Must See TV is an American advertising slogan that was used by

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

to brand its primetime blocks during the 1990s, and most often applied to the network's Thursday night lineup, which featured some of its most popular sitcoms and drama series of the period, allowing the network to dominate prime time ratings on Thursday nights in the 1980s and 1990s. Ratings for NBC's lineup fell during the mid-to-late 2000s, and today the network ranks behind

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

, and

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

on Thursday nights. In 2015, the network canceled comedy programming on Thursdays and switched entirely to dramas. However, the branding returned for the 2017–18 television season.

Usage

popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...

, 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 the late 1990s. As originally conceived, "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 Brand extension or brand stretching is a marketing strategy in which a firm marketing a product with a well-developed image uses the same brand name in a different product category. The new product is called a spin-off. Organizations use this ...

. At one point in the fall of 1997, the brand was used five nights a week, with four sitcoms a night from Monday to Thursday, and two on Sunday. NBC itself would later adopt the more common interpretation; the 2002 retrospective, ''20 Years of Must See TV'', focused on NBC's overall dominance on Thursday nights from 1982 onwards, and overlooked extensions such as "Must See TV Tuesday."

Advertising

Thursday nights are coveted by advertisers due to the large proportion of young, affluent viewers that watch television on that night of the week. Of particular interest, movie advertisers promote their upcoming releases to this target demographic on Thursday night, in hopes of influencing what movies they see on the following Friday, the traditional opening night for most films outside of holiday periods and certain major film releases outside said periods. The "Must See" slogan was created by Dan Holm, an NBC promotional producer, during a network

promo Promo or promos may refer to: Promotions and advertising *Promo (media), a form of commercial advertising used to promote television or radio programs *Promo (professional wrestling), a televised interview in which a wrestler's on-screen personali ...

brainstorming session in June 1993 at NBC's West Coast headquarters in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...

. "Must See TV" made its first appearance in NBC promotions in August 1993 and included the day of the week: "Must See TV Thursday." In late summer of 1993, NBC wanted viewers to tune in an hour prior to ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...

'', and created the "Must See TV" slogan to brand the comedy block. The first "Must See TV" block promo aired during late summer repeats and promoted ''

Mad About You ''Mad About You'' is an American television sitcom starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a married couple in New York City. It initially aired on NBC from September 23, 1992, to May 24, 1999, winning numerous awards including four Golden Glob ...

'', ''

Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...

'', ''Seinfeld'' and newcomer ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Case ...

''. The advertisement ended with the sentence "Get home early for Must See TV Thursday." The "Must See TV" slogan continued in every NBC Thursday night comedy promo throughout the 1993-94 television season to promote the 8–10 p.m. comedy block. The next season, ''Frasier'' and ''Wings'' were moved to Tuesday nights, with NBC expanding the "Must See TV" brand to include the Tuesday night comedy block: "Must See TV Tuesday." Meanwhile, the flagship Thursday block acquired two new hits, ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...

'' - which became television's second biggest comedy behind only ''Seinfeld'' - and '' ER'', which became the number one drama on television. ''Seinfeld'' and ''ER'' would end up battling the following four seasons for the honor of number one show, before ''Seinfeld'' ended its run in 1998. Branding the quality Thursday night lineup began as early as the 1982 fall season, which promoted '' Fame'', ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...

'', ''

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

'' and ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...

'' as "America's Best Night of Television on Television." On November 3, 1994, NBC's Thursday night lineup featured the "Blackout Thursday" programming stunt, in which three of the four sitcoms on that night's "Must See TV" schedule incorporated a storyline involving a

power outage A power outage (also called a powercut, a power out, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, or a blackout) is the loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user. There are many causes of power failures in an electricit ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The stunt started with ''

'' episode "Pandora's Box", in which Jamie Buchman (

Helen Hunt Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born June 15, 1963) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. Hunt rose to fame portraying Jam ...

) accidentally causes the blackout while trying to steal cable; it continued with the ''

'' episode " The One with the Blackout", featuring a sub-plot in which

Chandler Bing Chandler Muriel Bing is a fictional character from the NBC sitcom ''Friends'', portrayed by actor Matthew Perry. Chandler was born to Nora Tyler Bing, an erotic romance novelist, and Charles Bing, a gay female impersonator and star of a Las Vegas ...

(

Matthew Perry Matthew Langford Perry (born August 19, 1969) is an American-Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the NBC television sitcom ''Friends'' (1994–2004). As well as starring in the short-lived television series ''Stud ...

) is trapped in an ATM vestibule with

Victoria's Secret Victoria's Secret is an American lingerie, clothing, and beauty retailer known for high visibility marketing and branding, starting with a popular catalog and followed by an annual fashion show with supermodels dubbed Angels. As the largest ret ...

model

Jill Goodacre Jill Goodacre Connick (born March 29, 1964) is an American actress and former model. She was one of Victoria's Secret's main models in the 1980s and early 1990s. She is married to singer Harry Connick Jr. Career Victoria's Secret Goodacre was a ...

and ended with the ''

Madman of the People ''Madman of the People'' is an American sitcom television series created by Chris Cluess and Stu Kreisman, that aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to June 17, 1995. It was scheduled in the Thursday 9:30 timeslot, part of Must See TV. ''Madman ...

'' episode "Birthday in the Big House" (the ''

'' episode that followed ''Friends'' and preceded ''Madman'', "

The Gymnast ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

", did not have a blackout storyline though was promoted as part of the event).

Decline

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, eventually third behind ABC and ultimately a distant fourth behind Fox, but NBC itself didn't develop hit shows to replace long-running staples ''Friends'', ''Frasier'', ''Seinfeld'', and ''

Will & Grace ''Will & Grace'' is an American television sitcom created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan. Set in New York City, the show focuses on the friendship between best friends Will Truman (Eric McCormack), a gay lawyer, and Grace Adler (Debra Messing), ...

''. After airing a two-hour comedy block on Thursday for 21 straight seasons, NBC broke with tradition in 2004 by replacing the 9 p.m. hour with the hour-long reality competition program ''

The Apprentice ''The Apprentice'' is a Reality competition, reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States. Created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett, the show depicts contestants from around the country with variou ...

'', although its Thursday night lineup retained its top 20 position. Thursday programming has also become increasingly stronger on other networks.

was first to break through with its lineup of '' Survivor'', ''

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...

'', and later ''

Without a Trace ''Without a Trace'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Hank Steinberg that aired on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009 with the total of seven seasons and 160 episodes. The series focuses the cases of ...

''. For the 2010–11 season, CBS moved the highly rated comedy ''

The Big Bang Theory ''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro, all of whom also served as head writers. It premiered on CBS ...

'', which had become the highest-rated sitcom in the United States, to the Thursday 8:00 p.m. slot, and ''

Two and a Half Men ''Two and a Half Men'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS for twelve seasons from September 22, 2003, to February 19, 2015. Originally starring Charlie Sheen in the lead role alongside Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones, the ...

'' to the 8:30 p.m. slot, which earned very strong ratings.

had success on Thursday nights with its hit

reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, r ...

series, ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...

'', before moving the program to Mondays in 2006 (where it has remained since). In the fall of 2006, sophomore drama ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...

'' was moved to Thursdays to counter ''CSI''; ABC's lineup of ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian t ...

'' and ''Grey's Anatomy'' has proved successful in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, and the 2011 transfer of

's ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'', regarded as the longest reigning #1 program on U.S. television from

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, into the Thursday timeslot adversely affected NBC's ratings for Thursday primetime programming lineup since that television season. 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 ''My Name Is Earl'' is an American television sitcom created by Greg Garcia that aired on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States. It was produced by 20th Century Fox Television and starred Jaso ...

'' and ''

The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original series of ...

'', in 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 different slogan, "Comedy Night Done Right", and added another two critically acclaimed shows, ''

Scrubs Scrub(s) may refer to: * Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland * Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff * ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program * Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," o ...

'' and ''

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', takes ...

'', to the lineup, forming an entire lineup of comedy series without

laugh track A laugh track (or laughter track) is a separate soundtrack for a recorded comedy show containing the sound of audience laughter. In some productions, the laughter is a live audience response instead; in the United States, where it is most common ...

s or the

multiple-camera setup The multiple-camera setup, multiple-camera mode of production, multi-camera or simply multicam is a method of filmmaking and video production. Several cameras—either film or professional video cameras—are employed on the set and simultaneous ...

common with past "Must See TV" comedies. In January 2011, NBC rebranded the night once again, renaming it "Comedy Night Done Right – All Night", adding a third hour of comedies at 10 p.m. (the network had previously run a three-hour comedy lineup once annually on Thursdays during the late 1990s and early 2000s as a programming stunt). The three-hour comedy block was discontinued in the fall of 2011, when the night reverted to two hours of comedies and one drama and, in 2012, two hours of comedy and the

news magazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories, in greater depth than do newspapers or new ...

'' Rock Center''.

Change and record ratings lows

Prior to the 2013 fall season, NBC cancelled or ended nine of its eleven comedies, including the long-running ''

'' and ''

'', in an effort to broaden its comedy lineup. In May 2013, NBC picked up three family comedies (''

The Michael J. Fox Show ''The Michael J. Fox Show'' is an American sitcom television series starring Michael J. Fox, that aired on NBC in the United States from September 26, 2013, to January 23, 2014, as part of the 2013–14 American television season. Fox made his r ...

'', ''

Sean Saves the World ''Sean Saves the World'' is an American sitcom television series created by Victor Fresco and starring Sean Hayes that aired on NBC from October 3, 2013, to March 24, 2014, as part of the 2013–14 American television season. It was announced on ...

'' and '' Welcome to the Family'') and rebranded its Thursday night lineup as "NBC's New Family of Comedies" for the fall season. The debut of ''The Michael J. Fox Show'' was the lowest-rated Thursday fall comedy series premiere in network history. One week later, the debut of ''Welcome to the Family'' became the new record-holder, with ''Sean Saves the World'' ranking as the second lowest ever. On October 10, 2013, NBC tied an all-time low on Thursday nights (tied with May 17, 2012), while finishing in fourth place (or combined with programming on Spanish-language network

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and includes ...

, along with ''

Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 20 ...

'' on

NFL Network NFL Network (occasionally abbreviated on-air as NFLN) is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Football League (NFL) and is part of NFL Media, which also includes NFL.com, NFL Films, NFL Mobile, NFL Now and NFL ...

and Major League Baseball playoff coverage on TBS, seventh) for the night. On November 21, 2013, NBC averaged a 1.0 in the adults 18–49 age bracket, its lowest ever in-season average for regularly scheduled programming on the night. On the same night,

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

defeated the NBC comedy block, a first for the network. All three shows were eventually cancelled (''Welcome to the Family'' was pulled three episodes into its first season, while ''The Michael J. Fox Show'' and ''Sean Saves the World'' were dropped shortly before the

2014 Winter Olympics , ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'') , nations = 88 , events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , athletes = 2,873 , opening = 7 February 2014 , closing = 23 February 2014 , opened_by = President Vladimir Putin , cauldron = , stadium = Fisht Olympic ...

; in the case of ''The Michael J. Fox Show'', this was despite NBC giving a 22-episode order for the series prior to its debut) and were replaced by critically acclaimed (though low-rated) Thursday night mainstays ''

Community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

'' and ''

Parks and Recreation ''Parks and Recreation'' (also known as ''Parks and Rec'') is an American political satire mockumentary sitcom television series created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. The series aired on NBC from April 9, 2009, to February 24, 2015, for 125 ...

'' in January 2014, which were joined by ''

Hollywood Game Night ''Hollywood Game Night'' is an American television game show that aired on NBC from July 11, 2013, to July 5, 2020. The series, which is hosted by Jane Lynch, follows two contestants who take part in a casual game night with three celebrities ea ...

'' in late February.

2014–16: End of comedy programming

In May 2014, NBC announced their schedule for the upcoming fall schedule at

upfronts In the television industry, an upfront is a gathering at the start of important advertising sales periods, held by television network executives and attended by major advertisers and the media. It is so named because of its main purpose, to allow ...

, with only a single hour of Thursday comedy in fall for the first time since 2005. Veteran reality show ''

The Biggest Loser ''The Biggest Loser'' is a reality television format which started with the American TV show ''The Biggest Loser'' in 2004. The show centers on overweight and obese contestants attempting to lose the most weight; the winner receives a cash prize. ...

'' would take the 8pm slot, followed by short-lived new comedies ''

Bad Judge ''Bad Judge'' is an American legal sitcom television series co-created by Chad Kultgen and Anne Heche. Kultgen and Heche also serve as executive producers, along with Will Ferrell, Kate Walsh, Adam McKay, Chris Henchy, Betsy Thomas, and Jill ...

'' and '' A to Z'' and the final season of '' Parenthood''. They also announced that breakout drama ''

The Blacklist ''The Blacklist'' is an American crime thriller television series that premiered on NBC on September 23, 2013. The show follows Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader), a former U.S. Navy officer turned high-profile criminal who voluntarily sur ...

'' would take the 9pm slot at mid-season the week following the Super Bowl, hinting at the end of NBC's Thursday comedy tradition. In December 2014, NBC announced their mid-season schedule, with three dramas scheduled on Thursday to compete with

. This was the first time NBC had not aired comedies on Thursday since 1981, which put the Must See TV label on hiatus for three years. The final episodes of ''

'' season seven were moved to Tuesdays, possibly in an attempt to

burn off In American broadcast programming, "burning off" is the custom of quickly airing the remaining episodes of a television program, usually one that has already been or is planned to be cancelled, without the intent to attract a large number of vi ...

the last 13 episodes. In May 2015, it was announced that NBC's Thursday broke into the Top 50 most watched programming for the first time in five years, with ''The Blacklist'' being number 14. It was the night's best showing since ''The Office'' was in the Top 50 in the 2009–10 season. NBC Thursday repeated its success in the next season, with ''The Blacklist'' at 22 and new drama ''

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'' at 35.

2016: Revival

In May 2016, NBC announced the return of Thursday comedy for the 2016–17 season with returning comedy '' Superstore'' and new comedy ''

The Good Place ''The Good Place'' is an American fantasy comedy television series created by Michael Schur. It premiered on NBC on September 19, 2016, and concluded on January 30, 2020, after four seasons and 53 episodes. Although the plot evolves significa ...

'' for the first time in two years. The network also began to broadcast the second half of the ''

'' season in a simulcast with

in November, effectively breaking those shows' seasons into half-seasons. In May 2017, NBC announced the return of the Must See TV branding, with ''

'' and ''

Great News ''Great News'' is an American sitcom television series created and written by Tracey Wigfield, and executive produced by Wigfield alongside Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, and David Miner for 3 Arts Entertainment, Little Stranger and Universal Televis ...

'' set to air on Thursdays for the 2017–18 season in addition to ''Superstore'' and ''The Good Place''. Outside of holiday specials for ''Will & Grace'' and ''Superstore'', again all four shows had their seasons broken up by ''Thursday Night Football''. With

merging the package into theirs in the 2018 season, this will not occur for NBC again for the next five seasons, and only the traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas hiatuses will happen in future seasons.

NBC Thursday night lineup history

Lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

indicates the #1 most-watched program of the season. :

Yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the R ...

indicates the top-10 most-watched programs of the season. :

Cyan Cyan () is the color between green and blue on the visible spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a predominant wavelength between 490 and 520 nm, between the wavelengths of green and blue. In the subtractive color system, or CMYK color ...

indicates the top-20 most watched programs of the season. :

Magenta Magenta () is a color that is variously defined as pinkish- purplish-red, reddish-purplish-pink or mauvish-crimson. On color wheels of the RGB (additive) and CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located exactly midway between red and blue. I ...

indicates the top-30 most watched programs of the season. :

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

indicates the top-40 most watched programs of the season. :

Silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

indicates the top-50 most watched programs of the season. Because of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, shows that would regularly air were replaced with reruns and unscripted programming. A few episodes of ''Deal or No Deal'' occupied the 8:00 p.m. time slot on Thursdays during the strike. During the second half of the 2014–15 season, ''The Slap'' initially occupied the 8:00 p.m. time slot; it was moved to the 10:00 p.m. time slot midway through its run after ''Allegiance'' was canceled.

Other series and specials

Several series aired on Thursdays to take advantage of the huge audience. These series include: * ''

Night Court ''Night Court'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984 to May 31, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan municipal court presided over by a young, unorthodox judge, Harold "Harry" T. Stone (portray ...

'' (summer 1984) * '' Our House'' (September 11, 1986) * '' Crime Story'' (September 18, 1986) * ''

The Tortellis ''The Tortellis'' is an American sitcom television series and the first spin-off of '' Cheers'', starring Dan Hedaya and Jean Kasem. It aired on NBC from January 22 to May 12, 1987. Synopsis Hedaya and Kasem had appeared on ''Cheers'' on severa ...

'' (January 22, 1987) * '' Roomies'' (March 19, 1987) * ''

The Bronx Zoo The Bronx Zoo (also historically the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and is the largest metropolitan zoo in ...

'' (March 19, 1987) * ''

The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd ''The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd'' is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on NBC from May 21, 1987 to June 29, 1988 and on Lifetime from April 17, 1989 to April 13, 1991. It was created by Jay Tarses and stars Blair Brown in ...

'' (summer 1987) * ''

Beverly Hills Buntz ''Beverly Hills Buntz'' is an American comedy-drama television series and a spin-off of the acclaimed police drama ''Hill Street Blues''. Beverly Hills Buntz aired on NBC from November 5, 1987, to April 22, 1988. Overview The show was a half-ho ...

'' (November 5, 1987; December 24, 1987) * ''

Mama's Boy Mother's boy, also commonly and informally mummy's boy or mama's boy, is a term for a man seen as having an unhealthy dependence on his mother at an age at which he is expected to be self-reliant (e.g. live on his own, be economically independent) ...

'' (November 26, 1987) * '' Day by Day'' (March 3, 1988) * ''

My Two Dads ''My Two Dads'' is an American sitcom television series that was produced by Michael Jacobs (producer), Michael Jacobs Productions in association with TriStar Television, Tri-Star Television (later Columbia Pictures Television) and distributed b ...

'' (April 7, 1988) * ''

Dream Street Dream Street were an American pop music, pop boy band that was formed in 1999 by Louis Baldonieri and Brian Lukow. The band disbanded in 2002 following a legal dispute between parents of the band members and the band's managers. History The ...

'' (April 13, 1989) * ''

Tattingers ''Tattingers'' (later ''Tattinger's'') is an American comedy-drama television series that aired by the NBC television network from October 26, 1988, to April 26, 1989, as part of its 1988 fall lineup. After failing in the Nielsen ratings as an h ...

'' (April 20, 1989) * ''

Baby Boom A baby boom is a period marked by a significant increase of birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds of defined national and cultural populations. People born during these periods are often ca ...

'' (July 13, 1989) * '' FM'' (August 17, 1989, September 14, 1989, summer 1990) * '' Sister Kate'' (September 21, 1989) * ''

Hardball Hardball, in English, more specifically American English, generally refers to baseball (as opposed to its variant softball), especially when played very competitively. Metaphorically, it refers to uncompromising and ruthless methods or dealings, ...

'' (September 21, 1989) * ''

Mancuso, F.B.I. ''Mancuso, F.B.I.'' is an American crime drama television series created by Steve Sohmer, which was aired by NBC from October 13, 1989 to April 24, 1990, as part of its 1989–90 schedule. ''Mancuso, F.B.I.'' stars Robert Loggia as Nick Mancus ...

'' (October 19, 1989) * ''

Ann Jillian Ann Jillian (born Ann Jura Nauseda; January 29, 1950) is a retired American actress and singer whose career began as a child actress in 1960. She is best known for her role as the sultry Cassie Cranston on the 1980s sitcom ''It's a Living''. Ea ...

'' (November 30, 1989) * '' Down Home'' (April 12, 1990; February 28, 1991) * ''

'' (summer 1990) * ''

Quantum Leap ''Quantum Leap'' is an American science fiction television series, created by Donald P. Bellisario, that premiered on NBC and aired for five seasons, from March 26, 1989, to May 5, 1993. The series stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a physi ...

'' (summer 1990; June 27, 1991) * ''

Blossom In botany, blossoms are the flowers of stone fruit trees (genus ''Prunus'') and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring. Colloquially, flowers of orange are referred to as such as wel ...

'' (July 5, 1990; January 3, 1991) * ''

Ferris Bueller ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' is a 1986 American teen comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by John Hughes and co-produced by Tom Jacobson. The film stars Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, and Alan Ruck with supporting roles by Jennifer Gre ...

'' (August 23, 1990) * '' Parenthood'' (September 6, 1990; repeat of pilot episode) * ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...

'' (September 13, 1990; October 4, 1990; October 11, 1990; June 2, 1994; spring 1997) * '' American Dreamer'' (September 20, 1990) * ''

Sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

'' (summer 1991) * '' The Adventures of Mark and Brian'' * '' Dear John'' (September 19, 1991) * ''

Reasonable Doubts ''Reasonable Doubts'' is an American police drama television series created by Robert Singer, which broadcast in the United States by NBC that ran from September 26, 1991 to April 27, 1993. Synopsis ''Reasonable Doubts'' is primarily about th ...

'' (September 26, 1991) * ''

The Torkelsons ''The Torkelsons'' is an American sitcom television series which aired on the NBC television network from September 21, 1991, to June 6, 1993. Produced by Walt Disney Television in season 1 and Touchstone Television in season 2, the series star ...

'' (January 9, 1992) * '' Home Fires'' (June 25, 1992) * ''

Dateline NBC ''Dateline NBC'' is a weekly American television news magazine/reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on true crime stories with only occasion ...

'' (October 8, 1992; July 29, 1993; March 31, 1994; June 16, 1994; June 30 – July 14, 1994; July 28 – August 11, 1994; August 25 – September 1, 1994; September 1, 2005) * ''

'' (summer 1993, August 5, 1999) * ''

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz for NBC. It aired from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart t ...

'' (November 5, 1992) * ''

South Beach South Beach, also nicknamed colloquially as SoBe, is a neighborhood in Miami Beach, Florida. It is located east of Miami between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses Miami Beach south of Dade Boulevard. This area was the fi ...

'' (August 12, 1993) * '' First Person with Maria Shriver'' (August 26, 1993; July 21, 1994) * ''

seaQuest DSV ''SeaQuest DSV'' (stylized as ''seaQuest DSV'' and also promoted as simply ''seaQuest'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, it ...

'' (December 30, 1993) * ''

Sweet Justice ''Sweet Justice'' is an American legal drama television series created by John Romano and starring Cicely Tyson and Melissa Gilbert. The hour-long series ran from September 15, 1994, to August 12, 1995, on NBC. The series was produced by Trotwood ...

'' (September 15, 1994) * ''

Prince Street The Prince Street station is a local station on the BMT Broadway Line of the New York City Subway. Located in SoHo, Manhattan, it is served by the R train at all times except late nights, the W train on weekdays, the N train during late nig ...

'' (March 6, 1997) * ''

NewsRadio ''NewsRadio'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from March 21, 1995 to May 4, 1999, focusing on the work lives of the staff of a New York City AM news radio station. It had an ensemble cast featuring Dave Foley, Stephen ...

'' (August 3, 1995, June 1997) * ''

Men Behaving Badly ''Men Behaving Badly'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British British sitcom, sitcom that was created and written by Simon Nye. It follows the lives of Gary Strang (Martin Clunes) and his flatmates Dermot Povey (Harry Enfield; series 1 ...

'' (summer 1997: June 12, 1997) * ''

Suddenly Susan ''Suddenly Susan'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from September 19, 1996, to December 26, 2000. The series was created by Clyde Phillips and starred Brooke Shields in her first regular series. Shields played Susan Keane, ...

'' (summer 1998) * ''

3rd Rock from the Sun ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' is an American television sitcom created by Bonnie and Terry Turner, which originally aired from January 9, 1996, to May 22, 2001, on NBC. The show is about four Extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrials who are on an e ...

'' (summer 1996, July 9, 1998, summer 1999, summer 2000) * ''

Working Working may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community Arts and media * Working (musical), ''Working'' (musical), a 1978 musical * Working (TV series), ''Working'' (TV s ...

'' (August 20, 1998) * ''

'' (August 27, 1998, September 3, 1998) * ''

Just Shoot Me! ''Just Shoot Me!'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from March 4, 1997, to November 26, 2003, with a total of 145 half-hour episodes spanning seven seasons. The show was created by Steven Levitan, the show's executive pr ...

'' (August 5, 1999, summer 2000) * ''

'' (c. spring-summer 2000) * ''

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

'' (July 8, 2004) * ''

Medical Investigation ''Medical Investigation'' is an American medical drama television series that began September 9, 2004, on NBC. It ran for 20 one-hour episodes before its cancellation on March 25, 2005. The series was co-produced by Paramount Network Television a ...

'' (September 9, 2004) * ''

Medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation *Medium bomber, a class of war plane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium of ...

'' (January 6, 2005) Specials that the network has aired on Thursdays to take advantage of the audience on that night: *''Michael Nesmith in Television Parts'' (March 7, 1985) *''Bigshots in America'' (June 20, 1985) *''Phil Donahue Examines the Human Animal'' (August 14, 1986) *''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: 24th Anniversary'' (September 25, 1986) *''Splitting Image: The 1987 Movie Awards'' (March 26, 1987) *''

The Art of Being Nick ''The Art of Being Nick'' is an American sitcom pilot created by Bruce Helford, that aired on NBC as a special on August 27, 1987. The pilot stars Scott Valentine as environmental artist, Nick Moore, who appeared as Mallory's (Justine Bateman) bo ...

'' (August 27, 1987) *''Act II'' (September 3, 1987) *''NBC Investigates Bob Hope'' (September 17, 1987) *''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: 25th Anniversary'' (October 1, 1987) *''Late Night with David Letterman: 6th Anniversary Show'' (February 4, 1988) *''Heart and Soul'' (July 21, 1988) *''Channel 99'' (August 4, 1988) *''Stand by for HNN: The Hope News Network'' (September 8, 1988) *''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: 26th Anniversary'' (October 6, 1988) *''Late Night with David Letterman: 7th Anniversary Show'' (February 2, 1989) *''Jackee'' (May 11, 1989) *''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: 27th Anniversary'' (October 26, 1989) *''

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...

: 28th Anniversary'' (September 27, 1990) *''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: 29th Anniversary'' (October 3, 1991) * ''

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 5 ...

's Star-Studded Comedy Special of the New Season'' (September 1991) * '' The Funny Women of Television'' (October 24, 1991) *''Late Night with David Letterman: 10th Anniversary Show'' (February 6, 1992) * ''

The Comedy Store The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California. History The Comedy ...

's 20th Anniversary'' (September 24, 1992) * ''A Spinal Tap Reunion'' (December 31, 1992) * ''Hillary: America's

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

'' (June 10, 1993) * ''The

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

Special'' (August 5, 1993) * '' The Seinfeld Story'' (November 2004)

Summer programming

Series airing on Thursday night during and after the run of "Must See TV" during the summer months have included ''

Spy TV ''Spy TV'' is an American hidden camera reality television series hosted by Michael Ian Black and Ali Landry. The show was broadcast on NBC in which pranks A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causi ...

'', '' Come To Papa'', ''

Last Comic Standing ''Last Comic Standing'' was an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, then again in 2014 and 2015. The goal of the program was to select a comedian from an initially large group ...

'', '' Hit Me, Baby, One More Time'', ''

The Law Firm ''The Law Firm'' is an American reality competition series which aired on NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Ent ...

'', '' Windfall'' and ''

Love Bites Love Bites may refer to: * Love-bite or hickey, a small bruise caused by kissing, sucking, or biting the skin Film and television * Love Bites (TV series), ''Love Bites'' (TV series), a 2011 drama starring Becki Newton * Love Bites (film), ''Love ...

''.

Ratings

* Highest Rated Episode in the 1990s: 84.0 million viewers (''

'':

Series Finale A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, or ...

– " One for the Road"; May 1993; 9:22 p.m.-11:00 p.m. ET) * Highest Rated Episode in the 2000s: 52.5 million viewers (''

'':

– " The Last One"; May 6, 2004; 9:00 p.m.-10:06 p.m. ET) * Highest Rated Episode of the line-up (Drama): 48.0 million viewers ('' ER'': "Hell and High Water"; November 1995; 9:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. ET) * Highest Rated Episode of the line-up (Overall) and Peak viewership: 93.5 million viewers (''

'':

; May 1993; 9:22 p.m.-11:00 p.m. ET) Note: ''Friends''s peak viewership in its 2004 series finale reached 80 million viewers as tallied by the

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

(final 5 minutes).

References

{{Reflist

External links

NBC.com
* ttp://insidetv.ew.com/2014/05/11/nbc-fall-schedule-2014/ NBC reveals fall TV schedule: Thursday comedy shakeupbr>"Must See TV" creator exitsHow Must See TV Lost Its Way

A 7 episode British television series of the same name, documenting programmes that 'must be seen'.
National Broadcasting Company Advertising campaigns Television programming blocks in the United States 1993 neologisms

Usage

Advertising

Decline

Change and record ratings lows

2014–16: End of comedy programming

2016: Revival

NBC Thursday night lineup history

Other series and specials

Summer programming

Ratings

See also

References

External links