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These ratings here give a good representation of what was happening to the face of primetime TV in the early 1970s.
Long-time favorite GUNSMOKE was still placing strong at #18 for the week, but the majority of the Top 20 shows were a brood of new fare created in the wake of the "rural purge" and the overall shake-up at the TV networks at the start of the 1970s.
MARY TYLER MOORE and BOB NEWHART were both in the Top 10, while more politically aware comedies like ALL IN THE FAMILY and MAUDE were at #1 and #4, respectively. Still, American viewers enjoyed more wholesome offerings, like THE WALTONS, which placed #5 for the week.
More progressive, diverse sitcoms, like SANFORD AND SON, were also drawing big numbers, coming in at #3 here. Funnily enough, I always think of SANFORD AND SON as a Norman Lear show.
On the flip side, shows like HERE'S LUCY didn't even make the Top 30 here (it's #33 for the week), which I guess is fitting considering this was its final year. More youth-aimed sitcoms, such as THE BRADY BUNCH (at #36) and THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY (at #61), also shocked me.
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But, wasn't it??
Lucy retired from sitcom in 1974, perhaps because her brand was tarnishing a bit after 23 years as Queen of Television. A girl gets tired.
PARTRIDGE FAMILY was in its fourth (and final) season, and ABC moved it from Friday to Saturday nights, directly against ALL IN THE FAMILY (the top show of the time, by leaps and bounds).
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After checking Wikipedia, I see he was "uncredited" in his involvement.
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"Uncredited"?? It was his second biggest hit of the '70s!
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That's what Wikipedia says, but yeah, it's Wikipedia.
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I think Sanford & Son was definitely his creation. At least that’s what I’ve always thought from what we’ve heard through the years.
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He and Bud Yorkin (I think that's his name) adapted the concept from a British series. Lear and Yorkin's Tandem Productions produced the show, but after the two got it on the air, I think Lear sort of handed it over to Yorkin to handle day-to-day operations. Lear still co-owned it and had his name on it, though, so it was considered in his stable of shows but Yorkin was the show-runner.
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STEPTOE & SON
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Ratings are an interesting topic, because the numbers are objective (at least according to the methodology)
the perception of quality is largely subjective.
The entire industry has changed, and it seems that "niche" programming is much more viable,
because it requires fewer episodes. Many a series that was cancelled because of low ratings
back when the choices were limited to 3 networks might have a better chance today.
the perception of quality is largely subjective.
The entire industry has changed, and it seems that "niche" programming is much more viable,
because it requires fewer episodes. Many a series that was cancelled because of low ratings
back when the choices were limited to 3 networks might have a better chance today.
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The lists of ratings sometimes do not tell the whole story, though, especially the weekly round-ups. A show's rating for that week might be adversely affected by a one-time sporting event or a movie that normally did not air against the show. The show may have been airing in a different time slot than usual, or aired a rerun that week (though I remember that TV Guide used to denote such by putting (R) after the title). Sometimes a show might have a different lead-in than usual, which might add or subtract some viewers.
The "overall ratings" for a week or a season did give a better idea of the trends that the viewers cared about; the "overnights" were what the network execs and the producers obsessed over because every single rating point meant millions in ad revenue and even small changes in viewership could determine whether they kept their jobs.
The "overall ratings" for a week or a season did give a better idea of the trends that the viewers cared about; the "overnights" were what the network execs and the producers obsessed over because every single rating point meant millions in ad revenue and even small changes in viewership could determine whether they kept their jobs.
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It's interesting to see WKRP at #4 for the week here, especially when I always think of it struggling to find an audience.
But there's something that's always thrown me with these rating charts. It says that 60 MINUTES and ONE DAY AT A TIME are tied as the #6 show of the week. If that's so, why wouldn't THE JEFFERSONS be the #7 most watched show of the week? Do they tally the ratings this way to keep up with the number of shows? Either way, it irks me just a tad.
But there's something that's always thrown me with these rating charts. It says that 60 MINUTES and ONE DAY AT A TIME are tied as the #6 show of the week. If that's so, why wouldn't THE JEFFERSONS be the #7 most watched show of the week? Do they tally the ratings this way to keep up with the number of shows? Either way, it irks me just a tad.
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69 MINUTES was soon cancelled. And we know why.
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[/rim shot]
No matter how you stack it, seven shows outranked George and Weezy that week, so they were rightfully named #8.
No matter how you stack it, seven shows outranked George and Weezy that week, so they were rightfully named #8.
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Typo corrected, Mr. Snark.
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What does the 54.1 rating for Texaco Star Theater in 1951 mean compared to the 32.0 rating for All in the Family in 1973? Does that really mean more viewers, or is it not really comparable because fewer people had televisions in 1951 and there were fewer people living in the United States in 1951 than in 1973?