SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1994-1995 Saturdays

On Mondays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Saturdays in the 1994-95 season!

ABC	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	Saturday Night Movie		The Commish
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb			The Marshal
Mar
Apr
May			The Commish

For several years, ABC tried to do something with Saturday nights and they only found success with The Commish at 10pm. In the 1994-95 season, they didn't even attempt anything earlier in the night and just went with a family-themed movie from 8-10pm. The Commish continued at 10pm to start the season. It had been quietly just plugging along with modest ratings that were acceptable for a difficult timeslot but it was losing badly to Walker, Texas Ranger by this point and ABC made a move with the launch of The Marshal at midseason. The Marshal was definitely more direct competition to Walker as the action drama starred Jeff Fahey as a US Marshal. The series did not do very well in the ratings, it was lower rated than The Commish, but ABC had a disastrous year for new shows and it ended up being the only freshman series that was renewed for a second season. That seemed to be more about saving face than actually earning the renewal. The Commish returned briefly at the end of the season and was renewed for a fifth season that only ended up being six episodes.

CBS	8:00	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman	The Five Mrs. Buchanans	Hearts Afire	Walker, Texas Ranger
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan		The Boys Are Back	The Five Mrs. Buchanans
Feb		Various Programs
Mar		The Office	The Five Mrs. Buchanans
Apr
May		Various Programs

CBS was on top of Saturday nights thanks to how it started and ended the night. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and Walker, Texas Ranger were both in their second full season and were solid performers on a night where CBS had trouble for many years - back to its heyday comedy lineup in the 1970s really. But CBS had a problem in the 9pm hour where they made the odd choice to air two comedies. At 9pm was new comedy The Five Mrs. Buchanans, about four women who share the same mother-in-law (played by Eileen Heckart). It was paired with Hearts Afire, which had gone through a couple different format changes and never quite landed on the right one. It its third season, it was becoming clear that Hearts was not going to be a long term player. In January, Buchanans moved to 9:30pm and The Boys Are Back moved to the night from Wednesday. That was an off and on lineup through the winter with the lineup taking breaks for important times like February Sweeps. They tried one more comedy on the night - The Office (not that The Office), a secretarial comedy starring Valerie Harper that just lasted a few weeks. Check back Wednesday for a One Season Wonder post on The Office! For a very short two weeks in the Spring of 1994, CBS aired Touched by an Angel on Saturday nights and that proved to be the missing piece for Saturdays, but it didn't occupy a spot on the night in the 1994-95 season.

NBC	8:00	8:30	9:00	10:00
Sep	Various Programs	Empty Nest	Sweet Justice	Sisters
Oct	Something Wilder
Nov	Various Programs
Dec	Empty Nest	Empty Nest
Jan		The Mommies
Feb
Mar
Apr	Amazing Grace
May	Saturday Night Movie

NBC ceded the Saturday night crown to CBS after dominating the late 80s and early 90s but they were still making a valiant attempt on the night in the mid 90s. The night started with a comedy hour, the new Gene Wilder family sitcom Something Wilder paired with a relic from their Saturday night heyday, Empty Nest. The comedy lineup faltered quickly as Something Wilder was pulled from the night quickly and Empty Nest moved to 8pm. In January, returning comedy The Mommies aired. The comedy had been a borderline renewal and didn't fare any better so it did not see a third season. As for Empty Nest, the series had once been a Top 10 hit when it aired behind its parent show The Golden Girls, but it fell all the way to #118 in the 1994-95 season and was cancelled after seven seasons and 170 episodes. NBC abandoned the comedy block late in the season and aired Amazing Grace, a spiritual drama starring Patty Duke as an ordained minister with a painkiller addiction. The series lasted just four weeks before being cancelled. The 9pm and 10pm hours were more steady during the season but they weren't highly rated. New drama Sweet Justice aired at 9pm. The legal drama, starring Melissa Gilbert and Cicely Tyson, was one of the many new fall dramas in 1994 that received strong reviews. But it was saddled in a tough timeslot and it aired very sporadically at times as it often got pulled for movies or specials while never fully ceding its timeslot to anything permanent. It was cancelled after airing a full season. Sisters continued at 10pm and was the highest rated show of the night for NBC though that wasn't saying much. It was also the only show to get renewed.

FOX	8:00	8:30	9:00
Sep	Cops	Cops	America’s Most Wanted
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

FOX continued with the lineup it had ended the previous season with, the cheap option of Cops and America's Most Wanted. It was an easy plug-in for FOX so they could worry more about other nights of the week.

Top Rated Saturday Show of 1994-95: Walker, Texas Ranger (#41)

Lowest Rated Saturday Show of 1994-95: Amazing Grace (#124)

What would I have watched on Saturdays in 1994-95?

There were a lot of choices but not a lot I would have been interested in. Honestly the only one that sounds like one I would have really liked in the fall is Sweet Justice. Maybe I would have watched Dr. Quinn once in awhile or given a chance to Something Wilder or The Five Mrs. Buchanans. At midseason, I would have watched The Office because of Valerie Harper.

Tomorrow: An Emmy Preview of the Lead Actor Races!

Next Monday: A look at Sundays in the 1994-95 season!