SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1988-1989 Tuesdays

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Tuesdays in the 1988-89 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Various Programs		Tuesday Night Movie
Oct	Who’s the Boss?	Roseanne
Nov
Dec			Moonlighting		Thirtysomething
Jan
Feb
Mar		The Wonder Years	Roseanne	Anything But Love
Apr
May				Have Faith

As mentioned in my Monday post, the 1988-89 season got off to a delayed start thanks to the Writer's Strike that led to a rolling start to shows instead of a traditional premiere week. ABC got the beginning of its lineup started in October. Who's the Boss? was an extremely successful lead-off show right in its prime but it was eclipsed by the show that followed. At 8:30pm was Roseanne, which was a breakout hit. It might be difficult to remember now given all that has happened with the show and its star, but when it debuted in the Fall of 1988, it was not like anything else on TV. The blue collar and opinionated family was a different kind of TV family and Roseanne was a mammoth hit right away. It finished the season at #2 in the ratings only behind The Cosby Show. It's interesting how both those shows helped redefine the family sitcom for the positive but have had their legacies tarnished in part thanks to their stars although it's not as severe a situation for Roseanne, whose TV family lives on to this day with The Conners. ABC's two Tuesday dramas didn't start until December. Moonlighting was no longer a buzzy show for the network and dropped pretty severely in its fifth season from #12 to #49. That resulted in it being pulled off Tuesdays in March and sent to Sundays before being cancelled at the end of the season. It was one of those shows that burned brightly but quickly. Thirtysomething continued at 10pm. It was fresh off an Emmy win for Outstanding Drama Series but couldn't translate that exposure into becoming a show with a huge audience. It stayed a niche show even after its Emmy win. When Moonlighting moved off the night, ABC went to a two hour comedy block and Roseanne became the 9pm anchor in its first season, deservedly so. The Wonder Years returned to the night after experiencing a ratings dip on Wednesdays while a new comedy aired at 9:30pm. Anything But Love starred Richard Lewis and Jamie Lee Curtis as co-workers who struggled to keep things platonic. It only aired six episodes but airing behind Roseanne gave it a Top 10 finish in the ratings and an easy renewal even if it was a timeslot hit. At the very end of the season, ABC aired Have Faith at 9:30pm. Set in a Chicago Catholic Parish, it lasted just seven episodes and aired into the summer before being cancelled.

CBS	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	Various Programs	Tuesday Night Movie
Oct	High Risk
Nov
Dec	TV 101
Jan	Tour of Duty
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

After a couple years of instability on Tuesdays, CBS had gone with a movie late in the 1987-88 season. They continued that into 1988-89 so a movie aired from 9-11pm all season to so-so ratings so only the 8pm hour changed. The first 8pm entry was a scramble in light of the Writer's Strike so the unscripted High Risk aired. The show was hosted by Wayne Rogers and centered on high risk stunts and jobs. It lasted off and on through October and November before being quickly forgotten when scripted shows could come back. The planned entry came on the very last week of November. TV 101 was a drama starring Sam Robards as photojournalist who returned to his alma mater high school to teach. The show also featured a young Matt LeBlanc, Stacey Dash and Teri Polo. It lasted just four weeks on Tuesdays before being moved to Wednesdays but was ultimately one of the lowest rated shows on TV in the 1988-89 season. The final 8pm entry was the second season of Tour of Duty, which had been held for midseason. The show was not a big hit in the ratings but had a decent amount of critical acclaim and that probably accounted for it lasting longer than one might have expected. It was underwent a small retooling for season two and despite more middling ratings, was renewed for a third season.

NBC	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	Summer Olympics
Oct	Various Programs	Tuesday Night Movie
Nov
Dec	Matlock	In the Heat of the Night	Midnight Caller
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

It took a long time for NBC to get its fall lineup off the ground as the Olympics aired in September and then was followed by specials and movies for two months. But once the lineup launched after Thanksgiving, it stayed in tact for the rest of the season. Matlock returned to 8pm where it continued to be a big hit for NBC, especially with the older crowd. Late in the previous season, NBC finally found a suitable companion for Matlock with In the Heat of the Night so that returned to the 9pm slot. It was not quite as big a ratings hit as Matlock, but star Carroll O'Connor did win the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1989 (despite being absent for the final four episodes of the season due to bypass surgery). At 10pm was a new drama. Midnight Caller continued the crime drama theme to the night. It starred Gary Cole as a former police detective who was now hosting a talk radio show and continuing to solve crimes with clues from his callers. The drama was taking advantage of the burgeoning medium of talk radio in the late 1980s. Though it did not come close to the numbers that Matlock and In the Heat of the Night were getting, it did get renewed for a second season. It also received a significant amount of controversy in season one for airing an episode related to the HIV/AIDS crisis that was received a lot of criticism and protests from activists. A follow-up episode in season two received a much better response.

Top Rated Tuesday Show in 1988-89: Roseanne (#2)
Lowest Rated Tuesday Show in 1988-89: TV 101 (#101)

What would I have watched on Tuesdays in 1988-89?
Who's the Boss?, Roseanne and Thirtysomething. I certainly would have watched The Wonder Years when it returned to the night and probably would have watched Anything But Love. I also likely would have sampled TV 101. 

Tomorrow: Top 10 TV Hangout Spots!

Next Monday: A look at Wednesdays in 1988-89!