Television shows that changed networks…
I remember years ago that occasionally a tv show should changed networks.
I always thought it was so interesting. Like, why would one let it go if it was still viable enough for another network.
The interworkings of it all seem so fascinating. Did the network let it go, were they bitter, out of their control.
Did the new network make changes, etc… but now I can’t remember which shows did that. It’s all a blur.
by Anonymous | reply 74 | November 13, 2024 9:51 AM
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Buffy went from the WB to the UPN which didn't seem like much of a change. The WB kept Angel though.
by Anonymous | reply 2 | November 5, 2024 10:19 AM
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Was there ever a reason why r2?
Were both networks owned by the same company? Why keep one and not the other?
by Anonymous | reply 3 | November 5, 2024 10:25 AM
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Taxi was canceled by ABC and NBC picked it up. I think NBC thought it could be another Cheers, but it only ran for one more season.
The Golden Palace was initially going to get a 13 episode order from NBC, until CBS offered a full 24 episodes, so the Golden Girls sequel ran on CBS while the GG spinoff Empty Nest ran on NBC.
Family Matters moved from ABC to CBS late in it's run. I think they'd recast Harriet Winslow by this point, even though the show had initially been her spin-off.
by Anonymous | reply 4 | November 5, 2024 10:39 AM
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I think Disney started on ABC and ended up on NBC.
by Anonymous | reply 5 | November 5, 2024 10:48 AM
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“The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd,” was one of those rare instances of a network show being canceled then picked up by cable channel. It was a case of drawing an audience that was too small for a Big Three network, but devoted enough to cross over to a fledgling cable channel where its numbers were considered huge. I believe Lifetime Network went on to produce more episodes than NBC.
by Anonymous | reply 7 | November 5, 2024 10:59 AM
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Didn't Disney change stations at some point? ABC wanted Disney initially and helped fund Disneyland. But Disney stayed with ABC? I thought The Wonderful World of Color was on NBC.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | November 5, 2024 11:01 AM
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The Hogan Family moved from NBC to CBS for its last season.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 9 | November 5, 2024 11:10 AM
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I think r 5 has it slightly off because Disney now owns ABC. so maybe it started on NBC
by Anonymous | reply 10 | November 5, 2024 11:13 AM
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The Grammys leaving CBS got me thinking.
by Anonymous | reply 11 | November 5, 2024 11:14 AM
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Project Runway and Drag Race. Both seemed to have done well with the change.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | November 5, 2024 11:17 AM
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Damages went from FX to some obscure cable channel called The Audience Network for seasons 4 & 5. You can definitely feel a tone shift. John Goodman as the sleazy, murderous war profiteer and Dylan Baker as a rogue CIA creep are both more evil than the villains from the previous three seasons. These are also the seasons where we get to hear Patty Hewes say "fuck" since it's no longer basic cable.
I wonder if the series ending would have been different if the show stayed on FX. I liked that long shot of Patty's face when she's all alone in her limo.
by Anonymous | reply 13 | November 5, 2024 11:28 AM
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Hazel was on NBC from 1961-65, then on CBS for it's last year 1965-66.
by Anonymous | reply 14 | November 5, 2024 11:33 AM
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The original The Goldbergs that aired from 1949 to 1955.
They went from CBS to NBC to the DuMont Network in those six years.
by Anonymous | reply 15 | November 5, 2024 11:44 AM
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Step by Step was another ABC TGIF show that got moved to CBS like Family Matters did.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | November 5, 2024 11:49 AM
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The most recent version of Magnum PI went from CBS to NBC.
by Anonymous | reply 17 | November 5, 2024 11:56 AM
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Futurama owns this thread.
by Anonymous | reply 18 | November 5, 2024 11:56 AM
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Diff'rent Strokes went from NBC to ABC for it's final season. It was a last minute rescue as NBC had cancelled it and all the sets had already been taken down. Dixie Carter was cast on Designing Women in the meantime so they recast her role with Mary Ann Mobley. Because ABC picked up the show, the Three's Company spinoff Three's A Crowd was only offered a half season renewal and John Ritter got pissed and said no thanks.
by Anonymous | reply 19 | November 5, 2024 11:59 AM
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Community - from NBC to Yahoo (that was a thing?!)
by Anonymous | reply 20 | November 5, 2024 12:22 PM
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I think The Bionic Woman changed networks, from ABC to NBC maybe?
by Anonymous | reply 21 | November 5, 2024 12:38 PM
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Southland -- if you haven't seen it, you should! -- went from a first season on NBC to the TNT network.
Great LA cop show with a gay cop played by Michael Cudlitz. Also starring Regina King.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 22 | November 5, 2024 12:53 PM
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My Three Sons - Seasons 1-5 on ABC; Seasons 6-12 on CBS
Leave to Beaver - Season 1 on CBS; Seasons 2-6 on ABC
by Anonymous | reply 23 | November 5, 2024 3:24 PM
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Unsolved Mysteries was on NBC from 1987-1997. It aired on CBS from 1997-1999. Lifetime revived the series in 2001 and did a combination of new cases and cases previously featured during the NBC and CBS years. They cancelled the series in 2002 when Robert Stack's health was declining. In 2008, Spike TV did an awful repackaged type version of Unsolved Mysteries with the previous segments edited down quite a bit. Dennis Farina was the host. Spike aired the show from 2008-2010. Then ten years later Netflix reboot started to air.
by Anonymous | reply 24 | November 5, 2024 3:47 PM
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This is the DL and it took 24 posts to mention The Edge of Night?
CBS to ABC
by Anonymous | reply 25 | November 5, 2024 3:52 PM
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"Father Knows Best" was on all three networks, although the ABC seasons were all reruns.
Paper Chase went from CBS to PBS, although it was all reruns on PBS and later Showtime picked it up with new episodes.
by Anonymous | reply 26 | November 5, 2024 4:35 PM
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r25, wasn't there another old half-hour soap that went from CBS to either ABC or NBC?
by Anonymous | reply 27 | November 5, 2024 5:22 PM
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For some more recent examples:
Scrubs 911 Brooklyn 99
by Anonymous | reply 29 | November 5, 2024 5:40 PM
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In the sixties, ABC grabbed The Price is Right, Queen for a Day, and Let’s Make A Deal from NBC, with LMAD having quite a long run on its new network
by Anonymous | reply 30 | November 5, 2024 5:47 PM
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I HATED “The Golden Palace”.
by Anonymous | reply 31 | November 5, 2024 6:05 PM
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Southland and The Shield are the only decent cop shows I've seen
by Anonymous | reply 32 | November 5, 2024 11:18 PM
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SouthLAnd was an awesome show!
I was going to add Edge of Night and Search For Tomorrow, but others beat me to it.
Bionic Woman did change networks. Did Wonder Woman?
by Anonymous | reply 34 | November 6, 2024 2:10 AM
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TJ Hooker switched networks for its last season, I believe.
by Anonymous | reply 35 | November 10, 2024 4:06 AM
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I misread the title. I thought you were talking about shows like MASH and All In The Family that changer THEIR networks.
WTF, I was going to say that Married With Children MADE Fox.
by Anonymous | reply 36 | November 10, 2024 4:14 AM
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Scooby-Doo was originally broadcast on CBS from 1969 to 1976, when it moved to ABC. ABC aired various versions of Scooby-Doo until canceling it in 1986, and presented a spin-off featuring the characters as children called A Pup Named Scooby-Doo from 1988 until 1991.
by Anonymous | reply 37 | November 11, 2024 12:57 AM
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The Ghost and Mrs Muir's first season aired on NBC (1968-69), second season aired on ABC (1969-70).
by Anonymous | reply 38 | November 11, 2024 1:39 AM
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The 911 franchise. ABC to Fox.
by Anonymous | reply 39 | November 11, 2024 2:47 AM
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Forsythe at his hottest. Batchelor Father aired on CBS, NBC, and ABC. Now it's on Antenna TV.
by Anonymous | reply 40 | November 11, 2024 5:05 AM
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Sister Sister went from ABC to the WB
by Anonymous | reply 41 | November 11, 2024 5:07 AM
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[quote]Bionic Woman did change networks. Did Wonder Woman?
Yes, WW went from ABC to CBS. Any episodes you see set in the 1940s (like the comics), those are the ABC episodes. The ones set in the present (well, 1977-78 at the time) were on CBS.
by Anonymous | reply 42 | November 11, 2024 5:19 AM
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[quote] Sister Sister went from ABC to the WB—AlienOnMars
Fuck off, junkie.
by Anonymous | reply 43 | November 11, 2024 5:54 AM
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“American Dad” moved from Fox to TBS. You can differentiate the TBS episodes by the cold opening and the uncensored use of “shit”.
by Anonymous | reply 44 | November 11, 2024 6:05 AM
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Get Smart went to CBS for it's last season, as did Step By Step.
My Three Sons went from ABC to CBS when Tim Considine and Fred Mertz bailed.
by Anonymous | reply 45 | November 11, 2024 6:11 AM
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Are you including shows that started on a major network, then got picked up for first-run syndication, like Mama's Family or Charles in Charge?
by Anonymous | reply 46 | November 11, 2024 8:26 AM
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Not as interesting r46. Since most all eventually syndicate elsewhere
by Anonymous | reply 47 | November 11, 2024 8:29 AM
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The Game went from CW to BET
by Anonymous | reply 48 | November 11, 2024 6:31 PM
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[quote]Are you including shows that started on a major network, then got picked up for first-run syndication, like Mama's Family or Charles in Charge?
Might as well include them here, r46. I don't think there's enough to warrant their own thread. Aside from the two you mention I can think of It's A Living, Webster, Silver Spoons and 9 to 5.
And then there were the spinoff/reboots like What's Happening Now and The New WKRP In Cincinnati which feel different enough that they're not straight-up continuations but maybe I'm splitting hairs
by Anonymous | reply 49 | November 11, 2024 8:03 PM
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Just to comment on a few posts:
[quote]Buffy went from the WB to the UPN which didn't seem like much of a change. The WB kept Angel though.
The show didn't change, but the reason it flipped over to UPN was because the network was in full-blown panic mode over its slate of failed shows. After an extremely splashy debut featuring the premiere of an all-new Star Trek series ("Voyager"), nearly all of its other shows totally flopped. Already seeing the writing on the wall, they hugely overbid for both "Buffy" and "Roswell," despite both being past their prime. ("Roswell" only lasted a single season after the move.)
[quote]Yes, WW went from ABC to CBS. Any episodes you see set in the 1940s (like the comics), those are the ABC episodes. The ones set in the present (well, 1977-78 at the time) were on CBS.
True, and either way this is one of the more curious network swaps. WW was a top-10 show in its first season. ABC likely would've renewed it, but they hedged for too long and CBS snapped it up, with the proviso of its admittedly "WTF?" transition to a present-day setting. (I put "WTF" only because they explicitly made it a continuation of the original, never mind the absurdity of circa-1976 Lyle Waggoner – then 41 years old – plausibly being 27-28.)
by Anonymous | reply 50 | November 11, 2024 8:34 PM
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To comment on a few more recent ones:
"You" – I know it seems hard to believe, given how much of a thriller it's become, but "You" got its start on Lifetime (!!) before being acquired by Netflix in advance of its second season. It's still one of their biggest, if not THE biggest, "finds" to date. ("Finds" meaning shows originally aired on other channels or streamers. "Cobra Kai" is the other big one, but it moved from YouTube, not a channel.)
"Designated Survivor" – There may be some cable shows to this effect, but "Designated Survivor" is one of the very few that had two full seasons on ABC, before moving to Netflix for a 10-episode final season. (Yes, it's more than a bit jarring to suddenly see network-styled characters cussing like sailors and showing off full-frontal nudity, and unfortunately it didn't work.)
Btw this is just my two cents, but considering the absurd number of reboots launched with zero consideration to their original network, I'm not sure there's much point mentioning it. (Is it at all relevant, for instance, that Peacock attempted a "Queer as Folk" reboot – from a show originally on ITV in the UK, and then Showtime here – that was largely unrelated to the original, set in New Orleans, and derived in large part from a hate crime at a major club (obviously predicated on what happened at Pulse).
Also, I'm not even sure *how* to define a few shows. "South Park" premiered in 1997 on Comedy Central, and that's where it still airs today – but with two curious caveats. First, despite it being owned by Viacom/Paramount, WarnerMedia acquired the show's full streaming rights, seemingly without complaint. Second, the lack of complaint might be explained by a third element: Paramount *did* retain the rights to a series of "South Park" full-length movies to be aired on Paramount+.
by Anonymous | reply 51 | November 11, 2024 8:49 PM
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Known commodity. The show may fill a perceived hole in their schedule without the cost and time of developing a new show.
Several shows were dropped by Fox, but picked up by ABC - like 9-1-1 recently. The production company matters. Additionally, the receving channel may want a relationship with the producers or stars of the show.
by Anonymous | reply 52 | November 11, 2024 8:56 PM
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In the UK, "The Great British Bake Off" went from the BBC to Channel 4.
by Anonymous | reply 53 | November 11, 2024 9:03 PM
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I went from CNN to low rent.
by Anonymous | reply 55 | November 11, 2024 9:31 PM
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“JAG” — one season on NBC (1995-96) with CBS then picking it up where it ran from 1997 to 2005. .. Must've found its old folks' demo ..lol.
by Anonymous | reply 56 | November 11, 2024 9:47 PM
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Wonder Woman from ABC to CBS
by Anonymous | reply 57 | November 11, 2024 9:50 PM
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The Hughleys also went from ABC to UPN. Seems like a lot of black shows went that route in the 90s.
For Your Love went from NBC to WB I believe.
by Anonymous | reply 58 | November 11, 2024 10:20 PM
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In the very early days of television, there are six shows that appeared on all four networks (CBS, NBC, DuMont, and ABC) at some point during their runs:
The Ernie Kovacs Show
The Original Amateur Hour
Pantomime Quiz
Down You Go
The Arthur Murray Party
Tom Corbett, Space Cadet.
by Anonymous | reply 60 | November 11, 2024 10:36 PM
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The Edge of Night ran live on CBS for about twenty years then moved to ABC.
by Anonymous | reply 61 | November 11, 2024 11:00 PM
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I’m over here working button holes ass backwards
by Anonymous | reply 62 | November 12, 2024 2:51 AM
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R19 I had always heard Dixie Carter didn’t mesh well with Conrad Bain, and that was the reason for the actress switch. Or maybe she got sick of that little red headed nudge Sam.
by Anonymous | reply 63 | November 12, 2024 3:21 AM
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r63, the bigger rumor is that Carter didn't get along with Gary Coleman. Carter did 2 seasons in the role so there was plenty of time to write her out or recast if the chemistry with Bain really was an issue. Based on 40-year old memories of the show Carter was much more memorable than Mobley. All of the key players are gone at this point so we'll likely never know the full story.
by Anonymous | reply 64 | November 12, 2024 4:25 AM
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[quote]WW was a top-10 show in its first season. ABC likely would've renewed it, but they hedged for too long and CBS snapped it up, with the proviso of its admittedly "WTF?" transition to a present-day setting. (I put "WTF" only because they explicitly made it a continuation of the original, never mind the absurdity of circa-1976 Lyle Waggoner – then 41 years old – plausibly being 27-28.)
IIRC, wasn't Waggoner's Steve Trevor character in the 1977 present-day version supposed to be the son of the Steve Trevor in the 1940s version? That's what I seem to recall anyway.
One other thing I recall hearing at the time: when the show was canceled by CBS, had they renewed it for one more season, they were going to dump Waggoner and instead have Diana Prince lead a brand-new team of crime-fighters, but alas the network pulled the plug.
by Anonymous | reply 66 | November 12, 2024 4:54 AM
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Neighbours changed from Network 7 to Network 10 in 1985 when it was only four months old, and then again after its "finale" 37 years later. It still airs on Network 10's digital channel, but only because Amazon is backing it. That's gotta be a record.
Also in Australia, there was a TV show that changed A network. The 0/10 network was young and looking like it wouldn't survive to its teens when it premiered Number 96 in 1972. That one show was so massive it saved the network.
by Anonymous | reply 67 | November 12, 2024 7:19 AM
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R64, she was a better fit on Designing Women anyway. Gary Coleman was probably a prick, but he had his reasons.
by Anonymous | reply 68 | November 12, 2024 4:20 PM
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[quote] They cancelled the series in 2002 when Robert Stack's health was declining. In 2008, Spike TV did an awful repackaged type version of Unsolved Mysteries with the previous segments edited down quite a bit. Dennis Farina was the host.
What a letdown to see Dennis Farina as host.
by Anonymous | reply 69 | November 12, 2024 4:28 PM
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Mama’s Family from NBC to first-run syndication
by Anonymous | reply 70 | November 12, 2024 8:16 PM
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and Carol Burnett was on CBS.
by Anonymous | reply 71 | November 12, 2024 8:18 PM
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[quote]IIRC, wasn't Waggoner's Steve Trevor character in the 1977 present-day version supposed to be the son of the Steve Trevor in the 1940s version? That's what I seem to recall anyway.
Yes, but that's even *more* batshit! Aside from being implausibly young, he's also even more implausibly his own father's identical twin. (Down to the same hairstyle!)
[quote]One other thing I recall hearing at the time: when the show was canceled by CBS, had they renewed it for one more season, they were going to dump Waggoner and instead have Diana Prince lead a brand-new team of crime-fighters, but alas the network pulled the plug.
Correct. Waggoner was barely on the final season as it was, with Diana spending most of her time in L.A. (as opposed to Washington, in reality also L.A. and not well-camouflaged); she maybe had one or two phone-call scenes with him per show. The final episode included a setup for Diana working at the IADC's L.A. branch, with her new sidekick or love interest (a literal indestructible man), but the ratings fell too steeply that season for a renewal.
by Anonymous | reply 72 | November 13, 2024 12:37 AM
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Apple's Way...the homoeroticism was off the charts.
by Anonymous | reply 73 | November 13, 2024 4:11 AM
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TL;DR Why is this of interest to you, OP?
by Anonymous | reply 74 | November 13, 2024 9:51 AM
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