1987 NBC Saturday morning preview special

I only taped this because I had an extra 30 minutes at the end of a tape I had to put something on. Figured some people would enjoy it now- and yes, this is from a STEREO broadcast!

[@GhostofZae]

The 80s were seriously the best time ever to be a kid. Also, I love that Alf dropped an Oliver North joke in a show for kids. I'm sure they laughed for days.

[@hawkstringfellow]

@zaedrek I agree late 80s 90s I was a nick kid it was great

[@jwilliams7554]

NBC had the most creative Saturday morning preview specials. The cast from various shows would go on adventures together while characters from the shows help them. ABC would only have stars watch the new shows in their living room. CBS stopped having specials in the mid 80s but I enjoy watching the specials on KZbin

[@videox222ify]

NBC was the network that seemed to really target children and families during the '80s, ABC seemed to target young adults and CBS was more for the older crowd

[@marcoparada6652]

I cant believe how familiar I am with this special. I had recorded this as a kid. I probably watched it over a dozen times.

[@Broughton1128]

No matter what she appears in, the iconic Jackee Harry ALWAYS stands out! She has it!

[@zshaw7549]

I am having flashbacks from this special. Good old NBC cartoons.

[@jerbojones]

I remember watching one where hulk hogan and a bunch of wrestlers hosted a preview special. Then I also remember watching one on NBC that was like an award show previewing the cartoons and a real life Spider-Man , iceman and fire star showed up. It was cool for Saturday mornings back then.

[@Godravage]

Yes, the Friday night before the new fall cartoons aired was always so exciting.

[@zshaw7549]

I remember these saturday morning previews that they had in the eighties. It was great as a child in those times. I used to stay watching NBC on saturdays.

[@DanZero77]

Absolutely! Not only was Saturday Morning great in the 80s, but the preview specials that NBC and ABC would put out were just as good! Plus, 1987 was the last good year for cartoons on NBC for me, so thank you for posting!

[@StudlyStudmuffin]

Shannon was a dime piece Shannon was a dime piece!

[@MultiAnimationdude]

Hands up if you wish this were syndicated as a regular episode of ALF.

[@Whtxombi]

Yup. Back in the day, the networks took great pride in their Saturday morning cartoons. The fanfare rivalled most of their primetime stuff. The Alf cartoon was pretty good. It went far to explain his odd behavior.

[@MrUniq]

Alf and Jackee Harry..OKAY! lol..

[@ProBreakers]

Man, I used to wait all year to watch these specials.

[@averymerrick]

During the final three years of NBC's orignal Saturday morning block, all of its programming outside of Saved by the Bell suffered constant Executive Meddling. First, NBC canceled The Smurfs, at one time considered NBC's staple animated program, and gave it the “lost in time” treatment for a year while struggling to headline newer shows, like Captain N: The Game Master and the Animated Adaptation of The Karate Kid, the latter of which was promptly axed due to low ratings. Both shows had to rely on word-of-mouth as NBC chose to spend their resources headlining Saved by the Bell. Then, a year later, Kissyfur was axed and its time slot replaced by NBA Inside Stuff, a recap program of NBA basketball games. At the same time, NBC exhausted more advertising revenue toward Saved by the Bell, causing drastic budget cuts for cartoons airing on the block. Potential viewers would either move to other blocks, such as newcomer Fox Kids, or watch Nickelodeon instead. Then, in the block's final year, Captain N was shortened from an hour to a half-hour, and both Alvin and the Chipmunks and the obscure Gravedale High were canceled in favor of new shows like ProStars and Yo Yogi!, the latter of which was critically panned and proved to be the final straw. As a result of the persistent ratings failures and continued pressure within the children's television market, NBC ordered all Saturday morning programs canceled, save for only Saved by the Bell since it was the most successful show of the block. They continued airing reruns of the shows until August 1st, 1992, when a teen-oriented live-action block named TNBC and a Saturday morning edition of Today took its place. Saved by the Bell and NBA Inside Stuff were the only programs to survive the transition. NBC's decision to drop their Saturday Morning Cartoon block is widely viewed as the beginning of the end for the format.

[@joeconcepts5552]

So crazy that today kids don’t even know the concept of “Saturday morning cartoons.” Such a pop cultural, but dated, phenomenon.

[@theearnmoreyouagainmoreres8250]

A VCR WAS SUPER SUPER HANDY BACK THEN AND VERY INTELLIGENT TO HAVE AND OWN ONE OR TWO OR THREE

[@eddierascalhaskell4954]

The NBC network had such a feeling of community back then. There always seemed to be a special event or tv movie, or something, where actors from their shows crossed over and interacted.

[@wille5080]

5:33 big foreshadowing for Shannen there.☺️

[@osaji922]

@DanZero77 This was before my time since I was born '92. What I remember from sat. mornings was probably early/mid 90's on FOX and catching TMNT I think either on CBS and then the other episode on USA cartoon express if my memory serves correctly. You didn't like Mario Bros. 3? That's my favorite of the Mario series. I just watched the preview for the '89 lineup. NBC was sooo cool back then. I wish it was still like this because it would give me incentive to actually get up on Sat. mornings

[@Motorcyclephil]

Man, I never saw this in 87. I wish I had. I usually was pretty good at catching these specials, but I guess I missed this one.

[@jennylove9679]

I love this! Thank you! Brings back wonderful memories 💖

[@megamanj2004X]

How can I forget "I'm Telling!" I remember catching this show in reruns on The Family Channel (now ABC Family).

[@tylerzufall2368]

Oh my gosh, thank you for sharing. We used to have this on a VHS tape with extra time as well. This has been running through my head for weeks now and its so nice to finally watch it again!

[@nyc78]

Thank you for including the commercials too!

[@jerbojones]

Wow sandwiches for 39 cents?!

[@maxwestcomics]

I totally remember watching this on TV when it originally aired! Thanks for posting this!

[@megamanj2004X]

@eyeh8nbc - NBC's decline began when they cancelled The Gummi Bears in 1989 (only to move to ABC that Fall). Then things took a turn for the bad again when The Smurfs (which by 1989 was on the verge of cancellation w/ the Time Travel eps.) got the pink slip from the Peacock in 1990. The penultimate canning of Alvin and the Chipmunks (by Fall 1990 it was Chipmunks Go To the Movies) in 1991, led to the ultimate signaling of the end of NBC Saturday Morning Cartoons in 1992.

[@Motorcyclephil]

Gotta love that old computer. I missed this the first time it aired, thanks for airing it

[@DanZero77]

@osaji922 Sadly, yes the act passed in 1996 that made everything E/I killed off the merchandising aspect of animated programming and a long 30-40 year tradition was done. Stuff like this video will always remind me that Saturday morning meant *something* to the big networks at the time.

[@nivbri]

lol I would watch this special all the time! Lol

[@MultiAnimationdude]

List of shows from this special available on DVD ALF: The Animated Series (Episodes 1-9) Smurfs (Season 1) Gummi Bears (Seasons 1-3) Fraggle Rock: The Animated Series (Complete Series)

[@jwilliams7554]

I loved how Archie introduced the characters of the new Archies in the same order as the original Archie show song.

[@kevinnagle2024]

Thanks for posting!

[@chrisandcecelia]

you just made my day

[@pogwo1968]

I heard that was one of the reasons why the Ruby-Spears Superman animated series on CBS (1988) lasted only one season. Consistent cut offs of the series due to sports events made it too costly to produce which forced CBS to cancel the series. A proposed Batman series was shelved due to this reason as well.

[@eddierascalhaskell4954]

It was also on way too early in the schedule. It probably would've had a longer run if it wasnt one of the first shows on the schedule.

[@jamiewillkner8742]

Interesting fact, where I came from my local NBC affiliate stopped showing Saturday Morning cartoons in the spring of '91. That following fall, all that was shown on Saturday Mornings was local religious kids shows. Wrap your head around that!

[@jwilliams7554]

Our cbs affiliate in Columbus Ohio stopped showing cartoons in the 90s and would show beakman and story break at noon. During the 80s they would only show cartoons from 9 until 11:30

[@eddierascalhaskell4954]

NBC did eventually impliment the T-NBC block with strictly live action tween sitcoms like Saved by the Bell, California Dreams and all those other obscure tween shows.

[@emmagrace33]

omg loved watching the commercials!

[@Samination]

The commercials are hilarious. xD

[@guessowii]

Wow! Great upload! Thanks!!

[@BigSCTVfan]

R.I.P. Stephen Furst

[@sallyvillarreal4294]

7:01 - Now I’m craving Cherry 7up.

[@megamanj2004X]

Actually The Snorks went into 1st-syndication by this time, airing as part of The Funtastic of Hanna-Barbera, which may or may not have been seen on some NBC affiliates.

[@tnawcwvictoria]

megamanj2004X I was disappointed in NBC cancelling the Snorks and Punky Brewster in 1986 only to be picked up in syndication in 1987 also, during the 87/88 Season, Dick Clark's American Bandstand also moved to syndication after 30 years on abc and AB turned 35 years old in 1987

[@epcotman32]

RIP to both Benji Gregory and Shannen Doherty.

[@nathanroberson8206]

What’s saddening is that the Kissyfur cartoon was denied a second season until next year, and the animation devolved.

[@landrykkb]

On our NBC affiliate at the time from Bangor ,Maine(WLBZ-TV),they aired I'm Telling on Sunday mornings too,although I forget what time now.

[@michaela.mccracken4461]

NBC's 1987-1988 Saturday Morning Line-Up 8:00 AM Disney's Adventures Of The Gummi Bears 8:30 AM Smurfs 10:00 AM Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock (The Animated Series) 10:30 AM Alf (The Animated Series) 11:00 AM Alvin And The Chipmunks 11:30 AM The New Archies 12:00 AM Foofur 12:30 AM I'm Telling!

[@Motorcyclephil]

@highhorsevideo Thanks for the inside story. That is really cool.

[@FragglevisionReturns]

rediscovering this now, this was a perfect way to promote their Saturday morning shows. If only the E/I crap on network TV didn't exist today...

[@sillygoose635]

if only idiots like you wouldn't whine so much...

[@marcoparada6652]

@@sillygoose635 if only douchebags like you wouldnt exist.

[@acusticsunri4255]

I want the 1986 preview...

[@TheMediaHoarder]

@rjb1216 I watched that one but didn't tape it- it was called "Back to Next Saturday" and the title used the same lettering as "Back to the Future". That was also in stereo but our local station didn't have a stereo signal yet which pissed me off, though they did have it up and running the following week.

[@user-nw9mz3vu3s]

I don't really remember these specials. I wish i did. I remember the individual cartoons and shows. But, i don't remember this..maybe i was too young..I was 7 or 8..This is neat though..sigh, it..kinda makes me sad, I really miss the 80s. My brother roll his eyes 👀 eyes at me..& hates it..when i bring up memories..sigh, he says i should live in the "now"-today 😝-Nothing like the 80's!!(JUNKIE)

[@Tornado1994]

Where's the Snorks promo? Come on NBC, you brought the show back to your lineup that year! In 1987 when I was in preschool, 4 programs ruled saturday morning for me: ALF's Tales,DuckTales,Snorks, and TMNT. I was getting tired of Smurfs and was starting to chafe on them, by '88 I stopped watching them altogether, a year later in 1989, NBC finally canned them. Sadly, just 5 years later, NBC would no longer produce saturday morning cartoons.

[@averymerrick]

By that time (1987), Smurfs was on borrowed time as the series faded among the Saturday morning audience as the original viewers was growing up. In 1988: The Smurfs dominated Saturday mornings as the highest-rated Saturday show for years, until Pee-wee came along. Smurfs was just starting to run out of steam in 1988 after 7 years, this season knocked back from an hour and a half to its original hour length. In 1989: NBC changed the format of the show, removing some of the Smurfs from the forest and omitted the Smurf village. These changes were adopted to a lost in time format similar to The Time Tunnel. The show was cancelled because of decreasing ratings due to viewers being displeased with the change. In addition, NBC executives prepared a Today weekend program for Saturdays as well as programmings for teenagers such as Saved by the Bell, which came later on and led to the elimination of Saturday morning animated children's shows.

[@joebob283]

39 cent KFC?! TAKE ME BACK TO THIS TIME PLEASE!

[@BigSCTVfan]

I love how most of these commercials are for junk food. You wouldn't see that these days.

[@sillygoose635]

hey buddy...youre wrong.

[@retroguy1976]

shannen Doherty b4 the 90210 days

[@tnawcwvictoria]

Christopher o neal You are correct also, Our House and I'm Telling! both aired in reruns on The Family Channel before it became FFC-Fox Family Channel, and family and now Freeform

[@VJ87G]

I remember this, too.

[@nomadcowatbk]

network TV in general lacks the extravagance they had in the 80s

[@pineconeman79]

Does anybody know where to see "Alf Takes Over The Network" NBC fall preview special 1989?

[@jwsu2003]

For some reason my local affiliate cut nbc cartoons at 1130, so we didn't see the new archies until they were syndicated a year later.

[@joeconcepts5552]

The fine print of all these actors contracts must’ve included doing these goofy shows.

[@jwilliams7554]

Back in the 80s they did this all the time. Disney specials, movies of the week, etc

[@averymerrick]

By that season (1987-88): Smurfs, Chipmunks 🐿 and Gummi Bears 🐻 we’re declining in the ratings as NBC went from first to third on Saturday Mornings behind CBS and ABC.

[@themacocko6311]

How you know so much about that?

[@averymerrick]

@@themacocko6311 Research 🧐.

[@mcog2006]

Fucking a, I remember this, this made me get up every saturday morning.

[@chench4117]

Hi, can you find and upload the 2 CBS Storybreak Episodes: The Great Ringtail Garbage Caper, and The Pig Plantagenet. Please, let me know if you have them.

[@VJ87G]

It's like watching Back to Next Saturday.

[@markasflood124]

VJ: IT'S TIME TO KICK IT! and The Yummy Awards from 1983!

[@QBCNetwork]

KPRC aired it on a one week tape delay. That's why it was on Saturdays @ 6;30 am.

[@rjb1216]

@DanZero77 there was one on around 85 that I would kill to see again, I only saw it once and never forget it

[@QBCNetwork]

When this aired in Houston on KPRC, they posted a message during I'm Telling that the shlow can be seen @ 6:30 am, instead of 11:30 am.

[@R-Lee-]

Why did that guy have a painting around his neck at the end?

[@yazleenfeliciano1768]

Shannen💓💓

[@TheMediaHoarder]

@DanZero77 NBC was the first network to get rid of cartoons just a couple years after this, in favor of the Saturday Today Show. Cartoons were headed downhill by that point anyways- I remember a local TV critic saying that Foofur was "about as exciting as a test pattern."

[@louiscyfear878]

How much did this take to produce 🤔

[@TherealRNOwwfpooh]

Well, they were going to do a puppet MB series, but couldn't afford to do puppetry interspered with cameo segments, so they opted for animation outsourced from Japan. As for the FR cartoon, it was done for the sake of those who didn't get HBO to see the original puppet series.

[@aharonfernandez6359]

great quality alot of the later ones out their are in 240 and pixelated beyond belief

[@tnawcwvictoria]

Fact: When I'm Telling aired on NBC during the 87/88 Season, Dick Clark's American Bandstand left abc and moved to syndication

[@michaela.mccracken4461]

"ALF LOVES A MYSTERY"! Starring in Alphabetical Order: Alf! From "OUR HOUSE" Shannen Doherty! From "ST ELSEWHERE" Stephen Furst! From "ALF" Benji Gregory! From "227" Jackée! From "VALERIE'S FAMILY" Danny Ponce! From "RAGS TO RICHES" Douglass Seale! From "THE GOLDEN GIRLS" Betty White! Mary Wickes! From "RAGS TO RICHES" Heidi Ziegler!

[@SUNSHINE21480]

@eyeh8nbc I used to love Foofur. Don't know if I would now I think I was 7 when that was on, and I'm 31 now.

[@Motorcyclephil]

I hate to say I didn't know the name "Mary Wickes" but then I looked up her bio, and she has been in tons of movies and TV shows. I though I had seen her before.

[@ExtremeWreck]

So the music was used for a Foofur promo, but not when it was airing on NBC? Bizarre.

[@joebob283]

What song are Alvin and The Chipmunks singing here?

[@DanZero77]

@eyeh8nbc They were the first to experience a rapid decline by the early 90s, followed by ABC and then CBS. I liked Foofur and Archies back in the day, and I'd watch them all very faithfully till they started getting phased out.

[@nomadcowatbk]

saturday morning was longer appointment TV for kids with cable and tapes and video games, networks worked around E/I before cable started to kill them, cable was just stabbing them at this point

[@Bigbird108]

RIP Benji Gregory

[@TheMediaHoarder]

@@Bigbird108 And Shannon Doherty, I had a huge crush on her then. I know I need to redo this in better quality.

[@pardyhardly]

Mary Wickes ? Sign me up !

[@VJ87G]

8 yrs old I seen this.

[@StudlyStudmuffin]

I may stand corrected, now.

[@Motorcyclephil]

Was this on a Friday night?

[@osaji922]

@DanZero77 Fox's cartoons were great though. at least to me. That's mostly what I remember from my saturday mornings pre one saturday morning. I just hate that they don't have sat.morning cartoons anymore. DAMN the FCC! Something needs to be done about it too.Kids need this back

[@ericmodzelesky4810]

Alf's saturday morning debut

[@StudlyStudmuffin]

No silly, A saturday morning. I believe Alf did a series for about 1-2 monthes.

[@mauromesa78]

i love alf

[@osaji922]

You don't have to tell me twice. But there might be hope. I like what ABC is doing. Heard they might bring back TGIF. As far as cartoons go CN does have a block on saturday morning but the only cartoon I like is Young Justice. Nick doesn't even have a block though but they have Legend of Korra thrown in on saturday mornings. All together that makes 1 hour of saturday cartoons for me lol. I guess it's better than nothing

[@nomadcowatbk]

shows on PBS have a lot of merchandising, Barney doesn't need any PBS pledge $

[@megamanj2004X]

they would go to ABC 2 years later, airing alongside another famous Disney bear in Winnie the Pooh to form "The Gummi Bears/Winnie the Pooh Hour"

[@CrossJeniel]

Wow

[@gettingpissedoff]

That was weird. At first it sounded like papa smurf said "don't miss one bloody moment of our adventures.".

[@FragglevisionReturns]

Replace the Saturday morning characters with generic one-shots and you're done! :)

[@StudlyStudmuffin]

You mean "thumbs up"? but yeah, this is a kick in the ass. I wasw almost ten. Freaking awesome. they don't make poop like this anymore

[@MultiAnimationdude]

Do you mean that as simply stating the requirements, or are you threating me?

[@somethinsuavetheater]

@eyeh8nbc Actually, NBC scrapped cartoons for thier T-NBC block that was headed by Saved By The Bell. They cancelled it after a few years.

[@marcoparada6652]

TNBC was Godawful.

[@somethinsuavetheater]

@@marcoparada6652 Amen

[@nomadcowatbk]

@pyrogyra72 they only things the networks show for kids now is required E/I programs