Apple TV+ Orders “Fraggle Rock: Rock On!”; “Little Fires Everywhere” Concludes for the Season on Hulu

Barbara Walters was officially named the first woman to ever co-anchor NBC’s “The Today Show” in 1974… CBS sitcom “Maude,” starring Bea Arthur, concluded its six season run in 1978. A seventh season was planned for Maude Findlay to move to Washington, D.C. to pursue a career in politics, but Arthur decided to call it quits…Also in 1978, NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” featured the first appearance by The Blues Brothers (John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd) and comedian Steve Martin performed his famous King Tut routine…”Hill Street Blues” spin-off “Beverly Hills Buntz,” starring Dennis Franz, ended in 1988. It aired for only nine episodes…Robert Conrad starred alongside his real-life two sons, Christian Conrad and Shane Conrad, in the debut of short-lived CBS drama “Jesse Hawkes” in 1989. It was spun-off from “High Mountain Rangers,“ which also featured the trio and lasted for only one half-season…Also in 1989, Madonna scored her seventh No. 1 single in the U.S. with “Like a Prayer,” which spent three weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The music video that accompanied the hit, which featured images of stigmata, burning crosses and the kissing of a black saint, was condemned by family and religious groups and had caused the Pepsi company to cancel their sponsorship deal with her (but she was allowed to keep the deal’s fee)…In 1991, Johnny Carson announced he would be retiring from NBC’s “The Tonight Show.” His final telecast was on May 22, 1992…In 2002, actor Robert Blake was charged with murder in the shooting death of his wife. He was later acquitted.

Celebrity Birthdays: actress Estelle Harris (mother of George Costanza on “Seinfeld”) is 92; three-time Oscar winner Jack Nicholson is 83; “Hairspray” director John Waters is 74; singer Peter Frampton is 70; comedian and actor Ryan Stiles (“Whose Line Is It Anyway?”) is 61; producer and entrepreneur Byron Allen is 59; actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan (“The Walking Dead”) is 54; former “The View” co-host Sherri Shepherd is 53.

-Did You Know?
Robert Blake, then billed by his birth name, Mickey Gubitosi, was featured as a child in the “Our Gang” series of theatrical shorts from 1939 to 1944. At that time, producer Hal Roach sold the series to MGM…“Beverly Hills Buntz” was considered a “designated hitter” on NBC, which was a show that will be broadcast monthly and then, ratings permitting, be ready to move into a weekly slot if required. The other designated hitter on the network that season was comedy “Mama’s Boy,” with Bruce Weitz (“Hill Street Blues”) and Nancy Walker (“Rhoda,” “McMillan and Wife”). Neither sitcom made it to a second season.

RATINGS BOX

Live+7 Day Ratings – Week of April 6, 2020 – Click here

National Ratings in Syndication – Top 10: Week of April 6
Households
1. “Family Feud” (CBS Television Distribution – CTD): 7.4 rating
2. “Jeopardy” (CTD): 7.1
3. “Wheel of Fortune” (CTD): 6.8
4. “Judge Judy” (CTD): 6.3
5. “The Big Bang Theory” (Warner Bros.): 3.3
6. “Entertainment Tonight” (CTD) and “Inside Edition” (CTD): 3.0 each
8. “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (Disney-ABC) and “Last Man Standing” (Disney-ABC): 2.3 each
10. “Dr. Phil” (CTD) and “Hot Bench” (CTD): 2.1 each

Live+Same Day Data:
Monday 4/13/20: Click here
Tuesday 4/14/20: Click here
Wednesday 4/15/20: Click here
Thursday 4/16/20: Click here

Source: Nielsen

NEW PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS

Apple TV+ Revives The Fraggles in “Fraggle Rock: Rock On!”