Final episode of the series....no good

[PhoenixAcres]

Originally Posted by Chip J

This may not be the thread for this statement (sorry if it isn't), but isn't it ironic that after CBS's "rural purge", they started showing the Waltons, and on NBC Little House on the Prairie?

It is kind of ironic. I think they realized pretty fast that the purge was a mistake. CBS, less than a year after bidding farewell to its perceived rural image, commissioned the Waltons which is about as rural as you can get.

The "reasoning" behind their removal of Green Acres and the other shows was always a little questionable. First they assumed that only farmers watched farmer shows. Then they decided that these viewers are not valuable because they're too old and won't buy advertised products. Of course, the massive success of the Waltons and the continued syndication of all the canceled shows proved that the fanbase of these shows was much wider.

The Waltons wasn't any more sophisticated than Green Acres, but it was an hour long drama as opposed to a half-hour of absurd comedy (with characters written realistically rather than comically), so at the very least it was something different in a then-detested rural setting. That is why I believe CBS was more open to having it on their schedule.

[russman48]

Originally Posted by PhoenixAcres

It is kind of ironic. I think they realized pretty fast that the purge was a mistake. CBS, less than a year after bidding farewell to its perceived rural image, commissioned the Waltons which is about as rural as you can get.

No, they never thought that - they raked in the $$$ and ratings with the change, from All in the Family to Newhart to Mary Tyler Moore to....on and on.
Waltons was a far more realistic, mature drama than the mindless escapades of Green Acres, Beverly Hillbillies, etc.....

CBS never looked back and never regretted a minute.