CBS Block Party
(referred to on-air as the
CBS Friday Night Block Party
) was a programming block that aired on the
CBS
television network during the
1997?1998 television season
. The block was similar to, and was intended as
direct competition
to,
ABC
's
TGIF
lineup and aired on Friday nights from 8:00
p.m. to 10:00
p.m. ET, and included two former stalwarts of the TGIF lineup. Although the block was canceled after one year, the resulting audience fracture caused what turned out to be irreparable harm to the previously dominant TGIF, eventually clearing the way for CBS to dominate the Friday night lineup beginning in the next decade.
[1]
When ABC (a network that was in the midst of an overhaul as
The Walt Disney Company
took over) canceled the long-running shows
Family Matters
and
Step by Step
, CBS picked them up, paying a $40 million sum to earn the rights to the shows, and made them the cornerstones of the new "Block Party."
[2]
Two new family comedies were added. The first was a new production from
Miller-Boyett Productions
(the production company behind
Family Matters
and
Step By Step
among other TGIF series),
Meego
.
Meego
, in addition to being produced by TGIF alumni, also starred a TGIF alumnus:
Bronson Pinchot
, who previously starred as
Balki Bartokomous
in
Perfect Strangers
and as Jean-Luc Rieupeyroux in the sixth season of
Step by Step
(Pinchot even used a similar accent to the one he used for the Balki character);
Meego
also featured well-known contemporary child stars
Michelle Trachtenberg
and
Jonathan Lipnicki
. The second new series was
The Gregory Hines Show
, an eponymous sitcom featuring entertainer
Gregory Hines
; CBS head
Leslie Moonves
described the Hines show as being more mature and edgy than the other shows in the block, but still
family-friendly
enough that children could watch comfortably.
[2]
Jaleel White
, who played
Family Matters
star character
Steve Urkel
, stated that the producers jumped at the opportunity to jump to CBS because ABC was already shifting the
TGIF
block toward a much more child- and teen-oriented image, moving away from the whole-family approach it had taken at the beginning of its run (White believed being paired with the likes of
The Gregory Hines Show
was a far better fit than shows such as
Muppets Tonight
and
Aliens in the Family
that had been appearing on
TGIF
at the time), and that they did not believe Disney would give Miller-Boyett as prominent of a role as they had held with ABC before Disney had bought it. CBS, still experiencing aftereffects from the
loss of NFL rights and multiple key affiliates to Fox in 1994
, saw the purchase as a golden opportunity to draw a younger demographic than it was drawing at the time.
[2]
The CBS Block Party was CBS's second and final attempt to compete with TGIF; in 1992, the network attempted a similar block, albeit targeting an older demographic than either TGIF or the Block Party, that featured
The Golden Palace
(the continuation of the long-running NBC sitcom
The Golden Girls
),
Designing Women
,
Major Dad
, and
Bob
. Like the
Block Party
, this block also failed after one season, and by the end of 1993, all four series had been canceled.
- (all times U.S. Eastern Time)
None of the shows in the initial lineup lasted beyond that season.
Meego
lasted a mere six weeks, and
The Gregory Hines Show
was gone after fourteen. Though the two ABC series were picked up for full seasons, they suffered badly from the network jump, with both series hitting all-time lows in the Nielsen ratings (
Family Matters
was nevertheless modestly successful enough to beat the show that replaced it in the
TGIF
lineup,
You Wish
; the success was short-lived when
You Wish
was canceled).
Family Matters
also suffered due to extensive retooling: Steve Urkel was revamped to tone down his nerdiness, several characters were written out or reduced to guest appearances, and
Jo Marie Payton
left the show midseason after getting into an altercation with White that nearly turned into fisticuffs
[3]
(her role as Harriette Winslow was recast with
Judyann Elder
playing her the rest of the season).
When the series were canceled, none were afforded a series finale.
Kids Say the Darndest Things
, however, would continue for two additional seasons, usually paired on Friday nights with a revival of
Candid Camera
.
Kids Say...
and
Candid Camera
would have more sustained success against TGIF, which eventually declined over the next two years until it ended in 2000.
[1]
CBS has mostly focused on dramatic programming in the time slot since the
Block Party
was canceled, a programming strategy that has been a relative success in the so-called "
Friday night death slot
."