WI: The Enterprise completes its five year mission (Star Trek survives for 5 seasons)
Talking about John Larroquette, @dsp19 , what about having other members of Night Court making guest appearances too? Harry Anderson (Judge Harry Stone) he was a great comedic actor, Richard Moll (Bull Shannon) he could play a Klingon warrior (The guy is huge), Charles Robinson (Mac Robinson) and Mark Post (Christine Sutherland) who already has done at least one bit of sci-fi where she was a guest-star in an S1 episode of Buck Rogers and the 25th Century.
The Paramount Television Network Schedule for 1987-1988
The Paramount Television Network Schedule for 1987-1988 is as follows:
MONDAY:
7:00 PM-7:30 PM: Entertainment Tonight
7:30 PM-8:00 PM: Jeopardy
8:00 PM-9:00 PM: MacGyver
9:00 PM-10:00 PM: Jake and the Fatman
10:00 PM-11:00 PM: Paramount Reports with Ed Bradley
11:00 PM-11:30 PM: Local news
11:30 PM-12:30 AM: Late Night with Carol Burnett
Overnight: Local programming
TUESDAY:
7:00 PM-7:30 PM: Entertainment Tonight
7:30 PM-8:00 PM: Jeopardy
8:00 PM-9:00 PM: Star Trek: The Next Generation
9:00 PM-10:00 PM: Hunter
10:00 PM-11:00 PM: Doctor Who
11:00 PM-11:30 PM: Local news
11:30 PM-12:30 AM: Late Night with Carol Burnett
Overnight: Local programming
WEDNESDAY:
7:00 PM-7:30 PM: Entertainment Tonight
7:30 PM-8:00 PM: Jeopardy
8:00 PM-8:30 PM: Cheers
8:30 PM-9:00 PM: Perfect Strangers
9:00 PM-9:30 PM: Mama's Family
9:30 PM-10:00 PM: Brothers
10:00 PM-11:00 PM: Knots Landing
11:00 PM-11:30 PM: Local news
11:30 PM-12:30 AM: Late Night with Carol Burnett
Overnight: Local programming
THURSDAY:
7:00 PM-7:30 PM: Entertainment Tonight
7:30 PM-8:00 PM: Jeopardy
8:00 PM-8:30 PM: Full House
8:30 PM-9:00 PM: Our House
9:00 PM-10:00 PM: Beauty and the Beast
10:00 PM-11:00 PM: Max Headroom
11:00 PM-11:30 PM: Local news
11:30 PM-12:30 AM: Late Night with Carol Burnett
Overnight: Local programming
FRIDAY:
7:00 PM-7:30 PM: Entertainment Tonight
7:30 PM-8:00 PM: Jeopardy
8:00 PM-8:30 PM: Family Ties
8:30 PM-9:00 PM: The Hogan Family
9:00 PM-10:00 PM: Dallas (final season)
10:00 PM-11:00 PM: Hard Copy
11:00 PM-11:30 PM: Local news
11:30 PM-12:30 AM: Late Night with Carol Burnett
SATURDAY NIGHT:
7:00 PM-8:00 PM: Roger Mudd Reports (during the baseball offseason, January to March)
7:00 PM-10:30 PM: Saturday Night Baseball (during baseball season, April to September)
8:00 PM-10:00 PM: The Disney Saturday Night Movie (October to March)
8:00 PM-10:00 PM: WWF Saturday Night's Main Event (once per month)
10:00 PM-11:00 PM: Entertainment Tonight (special edition)
10:00 PM-11:00 PM: Roger Mudd Reports (April to December)
11:00 PM-11:30 PM: Local News
11:30 PM-12:00 AM: The Comedy Half-Hour with Joe Piscopo
Overnight: Local programming
SUNDAY NIGHT:
7:00 PM-8:00 PM: Disney Family Album (January to August)
7:00 PM-8:00 PM: NFL Primetime (during the NFL season, September to December)
8:00 PM-11:00 PM: NFL Sunday Night Football (also broadcast on ESPN, September to December)
8:00 PM-9:00 PM: EPCOT Album (January to August)
9:00 PM-10:00 PM: The Big Show (60 Minutes for Paramount--January to August).
10:00 PM-11:00 PM: Paramount Documentaries, hosted by Walter Cronkite
11:00 PM-11:30 PM: Local news
Overnight: Local programming
WEEKDAY PROGRAMMING:
6:00 AM-7:00 AM: Local news
7:00 AM-9:00 AM: Paramount Mornings
9:00 AM-9:30 AM: Love Connection
9:30 AM-10:00 AM: Contraption
10:00 AM-10:30 AM: Classic Concentration
10:30 AM-11:00 AM: The People's Court
11:00 AM-12:00 PM: The Paramount/Disney Vault
12:00 PM-12:30 PM: Local news
12:30 PM-1:00 PM: The Disneys and the Fleischers
1:00 PM-2:00 PM: General Hospital
2:00 PM-2:30 PM: Ducktales
2:30 PM-3:00 PM: Silverhawks
3:00 PM-3:30 PM: Transformers
3:30 PM-4:00 PM: Mousercise
4:00 PM-5:00 PM: Reading Rainbow
5:00 PM-6:30 PM: Local news
6:30 PM-7:00 PM: The Paramount Evening News with Ed Bradley
SATURDAY DAYTIME:
6:00 AM-7:00 AM: Local news
7:00 AM-9:00 AM: Paramount Saturday Morning
9:00 AM-9:30 AM: Disney's Famous Creations
9:30 AM-10:00 AM: Adventures of the Gummi Bears
10:00 AM-10:30 AM: The Mickey Mouse Show
10:30 AM-11:00 AM: The Wuzzles
11:00 AM-11:30 AM: Rescue Rangers
11:30 AM-12:00 PM: Ducktales
12:00 PM-1:00 PM: Reading Rainbow (January to August)
12:00 PM-7:00 PM: College Football on Paramount (September to November)
1:00 PM-6:00 PM: ESPN on Paramount (sports programming)
6:00 PM-6:30 PM: Local news (January to August and December)
6:30 PM-7:00 PM: The Paramount Evening News with Lester Holt (January to August and December)
7:00 PM-7:30 PM: Local news (October and November)
7:30 PM-8:00 PM: The Paramount Evening News with Lester Holt (October and November)
SUNDAY DAYTIME:
6:00 AM-7:00 AM: Local news
7:00 AM-9:00 AM: Paramount Sunday Morning
9:00 AM-10:00 AM: The Peak of Information with Walter Cronkite and Roger Mudd
10:00 AM-11:00 AM: Connie Chung Reports
11:00 AM-12:00 PM: Reading Rainbow
12:00 PM-6:00 PM: ESPN on Paramount (Sports programming)
6:00 PM-6:30 PM: Local News
6:30 PM-7:00 PM: The Paramount Evening News with Lester Holt
MONDAY:
7:00 PM-7:30 PM: Entertainment Tonight
7:30 PM-8:00 PM: Jeopardy
8:00 PM-9:00 PM: MacGyver
9:00 PM-10:00 PM: Jake and the Fatman
10:00 PM-11:00 PM: Paramount Reports with Ed Bradley
11:00 PM-11:30 PM: Local news
11:30 PM-12:30 AM: Late Night with Carol Burnett
Overnight: Local programming
TUESDAY:
7:00 PM-7:30 PM: Entertainment Tonight
7:30 PM-8:00 PM: Jeopardy
8:00 PM-9:00 PM: Star Trek: The Next Generation
9:00 PM-10:00 PM: Hunter
10:00 PM-11:00 PM: Doctor Who
11:00 PM-11:30 PM: Local news
11:30 PM-12:30 AM: Late Night with Carol Burnett
Overnight: Local programming
WEDNESDAY:
7:00 PM-7:30 PM: Entertainment Tonight
7:30 PM-8:00 PM: Jeopardy
8:00 PM-8:30 PM: Cheers
8:30 PM-9:00 PM: Perfect Strangers
9:00 PM-9:30 PM: Mama's Family
9:30 PM-10:00 PM: Brothers
10:00 PM-11:00 PM: Knots Landing
11:00 PM-11:30 PM: Local news
11:30 PM-12:30 AM: Late Night with Carol Burnett
Overnight: Local programming
THURSDAY:
7:00 PM-7:30 PM: Entertainment Tonight
7:30 PM-8:00 PM: Jeopardy
8:00 PM-8:30 PM: Full House
8:30 PM-9:00 PM: Our House
9:00 PM-10:00 PM: Beauty and the Beast
10:00 PM-11:00 PM: Max Headroom
11:00 PM-11:30 PM: Local news
11:30 PM-12:30 AM: Late Night with Carol Burnett
Overnight: Local programming
FRIDAY:
7:00 PM-7:30 PM: Entertainment Tonight
7:30 PM-8:00 PM: Jeopardy
8:00 PM-8:30 PM: Family Ties
8:30 PM-9:00 PM: The Hogan Family
9:00 PM-10:00 PM: Dallas (final season)
10:00 PM-11:00 PM: Hard Copy
11:00 PM-11:30 PM: Local news
11:30 PM-12:30 AM: Late Night with Carol Burnett
SATURDAY NIGHT:
7:00 PM-8:00 PM: Roger Mudd Reports (during the baseball offseason, January to March)
7:00 PM-10:30 PM: Saturday Night Baseball (during baseball season, April to September)
8:00 PM-10:00 PM: The Disney Saturday Night Movie (October to March)
8:00 PM-10:00 PM: WWF Saturday Night's Main Event (once per month)
10:00 PM-11:00 PM: Entertainment Tonight (special edition)
10:00 PM-11:00 PM: Roger Mudd Reports (April to December)
11:00 PM-11:30 PM: Local News
11:30 PM-12:00 AM: The Comedy Half-Hour with Joe Piscopo
Overnight: Local programming
SUNDAY NIGHT:
7:00 PM-8:00 PM: Disney Family Album (January to August)
7:00 PM-8:00 PM: NFL Primetime (during the NFL season, September to December)
8:00 PM-11:00 PM: NFL Sunday Night Football (also broadcast on ESPN, September to December)
8:00 PM-9:00 PM: EPCOT Album (January to August)
9:00 PM-10:00 PM: The Big Show (60 Minutes for Paramount--January to August).
10:00 PM-11:00 PM: Paramount Documentaries, hosted by Walter Cronkite
11:00 PM-11:30 PM: Local news
Overnight: Local programming
WEEKDAY PROGRAMMING:
6:00 AM-7:00 AM: Local news
7:00 AM-9:00 AM: Paramount Mornings
9:00 AM-9:30 AM: Love Connection
9:30 AM-10:00 AM: Contraption
10:00 AM-10:30 AM: Classic Concentration
10:30 AM-11:00 AM: The People's Court
11:00 AM-12:00 PM: The Paramount/Disney Vault
12:00 PM-12:30 PM: Local news
12:30 PM-1:00 PM: The Disneys and the Fleischers
1:00 PM-2:00 PM: General Hospital
2:00 PM-2:30 PM: Ducktales
2:30 PM-3:00 PM: Silverhawks
3:00 PM-3:30 PM: Transformers
3:30 PM-4:00 PM: Mousercise
4:00 PM-5:00 PM: Reading Rainbow
5:00 PM-6:30 PM: Local news
6:30 PM-7:00 PM: The Paramount Evening News with Ed Bradley
SATURDAY DAYTIME:
6:00 AM-7:00 AM: Local news
7:00 AM-9:00 AM: Paramount Saturday Morning
9:00 AM-9:30 AM: Disney's Famous Creations
9:30 AM-10:00 AM: Adventures of the Gummi Bears
10:00 AM-10:30 AM: The Mickey Mouse Show
10:30 AM-11:00 AM: The Wuzzles
11:00 AM-11:30 AM: Rescue Rangers
11:30 AM-12:00 PM: Ducktales
12:00 PM-1:00 PM: Reading Rainbow (January to August)
12:00 PM-7:00 PM: College Football on Paramount (September to November)
1:00 PM-6:00 PM: ESPN on Paramount (sports programming)
6:00 PM-6:30 PM: Local news (January to August and December)
6:30 PM-7:00 PM: The Paramount Evening News with Lester Holt (January to August and December)
7:00 PM-7:30 PM: Local news (October and November)
7:30 PM-8:00 PM: The Paramount Evening News with Lester Holt (October and November)
SUNDAY DAYTIME:
6:00 AM-7:00 AM: Local news
7:00 AM-9:00 AM: Paramount Sunday Morning
9:00 AM-10:00 AM: The Peak of Information with Walter Cronkite and Roger Mudd
10:00 AM-11:00 AM: Connie Chung Reports
11:00 AM-12:00 PM: Reading Rainbow
12:00 PM-6:00 PM: ESPN on Paramount (Sports programming)
6:00 PM-6:30 PM: Local News
6:30 PM-7:00 PM: The Paramount Evening News with Lester Holt
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Carol Burnett does late night now? Pinch me.
Star Trek: TNG being separated from Doctor Who is a good idea for maintaining its own legacy.
Cheers and Perfect Strangers in the same night. Beautiful.
While having an hour of Houses is a blast, and Max Headroom adds to the list of great PTN shows, I feel there might be some confusion between Paramount's BATB and Disney's BATB. Just saying.
They say Fridays are a good night to spend with the family. They never specified which one.
Boom. There's your slogan for this season's Friday night lineup.
Imagine if he has to report a bad game. Would his name still be Mudd? (/jk)
Sounds heavy on sports, Disney, and documentaries. I'd change the channel during the summer, but I'd stick around for the rest of the season.
DuckTales, Transformers, and SilverHawks all in a row. This makes Mousercise and Reading Rainbow look like the chaser to their collective shot. I couldn't be happier!
A new Mickey Mouse TV show. Even if I was the one who pitched it, which I'm unsure if I did, it's still in a prime slot for the block.
Glad that Reading Rainbow gets a guaranteed additional slot during the week. And I'm glad that The Peak of Information is still the title for that newscast, as I thought I had something there.
--Carol Burnett would have been perfect in late night if she ever wanted to go that route
--In 1988-1989, we're going to come up with another sci-fi show (as yet unnamed) to make it a full sci-fi night again so Hunter can move to a different night. That being said, Hunter would get better ratings than OTL because some folks would watch it after TNG.
--Cheers and Perfect Strangers next to each other strengthens Perfect Strangers significantly because of how popular Cheers is...
--Paramount ITTL is going to start to lean into how valuable ESPN is as a network and win some ratings battles on the weekend with their plethora of sports. They have Major League Baseball which is still popular in the 1980s, college football which is growing in popularity in the 1980s, and a Sunday Night Football package (because ESPN acquired Sunday Night Football rights in 1987 just like OTL).
--I designed that Saturday morning for kids 10 and under. I designed the afternoon block for the kids getting home from school. There will be a lot of battles between kids wanting to watch Transformers and parents wanting kids to do their homework!
--Reading Rainbow gets an hour a day. Paramount Television Network is a bit more civics-minded than its competitors
A couple of other notes...
--Paramount also has the Olympics ITTL so they need to build star athletes up for that as well
--If there is a writer's strike in 1988 Paramount will be less affected than the other networks because they will be broadcasting the Olympics in February and September that year. That's basically a whole month (2 weeks for each Olympics) where Paramount basically broadcasts sports all day
--Paramount also has the Olympics ITTL so they need to build star athletes up for that as well
--If there is a writer's strike in 1988 Paramount will be less affected than the other networks because they will be broadcasting the Olympics in February and September that year. That's basically a whole month (2 weeks for each Olympics) where Paramount basically broadcasts sports all day
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Yep. Imagine her interviewing celebrities and making wisecracks along the way. Sheds a tear for what could have been.
Alright. I can stick with Hunter being the middleman between sci-fi titans.
Great.
Great point.
Naturally, for better or for worse.
I'd assume owning Disney in the 80s would result in PTN being more focused on parental group watchdogs. Not that I'm complaining about this result, because I love to read.
That's where ESPN comes dramatically into play as well, right?
@TheFaultsofAlts
ESPN focuses more on the Olympic sports ITTL than IRL because their owner (Paramount) tells them to do so. The Olympic rivalry between the USA and the USSR/Warsaw Pact nations is fiercer than OTL because I warmed up the Cold War as far as I could without it turning into WWIII. The Olympic rivalry could thaw a little bit in 1988 because East and West Germany will be reunited, Poland is no longer part of the Warsaw Pact, and relations between the superpowers are also improving (finally).
ITTL Ronald Reagan and Yuri Andropov were staring at each other eyeball to eyeball for 6 years, not a year and change...those are the conditions where you get a Starfleet Intelligence and a Red Storm Rising movie being smash hits
ESPN focuses more on the Olympic sports ITTL than IRL because their owner (Paramount) tells them to do so. The Olympic rivalry between the USA and the USSR/Warsaw Pact nations is fiercer than OTL because I warmed up the Cold War as far as I could without it turning into WWIII. The Olympic rivalry could thaw a little bit in 1988 because East and West Germany will be reunited, Poland is no longer part of the Warsaw Pact, and relations between the superpowers are also improving (finally).
ITTL Ronald Reagan and Yuri Andropov were staring at each other eyeball to eyeball for 6 years, not a year and change...those are the conditions where you get a Starfleet Intelligence and a Red Storm Rising movie being smash hits
After Carol Burnett was mentioned I checked the wikipedia to see if she's still alive and she is but she's really getting on in years (She's 90).
I always thought she would be amazing on late night. She'd give anyone including Johnny Carson a run for their money. And the 1980s is the time to do it, because she's still in excellent health in her 50s
The next thing I have to do is figure out how to stop the writer's strike in 1988 or at least reduce its effects. That was the impetus for reality television which caused the quality of television to decline significantly. At about this point in the TL (September/October 1987), the writers were starting to think about a strike because producers/TV networks were shafting them on royalties when their TV episodes went into syndication both in the USA and in foreign markets.
Paramount ITTL would likely be the least compromising of the major TV networks because they have a ton of sports programming. Then again, they have Walter Cronkite and Carol Burnett ITTL who would take the side of the writers...
Paramount ITTL would also make bank on syndicating the Star Trek series (they already have on TOS and would get going on turning a big profit on Starfleet Intelligence)
Paramount ITTL would likely be the least compromising of the major TV networks because they have a ton of sports programming. Then again, they have Walter Cronkite and Carol Burnett ITTL who would take the side of the writers...
Paramount ITTL would also make bank on syndicating the Star Trek series (they already have on TOS and would get going on turning a big profit on Starfleet Intelligence)
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There is also this: if the writer's strike in 1988 is butterflied away or less damaging, we could have a different Borg:
www.cbr.com
TV Legends: How Did a Writers' Strike Change the Borg Forever?
In the latest TV Legends Revealed, see the dramatic role that the 1988 Writers Strike played in the history of the famed Star Trek villains, the Borg!
www.cbr.com
Wasn't there one appearance of Q planned that didn't happen because of the Writers Strike? I remember reading years ago that if that if that episode had been filmed it would've had a cameo appearance of Arnold Schwartznegger appearing as an alien under a load of prothetic makeup.
Now that I think of it it's a pity the ST writers didn't have Arnold make an appearance or two in TNG as a Klingon or in DS9 either as a Klingon warrior or later series as a Jem Had'ar soldier.
Perhaps you could have Arnold, @dsp19 , making an appearance or two.
Now that I think of it it's a pity the ST writers didn't have Arnold make an appearance or two in TNG as a Klingon or in DS9 either as a Klingon warrior or later series as a Jem Had'ar soldier.
Perhaps you could have Arnold, @dsp19 , making an appearance or two.
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That was one of many issues with Voyager, IMO. They kept doing Borg stories to draw in ratings and just watered down the concept to the point it's a little hard to take the Borg seriously.
The big issue with the Borg is that the fact the writers apparently forgot (or ignored) all the special parts of Q Who and The Best of Both Worlds. The addition of the Queen is emblematic of this. Picard's assimilation was an aberration, specifically done to better communicate with the Federation. The Queen should've been a similar aberration, not a feature, IMO.
Really, if I was going to do the Borg, I'd keep Q Who basically untouched other than Q being clearer on the nature of the Borg. These are not people, these are not a traditional species with morals and values; this is a decentralized hive mind where no one has any individuality or free will. A hive mind that has amassed so much technology and power that it is, in effect, a force of nature. It is not something to be reasoned with nor fought. The Federation is entirely helpless in the face of it at this stage - the only option is to run away, prepare as best as they can, and hope.
That was a myth. That story, I.Q. Test, was planned for Season Five (along with another story called Q Makes Two) and has been discussed by Ronald D. Moore in the 90s AOL chats. He states unequivocally: "There was never – ever – any chance that Arnold was going to appear on the show."
What channel would PTN be on in the Seattle area? My guess would be either KSTW (Channel 11) or KTZZ (Channel 22)
I once tried to make an attempt at figuring all the PTN stations out, but I stopped at part way because I felt I was WAY out of my skill level. I might pick it back up at some point.
So with River Phoenix being kept more on the straight and narrow thanks to TNG, I assume his death will be averted? If he's still going to play young Indy in The Last Crusade, that could cause an interesting butterfly: a few months ago, it was revealed that there were plans for a prequel Indiana Jones movie starring River Phoenix as Indy. Of course, said plans were scrapped once he passed away. Here's a link if anyone's interested. Though a 90's Thrawn trilogy could potentially interfere with that, even though I suspect George won't be as involved with those movies.
I was thinking would it be possible for TNG to divide the crew a few years in. Say after this timeline's Best of Both Worlds LaForge gets his own command and takes along a few Enterprise crew members with the show then dividing episodes between the Enterprise and the new ship. Not quite a spinoff as there is only one show with the same timeslot and seasonal episode count.
You could put Pulaski on one ship and have Crusher for the other. Develop Miles O'Brien as the chief engineer of the new ship in anticipation of something like DS9. It would allow some of the main cast more time to take on side projects.
You could put Pulaski on one ship and have Crusher for the other. Develop Miles O'Brien as the chief engineer of the new ship in anticipation of something like DS9. It would allow some of the main cast more time to take on side projects.
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Paramount Television Network channels for selected United States markets
I made a threadmark for this post!
Paramount Televsion Network channels ITTL for the 26 cities with a National Football League franchise in 1987
New York: WPIX (Channel 11)
Los Angeles: KTLA (Channel 5)
Chicago: WCIU (Channel 26)
Philadelphia: WPHL (Channel 17)
Dallas: KTXA (Channel 21)
Atlanta: WPCH (Channel 17)
Houston: KTXH (Channel 20)
Washington DC: WDCA (Channel 20)
Boston: WHDH (Channel 7)
San Francisco/Oakland/Bay Area: KRON (Channel 4)
Phoenix: KTVK (Channel 3)
Seattle: KSTW (Channel 11)--for @farmerted555
Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg, Florida: WMOR (Channel 32)
Detroit: WMYD (Channel 20)
Minneapolis-St. Paul/Twin Cities: KSTC (Channel 5)
Denver: KDVR (Channel 31)
Miami: WSFL (Channel 39)
Cleveland: WUAB (Channel 43)
Indianapolis: WISH (Channel 8)
Pittsburgh: WPPN (Channel 19) (Name changed from OTL; IOTL it is WPCW)
San Diego: KUSI (Channel 51). Note: San Diego had an NFL franchise in 1987 but lost it after 2016.
Kansas City: KPNE (Channel 29) (Name changed from KCWE OTL).
Cincinnati: WCET (Channel 48)
New Orleans: WNOL (Channel 38)
Buffalo: WNLO (Channel 23)
Green Bay: WPNF (Channel 14). Name changed from WCWF OTL).
Other selected cities with major American sports franchises:
Orlando/Central Florida: WKCF (Channel 18)
Sacramento/Central California: KBTV (Channel 8)
Charlotte: WCCB (Channel 18). Note: Charlotte got an NFL franchise in 1995.
Raleigh, North Carolina: WLFL (Channel 22).
Portland, Oregon: KRPN (Channel 32) (Name changed from OTL; IOTL it is KRCW)
St. Louis: KPLR (Channel 11). St. Louis had 2 NFL franchises which both moved (Cardinals to Phoenix and Rams to Los Angeles)
Nashville: WNPX (Channel 28). Note: Nashville got an NFL franchise in 1996.
Baltimore: WNUV (Channel 55). Note: Baltimore lost an NFL franchise in 1984 and got a new NFL franchise in 1996.
Salt Lake City: KJPN (Channel 14). (Name changed from KJZZ OTL).
San Antonio: KCWX (Channel 2)
Columbus, Ohio: WWHO (Channel 53)
Milwaukee: WVTV (Channel 18)
Las Vegas: KVPN (Channel 33). Name changed from KVCW ITTL. Note: Las Vegas got an NFL franchise in 2020).
Jacksonville: WJXT (Channel 4). Note: Jacksonville got an NFL franchise in 1995.
Oklahoma City: KOCB (Channel 34)
Memphis: WLMT (Channel 30