WI: No CBS Rural Purge in the 70's

Same setting, and had been #4 rated show in '68 and '69. Few shows survived the loss of the lead, but that one did till the Purge.

It was set in Mayberry, and IIRC the first episode had Andy, Opie and his new wife leaving the area.

Always liked that show (had a thing for Arlene Golonka) and watched it religiously...

HAWAII FIVE-0 was doing quite well and I feel helped bring along other shows like HILL STREET BLUES...
 
I wonder if people who felt alienated by the rural purge gravitated to Happy Days (and its spinoffs), which, ironically enough, starred Ron Howard.
 

Driftless

Donor
I wonder if people who felt alienated by the rural purge gravitated to Happy Days (and its spinoffs), which, ironically enough, starred Ron Howard.

Laverne & Shirley
Joannie Loves Chachi (proving that Hollywood will try to squeeze the last drop of moisture out of a stone)
Mork & Mindy which while a lame concept - gave most of us our first glimpse of Robin Williams

Also, Happy Days unintentionally gave us the apropos phrase: "Jumping the shark" to describe anything that has stuck around toooooo long.
 
1970-71 CBS has nine shows top 20, thirteen in top 30
1. Marcus Welby, M.D. ABC 17,789,600
2. The Flip Wilson Show NBC 16,767,900
3. Here's Lucy CBS 15,686,100
4.
Ironside NBC 15,445,700
5. Gunsmoke CBS 15,325,500
6.
ABC Movie of the Week ABC 15,085,100
7.Hawaii Five-O CBS 15,025,000
8.Medical Center CBS 14,724,500
9.
Bonanza NBC 14,363,900
10.The F.B.I. ABC 13,823,000
11.Mod Squad ABC 13,642,700
12.Adam 12 NBC 13,582,600
13. Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In NBC 13,462,400
14. The Wonderful World of Disney NBC 13,462,400
15. Mayberry R.F.D. CBS 13,402,300
16. Hee Haw CBS 12,861,400
17. Mannix CBS 12,801,300
18.
The Men from Shiloh NBC 12,741,200
19. My Three Sons CBS 12,500,800
20.The Doris Day Show CBS 12,440,700

....

I think that statistic alone already answers the question: of the nine TV series, only three (Gunsmoke, Mayberry, Hee-Haw) have a definitely rural setting. "Lucy", "My Three Sons" and "Doris Day" play in some nondescript geographical area which could be suburban as well as small-town. "Hawaii Five-O" has a setting best described as 'exotic' while the remaining two shows are a medical drama and a inner city crime show. The top grossing show for that year is a medical drama and apart from CBS, there are only two more western shows in the top 20. So yes, CBS moving away from westerns and small-town dramas was not such a big deal. At least not as much as it would be if CBS were cancelling all its police or crime shows.
 
I'd argue that DOH was more inspired by the success of Smokey and the Bandit to be honest.

Quite likely. But the point remains that it was still on CBS, in contrast to the otherwise urbane image that the network was trying to convey in the 70s.
 
Rural fantasy indeed... The Duke's of Hazard inspired too many idiotic/inebriated country boy attempts at flying cars and other driving stupidity. I saw a kid destroy his dad's show-room new 4x4 Chevy pickup at an off-road obstacle course. He apparently thought he could leap the gap (like the Duke's) between two 3' high berms on the course..... When the front end of the truck smashed into the second berm, the front axle completely snapped off the suspension, winding up behind the truck. The frame was bent, leaving the wreck in a lazy-V shape. The young man survived the crash with minor damage. God knows what happened when he had to explain that to the old man....

"Aw dad, I was just makin' my way, the only way I know how..."
 
I wonder if people who felt alienated by the rural purge gravitated to Happy Days (and its spinoffs), which, ironically enough, starred Ron Howard.

I've wondered if ABC's whole image in the 70s(more or less the Aaron Spelling heyday) was an attempt at winning over rural audiences. Things like Love Boat and Fantasy Island weren't set in rural areas, but the general worldview was a sort of sexed-up traditionalism: slightly over-the-hill Silent Generation guest stars, enacting old-school romantic dramas or morality plays, with a hefty dosage of bikinis to keep things interesting.
 

Lusitania

Donor
I remember a movie about a chimp who could predict which shows would be popular. Maybe that was based on a true story. Lol
 
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