SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1992-1993 Tuesdays

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Tuesdays in 1992-93 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Full House	Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper	Roseanne	Coach	Going to Extremes
Oct
Nov
Dec				The Jackie Thomas Show
Jan					Civil Wars
Feb
Mar					Homefront
Apr				Delta
May				Various Programs

ABC had made a big move on Tuesdays in 1991-92 when they brought Full House over from Fridays to lead off the night. That helped them launch the big hit Home Improvement. Their big move for 1992-93 was sending Home Improvement over to Wednesdays to get a Top 10 hit on another night. Full House, in its sixth season, was yet again used as a launching pad. The lead-out show this time was also a success but not as big as Improvement. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper starred Mark Curry as a former basketball player who became a high school PE teacher. The series came from Full House creator Jeff Franklin and was even in the Full House universe as a crossover with the Olsen twins happened in the second episode. The series did well but was also moved off the night after one season where it became part of a steady TGIF lineup for several seasons. Roseanne continued to be TV's top comedy and the 1992-93 season finally saw star Roseanne Barr win an Emmy for her role. Roseanne was originally followed by frequent partner Coach, but it was only a temporary arrangement because one of the biggest stories of the 1992-93 season was the arrival of The Jackie Thomas Show, starring Barr's then husband Tom Arnold. The series was created by the Arnolds and starred Tom as an actor of a show within a show. They insisted on the series following Roseanne and the pilot even made a very early attempt at doing the "hot switch" when the end of Roseanne immediately segued into Jackie Thomas. Of course this became common but it was not at the time. The series debuted to strong ratings and solid reviews (though Roseanne did leave profanity-laced faxes for negative reviewers) but the ratings dropped some over time. Still, it was likely to get a renewal when the season ended. However, the Arnolds attempted to secure an early renewal and when that wasn't successful, Tom Arnold threw a fit and said he wouldn't wait for a renewal and would instead develop a show for CBS. Roseanne followed suit and threatened to take her series to another network after the following season. Of course by the time the following season ended, the Arnolds were on their way to a divorce so it ended up being a moot point and The Jackie Thomas Show had faded into oblivion after making so much early noise. The tail end of failed sitcom Delta aired at 9:30pm at the end of the season. The 10pm slot was initially given to Going to Extremes, a drama about a group of medical students in the Caribbean. It came from the Northern Exposure creative team but did not have the critical acclaim that series did. It was briefly moved to Wednesdays before being cancelled. It flipped places with Civil Wars, which came over to Tuesdays before ending its two year run. At the very end of the season, Homefront returned to its original timeslot but it was another two and done drama. 

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

CBS continued to keep things simple on Tuesday nights with Rescue: 911 and a movie. Both placed within the Top 15 in the ratings giving CBS a very steady night.

NBC	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	Quantum Leap	Reasonable Doubts	Dateline NBC
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb		Various Programs
Mar
Apr		Reasonable Doubts
May	Various Programs

NBC basically had the same lineup on Tuesdays through the whole 1992-93 season but the scheduling for the first two hours was so sporadic. They didn't air repeats all that often of Quantum Leap and Reasonable Doubts was off the lineup for a couple months so specials and movies aired off and on all season on Tuesdays for NBC. Quantum Leap had been the show that wouldn't die even as NBC moved it all around the lineup. But its fifth season in 1992-1993 was its final one as the series couldn't defy death again. It continues to be well regarded to this day and I would put it high on the list of shows I'm surprised haven't had a reboot or revival yet. Reasonable Doubts had been a little bit of a reach renewal after its first season and it didn't do any better in its second. Though NBC did not really make any changes on the night, it was clear that Tuesday was going to need to be a rebuild for 1993-94. The only show that worked to some extent was Dateline NBC, which was finding an audience and becoming an established newsmagazine but hadn't yet reached the heights of 60 Minutes on CBS or 20/20 on ABC.

FOX	8:00	9:00
Sep	No FOX Programming
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan	Class of ‘96	Key West
Feb
Mar
Apr		TriBeCa
May

FOX finally added its final night of programming in January 1993 when they launched a Tuesday lineup and went to a full seven day schedule. They tried to make some noise with their new night launch with two new series aimed at young adults: Class of '96 and Key West. Class of '96 was a drama set at fictional Havenhurst College in New England and it centered on seven students. The series received decent reviews but ultimately proved to be one of the lowest rated shows of the season. Check back Wednesday for a One Season Wonder post of Class of '96! It was followed by Key West, which did not get nearly as solid reviews but actually did ever so slightly better than Class when all was said and done though both were in the bottom ten programs of the year. Key West was pulled from the lineup before its season was completed and replaced by TriBeCa, an anthology drama that counted Robert DeNiro among its producers. The series, which told a different story set in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Manhattan each week, received strong reviews and won an Emmy for Laurence Fishburne for his guest appearance in the pilot. But it was not anymore successful in the ratings than the other two dramas and FOX was forced to start over on its newest night.

Top Rated Tuesday Show of 1992-93: Roseanne (#2)

Lowest Rated Tuesday Show of 1992-93: Class of '96/TriBeCa (#134)

What would I have watched on Tuesdays in 1992-93?

Roseanne and Coach before it departed the night. Homefront when it arrived. I might have checked out Going to Extremes but I doubt I would have stuck with it. I would have probably watched Quantum Leap and given both Class of '96 and TriBeCa a try.

Tomorrow: My Top 10 Most Anticipated New Shows of 2022!

Next Monday: A look at Wednesdays in the 1992-93 season!