SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1991-1992 Wednesdays

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Wednesdays in the 1991-92 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00	10:30
Sep	Dinosaurs	Various Programs	Doogie Howser M.D.	Sibs	Anything But Love	Good & Evil
Oct		The Wonder Years
Nov				Anything But Love	Civil Wars
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar	The Wonder Years	Doogie Howser M.D.	Young Indiana Jones Chronicles		Homefront
Apr			Room for Two	Sibs
May			Various Programs

Despite the fact that they pretty much have never worked in TV history, ABC went with three hours of sitcoms on Wednesdays to start the 1991-92 season and it lasted all of two months. Leading things off was Dinosaurs, which had a very short debut season at the end of the 1990-91 season. It was a tall order for a young show and perhaps one that Dinosaurs wasn't really cut out for, especially because it would have been better off in a more kid friendly slot on Fridays (which is where it eventually returned). It was followed by The Wonder Years which was benched again from being a lead-off show. It always was a decent performer but never did well when given an anchor slot. Doogie Howser M.D. continued at 9pm while a new show followed. Sibs was a sitcom about three adult sisters, played by Marsha Mason, Margaret Colin and Jami Gertz. Anything But Love was given the difficult task of the 10pm anchor slot. The show had been jerked around by the network pretty much since its inception, much to the chagrin of its stars. It was also followed by a new sitcom, the odd Good & Evil. The show came from the creators of Soap and had some similarities to that cult favorite 1970s show. The series was a soap opera parody of sorts and starred Margaret Whitton and Teri Garr as good and evil sisters. The show was polarizing as some critics liked the subversive nature while a lot of the audience was turned off by the very off-putting feel to it. By the time November rolled around, both the freshmen shows were struggling and ABC yanked them both. Good & Evil was cancelled and Sibs was put on hiatus. Anything But Love benefited from both the freshman failing as it moved up to 9:30pm but it was still a mediocre performer at best and was cancelled at the end of the season after four scattershot seasons. ABC went back to a drama at 10pm with the launch of Civil Wars, a series centered on the lives of New York City divorce attorneys. The series was not a strong performer but the auspices behind it (including executive producer Steven Bochco) and some critical attention got it renewed for a second season. In the spring, it flipped timeslots with Tuesday's Homefront, another struggling freshman with some acclaim. Meanwhile, Dinosaurs and Anything But Love were off the night with The Wonder Years and Doogie Howser M.D. taking the 8pm hour. The 9pm hour was given to a high profile new drama. The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles was a big budget show centered on a young version of the movie character made famous by Harrison Ford. The series was a huge swing by the network and the Weds 9pm slot seemed a little odd for a family friendly show. It did well enough in the ratings to get a second season after its seven episode freshman run. Late in the season, the 9pm hour went back to comedies with Room for Two (after airing in a much better Tuesday slot) and a brief reprieve for Sibs. Room got a renewal, more based on its Tuesday performance, while Sibs was cancelled.

CBS	8:00	8:30	9:00	10:00
Sep	The Royal Family	Teech	Jake and the Fatman	48 Hours
Oct
Nov	Brooklyn Bridge	The Royal Family
Dec		Various Programs
Jan	Davis Rules	Brooklyn Bridge
Feb
Mar
Apr	The Royal Family	Davis Rules
May

CBS started off Wednesday nights in 1991-92 with a new comedy block opening up Wednesdays but it imploded quickly for reasons both in and out of their control. Redd Foxx made his return to TV with The Royal Family, which starred him and Della Reese as grandparents. The series was created and executive produced by Eddie Murphy, which gave it some buzz before the season. It got off to a decent start in the ratings but tragedy struck in October when Foxx collapsed on the set and died at the age of 68 (interestingly, the cast and crew initially thought it was an act because of Foxx's trademark move from Sanford and Son). The series tried to weather the storm by retooling during a hiatus and adding Jackee Harry to the cast. It left the lineup in December and did not return until April but by then, it didn't really have any momentum left and was cancelled at the end of the season. Check back Wednesday for a One Season Wonder post on The Royal Family! While Royal Family was a victim of some bad luck, the 8:30pm show was just a flop. Teech starred Phil Lewis as a black music teacher at a mostly white prep school. The series featured a theme song and guest appearance by B.B. King but it lasted just four episodes before being cancelled. In November, Brooklyn Bridge moved over from Fridays and The Royal Family moved to 8:30pm before going on hiatus. The comedy hour musical chairs continued in January with Brooklyn Bridge sliding to 8:30pm and Davis Rules taking over the 8pm slot. Davis Rules had aired on ABC the previous season and had gotten a post-Super Bowl launch. However, ABC ended up passing on an initially ordered second season and CBS picked it up. Like every 8pm show on this night on CBS, it eventually moved to 8:30pm when the retooled Royal Family returned to the night. Of the many comedies to air in various slots during the season, only Brooklyn Bridge was renewed. There was much more stability in the 9pm and 10pm slots with Jake and the Fatman and 48 Hours airing all season. It was still a modest performer but star William Conrad was ready to be done and it was cancelled after five seasons and 106 episodes. its legacy lived on with Diagnosis: Murder, which was a spin-off through a backdoor pilot.

NBC	8:00	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Unsolved Mysteries	Night Court	Seinfeld	Quantum Leap
Oct
Nov
Dec		Seinfeld	Night Court
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr			Dear John
May			Seinfeld

NBC continued to have a Top 10 show in its Wednesday lineup but it wasn't eventual mega-hit Seinfeld, which was still working on finding an audience. It was Unsolved Mysteries, which had become a big reality hit for the network. A comedy block continued at 9pm and it had more stability than the previous season. Night Court aired at 9pm for its ninth and final season. The show had once been a Top 10 hit on Thursday nights but lasted for several more years after leaving the protected slot. It was an Emmy winning hit that has had a decent, but not great, life in syndication. Seinfeld aired at 9:30pm. It was starting to get the attention of critics with a slew of Emmy nominations, but it still wasn't a huge hit for the network. Airing on Wednesdays for its third season, it seemed more like it would be a serviceable performer than a cornerstone of the network. The two comedies switched slots at midseason which was perhaps the first major show of support for Seinfeld from the network as it got the Unsolved Mysteries lead-in. That continued for most of the rest of the season with Dear John making a brief appearance on the night when Night Court went on a hiatus before its season finale. Quantum Leap continued at 10pm and continued to be a modest but reliable performer for the network that was a much better performer in the demo than it was with total viewers.

Top Rated Wednesday Show of 1991-92: Unsolved Mysteries (#9)

Lowest Rated Wednesday Show of 1991-92: Dear John (#86)

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

The Wonder Years and Homefront for sure while also sampling or casually watching the other ABC shows. Definitely Brooklyn Bridge on CBS. Probably Seinfeld on NBC though I've never been a huge fan and maybe Quantum Leap.

Tomorrow: Top 10 Newhart Characters!

Next Monday: A look at Thursdays in the 1991-92 season!