TGIF (TV programming block)
TGIF was an American prime time television programming block that has aired on ABC at various points since the late 1980s. The name comes from the initials of the popular phrase "Thank God It's Friday"; however, the stars of the lineup touted the initialism meaning "Thank Goodness It's Funny." In its various incarnations, the block mainly featured situation comedies aimed at a family audience, and served as a lead-in to the long-running newsmagazine 20/20 (which has been part of ABC's Friday night schedule since September 1987, two years prior to the original launch of TGIF).
Network
Original run: September 22, 1989
Second run: September 26, 2003
Third run: October 5, 2018
Original run: September 8, 2000
Second run: September 16, 2005
Third run: September 13, 2019
Friday night sitcom block
2 hours (with commercials)
The block initially premiered on September 22, 1989 as a partnership with Lorimar Television and television producers Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett (who had a deal with Lormiar), marking one of the first attempts by a major network to brand a programming block (a concept that was concurrently becoming popular among cable networks at the time of its inception), with the goal of encouraging young viewers to watch the entire lineup, instead of just a particular show. The "TGIF" block dominated the ratings in the 18–49 demographic for most of the 1990s. However, ratings began declining during the latter half of the decade due partly to Fridays becoming more common for social outings among segments of the block's key demographic as well as the loss and aging quality of many of the lineup's signature shows, culminating in the original incarnation ending after eleven years on September 8, 2000 and lack of quality content.[1][2]
ABC revived the "TGIF" brand on September 26, 2003, with its second run lasting only two seasons, ending on September 15, 2005. On May 15, 2018, the network announced that it would revive the block, with the third incarnation, which was launched on October 5, 2018. This newest incarnation of TGIF consisted of a mix of sitcoms and game shows.[3][4][5] The incarnation was short-lived, with the block ending for the third time on September 27, 2019.
History[edit]
ABC Friday-night legacy: 1950s to 1970s[edit]
Family-friendly comedies, which featured families with children as major characters, were a staple of ABC's programming dating back to the network's earlier sitcoms from the 1950s onward, such as The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (which premiered in 1952), Leave It to Beaver (which moved to ABC in 1958, after spending its first season on CBS), The Donna Reed Show (which premiered in 1958), The Flintstones (which premiered in 1960, but was largely an adult-oriented animated comedy until the birth of Pebbles in 1963), The Brady Bunch (which premiered in 1969), and The Partridge Family (which premiered in 1970; that series and The Brady Bunch became part of the Friday night lineup at that time).
Jim Janicek[edit]
TGIF was created and executive produced by Jim Janicek.[6] Prior to the official launch of the block, Janicek was employed as a writer and producer for ABC Entertainment, who was in charge of promoting the network's Tuesday- and Friday-night comedy lineups. Recalling his childhood when his family would gather to watch The Wonderful World of Disney, he was inspired to create a family-oriented comedy block. In 1988, Janicek began gaining support for his concept by approaching the studios and talent of independently produced ABC shows, promoting the synergy and potential success of the family block brand. With four ABC family-oriented comedy series on board, and the backing of network president Bob Iger, the initial lineup for the block was created.[1]
Before ABC experienced its success on that night during the 1980s, its Friday night schedule consisted of hit comedies such as Webster (which remained on Fridays until its cancellation by ABC in 1987, only to subsequently be renewed by Paramount Television as a first-run syndicated series), Benson (which would be cancelled at the end of the 1985–86 season) and Diff'rent Strokes (which moved to the network in 1985 after being cancelled after seven seasons by NBC, only to cancelled by ABC following its eighth and final season). The block of predominantly family-friendly situation comedies was inaugurated in the 1988–89 season with three series that were already part of the Friday lineup (Perfect Strangers, Full House and Mr. Belvedere) and a sophomore series new to that night, Just the Ten of Us (a spinoff of Growing Pains, which originally aired on Tuesdays for its abbreviated first season in the spring of 1988).
Since the 1987–88 season, Perfect Strangers stars Mark Linn-Baker and Bronson Pinchot (in character as Larry Appleton and Balki Bartokomous, respectively) had been doing hosted interstitials that were conducted from the Perfect Strangers set, originally airing during the two-hour Wednesday sitcom block that their series was part of as that season began. In March 1988, Perfect Strangers moved to Fridays, and the interstitials went with them. On Fridays, the hosted interstitial concept gained more traction before the family-friendly concept on that night was actually implemented. Pinchot and Linn-Baker would remain the sole hosts of the Friday lineup throughout the 1988–89 season.
Meanwhile, ABC began reformulating its Tuesday night lineup which, for the past several seasons, had consisted of a comedy block from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time followed by two hour-long dramas, most notably with the hit series Moonlighting airing at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Moonlighting, then in its fifth season and starting to experience a considerable decline in its ratings (greatly thanks to the 1988 WGA strike, which delayed the premieres of many programs set to launch or return for the 1988 fall season), was placed on a temporary hiatus by ABC in February 1989 when the network decided to add a second hour of comedy offerings onto its Tuesday schedule. Janicek, in response, came up with the idea to promote the restructured lineup under a unified brand name, Terrific Tuesday, to draw audiences to the changes, to reference the two additional sitcoms that were being offered, and especially as a nod to Who's the Boss? and the freshman smash hit Roseanne, which now served as a strong anchor for the expanded comedy lineup.
The Terrific Tuesday branding was a success, and ABC urged Janicek to continue the banner name for the following season. At the time of the network upfronts that unveiled the upcoming fall schedule in May 1989, Janicek, as well as ABC, devised the notion of further promoting their family fun-themed Fridays with a brand name. Over the summer, ABC began promoting the Friday sitcoms under the experimental title, "The Friday Fun Club". While Terrific Tuesday and What-a-Wednesday were both on tap for the 1989–90 fall season, the Friday branding concept was to undergo a revision before September.