The dumbest piece of scheduling I've ever seen

[bpatrick]

Up to now I've always thought the dumbest piece of scheduling in the
history of television was ABC's placing of the live-action sitcom "Harrigan
And Son" between two animated shows, "Matty's Funday Funnies" and
"The Flintstones," on Friday nights in the 1960-61 season; "Harrigan," about
father-and-son lawyers, had absolutely no kid appeal (and yes, I know and
remember that ABC was aiming "The Flintstones" at adults in those days but
that didn't keep the kids away, even before Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm).

But yesterday I saw a scheduling move by the same network that left me
reeling, because the show is practically all kid-appeal. ABC is showing "It's
The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" Wednesday at 8/7. Now just how many
kids does ABC think will be home at that time instead of out trick-or-treating,
especially in the Central and Mountain time zones? Why not tonight or tomorrow
night? If ABC is staring at fourth place (and it has produced what are possibly the
two biggest disappointments among the season's new shows: "Nashville" and "666
Park Avenue"), it's a few moves like this that will put them there.

 

[vchimpanzee]

If ABC is staring at fourth place (and it has produced what are possibly the
two biggest disappointments among the season's new shows: "Nashville" and "666
Park Avenue"), it's a few moves like this that will put them there.

I agree with you. I didn't know "Nashville" was a disappointment because all I ever heard about was how great it was and I hope it succeeds. "666 Park Avenue" is another matter because I never developed a taste for it and I wouldn't be happy if it succeeded because then I'd wonder if I might have liked it.

Are the other ABC comedies new Wednesday night? If so why not put the Halloween episodes on then? And "The Middle" should have led off the night.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

Lots of towns have already had Trick Or Treat Night before October 31.

 

[bpatrick]

"Nashville" dropped from 9 million viewers its first week to 6.8
million its second; that much of a drop is not good. ABC is also
concerned about "Last Resort." "The Neighbors," although attracting
fewer viewers than "Nashville," is doing OK in its timeslot and appears
safe; the Alphabet Network has one show left to unveil, Reba McEntire's
sitcom "Malibu Country," which starts this Friday (when did ABC get so
into country-related shows; I thought that was CBS's bailiwick).

CBS had the first cancellation; "Made In Jersey" lasted all of two
weeks. The network has the season's two biggest hits, "Elementary"
and "Vegas," both of which are attracting more than 14 million viewers;
"Vegas" is something of a concern because of its older demographics but
both shows have been picked up for the entire season. One object of
concern is the network's one new sitcom, "Partners," a critical as well as
a ratings bust.

Fox will probably cancel "The Doctor," also critically panned and drawing
fewer than 4 million viewers a week. "The Mindy Project" and "Ben & Kate"
have been given the green light for the full season.

NBC has already canceled "Animal Practice," but has green-lighted "Revolution,"
"The New Normal," and "Go On" for the full season; more iffy are "Guys With Kids"
and "Chicago Fire."

The CW has green-lighted "Arrow" for the full season; "Beauty And The Beast" and
"Emily Owens, M.D." are more problematic and may not last much longer.

 

[Yeziknoradio]

It's something that will simply get recorded for the kids to watch when they get back from trick or treating. The ads better be really good...maybe even have some ads with Charlie Brown in them just to trick the fast forwarders into believing the show is back on.

 

[nomadcowatbk]

a lot of people probably already have this on DVD, like the all other yearly holiday specials, these airings aren't the annual events they were even 20 years ago

 

[justpassingthough]

Add to the mix that daylight saving time now falls after Halloween, so its not dark until 6 or so in a majority of the country- when it used to get dark at 5 on Halloween. Many children will probably delay going out until dusk and will return later.

 

[landtuna]

Up to now I've always thought the dumbest piece of scheduling in the
history of television was ABC's placing of the live-action sitcom "Harrigan
And Son" between two animated shows, "Matty's Funday Funnies" and
"The Flintstones," on Friday nights in the 1960-61 season; ...

Well, not animated nor a kids show but scheduling "Last Resort", a new show trying to catch an audience, up against the #1 and #2 shows currently on TV (Big Bang Theory and Two And A Half Men) seems quite dumb too and with predictable results. "Last Resort" has got to be expensive to produce and was heavily promoted so why not give it a chance in a reasonable time slot?

I personally dumped it after two weeks as I couldn't take the stupidity of the writers to make it anywhere close to believable so maybe ABC thought it was a lamb to the slaughter too.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

In addition to Great Pumpkin Halloween night, I would not be surprised if ABC holds "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" to Thanksgiving night (sometimes it aired on the Tuesday before Turkey Day) again. (Last year Fox put their first Peanuts special "Happiness is a Warm Blanket" against the 1973 classic).

And then it wouldn't shock me if the networks load up the last week of November (immediately after Thanksgiving) with all of the Christmas specials, instead of waiting until early-mid December. I would not be surprised if "Charlie Brown Christmas" airs in November this year.

 

[Joe_Capitano]

That wouldn't be much of a surprise. "Rudolph" - or more accurately, what's left of "Rudolph" after the CBS butchers carved it up again - usually airs the week after Thanksgiving. The "Frosty" duo is usually not far behind.

As to Charlie Brown's annual "rock collection," ABC is kind of stuck. Football Saturday, Videos Sunday, Dancing With tonight and tomorrow. Doesn't leave much of a window.

 

[cd637299]

That wouldn't be much of a surprise. "Rudolph" - or more accurately, what's left of "Rudolph" after the CBS butchers carved it up again - usually airs the week after Thanksgiving. The "Frosty" duo is usually not far behind.

As to Charlie Brown's annual "rock collection," ABC is kind of stuck. Football Saturday, Videos Sunday, Dancing With tonight and tomorrow. Doesn't leave much of a window.

I thought that "Pumpkin" was trimmed, to where Charlie Brown only got a rock one time now. Has the "collection" been restored?

My favorite Charlie Brown moments include the rock-from-each-house & how he loses his clothes at any line drive baseball hit at him.....

cd

 

[Yeziknoradio]

Well if we're talking about Thanksgiving,
maybe ABC should also air a special "Lost" or rare
edition of Charlie Brown.
Perhaps even the last ever Charlie Brown cartoon ever created!
It's not themed to a specific holiday, but it sure shows that ABC is
very much thankful for having anything Charlie Brown to air as a programming filler.

 

[anotherguyTN]

My daughter has already seen The Great Pumpkin at a kid's movie night at church recently and we have our own copy that she can watch whenever she wants, so although I think it's stupid for ABC to be putting it on Halloween night, it's not as big a deal to me.

I thought it was stupid last year to put the Thanksgiving special on Thanksgiving night, and especially against the Fox special. I got the impression that is was thrown on at the last minute, especially if the Fox special was scheduled first.

 

[visaman]

I thought that "Pumpkin" was trimmed, to where Charlie Brown only got a rock one time now. Has the "collection" been restored?


cd

Yes. ABC restored all of the specials and paired them with shorts to fit in commercials, so they now run in their entirely.

 

[taylorjsdad]

My daughter has already seen The Great Pumpkin at a kid's movie night at church recently and we have our own copy that she can watch whenever she wants, so although I think it's stupid for ABC to be putting it on Halloween night, it's not as big a deal to me.

I thought it was stupid last year to put the Thanksgiving special on Thanksgiving night, and especially against the Fox special. I got the impression that is was thrown on at the last minute, especially if the Fox special was scheduled first.

I think the Thanksgiving airing may have been a second run on ABC last year. I almost want to say they had aired the Thanksgiving special earlier in the month as well.

 

[firepoint525]

a lot of people probably already have this on DVD, like the all other yearly holiday specials, these airings aren't the annual events they were even 20 years ago

My daughter has already seen The Great Pumpkin at a kid's movie night at church recently and we have our own copy that she can watch whenever she wants, so although I think it's stupid for ABC to be putting it on Halloween night, it's not as big a deal to me.

Yeah, wifey has that on DVD, so we watched that on Sunday evening, along with You're (not) elected, Charlie Brown which is also on the same DVD. It is only peripherally about Halloween because Linus mentions the Great Pumpkin during a campaign speech. Don't know if it is ever shown anywhere anymore, or not.

 

[editthis]

Do children of the trick-or-treating age in the year 2012 even know or care who Charlie Brown is yet alone his Halloween special from over a half century ago.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Yes, even if only through the influence of parents who grew up with it. My daughter is 9 and loves Peanuts, especially Snoopy. And there is tons of Peanuts licensed merchandise.

 

[Braves2005]

I remember when CBS had the Charlie Brown specials that they always aired on Mondays paired up with Bugs Bunny, Fat Albert, Garfield or another Christmas cartoon afterwards. I also remember when Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Be My Valentine Charlie Brown weren't shown at all until ABC started showing them after they got the rights to the specials.

And hopefully that there's no breaking news when they air It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown since Be My Valentine Charlie Brown was interrupted for the breaking news of the death of Whitney Houston this year.

 

[editthis]

No young child in my immediate friends and family know/watch/or care about peanuts characters in 2012. I know as a child who grew up in the late 80s/early 90s I didn't watch or care about peanuts characters. Not to say I don't know people that do, a 30s male co-worker of mine is obsessed with them and watches every year I think that's the exception rather than the normal.