In the first epic sitcom showdown of the ’70s, I examined how The Partridge Family defeated Andy Griffith in his TV comeback, as his dramedy Headmaster and his down-home sitcom The New Andy Griffith Show were each bested by the new sitcom. In its second season, The Partridge Family became an even bigger hit, finishing 16^th in the Nielsen ratings for 1971-72.

The Partridge Family faced relatively weak competition in the Friday at 8:30(ET) timeslot during the 1971-72 season, handily defeating O’Hara, U.S. Treasury (48^th place), and NBC’s Friday movie (52^nd place). However, NBC scheduled a new top-ten hit, Sanford and Son, at 8:00 p.m. at mid-season. Rather than follow up the new hit with a movie again, NBC saw an opportunity to launch a new sitcom at 8:30 in the fall of 1972.

The Partridge Family vs. The Little People

Brian Keith was just one season removed from starring in Family Affair, a hugely successful family sitcom that hit the top five three times in its five-year run. For the fall of 1972, NBC brought Keith back in The Little People, a warm family comedy about a father and daughter who work as pediatricians at a free clinic. Despite Keith’s previous popularity, it seemed an odd match for its raucous Sanford and Son lead-in. Television comedy had also changed tremendously in Keith’s year away from the genre. In addition to Sanford and Son, All in the Family and The Mary Tyler Moore Show were now huge hits. Maude, M*A*S*H, and The Bob Newhart Show were also set to debut that fall.

CBS scheduled an x-factor on Friday that fall by moving its popular variety series, The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, to the 8:00 timeslot. While it undoubtedly drew a few younger viewers from The Partridge Family and The Little People, Sonny and Cher’s ratings dropped considerably, and the show regularly finished behind its sitcom competition. CBS moved it to Wednesday in December, where it recovered. Its replacement, Mission: Impossible, was on its last legs and hardly a threat to attract a large number of young viewers.

Week one of the season went to The Little People, which finished in 25^th place compared to The Partridge Family’s 47^th-place finish. The Little People not only had the curiosity factor going for it, but also its lead-in, Sanford and Son, placed 15^th in the ratings, while ABC’s 8:00 entry, The Brady Bunch, was only good for 59^th.

The gap narrowed in week two as The Little People dropped slightly to 29^th place and The Partridge Family moved up a few places to 40^th. Once again, the ratings of their lead-ins affected the numbers, as Sanford and Son outpaced The Brady Bunch, finishing 9^th, while its timeslot rival finished 47th.

By week three, The Partridge Family took control of the timeslot, finishing in 21^st place, with The Little People falling a bit more to 32^nd place, despite Sanford and Son continuing to make the top ten, and The Brady Bunch finishing nowhere near the top portion of the ratings.

This trend continued throughout the season, with The Partridge Family ending the annual Nielsen ratings in 19^th place, leading the 25^th-ranked The Little People by .7 of a ratings point. Sanford and Son continued to gain viewers and finished in 2^nd place, behind only All in the Family, in the Nielsen ratings. The Brady Bunch trailed in 45^th place, nearly 10 ratings points behind.

Oddly, neither The Partridge Family nor The Little People would return to Friday at 8:30 the following season. Despite losing so much of the Sanford and Son audience, The Little People was renewed, as it was NBC’s only other sitcom airing during the 1972-73 season. It would move to an hour later on Friday, feature new producers, add cast members, and now air under the title The Brian Keith Show. Dropping to 57^th in its new slot, The Brian Keith Show was cancelled at the end of the 1973-74 season.

As for The Partridge Family, ABC moved it for the fall of 1973, despite its strong finish on Friday. The result of that move will be discussed in next week’s epic sitcom showdown of the ’70s

Winner: The Partridge Family