Television Network Prime Time Programming, 1985–2007 ALSO BY MITCHELL E. SHAPIRO AND FROM MCFARLAND Radio Network Prime Time Programming, 1926–1967 (2002; paperback 2008) Television Network Weekend Programming, 1950–1990 (1992) Television Network Daytime and Late-Night Programming, 1959–1989 (1990) Television Network Prime-Time Programming, 1948–1988 (1989) Television Network Prime Time Programming, 1985–2007 MITCHELL E. SHAPIRO McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North Carolina, and London LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Shapiro, Mitchell E., 1953– Television network prime time programming, 1985–2007 / Mitchell E. Shapiro. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-7864-3812-9 softcover : 50# alkaline paper 1. Television programs—United States—Chronology. I. Title. PN1992.3.U5S54 2009 791.45'75097309049—dc22 2009003719 British Library cataloguing data are available ©2009 Mitchell E. Shapiro. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Cover image ©2009 Shutterstock Manufactured in the United States of America McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 6¡¡, Je›erson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com To Jason, April, Laura, Michael and Brandon This page intentionally left blank Table of Contents Introduction ix How to Use This Book x How to Use the Schedule Grids xiii Sunday Night 1 CW Prime Time Schedule 183 Program Moves 184 ABC Prime Time Schedule 2 MYTV Prime Time Schedule 185 Program Moves 14 Program Moves 186 CBS Prime Time Schedule 18 PROGRAMMING MOVES SUMMARY 187 Program Moves 30 NBC Prime Time Schedule 32 Tuesday Night 194 Program Moves 44 Fox Prime Time Schedule 51 ABC Prime Time Schedule 195 207 Program Moves 62 Program Moves WB Prime Time Schedule 71 CBS Prime Time Schedule 217 229 Program Moves 77 Program Moves UPN Prime Time Schedule 84 NBC Prime Time Schedule 234 246 Program Moves 85 Program Moves CW Prime Time Schedule 86 Fox Prime Time Schedule 254 262 Program Moves 87 Program Moves WB Prime Time Schedule 266 PROGRAMMING MOVES SUMMARY 88 Program Moves 271 Monday Night 94 UPN Prime Time Schedule 272 ABC Prime Time Schedule 95 Program Moves 278 CW Prime Time Schedule 283 Program Moves 107 CBS Prime Time Schedule 114 Program Moves 284 MYTV Prime Time Schedule 285 Program Moves 126 NBC Prime Time Schedule 134 Program Moves 286 PROGRAMMING MOVES SUMMARY 287 Program Moves 146 Fox Prime Time Schedule 152 Program Moves 162 Wednesday Night 294 WB Prime Time Schedule 166 ABC Prime Time Schedule 295 Program Moves 172 Program Moves 307 UPN Prime Time Schedule 174 CBS Prime Time Schedule 319 Program Moves 180 Program Moves 331 vii TABLE OF CONTENTS NBC Prime Time Schedule 341 Friday Night 498 Program Moves 353 Fox Prime Time Schedule 360 ABC Prime Time Schedule 499 Program Moves 369 Program Moves 511 WB Prime Time Schedule 373 CBS Prime Time Schedule 520 Program Moves 379 Program Moves 532 UPN Prime Time Schedule 382 NBC Prime Time Schedule 541 Program Moves 388 Program Moves 553 CW Prime Time Schedule 390 Fox Prime Time Schedule 561 Program Moves 391 Program Moves 570 MYTV Prime Time Schedule 392 WB Prime Time Schedule 575 Program Moves 393 Program Moves 579 PROGRAMMING MOVES SUMMARY 394 UPN Prime Time Schedule 582 Program Moves 586 CW Prime Time Schedule 588 Thursday Night 402 Program Moves 589 ABC Prime Time Schedule 403 MYTV Prime Time Schedule 590 Program Moves 415 Program Moves 591 CBS Prime Time Schedule 423 PROGRAMMING MOVES SUMMARY 592 Program Moves 435 NBC Prime Time Schedule 442 Saturday Night 599 Program Moves 454 Fox Prime Time Schedule 460 ABC Prime Time Schedule 600 Program Moves 469 Program Moves 612 WB Prime Time Schedule 473 CBS Prime Time Schedule 619 Program Moves 478 Program Moves 631 UPN Prime Time Schedule 481 NBC Prime Time Schedule 638 Program Moves 485 Program Moves 650 CW Prime Time Schedule 486 Fox Prime Time Schedule 659 Program Moves 487 Program Moves 670 MYTV Prime Time Schedule 488 MYTV Prime Time Schedule 673 Program Moves 489 Program Moves 674 PROGRAMMING MOVES SUMMARY 490 PROGRAMMING MOVES SUMMARY 675 Index 681 viii Introduction This book is designed to be a comprehensive chronicle of network prime time television programming. Beginning with January 1985 and continuing through the fall of 2007, this work provides month-by-month prime time schedules for all national broadcasting networks; a detailed listing of all network programming moves, including series premieres, cancellations, and time slot moves; and a yearly recap of key programming moves. Only regularly scheduled series are included. Single event or special programming is not included. Together with its predeces- sor volume, Television Network Prime-Time Programming, 1948–1987, also pub- lished by McFarland, these two works provide the most thorough chronicle of broadcast television network prime time programming in existence. This book is organized into seven chapters, each representing a different night of the week. Each chapter consists of individual month-by-month prime time schedules for each network (including the newly formed CW and MYTV net- works), followed by a detailed chronological listing of every one of that network’s series and programming moves (series premieres, series cancellations, and time slot moves). At the end of each chapter is the summary of key programming moves for each television season since January 1985. The author has compiled the information herein in part from personal expe- rience. In addition, several sources were used in compiling the program listing information. These sources include TV Guide, Broadcasting/Cable, TV Week and weekly ratings from the A.C. Nielsen Company. ix How to Use This Book This book provides day-by-day informa- Year: The year (e.g., “1956”) that the tion (for all seven nights of the week) for pro- specific programming occurred grams airing in prime time (8 P.M. to ¡¡ P.M., Month: The month that the specific pro- Monday through Saturday; and 7 P.M. to 11 P.M. gramming move occurred on Sunday) on eight broadcast networks: ABC, Time: The time (Eastern Time zone) that CBS, NBC, Fox, WB, UPN, CW and MYTV. the program started each day that it aired Each day’s section consists, first, of SCHE- Title: The specific title of the series DULE GRIDS showing the particular times Type: The type of program shown in a (Eastern Time) that the programs aired and, two-letter code (for instance, AD would repre- second, LISTINGS showing the programs’ “moves” sent Adventure) using the following abbrevia- (debuts, cancellations, time slot changes) tions: throughout their runs. The SCHEDULE GRIDS show month and AD Adventure year dates on the left and air times across the CA Comedy Anthology top. The programs are then shown as a block CD Crime Drama that fits underneath the time it aired and across CO Comedy-Drama from the month/year date that it aired. Itali- CV Comedy Variety cized, bold-faced entries signify a program’s CY Comedy debut. An “X” is placed in the lower right cor- DA Dramatic Anthology ner of the box at the point when the program DD Docudrama was cancelled (or not renewed) and was no DO Documentary longer on the air on a regular basis. Please refer DR Drama to “How to Use the Schedule Grids” on page FA Science Fiction Anthology xiii for a more detailed explanation. FI Film The LISTINGS showing the moves (includ- FY Fantasy ing debuts and cancellations) of the programs IF Information follow the SCHEDULE GRIDS. These LISTINGS KV Children’s provide eight kinds of information for each pro- LD Lawyer Drama gram, and the day and network on which the MA Mystery Anthology program aired is shown in the running header MD Medical Drama at the top of each page. (Several examples of MU Music how to use these listings appear beginning on MV Musical Variety page xi.) MY Mystery The eight kinds of information are: NA News Analysis x HOW TO USE THIS BOOK ND Newspaper Drama di›erent night, time slot, or net- NM Newsmagazine work to the place it now holds) OA Occult Anthology DS—Start (a program airs for the first time QU Quiz/Audience Participation in a certain time slot in addition to RA Crime Anthology its regularly scheduled time slot. RQ Reality Quiz This designation is also used when RY Reality a sporting event or movie first airs SA Suspense Anthology in a particular time slot) SC Situation Comedy XF—Finish (a program is airing for the last SD Spy Drama time in a time slot that was in addi- SF Science Fiction tion to its regularly scheduled time SL Serialized Drama slot. This designation is also used SN Sports News when a sporting event or movie is SP Sporting Event airing for the last time in a time slot) TA Talent #—Indicates a program was still occupying TK Talk that specific time slot in October VS Various/Miscellaneous 2007 VY Variety WD War Drama To/From: When a program was moved WE Western this tells where it moved to (To:) or where it moved from (Fr:). Usually this involves a day Length: The length in minutes that the and/or time, and occasionally it shows a month episodes of the program ran and year. It will also show a network change, Action: The specific move the program when appropriate. These abbreviations are used made is shown by a one-or-two letter code for days of the week: (occasionally the letter code is accompanied by a symbol); they are: M—Monday T—Tuesday D—Debut (a program airs for the first W—Wednesday time) R—Thursday X—Cancelled (a program airs for the last F—Friday time) S—Saturday M—Moved (a program is moved from a N—Sunday Several examples, designed to help the reader use and understand the information in the charts detailing all programming moves, are presented below: Year Month Time Title Type Length Action To/From 2003 OCT 8:00 Tru Calling CD 60 D In this example, from page 471, we see that the program involved is Tru Calling.