# There was once a TV Lineup that included 4 of the best shows in TV History and the Bob Newhart Show **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [May 30, 2023, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756 "2023-05-30T00:31:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/61 "2023-05-30T19:25:09Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > _Friends_ > some other show > _Seinfeld_ > yet another other show > _ER_ Pretty sure the one after _Seinfeld_ was _Mad About You_. Can’t remember what was in the earlier slot. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/62 "2023-05-30T19:27:53Z")
I read it as, “I could get some great TV back yonder, in a delectably couch potato fashion.” No harm pointing out that it’s not been all downhill since then. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/63 "2023-05-30T19:30:29Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > What record? Got to admit, that’d be a heck of a line-up though. At 8+ hours, your parents would _never_ get to go bowling! ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/64 "2023-05-30T19:33:01Z")
That really wasn’t what it was - it was more “there was only one day and time you could watch these shows- wasn’t it great that it was all the same night and station” so there wasn’t any “choose between MASH and All in the Family - you can’t watch both” ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/65 "2023-05-30T19:40:46Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > > [@echoreply](#): > > > > _Friends_ > > some other show > > _Seinfeld_ > > yet another other show > > _ER_ > > Pretty sure the one after _Seinfeld_ was _Mad About You_. Can’t remember what was in the earlier slot. Wasn’t _Frasier_ in there somewhere? ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/66 "2023-05-30T19:46:23Z")
I think _Frasier_ was on Tuesdays, IIRC. I remember very often the show after _Friends_ was some new show or a weaker show the network was trying to building an audience for, presumably because they figured people would watch it just because it was in between the two popular shows. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/67 "2023-05-30T19:46:26Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Wasn’t _Frasier_ in there somewhere? It definitely followed _Friends_ in the early 2000s. Not sure if it followed _Friends_ while _Seinfeld_ was still running. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/68 "2023-05-30T19:48:32Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I remember very often the show after _Friends_ was some new show or a weaker show the network was trying to building an audience for, presumably because they figured people would watch it just because it was in between the two popular shows. Without researching: _Veronica’s Closet_ (with Kirstie Alley and Kathy Najimi) and _Just Shoot Me_ (ensemble anchored by David Spade) were on Thursdays at some point. I _think_ in 1997-98 (_Seinfeld_’s send-off) and probably the season after that. EDIT: Yep. I hadn’t realized that _Veronica’s Closet_ was the #3 show that fall, slightly outdrawing _Friends_. In fact, NBC has Neilsen #s 1, 2, 3, and 4 on Thursday nights in 1997-98. > **[1997–98 United States network television schedule | Thursday](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997%E2%80%9398_United_States_network_television_schedule#Thursday)** > > NOTE: On Fox, Rewind was supposed to air 8-8:30, but it was cancelled due to production troubles. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/69 "2023-05-30T19:56:37Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I think _Frasier_ was on Tuesdays, IIRC. And then moved to Thursdays, taking over _Seinfeld_’s old time slot starting in fall 1998. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/70 "2023-05-30T20:25:07Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I think it is pretty clear when you read the OP that “Tv lineup” means all the shows are from one network and on the same night, and not “here are some of my favorite shows”. That’s one of those things the young 'uns might not understand. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/71 "2023-05-30T23:13:24Z")
Yeah. You could watch them without getting up to change the channel, adjust the antenna, or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/72 "2023-05-30T23:28:52Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > You could watch them without getting up to change the channel, adjust the antenna, or anything. And the reason they put newer or weaker shows in between the better shows was, you didn’t want to switch stations, in case you missed the start of the later show. No rewinding! ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/73 "2023-05-30T23:31:34Z")
I think the problem with any given year of NBC’s Thursday lineup, was that there was always a “weak” entry sandwiched in there. Looking at the Wiki entry for “[Must See TV](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Must_See_TV)”, there were powerhouses like Cheers, Friends, Seinfeld, The Office, and Frasier along with gems like 30 Rock, Parks & Recreation, Scrubs, My Name Is Earl, Community, and Mad About You, but always with a Suddenly Susan, Veronica’s Closet, Joey, Whitney…well, the list goes on. If NBC had been able to avoid sticking the needy shows into a slot, it could have had the greatest lineups in history, especially when the ten o’clock hour featured shows like Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and ER. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2023, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/74 "2023-05-30T23:33:01Z")
Exactly. One thing I remember about TV from that era that is obsolete is this: If you were watching “Rockford” and you saw an ad for a program coming up the next week, there was no question about which channel it would be on - it would be on the Rockford channel. Today, you see ads for all sorts of programs on different channels. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/75 "2023-05-31T00:01:33Z")
Of course what the network hopes is that the new, weaker shows at the 8:30 or 9:30 timeslot grows in popularity so that it can standalone, perhaps in the 8pm timeslot on another evening. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/76 "2023-05-31T01:06:22Z")
Until they settled on the now-classic lineup, CBS always had a problem with that 8:30pm ET time slot between All in the Family and Mary Tyler Moore. They tried different shows that didn’t make it. The one I recall was “Friends and Lovers,” aka “The Paul Sand Show,” a sitcom about a symphony orchestra. Paul Sand had a hang-dog look and demeaner similar to Gene Wilder. We thought it was OK but it just wasn’t a good follow-up to Archie Bunker or lead-in for Mary. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/77 "2023-05-31T02:15:02Z")
Looking back at the prime time schedules, CBS sandwiched a lot of stuff between _All In The Family_ and _Mary Tyler Moore_. 1971 - _Funny Face_ (either you thought Sandy Duncan was adorable, or you didn’t) and _The New Dick Van Dyke Show_ (just watch reruns of the orignal) 1972 - _Bridget Loves Bernie_ (a premise that wouldn’t have worked even in 1952). That was the season _The Bob Newhart Show_ premiered. 1973 - the all-star lineup. 1974 - _MASH_ gets moved to Tuesdays, and **XOldiesJock’s** memory of Paul Sand fills the spot. The show was created by MTM’s creative powerfhouse, and featured some of the industry’s leading scriptwriters. Paul Sand was a good enough sad sack, but he lacked the “spunk” that made you root for someone like Mary Richards or Rhoda. 1975 - _All In The Family_ moves to Wednesdays, replaced by _The Jeffersons_ and is followed by Doc, a sitcom about a crusty but kind-hearted old doctor. It was well written and acted, but the premise didn’t fit with the other shows and it was canceled after two seasons. BTW, _The Carol Burnett Show_ replaced _Mission Impossible_, which had limped through its final two seasons replacing _Mannix_, which had worn out its welcome. Compared to them, Carol Burnett was fresh and exciting. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/78 "2023-05-31T04:28:35Z")
What I remember most about that TV Lineup, was _it was Taco Night!_ ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/79 "2023-05-31T12:12:03Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > _MASH_ gets moved to Tuesdays, and **XOldiesJock’s** memory of Paul Sand fills the spot. The show was created by MTM’s creative powerfhouse, and featured some of the industry’s leading scriptwriters. Paul Sand was a good enough sad sack, but he lacked the “spunk” that made you root for someone like Mary Richards or Rhoda. Paul Sand had appeared earlier on an episode of _The Mary Tyler Moore Show_, playing an IRS agent who was auditing Mary, developed a crush on her (as everyone inevitably did), and, lacking the courage and self-esteem to ask her out, instead spent the whole episode using the audit as an excuse to spend time with her. Somehow, the MTM folks thought that this creepy, probably illegal, borderline stalker type of character had the makings of a romantic lead, and gave him his own show. Back in the 70s, a lot of what we now recognize as “creepy stalker” tended to read as “lovably quirky.” ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756/80 "2023-05-31T19:59:33Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Back in the 70s, a lot of what we now recognize as “creepy stalker” tended to read as “lovably quirky.” Sadly, a certain subset of men agreed with this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-once-a-tv-lineup-that-included-4-of-the-best-shows-in-tv-history-and-the-bob-newhart-show/984756.md?page=5)