SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1989-1990 Tuesdays

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

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Who’s the Boss?	Various Programs	Roseanne	Chicken Soup	Thirtysomething
Oct		The Wonder Years
Nov				Coach
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

With the breakout success of Roseanne in the 1988-89 season, ABC made the move to a four comedy lineup towards the end of the season and they continued it into the 1989-90 season. Who's the Boss? continued in the lead-off slot where it continued to be a very strong start to the night. After a few series premiere previews, the 8:30pm slot belonged to The Wonder Years, which had moved back to the night late in the previous season. It remained a critical darling and was a hit in its cushy timeslot but ABC was sort of forced to keep it here because it had shown it struggled as an anchor the previous season. At 9pm was Roseanne. Season two climbed even higher as it tied The Cosby Show as the #1 show on TV. It was a massive hit for the network and guided a lot of their programming decisions in the comedy department in the early 1990s. A lead out of a massive hit in 1989 meant a big audience was guaranteed but you always had to worry about retention. That was very true in 1989 with the lead-out to Roseanne, Chicken Soup. Chicken Soup brought comedian Jackie Mason to TV as a middle aged Jewish man married to an Irish Catholic woman played by Lynn Redgrave. Although the series ended up ranking #13 for the year, it only lasted eight episodes because its retention of the Roseanne audience was not strong enough and Mason got himself embroiled in controversy due to statements he made during the NYC Mayoral Election in the Fall of 1989. It was replaced by Coach, which had a successful first season but had been held for midseason. Although it actually delivered lower ratings than Chicken Soup, Coach proved to be a more compatible fit with Roseanne as it had to follow repeats more often so it got to enjoy the rest of the season in the very cushy slot and was renewed for a third season. Thirtysomething continued at 10pm and continued to have a smaller but very loyal audience as well as critical acclaim.

CBS	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	Rescue: 911	Wolf	Island Son
Oct
Nov
Dec		Tuesday Night Movie
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

CBS started their Tuesday lineup with a fully new lineup. It wasn't much of a success but did produce one long running show. That show was the unscripted Rescue: 911 that started the night. The William Shatner hosted series that reenacted emergency calls had started as a series of specials but became a weekly series in the Fall of 1989. It was not a breakout hit but did provide a solid start to the night. At 9pm was Wolf, a crime drama starring Jack Scalia as a San Francisco cop turned private detective. It was followed by another new drama, Island Son, a medical drama starring Richard Chamberlain as a Hawaiian doctor. The show marked Chamberlain's first return to a regular TV show since Dr. Kildare in the early 60s. Both the new dramas were off the lineup by mid November. Wolf was yanked entirely and eventually burned off a couple episodes in the summer while Island Son moved to Thursdays but also was cancelled after one season. Meanwhile, a movie returned to Tuesday nights. Back when movies aired regularly as part of a network's schedule, it seems like every couple years they would try to do something else but often reverted back to the movies until movies were gone for good as a part of the schedule. And for CBS, the return of the Tuesday Night Movie certainly provided better ratings than the two new dramas.

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

NBC had the same Tuesday lineup in 1989-90 that they had for much of 1988-89. Matlock and In the Heat of the Night were old skewing but they were also Top 20 successes for the network. They were followed by the second season of Midnight Caller, which wasn't as strong as the first two dramas. Still, all three shows were renewed for another season and provided stability on the night.

Top Rated Tuesday Show of 1989-90: Roseanne (#1)

Lowest Rated Tuesday Show of 1989-90: Wolf (#79)

What would I have watched on Tuesdays in 1989-90?
Who's the Boss, The Wonder Years, Coach, Roseanne, Thirtysomething. I would have been all in on ABC so I may have given Chicken Soup a try too.

Tomorrow: Top 10 TV Births!

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