Why was Car 54 canceled?

[sixfingers]

I have tried in vain to find the answer to this question and so far I haven't even found a rumor.

[Duster76]

I have tried in vain to find the answer to this question and so far I haven't even found a rumor.

I can only guess, but it appears the show was in decline, rating wise that is. The first year the show finished number 20, the second year it finished out of the top 30. It was the lead in show for NBC's biggest hit (Bonanza), so any decrease in audience might have a negative impact on Bonanza, which in fact dropped from number 2 to number 4 in Car 54's second season.

It was also an expensive show to do with a large cast of recurring characters, so the network might have felt the expense wasn't getting enough of a return.

Another issue, what was available to replace the show. The network suits might have felt Imogene Coca's series Grindl worked as a better bridge between Disney and Bonanza.

[TV Knowledge Fan]

what series occupied Sundays at 8:30pm(et) on NBC from 1961 through 1972. And that sponsor was Procter & Gamble; they bought that time period just so they could follow "WALT DISNEY'S WONDERFUL WORLD OF COLOR", which they knew would give them added "protection" against "THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW" on CBS. Sure enough, the first show they scheduled, "CAR 54", was able to hold its own against "Old Stoneface" in its first season. However, the second season was a disappointment to P&G, as far as ratings were concerned. They decided another series would do better for the fall of 1963, and were convinced by Screen Gems/Columbia to take David Swift's "GRINDL", starring Imogene Coca, as "CAR 54"'s replacement.

Unfortunately, the ratings for "GRINDL" ended up even lower than "CAR 54"'s had been, and P&G decided to cancel that after one season, moving "THE BILL DANA SHOW" from their 7pm(et) Sunday time slot to 8:30 for the fall of '64. This time, ratings were so mediocre, they decided to go with Chuck Connors' "BRANDED" as a mid-season replacement in January 1965 {Procter & Gamble had previously been the primary sponsor of "THE RIFLEMAN" (1958-'63), and liked Connors}. That was successful enough to renew for another season ...but then, "THE FBI" premiered on ABC at 8pm(et) in the fall of '65- now, there were TWO alternatives that viewers seemed to prefer more, and "BRANDED" went off in the summer of '66. P&G then decided to go after the "youth audience" with a sitcom from Garry Marshall & Jerry Belson, "HEY LANDLORD!". Again, ratings were insufficient enough to them to renew that series for a second season. After a summer of "LET'S MAKE A DEAL", they almost bought Sheldon Leonard's "EVERYWHERE A CHICK CHICK", starring Jerry Van Dyke. But P&G ultimately objected to the theme of a divorced Las Vegas comedian trying to raise his son on a farm while surrounded by Vegas trappings, and withdrew their support [that series became "ACCIDENTAL FAMILY", airing on Fridays under "particiapting sponsorship" in the fall of '67, and was cancelled at mid-season]. Instead, Procter & Gamble honored their commitment to Desi Arnaz by scheduling "THE MOTHERS-IN-LAW" that fall. But, after a somewhat successful first season, NBC wanted to cancel the show. But after P&G strongly hinted they [I]might move it to another network, NBC agreed to schedule it for another season...for less money. Cast member Roger C. Carmel refused to take a salary freeze, Richard Deacon replaced him, and the ratings dipped low enough for P&G to cancel the show after its second season. Then came "THE BILL COSBY SHOW" in the fall of '69 (in which he played "Chet Kincaid", physical education teacher). Again, the series held its own against Ed Sullivan and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. in season one, but the second season's ratings were much lower....and P&G then decided to buy Hal Kanter's sitcom, "THE JIMMY STEWART SHOW", for the fall of 1971. Now, as popular and beloved as Jimmy was, his series really wasn't. And when NBC needed the time to schedule their "SUNDAY MYSTERY MOVIE", Procter & Gamble relinquished their half-hour in the fall of 1972.

So you see, it wasn't just "CAR 54" that was unsuccessful in that time period: even when they were "successful", virtually all of the series in that 8:30 Sunday night time slot lasted no more than two seasons. And since Procter & Gamble controlled that time period, they had the final say. They're still the world's #1 advertiser, but they don't control blocks of time as they used to: they recently ended their last self-produced daily soap opera on CBS, "AS THE WORLD TURNS", after 54 years.

:tv:

[comedyfreak]

That was very interesting tv knowledge.

[Vince53]

I still remember my surprise when Car 54 was cancelled. TVKnowledgeFan, that was some impressive research.