Going into the 1984 fall television season, some experts declared the sitcom was dead. The once-dominant format had fallen into disarray over the past few years. Long-running hits like M*A*S*H, Happy Days, Three’s Company, One Day at a Time, Laverne & Shirley, Barney Miller, and Taxi ended their runs. Other hits, including Soap, Mork & Mindy, WKRP in Cincinnati, Archie Bunker’s Place, House Calls,and Too Close for Comfort, had relatively short runs on network TV. Still more sitcoms got off to fast starts but made quick exits. The Ropers, Angie, Flo, Private Benjamin, The Two of Us, Gloria, and Joanie Loves Chachi all fall into that category.

However, 22 sitcoms were still scheduled for the fall of 1984. Some, like The Jeffersons and Alice, were on their last legs. Others returned despite just okay ratings, including Silver Spoons, Benson, Diff’rent Strokes, Family Ties, Night Court, and Gimme a Break. Cheers was not yet a big hit. AfterMASH returned for a second season, but in a tough new timeslot after going into a ratings freefall the second half of the 1983-84 season. Only a few successful shows (Kate & Allie, Webster, Newhart, The Facts of Life) returned in the same timeslots. Kate & Allie, a spring success for CBS, was the only sitcom in the yearly top 10 at the end of the 1983-84 season.

There were only eight new sitcoms scheduled for fall. Just two timeslots featured sitcoms competing against each other. Fortunately, the huge success of one newcomer put the talk of sitcoms dying to a halt. However, the two sitcom showdowns didn’t last even a month.

E/R vs. Three’s a Crowd on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. (ET)

ABC’s hugely successful Tuesday night comedy block ended with the demise of Laverne & Shirley in 1983, and Happy Days and Three’s Company in 1984. ABC’s still thought there was some life in Three’s Company (32^nd-ranked in 1983-84) in a new format centering on John Ritter’s Jack Tripper. The new series, Three’s a Crowd, was set for Tuesday at 8:30. It would follow Foul-ups, Bleeps, and Blunders, a blooper show that was a respectable 38^th in the Nielsens after premiering in early 1984.

Sensing a weakness in ABC’s comedy lineup, CBS moved Monday night’s AfterMASH to Tuesday at 8:00. Although it finished in 16^th place the previous season, its numbers were dropping quickly. CBS hoped pairing it with another hospital comedy, E/R, would make for a compatible duo. The new comedy marked Elliott Gould’s series debut. Mary McDonnell, Conchata Ferrell, Lynne Moody, a young George Clooney, and Jason Alexander also starred, and Pamela Adlon and Karen Black made a few appearances.

Both networks would have to overcome the night’s new superpower. NBC’s The A-Team debuted in early 1983 to huge ratings. It maintained those numbers during the 1983-84 season, finishing 5^th in the Nielsen ratings.

E/R got off to a fast start by topping the ratings on a special one-hour Sunday night debut, airing against reruns. It came back to Earth just two days later when it aired on Tuesday at 8:00 against The A-Team season premiere, and the finale of Three’s Company, which also served to introduce viewers to the upcoming Three’s a Crowd. The A-Team (5^th) edged out the Three’s Company finale (8^th) and destroyed E/R, which fell into the bottom ten (51^st). 

AfterMASH had a similar rude awakening the next week. Airing on Sunday, September 23, its season debut landed in 8^th place. Two nights later, moving into its regular Tuesday at 8:00 timeslot, it fell into the bottom 10. The A-Team once again won the timeslot by finishing in 5^th place. Foul-ups, Bleeps, and Blunders trailed in 47^th. In their first sitcom showdown, Three’s A Crowd (29^th) and E/R (48^th) both built on their lead-ins.

Baseball playoffs pre-empted ABC’s programming the next week, while NBC and CBS continued to get ratings similar to the week before. The World Series pre-empted The A-Team the next week, but it also proved to be a ratings monster, finishing 3^rd for the week. Three’s a Crowd (30^th) continued to lead E/R (48^th). Foul-ups was 37^th that week, and AfterMASH continued to run third in 47^th place.

The next week likely sealed the fate of CBS’ comedies. AfterMASH was the week’s third-lowest rated show, with E/R one place behind it in 64^th. The A-Team continued to dominate in 3^rd place. Foul-ups trailed in 45^th place. Three’s a Crowd once again outrated its lead-in, with a 39^th-place finish.

With Three’s a Crowd clearly stronger than Foul-ups, Bleeps, and Blunders, ABC moved it to the 8:00 slot the next week. Foul-ups would return later in the season, but was no longer in ABC’s long-term plans. The opening at 8:30 gave Thursday night’s Who’s the Boss? a new life. In their first week as a team, Three’s a Crowd finished 37^th, and Who’s the Boss? soared into 21^st place. AfterMASH was preempted that week, while E/R continued to perform poorly, ranking 65^th.

A week later, Three’s a Crowd (43^rd) and Who’s the Boss? (40^th) dropped, but E/R and AfterMASH remained stuck in the bottom 10. CBS was forced to act. AfterMASH was pulled from the schedule and would only air a few more episodes at random times. E/R moved to Wednesday at 8:30, where it would follow another struggling sitcom, Charles in Charge. It moved up to 43^rd place in its first week, but soon dropped to 60^th. It was cancelled at season’s end, finishing in 70^th place for the year. AfterMASH was 82^nd.

The season continued much the same in the timeslot, as The A-Team finished 7^th for the season. CBS’ attempt to score on Tuesday with ancient sitcoms The Jeffersons and Alice was a disaster that led to both series’ cancellations. Three’s a Crowd continued to finish second in the timeslot (46^th for the year), an improvement on Foul-up, Bleeps, and Blunders (66^th). Who’s the Boss? continued to perform solidly and ended the season in 36^th place. Although Three’s a Crowd was a candidate to return for a second season, ABC decided to move on. Who’s the Boss? took over the 8:00 slot in the fall of 1985, became a top 10 hit, and lasted eight seasons.

Winner: No One

Family Ties vs. Who’s the Boss? on Thursday at 8:30

Magnum, P.I. (6^th place) dominated the Thursday from 8:00-9:00 timeslot during the 1983-84 season. NBC was a reliable but distant second with Gimme a Break in 48^th and Family Ties in 43^rd. ABC struggled badly with various one-hour shows.

NBC’s pilot for The Cosby Show was so well done that the network gave it the Thursday at 8:00 lead-off slot for the fall of 1984, with Gimme a Break sent to Saturday. As it did on Tuesday, ABC paired a non-sitcom, the Candid Camera-like People Do the Craziest Things, with a sitcom, Who’s the Boss?.

The Cosby Show debuted at number one in the ratings on September 20, lifting Family Ties to 11^th place. Cosby blunted the debut of People Do the Craziest Things, as it finished 55^th of 58 shows. Who’s the Boss? built on its lead-in with a 39^th-place finish. A Magnum, P.I. rerun easily beat ABC’s entries with a 26^th-place finish.

A week later, the Cosby/Family Ties combo beat Magnum, P.I., with 3^rd and 8^th place finishes, respectively. Magnum was good for 14^th. ABC had little hope against the other network’s hits. Both Who’s the Boss? and People Do the Craziest Things fell into the bottom 5 that week. ABC acted quickly to save Who’s the Boss? by moving it to Tuesday. People Do the Craziest Things was dumped immediately and finished as the season’s lowest-rated show in 97^th place. Just like that, the sitcom showdown was over.

The Cosby Show finished as the season’s third-highest-rated series and earned a reputation as the savior of sitcoms. It also lifted other Thursday night NBC sitcoms, Family Ties, Cheers, and Night Court, to new heights. Previously an also-ran, Family Ties finished in 5^th place for the season. The Cosby Show would reach the top spot in the ratings for five seasons, beginning in the 1985-86.

Winners: Family Ties