SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1998-1999 Saturdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Saturdays in the 1998-99 season!

ABC	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	America’s Funniest Home Videos	Fantasy Island	Cupid
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan	Saturday Night Movie		Fantasy Island
Feb			Various Programs
Mar
Apr	The Big Moment	Saturday Night Movie
May	Various Programs

Despite year after year of failures with scripted programming, ABC gave it the old college try again in 1998-99 with two new series and a new slot for America's Funniest Home Videos. Videos was in its second and final year of the John Fugelsang & Daisy Fuentes era and was pretty much an afterthought for the network at the time. At 9pm was Fantasy Island, the first remake of the iconic 1977-1984 series. The original series aired on Saturday nights at 10pm on ABC for its entire run so this was a return to the same network and night. This incarnation starred Malcolm McDowell as the mysterious Mr. Roarke. Check back tomorrow for a One Season Wonder post on Fantasy Island! ABC stayed in the whimsical realm at 10pm with Cupid, a dramedy about a man who believes he is Cupid and sent by Zeus to connect 100 couples without using his powers. Created by Rob Thomas and starring Jeremy Piven, the series had its share of fans but like all things on Saturday night on ABC, it couldn't find an audience. None of the three series could and ABC bagged the lineup by the New Year. Videos went to another night and Fantasy Island lasted another month at 10pm before being cancelled. Cupid briefly went to Thursdays before being cancelled though it didn't leave ABC's mind forever as a revival of the series was attempted in 2009 to the same results. ABC pretty much aired movies and various specials on Saturdays for the rest of the season with one brief attempt at a game show, The Big Moment, hosted by Brad Sherwood.

CBS	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	Early Edition	Martial Law	Walker, Texas Ranger
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar			Sons of Thunder
Apr
May			Walker, Texas Ranger

CBS had said goodbye to longtime Saturday staple Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman after the 1997-98 season so the 1998-99 season had a bit of a revamp. Early Edition slid up an hour to become the lead-off show at 8pm while Walker, Texas Ranger continued at 10pm as Saturday's highest rated show. In between was a new show that certainly seemed to be geared more to the Walker crowd than the Early Edition crowd. Martial Law was an action dramedy starring Sammo Hung as a Chinese law officer and martial arts expert working with the LAPD. The show was notable for being the only primetime US show at the time with an Asian lead. Its ratings were nothing special but did build on the Early Edition audience a bit. For a brief time in the spring, Walker, Texas Ranger was put on hiatus and a spinoff aired. Sons of Thunder started as an episode of Walker and then became its own show, starring two characters from Walker opening up a private investigators office. The series counted Chuck and Aaron Norris among its producers and was a better performer than the 8pm and 9pm shows though it did much lower ratings than Walker and CBS passed on picking it up for a second season.

NBC	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	Various Programs
Oct	Wind on Water	The Pretender	Profiler
Nov	Various Programs
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

For a third year in a row, NBC had The Pretender and Profiler on Saturday nights and for the second year in a row, they quickly cancelled the third show that was planned for the night. This time it was Wind on Water, a gentle family drama starring Bo Derek and centered on a family in Hawaii in the extreme sports business. It lasted a mere two weeks before NBC pulled the plug, very similar to Sleepwalkers from the year before. They never put a permanent show in the 8pm hour for the rest of the season. The Pretender and Profiler, each in their third seasons, rounded out the night. Both were renewed for a fourth season but Profiler prepared for a change as series star Ally Walker (the "profiler" of the title) left the series on her own accord.

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

For a second consecutive season, FOX did not try to get creative on Saturday nights and stuck with its Cops/Cops/America's Most Wanted lineup.

Top Rated Saturday Show of 1998-99: Walker, Texas Ranger (#25)

Lowest Rated Saturday Show of 1998-99: The Big Moment (#125)

What would I have watched on Saturdays in the 1998-99 season?

Not too much of interest for me on Saturdays. I would have probably checked out Early Edition and Cupid and maybe even Fantasy Island, but nothing would have been appointment viewing for me.

Tomorrow: A One Season Wonder look at Fantasy Island!

Next Tuesday: A look at Sundays in the 1998-99 season!