What Was On TV When
What Was On TV When |
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Started |
(Above: Rugrats and other shows scheduled for August 11, 1991, from the New York Times "Television" magazine; image from microfilm. © 1991 New York Times Company.)
And now, here's a look at the shows, channels and events that lit up the
screens the week Rugrats first went on the air in August 1991.
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(Above: 1991 Ad from Sound Advice, |
Ratings
The top 10 TV shows for the week ending 8/4/1991, according to Nielsen:
1. Roseanne, ABC Among other notable shows:
13. Full House (ABC) And now, the bottom 10 shows for that week. Remember these?
75. Verdict (CBS) |
Above: Fox network ad for Parker Lewis Can't Lose, from
the Western Illinois edition of the 8/10/1991 issue of TV Guide.
The second season opener of Parker Lewis was on the same day as the
start of Rugrats on Nickelodeon (this was at a time when Fox started
most of their new shows in August, rather than September or October).
Also, Melanie Chartoff was a busy actress on TV at the time -- in addition
to being the voice of Didi on Rugrats, she was also school principal
Ms. Musso on Parker Lewis. And if you wanted to catch her on both
shows that night, no problem -- Parker Lewis was on at 7:30PM ET,
while the repeat of the Rugrats' debut was at 8:30PM ET. In case you're
wondering -- on that night's episode, the students and their parents participate
in a toaster-building contest.
© 1991 Fox Broadcasting Company; TV Guide provided
by TV Guide
Specialists.
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Nickelodeon in 1991Here is Nickelodeon's schedule for the week of August 10, 1991; all times ET. * indicates a special showing; beginning 8/18/1991; all 3 Nicktoons would only have one showing each a week, on Sunday mornings. Normally, what's seen on Nick-At-Nite Saturday nights would also be seen Sunday nights. Left: Examples of some of the original programming that appeared on Nickelodeon in 1991 -- Make The Grade, Kids' Court and Family Double Dare. All of these shows were taped at Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios Florida (now Universal Orlando). Universal Studios Florida opened in 1989, while Nick Studios opened a year later, in 1990. (From a sign that introduced visitors to Nick Studios, sold on eBay; ©1990 Viacom.) |
| Saturday | Sunday | Weekdays | |
| 6AM | Lassie | ||
| 6:30AM | Littl' Bits | Kidsworld | |
| 7AM | Eureeka's Castle | Mr. Wizard's World | |
| 7:30AM | Kid's Court | Yogi Bear | |
| 8AM | Cound Duckula | Inspector Gadget | |
| 8:30AM | Heathcliff | ||
| 9AM | Inspector Gadget | Cartoon Kablooey | Lassie |
| 9:30AM | Inspector Gadget | Maya The Bee | |
| 10AM | Yogi Bear | Doug | Eureeka's Castle |
| 10:30AM | Rugrats | ||
| 11AM | Out Of Control | Ren & Stimpy |
The Elephant Show (Sharon, Lois & Bram) |
| 11:30AM | SK8TV | Salute Your Shorts | Fred Penner's Place |
| 12 Noon |
Dennis The Menace (1960's sitcom) |
Wild & Crazy Kids | David The Gnome |
| 12:30PM | Clarissa Explains It All | The Little Koala | |
| 1PM | Lassie | Fifteen | Noozles |
| 1:30PM | Flipper | Welcome Freshmen | Maya The Bee |
| 2PM |
Special Delivery: "Manxmouse" |
Special Delivery: "Adventures Of Tom Sawyer" |
Littl' Bits |
| 2:30PM | Lassie | ||
| 3PM |
Special Delivery: "Drawing A Blank" |
Flipper | |
| 3:30PM |
Special Delivery: "The Tin Soldier" |
Special Delivery: "Pardon Me For Living" |
Looney Tunes |
| 4PM | You Can't Do That On Television | Heathcliff | |
| 4:30PM | Make The Grade | Yogi Bear | |
| 5PM | Family Double Dare | Mork & Mindy | |
| 5:30PM | Salute Your Shorts | Fifteen | Hey Dude |
| 6PM | Wild & Crazy Kids | ||
| 6:30PM | Welcome Freshman | Clarissa Explains It All | Get The Picture |
| 7PM | Inspector Gadget | ||
| 7:30PM | Looney Tunes | ||
| 8PM | Looney Tunes | Doug* | Mork & Mindy |
| 8:30PM | Bewitched | Rugrats* | Bewitched |
| 9PM | Donna Reed | Ren & Stimpy* | Get Smart |
| 9:30PM | Mister Ed | Dragnet (' 67 - ' 70) | |
| 10PM | My Three Sons | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | |
| 10:30PM | The Patty Duke Show | Green Acres | |
| 11PM | Dobie Gillis |
Hi Honey, I'm Home (repeat of latest ABC episode) |
The Best of Saturday Night Live |
| 11:30PM | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Mister Ed | |
| 12 Mid | Bewitched | Looney Tunes | |
| 12:30AM | Green Acres | Dobie Gillis | |
| 1AM | The Best Of Saturday Night Live | The Patty Duke Show | |
| 1:30AM | America 2 Night (Fernwood 2 Night) | My Three Sons | |
| 2AM | Dragnet (' 67 - ' 70) | Infomercials |
Donna Reed (except Wednesday: Infomercial) |
| 2:30AM | Donna Reed |
America 2 Night (Fernwood 2 Night) |
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| 3AM | Mister Ed | Mork & Mindy | |
| 3:30AM | My Three Sons | Get Smart | |
| 4AM | The Patty Duke Show | Dragnet (' 67 - ' 70) | |
| 4:30AM | Dobie Gillis | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | |
| 5AM | America 2 Night (Fernwood 2 Night) | Mister Ed | |
| 5:30AM | Dragnet (' 67 - ' 70) | Dobie Gillis | |
At the time, all three of the big three -- ABC, NBC and CBS -- offered Saturday morning cartoons in their line-up. Fox was just getting their feet wet, while Nickelodeon had less-than-stellar repeats of shows such as Inspector Gadget and Yogi Bear.
Here are the Saturday morning schedules for ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox. All times
ET; some shows may have been delayed or pre-empted in your area at the
time.
| ABC | NBC | CBS | Fox | |
| 8AM | Winnie The Pooh | Camp Candy | Muppet Babies | Peter Pan & The Pirates |
| 8:30AM | The Wizard Of Oz |
Captain N and the Adventures of Super Mario Bros. |
Bobby's World | |
| 9AM |
Slimer! And The Real Ghostbusters |
Garfield And Friends | Tom & Jerry Kids | |
| 9:30AM |
Rick Moranis in Gravedale High |
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| 10AM | Beetlejuice | Kid N' Play |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles |
Piggsburg Pigs! |
| 10:30AM |
A Pup Named Scooby Doo |
The Chipmunks Go to The Movies |
Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes | |
| 11AM |
The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show |
Saved By The Bell |
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures |
(Local Programming) |
| 11:30AM |
The Adventures of Raggedy Ann & Andy* |
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| 12 Noon | Little Rosey |
Saturday Videos (ran only a half-hour on some stations) |
Dink, The Little Dinosaur | |
| 12:30PM | New Kids On The Block | CBS Storybreak |
* -- Raggedy Ann & Andy was originally seen on on CBS from 1988 to 1990, but starting 7/27/1991, reruns were brought in as a permanent (until the end of August) replacement for Pee Wee's Playhouse (see below).
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