I’m looking at my network TV options tonight, and I see that I could watch Crusoe, NBC’s dull take on a dull literary classic, or two back-to-back episodes of CBS’ Game Show In My Head, a stupid gotcha-reality-show from that genius producer Ashton Kutcher, or a rerun on ABC of The Bachelor. Oh, yeah–followed on ABC by a rerun of True Beauty, another reality show so stupid, the drool practically drips out of your TV screen. I know: I could watch football on Fox, but I’m just not a football fan.
All of which made me think: Remember when Saturday night TV was great? Remember when you could watch All In The Family or The Mary Tyler Moore Show or The Bob Newhart Show, or in later years, Sisters or Walker, Texas Ranger or The Commish?
Even family-friendly stuff like Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, or silly stuff like The Love Boat and Fantasy Island was better than the mix of reruns and non-scripted crap that now turns Saturday nights into a gravesite. I know there were economic reasons for the neworks to do this–not as many young people staying at home watching TV, so advertisers pulled away from the networks, which in turn left us high and dry.
But do you remember when Saturday night tv was good, was a great time to say, “Y’know, I think I’ll grab some popcorn and sit on the couch all evening?” What shows do you think worked best on Saturday night?
Comments (1-30) of 70 Add your comment
You can watch NPH on SNL tonight!! High five!
Because the demographics that matter most to advertisers are out spending their disposable income elsewhere (for an example, see: weekend box office receipts)
Saturday night TV is depressing. Shows on Saturday night don’t get good ratings cause yeah people aren’t home Saturday night but it would be nice for there to be something else then re-runs on Saturday night for those nights you do stay home. My only options seem to be Hockey Night in Canada or a movie in the History Channel
Back when NBC had a good Saturday lineup was – Dark Skies, The Prentender, and the Profiler. 3 shows that worked together! They had high hopes for Dark Skies – which was fun but a little campy – my favorite was The Pretender
Are you crazy?! Crusoe is AWESOME! I can’t believe it’s been doomed to Saturday night.
How about if the networks realized that hey with the economy so bad who can afford a baby sitter, and go out to eat and a movie. I would love to watch some good shows on network tv, and snuggle up on the couch with my husband. Don’t forget The Golden Girls came on Saturday nights. They could show those old shows again an dI would still watch them
What about Saturdays between 1985 to about 1989? NBC had an excellent lineup with 227, The Golden Girls, Empty Nest (which started in 1988), and Fred Dryer’s drama Hunter (which was quite good). Probably the networks feel that today’s audiences go to the movies or sporting events on Saturdays. It’s a typical date night to most and most people don’t prefer to watch TV that night. So they don’t promote their shows as much on that night. They figure that Sunday to Thursdays are the most watched nights.
I’ve taken to picking up movies from the library to watch on Saturday nights. The only halfway decent show is 48 Hours, and even that’s not all that great.
I also seem to remember The Carol Burnett Show being on on Saturday. Is that correct?
Growing up, it was all about Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. I loved that show. Now Saturday night is movie rental night.
I am another Crusoe fan, it is enjoyable TV, and one of the few programs all the family can watch. Lacking any support from NBC it is withering away, but there is much, much worse on the boob tube. It will literally be the only enjoyable hour tonight when reviewing the tv choices. Saturday Night used to be the focus of all the great dramas, but the world has changed, and now very few households are clustered on a Saturday night, hence this is now a barren wasteland for TV.
Why is Saturday such a lousy TV night? As opposed to all the quality programming on every other night of the week?
well saturday is the biggest going-out night of the week, so, not exactly a big ratings draw. i usually watch stuff on cable or reruns of shows like friends, that 70s show, and king of queens until 11:30, when one of the highlights of my week, SNL comes on.
what about SNL?? saturday night live, like the funniest show on Tv??!!!
Saturday is no worse than most any other night of television…
God, I can’t wait til Lost starts back up. Then, on those lousy weekend nights I stay home, I can just obsess over Sawyer’s shirtlessness.
Well, it’s not until after primetime, but NPH is on SNL–totally worth staying home for!!!
Forget about Saturday, what about the month of January? I remember when it was chock full of mini-series, big specials, serious TV movies and first-run scripted shows. Now its a waste land (except for cable).
I’ve always hoped TV Land would re-run some of the classic Saturday shows in a primetime block. Start off with Mary Tyler Moore and All in The Family, drop in an episode of the Love Boat then then cap it off with the Carol Burnett Show.
Maybe even re-program its entire lineup after classic nights of TV.
NBC Thursdays (Cosby, Family Ties, Cheers, Seinfeld, LA Law) CBS Mondays (Newhart, Kate and Allie, MASH, Rhoda and Lou Grant), ABC Tuesdays (Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Mork and Mindy, Taxi and Hart to Hart)
I wished the networks would show some of their old shows again on Saturday nights… Classic TV sitcoms from the 80’s and 90’s. I know most are still in reruns in syndication but maybe they could show the best of the best and have the actors of those shows give us some insight and tidbits about the behind the scenes stuff… The networks can’t do worse because like u said Saturday night TV is pretty much dead anyway.
Rock on! That’s exactly what I remember watching Saturday nights with my folks when I was little: 227, Golden Girls, Empty Nest and then Hunter. I think Amen was thrown in there at some point too.
neil patrick harris on SNL tonight, so…wait for it!
I totally agree with Danny. The big three networks already own the rights, show us some oldies. Maybe get Viacom to enter into a promotional agreement so that they can cross promote their original and other programming across TV Land, Nickelodeon’s Nick at Nite (and other fare such as Sober House on VH1 and the surprisingly interesting new season of The Real World on MTV.) Give us old Golden Girls, Facts of Life, Muppet Show, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley etc etc. in 2 hour marathon blocks rotating through shows instead of trying to get through entire series or seasons that not everyone liked the first time around.
The block of Love Boat and Fantasy Island was the perfect antidote for this bored babysitter in the 80’s.
When I was a kid, I was so upset that I couldn’t stay up to watch the Carol Burnett Show. Reruns of the Bachelor? And the suits at ABC,NBC, and CBS wonder why so many people have jumped ship to cable…
Golden Girls!!
And I also loved the Love Boat/Fantasy Island combo
Hands down, no contest! The Carol Burnett Show was the best of what was a brilliant Saturday night line up on CBS.
The only channel I watch on Saturdays is BBC America. The shows might be reruns, but Primeval and Doctor Who both rock. Then Graham Norton is on at 10pm, and that guy is hilarious.
I loved NBC’s Saturday night line-up in the 80’s of “The Golden Girls”, “The Facts Of Life”, “Empty Nest”, “227″ and “Nurses”.
I also loved “Sisters” in the 1990’s and “Touched By An Angle” and “Dr. Quinn” in the 90’s!
I miss saturday night TV and wish networks would invest in reinventing saturday nights. They were able to fix Sunday night TV why not Saturday or for that matter, Friday nights.
I live in Ireland, so the best saturday night tv show was Baywatch, that show rocked and as kids we all watched it, even with its half naked booby women, everyone loved it. Nowadays its X factor, and now that its season is over, there is Celebrity Big Brother, which is the worst drivel on television EVER, though right now coolio and mini me aka verne someone is on it! not the worst line up ever, but still boring as hell!
Um… There’s NFL playoff football on TV tonight. What more could you ask for? Nothing could be better!
Seriously too, I’m not being sarcastic.
Well, a few years ago you could at least plan on watching a good episode of “Saturday Night Live” even if the rest of the night was mediocre television, but now that doesn’t even hold true on a consistent basis.
I loved Profiler, Pretender and Sisters. I guess now that we all have 100’s of channels and the internet, the networks just gave up on programing anything.