The 1980-81 and 1981-82 television seasons were delayed by actors’ and writers’ strikes, respectively. Once the seasons did get underway, there were a few intriguing head-to-head matches among sitcoms.

1980-81

Taxi and Soap vs. Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life on Wednesday at 9:00-10:00 p.m. (ET)

Wednesday had long been one of ABC’s strongest nights, but the network began to weaken on hump day in the second half of the 1979-80 season. Though Eight is Enough won its 8:00 timeslot by finishing in 12^th place, NBC’s Real People began surpassing it in the weekly ratings late in the season and finished just behind it for the year, in 14^th. At 9:00, ABC’s once monster hit Charlie’s Angels also won its timeslot (18^th or 20^th place, depending on the source). Like Eight is Enough, it saw a mighty challenge from NBC, as its sitcom Diff’rent Strokes (26^th or 27^th place) started winning the timeslot regularly in the final weeks of the season. Alarmed by its quickly falling ratings, ABC moved Charlie’s Angels to Sunday for what turned out to be its final season.

In its place, ABC brought over two hit comedies from other nights. Taxi finished the 1979-80 season in 13^th place in its cushy timeslot after Three’s Company on Tuesdays. It would be followed by Soap, which was 24^th (one source says 25^th) in the ratings on Thursdays. NBC intended to fill its 9:30 weak spot by dropping flop Hello, Larry (56^th) and replacing it with Sanford (64^th), which had failed to catch on during a brief run against The Love Boat on Saturday night the previous season.

During the summer of 1980, NBC tested Diff’rent Strokes spinoff The Facts of Life in the Wednesday at 9:30 slot, only to see the previously low-rated Friday night sitcom (68^th)  score blockbuster ratings. When Sanford reruns took the slot later in the summer, that series didn’t come close to matching The Facts of Life’s numbers, so NBC reversed its decision and set Facts for Wednesday and Sanford for Friday.

Soap was first out of the gate on October 29 with a 90-minute special recap of the previous season with guest star Bea Arthur. This annual special landed in 25^th place in the week’s ratings. The one-hour season premiere aired two weeks later at 9:00 against the one-hour season premiere of Diff’rent Strokes. Both shows performed well, with Strokes in 16^th place and Soap in 24^th. Taxi and The Facts of Life debuted their seasons a week later. Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life took the timeslot with 23^rd and 29^th place finishes. Taxi and Soap ranked 35^th and 38^th, respectively.

The next week, ABC took a hit as Taxi dropped to 48^th place and Soap to 43^rd. The race grew more competitive on December 10 as Diff’rent Strokes barely edged Taxi, and 26^th-place Soap easily led 36^th-place The Facts of Life. Programming was sporadic during the holidays, but by early January Diff’rent Strokes jumped into 15^th place. Soap dipped badly for a couple of weeks when ABC oddly failed to air new episodes of Taxi before it. The last time the two series aired together, Taxi finished 47^th, and Soap was in 45^th. Strokes and Facts were 29^th and 35^th, respectively. Diff’rent Strokes was helped by its lead-in, Real People. That series finished 12^th for the season and regularly crushed ABC’s Eight is Enough (53^rd).

With NBC widening its lead, ABC decided to send Taxi and Soap elsewhere. The hourlong show that replaced them, Aloha Paradise, got about the same numbers as the departed sitcoms. Taxi moved to Thursday at 9:30, but only finished 54^th for the season. Soap disappeared until March, then reappeared with back-to-back episodes airing on Monday from 10-11. Although 46^th-ranked Soap had higher ratings than three renewed ABC sitcoms (Mork & Mindy, Taxi, Benson), ABC was having trouble finding advertisers and cancelled the series after four seasons.

With no sitcom competition, NBC’s comedies thrived, even hitting the top five one week. Diff’rent Strokes had the best season of its eight-year run by finishing 19^th in the ratings (some sources say 17^th). The Facts of Life finally became a hit, reaching 31^st (or as high as 26^th) place, and NBC was confident enough in it to give it the Wednesday at 9:00 slot for the fall of 1981, with Diff’rent Strokes moving to Thursday.

Winner: Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life

Harper Valley PTA vs. Benson on Friday at 8:00

The Friday at 8:00 timeslot was up for grabs for the fall of 1980. The timeslot winner the previous season, The Incredible Hulk, only placed 42^nd in the Nielsen ratings. ABC and NBC tried and failed with several series in the slot. Even ABC’s Fantasy Island fared poorly on Fridays and soon returned to Saturdays. Hoping to end its Friday night slump, ABC moved second-year sitcom Benson into the Friday at 8:00 slot after it finished a solid 23^rd in its debut season on Thursdays, eclipsing both of its lead-ins (Laverne & Shirley and then Mork & Mindy). It would be followed by I’m a Big Girl Now, a sitcom from the same production company starring Soap’s Diana Canova and TV legend Danny Thomas.

Most recently, NBC paired Here’s Boomer, a light drama about a dog, and the sitcom The Facts of Life. Despite their low ratings, NBC renewed both series and scheduled them for the same timeslots in the fall. This was especially a surprise for Here’s Boomer, which was a lowly 87^th place in the Nielsens. NBC planned changes in both shows, as viewers could now hear Boomer’s thoughts, and The Facts of Life, which had built considerably on its low-rated lead-in, would get a cast shakeup and a new setting.

The delayed season gave NBC a chance to rethink its programming strategy. In the spring of 1980, NBC aired the somewhat obscure feature Harper Valley PTA, starring Barbara Eden. The ratings shocked the network as the showing went to number one for the week. NBC quickly secured Eden and assembled a series idea for Harper Valley PTA. The original concept had Eden’s Stella Johnson running for city council in an hour-long comedy/drama. NBC scheduled the new series on Tuesday at 9:00, where it would face Three’s Company, the number-two show from the previous season.

NBC thought better of its plans and hired Gilligan’s Island/The Brady Bunch creator Sherwood Schwartz to turn the series into a half-hour sitcom that more closely resembled the movie. In addition, the series would now occupy the Friday at 8:00 timeslot, with Here’s Boomer delayed until 1981 and dumped into an early Sunday slot ,where it was soon cancelled. Wonder what he thought about that? The 8:30 slot would go to returning series Sanford.

The change in plans delayed Harper Valley PTA’s debut until January. NBC aired movies in the slot during the strike, and put an unsuccessful Marie Osmond variety series in the 8-9 slot for a few weeks as a placeholder until Harper Valley was ready in January.

Benson aired its season opener on October 31 and finished in 41^st place. The Incredible Hulk followed a week later, leading Benson slightly (25^th to 32^nd). Each series maintained about the same ratings early in the season. Sanford made its season debut with a one-hour episode on January 9. NBC scheduled the episode so late that it wasn’t even listed in TV Guide. Under those circumstances, it’s unsurprising that it opened with poor ratings.

To get viewers primed for the premiere of Harper Valley PTA, NBC rebroadcast the original movie. It once again received high ratings, finishing 10^th for the week. When the series finally premiered on January 19, it easily won the timeslot with a 25^th-place finish, while The Incredible Hulk fell to 45^th and Benson to 54^th. Even with the solid lead-in, Sanford failed to catch on like the original Sanford and Son did, finishing in 56^th place for the week, easily beaten by ABC’s I’m a Big Girl Now in 39^th. Just a couple of weeks later, NBC would pull Sanford from the schedule and replace it with The Brady Brides, from Harper Valley PTA producer Sherwood Schwartz.

In week two, Harper Valley PTA dropped to 39^th place, with Benson right behind in 43^rd. The Incredible Hulk was slightly ahead in 36^th. Most subsequent weeks Harper Valley PTA finished between 29^th and 39^th place, falling as low as 53^rd one week. Benson only topped it three times and only rose above 50^th place three times. The Incredible Hulk’s ratings fluctuated between 21^st and 53^rd place.

For the season, Harper Valley PTA finished in 48^th place, one spot ahead of The Incredible Hulk. Benson trailed in 60^th. Harper Valley PTA and Benson were renewed, and even though Harper Valley won the battle, Benson won the war. Harper Valley was retooled by new producers and moved to a new night the next season where it performed poorly, while Benson remained on Friday at 8:00 and ran for seven seasons. The Incredible Hulk’s slowly falling ratings cost it its spot on CBS’ fall schedule. A few leftover episodes aired to fill time while another season of strike-delayed shows were prepared.

Among the other casualties from the timeslot, I’m a Big Girl Now (61^st) was cancelled, despite retaining almost all of Benson’s viewers, although its ratings fell as the season progressed. The Brady Brides also dropped after a strong finish and landed in 59^th for the season. It met the same end as previously deleted Marie and Sanford, which tied for 73^rd place.

Winner: Tie

Come back next week to see how the writers’ strike affected sitcom showdowns in the 1981-82 season.