NBC Entertainment President Warren Littlefield told affiliates and advertisers that one of his network's mottos for the coming season was "No regrets."
No, the Peacock doesn't regret losing "The Cosby Show," "Night Court" and "The Golden Girls." That NBC didn't regret seeing "In the Heat of the Night" move to CBS and "Matlock" move to ABC.As far as Littlefield was concerned, the network was just thrilled with its crop of new shows, and NBC was taking aim on reclaiming the top spot in the ratings, which it lost to CBS last season.
One hopes that this was simply posturing by the NBC exec. Because that once-proud network is headed for third place during the 1992-93 season, and a long time may pass before NBC escapes from the Big Three's cellar.
Taking a look at the fall schedules of ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox and making a few educated guesses (with an emphasis on guesses) here's what you can expect from the upcoming season.
- CBS will remain on top of the ratings with an even stronger regular schedule than last season.
- ABC will move into second place and is the only network capable of mounting any sort of a challenge to CBS.
- NBC will slip rather badly as its old shows crumble and its new ones fail to catch on.
- Fox will continue to experience growth but will have its share of growing pains as it expands into Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Night by night, here's who looks strong and who looks weak this fall.
SUNDAY: CBS will continue to dominate, with "60 Minutes," "Murder, She Wrote" and its strong movie. ABC's "Funniest Home Videos" and "Funniest People" will continue to fade, and NBC - which hasn't been able to attract viewers on this most-watched night of the week for years - will keep that record intact with a pair of reality shows. Fox will continue to attract some of the younger viewers, adding a pair of new shows to its lineup.
MONDAY: CBS is taking a chance here by moving "Major Dad" and "Designing Women" to Fridays. But the new sitcoms - "Hearts Afire" from the creator of "Women" and "Evening Shade" and "Love and War" from the creator of "Murphy Brown" - may be even stronger than the shows they replace. ABC moved "Young Indiana Jones" here, but it will get pulverized. CBS has another big winner here.
TUESDAY: This is ABC's night, even though "Home Improvement is moving to Wednesdays. (Its replacement, "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper," is a question mark.) ABC is also reportedly having trouble with "Going to Extremes," a new drama from the creators of "Northern Exposure," but the network can't lose with "Full House" and "Roseanne." NBC moved "Quantum Leap" to 7 p.m. and "Reasonable Doubts" to 8 p.m., and both will get killed. A couple of Fox quirky dramas won't make much of a dent.
WEDNESDAY: A tough night to call. ABC's big move is "Home Improvement" to 8 p.m., where it will face "Seinfeld." It's anybody's guess who will win. NBC does have a very funny new sitcom, "Loved By You," following "Seinfeld," and ABC has a new comedy from the creators of "Wonder Years" to follow "Improvement." Fox has the "90210" spinoff "Melrose Place" in the same time slot (8 p.m.-9 p.m.), further clouding the picture. And NBC's "Unsolved Mysteries" generally wins at 7 p.m. while CBS' "48 Hours" generally wins at 9 p.m. This is wide open, and no clear winner may emerge.
THURSDAY: If NBC continues to win this night, it won't be by much. The mediocre "A Different World" moves up to 7 p.m., and it may sabotage the whole night. Expect Fox's "The Simpsons" to dominate both "World" and ABC's "Delta," which stars "Designing Women" exile Delta Burke. NBC's 7:30 p.m. show, "Rhythm and Blues," is a "WKRP" ripoff with limited appeal. And the fact is that both "Cheers" and "L.A. Law" are fading, although perhaps not badly enough to save ABC's "Homefront" at 8 p.m. or CBS' "Knots Landing" at 9 p.m.
FRIDAY: ABC has dominated this night, but its youth-oriented "T.G.I.F." shows are losing ground. CBS appears to have made the smart move of the season by going with an established lineup aimed at more mature audiences - "Golden Girls" spinoff "The Golden Palace" leads off, followed by "Major Dad," "Designing Women," "Bob" (Bob Newhart's new sitcom) and the most eagerly anticipated new drama of the season, "Picket Fences." NBC will be left in the dust with a pair of sitcoms, a yuppie drama and the excellent "I'll Fly Away." On the strength of "20/20," ABC might eke out a win on this night, but CBS will be a close second - or maybe first.
SATURDAY: NBC will win - but almost by default. ABC is leading off with an adventure/drama set in medieval England, followed by a pair of weak dramas. CBS is trying, but probably won't succeed, with a new sitcom from the producers of "Roseanne," the return of "Brooklyn Bridge," a Western starring Jane Seymour and a cop show starring Robin Givens - none of which has much chance of success. There is one possible problem for NBC, however. It's leading off with the Malcolm-Jamal Warner sitcom "Here and Now," and from the preview the show looks like a dog.QUOTABLE: CBS Broadcast Group President Howard Stringer, speaking recently at the network's affiliates meeting, couldn't resist taking a shot at NBC, the network CBS replaced at the top of the ratings this past season:
"I should remind all of us that it is only a year ago that an NBC senior executive suggested that at least one network was likely to soon disappear. At the time I remembered that Hitler once threatened to wring England's neck like a chicken. Churchill's pithy, scornful response was `some chicken, some neck.'
"I suppose that it would be churlish of me to observe that the chicken has less to worry about now than the peacock."TOUGH TIME SLOTS: Although the networks showed some sensitivity in renewing several quality shows that didn't do particularly well in the ratings, it's a bit early to get too excited. Without exception, those shows have been place in tough time slots.
"Life Goes On" returns on Sundays opposite "60 Minutes" but only until ABC gets a new news magazine ready to go.
"The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" stands little if any chance on Monday nights. Not only is there CBS' formidable lineup to consider, but NBC's "Fresh Prince" and "Blossom" already has the youth audience.
"Quantum Leap" is in big trouble on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. And "Reasonable Doubts," the show that follows, will get killed by "Roseanne."
"Civil Wars" is up against not only the increasingly powerful "48 Hours," but NBC's fine drama "Law & Order."
"Homefront" isn't strong enough to take on "Cheers," and the younger audience that was taking a liking to the '40s drama will be distracted by "Beverly Hills, 90210."
"The Powers That Be" is up against established sitcoms on both ABC and CBS. And "I'll Fly Away" won't be able to withstand the one-two punch of ABC's "20/20" and CBS' "Picket Fences."
And "Brooklyn Bridge" doesn't stand a chance on Saturdays.
Unfortunately, the odds are against any of these shows surviving the season - several may be gone in a matter of week.APPEALING TO MINORITIES: It has not escaped the attention of the NBC programmers that, as a group, black Americans watch considerably more television than any other ethnic group.
The Peacock has scheduled a record seven series that feature black actors in lead roles - "Fresh Prince of Bel Air," "A Different World," "Rhythm and Blues," "In the Loop," "I'll Fly Away," "Here and Now" and "Up All Night."NAME CHANGES: They're already beginning to change the names on the new series. CBS' "Love Is Hell" has become "Love and War."
And one NBC sitcom has already changed titles twice, from "In the Loop" to "Buck and Barry" to "Glory Boys."