SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1991-1992 Thursdays

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1991-92 season! After this week, I will be taking a one week break for Thanksgiving!

ABC	8:00	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Pros and Cons	FBI: The Untold Stories	American Detective	Primetime Live
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan	Thursday Night Movie
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

ABC had some small revamps for Thursday nights in 1990-91. The first hour was given to Pros and Cons, which was a revamped version of the drama Gabriel's Fire from the previous season. Despite an Emmy win for star James Earl Jones, Gabriel's struggled to find an audience and the network wanted the show to be more lighthearted as part of a network-wide initiative to get rid of more serious dramas. The revamped version was even less successful than the original and Pros and Cons was off the air in January. The rest of the night on ABC was devoted to unscripted programming. ABC paired two crime reality shows: the new FBI: The Untold Stories and the returning American Detective. Both shows were sort of surrenders against NBC's powerful Thursday night lineup but they were also cheap enough options that did well enough to get an upgrade to the Monday 8pm hour at midseason. When they moved and Pros and Cons was cancelled, a movie took over the first two hours. All through the season, Primetime Live continued at 10pm.

CBS	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	Top Cops	The Trials of Rosie O’Neill	Knots Landing
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan		Street Stories
Feb
Mar
Apr			The Human Factor
May

In 1990-91, CBS was all over the place on Thursday nights with dramas, comedies, reality shows, superhero shows and more. Things were a little less chaotic in 1991-92 but they were still competing with NBC's dominant lineup. At 8pm was Top Cops for another season. It lasted for a whole season as a cheap option against The Cosby Show and The Simpsons. At 9pm was The Trials of Rosie O'Neill, which had been a disappointing high profile freshman the previous year. For its second season, it was given a more difficult timeslot but also added Ed Asner to the cast amidst other changes. The series did not fare any better and was yanked from the lineup in December. It resurfaced on Saturdays in the spring before being cancelled. Replacing it at 9pm was a reality show to pair with Top Cops. Street Stories was a documentary show hosted by Ed Bradley. It lasted the rest of the season but did not return for a second season. Knots Landing continued at 10pm for its 13th season. It was the lone primetime soap standing following the end of Dallas the previous season. It dealt with some issues during the season as production was shut down in the Fall of 1991 for script re-tooling. Late in the season, the 10pm slot was handed over to The Human Factor, a medical drama starring John Mahoney (shortly before Frasier) and Eriq LaSalle (shortly before ER) among others. It lasted just five episodes before being cancelled.

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

NBC had consistency for its Thursday night lineup in 1991-92 as they didn't attempt to launch any new shows on the night at any point during the season. It also was a lineup that was starting to falter by its own standards. After years with multiple shows in the Top 5, only Cheers was in the Top 10 in 1991-92. The Cosby Show had once been a #1 show for five years running at one point but in its eighth season, it dropped all the way to #16. The decision was made by Bill Cosby and NBC to end the series after eight seasons and 201 episodes. Of course it has a complicated legacy now after what happened to its star, but it truly was a groundbreaking show that was the ringleader in bringing its network to dominance. It continued to be followed by spinoff A Different World, which had never aired behind any other show but topped Cosby in the ratings for a second straight season. Cheers continued to be the darling of the Thursday night lineup and despite some rumblings that it might end after ten seasons, it was renewed for an eleventh season. It was the top Thursday show but wasn't immune from the overall decline in NBC's Thursday lineup. Wings returned to 9:30pm after being bounced around the lineup the previous season. It was a strong performer but still dropped off quite a bit from Cheers. This wasn't a Roseanne/Coach situation. L.A. Law continued at 10pm and weathered the storm of losing original cast members Harry Hamlin and Jimmy Smits. While NBC's Thursday was stable, it was clear the night needed a shakeup for the 1992-93 season, especially with Cosby departing.

FOX	8:00	8:30	9:00
Sep	The Simpsons	Drexell’s Class	Beverly Hills, 90210
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

FOX had launched Thursday nights in 1990-91 and then immediately carved out a presence there with the bold choice to move The Simpsons to the night. It paid off for them as the night quickly became an early success story for them. The Simpsons continued at 8pm for a second season and continued to easily be the young network's highest rated show. The other show that helped them launch Thursdays was Beverly Hills, 90210, which experienced breakout success in 1991-92. The show was extremely buzzy with young audiences thanks to its young, beautiful cast. It was also part of an early FOX initiative to ditch the traditional TV season. It launched its second season in July 1991 and aired many episodes before the traditional season even started. Obviously the idea of a 52 week season has been bandied about in various ways off an on over the years but broadcast networks still cling to the traditional broadcast season for the most part even in the 2020s. In between the two established hits was the new Drexell's Class, a comedy starring Dabney Coleman as a former corporate raider turned fifth grade teacher in Iowa. The standard sitcom was a bit of an odd fit between a groundbreaking animated show and a teen drama. It lasted the full season but was cancelled at the end of the season.

Top Rated Thursday Show of 1991-92: Cheers (#4)

Lowest Rated Thursday Show of 1991-92: Pros and Cons (#85)

What would I have watched on Thursdays in 1991-92?

Just NBC really but I probably would have watched it from start to finish.

Tomorrow: Top 10 Everybody Loves Raymond Characters!

Monday in 2 Weeks: A look at Fridays in the 1991-92 season!