Why only 5 years
This was a good cop show so why only 5 years? Was it doing that badly in the ratings at the time? Did TS want out?
shareThis paragraph from a review of the second season DVD set (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/50408/kojak-season-two/x) offers an explanation:
It's unfortunate, then, that CBS took a Nielsen Top Ten phenomenon, and turned it into a Top 15 and falling series. Kojak roared out of the gate its premiere season, scoring a remarkable 7th-most popular show on television for the 1973-1974 season at its 10:00pm Wednesday timeslot -- a perfect day and time for this kind of series. Unfortunately, CBS took their big new hit and used it as a counterprogramming hammer against NBC's successful Sunday night line up of lead-in The Wonderful World of Disney and The NBC Sunday Mystery Movie, featuring Columbo, McCloud, McMillan and Wife, and new stiff, Amy Prentiss. The gambit worked, dropping The NBC Sunday Mystery Movie down from 14th in 1973-1974, to 24th against Kojak in 1974-1975. However, Kojak's ratings suffered, too, from the timeslot change. Sunday just wasn't a good match for this edgy, hard-hitting show (The NBC Sunday Mystery Movie was more about wit and glamour, rather than pimps and whores getting busted), and it didn't help that Kojak's new lead-in, instead of solid Cannon the year before on Wednesday, was the anemic "family values" drama, Apple's Way -- a mismatch if there ever was one (jesus, one of my friend's mom bought him an Apple's Way lunchbox, can you imagine? Poor bastard). Plugging in Cher's stand-alone variety show, Cher, for Apple's Way midseason, helped Kojak a little...but not nearly enough. The only one who benefited from Kojak's new move was lead-out Mannix, which saw its adult audience (the ones not watching Kojak with their kids) put the veteran series back into the Nielsen Top Twenty, after being out of the Top Thirty for two whole years. CBS would stubbornly keep Kojak as its Sunday night anchor for the next three fall seasons, slowing killing off its once-mighty audience.
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Kojak Episode Reviews -- http://www.kojak.tv
Thanks for letting me know the details of the demise of this great television show. Hollywood. hasn't a clue about programming sometimes. Especially these days. I never watch network television now. I stick to METV for the most part and some GRIT and COMET TV on my local channels. Too much political BS in television today. Thanks again for the great response.
shareThe kind of reply that will make one miss the imdb boards. Haha, I had to Google the Apple's Way lunchbox. Poor guy
sharegood analysis
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