Would "Reba" have been a big hit on one of the BIG FOUR?

[fortmill]

I always enjoyed "Reba" when it was on the WB and now that it's in heavy rotation on Lifetime, it's still must see TV. As far as I'm concerned, it is one of the best sitcoms of the last decade. If Reba had been on ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX instead of the WB, would it have gotten great ratings and now be considered a classic? As a side question, are there other programs which would have prospered had they not been on the WB, UPN, or even CW?

 

[LKellerIII]

Just my personal opinion, naturally - but I think Reba would have been a 13 week floperoo on any of the "Big 4." For one thing, the critics would have savaged it. The show more or less caught a break by being on the WB - it got to fly under the radar for a couple of years.

On the other hand, According to Jim has survived on ABC for 7 years, so what do I know?

 

[Braves2005]

I don't think that Reba would have lasted a year or so on the major networks. The Jeff Foxworthy Show from 1994 to 1996 did not do well on either ABC or NBC, although the show did better in its run on NBC though and I watched it and thought it was better than the ABC version.

And speaking of WB/CW shows, I don't think that 7th Heaven would have lasted long on the major networks much less the 11 years it spent on the WB/CW. Probably a couple of years at best.

And I would like see how Jericho which was on CBS would fare on the CW now that they have it.

 

[RicoGregg]

If it was on the CW/WB, then it was probably rejected by a bigger network already.

 

[FreddyE1977]

Ever since the CBS Barnyard Massacre of 1970, the big 3 tend to shy away from shows that
are aimed too much at rural, red-state flyover country. (not that it has always proved to be
a smart decision)

 

[fortmill]

Ever since the CBS Barnyard Massacre of 1970, the big 3 tend to shy away from shows that
are aimed too much at rural, red-state flyover country. (not that it has always proved to be
a smart decision)

Have you ever seen this show? Yes, Texas is a red-state, but I don't think Houston, as the nation's fourth largest city, would be considered rural, and the Reba character was almost certainly a liberal. I guess one of the things I liked about the show was it showed that people who live below the Mason-Dixon line often lead lives, and have issues, similar to those who live north of the line. However, from the responses so far, I see that the Reba would have never made it on any of the big four. It is therefore amazing that Lifetime features multiple showings both during fringe and prime time periods....

 

[Markxxx]

I love Reba, but I also agree it probably wouldn't have made it on one of the big four.

The problem was Reba was very inconsistant the first year. You can see the producers weren't sure Reba could pull off comedy, so they put Park Overall, as Reba's friend as the comedy.

But Reba quickly proved she can do comedy and do it well. Then when the restructured Barbara Jean from being "BJ" (making jokes about that name, note after a few episodes they droped BJ for Barbara Jean) and toned Barbara Jean down from a psudeo holier than thou Christian, to wanting to be Reba's buddy.

When they put Melissa Peterman and Reba together, the chemistry was outstanding.

And that didn't really happen till the end of the first year. Those two together played off of each other perfectly. You'd have to go back to "Kate and Allie" or "Laverne and Shirley" to find two actress playing off each other comedically as well as Melissa and Reba.

And that chemistry between the two made Reba good. Without Melissa, the role of Barbara Jean wouldn't have been what it was and the WB gave Reba enough time for Peterman to show what she could do.

 

[tlyle]

I always thought that Reba would have worked on CBS Monday nights complimentary to "Everybody Loves Raymond". It definitely would have worked better than some of the other shows that came and went during that time.