New Season Airdates

[earnhardtfan4life]

Back in the 1980s did the new season debuts begin in August/Sept. much like Sesame Street does now?  I can't remember back that far.

Mike

[NeighborC]

Not sure, but I know by the time the show was ending, it was in August, as I watched the final episode in August 2001.

[Degeneration X The Owl]

Wikipedia has the air dates of, if not all, episodes season by season.

[Neighborhood Archive]

This is all information that is available on the Archive site as well (at least for the episodes which have been detailed so far).

[mitsguy2001]

After 1976, they didn't really have "seasons", since they only had about 3 or so new weeks per year, and aired mostly reruns.  The times of year that the new episodes aired changed a lot over time:

1979-1983: the new weeks seemed to air at random times

1984-1989: 3 new weeks a year, in November, winter, and May.  The November week was always during Thanksgiving week.  The winter week was in either February or March.  The May week was usually the first week of May (except in 1985, it was a week later, for some reason)

1990: There was no new week in the winter; instead, the Environment week had its first airing in April 1990.  Instead of a new week in May, they had one in July/August.  The November week was Thanksgiving week, as usual

1991-1992: There was still a November week during Thanskgiving week, and a winter week (now always in February), but the other new week is now in August (rather than May).  The August week is always the last week of August.

1993-1994: There are now only 2 new weeks: one in February and one in August.  Starting in 1993,  until 2000 (inclusive), the February week is during the 3rd week of February (the week of Presidents Day).  The August week is still the last week of August.  Since there was no longer a new week for Thanksgiving week, Food started airing that week.

1995: In addition to the usual February and August weeks, there was an additional new week, Mad Feelings, in October.

1996-2000: In addition to the usual February and August weeks, there was also a new week in July, in 1996, 1998, and 1999.  There was no new week in July 1997 or 2000 (I think one was planned in 1997 but was scrapped, probably due to Johny Costa's death.  I don't know if one was ever planned for July 2000)

2001: Only one new week, during the alst week of August.  Not sure if one was ever planned for February (or even July).

The published schedules were always from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31, roughly Labor Day to Labor Day.  The only months to never have a new episode are January and December.  There was never a new full week in September, but some of the late August weeks continued into September.

I wonder why they had so many new weeks during Thanksgiving week.  I would have thought that fewer people would have watched that week than usual.

[JCostaThePro]

I wonder why they had so many new weeks during Thanksgiving week.  I would have thought that fewer people would have watched that week than usual.

I wonder that, too. It's understandable with Food, since the week was about being thankful and dealt with a famine in Northwood and since 9 years later it would be an annual occasion week for that time, but the others are a good point.

Thanksgiving week is one when schools are closed for the holiday and 1554, 1585, 1600, 1614 and 1629 may've been important episodes to air on the holiday or week of because kids would be home from school to see them.

1554 is about adoption, 1585 is the circus visit, 1600 was Rogers' birthday episode (even though his birthday's in March, not November), 1614 was about going to the potty and 1629 had the dentist visit (and since 1297 and 1416 stopped airing a few years earlier, this was important for Rogers to present again).

Interestingly, 1365 from the pre-79 era had a discussion on Thanksgiving, but that episode never aired in November.

[JCostaThePro]

I wonder why they had so many new weeks during Thanksgiving week.  I would have thought that fewer people would have watched that week than usual.

Come to think of it, Families premiering on Thanksgiving week in 1985 was especially appropriate for a number of reasons. Thanksgiving is a holiday when family (and sometimes if not often friends) come together, and that's exactly what this week was about. And in that week's NOM story, Cousin Mary Owl was trying to form a cousin reunion.

Also, on the exact episode that premiered on Thanksgiving Day (1554), Rogers showed a film about different neighbors and their families (in that same episode, Queen Sarah explains to Bob Dog the meaning of thw words "union" and "reunion", which mean to get together and get together again). So at least the Food and Families weeks were coincidentally appropriate for the week of Thanksgiving, even if 1566-1660 probably wasn't.

I still don't quite understand why 1361-1365 never aired on or around Thanksgiving week, since 1365 ends with a discussion about Thanksgiving. It did air on the weeks of Independance Day and Memorial Day the last two times it aired, but not Thanksgiving (and interestingly, the year it last aired was when Food started traditionally airing on Thanksgiving week).