SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Saturdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Saturdays in the 1995-96 season!

ABC	8:00	8:30	9:00	10:00
Sep	The Jeff Foxworthy Show	Maybe This Time	Saturday Night Movie
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb	Hudson Street
Mar	Various Programs
Apr
May

For several years, ABC aired The Commish at 10pm on Saturday nights while they toiled with the rest of the night and often resorted to movies. In the Fall of 1995, The Commish was held off the schedule (and ultimately only aired a couple two hour episodes). ABC opted to move the movie back to 9pm and went with a family sitcom hour with two new sitcoms at 8pm. Up first was The Jeff Foxworthy Show, one of many new sitcoms in 1995-96 based on the persona of a stand-up comedian. This "redneck" sitcom hedged its bets by being set in Indiana so as not to appear "too southern." It was paired with Maybe this Time, a gentle multi-generational sitcom starring Betty White and Marie Osmond as mother and daughter. Both sitcoms got previews on other nights leading up to their Saturday premieres but it did not help them carve out a niche in a difficult slot. Both were gone by March with The Jeff Foxworthy Show gone a little earlier in favor of a few extra episodes of Tuesday cast-off Hudson Street. The comedies were cancelled by ABC but Foxworthy got a reprise on NBC for the 1996-97 season. ABC didn't commit to any regular programming in the 8pm hour the rest of the season.

CBS	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman	Touched by an Angel	Walker, Texas Ranger
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

Saturdays were CBS's night in the mid 1990s and they found a strong 9pm show to join their bookends that were already in place. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and Walker, Texas Ranger continued at 8pm and 10pm respectively with Walker placing in the Top 20. After facing almost certain cancellation in its first season, Touched by an Angel found a home on Saturday nights in its second season and soared much higher in the ratings. It seemed like CBS had found the perfect formula for Saturdays but they made another big move with Touched by an Angel for the 1996-97 season. More on that in future posts.

NBC	8:00	9:00	9:30	10:00
Sep	JAG	The John Larroquette Show	The Home Court	Sisters
Oct
Nov		Various Programs
Dec
Jan		Hope & Gloria
Feb	Various Programs
Mar	Malibu Shores
Apr
May	Various Programs	Saturday Night Movie

After once being dominant on the night, NBC was having some troubles on Saturdays. Their Fall 1995 slate consisted of a mix of new and old shows. At 8pm was JAG, a legal drama starring David James Elliott. It was NBC's only new drama in the Fall of 1995 while they launched six new sitcoms. One of those new sitcoms was The Home Court, which aired at 9:30pm after The John Larroquette Show. The Home Court starred Pamela Reed as a family court judge and mother of four. It lasted all the way until the end of April, but it was cancelled after one season. As for Larroquette, it was clearly not meant to be an anchor show after so-so ratings for two seasons. It was moved back to a more protected slot on Tuesdays and NBC brought over Hope & Gloria from Sundays for a last ditch effort for a show that had failed on Sundays after leaving the cushy Thursday slot the previous season. Meanwhile, JAG had moved to Wednesdays and a totally different show took its place. In place of the old-skewing legal drama was a teen soap opera called Malibu Shores. Starring Keri Russell and Tony Lucca, it lasted a couple months before being cancelled. Throughout the season, Sisters continued to air at 10pm. The veteran drama had never been a ratings behemoth but was quietly in its sixth season. That would prove to be its last though as it was cancelled after 128 episodes. None of the shows that aired on Saturdays for NBC would be on the network in the 1996-97 season.

FOX	8:00	8:30	9:00
Sep	Martin	The Preston Episodes	America’s Most Wanted
Oct
Nov	Cops	Various Programs
Dec		Cops
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

FOX actually made an effort on Saturday nights to start the 1995-96 season but it was short lived. They let Cops sit on the bench and aired two comedies in the 8pm hour: veteran Martin and the new The Preston Episodes. Preston starred David Alan Grier as an English professor writing for a gossip magazine. The shows premiered a couple weeks before the fall season started but by the end of October, they were already doing an about-face. Martin was sent back to Sundays and The Preston Episodes was cancelled. Preston had the dubious distinction of being the lowest rated non-WB or UPN show on TV in the 1995-96 season. Check back tomorrow for a One Season Wonder post on The Preston Episodes! And so Cops was back on the air by November and doing double duty by December. America's Most Wanted continued to air at 9pm throughout the season.

Top Rated Saturday Show of 1995-96: Walker, Texas Ranger (#18)

Lowest Rated Saturday Show of 1995-96: The Preston Episodes (#140)

What would I have watched on Saturdays in 1995-96?

Not a lot. I might have checked out the sitcoms on ABC or NBC but I doubt any of them would have been appointment viewing for me. I also may have watched Touched by an Angel from time to time. But nothing would have been an every week must-see.

Tomorrow: A One Season Wonder look at The Preston Episodes!

Next Tuesday: A look at Sundays in the 1995-96 season!