by Michael Lyons
At one time, the big three networks - ABC, CBS and NBC - looked at late summer the same way that kids look ahead to Christmas in November. There was hope, excitement, and nervousness that they would get all that they wanted.
The Fall TV Season used to be a major deal. It was when the "big three" debuted all the shows that they hoped would catch on with viewers and become their next big hit, and also when those big hits returned from summer hiatus, and sometimes springtime cliffhangers.
TV Guide even devoted an entire issue (one of their thickest of the year) to the Fall Preview.
Cable TV, home video, and now streaming has made the excitement and anticipation behind the Fall TV season a thing of the past. But networks used to be so behind the season that they would create big, splashy campaigns that played as "teasers" during the summer and really ramped up in late August.
These would be a catchy slogan and jingle, with images of the stars of the network's shows hanging out together like one big family party.
Last year, I looked at some of these network promos, and as nostalgia for the ol', new TV seasons sets in, here is a "Part 2," looking at some other Fall network campaigns of the past.
"Now is the Time ABC is the Place," 1981
The new fall shows forty-five years ago on ABC soared over urban and city landscapes like an early-80s neon comet, with people down below surprised and excited about what they were seeing. Mixed in among the many looking up to the sky were stars of ABC shows at the time, like Henry Winkler, John Forsyth and Ted Knight, to name a few.
And, this came with an oh-so-catchy jingle we were singing all summer long. Check it out below:
"The Look is CBS" 1991
"The look of America is CBS" was how this jingle went when that network was promoting their new fall lineup thirty-five years ago. Against MTV-like quick cuts and early-90s neon colors, stars like Candace Bergen, William Shatner, and Annie Potts mouthed the words to the song.
Check it out here:
"Come Home to NBC" 1986
Forty years ago, this promotion showed images of everyone rushing home from school and work to tune in to NBC, interspersed with scenes from the network's biggest shows of the time, like The Cosby Show and Family Ties. As the jingle played, stars of the various shows stood in front of the peacock logo, beckoning us to "come home to NBC."
Watch it here:
Ah, the fall TV seasons that once were, when an age of streaming anything we wanted to watch at the push of a button was unimaginable, and the big three networks ruled all.
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