SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1989-1990 Thursdays

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1989-90 season!

ABC	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	Mission: Impossible	The Young Riders	Primetime Live
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan	Father Dowling Mysteries
Feb
Mar
Apr		Twin Peaks
May

ABC was coming off a season where nothing that aired on Thursdays lived to see the 1989-90 season. So they had to start from scratch on the night. Leading off the night was the reboot of Mission: Impossible, which had struggled in its first season and was tasked with the tough assignment of leading off Thursdays. It was not up to the task and was sent back to Saturdays in January. It was replaced by Father Dowling Mysteries, which had been cancelled by NBC after one season. It did a little better on ABC in the difficult slot and was renewed for a third season though the show seems like it might have fit best on CBS. At 9pm was a new drama, The Young Riders. Centered around the Pony Express in the Nebraska Territory during the pre-Civil War, Riders was one of the many ABC dramas in this era that had some critical support and a loyal audience but not a mass audience. The drama's cast included Josh Brolin, Stephen Baldwin and Brett Cullen among others. It ended its season early to make room for a really buzzy newbie. Twin Peaks was unlike anything seen on TV at the time. Often credited as a turning point for TV drama, the series was a dark and twisty mystery that captivated audiences from the start. Its mood alone seems to have been a precursor for the many moody dramas relishing their ambiance that have come since. The pilot (airing on a Sunday) delivered big ratings for ABC and the series did quite well too despite a very difficult slot. It also was very popular in media circles and the buzz stayed strong through the short first season. Of course it flamed out in season two, but more on that in my 1990-91 posts. Although Twin Peaks burned brightly and quickly, ABC had more stability at 10pm with a newsmagazine that had premiered in early August. Primetime Live was hosted by Sam Donaldson and Diane Sawyer and provided stable ratings in a slot that had been trouble for the network. It was definitely a better year for ABC on Thursdays.

CBS	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	48 Hours	Top of the Hill	Knots Landing
Oct
Nov
Dec		Island Son
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr		Max Monroe: Loose Cannon
May		Falcon Crest

CBS had one troubled hour on Thursday nights and stability in the other two. 48 Hours continued at 8pm. The newsmagazine wasn't a big hit but CBS probably wisely knew they'd struggle to do any better with a scripted show in the difficult hour. The first attempt at 9pm was Top of the Hill, a political drama about a US Representative and his father, a former US Representative. The series came from Stephen J. Cannell who was much more known for action dramas. It lasted just 10 episodes before being cancelled. It was replaced by Island Son, which had moved over from Tuesdays but fared no better on Thursdays. The medical drama joined Top of the Hill on the cancellation pile by the end of March. The third drama in the slot was Max Monroe: Loose Cannon, which had aired four episodes on Fridays in January before being yanked off the air for a couple months. It aired four more episodes on Thursdays before being yanked for good. The final drama to air in the 9pm was the very end of Falcon Crest, which had spent its entire run on Fridays but was brought over to Thursdays for its final four episodes. With the 80s having come to a close, the opulent primetime soaps were quickly disappearing. Falcon ended its successful run after nine seasons and 227 episodes but doesn't seem to be remembered much today.

NBC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	The Cosby Show	A Different World	Cheers	Dear John	Hardball
Oct					Various Programs
Nov					L.A. Law
Dec
Jan				Grand
Feb
Mar
Apr				Wings
May

NBC crossed in the 1990s still being the dominant network on Thursday nights (a title they would of course retain for the entire decade). The Cosby Show welcomed Lisa Bonet back to its cast for its sixth season. After four straight years being #1 in the ratings, it had to settle for a tie for #1 in 1989-90 with ABC's Roseanne. It continued to be followed by A Different World, which still was about as strong a lead-out as you could ask for. Cheers continued at 9pm with a season that finally won Ted Danson the Emmy for Lead Actor n his eighth nomination for the series. The 9:30pm slot was more of a revolving door. At the beginning of the season, it was the same show that occupied the slot in 1988-89. Second year sitcom Dear John did OK but NBC moved it to Wednesdays in hopes of finding a better lead-out. The first attempt was Grand, a soap satire about three interconnected families. With a cast that included John Randolph, Pamela Reed, Michael McKean, Bonnie Hunt and a young Sara Rue and from the creators of The Cosby Show, it seemed to be a can't miss prospect and had a great theme song to boot. It of course did pretty well in the ratings thanks to its slot, but it did not set the world on fire and was considered a disappointment. NBC hesitated on a renewal and the season finale actually made a commentary on that but it did ultimately get renewed for a second season. The next tryout in the slot fared better. Wings was considered "Cheers in an airport" since it came from longtime Cheers veterans and had a large ensemble cast. It also was set in the Cheers universe with some characters crossing over from time to time. While it never garnered the critical love of Cheers, it settled in for a long run. It was one of those shows like Coach on ABC, which always did better as a lead-out show than an anchor. The 9:30pm attempts weren't just in the regular season. A little show called Seinfeld got a summer tryout but more on that in 1990-91. The 10pm slot belonged to L.A. Law but as usual, that show did not start its season until November. NBC previewed Friday show Hardball for a couple weeks and then had a variety of shows airing before Law began another Emmy-winning year. 

Top Rated Thursday Show of 1989-90: The Cosby Show (#1)
Lowest Rated Thursday Show of 1989-90: Mission: Impossible (#79)

What would I have watched on Thursdays in 1989-90?
The Cosby Show, Cheers, Wings. I'm sure I would have sampled Grand and probably also watched A Different World and L.A. Law. Among non-NBC shows, I'm sure I would have been interested in Twin Peaks and maybe Top of the Hill. 

Tomorrow: Top 10 Game Shows!

Next Monday: A look at Fridays in 1989-90!