TV shows that switched networks during original run

I’m talking broadcast networks, not streaming services picking up a cancelled show.

Taxi is the only one I can think of.

 

The first season of "Leave It To Beaver" aired on CBS in 1957-58, next season it moved over to ABC for the remainder of its six-year run.

 

List of television series that changed networks - Wikipedia

 

This seemed to happen a few times in the '80s but I have to admit I had to Google to find some specific examples.

Diff'rent Strokes went to ABC for its last season after being canceled by NBC which I vaguely remember.

 

Get Smart ran for 4 or 5 years on NBC, then switched to CBS for its final year.

Scrubs ran for several years on NBC, then switched to ABC for its last year or two.

 

Supergirl started on CBS, which while they had the budget to make it look good, wasn't a real fit for the material. The show joined the rest of the DC Comics shows on the CW the very next season. Up until then, the "world" Supergirl existed on, wasn't the same as all the others, and couldn't crossover with them. That changed quick.


And then of course, there was Fox' Brooklyn Nine-Nine, now on NBC.

 

The Hogan Family moved from NBC to CBS for its final season. Similarly, Family Matters and Step by Step moved from ABC to CBS for theirs.

Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher moved from Comedy Central to ABC, and Inside the NFL moved from HBO to Showtime.

Grounded for Life moved from Fox to The WB — in the middle of a season. I think that’s a first.

More recently, the One Day at a Time reboot moved from Netflix to Pop (and, thanks to pandemic shutdowns, is getting a limited run on CBS), and The Expanse moved from Syfy to Amazon Prime. .

 

Jon Stewart’s talkshow..
The Jon Stewart Show - Wikipedia

 

Quite a few shows moved from network television to first-run syndication in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, including Silver Spoons (NBC), Punky Brewster (NBC), Webster (ABC), 21 Jump Street (Fox), and Baywatch (NBC).

 

Off the top of my head:

Peter Gunn
Wagon Train
Father Knows Best
My Three Sons
Mister Ed
Hazel
Get Smart
The Tony Randall Show
Wonder Woman
The Bionic Woman
Airwolf
T.J. Hooker
The Paper Chase
SCTV
Matlock
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Several game shows and cartoons frequently changed networks.

 

David Letterman - NBC to CBS

 

Interesting. Back in the day, I always thought each network had it's own "look". I would find different strokes would look much different on ABC..interesting

 

The Paperchase went from network to cable so every character of of a sudden said '****' all the time.

 

And Taxi did the same thing (1978-82 on ABC, 1982-83 [fifth and final go] on NBC).

 

I get what you're saying, but I'm not sure I'd consider it the same show.

 

Same show, different title (forced by network change ) . Same format, same band, same stupid pet tricks and same great musical guests . Only difference was the time slot.

 

The only I was watching that switched networks was the Eddie Murphy/Larry Wilmore claymation comedy, THE PJ'S, which went from Fox to . . . WB?

SCTV went from an indie show to NBC to Showtime. I still haven't seen the Showtime episodes . . .

 

Buffy The Vampire Slayer went from WB to Fox after season five.

 

Again, I get all that. But there was a definite change in the vibe from the subversive little "late, late show" on NBC to the big-budget Late Show on CBS. Kind of like when your favorite indie band starts playing arenas & stadiums. I think Letterman himself would agree.

 

This reminds me of the early-70s purge of network shows whose appeal skewed rural and/or older, including Hee Haw and The Lawrence Welk Show, both of which ran for several more years in first-run syndication.

 

The event Crisis On Infinite Earths (based on the comic book miniseries of the same name) merged all of the DC TV Shows (Arrow, The Flash, Batwoman, Supergirl, Legends Of Tomorrow, and Black Lightning) so that they now (and had always) existed on the same Earth. They had got some humor out of it with Supergirl and The Flash being shown a photo of them together (which was a surprise to them) by a man played by Marv Wolfman (who wrote the comic book Crisis...), Lois talking to Clark about their sons (before Crisis... they only had one child), and Lex Luthor setting things up so that on this new Earth he's one of the greatest men on the planet.

One show I remember changing networks is The Bionic Woman (which moved from ABC to NBC). Created a situation where they couldn't refer to previous events involving The Six Million Dollar Man.

 

It actually went to UPN for seasons 6-7.

 

Supergirl is one of,the most recent from CBS to The CW it’s natural home.

 

In the UK "Men Behaving Badly" switched from ITV to BBC1 after one series and they switched one of the leads. It was one of the big hits of the 90s in the UK.

 

Considering ITV is a commercial service and Auntie Beeb is not, just how often do you see that happen over there?