{{Short description|NBC advertising slogan}} {{Infobox programming block | name = Must See TV | image = 20 years of must see tv.jpg | image_size = 250px | alt = | caption = Title card for NBC's 2002 special, ''20 Years of Must See TV'' | formerly_known = | premiered = '''Original run:''' {{Start date|1993|09|16}}<br>'''Second run:''' {{Start date|2017|09|28}} | closed = '''Original run:''' {{End date|2006|05|18}}<br>'''Second run:''' {{End date|2021|03|25}} | channel = NBC | division = | country = United States | key_people = | headquarters = | major_contracts = | parent = | sister = | format = | runtime = Thursday nights | website = | language = American English | footnotes = }}
'''Must See TV''' was an American advertising slogan that was used by NBC to brand its primetime blocks during the 1990s, and most often applied to the network's Thursday night lineup, which featured some of its most popular sitcoms and drama series of the period, allowing the network to dominate prime time ratings on Thursday nights in the 1980s and 1990s. Ratings for NBC's lineup fell during the mid-to-late 2000s. The slogan was retired in 2015 amidst NBC's transition to airing more drama series on Thursday nights. The branding returned for the 2017–18 television season<ref>{{cite news |last=Levin |first=Gary |date=May 15, 2017 |title=NBC sets new lineup, return of 'must-see' Thursdays with 'This Is Us' move |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2017/05/14/nbc-fall-schedule-will-and-grace-this-is-us/101685882/ |website=USA Today |access-date=14 November 2019 |archive-date=29 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229033924/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2017/05/14/nbc-fall-schedule-will-and-grace-this-is-us/101685882/ |url-status=live }}</ref> but was removed for a second time in the winter of the 2020–21 television season.
==Usage== In popular culture, the phrase is most strongly associated with the network's entire Thursday night lineup, including both sitcoms and dramas, which dominated the ratings from the 1980s through the late 1990s.
As originally conceived, "Must See TV" originally applied to sitcoms only (dramas would normally be promoted separately), and for much of the 1990s the phrase was used several nights a week as an attempt at brand extension. At one point in the fall of 1997, the brand was used five nights a week, with four sitcoms a night from Monday to Thursday and two more on Sunday.<ref name="variety">{{cite news|title=Peacock pulls back on 'Must See' revival|url=https://www.variety.com/ac2006_article/VR1117945200?nav=ecomedy|first=Michael|last=Schneider|work=Variety|date=May 13, 2006|archive-date=July 11, 2006|access-date=April 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060711184051/http://www.variety.com/ac2006_article/VR1117945200?nav=ecomedy|url-status=live}}</ref> NBC itself would later adopt the more common interpretation; the 2002 retrospective, ''20 Years of Must See TV'', focused on NBC's overall dominance on Thursday nights from 1982 onwards, and overlooked extensions such as "Must See TV Tuesday."
==History== ===First years=== By 1979, NBC had fallen to third place in the Nielsen ratings. Network executive Fred Silverman, who previously led ABC and CBS to the top of the ratings, joined the network the year before; however, he could not bring the same ratings success he had as programming whiz at the latter two networks, resulting in a string of new programs that were derided by critics and eventually being canceled after a few showings. The 1980–81 television season was the low point for NBC; as the network had only three shows in the Nielsen top 20; one of them was the sitcom ''Diff'rent Strokes'', starring Gary Coleman and Conrad Bain, with several of its episodes revolving around serious issues such as racism, alcoholism, child abuse and others, which were dramatically explored. Debuting on Fridays and garnering modest ratings, ''Diff'rent Strokes'' entered NBC's Thursday night lineup for the 1981–82 season, which, prior to the beginning of the season, Silverman left NBC in the summer of 1981, and was replaced by Brandon Tartikoff, who became a very important key point behind NBC's return to the top.
The 1981 fall season marked the very first time NBC made an attempt to create a two-hour comedy block on Thursday nights comprising the 8–10 p.m. slot, with ''Diff'rent Strokes'' being joined by the returning ''Harper Valley'' –starring Barbara Eden, formerly from ''I Dream of Jeannie''–, and newcomers ''Gimme a Break!'' –which stars Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief (played by Dolph Sweet) and his three daughters– and ''Lewis & Clark'' –a starring vehicle for Gabe Kaplan after ''Welcome Back, Kotter''–.
These four sitcoms were followed by the police drama ''Hill Street Blues'', which premiered in January 1981, and chronicles the lives of the Metropolitan Police Department staff of a single police station located on Hill Street in an unnamed large U.S. city. While critically acclaimed, ''Hill Street Blues'' bounced to and from various time periods on Thursday, Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights during its first season, which caused it to debut with poor ratings (87th out of 96 shows for the 1980–81 season) and became the lowest-rated program ever renewed for a second season at the time. NBC decided to move ''Hill Street Blues'' officially to Thursdays at 10 p.m., which resulted in a ratings success starting with its second season, and earning several industry awards, including a total of 26 Primetime Emmy Awards (out of 98 nominations) during its seven-season run, including four consecutive wins for Outstanding Drama Series from 1981–1984.
Midway through the 1981–82 season, ''Harper Valley'' and ''Lewis & Clark'' were removed from NBC's Thursday schedule, and later were canceled, being replaced by the Emmy-winning musical television series ''Fame'', which was based on the 1980 film of the same name, earning critical success as well, as it received three consecutive nominations for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, but losing all of them to ''Hill Street Blues''.
===Success in the 1980s=== Branding the quality Thursday night lineup began during the 1982–83 season, which NBC promoted ''Fame'', ''Hill Street Blues'', ''Taxi'' (which was renewed by the network after being canceled by ABC after four seasons) and new arrival ''Cheers'', as "America's Best Night of Television on Television". ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and ''Gimme a Break!'' were moved to Saturdays at the beginning of the season, with ''Strokes'' remaining on that night until its cancellation in 1985 (only to be renewed by ABC for an additional season), and ''Break!'' returning to Thursdays following the underperformance of ''Taxi'', which at mid-season, was moved to Saturdays, and later to Wednesdays, to be eventually canceled for a second time by NBC. ''Fame'' also ended its two-season network run on NBC to be revived the following season in first-run syndication, with a mid-season replacement, ''Mama's Family'' –starring Vicki Lawrence– which debuted on Saturdays, moving to Thursdays during the summer, following ''Fame'''s removal from NBC's schedule.
Meanwhile, ''Cheers'', which starred Ted Danson and Shelley Long (and later, Kirstie Alley), set in the titular bar in Boston, where a group of locals meet to drink, relax, socialize, and escape from their day-to-day issues, despite debuting with critical acclaim, ended its first season with unimpressive ratings, as the fourth-lowest rated show for the 1982–83 season (74th out of 77 in that year's ratings), and was nearly canceled by NBC; however, ''Cheers'' was renewed for a second season, in large part due to Tartikoff's continued support to the show, as well as its slowly increase on viewership through its summer reruns, garnering higher ratings than when it first premiered; but also its early success at the Emmys, receiving for its first season, 13 nominations in 1983, and winning five of them, including an award for Outstanding Comedy Series. ''Cheers'' remained as one of NBC's most successful shows on Thursday nights, becoming a top-ten hit starting with its fourth season, and reaching number one during its ninth season, earning 28 Primetime Emmy Awards from a record of 117 nominations.
The 1983–84 season saw none of NBC's fall new shows to be renewed for a second season, and Thursday nights weren't the exception. One of the new shows that season, was the sitcom ''We Got It Made'', starring Teri Copley as a woman who works as a maid for two bachelors in New York City, played by Tom Villard and Matt McCoy, which initially started with strong ratings, however, critics and the general public lambasted the show, which eventually damaged its viewership as the season progressed. In December 1983, NBC began making changes to its Thursday lineup in order to make room for soon-to-be hit shows to join ''Cheers'', ''Gimme a Break!'' and ''Hill Street Blues''.
One of these shows, Michael J. Fox's Emmy-winning sitcom ''Family Ties'', which reflected the social shift in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s, debuted on Wednesdays to a modest start, but moved to Thursdays midway through its second season, resulting in a ratings rise and replacing ''Mama's Family'', which was moved to Saturdays, along with ''We Got It Made'', which was replaced by ''Cheers'' returning to its original 9:00 p.m. timeslot, remaining there for the rest of its run. The show that followed it, was Dabney Coleman's Emmy-nominated series ''Buffalo Bill'', which debuted in the summer of 1983, and returned as a mid-season replacement for its second season, and featured the misadventures of an egotistical talk show host, played by Coleman, and his staff (including Geena Davis and Joanna Cassidy –who won a Golden Globe Award for her role–), which despite having been nominated for eleven Primetime Emmy Awards during its run (including two for Outstanding Comedy Series), ''Buffalo Bill'' fared not-so-well on ratings and was canceled by NBC after two abbreviated seasons. Brandon Tartikoff later wrote in his memoir ''The Last Great Ride'' (1992), that his biggest professional regret was canceling the show.
Meanwhile, ''We Got It Made'' and ''Mama's Family'' were moved from Thursdays to Saturdays, where ratings for both shows dropped even further and later were canceled at the end of the 1983–84 season, eventually reviving years later for syndication. In the spring of 1984, ''Buffalo Bill'' was replaced by another short-lived comedy ''The Duck Factory'', becoming Jim Carrey's first lead role in a Hollywood production (coincidentally, Carrey previously guest-starred on an episode of ''Buffalo Bill'', prior to the premiere of ''The Duck Factory''). A mid-season replacement for that season, ''Night Court'', set in the night shift of a Manhattan Criminal Court presided over by a young, unorthodox judge, Harold "Harry" T. Stone, played by Harry Anderson, nominated three times as Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series at the Emmys for his role, and co-starring John Larroquette, who won four consecutive Emmys for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Dan Fielding, which aired initially on Wednesdays, was moved to Thursdays during the summer, becoming another staple of NBC's Thursday comedy night in the following years.
What marked the beginning of NBC's dominance on Thursday nights was during the 1984–85 season, when the network premiered a new show to lead that evening: ''The Cosby Show'', which focused on the Huxtables, an upper middle-class Black American family living in New York; the series was based on routines in Bill Cosby's stand-up comedy act, which in turn were based on his family life. ''The Cosby Show'' received critical acclaim, with ''TV Guide'' listing the series as "TV's biggest hit in the 1980s", adding it "almost single-handedly revived the sitcom genre and NBC's ratings fortunes". The enormous success of ''The Cosby Show'', which earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1985, and became the highest-rated sitcom and the third-most watched show overall of the 1984–85 season in the US, also helped the other shows on its Thursday lineup increase its ratings dramatically, with ''Family Ties'' entering the top-ten for the first time; and both ''Cheers'' and ''Night Court'' entering the top-twenty; while ''Hill Street Blues'' remained steadily on the top-thirty.
Prior to the debut of ''The Cosby Show'', CBS was the winner on Thursday nights in the early 1980s, with a powerful lineup consisted of ''Magnum, P.I.'', ''Simon & Simon'' and ''Knots Landing'', however, that lineup began to lose strength by the mid-1980s, especially when ''Cosby'' debuted, which also marked a major turning point for NBC as well, as the network rose to second place at the end of the 1984–85 season; and later reached first place at the end of the 1985–86 season, with ''Cosby'' spending five consecutive seasons as the number-one rated show on American television, and tying with CBS' ''All in the Family'', as the only sitcoms in history of the Nielsen ratings as the number-one show for five seasons, earning several accolades, including six Primetime Emmy Awards from 23 nominations.
The most-known NBC Thursday lineup from the 1980s, which consisted of ''The Cosby Show'', ''Family Ties'', ''Cheers'', ''Night Court'' and ''Hill Street Blues'', remained until the start of the 1986–87 season, when NBC decided to move some of their most successful shows to make room for new freshman hits. ''Hill Street Blues'' was moved midway through its seventh and final season to Tuesdays, being replaced by the new legal drama ''L.A. Law'', co-created by Steven Bochco, which featured an ensemble cast (just as ''Hill Street Blues'', which Bochco also co-created) and centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los Angeles law firm, reflecting the social and cultural conflicts that were occurring from the 1980s through the early 1990s, which debuted modestly on Friday nights, and later became one of NBC's biggest successes on Thursdays, being critically acclaimed and winning 15 Primetime Emmy Awards throughout its run, four of which were for Outstanding Drama Series, until the series ended after eight seasons in 1994, during the first year of "Must See TV".
Other hits on NBC Thursday nights from the 1980s, included ''Cosby'' spinoff ''A Different World'' (premiered in 1987 and replaced ''Family Ties'', which was moved to Sundays that year until its end in 1989), and ''Dear John'', Judd Hirsch's starring vehicle after ''Taxi'' (premiered in 1988 and replaced ''Night Court'', which was moved to Wednesdays that year until its end in 1992). Eventually, ''Dear John'', then on its second season, was also moved to Wednesdays after ''Night Court'', and was replaced by the sitcom ''Grand'', which premiered in 1990, but only enjoyed moderate success, and was canceled by NBC at the end of the year after two abbreviated seasons. That same year, another mid-season replacement, ''Wings'' (created by ''Cheers'' producers David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee) saw its debut, and began to enjoy popularity among viewers on Thursday nights in the following years.
In the summer of 1990, another comedy, ''Seinfeld'', which stars Jerry Seinfeld playing a fictionalized version of himself, describing it as "a show about nothing", often focusing on the minutiae of daily life, after making its debut in 1989 with its pilot episode, which was met with poor responses from test audiences, NBC decided not to pick up the show. Believing it had potential, NBC executive Rick Ludwin ordered four episodes about a year after NBC's rejection. These four episodes, alongside the pilot, consisted the first season of ''Seinfeld'', which started in May 1990, airing on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. (right after ''Cheers'') to good ratings through the summer, and eventually NBC renewing the show for a second season; in the following years, ''Seinfeld'' has received awards and nominations in various categories throughout the mid-1990s, winning seven Primetime Emmy Awards –including one in 1993 for Outstanding Comedy Series– from a total of 49 nominations, with several magazines such as ''Rolling Stone'', ''Variety'', ''The Hollywood Reporter'' and ''TV Guide'' placing it as one of the greatest TV shows of all time, and being a number-one hit show during seasons six and nine. As a result of this, NBC ended the 1980s decade as the number-one network on both Thursday nights and overall.
===Early 1990s doldrums=== NBC's Thursday comedy lineup remained very strong during the 1990–91 season, with the continued success of ''The Cosby Show'', ''A Different World'' and ''Cheers'', with the latter reaching number one on the Nielsen ratings for the first and only time, becoming the most-watched show for that season. NBC itself, continued as the number-one network overall, but their viewership began to decline gradually, as its dominance during the 1980s began to fade through the season, due to the growing popularity of ABC's Tuesday and Friday night lineups and Fox's decision to move freshman hit ''The Simpsons'' to Thursdays to compete with ''The Cosby Show'', which eventually slipped down to fifth place after spending five straight seasons on top.
During the 1991–92 season, ratings for ''Cosby'' –now in its eighth and final season– and ''A Different World'' decreased considerably and both shows were no longer inside the top-ten, while ''Wings'' continued to rise in popularity, as it entered the top-20 for the first time. It was during that season, with ''The Simpsons'' still competing against ''Cosby'' on Thursdays would show its effects, as the episode "Homer at the Bat", aired in February 1992, marked the very first time a new ''Simpsons'' episode beat a new ''Cosby Show'' episode on ratings. It happened again in March of that year, as the new ''Simpsons'' episode "Colonel Homer" outrated a new ''Cosby'' episode. The season ended with NBC dropping to second place after six consecutive seasons on top, beaten by a resurgent CBS (which rose from third place to first), with ''Cheers'' becoming the network's only show landing in the top-ten.
After ''Cosby'' aired its one-hour final episode in the spring of 1992, several changes were made to the NBC Thursday night lineup for the 1992–93 season: a new sitcom, ''Rhythm & Blues'', premiered to only be pulled off by the network after five episodes, and was replaced by another new sitcom, ''Out All Night'', starring Patti LaBelle, but it wasn't a ratings success either, being also canceled afterwards. Meanwhile, ''A Different World'' saw its ratings drop dramatically after its parent series ended its run, and later was removed from NBC's Thursday schedule in 1993 and replaced by reruns of ''Cheers''. That same year, ''Seinfeld'', which by then was airing on Wednesdays, but struggling on viewership due to its competition with ABC's ''Home Improvement'', was moved permanently to Thursdays, once again after ''Cheers'', which ended in May 1993 after eleven seasons, with its series finale being the second-highest-rated series finale of all-time behind the series finale of ''M*A*S*H'' and the highest-rated episode of the 1992–93 season in the US.<ref name=cheersmash>"NBC wins May sweeps; Cheers ratings No. 2 all-time." ''Toronto Star'' May 30, 1993, SU2 ed: C4. Web. January 6, 2012. {{subscription required}}</ref><ref name=LAT>Margulies, Lee. "[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-05-26-ca-39821-story.html TV Ratings: Surprise! 'Cheers' Finale Powers NBC to Top]."</ref>
However, as NBC was still the winner on Thursday nights by then, some shows on another networks began to challenge its powerful lineup, such as ''Matlock'' and ''Primetime Live'' on ABC –the former show has been canceled by NBC after six seasons, after it was renewed by ABC and remained on that network for three more seasons until 1995–; as well as the continued success of ''The Simpsons'' on Fox. This, despite the phenomally successful performance from the series finale of ''Cheers'', as well as ''Seinfeld'''s sudden rise in viewership after its move to Thursdays, resulted in NBC ending the 1992–93 season dropping to third place for the first time since the 1983–84 season, with ''Cheers'' once again becoming the network's only show landing in the top-ten for the season.
===First run (1993–2006)=== ====Brand debuts (1993–94)====
The "Must See" slogan was created by Dan Holm, an NBC promotional producer, during a network promo brainstorming session in June 1993 at NBC's West Coast headquarters in Burbank, California. "Must See TV" made its first appearance in NBC promotions through August 1993 and included the day of the week: "Must See TV Thursday". The advertisement ended with the sentence "Get home early for Must See TV Thursday". In late summer of 1993, NBC wanted viewers to tune in an hour prior to ''Seinfeld'', and created the "Must See TV" slogan to brand the comedy block. The first "Must See TV" block promo aired during late summer repeats and promoted ''Wings'', ''Seinfeld'', ''Cheers'' (which also previewed the fall premiere of its spin-off, ''Frasier'') and new arrival ''Mad About You'', which was moved to Thursdays after being initially aired on Wednesdays and later on Saturdays, starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a married couple in New York City as they navigate life together (eventually having their daughter in later seasons), which won numerous awards, including four Golden Globe Awards and twelve Primetime Emmy Awards, including an award for Hunt as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for four years in a row (from 1996 to 1999); the show itself also received five Emmy nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series.
The "Must See TV" premiere night of programming occurred on September 16, 1993, with the season premieres of ''Mad About You'', ''Wings'' and ''Seinfeld'', as well as the series premiere of ''Frasier'', while ''L.A. Law'' returned on the first week of October. The "Must See TV" slogan continued in every NBC Thursday night comedy promo throughout the 1993–94 season to promote the 8–10 p.m. comedy block (''L.A. Law'' was often added as part of some "Must See TV" promos). ''Frasier'', the new fall show, was developed by ''Cheers'' producers and ''Wings'' creators David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee, and starred Kelsey Grammer reprising his ''Cheers'' role as Frasier Crane, who returns to his hometown, Seattle, as a radio show host. The show eventually becoming one of the most-critically acclaimed comedy series of all time and one of the most successful spin-off series in television history.<ref>{{cite news|last=Waters|first=Darren|date=July 24, 2003|title=TV's obsession with spin-offs|work=BBC|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3089767.stm|access-date=January 4, 2010|archive-date=April 29, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429225007/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3089767.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> The series won a total of 37 Emmy Awards during its 11-year run, breaking the record long held by CBS' ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (29). It held the record until 2016 when ''Game of Thrones'' won 38.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/4498870/emmys-2016-game-of-thrones-most-wins/ |title=Game of Thrones Now Has the Most Emmy Wins Ever |first=Eliana |last=Dockterman |date=September 18, 2016 |magazine=Time |access-date=September 19, 2016 |archive-date=September 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919042453/http://time.com/4498870/emmys-2016-game-of-thrones-most-wins/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Grammer and David Hyde Pierce each won four, including one each for the fifth and eleventh seasons. The series is tied with ABC's ''Modern Family'' for the most consecutive wins for Outstanding Comedy Series, winning five from 1994 to 1998.
Meanwhile, ''L.A. Law'', the lineup's sole remaining show from the 1980s, began to experience a sharp decline in ratings during its final two seasons. The show went on hiatus in January 1994 during its eighth and final season, in order to launch the second season of ''Homicide: Life on the Street''. When that series succeeded wildly with a guest appearance by Robin Williams, it was expected that ''L.A. Law'' would conclude that May and ''Homicide'' would succeed it on Thursdays in the 1994 fall season; however, ''Homicide'' was moved to Fridays, with a new show, the eventually breakout hit ''ER'' taking its place. NBC decided not to renew ''L.A. Law'' for a ninth season at the last minute; ending the show without a proper finale or wrapping up story lines; until eight years later, when NBC agreed to produce a television movie, a reunion show titled ''L.A. Law: The Movie'', aired in May 2002 and featuring most of the main cast from the series.
====Explosive success in the 1990s (1994–2000)==== For the 1994–95 season, three new shows premiered on Thursdays that fall. The first one, ''Friends'', which revolved around six friends living in Manhattan, enjoyed huge success in both ratings and critical reception, spending its entire run inside the top-ten most-watched programs in the United States, including a season at number one (season eight), and being nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning six of them. The second one, ''ER'', which followed the inner life of the emergency room of Cook County General Hospital, and the various critical professional, ethical, and personal issues faced by the department's crew, debuted to become the second longest-running primetime medical drama in American television history behind ABC's ''Grey's Anatomy''; the highest awarded medical drama, winning 128 industry awards from 442 nominations, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 1996.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nbc.com/ER/about/|title=About the Hit NBC TV Show ER|publisher=NBC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111028193641/http://www.nbc.com/ER/about/ |archive-date=October 28, 2011 |url-status=dead|df=mdy-all |access-date=October 14, 2011}}</ref> The third one, ''Madman of the People'', starring Dabney Coleman as an outspoken newspaper columnist who had written a popular column on a magazine, only enjoyed moderate success and was canceled before the 1994–95 season ended, despite being the 12th most watched show in the US, mostly because it lost a considerable portion of its lead-in audience from ''Seinfeld'', which became the most-watched show in the US that season. For the next four seasons, ''Seinfeld'' and ''ER'' would end up battling for the honor of the number-one show, before the former series ended its run in 1998.
On November 3, 1994, NBC's Thursday night lineup featured the "Blackout Thursday" programming stunt, in which three of the four sitcoms on that night's "Must See TV" schedule incorporated a story line involving a power outage in New York City.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.poobala.com/blackout.html|title=Non-Crossover: "Blackout Thursday"|publisher=Poobala.com|access-date=13 December 2014}}</ref> The stunt started with ''Mad About You'' episode "Pandora's Box", in which Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt) accidentally causes the blackout while trying to steal cable; it continued with the ''Friends'' episode "The One with the Blackout", featuring a sub-plot in which Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) is trapped in an ATM vestibule with Victoria's Secret model Jill Goodacre and ended with the ''Madman of the People'' episode "Birthday in the Big House" (the ''Seinfeld'' episode that followed ''Friends'' and preceded ''Madman'', "The Gymnast", did not have a blackout story line though was promoted as part of the event). All these changes resulted in ''Frasier'' and ''Wings'' moving to a new night of "Must See TV" on Tuesdays. After two seasons at third place, NBC rose to second place at the end of the 1994–95 season.
The 1995–96 season, brought more success for NBC, as the network rose again to first place in the Nielsen ratings in five years. In addition to ''Seinfeld'', ''Friends'' and ''ER'', two new shows debuted that fall, which became successful during their first seasons: ''The Single Guy'', starring Jonathan Silverman (previously from ''Gimme a Break!'') as a struggling New York City writer; and ''Caroline in the City'', starring Lea Thompson (previously from the ''Back to the Future'' film trilogy) as a cartoonist who lives in Manhattan. Later, a mid-season replacement debuted, ''Boston Common'', created by David Kohan and Max Mutchnick (which later went on to create ''Will & Grace'') and starring Anthony Clark (prior to appearing years later on the CBS sitcom ''Yes, Dear'') as an easy-going twenty-something from Virginia who delivers his sister to college in Boston. All three shows ended the 1995–96 season inside the top-ten most watched shows in the US.
Despite the strong ratings of ''The Single Guy'' (6th), NBC was disappointed in the show's critical failure, and for its second season, the series underwent retooling, but it didn't work; following an abrupt move to another night of "Must See TV" on Wednesdays, ratings plummeted and the show was canceled, despite ending its second season as the eighth most-watched show for the 1996–97 season. Meanwhile, ''Caroline in the City'' performed very well during its first season (4th); however, for its second season, the show was moved to its "Must See TV Tuesday" night (following ''Frasier''), for which ratings dropped considerably, dropping to 23rd (tying with three more shows), yet its moderate performance was enough to be renewed for a third season. After ''Boston Common'' debuted strongly (8th), it was moved to Sundays (another night of "Must See TV") for its second season, where its ratings collapsed, leading to its cancelation.
At that point, NBC dominated Thursday nights and could send even a high-rated competing popular show into dramatic ratings decline on that evening. Ian effort to cut into NBC's "Must See TV" viewership for the 1995–96 season, CBS boldly decided to move its powerhouse top-ten hit show ''Murder, She Wrote'' from its popular Sunday night to Thursdays for its 12th and final season; however, the strategy was a failure as a whole, as ''Murder, She Wrote'' and the rest of CBS' Thursday lineup, proved to be no match for NBC. ''Murder, She Wrote'', on its new night, now going against ''Friends'' and ''The Single Guy''/''Boston Common'' at the same time, marked a significant ratings drop from the previous season –from 8th (which ironically tied with ''Friends'') to 58th place– resulting in ''Murder'' to be canceled by CBS at the end of the 1995–96 season after twelve seasons in the air.
For the 1996–97 season, three shows were included to NBC "Must See TV Thursday" –one fall series and two mid-season entries–. ''Suddenly Susan'' was the new fall show for the season, which stars Brooke Shields as a glamorous San Francisco magazine writer who begins to adjust to being single, and who learns to be independent minded after having been taken care of all her life. For her role as Susan, Shields earned two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actress in a Television Comedy. It also debuted initially with high ratings, mostly due to its timeslot, airing between ''Seinfeld'' and ''ER'' during its first season, attracting almost 25 million viewers per episode, despite mostly unfavorable critical reviews. The two mid-season replacements for the season included ''The Naked Truth'', starring Téa Leoni and Holland Taylor, which took place at the office of a tabloid news publication, which was canceled by ABC after its first season, despite earning respectable ratings, and was moved to NBC after it underwent a general retooling (such as the inclusion of George Wendt to the main cast); and ''Fired Up'', a starring vehicle for Sharon Lawrence after her role as Sylvia Costas in ''NYPD Blue'', with Lawrence playing a self-centered promotions executive.
''Suddenly Susan'', ''The Naked Truth'' and ''Fired Up'' resulted in ratings successes during their initial debuts on NBC, ending at 3rd, 4th, and 6th, respectively. However, for the 1997–98 season, all three shows were moved to Mondays (which became another "Must See TV" programming night) and experienced a large decline in viewership, leading both ''The Naked Truth'' and ''Fired Up'' to being canceled by NBC when the season ended, while ''Suddenly Susan'' remained on Monday nights for two more seasons until its cancellation in 2000.
The 1997–98 season saw the debut of two new comedies on Thursday nights: The first one was ''Veronica's Closet'', Kirstie Alley's starring vehicle since ''Cheers'', where she was nominated in 1998 for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as the title character, Veronica "Ronnie" Chase, the owner and head of the titular fictional lingerie company in New York City; it spent its first two seasons inside the top-ten most watched shows in the US, before it was moved to Mondays for its third season, where ratings collapsed after that, leading into its cancellation. The second new show was ''Union Square'', which despite earning higher ratings (ending as the seventh-most watched show for the season), it was poorly received by critics, and lost a large portion of its lead-in audience from ''Friends''; the show was canceled in January 1998, after 14 episodes had been made (the final episode remained unaired).
After ''Union Square'' was canceled, another show, ''Just Shoot Me!'' took its place. The show, which stars Laura San Giacomo and George Segal, and took place in the office of a fashion magazine, debuted on Wednesdays in March 1997 to mediocre ratings, and started its second season on Tuesdays before it was moved to Thursdays for that season, where its ratings improved considerably, and in later seasons, it soon became a staple in the "Must See TV Thursday" lineup. Meanwhile, ''Seinfeld'' entered his ninth and final season on NBC, as Jerry Seinfeld announced that the series would end production the following spring in 1998; its series finale, became the fourth-most watched overall series finale in the US after ''M*A*S*H'', ''Cheers'' and ''The Fugitive'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/wednesday-may-19-2010/1229335/ |title=All Videos—Newest—Video—NBC.com |publisher=Late Night with Jimmy Fallon |access-date=2011-07-15 |archive-date=2010-05-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523074138/http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/wednesday-may-19-2010/1229335/ |url-status=live }}</ref> with its ninth and final season reaching the top of the Nielsen ratings, becoming only the third show finishing its runs at the top of the ratings, following ''I Love Lucy'' and ''The Andy Griffith Show''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dostis |first=Melanie |title=Looking back at 'I Love Lucy' 64 years later |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/10-love-lucy-article-1.2397434 |access-date=2020-05-18 |work=New York Daily News |date=15 October 2015 |archive-date=2020-05-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522161341/https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/10-love-lucy-article-1.2397434 |url-status=live }}</ref> Consequently, ''Friends'' emerged as NBC's biggest television show after the 1998 ''Seinfeld'' final broadcast.
After ''Seinfeld'' ended its run in 1998, some changes were made to the "Must See TV Thursday" lineup for the 1998–99 season, with ''Frasier'' returning to that night for the first time since season one, after spending four consecutive seasons on Tuesdays, and a new show premiering that fall, ''Jesse'', which marked Christina Applegate's starring vehicle since her role as Kelly Bundy on ''Married... with Children''; and debuted with impressive ratings (ranked 5th at the end of the season); however, as the show entered its second season, despite maintaining its Thursday timeslot (after ''Friends'' and before ''Frasier''), ratings drop considerably (ranked 12nd at the end of the season), mostly because it lost much of the audience from ''Friends'', its powerful lead-in, and by season 2, ''Jesse'' lost almost 20% of the ''Friends'' audience, as a result, NBC decided to cancel the show afterwards.
Also, for the 1998–99 season, another show entered the "Must See TV Thursday" lineup: ''Will & Grace'', which focuses on the friendship between best friends Will Truman (Eric McCormack), a gay lawyer, and Grace Adler (Debra Messing), a straight interior designer. After initially debuted with not-so-well ratings on Monday nights, it was moved to later become not only a staple of NBC Thursday night during the 2000s decade, but a critical and ratings success as well. ''Will & Grace'' became a highly rated television show in the United States, earning a top-twenty rating during four of its eight seasons, including one season in the top-ten; the show also was nominated for 83 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning 18 of them, including once for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2000; also, its lead stars Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes, and Megan Mullally each won at least one Emmy Award for their respective performances, becoming one of four live-action sitcoms, along with ''All in the Family'', ''The Golden Girls'' and ''Schitt's Creek'', where all the principal actors have won at least one Emmy Award.
For the 1999–2000 season, as approaching the new decade, a new fall show debuted on Thursdays, the sitcom ''Stark Raving Mad'', a starring vehicle for Tony Shalhoub after ''Wings'', and for Neil Patrick Harris after ''Doogie Howser, M.D.'', however, despite it won a People's Choice Award for Favorite New Television Comedy Series and ended as the 15th most-watched program for the season, it lost much of the audience from ''Frasier'' and was consistently beaten by ABC's ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'' in the same timeslot; NBC canceled the show after one season. Two mid-season replacements aired during the spring of 2000: ''Battery Park'', which was co-created by Gary David Goldberg —who previously created ''Family Ties'' and ''Spin City''— but was a disappointment on ratings and was canceled after only four episodes were aired; and ''Daddio'', a starring vehicle for Michael Chiklis after ''The Commish'', which initially started with good ratings (15th), before moving to Mondays for its shortened second season, only to be canceled after a few weeks.
NBC Entertainment president Warren Littlefield stated that the network is “trying to spread out our offense” to new nights,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-05-23-ca-61847-story.html|title=A Milestone Year, for a Decidedly Dubious Reason|first=BRIAN|last=LOWRY|date=23 May 1997|via=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> as through the mid-to-late 1990s, several shows were moving from its original Thursday night to different nights and timeslots, due to NBC's plan to expand the "Must See TV" programming to at least two or three nights during the week; causing several shows saw their viewership decreasing, and eventually being canceled afterwards. Despite this, NBC dominated once again Thursday nights for the rest of the 1990s decade, in large part due to the continued success of ''Friends'', ''Seinfeld'', ''Frasier'' and ''ER''.
====Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights==== Seeing how "Must See TV" dominated prime time on Thursdays, NBC felt that the same marketing power could translate into success for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday nights.
During the 1980s, a decade prior to "Must See TV", while Thursdays became NBC's biggest programming night, the network managed to replicate a similar success for Saturday nights, airing a two-hour comedy night as well, followed by a drama series (most notably, ''Hunter''). The Saturday lineup includes an eclectic mix of family-themed shows and sophisticated comedies aimed at an older audience, such as ''Gimme a Break!'', ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and ''The Facts of Life'', with that success exploding during the 1985–86 season with the premiere of ''The Golden Girls'' which debuted to critical acclaim and ratings success, followed by other hits, including ''227'', ''Amen'' and ''Empty Nest''; however, that success –in a similar way to Thursdays– began to wane during the 1991–92 season, when ''The Golden Girls'' ended its run, resulting in a considerable ratings drop for its follow-up shows ''Empty Nest'' and its spin-off ''Nurses''; as well as several short-lived sitcoms which didn't have long-lasting impact on ratings or critical reception, such as ''The Torkelsons'', ''The Mommies'', ''The Powers That Be'' –a starring vehicle for John Forsythe after ''Dynasty''–, ''Here and Now'' –a starring vehicle for Malcolm-Jamal Warner after ''The Cosby Show''– and ''Café Americain'' –a starring vehicle for Valerie Bertinelli after ''One Day at a Time''–. Despite NBC's Saturday comedy night was never included into the "Must See TV" programming block after its creation, the comedy block remained until the 1995–96 season, but was shortened to one hour, and later discontinued when the 1996 fall season began with the premiere of three dramas (''Dark Skies'', ''The Pretender'' and ''Profiler'').
While "Must See TV Thursday" was created in 1993, and NBC continued its Saturday two-hour comedy block at that time, there was a third two-hour night of comedy on Tuesdays (which also by then, it wasn't part of the "Must See TV" block), which promoted four new shows debuting that night: ''Saved by the Bell: The College Years'', a sequel to the original series and the first one to air on prime time; ''Getting By'', which was moved from ABC after it spent its abbreviated first season on the ''TGIF'' Friday night schedule; the short-lived sitcom ''The Second Half'', and ''The John Larroquette Show'', a starring vehicle for John Larroquette after his nine-year run as Dan Fielding on ''Night Court''. However, the NBC's Tuesday lineup for that season wasn't a ratings winner, especially as it went against ABC's powerhouse Tuesday comedy lineup –including ''Roseanne'', ''Full House'' and ''Coach''–, with three of its four new series being canceled at the end of the 1993–94 season, with ''Larroquette'' dodging cancellation, and eventually running for three more seasons.
For the 1994–95 season, NBC decided to keep the Tuesday comedy block running, but this time, it was rebranded as "Must See TV Tuesday", with ''Frasier'' and ''Wings'' moving to that night, joining ''Larroquette'' and a new show, ''The Martin Short Show'', which was pulled off from NBC's schedule after only three episodes aired, yet it ended as the 29th most-watched show in the US, which led to repeats of other NBC sitcoms airing in order to fill ''Martin Short'' slot, eventually, another new comedy ''Something Wilder'' (after debuting on Saturdays to lackluster ratings) entered the Tuesday lineup, but was dropped from NBC's schedule and replaced by ''NewsRadio'', a mid-season replacement, which focused on the work lives of the staff of a New York City AM news radio station, garnering moderate success. The "Must See TV Tuesday" was successful in comparison with its previous season, as it began to catch up ABC's lineup for the evening –this time with ''Home Improvement'' and ''Grace Under Fire'' on that night–.
For the 1995–96 season, NBC added a third night of "Must See TV" on Sunday nights with the premiere of ''Brotherly Love'' –starring Joey Lawrence on his third sitcom for NBC, after ''Gimme a Break!'' and ''Blossom'', with his real-life brothers Matthew and Andrew co-starring alongside him–; and ''Minor Adjustments'' –starring future ''That's So Raven'' star Rondell Sheridan– (both shows were later canceled by NBC during the season, and were picked up by The WB and UPN, respectively), and the moves of ''Mad About You'' and freshman comedy ''Hope and Gloria'' from Thursdays to Sundays –eventually ''Hope and Gloria'' was then moved to Saturdays until the show was canceled–. Also, on Tuesdays, in addition to ''Wings'', ''NewsRadio'' and ''Frasier'', a new show debuted that night: ''The Pursuit of Happiness'', created by David Hackel, who recently worked on ''Wings'' and ''Frasier'', but was a ratings failure and was canceled by NBC after six weeks on the air. After being on Saturdays when the 1995 fall season started, ''Larroquette'' returned to Tuesdays to fill in ''Pursuit'' slot; while a mid-season replacement, ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' debuted with healthy ratings (22nd at the end of the season).
For the 1996–97 season, NBC added a fourth "Must See TV" comedy block on Wednesdays, which included ''Wings'' (which entered its eighth and final season), ''Larroquette'' (which was abruptly canceled midway through its fourth season), ''NewsRadio'' and new arrival ''Men Behaving Badly'', all being followed by the legal drama ''Law & Order''. ''Mad About You'' was moved from Sundays to Tuesdays that season, to join ''Frasier'', ''Caroline in the City'' and the new series ''Something So Right'', with the latter show moving to ABC for its second season. ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' was moved from Tuesdays to Sundays, where it was still sporting respectable ratings (27th at the end of the season); its follow-up ''Boston Common'' (transferred from Thursdays) did not enjoy the same success as ''3rd Rock'' on that same night and it was later canceled.
For the 1997–98 season, NBC expanded the "Must See TV" programming block into five nights a week, with four sitcoms a night from Monday to Thursday, and two on Sundays. However, at that point, though it received heavy promotion by NBC, all four nights did not replicate the enormous success of "Must See TV Thursday". The Sunday one-hour comedy was officially dropped out, following ''Men Behaving Badly'''s abrupt cancellation and NBC's decision to not renew the Jenny McCarthy show ''Jenny'' after its first season, in order to gave priority to air two hours of ''Dateline NBC'', followed by the ''NBC Sunday Night Movie''. The "Must See TV Monday" night featured sitcoms centered around a professional single woman, including ''Caroline in the City'', ''Suddenly Susan'', ''Fired Up'' and ''The Naked Truth'', which all of them debuted on Thursdays to a strong start, but their ratings underperformed following their moves to Mondays. Meanwhile, both ''NewsRadio'' and ''Just Shoot Me!'' were moved from Wednesdays to Tuesdays to join ''Mad About You'' and ''Frasier''. Wednesdays became the weakest night of "Must See TV", as ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' became the most-successful show for the evening, with other shows: ''The Tony Danza Show'' (starring Tony Danza, formerly from ''Who's the Boss?''); ''Working'' (starring Fred Savage, formerly from ''The Wonder Years''); and ''Build to Last'' not surviving after one or two seasons.
For the 1998–99 season, the "Must See TV Tuesday" night lost strength due to the move of ''Frasier'' to Thursdays, with ''Just Shoot Me!'' and ''Mad About You'' continuing to earn moderate ratings; a new series for the night, ''Encore! Encore!'' struggled in the ratings early on and was canceled at mid-season, alongside the short-lived show ''Working''. The Wednesday comedy night was shortened to one hour, to gave priority to ''Dateline NBC'', with ''NewsRadio'' and ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' being the only two comedies for the night, followed by ''Law & Order'', which now became the most-successful show for that evening. At mid-season, ''Mad About You'' was moved to Monday nights midway through its seventh and final season, leading to a sharp decrease in viewership, and being subsequently canceled, ending in the spring of 1999, however, 20 years later, the show returned for a limited season-eight revival, picked up by Spectrum Originals for 12 episodes, in which Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt reprised their roles. Meanwhile, on Tuesdays, ''3rd Rock'' and ''NewsRadio'' joined ''Just Shoot Me!'', with ''Will & Grace'' shoring up the lineup; however, ''NewsRadio'' ended its run in May 1999 after five seasons.
For the 1999–2000 season, NBC dropped out the Wednesday two-hour comedy block entirely. Meanwhile, the Monday night comedy was shortened to one hour, with ''Suddenly Susan'' and ''Veronica's Closet'' (both of which entered their final seasons) filling the spots, before moving to Tuesdays to join ''3rd Rock'', ''Just Shoot Me!'' and ''Will & Grace''; after that, NBC began to promote Mondays and Wednesdays in a standard fashion, leaving Thursdays and Tuesdays, the only "Must See TV" programming nights.
====Decline and end of first run (2000–2006)==== The 2000–01 season started great for NBC and its Thursday lineup, with ''Friends'', ''ER'', ''Just Shoot Me!'' and ''Will & Grace'' continuing with very strong ratings, with a new sitcom, ''Cursed'' (later renamed ''The Weber Show'') a starring vehicle for Steven Weber and Amy Pietz since their roles on ''Wings'' and ''Caroline in the City'', respectively, joining the lineup, but struggled through the season and was canceled by NBC, despite ending as the 22nd most-watched show in the US. However, that season marked the beginning of the decline of "Must See TV", as that night's programming become increasingly stronger on other networks. CBS was first to break through with its lineup of ''Survivor'' and ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', followed by ''48 Hours''.
When ''Survivor'' premiered in the summer of 2000, Kelly Kahl, then vice-president of scheduling at CBS, took a risk and moved the show's second season to Thursdays in competition with ''Friends''; the strategy worked as ''Survivor'' won viewership numbers over ''Friends'', giving Kahl significant sway within CBS to continue supporting the show, which ended as the number-one rated show in the US for the 2000–01 season. NBC made an attempt to get comedy back to Mondays, with the returning show ''Daddio'' (which was successful during its abbreviated first season on Thursdays) and a new sitcom, ''Tucker'', however both shows were canceled just after four weeks into the 2000 fall season, being replaced by ''Dateline NBC''. ''Frasier'' returned to Tuesday nights, to continued success on ratings; joining ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' (which entered its sixth and final season) and two new shows: ''The Michael Richards Show'' –a starring vehicle for Michael Richards after ''Seinfeld''– and ''DAG'' –starring Delta Burke and David Alan Grier–, both of which were critical failures and also disappointed on ratings, being canceled by the network at the end of the season. At that point, NBC had gone from the top-rated network on Thursday nights and overall to second behind CBS, mostly due to the strength of ''Survivor'' and ''CSI''.
NBC recovered the following season, when the network rose again to first place, and ''Friends'' finally hit number one for the first time during its eighth season at the end of the 2001–02 season, where the network premiered a new show on Thursdays, ''Inside Schwartz'', which despite being ranked 16th on the Nielsen ratings, the show was canceled as network executives believed that the valuable time slot could get higher ratings; that time slot was filled with a new series, ''Leap of Faith'', which aired for six episodes and ended at 9th on ratings, and finally NBC simply aired repeat episodes of ''Friends'', which had higher ratings than either ''Inside Schwartz'' or ''Leap of Faith''. In addition to ''Frasier'' on Tuesdays, as well as several short-lived sitcoms such as ''Watching Ellie'' –a starring vehicle for Julia Louis-Dreyfus after ''Seinfeld''–, a new show debuted that night following that show: ''Scrubs'', starring Zach Braff, which follows the lives of employees at a teaching hospital, earning critical acclaim, with many critics praising its cast, characters, and humor (especially the fantasy sequences of the central character, John "J.D." Dorian, played by Braff), and being nominated for a variety of different awards, including 17 Emmy Awards (with two wins).
For the 2002–03 season, ''Friends'', ''ER'' and ''Will & Grace'' continued to perform strong on Thursdays, with ''Scrubs'' and the new sitcom ''Good Morning, Miami'' joining the night; with the latter series struggling in the ratings when compared to its fellow sitcoms in the lineup, yet it ranked at 23rd on the Nielsen ratings. However, the continued success of ''Survivor'' and ''CSI'' (which became the number-one rated show for that season), and the addition of ''Without a Trace'' to the lineup, were enough for CBS to dethrone NBC's Thursday lineup, becoming the most-watched network on that night. The same fate goes to Tuesday nights, as ratings for ''Frasier'' began to decline considerably, and ''Just Shoot Me!'' after being moved to that night to compete with Fox's powerhouse ''American Idol'', and then moved to Saturday nights, was enough for NBC to cancel the show after seven seasons, dropping dramatically from 20th to 107th for its final season. During the spring of 2003, several game shows joined NBC Tuesday night lineup, such as ''Let's Make a Deal'', ''Last Comic Standing'' and ''Dog Eat Dog'', meaning that for the first time since 1993, NBC began to promote Tuesday evenings in a standard fashion, no longer having a two-hour comedy block on that night through the entire season.
The 2003–04 season marked the end of two of NBC's most popular shows: ''Friends'' on Thursdays; and ''Frasier'' on Tuesdays. ''Friends'' ended its ten-season run as the fourth-most watched show; while ''Frasier'' ended its eleven-season run outside the top 30. Despite ''Friends'', ''ER'' and ''Will & Grace'' continued to bring great ratings on Thursdays, NBC was no longer the top-rated network on that night, as its other sitcoms on the lineup (''Scrubs'' and the new show ''Coupling'') were not performing well as the network expected –''Coupling'' was canceled before the season ended–, as well as the continued strong performances of ''Survivor'', ''CSI'' and ''Without a Trace'' on CBS.
After airing a two-hour comedy block on Thursday for 21 straight seasons, NBC broke with tradition in 2004 by replacing the 9 p.m. hour with the hour-long reality competition program ''The Apprentice'' (ending as the fifth-most watched show in the US for the season), although its Thursday night lineup retained its top 20 position.<ref name="cnnmoney 2005">{{cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/2005/05/18/news/fortune500/tv_thursday/index.htm|title=Thursday TV: prized and in play|first=Krysten|last=Crawford|publisher=CNN/Money|date=May 18, 2005|archive-date=January 24, 2021|access-date=August 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124034656/https://money.cnn.com/2005/05/18/news/fortune500/tv_thursday/index.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> In an attempt to bring back the two-hour comedy on Tuesdays, in addition to ''Frasier'' and the returning ''Good Morning, Miami'' (before being canceled after its creators sued NBC), two new shows debuted: ''Whoopi'', starring Whoopi Goldberg and ''Happy Family'', John Larroquette's third sitcom for NBC (after ''Night Court'' and ''The John Larroquette Show''), with both shows underperforming on ratings and being critical disappointments, leading to their cancellations at the end of the season. By that point, the "Must See TV" slogan had fallen by the wayside in NBC's promotions.
When the 2004–05 season began, there was no longer a two-hour comedy night on both Thursdays and Tuesdays, as only two sitcoms aired per night, followed by dramas and/or game shows. On Thursday nights, following the end of ''Friends'', a spin-off premiered that fall: ''Joey'', which starred Matt LeBlanc reprising his role as Joey Tribbiani, debuted and aired on the same timeslot as ''Friends'', however, unlike its parent series, ''Joey'' was panned by critics and wasn't a ratings winner, being consistently beaten by ''Survivor'' on CBS. Even, ratings for ''Will & Grace'' dropped significantly, as no longer was inside the top-30; while ''ER'' and ''The Apprentice'' were still performing well, though at that point, ratings for both shows slowly began to fall; with the evening belonging to CBS and its entire Thursday lineup –''Survivor'', ''CSI'' and ''Without a Trace''– ending inside the top-ten most watched shows in the US for the 2004–05 season. Meanwhile, on Tuesdays, after ''Frasier'' ended its run, ''Scrubs'' returned to that night, airing alongside a couple of short-lived sitcoms, until the spring of 2005, when NBC premiered a new show, ''The Office'', which debuted as a mid-season replacement, to became not only a mainstay on NBC's Thursday schedule in the following years, but a critical success as well, winning several awards such a Peabody Award in 2006, a Golden Globe Award for Steve Carell's performance, and five Emmys, including one for Outstanding Comedy Series,
For what would become the final season of the first run of "Must See TV", the slogan returned at the start of the 2005–06 season, when NBC promoted the season premieres of ''Joey'', ''Will & Grace'', ''The Apprentice'' and ''ER''. As the season progressed, ''Joey'' was put on hiatus after its ratings collapsed during its second season, and eventually was canceled in March 2006; ''Will & Grace'', the sole remaining anchor of the evening, ended originally its run after eight seasons –until the show was revived by NBC and enjoyed three more seasons from 2017 to 2020–; ''The Apprentice'' moved at mid-season to Mondays; and ''ER'' reached a new ratings low, barely making the top 30. Attempting to re-establish the Thursday two-hour comedy night, in addition to ''Will & Grace'' and a mid-season replacement ''Four Kings'', NBC transferred from Tuesdays: ''The Office'' and the new show ''My Name Is Earl'', which became another staple on Thursday nights for the next four years and earned several Primetime Emmy Awards during its run; while ''Scrubs'' remained on Tuesdays, as the sole sitcom for the night. After the season concluded, NBC discontinued the "Must See TV" slogan shortly after.
===Post-Must See TV (2006–2017)=== ===="Comedy Night Done Right" (2006–2012)==== [[Image:Comedynightdoneright.PNG|thumb|right|From a promo for "Comedy Night Done Right" in October 2007. The image features <nowiki>[From Left]</nowiki> Earl Hickey (of ''My Name Is Earl''), Michael Scott (of ''The Office''), John Dorian (of ''Scrubs'') and Liz Lemon (of ''30 Rock'').]] After "Must See TV" ended its first run in the spring of 2006; the Tuesday comedy night was retired entirely, leaving Thursdays, NBC's only programming night for sitcoms. The network's Thursday lineup for the 2006–07 season initially consisted of an hour of sitcoms (''My Name Is Earl'' and ''The Office''), followed by ''Deal or No Deal'', and then by ''ER''. In November 2006, in order to bring back again the Thursday two-hour comedy night, NBC rebranded the Thursday format with a different slogan, "Comedy Night Done Right", and added ''Scrubs'' and new arrival ''30 Rock'' to the lineup, forming an entire lineup of comedy series without laugh tracks or the multiple-camera setup common with past "Must See TV" comedies.<ref>{{cite news |title=For sitcoms today, quality trumps quantity|url=http://archive.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2007/01/28/for_sitcoms_today_quality_trumps_quantity/|first=Matthew|last=Gilbert|publisher=The Boston Globe|date=January 28, 2007}}</ref> ''30 Rock'' received critical acclaim from critics and audiences since its release, ranking as one of the great TV comedies of all-time, as well as earning several awards and accolades, such as the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series for three consecutive years (plus receiving four more nominations after that). However, despite re-establishing its Thursday lineup, the other three networks began to outrate the entire lineup as a whole, which was consistently beaten by ''Survivor'', ''CSI'' and ''Shark'' on CBS; ''Grey's Anatomy'' and ''Ugly Betty'' on ABC; and ''Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?'' on Fox. Even ''ER'', which was a number-one hit for most of the 1990s, dropped out of the top-30 for the first time that season. By that point, NBC reached a new low, ending the 2006–07 season in fourth place (behind CBS, Fox and ABC).
The same Thursday lineup (''My Name Is Earl'', ''The Office'', ''Scrubs'', ''30 Rock'' and ''ER'') remained for the 2007–08 season, where its lineup were still outrated by the three other networks, specially by CBS. That season turned to be the final year for ''Scrubs'' on NBC, before it was moved to ABC for its final two original seasons (and its 2026 revival). The rest of the lineup continued sporting moderate ratings, earning renewal for the following season.
For the 2008–09 season, almost the same Thursday lineup continued on NBC, with one new show debuting that fall in order to replace ''Scrubs'': ''Kath & Kim'', which was adapted from the Australian television series of the same name, and initially debuted strong when its started, but viewership declined afterwards, in addition to receiving negative criticism from viewers and television critics, NBC pulled off the show the following year and replaced it with a mid-season entry, which became another successful show inside its Thursday comedy night: ''Parks & Recreation'', which, after receiving mixed reviews during its first season, it earned critical acclaim for the rest of its run, due to a re-approach to its tone and format, receiving several awards and nominations, including 14 Primetime Emmy Award nominations (two for Outstanding Comedy Series), a Golden Globe Award win for Amy Poehler's performance and a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy, and a Peabody Award. Meanwhile, that season, ''ER'' and ''My Name is Earl'' ended their runs on NBC, after spending fifteen and four seasons, respectively.
For the 2009–10 season, to fill in ''My Name Is Earl'' slot, a new comedy premiered in the fall of 2009, which became another staple on NBC Thursday nights: the sitcom ''Community'', developing a cult following and receiving acclaim for its acting, direction, writing, and meta-humor, winning a Primetime Emmy Award from four nominations and received the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Comedy Series in 2012, among other accolades. In addition to ''Parks & Recreation'', ''The Office'' and ''30 Rock''; ''The Jay Leno Show'' took over ''ER'' timeslot, however ''Jay Leno'' was removed from the schedule in February 2010, due to low ratings.
thumb|left|A promo for "Comedy Night Done Right All Night" in 2011 For the 2010–11 season, in addition to ''Community'', ''30 Rock'' and ''The Office'', a new sitcom premiered to complete the lineup that fall: ''Outsourced'', however, it received mixed reviews and NBC decided to not renew the show for the following season; that season also marked the brief return of ''The Apprentice'' to Thursday nights, before moving at mid-season to Sundays. On January 20, 2011, NBC rebranded the night once again, renaming it "Comedy Night Done Right – All Night", adding a third hour of comedies at 10 p.m. (the network had previously run a three-hour comedy lineup once annually on Thursdays during the late 1990s and early 2000s as a programming stunt). The three-hour comedy block consisted on ''Community'', ''30 Rock'', ''The Office'', ''Outsourced'', the mid-season entry ''Perfect Couples'' (later replaced by another mid-season entry ''The Paul Reiser Show'' –becoming Paul Reiser's starring vehicle after ''Mad About You''–) and the return of ''Parks & Recreation''. This lineup was discontinued in the fall of 2011, following the cancellations of ''Outsourced'', ''Perfect Couples'' and ''The Paul Reiser Show'' due to low ratings and negative reception, when the night reverted to two hours of comedies and one drama and, in 2012, two hours of comedy and the news magazine ''Rock Center''.
NBC Thursday two-hour comedy remained almost the same for the 2011–12 season, with the sitcom ''Whitney'', the fall new show for the season, joining the returning comedies ''Community'', ''The Office'' and ''Parks & Recreation''. Meanwhile, ''30 Rock'' returned to Thursdays at mid-season, when NBC moved from Wednesdays, the sitcom ''Up All Night'', starring Christina Applegate on her second sitcom for the network after ''Jesse'', taking over the timeslot of ''Whitney'', which was eventually moved to Wednesdays and took over ''Up All Night'' timeslot.
===="We Peacock Comedy" (2012–2013)==== For the 2012–13 season, NBC renamed the Thursday comedy night as "We Peacock Comedy", however, that season experienced various fates: ''Up All Night'' being canceled at mid-season; and two of NBC's most successful and critically acclaimed shows from the 2000s ending their runs that season: ''The Office'' after nine seasons (which during its final two seasons experienced considerable decrease in quality and viewership –especially after Steve Carell left the series after its seventh season–), and ''30 Rock'' after seven seasons (which despite the critical acclaim, the series struggled in the ratings throughout its run, and never ranked higher than 69th place in the yearly Nielsen ratings).
===="NBC's Family of Comedies" and record ratings lows (2013–2014)==== For the 2013–14 season, after ''The Office'' and ''30 Rock'' ended their runs, NBC made an effort to broaden its comedy lineup.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/nbc-ratings-comedy-shows/|title=NBC Reveals Programming Shift; No More Niche Comedies|first=Kevin|last=Yeoman|work=Screen Rant|date=27 July 2012|access-date=13 December 2014|archive-date=14 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214040255/http://screenrant.com/nbc-ratings-comedy-shows/|url-status=live}}</ref> In May 2013, NBC picked up three family comedies (''The Michael J. Fox Show'' –with Michael J. Fox returning to NBC after 24 years since the ''Family Ties'' finale–, ''Sean Saves the World'' and ''Welcome to the Family'') and rebranded its Thursday night lineup as "NBC's New Family of Comedies" for that fall season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2013/05/nbcs-2013-14-schedule-revolution-moves-to-wednesday-parenthood-to-thursday-chicago-fire-to-tuesday-blacklist-gets-post-voice-slot-497045/|title=NBC's 2013–14 Schedule: 'Revolution' Moves To Wednesday, 'Parenthood' To Thursday, 'Blacklist' Gets Post 'Voice' Slot|first=Nellie|last=Andreeva|work=Deadline|date=12 May 2013|access-date=13 December 2014|archive-date=31 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150531024833/http://deadline.com/2013/05/nbcs-2013-14-schedule-revolution-moves-to-wednesday-parenthood-to-thursday-chicago-fire-to-tuesday-blacklist-gets-post-voice-slot-497045/|url-status=live}}</ref> These new comedies joined the returning ''Parks & Recreation'' and critically acclaimed drama ''Parenthood'', which also moved to Thursdays that season. The debut of ''The Michael J. Fox Show'' was the lowest-rated Thursday fall comedy series premiere in network history.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/early-ratings-robin-williams-easily-tops-michael-j-fox/|title=Ratings: Robin Williams's 'Crazy Ones' Easily Tops 'The Michael J. Fox Show' – TheWrap|work=TheWrap|date=27 September 2013 |access-date=13 December 2014}}</ref> One week later, the debut of ''Welcome to the Family'' became the new record-holder, with ''Sean Saves the World'' ranking as the second lowest ever.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adweek.com/news/television/nbc-s-thursday-night-comedies-fall-flat-152915|title=NBC's Thursday Night Comedies Fall Flat|work=AdWeek|date=4 October 2013|access-date=13 December 2014|archive-date=13 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213183953/http://www.adweek.com/news/television/nbc-s-thursday-night-comedies-fall-flat-152915|url-status=live}}</ref> On October 10, 2013, NBC tied an all-time low on Thursday nights (tied with May 17, 2012), while finishing in fourth place (or combined with programming on Spanish-language network Univision, along with ''Thursday Night Football'' on NFL Network and Major League Baseball playoff coverage on TBS, seventh) for the night.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2013/10/nbc-ratings-all-time-thursday-low-609716/|title=NBC Ratings — Finishes No. 7 On Night After Tying Record Thursday Low – Deadline|first=Nellie|last=Andreeva|work=Deadline|date=11 October 2013|access-date=13 December 2014|archive-date=14 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214031710/http://deadline.com/2013/10/nbc-ratings-all-time-thursday-low-609716/|url-status=live}}</ref> On November 21, 2013, NBC averaged a 1.0 in the adults 18–49 age bracket, its lowest ever in-season average for regularly scheduled programming on the night.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2013/11/ratings-big-bang-theory-nbc-lo-641576/|title=CW Ratings – Nework Tops NBC In Demo From 8–10 PM For First Time – Deadline|first=Nellie|last=Andreeva|work=Deadline|date=22 November 2013|access-date=13 December 2014|archive-date=14 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214031715/http://deadline.com/2013/11/ratings-big-bang-theory-nbc-lo-641576/|url-status=live}}</ref> On the same night, The CW defeated the NBC comedy block, a first for the network. All three new shows were eventually canceled (''Welcome to the Family'' was pulled three episodes into its first season, while ''The Michael J. Fox Show'' and ''Sean Saves the World'' were dropped shortly before the 2014 Winter Olympics; in the case of ''The Michael J. Fox Show'', this was despite NBC giving a 22-episode order for the series prior to its debut), with ''Parks and Recreation'' and ''Community'' (the latter of which returned at mid-season), the only two sitcoms for the remainder of the 2013–14 season, which were joined by ''Hollywood Game Night'', followed by ''Parenthood''. At the end of the season, ''Community'' was canceled by NBC after five seasons, only to be renewed by Yahoo! Screen for its sixth and final season.
====End of comedy programming (2014–16)==== In May 2014, NBC announced their schedule for the upcoming 2014 fall season at upfronts, with only a single hour of Thursday comedy during the fall for the first time since 2005. Veteran reality show ''The Biggest Loser'' would take the 8pm slot, followed by new comedies ''Bad Judge'' and ''A to Z'' and the final season of ''Parenthood''. They also announced the drama ''The Blacklist'' would take the 9pm slot at mid-season the week following the Super Bowl, hinting at the end of NBC's Thursday comedy tradition. In December 2014, NBC announced their mid-season schedule, with three dramas scheduled on Thursday to compete with ABC.<ref name="end">{{Cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/article/nbc-has-officially-killed-its-thursday-night-comed-212974 |title=NBC Has Officially Killed Its Thursday Night Comedy Block |last=Barsanti |first=Sam |date=December 12, 2014 |publisher=The A.V. Club |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-date=January 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129155420/http://www.avclub.com/article/nbc-has-officially-killed-its-thursday-night-comed-212974 |url-status=live }}</ref> This was the first time NBC had not aired comedies on Thursday since 1981, which put the "Must See TV" brand on hiatus for three years. The seventh and final season of ''Parks and Recreation'' was moved to Tuesday nights, possibly in an attempt to burn off the last 13 episodes.<ref name="parcsrec">{{Cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/article/nbc-moves-parks-and-recreation-tuesday-final-seaso-212452 |title=NBC moves ''Parks and Recreation'' to Tuesday in Final-Season 'Event' |last=Rife |first=Katie |date=December 1, 2014 |publisher=The A.V. Club |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-date=January 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129124718/http://www.avclub.com/article/nbc-moves-parks-and-recreation-tuesday-final-seaso-212452 |url-status=live }}</ref> In May 2015, it was announced that NBC's Thursday broke into the Top 50 most-watched programming for the first time in five years, with ''The Blacklist'' being number 14. It was the night's best showing since ''The Office'' was in the Top 50 during the 2009–10 season.
Despite stiff competition from CBS and ABC, NBC Thursday night improved on ratings, however, the 2015–16 season was the first full season since the 1980–81 season in which no featured sitcoms at all. That season's lineup consisted on the miniseries ''Heroes Reborn'', a continuation of the superhero drama series ''Heroes''; ''The Blacklist'' and ''The Player''. NBC Thursday lineup ended the season with ''The Blacklist'' ranked at 22nd, and a mid-season replacement ''Shades of Blue'' at 35th.<ref name="entertainment2016">{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/05/tv-season-2015-2016-series-rankings-shows-full-list-1201763189/|title=Full 2015–16 TV Season Series Rankings|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=May 26, 2015|access-date=May 26, 2015|archive-date=May 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528121101/http://deadline.com/2016/05/tv-season-2015-2016-series-rankings-shows-full-list-1201763189/|url-status=live}}</ref> Over at CBS, for that season, they used the same tactics NBC did for the last 34 years: form a two-hour comedy programming block, which includes four sitcoms, such as the hit comedies ''The Big Bang Theory'' and ''Mom'', followed by one drama.
===="Super Good Thursdays" and return of comedy programming (2016–17)==== In May 2016, NBC announced the return of Thursday comedy for the 2016–17 season for the first time in two years, with the returning comedy ''Superstore'' and a new show to debut that fall: ''The Good Place'', which marked the return of Ted Danson to NBC, after 23 years since the ''Cheers'' series finale; followed by ''Chicago Med'' and ''The Blacklist'', earning continued success to the lineup. NBC also began to broadcast the second half of the ''Thursday Night Football'' season in a simulcast with NFL Network in November, effectively breaking those shows' seasons into half-seasons.
===Second run (2017–2021)=== In May 2017, NBC announced the return of the "Must See TV" branding, for the first time in eleven years, with the return of ''Will & Grace'' and the addition of the returning sitcom ''Great News'', set to air on Thursdays for the 2017–18 season in addition to ''Superstore'' and ''The Good Place'', all of them being followed by ''Chicago Fire''. Outside of holiday specials for ''Will & Grace'' and ''Superstore'', again all four shows had their seasons broken up by ''Thursday Night Football''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/14/entertainment/nbc-must-see-tv/|title=NBC bringing back 'Must See TV'|work=CNN|date=May 14, 2017|access-date=May 16, 2017|archive-date=May 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170516183436/http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/14/entertainment/nbc-must-see-tv/|url-status=live}}</ref> Beginning with the 2018 NFL season, ''Thursday Night Football'' moved to Fox and eventually Amazon Prime Video, allowing NBC series to continue uninterrupted on Thursday nights aside from the traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas hiatuses. Despite NBC bringing back "Must See TV" and its two-hour comedy lineup on Thursdays, its performance struggled throughout the entire season, with CBS remaining as the number-one network on that night, with the continued success of ''The Big Bang Theory'', ''Mom'' and the breakout hit ''Young Sheldon'', followed by ABC with ''Grey's Anatomy'' continuing to perform well on the ratings, which were enough for both networks to outrate NBC's entire comedy lineup –''Chicago Fire'' was the most successful show for the evening, ranking at 22nd in the Nielsens–.
''Will & Grace'', ''Superstore'' and ''The Good Place'' remained on the "Must See TV" Thursday lineup for the 2018–19 season, with ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' taking over ''Chicago Fire'' timeslot; and a new comedy premiering that fall following the cancellation of ''Great News'' the previous season: ''I Feel Bad'', which was canceled at mid-season and was replaced by ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'', which was renewed by NBC after being canceled by Fox after five seasons in the spring of 2018.
For the 2019–20 season, two new sitcoms premiered to join ''Superstore'' and ''The Good Place'': the ultimately short-lived shows ''Perfect Harmony'' and ''Sunnyside'', which were canceled at mid-season. ''Will & Grace'' returned for its eleventh and final season, before ending definitely in April 2020. ''The Good Place'' also ended its run after four seasons on the air.
For NBC's final season of "Must See TV", several changes were made for the 2020–21 season. The Thursday comedy night was shortened again to one hour, with ''Superstore'' joined by a new comedy ''Connecting'', which was canceled after only four episodes, and was replaced by reruns of ''Superstore'' on its slot, until a brand new series, ''Mr. Mayor'', entered the lineup in early 2021, co-created by ''30 Rock'''s Tina Fey and starring Ted Danson on his third sitcom for NBC after ''Cheers'' and ''The Good Place''; this was followed by ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' and ''Dateline NBC''. However, in February 2021, it was announced that NBC's Thursday night comedy block would be replaced by a block of drama shows (specifically the ''Law & Order'' franchise), with ''Superstore'' ending a six-season run; ''Mr. Mayor'' moving to Tuesdays for its second season; and ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' airing its eighth and final season during the summer. Shortly after, the "Must See TV" slogan disappeared for a second time on NBC.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/nbc-comedy-free-thursday-all-drama-lineup-manifest-must-see-tv-brooklyn-nine-nine-1234687478/|title=NBC Goes Comedy-Free On Thursday As 'Manifest' & 'Good Girls' Get Premiere Dates, 'Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist' Sets Return In New Slot|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=February 4, 2021|access-date=March 7, 2024|archive-date=May 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529195910/https://deadline.com/2021/02/nbc-comedy-free-thursday-all-drama-lineup-manifest-must-see-tv-brooklyn-nine-nine-1234687478/|url-status=live}}</ref>
==NBC Thursday night lineup history== <!--All information in this table through August 2007 was done through programming research documented in "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows".-->
:{{Color box|lime|border=darkgray}} Lime indicates the #1 most-watched program of the season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.quotenmeter.de/cms/?p1=n&p2=43034&p3=|title=Die Season ist vorbei: Amerikas heißeste Liste|publisher=quotenmeter.de|date=2010-07-05|access-date=2010-09-02|archive-date=2010-07-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706175100/http://www.quotenmeter.de/cms/?p1=n&p2=43034&p3=|url-status=live}}</ref> :{{Color box|yellow|border=darkgray}} Yellow indicates the top-10 most-watched programs of the season. :{{Color box|cyan|border=darkgray}} Cyan indicates the top-20 most watched programs of the season. :{{Color box|magenta|border=darkgray}} Magenta indicates the top-30 most watched programs of the season. :{{Color box|orange|border=darkgray}} Orange indicates the top-40 most watched programs of the season. :{{Color box|silver|border=darkgray}} Silver indicates the top-50 most watched programs of the season.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" |- !width="14%" colspan=2 style="background-color:#C0C0C0"|Year(s) / Season !width="12%" style="background-color:#C0C0C0"|8:00 PM !width="12%" style="background-color:#C0C0C0"|8:30 PM !width="12%" style="background-color:#C0C0C0"|9:00 PM !width="12%" style="background-color:#C0C0C0"|9:30 PM !width="12%" style="background-color:#C0C0C0"|10:00 PM !width="12%" style="background-color:#C0C0C0"|10:30 PM |- ! colspan=8|Pre-Must See TV (1979–1982) |- !width="8%" rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 1979–1980 |width="4%|Fall | rowspan=3 colspan=2|'''''Buck Rogers in the 25th Century ''''' | colspan="2" rowspan="3" |''Quincy M.E.'' | colspan="2" |''Kate Loves a Mystery'' |- |Winter | colspan="2" |'''''Skag''''' |- |Spring | colspan="2" |''The Rockford Files'' |- !width="10%" rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 1980–1981 |Fall | colspan=2|'''''Games People Play''''' | rowspan=3 colspan=4|''NBC Thursday Night at the Movies'' |- |Winter | rowspan=2 colspan=2|''Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' |- |Spring |- !rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 1981–1982 |Fall |''Harper Valley'' | '''''Lewis & Clark''''' | bgcolor="orange" rowspan=3| ''Diff'rent Strokes'' | bgcolor="silver" rowspan=3| '''''Gimme a Break!''''' | bgcolor="magenta" colspan="2" rowspan=3 colspan=2| ''Hill Street Blues'' |- |Winter | rowspan=2 colspan=2| '''''Fame''''' |- |Spring |- ! colspan=8|"The Best Night of Television on Television" (1982–1993) |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 1982–1983 |Fall | rowspan=3 colspan=2| ''Fame'' | '''''Cheers''''' | ''Taxi'' | bgcolor="magenta" colspan="2" rowspan=3 colspan=2| ''Hill Street Blues'' |- |Winter | rowspan=2| ''Gimme a Break!'' | rowspan=2| '''''Cheers''''' |- |Spring |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 1983–1984 |Fall | bgcolor="silver" rowspan=3| ''Gimme a Break!'' | ''Mama's Family'' | '''''We Got It Made''''' | bgcolor="orange" | ''Cheers'' | bgcolor="orange" colspan="2" rowspan=3 colspan=2| ''Hill Street Blues'' |- |Winter | bgcolor="silver" rowspan=2| ''Family Ties'' | bgcolor="orange" rowspan=2| ''Cheers'' | ''Buffalo Bill'' |- |Spring | '''''The Duck Factory''''' |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD;text-align:center"| 1984–1985 |Fall | bgcolor="yellow" rowspan=3| '''''The Cosby Show''''' | rowspan="9" bgcolor="yellow" | ''Family Ties'' | bgcolor="cyan" rowspan=3| ''Cheers'' | rowspan="6" bgcolor="cyan" | ''Night Court'' | bgcolor="magenta" rowspan=3 colspan=2| ''Hill Street Blues'' |- |Winter |- |Spring |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 1985–1986 |Fall | rowspan="15" bgcolor="lime" | ''The Cosby Show'' | rowspan="15" bgcolor="yellow" | ''Cheers'' | bgcolor="orange" rowspan=3 colspan=2| ''Hill Street Blues'' |- |Winter |- |Spring |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 1986–1987 |Fall | bgcolor="yellow" rowspan=2| ''Night Court'' | bgcolor="silver" colspan=2| ''Hill Street Blues'' |- |Winter | bgcolor="magenta" rowspan=2 colspan=2| '''''L.A. Law''''' |- |Spring | '''''Nothing in Common''''' |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 1987–1988 |Fall | rowspan="12" bgcolor="yellow" | '''''A Different World''''' | bgcolor="yellow" rowspan=2| ''Night Court'' | colspan="2" rowspan="9" bgcolor="cyan" | ''L.A. Law'' |- |Winter |- |Spring | ''The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd'' |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 1988–1989 |Fall | bgcolor="cyan" rowspan=3| '''''Dear John''''' |- |Winter |- |Spring |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 1989–1990 |Fall | bgcolor="cyan" | ''Dear John'' |- |Winter | bgcolor="cyan" #F0F0F0" | '''''Grand''''' |- |Spring | '''''Wings''''' |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD;text-align:center"| 1990–1991 |Fall | bgcolor="yellow" rowspan=3| ''The Cosby Show'' | bgcolor="lime" rowspan=3| ''Cheers'' | bgcolor="magenta" | ''Grand'' | colspan="2" rowspan="6" bgcolor="magenta" | ''L.A. Law'' |- |Winter | bgcolor="silver" | ''Wings'' |- |Spring | bgcolor="silver" | ''Seinfeld'' |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 1991–1992 |Fall | bgcolor="cyan" rowspan=3| ''The Cosby Show'' | bgcolor="cyan" rowspan=3| ''A Different World'' | rowspan="6" bgcolor="yellow" | ''Cheers'' | bgcolor="cyan" rowspan=3| ''Wings'' |- |Winter |- |Spring |- ! rowspan="3" style="background-color:#DDDDDD;text-align:center" | 1992–1993 |Fall | ''A Different World'' | '''''Rhythm & Blues''''' | bgcolor="magenta" | ''Wings'' | colspan="2" rowspan="3" bgcolor="orange" | ''L.A. Law'' |- |Winter | rowspan="2" | ''Cheers'' <small>(R)</small> | rowspan="2" bgcolor="magenta" | ''Wings'' | rowspan="2" bgcolor="magenta" | ''Seinfeld'' |- |Spring |- ! colspan=8|Must See TV (1993–2006) |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 1993–1994 |Fall | bgcolor="orange" rowspan=3| ''Mad About You'' | bgcolor="cyan" rowspan=3| ''Wings'' | bgcolor="yellow" rowspan=3| ''Seinfeld'' | bgcolor="yellow" rowspan=3| '''''Frasier''''' | bgcolor="orange" colspan=2| ''L.A. Law'' |- |Winter | bgcolor="magenta" colspan=2| ''Homicide: Life on the Street'' |- |Spring | bgcolor="orange" colspan=2| ''L.A. Law'' |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 1994–1995 |Fall | bgcolor="cyan" rowspan=3| ''Mad About You'' | bgcolor="yellow" rowspan=2| '''''Friends''''' | bgcolor="lime" rowspan=3| ''Seinfeld'' | bgcolor="cyan" rowspan=2| '''''Madman of the People''''' | bgcolor="yellow" rowspan=3 colspan=2| '''''ER''''' |- |Winter |- |Spring | bgcolor="cyan" | '''''Hope & Gloria''''' | bgcolor="yellow" | '''''Friends''''' |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 1995–1996 |Fall | rowspan="18" bgcolor="yellow" | ''Friends'' | bgcolor="yellow" rowspan=2| '''''The Single Guy''''' | rowspan="6" bgcolor="yellow" | ''Seinfeld'' | bgcolor="yellow" rowspan=3| '''''Caroline in the City''''' | colspan="2" rowspan="6" bgcolor="lime" | ''ER'' |- |Winter |- |Spring | bgcolor="yellow" | '''''Boston Common''''' |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 1996–1997 |Fall | bgcolor="yellow" rowspan=2| ''The Single Guy'' | bgcolor="yellow" | '''''Suddenly Susan''''' |- |Winter | bgcolor="yellow"| ''The Naked Truth'' |- |Spring | bgcolor="yellow"| '''''Suddenly Susan''''' | bgcolor="yellow"| '''''Fired Up''''' |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD;text-align:center"| 1997–1998 |Fall | bgcolor="yellow" | '''''Union Square''''' | bgcolor="lime" rowspan=3| ''Seinfeld'' | rowspan="6" bgcolor="yellow" | '''''Veronica's Closet''''' | bgcolor="yellow" rowspan=3 colspan=2| ''ER'' |- |Winter | bgcolor="cyan" rowspan=2| ''Just Shoot Me!'' |- |Spring |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 1998–1999 |Fall | bgcolor="yellow" rowspan=2| '''''Jesse''''' | rowspan="6" bgcolor="yellow" | ''Frasier'' | bgcolor="lime" rowspan=3 colspan=2| ''ER'' |- |Winter |- |Spring | bgcolor="orange" | '''''Will & Grace''''' |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 1999–2000 |Fall | bgcolor="cyan" rowspan=2| ''Jesse'' | bgcolor="cyan" rowspan=2| '''''Stark Raving Mad''''' | colspan="2" rowspan="15" bgcolor="yellow" | ''ER'' |- |Winter |- |Spring | '''''Daddio''''' | '''''Battery Park''''' |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD;text-align:center"| 2000–2001 |Fall | bgcolor="magenta" rowspan=3| '''''Cursed''''' | bgcolor="cyan" rowspan=3| ''Will & Grace'' | rowspan="6" bgcolor="cyan" | ''Just Shoot Me!'' |- |Winter |- |Spring |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 2001–2002 |Fall | bgcolor="lime" rowspan=3| ''Friends'' | bgcolor="cyan" | '''''Inside Schwartz''''' | bgcolor="yellow" rowspan=3| ''Will & Grace'' |- |Winter | bgcolor="yellow" | '''''Leap of Faith''''' |- |Spring | ''Friends'' <small>(R)</small> |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD;text-align:center"| 2002–2003 |Fall | rowspan="6" bgcolor="yellow" | ''Friends'' | bgcolor="cyan" rowspan=3| ''Scrubs'' | rowspan="4" bgcolor="cyan" | ''Will & Grace'' | bgcolor="magenta" rowspan=2| '''''Good Morning, Miami''''' |- |Winter |- |Spring |''Frasier'' <small>(R)</small> |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 2003–2004 |Fall | bgcolor="silver" | ''Scrubs'' | '''''Coupling''''' |- |Winter | bgcolor="cyan" | ''Will & Grace'' | bgcolor="yellow" colspan=2| '''''The Apprentice''''' |- |Spring | bgcolor="orange" | ''Frasier'' | bgcolor="cyan" | ''Will & Grace'' | bgcolor="silver" | ''Scrubs'' |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 2004–2005 |Fall | bgcolor="orange" rowspan=3| '''''Joey''''' | bgcolor="silver" rowspan=3| ''Will & Grace'' | bgcolor="cyan" rowspan=3 colspan=2| ''The Apprentice'' | bgcolor="cyan" rowspan=3 colspan=2| ''ER'' |- |Winter |- |Spring |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 2005–2006 |Fall | ''Joey'' | ''Will & Grace'' | bgcolor="orange" colspan=2| ''The Apprentice'' | bgcolor="magenta" rowspan=3 colspan=2| ''ER'' |- |Winter | rowspan=2| ''Will & Grace'' | '''''Four Kings''''' | bgcolor="silver" rowspan=2| '''''My Name Is Earl''''' | rowspan=2| ''The Office'' |- |Spring | '''''My Name Is Earl''''' <small>(R)</small> |- ! colspan=8|Comedy Night Done Right (2006–2012) |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 2006–2007 |Fall | rowspan="9" | ''My Name Is Earl'' | rowspan=3| ''The Office'' | bgcolor="silver" colspan=2| ''Deal or No Deal'' | colspan="2" rowspan="8" bgcolor="orange" | ''ER'' |- |Winter<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-nbcthursdaylineupscrubsreturns,0,5301098.story?coll=zap-tv-mainheadline |title='Scrubs' Returns as NBC Remakes Thursdays |publisher=Zap2It |date=2006-10-25 |archive-date=2007-03-08 |access-date=2007-03-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070308035445/http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-nbcthursdaylineupscrubsreturns,0,5301098.story?coll=zap-tv-mainheadline |url-status=dead }}</ref> | ''Scrubs'' | '''''30 Rock''''' |- |Spring<ref>{{cite news |url=https://tv.yahoo.com/news/article/urn:newsml:tv.reuters.com:20070313:nbc_dc__ER:1 |title=NBC switches "30 Rock," "Scrubs" |first=Nellie |last=Andreeva |date=March 13, 2007 |publisher=Yahoo! |access-date=13 December 2014 |archive-date=22 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070322142812/http://tv.yahoo.com/news/article/urn:newsml:tv.reuters.com:20070313:nbc_dc__ER:1 |url-status=live }}</ref> | '''''30 Rock''''' | '''''Andy Barker, P.I.''''' |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 2007–2008 |Fall<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-nbcbonusofficeearl,0,3690939.story?coll=zap-news-headlines |title=NBC Orders Extra 'Office,' 'Earl' |date=2007-05-14 |publisher=Zap2it |archive-date=2007-05-16 |access-date=2007-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070516080436/http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-nbcbonusofficeearl,0,3690939.story?coll=zap-news-headlines |url-status=dead }}</ref> | ''30 Rock'' | bgcolor="silver" | ''The Office'' | ''Scrubs'' |- |Winter{{ref|Writers Strike|1}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-nbcschedule-mediumpremieredate,0,2251811.story |title=NBC Slots 'Medium,' Firms Up Schedule |date=2007-12-07 |publisher=Zap2it |archive-date=2007-12-09 |access-date=2007-12-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071209165617/http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-nbcschedule-mediumpremieredate%2C0%2C2251811.story |url-status=dead }}</ref> | ''The Office'' <small>(R)</small> | colspan=2| ''Celebrity Apprentice'' |- |Spring<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-scrubs30rockswitchtimeslots,0,1881559.story |title='30 Rock,' 'Scrubs' Swap Timeslots |date=2008-05-22 |publisher=Zap2it |archive-date=2008-04-23 |access-date=2008-04-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423222835/http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-scrubs30rockswitchtimeslots,0,1881559.story |url-status=dead }}</ref> | ''Scrubs'' | rowspan="7" bgcolor="silver" | ''The Office'' | rowspan="7" | ''30 Rock'' |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 2008–2009 |Fall | rowspan=2| '''''Kath & Kim''''' |- |Winter |- |Spring | '''''Parks and Recreation''''' | colspan=2| '''''Southland''''' |- !rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 2009–2010 |Fall | rowspan="7" | '''''Community''''' |rowspan=3| ''Parks and Recreation'' |rowspan=2 colspan=2| '''''The Jay Leno Show''''' |- |Winter |- |Spring |colspan=2| '''''The Marriage Ref''''' |- !rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 2010–2011 |Fall |rowspan=1| ''30 Rock'' | rowspan="6" | ''The Office'' |rowspan=1| '''''Outsourced''''' |rowspan=1 colspan=2| ''The Apprentice'' |- |Winter |rowspan=1| '''''Perfect Couples''''' |rowspan=2| ''Parks and Recreation'' |rowspan=2| ''30 Rock'' |rowspan=2| '''''Outsourced''''' |- |Spring |rowspan=1| '''''The Paul Reiser Show''''' |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"| 2011–2012 | Fall | rowspan="3"|''Parks and Recreation'' | '''''Whitney''''' | colspan="2"|'''''Prime Suspect''''' |- | Winter | rowspan="2"|''30 Rock'' | rowspan="2"|'''''Up All Night''''' | colspan="2"|'''''The Firm''''' |- | Spring | rowspan="1" colspan="2"|'''''Awake''''' |- ! colspan=8|"We Peacock Comedy" Thursdays (2012–2013) |- ! rowspan=3 style="background-color:#DDDDDD"|2012–2013 | Fall | rowspan="2"|''30 Rock'' | ''Up All Night'' | rowspan="3"|''The Office'' | ''Parks and Recreation'' | rowspan="2" colspan="2"|''Rock Center with Brian Williams'' |- | Winter | rowspan="2"|''Parks and Recreation'' | '''''1600 Penn''''' |- | Spring | ''Community'' | '''''Go On''''' | colspan="2"|'''''Hannibal''''' |- ! colspan=8|NBC's Family of Comedies (2013–2014) |- ! rowspan="3" style="background-color:#DDDDDD"|2013–2014 | Fall | ''Parks and Recreation'' | '''''Welcome to the Family''''' | rowspan="2"|'''''Sean Saves the World''''' | rowspan="2"|'''''The Michael J. Fox Show''''' | rowspan="3" colspan="2"|''Parenthood'' |- | Winter | rowspan="2"|''Community'' | rowspan="2"| ''Parks and Recreation'' |- | Spring | colspan="2"|''Hollywood Game Night'' |- ! colspan=8|Post-Must See TV (2014–2016) |- ! rowspan="3" style="background-color:#DDDDDD"|2014–2015 | Fall | colspan="2"|''The Biggest Loser: Glory Days'' |'''''Bad Judge''''' |'''''A to Z''''' | colspan="2"|''Parenthood'' |- | Winter | colspan="2"|'''''The Slap''''' | bgcolor="cyan" rowspan="2" colspan="2"|''The Blacklist'' | colspan="2"|'''''Allegiance''''' |- | Spring | colspan="2"|''Dateline NBC'' | colspan="2"|'''''The Slap''''' |- ! rowspan="3" style="background-color:#DDDDDD"|2015–2016 | Fall | colspan="2"|'''''Heroes Reborn''''' | bgcolor="magenta" rowspan="3" colspan="2"|''The Blacklist'' | colspan="2"|'''''The Player''''' |- | Winter | colspan="2"|'''''You, Me and the Apocalypse''''' | bgcolor="orange" colspan="2"|'''''Shades of Blue''''' |- | Spring | colspan="2"|'''''Strong''''' | colspan="2"|'''''Game of Silence''''' |- ! colspan=8|"Super Good" Thursdays (2016–2017) |- ! rowspan="3" style="background-color:#DDDDDD"|2016–2017 | Fall | rowspan="2"|''Superstore'' | '''''The Good Place''''' | bgcolor="magenta" rowspan="3" colspan="2"|''Chicago Med'' | bgcolor="magenta" colspan="2"|''The Blacklist'' |- | Winter |'''''Powerless''''' | colspan="2"|'''''The Blacklist: Redemption''''' |- | Spring | ''Superstore'' <small>(R)</small> | ''Superstore'' | bgcolor="magenta" colspan="2"|''The Blacklist'' |- ! colspan=8|Must See TV (second era, 2017–2021) |- ! rowspan="3" style="background-color:#DDDDDD"|2017–2018 | Fall | rowspan="3" |''Superstore'' |''The Good Place'' | bgcolor="orange" rowspan="3" | ''Will & Grace'' | ''Great News'' | bgcolor="magenta" rowspan="3" colspan="2"|''Chicago Fire'' |- | Winter | rowspan="2" | '''''A.P. Bio''''' | rowspan="2" | '''''Champions''''' |- | Spring |- ! rowspan="3" style="background-color:#DDDDDD"|2018–2019 | Fall | ''Superstore'' | ''The Good Place'' | ''Will & Grace'' | '''''I Feel Bad''''' | colspan="2" rowspan="6" |''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' |- | Winter | colspan="2"| '''''The Titan Games''''' | rowspan="2"| ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' | ''The Good Place'' |- | Spring | ''Superstore'' | ''A.P. Bio'' | '''''Abby's ''''' |- ! rowspan="3" style="background-color:#DDDDDD"|2019–2020 | Fall | rowspan="2"| ''Superstore'' | '''''Perfect Harmony''''' | ''The Good Place'' | '''''Sunnyside''''' |- | Winter | ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' | ''Will & Grace'' | '''''Indebted''''' |- | Spring | colspan="2"| '''''Council of Dads''''' | colspan="2"| ''Blindspot'' |- ! rowspan="3" style="background-color:#DDDDDD" |2020–2021 | Fall | ''Superstore'' | '''''Connecting''''' | bgcolor="orange" colspan="2" rowspan="3" |''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' | rowspan="2" colspan="2"|''Dateline NBC'' |- | Winter | '''''Mr. Mayor''''' | ''Superstore'' |- |Spring | colspan="2" |''Manifest'' | bgcolor="magenta" colspan="2" |'''''Law & Order: Organized Crime''''' |- ! colspan=8|Post-Must See TV (2021–present) |- ! rowspan="3" style="background-color:#DDDDDD"|2021–2022 |Fall | bgcolor="silver" colspan="2"|''The Blacklist'' | colspan="2" rowspan="6" bgcolor="magenta" |''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' | bgcolor="silver" rowspan="3" colspan="2"|''Law & Order: Organized Crime'' |- |Winter | colspan="2" rowspan="4" bgcolor="orange" |''Law & Order'' |- |Spring |- ! rowspan="3" style="background-color:#DDDDDD"|2022–2023 |Fall | bgcolor="orange" rowspan="2" colspan="2"|''Law & Order: Organized Crime'' |- |Winter |- |Spring | colspan="2"|''The Blacklist'' | colspan="2"|''Magnum P.I.'' <small>(R)</small> |- ! rowspan="3" style="background-color:#DDDDDD"|2023–2024 |Fall | colspan="2"|''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' <small>(R)</small> | colspan="2"|''Transplant'' | colspan="2"|''Dateline NBC'' |- |Winter | bgcolor="orange" rowspan="2" colspan="2"|''Law & Order'' | bgcolor="cyan" rowspan="2" colspan="2"|''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' | bgcolor="orange" rowspan="2" colspan="2"|''Law & Order: Organized Crime'' |- |Spring |- ! rowspan="3" style="background-color:#DDDDDD"|2024–2025 |Fall | bgcolor="silver" rowspan="2" colspan="2"|''Law & Order'' | bgcolor="magenta" rowspan="3" colspan="2"|''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' | bgcolor="silver" rowspan="2" colspan="2"|''Found'' |- |Winter |- |Spring | colspan="2"|''Transplant'' | colspan="2"|''Law & Order'' <small>(R)</small> |- |} {{refbegin}} {{note|Writers Strike|1}} Because of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, shows that would regularly air were replaced with reruns and unscripted programming. A few episodes of ''Deal or No Deal'' occupied the 8:00 p.m. time slot on Thursdays during the strike.
{{note|Slap|2}} During the second half of the 2014–15 season, ''The Slap'' initially occupied the 8:00 p.m. time slot; it was moved to the 10:00 p.m. time slot midway through its run after ''Allegiance'' was canceled. {{refend}}
==Other series and specials== Several series aired on Thursdays to take advantage of the huge audience. These series include: {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * ''Night Court'' (summer 1984) * ''Our House'' (September 11, 1986) * ''Crime Story'' (September 18, 1986) * ''The Tortellis'' (January 22, 1987) * ''Roomies'' (March 19, 1987) * ''The Bronx Zoo'' (March 19, 1987) * ''The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd'' (summer 1987) * ''Beverly Hills Buntz'' (November 5, 1987; December 24, 1987) * ''Mama's Boy'' (November 26, 1987) * ''Day by Day'' (March 3, 1988) * ''My Two Dads'' (April 7, 1988) * ''Dream Street'' (April 13, 1989) * ''Tattingers'' (April 20, 1989) * ''Baby Boom'' (July 13, 1989) * ''FM'' (August 17, 1989, September 14, 1989, summer 1990) * ''Sister Kate'' (September 21, 1989) * ''Hardball'' (September 21, 1989) * ''Mancuso, F.B.I.'' (October 19, 1989) * ''Ann Jillian'' (November 30, 1989) * ''Down Home'' (April 12, 1990; February 28, 1991) * ''Seinfeld'' (summer 1990) * ''Quantum Leap'' (summer 1990; June 27, 1991) * ''Blossom'' (July 5, 1990; January 3, 1991) * ''Ferris Bueller'' (August 23, 1990) * ''Parenthood'' (September 6, 1990; repeat of pilot episode) * ''Law & Order'' (September 13, 1990; October 4, 1990; October 11, 1990; June 2, 1994; spring 1997) * ''American Dreamer'' (September 20, 1990) * ''Sisters'' (summer 1991) * ''The Adventures of Mark and Brian'' * ''Dear John'' (September 19, 1991) * ''Reasonable Doubts'' (September 26, 1991) * ''The Torkelsons'' (January 9, 1992) * ''Home Fires'' (June 25, 1992) * ''Dateline NBC'' (October 8, 1992; July 29, 1993; March 31, 1994; June 16, 1994; June 30 – July 14, 1994; July 28 – August 11, 1994; August 25 – September 1, 1994; September 1, 2005) * ''Mad About You'' (summer 1993, August 5, 1999) * ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' (November 5, 1992) * ''South Beach'' (August 12, 1993) * ''First Person with Maria Shriver'' (August 26, 1993; July 21, 1994) * ''seaQuest DSV'' (December 30, 1993) * ''Sweet Justice'' (September 15, 1994) * ''Prince Street'' (March 6, 1997) * ''NewsRadio'' (August 3, 1995, June 1997) * ''Men Behaving Badly'' (summer 1997: June 12, 1997) * ''Suddenly Susan'' (summer 1998) * ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' (summer 1996, July 9, 1998, summer 1999, summer 2000) * ''Working'' (August 20, 1998) * ''Frasier'' (August 27, 1998, September 3, 1998) * ''Just Shoot Me!'' (August 5, 1999, summer 2000) * ''Will & Grace'' (c. spring-summer 2000) * ''Las Vegas'' (July 8, 2004) * ''Medical Investigation'' (September 9, 2004) * ''Medium'' (January 6, 2005) {{div col end}}
Specials that the network has aired on Thursdays to take advantage of the audience on that night: *''Michael Nesmith in Television Parts'' (March 7, 1985) *''Bigshots in America'' (June 20, 1985) *''Phil Donahue Examines the Human Animal'' (August 14, 1986) *''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: 24th Anniversary'' (September 25, 1986) *''Splitting Image: The 1987 Movie Awards'' (March 26, 1987) *''The Art of Being Nick'' (August 27, 1987) *''Act II'' (September 3, 1987) *''NBC Investigates Bob Hope'' (September 17, 1987) *''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: 25th Anniversary'' (October 1, 1987) *''Late Night with David Letterman: 6th Anniversary Show'' (February 4, 1988) *''Heart and Soul'' (July 21, 1988) *''Channel 99'' (August 4, 1988) *''Stand by for HNN: The Hope News Network'' (September 8, 1988) *''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: 26th Anniversary'' (October 6, 1988) *''Late Night with David Letterman: 7th Anniversary Show'' (February 2, 1989) *''Jackee'' (May 11, 1989) *''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: 27th Anniversary'' (October 26, 1989) *''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: 28th Anniversary'' (September 27, 1990) *''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: 29th Anniversary'' (October 3, 1991) * ''Bob Hope's Star-Studded Comedy Special of the New Season'' (September 1991) * ''The Funny Women of Television'' (October 24, 1991) *''Late Night with David Letterman: 10th Anniversary Show'' (February 6, 1992) * ''The Comedy Store's 20th Anniversary'' (September 24, 1992) * ''A Spinal Tap Reunion'' (December 31, 1992) * ''Hillary: America's First Lady'' (June 10, 1993) * ''The Michael Jordan Special'' (August 5, 1993) * ''The Seinfeld Story'' (November 25, 2004)
==Summer programming== Series airing on Thursday night during and after the run of "Must See TV" during the summer months have included ''Spy TV'', ''Come to Papa'', ''Last Comic Standing'', ''Hit Me, Baby, One More Time'', ''The Law Firm'', ''Windfall'' and ''Love Bites''.
==Ratings== * Highest Rated Episode in the 1990s: 84.0 million viewers (''Cheers'': Series Finale – "One for the Road"; May 1993; 9:22 p.m.-11:00 p.m. ET) * Highest Rated Episode in the 2000s: 52.5 million viewers (''Friends'': Series Finale – "The Last One"; May 6, 2004; 9:00 p.m.-10:06 p.m. ET) * Highest Rated Episode in the 2010s: 9.35 million viewers (''The Office'': Hour-long episode – "The Delivery"; March 4, 2010; 9:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m. ET) * Highest Rated Episode of the line-up (Drama): 48.0 million viewers (''ER'': "Hell and High Water"; November 1995; 9:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. ET) * Highest Rated Episode of the line-up (Overall) and Peak viewership: 93.5 million viewers (''Cheers'': Series Finale; May 1993; 9:22 p.m.-11:00 p.m. ET) Note: ''Friends''{{'}}s peak viewership in its 2004 series finale reached 80 million viewers as tallied by the Nielsen ratings (final 5 minutes).
==See also== {{Portal|Television|United States}} * Thank God It's Thursday, a primetime Thursday branding on ABC in 2014 * TGIF, a primetime Friday branding on ABC from 1989 to 2005
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.nbc.com NBC.com] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060301070751/http://www.cse.psu.edu/~butler/mustsee.html Timeslot Source] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20100316165554/http://www.teletronic.co.uk/must_see.htm "Must See TV": The Rise and Fall of NBC's Thursday Night Schedule] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140511192807/http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/05/11/nbc-fall-schedule-2014/ NBC reveals fall TV schedule: Thursday comedy shakeup] *[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i7eadb51ccf4e863789a2d9342a215e04 "Must See TV" creator exits] *[https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/03/how-must-see-tv-lost-its-way/254511/ How Must See TV Lost Its Way] * [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1566411/ A 7-episode British television series of the same name, documenting programmes that 'must be seen'.]
Category:NBC Category:Advertising campaigns Category:Television programming blocks in the United States Category:1993 neologisms