I’ve done a few of these now and you may have noticed a little something missing. FOX! Yeah the fourth network which came along in 1986, and didn’t get much attention. At the time the idea of having a successful network compete with the big three was simply laughable (DuMont anyone??). And FOX didn’t disappoint, starting with the horrible Late Show with Joan Rivers. But over time it did finally gain and audience, and respect. The respect was cemented in 1994 when they aquired the NFL (people today will never know how stunning that was). They did a fantastic job and still have the rights today (check out and old SNL sketch about what what people thought FOX would turn NFL broadcasts into).
So Fox originally aired two nights a week of original programming. What did they start off with? Let’s take a look, and I should mention that I never watched these shows, or the network frankly, so I wont have much to say here but even so this is still worth a review.
7:00
21 Jump Street
So who remember that Johnny Depp started his career on a popular TV show? Yep. This was a cop show but given a Stephen J Cannell dramatic slant. The fact that the cops were youthful officer undercover at schools and other places kids hung out pretty much explains its popularity to the teen demographic. The show had a nice run and even spawned a movie.
7:30
Married..With Children
Yeah, I think I’ve heard of this one. Just kidding of course. The amazing this is that this show was controversial when it first aired. It kind of helped put FOX on the map as the network for smut. And looking back, that’s really laughable. There have been so many Bundy knock off’s that this show would fit in just fine today, you’d hardly notice it. I never watched (I have seen episodes in re-run’s). But it’s the longest-lasting live-action sitcom on Fox, and in fact was the very first show that the network aired when it launched in 1986.
8:00
The Tracy Ullman Show
I was never a fan of this show, or Ullman herself, which somehow won a tom of Emmy’s even though no one seemed to watch it. It was a sketch show a lot like Carol Burnett years earlier. Of course this show had cartoon shorts which spawned a little spin-off which I can’t remember the name of right now
9:00
Mr.President
Yeah here’s we get to the reason why it took FOX so long to gain some respect. What the heck was this? And what in the world is George C Scott doing in it? Did he have house payment due?
9:30
DUET
Um..sure. Basically a generic, paint by numbers 80’s sitcom. Alison LaPlaca was in, so it couldn’t have been that bad. Right?
Yeah this was the launch line-up. As I said it took awhile to really find their audience and these shows shifted a lot. The Saturday line up was even worst! But find it’s audience it did thanks to shows like 90210, In Livng Color, America’s Most Wanted, Herman’s Head (I liked that one,sue me!) and of course :
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