot. The family drama was a borderline renewal the season before but then dropped in the ratings for season two. Even in a difficult timeslot, it did not do enough to warrant a third season and was cancelled after two full seasons. NBC tried to carve out a strong comedy hour on Sunday nights by bringing over longtime Thursday staple Family Ties to lead it off. The move worked as Family Ties did not reach its Thursday highs but still landed in the Top 20 for the year. It also proved to be a solid launching pad for the new sitcom My Two Dads. My Two Dads starred Paul Reiser, Greg Evigan and Staci Keanan and centered on two men raising a daughter without being sure which one was her biological father. Despite the odd premise, it proved to be a solid match with Family Ties. My Two Dads ended its season early to make room for Day by Day, a comedy from the same creator as Family Ties and set in the same universe. It was centered on a couple opening a daycare center and the cast included Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Courtney Thorne-Smith and Thora Birch, all in early roles of their career. Although not as successful as My Two Dads, it was also renewed for a second season. The Sunday Night Movie was not as strong as CBS's but stronger than ABC's that returned at midseason.

FOX	7:00	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00	10:30
Sep	21 Jump Street	Married With Children	Various Programs	The Tracey Ullman Show	Mr. President	Local Programming
Oct
Nov		Werewolf	Married With Children		Duet
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar				It’s Garry Shandling’s Show		The Tracey Ullman Show	Local Programs
Apr		America’s Most Wanted
May							Werewolf

FOX had a lot of shows on Sunday nights as it was one of only two nights they programmed back in 1987-88. They also lacked a consistent schedule outside of 7pm where 21 Jump Street aired all season. The second year drama quickly became one of FOX's anchor shows. Another one was Married... with Children, which actually spent most of the season at 8:30pm after a brief run at 8pm. Meanwhile, the 8pm slot became Werewolf, which seemed like an odd fit between Jump Street and Married. At the very end of the year, the new America's Most Wanted took over the 8pm slot. Hosted by John Walsh, the true crime series became an iconic FOX property that ran for 25 years. Four days after the first episode, one of the suspects profiled was captured which helped raise its credibility. The 9pm hour was initially The Tracey Ullman Show and Mr. President. The Tracey Ullman Show was another early success story for FOX but Mr. President was sent to Saturdays and then cancelled. Duet returned to the night to replace Mr. President and did get a third season. Meanwhile, Tracey moved to 10pm when FOX expanded to that hour. For the beginning part of the season, the 10pm hour was given to the local affiliates (like it is today). The 9pm replacement was reruns of It's Garry Shandling's Show, a sitcom that was airing on Showtime in a move to try to bolster the FOX lineup. It needed small cuts in content but helped the overall night and was a good fit with the bawdy Married... with Children. Late in the season, FOX expanded to 10:30pm to move Werewolf there.

Top Rated Sunday Show in 1987-88: 60 Minutes (#8)
Lowest Rated Sunday Show in 1987-88: Our House (#70)
(Please note FOX shows were not included in the ratings)

What would I have watched on Sundays in 1987-88?
Family Ties, My Two Dads, Day by Day. Probably Our House. Maybe some episodes of Murder, She Wrote.

Tomorrow: Top 10 Theme Songs of the 2010s!

Next Monday: A look at Mondays in the 1988-89 season!