The Disastrous Final Year of TGIF

The reverse of that other video I did!
In case you haven’t seen it, here’s the link to the Media Mementos Discord Server.
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Edited by: / @kawikaproductions
Twitter: / mediamementos
Thumbnail by: / @timey_103

[@O.D25]

Not gonna lie it‘s kinda crazy hearing these Ratings from from 20 years ago being „underwhelming“ akin to nowadays where they‘d probably some of the more successful shows on TV.

[@cabinessence_timely_hello]

German?

[@KawikaProductions]

That just shows you how big television was before KZbin and streaming.

[@DuckAvenger]

Man he's talking about 5.8 million and I don't know much about tv ratings but that sounds like a lot, double of what some WWE stuff is doing now days

[@carybeweary7209]

​@@DuckAvengerI think 5 million is also close to Yellowstone numbers too nowadays

[@DuckAvenger]

@@carybeweary7209 makes sense, I don't hear much about ratings besides in wrestling but yellow stone must be very popular. I should check it out

[@ericveneto1593]

If you don’t like John Ritter, that’s a you problem

[@albertrobinson4576]

Who wouldn’t like him? He’s so charming.

[@ericveneto1593]

@@albertrobinson4576 Right?!

[@thepolarphantasm2319]

I recommend anyone who doubts Ritter... look up semi obscure 80s/90s comedy flicks Real Men and Stay Tuned. Warning: one includes Jim Belushi and the other includes Jeffrey Jones... though Jeffrey Jones basically plays Satan so imo it's ok 😂

[@BugsyFoga]

He will always be Clifford to me.

[@Chuck_EL]

​​@@albertrobinson4576 Right dude comes off as a edge lord Plus John was one of the few celebrities who never let his fame get to his head and never tuned down any roles and constantly made time for his fans despite the health issues he had His son also has his comedic tone and range

[@stanleyanyiam3035]

DID YOU KNOW: John Ritter was also the voice of Clifford from Clifford the Big Red Dog (2000; PBS Kids)

[@raulzavala9061]

John Ritter also vioced that Fish Police cartoon from 1992 which aired I think just 6 episodes.

[@TMC1982Part2]

24:59: I would like to clarify something about John Ritter's death. He did not exactly die of a heart attack, he suffered from an aortic dissection. He was initially treated for what was believed to be a heart attack though.

[@frankreads8618]

Yeah, one reason his death was so shocking was because nobody, not Ritter's doctors and not Ritter himself, knew there was anything wrong with his heart.

[@CERTAIND00M]

For the record, Friday nights were always a graveyard for ratings. That's what made TGiF such an anomaly (while it lasted.)

[@connorbeith3232]

Pretty sure Cartoon Cartoon Fridays was a hit in it's heyday too, right?

[@littlekingtrashmouth9219]

The X-Files was also a great exception

[@CERTAIND00M]

@@littlekingtrashmouth9219 Walker Texas Ranger and Xena: Warrior Princess were also big Friday night draws iirc but, as with any successful Friday night program, they were soon moved to better nights as a result.

[@osaji922]

Twilight Zone was a Friday show. Brady Bunch too.

[@littlekingtrashmouth9219]

@@osaji922 yep and Miami Vice

[@OurKindofEntertainment]

TGIF, One Saturday Morning, Wonderful World of Disney, etc. man oh man those ABC late night T.V. blocks hold a special place in my heart because kids nowadays have access to big screen televisions, streaming, etc. However, I had a small rabbit ear T.V. in my bedroom as a kid. Black & white before I finally got a color one. Geez, I'm 33 but remember all of these shows like it was just yesterday... Edit: my little T.V. was in color, but if the reception via the rabbit ears was too poor then it would be black & white lol

[@SamAronow]

I'm just shy of 35 and experienced all of that as well.

[@SuperMarioBrosIII]

@@SamAronow Albeit I own a copy of ABC One Saturday morning audio cassette I only played it once!

[@fergalstackstreams]

I remember having a little "portable" TV (the overall console was about the size of a VCR) in my room that was black and white. It got about two channels. I remember seeing the premiere of DuckTales on it while I was laying in bed at age five.

[@OurKindofEntertainment]

@@fergalstackstreams oh man how far we’ve come 🤣

[@camondrae8]

😂same

[@ericdodson3630]

The real reason why TGIF failed in the 2000's is they didn't stick to the original formula. TGIF was full of family sitcoms, Boy Meets World, Family Matters, Step By Step, Full House, Sabrina The Teenage Witch. These were shows aimed at the preteen/teen market, those who don't go out and party on Friday night. It was a plus that these shows appealed to parents as well. The new shows were just standard sitcoms aimed at 20-somethings who would not be home to watch on a Friday night. It also wasn't something that would have been seen through nostalgia as the original TGIF block ended in 2000, so it was only 3 years since they abandoned the TGIF branding.

[@ladymacbethofmtensk896]

Actually, it is because TGIF shows depended on a captive audience, kids looking forward to the weekend, who could not yet go out on Friday evenings. By the 2000's, they were not the captive audience they had once been, as they were beginning to drive at about that time.

[@Lobsterwithinternet]

@@ladymacbethofmtensk896Plus, there were video games and the internet competing for their attention.

[@amandaredd3057]

John Ritter's passing was so incredibly sad. The pain and devastation was palpable from the 8 Sjmple Rules cast

[@CinnamonGrrlErin1]

The 90s really was the second golden age of television, wasn't it? TGIF, SNICK, USA Up All Night, Liquid Television. Hell, even PBS aired Monty Python every Saturday night at 11 pm. What a time to be alive...

[@thesummaryguy3911]

early to mid 90s probably was, lots of kids being born in the 80s, adults still enjoying shows like seinfeld and frasier. By the late 90s though tv started to see dips and the only shows that got large ratings were reality tv shows and sports. Same as today.

[@CinnamonGrrlErin1]

​@@thesummaryguy3911I remember every Saturday night was SNICK, then Weird Science and Duckman on USA, then Monty Python. I taped MST3K Sunday mornings, because my high school job was at the local video store. It's funny though, except for TGIF, I don't remember watching much of network TV. And that was mostly because they had Dinosaurs and Muppets Tonight. I do have to thank Michael Eisner for using the TGIF shows to advertise the heck out Disney World, because my dad did take us there on a vacation lol

[@SuperMarioBrosIII]

@@CinnamonGrrlErin1 That was really the last of great tv! Think about Televisions Greatest Hit CD compilations which go from the 50's 60's 70's 80s and lastly the 90s. 7 Volumes in total from 1985 to 1996. TVT have yet to release any further volumes and do you know why? Well sadly because tv theme songs started to fade out by the mid to late 90's. This was done to make room for even more commercials hence killing the tv themes era along with great tv shows as well! 📺📼🎤📻

[@EarthPoweredHippie]

BET uncut

[@chickenalaking1319]

Don't forget TNT's Monstervision.

[@KawikaProductions]

Once again, thank you so much for letting me edit this video. It was a blast re-watching all of these shows.

[@shaneg9081]

Kelly Ripa couldn't leave New York if she was also going to do her show with Regis. It's not her fault she already had a better job.

[@tkf15]

I'll never forget the night my dad told me John Ritter died. The extra salt in the wound was I was watching three's company. He was the only reason I gave 8 simple rules a chance. While I enjoyed it and was sad when it ended, it just wasn't the same without John.

[@brandonpage7087]

@tkf15, me neither! My, at the time, rich aunt, I was living with, in Houston, at the time, told me, the very night it happened. I was completely & utterly shocked!

[@ahsatan8997]

❤❤❤

[@pettykittyfam]

Amen RIP 🙏 John Ritter A brilliant man

[@ericveneto1593]

BTW, the blonde on “8 Simple Rules” IS Penny from “Big Bang Theory”. :)

[@larrymarshall8900]

Also she's on Charmed and The Flight Attendant on Max.

[@pip7967]

I know right, it's like we watched her grow up.

[@albertrobinson4576]

I love these obscure dives into old network lineups! I really hope this isn’t the last before the retirement, especially since you said you love these.

[@markmyers6756]

These are the videos I'm going to miss the most, who else is going to go this deep into a network tv line up from20 years ago?

[@magnetoonproductions9541]

When networks get bigger, they become more hostile and shortsighted. They used to treat shows fairly, but they soon start screwing them because of their incompetence. This seems to be one of those primary examples of poor network management.

[@BraydenBunch58]

Man, Why did they think of renewing 8 Simple Rules for a 3rd season after one of the star’s died was a good idea?

[@orkutfinance]

Money, as it had great ratings. And I think contractual obligations

[@PotterPossum1989]

They kept The Connors going after they got rid of Roseanne.

[@SamAronow]

@@PotterPossum1989 _8 Simple Rules_ was no _Roseanne._

[@greendiamondglow]

​@@PotterPossum1989that's a little different. Rosanne got fired. She didn't die

[@djsjetsteve1]

Cuoco was like the hottest upcoming girl at that time period so they had to keep it going

[@jordil6152]

So you want to revitalize TGIF, but instead of using the high-concept premises and clownish over the top characters like Urkel, you decide to use the blandest cookie cutter adult contemporary shows you got lying around. Should have given Jaleel White a show!

[@garycrowley1745]

These shows did not fit TGIF at all, bland shows aimed at middle aged adults was never what TGIF was about.

[@osaji922]

That's really why it failed. Think about how many of TGIF's shows centered around the teens rather than the adults. That's what made it different from most other shows. The second revival had the kids as secondary characters and the adults were the stars. You can get that pretty much anywhere else on broadcast tv. TGIF shows were supposed to be family shows with the kids being prominently featured because that's the demo that was more likely to be at home on a Friday night with nothing to do. Sadly, ABC lost the plot and never recaptured that. There have been some shows that I felt could have been perfect TGIF shows if it was around and ABC was serious about it being a thing. Suburgatory, The Middle, and The Goldbergs.

[@dkupke]

He didn’t want to be back on tv at the time

[@averymerrick]

ABC's TGIF block (1989-2000) began to die in the fall of 1997: stemming from a combination of aging sitcoms like Family Matters and Step by Step moving to CBS (who started - and ended - their own family-friendly Friday night sitcom line-up in 1997-98 called "CBS Friday Night Block Party"), the oversaturation of supernatural/magic type shows (Sabrina the Teenage Witch and new series You Wish and Teen Angel, the latter two both lasted only one season), the failure of Two of a Kind (which was the last sitcom produced by the previously reliable Miller-Boyett group) starring the Olsen twins the following year (1998-99). Ultimately, the ending of Boy Meets World after seven seasons and Sabrina, The Teenage Witch moving to The WB after the 1999-2000 season. ABC would bring back the TGIF brand for the 2003-05 & 2018-19 seasons, but it never met the same success it had before.

[@SigmaRho2922]

This caused 20/20 to be expanded to 2 hours in late 2019.

[@averymerrick]

@@SigmaRho2922 Really? I don’t think that was the reason.

[@higgy04]

Jerry Van Dyke killed BOTH 'You Wish' AND ' Teen Angel' IMO. He should have retired after 'Coach' ended the previous season.

[@DrewtheStew1999]

The final season is upon us!

[@fergalstackstreams]

I think part of the problem, if others' experience is similar to mine, is that a big part of TGIF's audience was kids and teenagers like I was who were home from school on Friday nights. As we aged, we started going out on Fridays and weren't there to watch TV. And the younger kids coming up after us had different tastes that weren't TGIF. So I think a big part of their issue was that they appealed to a specific audience, and that audience aged out.

[@SquatchStomper]

Growing up, TGIF was an event that I always looked forward to.

[@SuperCosmicMutantSquid]

Same

[@wturner777]

Same here

[@osaji922]

Same. After it ended, I remember not knowing what to do with my Friday nights. I was 8 when it stopped.

[@nathanramstorf1033]

Disney is Disney is Disney...for 30 minutes. Lived off TGIF through mid 90's no dish, cable was nil in the rural setting, and paper food stamp poor. Movies were Saturday night, Sundays was X-Files and Star Trek.

[@roberttreacy8271]

Apart from George Lopez, I have never heard of any of the other shows mentioned in this video.

[@ThomasDrish]

You must be young. They were all good shows on a regular weekly basis, but I don’t think any of them were family orientated enough to try to relaunch a TGIF lineup. I think it was an overall bad idea.

[@holzman00]

Same

[@scorpinok3006]

@@ThomasDrish What's also insulting was the fact they canceled his show, and replaced it with that piece of shit sitcom Caveman , (based on the Geigo mascots) and it was canceled in less than a month 1/2.

[@suarezguy]

Hope & Faith could have jokingly compared itself to Will & Grace to at least get more attention.

[@christopherballero866]

Unfortunately the time of TV show blocks has died. Due to many things like: change in people's habits, being busy, having things to do, more people having cable, & the rise of Netflix hurt TV viewership. Now it's even worse for TV ratings & streaming companies

[@SamAronow]

Did the network heads not understand that the original TGIF was a workable timeslot because its main audience was _kids?_

[@shaneg9081]

No, they did not. That is the problem with Hollywood. The money guys are in charge, and they don't understand how and why the creatives have success.

[@RoseRose-hp4rq]

You are so right !!!! I watched TGIF as a kid from the very beginning..and this is so true. I’d always be either with my siblings or friends or cousins watching TGIF on a Friday night. Wed watch one stupid show after another no matter if it sucked. 😂

[@suarezguy]

I can imagine George Lopez and Life with Bonnie could be appealing to families including kids.

[@shaneg9081]

@suarezguy yeah, and 8 simple rule too. But back in its real heyday there was always at least one show that stated a teen or preteen as the main character. They were not skewing young enough to really hook the audience that would be home on a Friday, which would be kids no disposable income and their parents.

[@ladymacbethofmtensk896]

​@@RoseRose-hp4rqA stupid show was at least better than nothing, n'est pas?

[@jorgerosado2087]

I love videos like this. Knowing what went down in a certain network's history is FASCINATING. I'm actually planning to do a long video covering every single show mentioned in Family Guy's season 4 premiere. It's 29 shows but it sounds promising. Assuming I can find footage of Luis and Costello.

[@amandaredd3057]

Kelly Ripa having played a popular character for YEARS prior to Hope and Faith on ABC soap All My Children likely played a part in that favoritism. I personally never understood the appeal but I like Kelly

[@janebyrne6463]

I know I'm giving away my age bracket here, but I can still remember Saturday being must see TV. Particularly on CBS in the 1970's, there was All in the Family at 8:00, M*A*S*H on 8:30, Mary Tyler Moore at 9:00, The Bob Newhart Show at 9:30 and The Carol Burnett Show at 10:00. I was a kid back then, but I can still recall it.

[@alanvallazza9781]

NBC had Golden Girls, Empty Nest, 227, Amen. Later Nurses and the first season of Blossom before they ended the sitcom block In '92 with the end of Golden Girls. And there was likely a show that failed like Baby Talk The final season of that block. Baby Talk had Julia Duffy and Scott Baio. Julia moved on to Designing Women. I can't recall if that show was on ABC or NBC.

[@Shorty_Lickens]

Sara Rue is extremely likeable but she needs good writing to make a solid series. Same deal with Keith Carradine. Go watch Deadwood and Dexter and you'll see why he's a highly demanded actor. He can deliver but he needs good writing.

[@dannigro8794]

2006 was a horrible year for most networks.

[@ryanjones358]

I loved Hope & Faith from the beginning and I found 8 Simple Rules to still be enjoyable after John's passing. I liked David Spade and James Garner as additions and their back and forth banter was comedic gold.

[@michaelhannell4083]

This was a successful in the 80s and 90s bc they made shows for young kids/pre teens. It failed in 00s bc they were making show for adults

[@suarezguy]

I can imagine George Lopez and Life with Bonnie appealing to preteens.

[@Lobsterwithinternet]

@@suarezguyBut they were now competing with video games and the internet for their attention and they just couldnt pull in enough people to match.

[@baileymaloney3595]

Such a grand way to kick off the final season. I learned about ABC’s tgif from the vhs opening of The Parent Trap (1998), starring Lindsay Lohan and Natasha Richardson, and saw a promo for one of the shows: Two of a Kind, starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. A few years ago, I watched 8 Simple Rules first season with John Ritter as the dad, and I was shocked to learn that he passed away before the second season began. He’s a wonderful actor and he’s dearly missed. If ABC were to end 8 Simple Rules with only 2 seasons out of respect for John Ritter, that would’ve been nice.

[@MrRyan-wu4jx]

I didn’t know John Ritter, but he seemed like the kind of guy that wouldn’t want hundreds of people to be out of a job because he died.

[@handsomeX]

Lets be honest. Hope and Faith was doomed to fail soley due to the Ted McGinley curse. We all know this 😜

[@WatcherPrime]

The mistake was killing it and trying to bring it back. They were better off reworking it while keeping it alive the first go. Maybe making it rotate on the types of shows.

[@TheCheat420]

To be fair I'd watch the hell out of the Jack Tripper and Peg Bundy show.

[@Rattrap007]

I liked Complete Savages. Yeah a little cliched, but still fairly funny. I still remember a joke from the Thanksgiving episode. Something happened where they got a live turkey and it attacks the teens. The boys, the dog, and the oldest boys girlfriend hide in the bathroom. She says they should do something. "You're five grown men?" (Dog barks in protest) "Okay six!" Yeah each teen was a bit of a stereotype. Oldest to youngest they were: Cool one, dumb jock, nerdy brain, delinquent, and the youngest was the cute one. Yeah Mel Gibson had a cameo every episode. He played a safety instructor cop who was on videos the dad owned.

[@nicoleackerman205]

I like that show.

[@dannigro8794]

Basically, George Lopez got saved because eight simple rules lost John Ritter. if John Ritter never passed away then it probably wouldn’t have switched with George Lopez which got saved and moved back to Tuesday during the 2004 to 2005 season. They committed to airing eight simple rules all season Tuesday because it was the leader of that block in the 2003 to 2004 season. They realize that maybe they could use it for Fridays for season three with its new set up and how it was retooled. And I didn’t work so civil rules got canceled and that’s why hope and faith continued. So George Lopez, an according to Jim kept continuing because other shows either got played out or were quickly dropped by the network.

[@RBSmada]

Yeah Complete Savages was hilarious

[@RadioLaPrincess]

8 Simple Rules at the time was their most popular comedy which is why it went to a third season even after Ritter died. I watched many of these shows, several such as Life With Bonnie and Less Than Perfect were really good. Less Than Perfect reminds me of Ugly Betty which premiered several years later. Also interesting to note is that several years later Wednesday became ABC'S hit comedy block and many shows became huge hits once they got there (like the Goldbergs).

[@BDawg-hy7pl]

The return of the king

[@smorris281]

Complete Savages was an underrated gem, I really liked it.

[@alanvallazza9781]

Autumn Reeser was involved. Was part of The O.C. later on as Taylor Townsend. She returned to ABC for the sitcom No Ordinary Family.

[@christianlorre]

I remember Breckin Meyer after the series Married To The Kellys ended in a interview said "did you see it?" sarcastically (it doesn't work in writing but he said in the tone of did you see how bad it was, obviously it failed)

[@RichV20]

Watching this in early 2000's and watching this review now, Im ready to give my opinion. All these shows were primarily focused on thirtysomethings problems and people dealing with a midlife crisis. At most, that would be a B-plot on classic TGIF. The peak-TGIF heavy hitters Family Matters, Boy Meets World and Step By Step were all teen and pre-teen story oriented. If you had an adult who would usually get main storylines, it was a cartoonish adult like Balki or Carl yelling at Urkel while time-traveling or some other wacky situation. Watching this review, I couldnt be less interested in all these older people situations. Im coming to TGIF for some wacky, high-concept comedy with a splash of coming-of-age drama mixed in. 1993-4 was peak TGIF.

[@Lobsterwithinternet]

Not to mention that the generation that grew up with it in the 90s was growing up and going out on Fridays while they had to now compete with video games and broadband internet for preteen/teen’s time.

[@yotsubafanfan]

I saw a couple of the the shows on TGIF 3.0. They're absolutely worth watching. Not whatever the make-up white show was, but Speechless and Fresh off the boat are absolutely worth watching. Can't wait for that George Lopez video!

[@osaji922]

I agree but ABC wasn't really serious about TGIF after 2.0 failed. TGIF is supposed to be 2 hours and not just 1 hour.

[@jenn82armstrong]

I remember watching the wonderful world of Disney. The movie or show was letting you know that it was the last hour or half an hour before you go to bed.

[@zachbrown1988]

The craziest part about 8 Simple Rules getting green lit for a third season is ABC wanted Katey Sagal’s character to be pregnant with John Ritter’s characters baby as the main storyline

[@TMC1982Part2]

Wasn't that an idea that Michael Eisner was persistent about wanting to into the show?

[@krazyeman4]

I didn't have cable in 2004-2005 and watched TGIF that entire season. I really liked 8 Simple Rules and Hope & Faith

[@pip7967]

Real ones remember how awesome Complete Savages were. I never knew anyone that didnt like it.

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

I currently live in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where the ABC affiliate, WBAY-TV 2, featured on your VHS tape recording, originates.

[@KawikaProductions]

That is amazing! The tape in question also had some local news reports just before the failed block.

[@bobboman]

oh god it was trippy seeing the logo for american TV and appliance

[@DoobieKeebler]

A great parallel to what happened with 8 Simple Rules & John Ritter is what happened with NewsRadio & Phil Hartman on NBC. They even brought in an SNL alum in John Lovitz, like ABC did with Spade. Now, it was because Lovitz was Hartman's friend, but it's still weirdly similar.

[@elguero281]

Also BTW Lovitz 1st didn't want to do the show because Andy Dick was in the cast & his bad habits got Hartmann's wife messed up to where she took Phil's life. Jon kind of set the difference aside & did NewsRadio like you said, Jon was Phil's friend

[@DoobieKeebler]

@elguero281 It's one of my favorite shows. What happened is tragic. I think Dick gets a bit of a bad wrap in THAT instance, as he could never have known she would kill Phil. Doesn't mean he isn't a complete degenerate, tho. And you are 100% correct.

[@elguero281]

@@DoobieKeebler Though on another random note, Patrick Walburton who would be a VA as Joe for Family Guy did also join the cast of News Radio for the 5th & final season

[@jadebethel7556]

I literally remember watching hope and faith, less than perfect and complete savages during its original airtimes and syndications. Your bringing me back to my teenage years 😊

[@aaronmccarthy875]

Tgif would be so back baby, it sounds like something you would see on a t-shirt in like like a gift shop.

[@TORLBC]

Original TGIF was TV gold. Making chicken salad out of a chicken shit night. Leaned on iconic family shows. ABC was doing well in the 2000s! But allowing 8 Simple Rules to continue after what was a VERY major national news story, the death of its lodestar, was foul and ranks in the worst TV decisions ever.

[@TMC1982Part2]

It kind of reminds me of what NBC did with Chico and the Man back in the 1970s, where it continued on even after its star, Freddie Prinze killed himself.

[@Unquestionable]

TGIF was my guilty pleasure as a kid. It wasn't a huge talking point on the playground but everyone usually knew what was going on to some extent. Still remember when Full House ended I was the only kid in my 5th grade who knew it ended, everyone watched on occasion but it was kind of a given it would be around forever. When the block died as a whole it really was with a whimper, took me at least two years to realize it had faded away given how little there was left to keep in viewers.

[@MARKY2428]

New upload, hooray! Love your channel!

[@indianaCurtis]

Thank you for watching ABC tonight stay tuned for your local news and nightline

[@osaji922]

I'm Hugh Downs. And I'm Barbara Walters. And this is 20/20.

[@chrisuncleahmad]

One thing I remember about Hope and Faith is that in addition to Ford and Ripa, at one point it featured had a post-Married with Children Ted McGinley and a pre-Transformers Megan Fox Quite an interesting cast

[@TMC1982Part2]

Hope and Faith actually pulled an "Other Darrin" in-between the first and second seasons. Nicole Paggi played Sydney Shanowski in the first season before her character was recast with Megan Fox.

[@raulzavala9061]

I was a devoted TGIF viewer from 1990 up until around 1997 as I got my first job working fast food so the hours weren't consistent that I'd work evenings but I wasn't missing much, Boy Meets World was getting too heavy handed and girl junk like Sabrina the Teenage Witch had taken over. I can say pretty much my TV habits were changing dramatically that many of the later sitcoms I never watched.

[@FirstLast-yc9lq]

This is nostalgic. I know of all these shows....but don't at the same time. Most of them I saw in advertisements which is where the nostalgia came from but never watched. George Lopez is about the only one I consistently watched.

[@PearComputingDevices]

ABC's worst thing it did was be ABC... 😂

[@maxpayne7312]

I like the original TGIF lineup when I was younger or in my teens after Boy Meets World ended I stopped watching TGIF

[@TMC1982Part2]

I get the impression from this video that having your show placed under the TGIF umbrella come 2003-05 was something of a black mark or scarlet letter more than anything. This is because it may have given the public the instant impression that it must be something strictly for kids and thus, wasn't aspiring to be particularly ambitious or edgy.

[@ivanbluecool]

This should be an interesting video.

[@courtneypuzzo2502]

the original line up of TGIF was the best Full House Perfect Strangers Step By Step and Family Matters the 2nd line up wasn't bad either you had hanging with Mr. Cooper and Boy Meets World replacing perfect Strangers and Full House when they ended and then Family Matters did so in 1997 and Step By Step ended in 1998. I was a tween or in my early teens when three of the four original shows finished their runs Full House in May 1995 I was 10 yrs. old Family Matters in May 97 I was 12 years old and I was 13 when Step By Step ended in 1998

[@osaji922]

You might want to check the tv schedules. You're a bit off.

[@princessmarlena1359]

Didn’t like Full House, did like Perfect Strangers, Step By Step was okay, Family Matters was funny at first but started losing steam for me. Hanging With Mr. Cooper was pretty good, Boy Meets World was excellent.

[@slashbash1347]

The post-Ritter seasons of 8 Simple Rules must've been hard to write. They couldn't just gloss over Paul's death, but they risked making the show not funny. I thought he died of an aneurysm, though.

[@SnarkyMcCarthy]

He was admitted to the hospital for a heart attack and was later diagnosed with an aortic dissection.

[@slashbash1347]

@@SnarkyMcCarthy Thanks.

[@princessmarlena1359]

R.I.P. John Ritter

[@kylem2712]

Really good video, can't wait to check out more of your stuff

[@mechajay3358]

I remember watching 8 Simple Rules when it was syndicated and it was pretty good, but you can tell that retooled version just wasn't the same with John Ritter gone. RIP John.

[@LARKXHIN]

I loved Life With Bonnie as a 9 year old for some reason.

[@Melissa0774]

Now all they want to do on Friday nights is a bunch of 20/20 episodes that are just nothing but murder porn now. I hate that it's so popular. I don't get it. I always loved 20/20 ever since I got in the habit of watching it after TGIF when I was a kid in the 90's, but I usually skip it whenever it's a murder episode. I mean, every once in a while it's interesting to hear about that, if it's an especially noteworthy crime. But to hear about the same thing every week, over and over, gets repetitive and boring. For a long time, I still looked forward to Friday nights on ABC, even after TGIF was over, because they still air 20/20. But it sucks now that all they ever want to talk about is murders. I also hate Primetime What Would You Do? I don't understand why that show wasn't cancelled years ago. It's so negative. Why do so many people want to watch a show that's so negative and depressing? I think John Quinones' career is hanging by a thread on that one. If they canceled that show, what else would be left for him to do? It's a shame because there are so many better things he could be doing.

[@AgeoftheFall88]

I watched all of this as it happened, I thought about some of these shows over the years, thank you for bringing back some memories. 🤘

[@ladymacbethofmtensk896]

The truth about the death of TGIF is that, by the early 2000's a large part of its audience was graduating high school, going to college, and beginning to drink. The fact is that these kids were not the captive audience they had once been.

[@Father_of_Death]

TGIF was supposed to mean "Thank Goodness It's Funny" but it ended up turning into "Thank God It Failed!"

[@MD-jn5yf]

I feel like the demographics of tgif in its peak were younger. The demographics of people around on Fridays. When we grew up and became teens we were busy on Fridays. The tgif type shows still aired - but moved to Nickelodeon or Disney channel.

[@merrillyu-gi-ohfan01king]

This was way worse than Fox in year 2006

[@joeybaseball7352]

I don't understand why he said 2006 was a bad year for Fox? They were doing great in 2006. They had the number show on television with American Idol.

[@JuliaDelbel]

8 Simple Rules was awesome, would have had a long run if things were different. Something similar happened in the 90s when Red Foxx died early on during production of his sitcom The Royal Family. Was doing well in ratings too, just like 8 Simple Rules.

[@savage751]

I remember life with Bonnie...it was a bit cliche like all sitcoms but was genuinely funny

[@alanvallazza9781]

Bonnie did a lot of different shows but I believe the final one had David Alan Grier. But it got retooled. The girls playing her daughter's got changed.

[@itsjustjoniel]

I would like to add that in April of 2004, There would be another show under TGIF called "The Big House" which starred Kevin Hart, Think of it as a reversed plot to the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. The show only lasted 6 episodes and it was cancelled before even announcing the show to the public

[@elguero281]

I was not aware

[@MichaelAarons1701]

_Hope & Faith_ really not helping the myth that Ted McGinley is poison for any show’s success.

[@larrymarshall8900]

Are you saying that Ted McGinley the guy who played George on Married With Children is a show killers?

[@MichaelAarons1701]

@@larrymarshall8900 No. I’m saying that people think the guy who played _Jefferson_ on MwC is a show killer. McGinley even clapped back on that with his _Married_ success on the _Batman: The Brave and the Bold_ finale which deliberately exploited that myth.

[@osaji922]

@@MichaelAarons1701 Married With children has a joke about it too.

[@alanvallazza9781]

Kelly was perfect for the show because she was all about herself self-conceded and had just left All My Children, which taped in New York City back then. She was exactly like the character in the show. Megan Fox was on the show and working in that environment she met Brian Austin Greene ex-husband and they were marrying around the time of the show's cancellation.

[@alanvallazza9781]

​@@larrymarshall8900The character was Jefferson. There was a running joke that he was involved with a lot of programs that got canceled. But they said the same thing about Rene Sofer.

[@TotalSchism]

3:27 Vince Gilligan jump scare

[@RBSmada]

Thank you. I knew I recognized him but I couldn’t place it.

[@slashbash1347]

Ah, I remember this as a kid! I still remember bits of Married to the Kellys, and Hope and Faith makes me cringe (Faith was just a little too dumb), but I still remember it.

[@r_jd279]

TGIF, pronouned TeeJiff. Actually I remember watching the old TGIF and if it wasn't a family watch 90% of the time. It was definitely us kids watching every Friday. Also that was Keith Carradine in Complete Savages, he's one of my favorite actors btw. I didn't hear it mentioned and never heard of the show up until now.

[@xirabolt]

Less Than Perfect looks like it'd be an SNL-themed show with SNL actors making the SNL face and SNL-tier jokes (hold for laughter) When in doubt, have the character be louder or more exaggerated

[@samanthamarkle6923]

I remember seeing these shows advertised! I was still a little young so I didn't watch them, but remember them being on.

[@HispanicToddendale]

Yes! I’ve been waiting for this!

[@FirstNameLastName-io5co]

It's "For Dating." "8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter." 9/11/03 sucked so much. The next day, Johnny Cash died

[@travismiller4320]

TGIF was ruined in 1990 when ABC bowed down to Miller Boyett Productions and cancelled Just the Ten of Us and replaced it with a garbage Going Places from Miller/Boyett who wanted every slot on TGIF.

[@osaji922]

I watched the first two seasons of Just The 10 of Us last year. Great little show. Unfortunate end but I wouldn't say TGIF was ruined by that.

[@PopeSixtusVI]

I heard you're wrapping up production on your series and that's just tragic because there was a show on Fox called Enlisted that got legendarily screwed over by the network (especially vis a vis the show Dads) and, well, Media Mementos, sometimes the mission choses you.

[@BugsyFoga]

Guessing tgif just couldn’t fit in the era of the 2000s.

[@bes03c]

In today's streaming age, it is so weird to think that the time a show got broadcast was such a major factor. My kids don't even understand the concept of live tv. Everything is streamed to them "on demand."

[@maximusprime3459]

TGIF was on life support once Boy Meets World ended.

[@savage751]

It's funny my last name is Savage and I remember watching the first episode and even with that small connection didn't even wanna watch it

[@baronvg]

Even though I didn’t watch every tv show there was back in the day, I at least remembered them. I don’t even VAGUELY remember Married to the Kelley’s.

[@reduxreacts]

Talk about the third incarnation of the block

[@Derfparade]

My parents would let us stay up for tgif when I was a kid and I loved it. Sabrina the witch was so good

[@CHECKthisvid]

TGIF’s second run was 2003-2005 and not 2005-2007.

[@techwiz81]

It’s crazy that a show with 5 million viewers was a major flop. 5 million in 2024 is a major hit.

[@KrisRN23935]

I've literally never heard of Life with Bonnie. And I LOVE early 2000s sitcoms. George Lopez being one of my favorites.

[@lavoncooper3176]

at 12:44 it still is difficult to watch archive is dead

[@KawikaProductions]

Yeah. That video was recorded and edited before the Internet Archive was hacked. They will bring it back - with BETTER security, though. Update (10/16/24): The Wayback Machine is back, but the rest if the Internet Archive is still in the works.