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The term Friday night death slot refers to the idea that television shows broadcast on Friday nights in the United States face a greater than average chance of being cancelled. The term began from the belief that Americans are rarely at home to watch TV on Fridays.

Whether networks realize this, and hence purposely move programs to Friday nights to justify their cancellation, is the subject of much continuing debate and cynicism amongst fans of such programs.

FOX and Fridays

In recent years, this has especially been true with FOX. The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.,Malcolm in the Middle Jonny Zero, Boston Public, Greed, Wanda at Large, The Lone Gunmen, Firefly, Playing It Straight, Wonderfalls, John Doe, VR.5, M.A.N.T.I.S., Strange Luck, Dark Angel, Brimstone, Arrested Development, Killer Instinct, Fastlane, Vanished, Justice, The Wedding Bells, and Standoff are all examples of FOX shows that started on Friday nights and lasted only a few episodes, or moved to Friday nights, lost the battle for television ratings, and were eventually cancelled. The Fox Broadcasting Company, usually referred to as just Fox (the company itself prefers the capitalized version FOX), is a television network in the United States. ... The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. ... Malcolm in the Middle was a seven-time Emmy-winning,[1] one-time Grammy-winning[1] and seven-time Golden Globe-nominated[1] American sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. ... Jonny Zero was an action-crime drama that aired on the Fox network in 2005. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Greed (or Greed: The Series) was a short-lived American television game show where a team of contestants answered a series of multiple-choice trivia questions for a potential prize of up to $2 million (later $4 million during the five Super Greed episodes). ... Promotional poster for Wanda at Large Wanda at Large was a Fox network sitcom that ran for two seasons in 2003. ... The Lone Gunmen were a trio of fictional characters who had recurring roles on The X-Files and also starred in a short-lived spin-off; The Lone Gunmen. ... Firefly is a science fiction television series that premiered on television in the United States and Canada on September 20, 2002. ... Playing it Straight was a 2004 American reality show in which one woman spent time on a ranch with a group of men in an attempt to discern which of them were homosexual and which of them were heterosexual. ... Wonderfalls is a television series whose plot centers on Jaye Tyler (Caroline Dhavernas), a recent Brown University graduate with a philosophy degree who holds a dead-end job as a sales clerk at a Niagara Falls gift shop. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... VR.5 was an American television program running from 10 March 1995 to 12 May 1995 on FOX before it was cancelled. ... M.A.N.T.I.S. The original two-hour TV pilot was produced by Sam Raimi and starred actor Carl Lumbly as M.A.N.T.I.S. Lumblys character, Dr. Miles Hawkins, was a rich, mild-mannered doctor who was shot in the spine by a criminal... Strange Luck was a television series on FOX starring D.B. Sweeney in the role of Chance Harper, a freelance photographer afflicted with a bizarre tendency to always be in the wrong place at the right time. ... Dark Angel is an American cyberpunk science fiction television program, created by James Cameron and Charles H. Eglee, which ran from 2000 to 2002 on the FOX network. ... Brimstone (1998-1999) is a short-lived Fox television series, featuring a dead detective whose mission (assigned by the Devil) is to return 113 spirits who have escaped from Hell to Earth. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Killer Instinct was an hour-long crime drama television series broadcast on the FOX Network. ... Fastlane is an action TV series that was broadcast on Fox from 2002 to 2003. ... Vanished is an hour-long American television drama produced by Twentieth Century Fox. ... Justice is a legal drama produced by Jerry Bruckheimer that airs on FOX in the USA, on CTV in Canada, and on Warner Channel in Latin America. ... The Wedding Bells is an American television comedy-drama that debuted on FOX on March 7, 2007. ... Standoff is an American television series. ...

Fox has justified some of these cancellations by a small fan base. However, some of these shows become even more popular due to their short lived run. Fastlane re-runs were shown on MTV, Court TV, and G4TV and Firefly's storyline and characters have since been made into a major motion picture entitled Serenity.

TGIF on ABC

In the late 1980s, ABC thrived with its success on Friday nights by creating a family night of television with sitcoms such as Full House, Family Matters, Step by Step, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Perfect Strangers, and Dinosaurs, which were among shows within the TGIF lineup that thrived for several years. In the early 1990s, the TGIF lineup began to feel stale to viewers and in 1991 the network tried to freshen up the night by moving Full House to Tuesday nights. Further changes occurred in 1996, when Hangin' with Mr. Cooper was renewed as a midseason replacement slated to return in spring 1997. The series would be brought back in the summer of 1997 to air on Saturday to run the 15 episodes that were produced. Family Matters and Step by Step were both cancelled by ABC in the spring of 1997. By the late 1990s the majority of the shows that were on the original TGIF lineup were cancelled. In the early-mid 2000s, ABC attempted to launch another block of family shows. However, this attempt was unsuccessful and these shows were cancelled in 2004. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Family Matters is an American sitcom about a middle-class, African American family living in Chicago. ... Step by Step was an American television sitcom which was aired on ABC from September 20, 1991 to August 15, 1997 and with a network change moved to CBS from September 19, 1997 to June 26, 1998. ... Hangin with Mr. ... Perfect Strangers was an American sitcom which ran for eight seasons from 1986 through 1993 on ABC. The show was moved around in the prime time lineup and eventually landed on Fridays as part of TGIF. It is about Larry Appleton (Mark Linn-Baker), a high-strung Chicago resident, sharing... Dinosaurs was an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from April 26, 1991 to July 20, 1994. ... TGIF was the slogan of a prime time programming block on the ABC-TV network. ... Hangin with Mr. ... Family Matters is an American sitcom about a middle-class, African American family living in Chicago. ... Step by Step was an American television sitcom which was aired on ABC from September 20, 1991 to August 15, 1997 and with a network change moved to CBS from September 19, 1997 to June 26, 1998. ...

CBS and Fridays

CBS, in an effort to revive Friday night television in the late 1990s, tried to capitalize off the cancellations of Friday night programs on rival ABC. They gave shows such as Step by Step and Family Matters a second life and created the CBS Block Party to take away ABC's viewers. In September 1997, the CBS Block Party kicked off with Family Matters and Step by Step in their original timeslots and The Gregory Hines Show and Meego were added to the mix. However, CBS failed to adequately promote the programs, resulting in their cancellation after one season. Some argue that viewers of the shows had grown older and moved on to other viewing options which caused the ratings decrease. CBS did not try to use the concept again, sticking to dramas from that point on. CBS Broadcasting, Inc. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... TGIF was the slogan of a prime time programming block on the ABC-TV network. ... Step by Step was an American television sitcom which was aired on ABC from September 20, 1991 to August 15, 1997 and with a network change moved to CBS from September 19, 1997 to June 26, 1998. ... Family Matters (TV series) also refers to a popular television series. ... CBS Block Party was an ill-fated programming block that aired on the CBS TV network during the 1997-1998 television season. ... 1997(MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Gregory Oliver Hines (February 14, 1946 – August 9, 2003) was an American actor, singer, and dancer, regarded by many as the greatest tap dancer of his generation, and one who transcended the stage. ... Meego was a short lived 1997 science fiction comedy, that aired on CBS, it starred Bronson Pinchot in the title role. ...

The phenomenon is now seen in regard to other original programming on CBS as well. JAG has been cancelled after a 10-year run, and Joan of Arcadia, which had a successful freshman year in the 2003-2004 season - and was even renewed unusually early - in January 2004 for the following fall season - was canceled after its second year. Only CBS's NUMB3RS has received high ratings for being in this time slot and is regarded as Friday's most popular show. The popular CBS show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was originally aired on Friday nights before being moved to Thursday nights a month after its fall 2000 series premiere; it has remained on Thursday nights ever since. Another popular series that aired on Friday nights at the beginning of the 1996-97 season was Everybody Loves Raymond. After its debut, the show received low ratings, however, the network kept the show and moved it from Fridays to Monday nights, midway throughout the season, to boost ratings, and Raymond performed well over 9 seasons. JAG (the American Military acronym for Judge Advocate General) is a popular American adventure and drama television show, that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television. ... Joan of Arcadia was an American television fantasy/family drama which aired on Fridays, 8-9 p. ... Numb3rs (Numbers; officially NUMB3RS) is an American television show produced by brothers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott. ... CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is a popular Alliance Atlantis/CBS police procedural television series, running since October 2000, about a team of forensic scientists. ... Everybody Loves Raymond was an American sitcom originally broadcast on CBS from 1996 to 2005. ...

The case of Star Trek and NBC

A famous example of a television series brought to a premature death by being moved to Friday nights was the original Star Trek series, which aired on NBC. Producer Gene Roddenberry lost a fight with Laugh-In producer George Schlatter over the 8:30 p.m. Monday-night time slot. Roddenberry said he had been promised the slot when the show was renewed, after fans deluged NBC with mail in protest. The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ... The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... Eugene Wesley Roddenberry (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American scriptwriter and producer. ... Rowan & Martins Laugh-In was a United States comedy television show broadcast from January 22, 1968 through 1973 over the NBC Network. ...

That would have meant Laugh-In would have had to start a half-hour later, and Schlatter did not see why his show, a ratings smash, had to yield that time to the poorly-rated Star Trek, and made no secret of his displeasure. Roddenberry, who never forgave the network for this, made good on a threat to withdraw from personally producing the show, which when combined with the departure of others involved behind the scenes hastened its decline and ensured that there would be no fourth season, and while Schlatter won the battle, it was at his own expense, as it caused Laugh-In cast member Judy Carne to resign in sympathy. Judy Carne (born Joyce Botterill on April 27, 1939 in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England) is an actress and may be best remembered for her introducing the phrase Sock it to me! while a regular on Laugh-In. ...

This was only a year before NBC began using demographic breakdowns to decide which shows to air. NBC discovered that even in the 10 p.m. Friday slot, the show nevertheless attracted an audience segment advertisers would have found highly desirable, as it consisted mainly of married couples with lots of disposable income. A demographic or demographic profile is a term used in marketing and broadcasting, to describe a demographic grouping or a market segment. ... Disposable income is the total amount of income an individual makes after direct taxes. ...

In an echo of what happened with the original Star Trek, the prequel series Star Trek: Enterprise was rescheduled from Wednesday to Friday nights on UPN for its fourth season (2004–2005), a move which preceded its cancellation in February 2005. The starship Enterprise (NX-01) Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. ... UPN (which originally stood for the United Paramount Network) was a television network in over 200 markets in the United States. ... February 2005 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December - → Pope John Paul II is taken to a hospital suffering from a serious case of influenza. ...

Programs that buck the phenomenon

However, many popular shows, such as Sanford and Son (NBC), The Partridge Family (ABC), Monk (USA), Miami Vice (NBC), Dallas (CBS), Falcon Crest (CBS), The Incredible Hulk (CBS), The Dukes of Hazzard (CBS), Providence (NBC), Ghost Whisperer (CBS), Nash Bridges (CBS), Picket Fences (CBS), Hope & Faith (ABC) The X-Files (FOX), Reba (WB), Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (ABC later WB) Grounded for Life (FOX) and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC), have been launched on Friday nights and become successful. In time, however, FOX later moved The X-Files to Sunday nights, and NBC relocated Law and Order: Special Victims Unit to Tuesdays. It could be argued, however, that Grounded for Life was a victim, as FOX cancelled it before it went on to achieve success on WB. Sanford and Son is an American sitcom that premiered on the NBC television network on January 14, 1972 and was broadcast for six seasons. ... The Partridge Family was an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children living in San Pueblo, a small fictional town in Northern California, originally broadcast on ABC from 1970 to 1974. ... Monk is an Emmy Award winning television show about the private detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), afflicted by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and multiple phobias. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Southfork Ranch, home of the Ewing family The original cast of Dallas. ... Falcon Crest was an American primetime television soap opera, primarily about the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti family in the Californian wine industry. ... The Incredible Hulk is an American television series loosely based on the Marvel comic book character of the same name. ... For the 2005 film, see: The Dukes of Hazzard (film). ... Providence was an NBC television series starring Melina Kanakaredes. ... Ghost Whisperer is an American television drama-fantasy-thriller that premiered on CBS September 23, 2005. ... Nast Bridges was an American television police drama that was created by Carlton Cuse. ... Picket Fences is a 60-minute drama which initially ran from September 18, 1992 to June 26, 1996 on the CBS television network in the United States. ... Hope & Faith was an American sitcom that aired for three seasons on ABC. For its first two seasons the show was part of a revived TGIF comedy block. ... The X-Files is a Peabody- and Emmy Award-winning science fiction television series created by Chris Carter, which first aired on September 10, 1993, and ended on May 19, 2002. ... Reba is an American sitcom starring country music singer Reba McEntire. ... Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is the name of an American sitcom based on the Archie comic book series Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. ... Grounded for Life was an American television sitcom. ... Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - Season 5 DVD Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (also known as Law & Order: SVU) is the first of three spin-offs of Law & Order (the other two being Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order: Trial by Jury; all series are presented on the NBC...

Similarly, Battlestar Galactica flourished at 10 p.m. on Fridays on the Sci-Fi Channel from January 2005 to January 2007, in which time it became one of Sci-Fi's highest-rated programs. For several years, Sci-Fi Channel in fact placed its three highest rated shows on Friday night, airing Galactica alongside Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis in a three-hour Sci-Fi Friday block. This is no longer the case as of the 2006/07 season, however; as of January 21, 2007, Galactica was moved to Sunday nights. Although the name of the block and shows aired on it have changed, the block itself has been (for the most part) very good for many of the Sci-Fi Channel's original shows. Battlestar Galactica is a science fiction television program created by Ronald D. Moore that first aired on October 18, 2004 in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Sky One, and January 14, 2005 in the United States on the Sci Fi Channel. ... SCI FI (originally Sci-Fi Channel, sometimes rendered SCI FI Channel when part of a longer phrase) is an American cable television channel, launched on September 24, 1992, specializing in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and paranormal programming. ... Stargate SG-1 (often abbreviated as SG-1) is a science fiction television series, part of the Stargate franchise. ... Stargate Atlantis is a Canadian-American science fiction television program, part of the Stargate franchise. ... January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

A completely opposite reaction to the Friday-night death slot can also occur, in which a show with lower ratings when placed earlier in the broadcast week experiences better ratings on Fridays than in its original slot. This consequence is shown in the example of World Wrestling Entertainment's Friday Night SmackDown!. Originally named SmackDown!, it was first broadcast on Thursdays in competition to WCW Thunder. This show was moved to Friday nights in the United States by UPN (now the CW) beginning on September 9, 2005, because of low ratings in its original Thursday-night slot. However, upon its move to the "death slot", UPN/CW Friday nights have seen a substantial increase in ratings over UPN's movies and the WB's block of sitcoms. SmackDown! had also initially garnered even better ratings in the death slot than the ratings on its former Thursday-night airings (after the merging of WCW with WWE). Originating on Tuesdays, relocation to Friday had been helpful to CBS's Close to Home series between Ghost Whisperer and NUMB3RS, though it was cancelled in May 2007 due to declining ratings. A March 2006 scheduling shift for Close to Home's competitor at 9 p.m. EST on NBC, Las Vegas, also has seemingly reversed the alleged bad luck of the night. NBC also moved another of its top shows, Law & Order to its 10:00 P.M. EST timeslot on Fridays. While having mediocre ratings and rumors of cancellation surrounding it, Law & Order has survived thus far. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ... WWE Friday Night SmackDown! is a professional wrestling television program for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and is the flagship broadcast of the SmackDown! brand. ... World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. ... WCW Thunder was a professional wrestling show produced by World Championship Wrestling which aired on TBS from January 8from play by play man Tony Crist 1998 until March 21, 2001. ... UPN (which originally stood for the United Paramount Network) was a television network in over 200 markets in the United States. ... The CW Television Network, casually referred to as The CW, or most recently as The New CW (due to it being a new network) is a television network in the United States launched during the 2006 television season. ... is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The year 2005 in television involved some significant events. ... Close to Home is an American crime/drama television series starring Jennifer Finnigan as Annabeth Chase, a Deputy Prosecutor for Marion County, Indiana. ... Numb3rs (Numbers; officially NUMB3RS) is an American television show produced by brothers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott. ... March 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Fijian Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase announces that the 2006 Fiji general elections will be held in the second week of May 2006 from the 6th to the 13th. ... Las Vegas is a dramatic comedy television series about a team of people working in the fictional Montecito Resort and Casino in Las Vegas — dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and restaurant management to casino security. ... Law & Order is a long-running American television police procedural and legal drama set in New York City. ...