Week 20 of the 1972-1973 season started on Monday, January 22nd, 1973 and ended on Sunday, January 28th, 1973. The highest-rated program was All in the Family on CBS with a 36.9/55 Nielsen rating/share. Here are the 10 lowest-rated programs:
## | Program | Network | Rating |
---|---|---|---|
53 | Love American Style | ABC | 14.6/26 |
54 | Marcus Welby | ABC | 14.3/22 |
55 | Mission: Impossible | NBC | 13.0/21 |
56 | Bobby Darin | NBC | 12.9/23 |
57 | NBA All Stars | ABC | 12.6/19 |
58 | “Burt Bacharach in Shangri-La” | ABC | 12.5/21 |
59 | “What About Tomorrow” | ABC | 11.5/21 |
60 | “Vietnam Peace Perspective” | ??? | 11.4/20 |
61 | Julie Andrews | ABC | 11.4/19 |
62 | Here We Go Again | ABC | 10.6/16 |
For the record, program titles are written exactly the way they were published in 1973.
The first installment in ABC’s monthly series of What About Tomorrow? specials (“On the Side of Man”) aired from 10:30-11PM ET on Monday, January 22nd. “Burt Bacharach in Shangri-La” aired on ABC from 9-10PM ET on Friday, January 26th.
I can’t find anything called “Vietnam Peace Perspective” in TV listings for this week. An ABC News special titled “Years of Anguish–Day of Peace” aired from 10-11PM ET on Saturday, January 27th. It’s possible this is “Vietnam Peace Perspective.”
(Earlier that evening, NBC broadcast its own hour-long special on the Vietnam peace agreement, titled “Peace Begins,” from 7-8PM ET. “Peace Begins” ranked 52nd for the week, just outside the Bottom 10.)
Sources:
“‘Lawrence’ Loses Ratings Scramble.” Los Angeles Times. 10 Feb. 1973: B7.
It’s a bit sad for me to see LOVE AMERICAN STYLE rated so low. ABC cancelled it, along with ROOM 222, less than a year later, with their last original episodes airing Jan. 11, 1974.
I wonder how much of the production team from LAS went on to produce Happy Days and it’s like.
The first season of Happy Days was “filmed” similar to the pilot on LAS. Ronnie Howard wasn’t too happy when they decided to started “taping” season 2 in front of studio audience.
Wow at MARCUS WELBY. All the way down to number 54. A couple of seasons ago it was #1 show on tv (1970-71). I think LAS was hurt by the Burt Bacharach special that was on before it.
The MARCUS WELBY numbers were an anomaly for that week, as it finished in 13th place for the full season. The Burt Bachrach special was tied into the release of the musical version of LOST HORIZON for which he and Hal David did the score.