SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1998-1999 Sundays

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

ABC	7:00	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	The Wonderful World of Disney		20/20	The Practice
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

ABC had successfully relaunched The Wonderful World of Disney in the 1997-98 season and it returned for the 1998-99 season with a mixture of new and classic Disney films. They didn't have anything as high profile as Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella among their originals so it didn't make as much of a splash in the ratings. ABC decided they didn't need two movies on Sunday night so they got rid of their Sunday night movie, the first of the big three networks to do so permanently (though it had been tried occasionally over the years). Yet another edition of 20/20 took over at 9pm in an era where newsmagazines dominated the schedules. At 10pm was The Practice, moving over from Mondays. The legal drama, which was entering its third season, had just won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series and gave ABC a prestige play on the night.

CBS	7:00	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	60 Minutes	Touched by an Angel	Sunday Night Movie
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

CBS Sunday nights remained the same for a third consecutive year with their Top 10 rated trio of 60 Minutes, Touched by an Angel and the Sunday Night Movie. This was one of those "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" lineups.

NBC	7:00	8:00	9:00	10:00
Sep	Dateline NBC	Dateline NBC	Sunday Night Movie
Oct
Nov
Dec		Various Programs
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr	Various Programs	Dateline NBC
May

NBC basically punted on Sunday nights in the 1998-99 season. Editions of Dateline NBC sort of oscillated between 7pm and 8pm while a movie continued at 9pm. For Dateline, it was the lowest rated of their five different editions that aired during the season while the movie did decently but paled in comparison to the CBS movie.

FOX	7:00	8:00	8:30	9:00
Sep	Various Programs	The Simpsons	That 70s Show	The X-Files
Oct
Nov	The World’s Funniest
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr			Family Guy
May

After a year that saw three Sunday shows place in the Top 20, FOX's ratings took a hit in the 1998-99 season despite not changing the lineup all that much. After a delayed start thanks to football and the World Series, The World's Funniest continued at 7pm with The Simpsons continuing at 8pm. The Simpsons dropped in the ratings for no discernable reason which set the rest of the night off. A new show followed at 8:30pm - the live action sitcom That 70s Show. The raucous comedy seemed to be a good enough fit after The Simpsons for a live action show following a cartoon. Though 70s became a long running hit for the network and a show with a popular afterlife, its first season was very modestly rated and a big step down from the numbers King of the Hill was getting in the same slot in the 1997-98 season. If it wasn't for much bigger problems on other nights, it may not have gotten out alive from its first season. It was replaced late in the season by Family Guy, a new animated sitcom that had gotten its first episode previewed after the Super Bowl. Despite what it would become, the Seth MacFarlane creation also was a modest performer in the beginning but was an improvement on the numbers That 70s Show was getting. At 9pm, The X-Files remained one of FOX's top performers but fresh off its theatrical movie release in Summer 1998, it dropped from #11 to #28 in the ratings.

WB	7:00	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30
Sep	7th Heaven	Sister, Sister	Smart Guy	Unhappily Ever After	The Army Show
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan				Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane	Unhappily Ever After
Feb
Mar
Apr
May

The WB basically abandoned the 7pm hour on Sunday nights by airing repeats of 7th Heaven for the entire season. It's unusual to give over a slot for a full season to reruns of a show that was already airing on another night but they basically re-aired Season 1 of 7th Heaven for fans who discovered the show after its first season. A comedy block aired for the rest of the night. Sister, Sister and its spinoff Smart Guy aired in the 8pm hour while one of the original WB shows, Unhappily Ever After, aired at 9pm and was paired with the new sitcom The Army Show. The Army Show was a military comedy starring David Anthony Higgins that seemed to be a sort of modern-day Gomer Pyle USMC. The Army Show was cancelled by midseason and Unhappily moved to 9:30pm. At 9pm was the new show Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane. The series was about four high school friends but the main character and breakout star was the "Zoe" character played by Selma Blair. It was also the only show on the night that The WB renewed for the 1999-00 season. Sister, Sister was cancelled after six seasons on two networks, Smart Guy was cancelled after three seasons and Unhappily Ever After was cancelled alongside fellow original WB comedies The Wayans Bros. and The Parent 'Hood. The WB was heading in a completely different direction that the comedies they started with no longer fit into their brand.

Top Rated Sunday Show of 1998-99: 60 Minutes (#7)

Lowest Rated Sunday Show of 1998-99: The Army Show (#146)

What would I have watched on Sundays in 1998-99?

I think I would likely have gotten into The Practice back in the day with its awards wins and buzz. I do enjoy That 70s Show, that's a guilty pleasure show for me. And I might have checked in on Touched by an Angel once in awhile.

Tomorrow: An Emmy Preview of the Supporting Actress Races!