How we watch television has changed dramatically over the years. These days, with so much content on streaming services, you can watch new episodes of your favorite show whenever you want. That’s great for convenience, but it takes away the community feel TV used to have when we all had no choice but to watch a show at the same time on a certain day of the week.
In the ’90s, a few networks capitalized on this by naming two-hour blocks of TV, making the entire night appointment viewing. NBC had “Must-See TV” on Thursdays with the likes of Seinfeld and Friends, and on Fridays, ABC had “TGIF.” For years, millions of families ended their weeks watching sitcoms such as Family Matters, Step by Step, Full House, and Boy Meets World. TGIF doesn’t mean what you think it does though. Instead of referring to the saying “Thank God it’s Friday,” TGIF is actually short for “Thank goodness it’s funny.” So why the change?
TGIF’s Name Changed Because of a Restaurant
TGIF began on ABC in 1989 as the brainchild of TV exec Jim Janicek, with the approval of then-network President Bob Iger. Friday night wasn’t always the best day for great TV ratings, but it was perfect when you were trying to create a two-hour block of family-friendly sitcoms. With so many kids watching, airing during a weeknight when children had to go to bed early because of school the next day didn’t make sense. Instead, airing on Fridays, right ahead of the weekend, when kids could stay up longer, made it the ideal night.
What really made this new TV block click is that it had a name, and quite an attention-getting one too. Janicek recently sat down with Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle of Boy Meets World fame for their Pod Meets World podcast, where he discussed where TGIF came from. Early on, there was the potential of calling it “Friday Fun Club” or “It’s Friday Night,” when Bob Iger and another ABC exec, Stu Brower, called him and said, “‘We’ve landed on TGIF. We wanna call it TGIF.’… Bob, I believe, came up with ‘Thank Goodness It’s Funny,’ to avoid any conflict with any restaurant.”
Related
Why the Actor Who Played Cody Lambert Was Fired From ‘Step by Step’
He was the most popular character until he messed it all up.
Thank Goodness TGIF Was Actually Funny
TGIF initially used “Thank Goodness It’s Funny” in their bumpers, with an intro showing animated mice. One would hold up a sign that said, “Thank Goodness,” then the other a sign reading “It’s Funny.” Over time, though, it was simply shortened to TGIF. By giving this block of TV a name, it made Friday nights on ABC feel important. You couldn’t just tune in and watch one of the shows and dip out. You had to watch all of them, because while they were separate, they all came together to feel like one. TGIF encompassed everything that night.
Of course, the TGIF name helped because the shows were actually funny. It started with Perfect Strangers, then its spin-off, Family Matters, and added the likes of Full House, Step by Step, and Boy Meets World. The lineup was tinkered with over the years, with Full House being moved to another night, and other shows, like Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper, being brought in, but new additions were accepted like they were part of the family. That was part of the TGIF appeal. These series were all independent, but they knew each other too. One week you could see the Olsen Twins from Full House introducing a Halloween-themed episode of Family Matters, then the next week you could see Steve Urkel (Jaleel White) guest starring on Full House.
ABC Tried To Bring Back TGIF Twice
TGIF ran strong throughout the mid-1990s because of its funny and diverse series. Family Matters and Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper had nearly all-Black casts, while Full House and Step by Step told stories about two families coming together to become one. Still, all good things must come to an end. Late into the ’90s, TGIF stalwarts like Family Matters and Step by Step were canceled, and as TV viewing habits started to change, so did TGIF. In 2000, TGIF came to a close, but it was brought back for two revivals. First, TGIF was on ABC Family in 2002, before returning again in 2003 to ABC with shows like George Lopez and Life with Bonnie. However, TGIF could only be as successful as the shows that aired on Friday nights, so in 2005 TGIF aired for the final time.
Today, sitcoms and network TV in general aren’t what they used to be. TGIF was a moment in time that worked in the ’90s but wouldn’t work today. For those of us of a “certain age,” it was a big part of our childhoods, and we spend Friday nights gathered around the TV with our families, laughing for two hours. Thank goodness it existed.
Source link
