SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1992-1993 Wednesdays

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

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	The Wonder Years	Doogie Howser M.D.	Home Improvement	Laurie Hill	Civil Wars
Oct
Nov				Various Programs
Dec				Coach
Jan					Going to Extremes
Feb					Various Programs
Mar					Sirens
Apr		Home Free
May		Various Programs			Various Programs

Wednesdays were all over the place for ABC in 1991-92 so they made a power play to change their Wednesday fortunes. They moved their hit freshman Home Improvement to the night and make it the anchor for Wednesday to match Roseanne on Tuesday. The move garnered a lot of attention in the Summer of 1992 including its head to head matchup with the growing Seinfeld on NBC. Home Improvement won the ratings battle but of course Seinfeld eventually moved to Thursdays where it reached new heights. As for Home Improvement, the move paid off big time for the show as it was the #3 show on TV, just behind its former Tuesday lead-out, Roseanne. It did so well that it managed to get the rare three season renewal in the midst of its second season. The problem was it didn't really lift up the rest of the night. Two long running shows led off the night and they were both at the end of their run. The Wonder Years was past the point of being an Emmy darling and the ratings were dropping for the expensive show in its sixth season. The series ended with a one hour series finale in May that had to be rushed a bit because it wasn't necessarily intended to be a series finale until they added in Daniel Stern's voiceover narration. Doogie Howser M.D. was also dealing with its former pre-teen star growing up and it was cancelled after four seasons. The series was never a huge hit but has remained in public consciousness perhaps thanks in part to Neil Patrick Harris becoming a big star. Doogie was replaced late in the season by Home Free, a sitcom starring Matthew Perry as a 22 year old journalist living with his mother. It lasted just about a month before being pulled from the lineup. Following Home Improvement at the beginning of the season was Laurie Hill, a comedy from the creators of The Wonder Years starring DeLane Matthews as a pediatrician, wife and mother. Co-starring Ellen DeGeneres, the series was knocked by critics for being too light on laughs and too focused on drama. It lasted only a month before being cancelled but did lead to a more successful show as the creators developed a show for DeGeneres that started as These Friends of Mine and became Ellen. When The Jackie Thomas Show debuted on Tuesdays, Coach moved from its cushy Tuesday slot to a cushy Wednesday slot. The 10pm hour started with Civil Wars, which returned despite modest ratings in its first season. The ratings did not improve and it headed to Tuesday before being cancelled though two of its characters turned up on NBC's L.A. Law in 1993-1994. Going to Extremes moved over for a few weeks and then later in the season, Sirens aired at 10pm. Sirens was a Pittsburgh-set cop drama about female police officers. It was cancelled after one season by ABC but resurfaced in syndication for another 22 episodes. Despite the big Home Improvement move, ABC had a lot to fix on Wednesdays still by season's end.

CBS	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	The Hat Squad	Various Programs	48 Hours
Oct
Nov		In the Heat of the Night
Dec	Various Programs
Jan	Space Rangers
Feb	Various Programs
Mar	How’d They Do That?
Apr
May

CBS had some problems at 8pm Wednesdays in 1992-93 but the other two hours were stable. 48 Hours continued at 10pm as an established newsmagazine for the network. NBC cancelled long running dramas In the Heat of the Night and Matlock in 1992 in an effort to appeal to younger viewers. Both shows were picked up by competing networks with Heat picked up by CBS. The series was renewed but co-star Howard Rollins was fired from the show after a myriad of personal issues. The 8pm hour was more of a revolving door. First up was The Hat Squad, a stylish police drama about an elite unit that travels the streets in street clothes and fedoras. The series was trashed by critics and lasted a few months before being pulled and sent to Saturdays for a few more weeks. Space Rangers was the next 8pm occupant. The sci-fi drama was set in the year 2104 and was about a team of, you guessed it, space rangers. It lasted just four weeks before being cancelled. After more specials aired in the hour, the last show to air in the slot for the season was How'd They Do That?, a cheap reality show that was basically just a placeholder for the night. Despite that, it easily topped The Hat Squad and Space Rangers in the ratings and had more episodes ordered by CBS. 

NBC	8:00	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Unsolved Mysteries	Seinfeld	Mad About You	Law & Order
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb		Homicide: Life on the Street
Mar
Apr		Various Programs
May

NBC started Wednesday nights with the same flow as the year before: Unsolved Mysteries into a comedy hour into a drama. Mysteries continued to be a solid 8pm performer. Seinfeld continued at 9pm but had to contend with Home Improvement in the same slot. It was paired with the new romantic comedy Mad About You. The Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt show earned strong reviews but was a little slow out of the gate in the ratings. NBC gave up on their comedy hour at midseason, admitting defeat to ABC. They probably won in the long term though because Seinfeld moved to Thursdays where it headed on the path towards becoming the cornerstone of the massively successful Must See TV lineup. Mad About You was sent to Saturdays despite the objections of Reiser but it also eventually made its way to Thursday and became an under the radar hit for NBC. Replacing the comedies at 9pm was Homicide: Life on the Street, which premiered in the highly coveted post-Super Bowl slot. The Baltimore-set police drama earned rave reviews and had a long run but it had an unusual start. The series aired just nine episodes in its first season and was on the verge of cancellation. NBC did renew the show but only for a four episode second season. However, Emmy wins for Directing and Writing after its first season helped its case and the series went on to have a long run though it was constantly on the bubble. Law & Order moved over from Tuesdays to take the Wednesday 10pm slot. It was still a modest performer in the ratings though in its third season. You would have never guessed at the time it would make it to 20 seasons.

FOX	8:00	9:00
Sep	Beverly Hills, 90210	Melrose Place
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

FOX expanded programming to Wednesday nights in July 1992 with the return of Beverly Hills, 90210 (premiering its season earlier for a second straight season) and the debut of its spinoff, Melrose Place. Both the shows continued to air throughout the 1992-93 season, airing more than 30 episodes over the course of the season as was often the case with primetime soaps. Like 90210, Melrose was created by Darren Starr and executive produced by Aaron Spelling, and it featured a cast of beautiful young actors. Melrose was not the breakout hit that 90210 was for FOX but it appealed to young viewers and allowed for a one-two punch on Wednesdays that gave the still young network a notable presence on a new night. 

Top Rated Wednesday Show of 1992-93: Home Improvement (#3)

Lowest Rated Wednesday Show of 1992-93: Melrose Place (#109)

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

I'm mixed on both Home Improvement and Seinfeld, but I probably would have watched one or the other at 9pm. Definitely The Wonder Years and I would have sampled Laurie Hill. Of course Mad About You and most likely Homicide: Life on the Street. Maybe Law & Order sometimes.

Tomorrow: Top 10 The Good Wife Characters!

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