Will CBS Program Saturdays Again This Fall?

With practically its entire lineup doing so well, CBS looks like it'll
have only two hours to fill next fall, Tuesday at 10 and Wednesday at
8, maybe three if Amazing Race doesn't return. It's even almost

Lord Vader III...

Why would AR not return?

evwill...

There could be a problem if the next run's ratings don't improve off of
the "family edition" debacle. I still believe there's a better than
even chance that we'll see a TAR10 on the fall schedule, though.

Everett W.

conceivable that they just might have nothing to fill in September if
whatever upcoming spring tryouts they pitch also succeed. Will this
make the network finally take a chance on opening up Saturdays again
for new original programming? The only other possibility, if they
decide to still leave Saturday for reruns, would be to do away with the
Sunday movie to facilitate introducing some fresh series blood into its
system. Otherwise, by the looks of it now, it hardly seems like CBS
will have any new shows in the fall.

Taylor...

I wonder if it shows U.S. networks are doing a bad job if they can't
score a Saturday night audience or if it shows times are changing. It's
as if the big 4 are lying saying they're a 7-night-a-week programmer and
trying to get away w/ it.

John Duncan Yoyo...

When I was a kid Saturday night on CBS was a great TV Night. The Mary
Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show and The Carol Burnett Show all
three are memorable. I can't remember the eight o'clock hour.

John Duncan Yoyo...

I probably was. Fire trucks and little boys just go together. I
remember watching the Night Gallery on what must have been either a
Friday or Saturday night as well.

I think MASH moved around a few times. I thought it might be All In
the Family but I remembered that as a Monday night show. I'm guessing
the Jefferson's was in the MASH slot at some point.

Rob Jensen...

IIRC, All in the Family was a Sunday night show for much of its
lifetime.

I remember Monday nights it being something like

8:00 One Day At a Time
8:30 The Jeffersons
9:00 MASH
9:30 Alice
10pm Lou Grant

With the Jeffersons moving into MASH's spot when MASH ended.

John Duncan Yoyo...

I remember MASH being on Sunday nights at one point as well. Somewhere
there used to be an archive of season grids but I can't find it right
now. I wish I had the book my college roommate had describing all TV
shows up until the eighties it had the grids in it as well.

pkj0891...

Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh: "The Complete Directory to Prime Time
Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present". (8th Edition, 2003)

My all-time favorite Saturday night lineup was for the 1972 and 1973
seasons:

8:00 All In The Family
8:30 Bridget Loves Bernie (then MASH in 1973)
9:00 Mary Tyler Moore
9:30 Bob Newhart

By 10PM, I was getting ready to go out, so whatever was on at that
time didn't really matter.

John Duncan Yoyo...

Thanks, Yep that sounds like the big yellow book. Considering I don't
go back that far the Wikipedia will do just fine.

-- Rob

I was looking for the grid but couldn't find it.

They just need to program for who is home and likely to be watching TV
and sell ad time accordingly.