# Midseason Replacement Hall of Fame **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 21, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216 "2005-02-21T18:56:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/1 "2005-02-21T18:56:40Z")
We all know Seinfeld is the gold standard for midseason replacements. It was brought in at midseason a FEW times before becoming one of the most watched and critically lauded series of all time. But I understand why it was put off until midseason. It was so unconventional and different at the time, that no one was sure it was going to take. I guess the same could be said of the Simpsons. Prime Time, ADULT animation had never really been done. They kicked it off with a higher profile holiday special and then went on to legitimize the Fox Network. But other times I am confused how many long running, successful shows were launched as midseason. Did the networks think they weren’t worthy of picking up in the Fall or did they begin production later than the Fall shows? Why would they do that? It seems if you want to be a hit show, you would target for a Fall premiere. Anyone have an idea how that happens? For instance, it would seem that the networks would have green lighted these midseason replacements as Fall shows: - King of the Hill- Maybe hindsight is 20-20, but this show had hit written all over it. It has now produced over 150 episodes and if the rating hold can last for another 50-100. - That '70s Show- This one actually debuted as one of Fox’s SUMMER shows (before they held quality shows like the OC for a Summer Season). Again, another show that debuted outside of the Fall and went on to syndication. - Night Court- I was surprised at this one. I figured for sure it was a Fall premiere. But it came out in January and went on for nearly a decade. - Just Shoot Me- Not a great show, but a good show. It went on for five seasons to some success. It benefited greatly by being put in the 9:30/8:30 timeslot on Thrusday, but many other shows did NOTHING there. Any other shows go on to greatness after a midseason debut? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/2 "2005-02-21T19:00:35Z")
Laugh-In is the gold standard of midseason debuts. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/3 "2005-02-21T19:02:51Z")
I remember that **Malcolm in the Middle** premiered in January of 2000. I presume that’s what you mean by mid-season? It’s lasted a pretty good while now. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/4 "2005-02-21T19:10:04Z")
_The Wonder Years_ had a mid-season debut, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/5 "2005-02-21T19:34:18Z")
Yes. January is the traditional dumping ground for midseason. Any show that debuts outside of the Fall (I’d say September, but Fix has gotten to where they debut shows in November because of Baseball). ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/6 "2005-02-21T19:41:23Z")
Family Guy premiered after a Super Bowl and lasted a few short seasons, but is one of the few (perhaps the only?) defunct sitcom to return to the air after stellar DVD sales. It didn’t have staying power before, but its ability to rise from the dead certainly gives it some street cred. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/7 "2005-02-21T19:45:26Z")
I’d say _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ is the quintessential example. The Ffrst season had only 13 episodes; it went on for six more full years. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/8 "2005-02-21T19:47:21Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > _The Wonder Years_ had a mid-season debut, IIRC. Perhaps that is an exception, because _Wonder Years_ debuted after the Super Bowl, which has traditionally been a special time slot to show off a new show that the network has some expectations of. (Though it was one of the few that had much lasting success.) This year that show was _American Dad_, a show that won’t properly start until spring sometime… Seinfeld wasn’t a midseason replacement, it was a summer rerun replacement! Amazing that it was even noticed… ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/9 "2005-02-21T20:00:58Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > Anyone have an idea how that happens? I’d say it’s because the networks don’t have a clue as to which shows will end up hits. For every mid-season replacement that ended up being a hit, how many heavily -hyped fall premiers fell flat, then were quietly cancelled after a few weeks? It’s not that the networks don’t know what they’re doing, I’d say, but rather that the viewing habits of the American public are less predictable than networks would like them to be. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/10 "2005-02-21T20:11:36Z")
IIRC, _Northern Exposure_ was either a mid-season replacement or a summer rerun replacement. One of the best shows, ever, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/11 "2005-02-21T20:31:14Z")
The A-Team was a post Superbowl debut. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/12 "2005-02-21T20:39:06Z")
Both _Deep Space Nine_ and _Voyager_ debuted in January, which I found odd seeing as both had the benefit of a pre-existing fan base. (Granted, Voyager was the debut show of the new UPN network, which wanted to avoid debuting in the fall up in competition with the established networks) Both went on to have 7 season runs. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/13 "2005-02-21T21:21:27Z")
The clear choice – **Homicide: Life on the Streets**. One of the best TV shows ever, it debuted after a Superbowl back when the networks thought that could jumpstart ratings. It ran the rest of the season, vanished for awhile and came back as another midseason replacement (with four episodes) the next year, and then nailed down a spot in the NBC lineup. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/14 "2005-02-21T22:04:19Z")
Hah! None of those amount to much. [Front Page Challenge](http://imdb.com/title/tt0156208/) (a panel of journalists try to identify a mystery guest who is involved with a current news story) started on the CBC in 1957 as summer filler, and ran until 1996. The only hiatus was in the fall of 1957, before public pressure made the CBC bring it back. That’s 39 years. Jeopardy is a little ahead, but it wasn’t a summer replacement. In [the book about the show](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0771576625/qid=1109022695/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/102-6072292-4074537?v=glance&s=books&n=507846), Pierre Burton is quoted as asking the producers if they were sure they didn’t want somebody younger, in case the show caught on. They laughed. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/15 "2005-02-21T22:09:46Z")
Geez, if Seinfeld is the Gold Standard, then _All in the Family_ must be the Platinum Standard. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/16 "2005-02-22T00:32:16Z")
There’s also **Hill Street Blues** – certainly the most influential series of the 80s, and one of the best – and **Twin Peaks** , which was a sensation when it first came out. **Quantum Leap** was also a midseason replacement. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/17 "2005-02-22T03:18:51Z")
_Barney Miller_ was a mid-season replacement and a great series. ---
**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/18 "2005-02-22T06:18:02Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > IIRC, _Northern Exposure_ was either a mid-season replacement or a summer rerun replacement. One of the best shows, ever, IMO. Pretty sure it was both. Started as a summer rerun replacement, then did well enough to come back as a midseason replacement. “If we all …go insane…at least we can all…go together!” -lv ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/midseason-replacement-hall-of-fame/291216/19 "2005-02-22T14:27:11Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Geez, if Seinfeld is the Gold Standard, then _All in the Family_ must be the Platinum Standard. Wow. I didn’t know that. Platinum indeed.