Prime Time Begins at 7:30
Encyclopedia
Prime Time Begins at 7:30 was a television
syndication package conceived by NBC
in the fall of 1987. Consisting of five sitcoms
, each airing on different nights of the week, the goal of the network and its affiliates (particularly its owned and operated stations) was to drive viewers to NBC stations in the half hour prior to Prime Time
, which began at 8:00 PM in every time zone except for the Central Time Zone
.
Marblehead Manor, We Got It Made, and You Can't Take It With You were cancelled in May 1988, when their seasons came to an end. She's The Sheriff was renewed for an additional season but did not last beyond that and was cancelled in 1989. Out of This World was by far the most successful of the four series, continuing for three additional seasons in weekend syndication before it came to an end in 1991.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
syndication package conceived by NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in the fall of 1987. Consisting of five sitcoms
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
, each airing on different nights of the week, the goal of the network and its affiliates (particularly its owned and operated stations) was to drive viewers to NBC stations in the half hour prior to Prime Time
Prime Time
Prime Time is an Irish news analysis, current affairs and politics programme. It is broadcast on RTÉ One on Tuesday and Thursday nights between 21:30 and 22:10. It is currently presented by Miriam O'Callaghan, who has presented the programme since its commencement in 1996...
, which began at 8:00 PM in every time zone except for the Central Time Zone
Central Time zone
In North America, the Central Time Zone refers to national time zones which observe standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC , and daylight saving, or summer time by subtracting five hours...
.
History
All five of the series over a span of two weeks in September 1987. They were:- Out of This WorldOut of This World (TV series)Out Of This World is an American fantasy sitcom about a teenage girl who is half alien, which gives her unique supernatural powers. It first aired in U.S. syndication on September 17, 1987 and ended on May 25, 1991. It was first broadcast in the UK on the ITV network on April 9, 1990, usually at...
: premiered on September 17, 1987 and was centered around a 13-year old girl (played by Maureen FlanniganMaureen FlanniganMaureen Osborne Flannagan , credited as Maureen Flannigan, is an American actress noted for her role as teenager Evie Ethel Garland TV sitcom Out of This World, which ran from 1987 to 1991 and also starred Donna Pescow. She began acting professionally in 1985.-Personal:She attended the University...
) with supernatural abilities due to her being half extraterrestrial. Produced by Bob Booker Productions and distributed by MCA Television.
- Marblehead ManorMarblehead ManorMarblehead Manor was an American television sitcom that originally ran from 1987 to 1988 in first run syndication. It starred British comic actor Paxton Whitehead, American actor Phil Morris, Canadian actress Linda Thorson, American actor and screenwriter Bob Fraser and Michael Richards...
: premiered on September 19, 1987 and centered around a mansion owner (played by Bob FraserBob FraserBob Fraser was an American television producer, writer and actor.Fraser's most notable work is on the TV show Benson, where he played a recurring role as a state senator for 6 seasons, in addition to serving as a story editor, writer, and later producer of the series .After Benson, Fraser and...
), his butler (played by Paxton WhiteheadPaxton WhiteheadPaxton Whitehead is a British actor who made his professional debut in 1956. Whitehead is best known to American movie audiences as Professor Phillip Barbay in the 1986 comedy film Back to School.-Early years:...
), and the people who live in the mansion and their antics. Produced by Dames-Fraser Productions for Paramount TelevisionParamount TelevisionParamount Television was an American television production/distribution company that was active from January 1, 1968 to August 27, 2006.Its successor is CBS Television Studios, formerly CBS Paramount Television...
.
- She's the SheriffShe's the SheriffShe's the Sheriff is American sitcom that aired in syndication from 1987 to 1989. Produced by Lorimar Television, the series marked the return of Suzanne Somers to television for the first time since she walked out on her famous role as Chrissy Snow on ABC's Three's Company.-Synopsis:Somers stars...
: premiered on September 19, 1987 and centered around a widower (played by Suzanne SomersSuzanne SomersSuzanne Somers is an American actress, author, singer and businesswoman, known for her television roles as Chrissy Snow on Three's Company and as Carol Lambert on Step by Step....
) who takes a job as a county sheriff. Produced by Lorimar ProductionsLorimar ProductionsLorimar, later known as Lorimar Television and Lorimar Distribution, was an American television production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros., active from 1969 until 1993...
.
- We Got It MadeWe Got it MadeWe Got It Made is an American sitcom that aired on NBC during the 1983-1984 season, and in syndication .-1983 NBC version:The show focuses on Mickey Mackenzie , a stunningly beautiful woman in her early 20s who applies for a housekeeping job in Manhattan...
: premiered on September 11, 1987 and was a revival of a 1983 NBC sitcom that was cancelled due to low ratings. Centered around a housekeeper (played by Teri CopleyTeri CopleyTeri Copley is an American actress. She was best known for her roles on the American television series We Got it Made and I Had Three Wives. She posed nude for Playboy for the November 1990 issue....
) and her employers (played by Tom VillardTom VillardThomas Louis Villard was an American actor. He is best known for his leading role in the 1980s series We Got it Made as Jay Bostwick, as well as roles in feature films One Crazy Summer, Heartbreak Ridge, My Girl, and Popcorn.-Early life:Tom Villard was born on November 19, 1953, in...
and John Hillner, who replaced original star Matt McCoyMatt McCoyMatt McCoy may refer to:* Matt McCoy * Matt McCoy * Matt McCoy , American Democratic senator for district 31, Iowa* Matt McCoy * Matt McCoy...
) who live together in a New York apartment. Produced by Warner Bros. TelevisionWarner Bros. TelevisionWarner Bros. Television is the television production arm of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself part of Time Warner. Alongside CBS Television Studios, it serves as a television production arm of The CW Television Network , though it also produces shows for other networks, such as Shameless on...
.
- You Can't Take it With YouYou Can't Take It with YouYou Can't Take It with You is a comedic play in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The original production of the play opened at the Booth Theater on December 14, 1936, and played for 837 performances...
: premiered in September 1987 and was a television adaptation of a play written in 1937. Among the cast was Harry MorganHarry MorganHarry Morgan is an American actor. Morgan is well-known for his roles as Colonel Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H , Pete Porter on both Pete and Gladys and December Bride , Detective Bill Gannon on Dragnet , and Amos Coogan on Hec Ramsey...
, who played Grandpa Vanderhof.
Reception
Although all five series did not perform as well in the ratings as NBC would have hoped, Marblehead Manor, We Got It Made, and You Can't Take It With You did particularly poorly in the ratings. The experiment ended at the end of the 1987-88 season.Marblehead Manor, We Got It Made, and You Can't Take It With You were cancelled in May 1988, when their seasons came to an end. She's The Sheriff was renewed for an additional season but did not last beyond that and was cancelled in 1989. Out of This World was by far the most successful of the four series, continuing for three additional seasons in weekend syndication before it came to an end in 1991.