In the 1972-73 television season, The Partridge Family finished as ABC’s second-highest-rated scripted series, landing in 19th place in the Nielsen ratings, trailing only Marcus Welby, M.D., which finished 13th. The Partridge Family was also far and away ABC’s most popular sitcom. Having previously won two epic sitcom showdowns of the ’70s, The Partridge Family would face its toughest test in the fall of 1973.
The Partridge Family vs. All in the Family
ABC made a huge miscalculation by moving The Partridge Family from Friday to a slot opposite All in the Family on Saturday night at 8:00(ET). ABC executive Martin Starger said ABC hoped to get traction on the night with a proven hit. The network had previously failed in the slot with The Partridge Family spinoff Getting Together, western Alias Smith and Jones, and most recently the Larry Hagman sitcom Here We Go Again, which finished dead last in the previous year’s Nielsen ratings against All in the Family, which was still the overwhelming #1 show, attracting nearly one-third of the country’s viewers.
Not only was All in the Family exceedingly popular, but it had also just won its third straight Emmy for outstanding comedy series. In addition, it would be leading off a night of programming on CBS that is still considered the best evening of television of all time. All in the Family would be followed by M*A*S*H, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, and The Carol Burnett Show.
What’s more, NBC had finished a comfortable second in the timeslot the season before with Emergency!, which came in a respectable 37th place opposite the powerhouse All in the Family.
Despite its consistent success on Friday nights, The Partridge Family was vulnerable. About to begin its fourth season, its premise had started to wear thin. Tired of his wholesome Keith Partridge image, David Cassidy was making noises about leaving the show, although he agreed to continue when producers reportedly planned to forge ahead without him. In a sure sign of desperation, the series added a singing tot named Ricky, who moved in next door to the Partridges. The move was not well-received by fans, and Ricky disappeared after making 10 appearances.
Still, ABC’s Starger showed confidence in a new Saturday night lineup that also included ABC Suspense Movie and Griff, a new crime drama starring Bonanza’s Lorne Greene. Starger said, “We intend to compete at a very high level,” also calling his network’s Saturday night programming expensive and important. ABC was hoping to duplicate its success with TV movies on Tuesday and Wednesday. Signing Greene to a new series was considered a coup for the network.
However, ABC’s new lineup barely moved the needle, and all three programs were near the bottom of the Nielsen list. The Partridge Family lost more than half of its audience. Griff was cancelled at mid-season. At season’s end, the suspense movie and The Partridge Family were both cancelled. The once-popular sitcom was only good for 78th place, while All in the Family continued as TV’s number one show, and Emergency! maintained most of its audience, finishing in 41st place.
Not only did ABC’s bold but misguided move of The Partridge Family not work out on Saturday, but it also did tremendous damage to the network’s Friday night lineup. Aging series The Brady Bunch, Room 222, and Love, American Style were on their last legs, with the latter two cancelled at mid-season. The Brady Bunch managed to hold on until season’s end, making its own desperation move by adding the much-maligned Cousin Oliver to the cast. Some fans blame the poor kid for “ruining” the show, but it was clearly on its way to cancellation and was never exactly a creatively sound vehicle. Friday newcomer Adam’s Rib was also cancelled at mid-season. The Odd Couple experienced a significant ratings drop after being moved into The Partridge Family’s old 8:30 timeslot, where it was ridiculously paired with The Brady Bunch. Fortunately, it was moved back to 9:30 at mid-season with a popular new show, The Six Million Dollar Man, as its lead-in. Its ratings recovered, and it was renewed for a fifth and final season.
As for The Partridge Family, while it may not have faced another epic sitcom showdown, many years later, the Partridges did battle with the Bradys in this clever sketch.
Winner: All in the Family
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