Must See TV

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Title card for NBC's 2002 special, 20 Years of Must See TV

"Must See TV" is an advertising slogan used by the NBC television network to brand its prime time blocks of sitcoms during the 1990s, and most often applied to its Thursday night lineup. With shows such as The Cosby Show, Cheers, Seinfeld, ER, Will & Grace, Mad About You, Frasier, and Friends, NBC dominated the ratings during the competitive Thursday night prime time timeslots.

[edit] Usage

In popular culture the phrase is most strongly associated with the network's entire Thursday night lineup, including both sitcoms and dramas, which dominated the ratings from the 1980s through late 1990s. Over the course of two decades, NBC's Thursday lineup featured such popular shows as Friends, Hill Street Blues, The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, A Different World, Wings, Night Court, L.A. Law, Frasier, Seinfeld, ER and Will & Grace.

However, contrary to popular belief, "Must See TV" originally applied to sitcoms only (dramas would normally be promoted separately), and for much of the 1990s the phrase was used several nights a week as an attempt at brand extension. At one point in fall 1997, the brand was used five nights a week, with four sitcoms a night from Monday to Thursday, and two on Sunday.^[1] NBC itself would later adopt the more common interpretation; the 2002 retrospective, 20 Years of Must See TV, focused on NBC's overall Thursday-night dominance from 1982 onwards, and overlooked extensions such as "Must See TV Tuesday".

However, the popularity of NBC's "Must See TV" in the 1990s was not universal. Many African American viewers flocked to FOX's Thursday night line-up of Living Single, New York Undercover, and Martin. In fact, these were the three highest rated series among Black households (in this respective order) for the 1996-1997 season.^[2]

[edit] Advertising

Thursday nights are coveted by advertisers due to the large proportion of young, affluent viewers who tune in. Of particular interest, movie advertisers promote their titles to this target demographic on Thursday night, in hopes of influencing what movies they see on the following Friday night, the traditional opening night for most films outside of holiday periods.^[3]

[edit] Decline

From a promo for "Comedy Night Done Right" in October 2007. The image features [From Left] Earl Hickey (Of My Name Is Earl), Michael Scott (Of The Office), John Dorian (Of Scrubs) and Liz Lemon (Of 30 Rock).

By the early 2000s, the "Must See TV" slogan had fallen by the wayside in NBC's promotions; more importantly, NBC had gone from the top-rated network on Thursday nights to second behind CBS, and eventually third behind ABC. Some of the reasons for NBC's failure in recent years on Thursdays was due to the lack of strong shows to replace staples such as Friends, Frasier and Seinfeld. Another reason was due to the Donald Trump reality series The Apprentice, which broke the traditional "Must See TV" line up containing four comedies and one drama when it debuted in winter 2004. However, most of the NBC lineup still finished in the top 20 weekly shows according to Nielsen Media Research.^[4]

Other networks' Thursday programming has also gotten increasingly stronger. CBS was first to break through with the Thursday-night schedule of Survivor, CSI, and later Without a Trace. ABC had success on Thursday nights with its hit reality series, Dancing with the Stars. In fall 2006, Grey's Anatomy was moved to Thursdays to counter CSI; ABC's lineup of Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy has proved successful in the 18-49-year-old demographic.

The "Must See TV" slogan reappeared briefly in early 2006 with the addition of two critically acclaimed and ratings-successful comedies, My Name Is Earl and The Office. This was an attempt to re-establish a four-sitcom block after the rise and fall of The Apprentice, which was moved to Monday nights.

In November 2006, NBC rebranded the Thursday format with a new different slogan, "Comedy Night Done Right", and added Scrubs and 30 Rock to the lineup, forming an entire lineup without laugh tracks or the multiple-camera setup typical of past Must See TV comedies.^[5]

[edit] NBC Thursday-night lineup history

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• NBC.com
• Timeslot Source
• “MUST SEE TV”: THE RISE AND FALL OF NBC’S THURSDAY NIGHT SCHEDULE
• "Must See TV" creator exits