Week 29 of the 1987-1988 season started on Monday, April 4th, 1988 and ended on Sunday, April 10th, 1988. The highest-rated program was The Cosby Show on NBC with a 23.2/40 Nielsen rating/share and 30.2 million viewers according to AGB Television Research.
Here are the 10 lowest-rated programs on TV during Week 29 of the 1987-1988 season:
| ## | Program | Network | Rating | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | Family Man | ABC | 9.0/16 | 12,600,000 |
| Beverly Hills Buntz | NBC | 9.0/16 | 12,700,000 | |
| 62 | High Mountain Rangers | CBS | 8.9/17 | 11,700,000 |
| 63 | Buck James | ABC | 8.8/15 | 8,000,000 |
| 64 | Our House (repeat) | NBC | 8.5/16 | 13,300,000 |
| 65 | West 57th | CBS | 8.2/16 | 10,700,000 |
| 66 | Highwayman | NBC | 8.0/15 | 12,300,000 |
| 67 | Probe | ABC | 7.3/13 | 9,300,000 |
| 68 | Hotel (repeat) | ABC | 7.1/12 | 7,600,000 |
| 69 | Ohara (special) | ABC | 7.0/13 | 12,000,000 |
| Supercarrier | ABC | 7.0/13 | 8,900,000 |
Copyright A.C. Nielsen Co. and AGB Television Research
Note: USA Today did not begin including FOX programming in its weekly rating charts until December 1988.
Two programs tied for 60th this week so the above table includes the Bottom 11 rather than the Bottom 10. There were no movies, telefilms, or specials at the bottom of the ratings chart this week.
ABC had six programs in the Bottom 11, including recently introduced spring tryouts Family Man and Probe. The network’s Supercarrier was the lowest-rated program on the air.
Three NBC programs were in the Bottom 11: Beverly Hills Buntz, a repeat of Our House, and Highwayman.
CBS pre-empted its low-rated Tuesday sitcom lineup in favor of the movie Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, so it only had two programs in the Bottom 11, both of which aired on Saturday, April 9th. High Mountain Rangers aired its final episode at 8PM; it ranked 62nd for the week. At 10PM was West 57th, which ranked 65th. In between was Tour of Duty, which perked up slightly at 9PM to rank 56th.
Also of note: Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (CBS, Tuesday, April 5th) tied for 53rd for the week; The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (CBS, Wednesday, April 6th) tied for 50th; A Year in the Life (NBC, Wednesday, April 6th) ranked 38th; 48 Hours (CBS, Thursday, April 7th) ranked 58th; “Mama’s Boy” (NBC, Saturday, April 9th) ranked 46th; Tour of Duty (CBS, Saturday, April 9th) ranked 56th; and “Drugs: A Plague Upon the Land” (ABC, Sunday, April 10th) tied for 50th.
Source:
“Using this chart.” USA Today. 13 Apr. 1988: 03.d
Sledge Hammer. Ohara. Probe. Highwayman.
I watched a lot of TV in 1987, and I’m starting to think I didn’t watch a single show that WASN’T a complete failure.
Highwayman starred Sam J. Jones from Flash Gordon and Australian footballer turned loudmouth battery spokesman Jacko. The only thing I remember about Ohara is the promo when Pat Morita corrects Ernie Anderson’s pronounciation of Ohara.