It’s not unusual for a network series to go through timeslot changes over the course of it’s run. If a show can keep their time shifts down to about once every four years or so, it’s probably doing pretty well. Going into its fifth season, Just the Ten of Us must’ve been doing well. Not only was NBC keeping it on at 8:30 on Saturdays, but it was the only piece of NBC’s Saturday night lineup that didn’t change timeslots (The Golden Girls moved back an hour from 9 to 8, for example).

It was, however, one of the few changes Just the Ten of Us managed to avoid going into the 1991-92 season, as there were big changes made to the production side of things. Some, like the show’s move from Stage 30 on the Ranch Lot to Stage 5 on the main Warner lot, had little bearing on the final product (even if the move, about a mile south, was difficult). Others were quite obvious to the viewer as, at the network’s insistence, the show ceased the use of videotape and began shooting on film stock. There were objections from both the producers (because of how much easier it is to shoot on tape than film) to Warners themselves (for the lack of aesthetic consistency in a future syndication package). NBC, however, had built some leverage; the network was owed some gratitude after standing up for the show when a familiar ailment of the business threatened to send Just the Ten of Us to the TV graveyard, this time for good.

While Just the Ten of Us was getting some of its best ratings since its first, four episode, mini-season in the spring of 1988; it was still just outside the vaunted top-30 list in both total viewers and the key demo. It was, however, a pretty obvious mismatch with the rest of the Saturday night lineup. Just the Ten of Us did best in the 18-34 demo, while The Golden Girls performed better with the 25-54 crowd. Also, while both shows attracted more female viewers than male ones, the split for Just the Ten of Us was far less pronounced. Then, there was the general lack of lead-in retention; while Just the Ten of Us did great in attracting viewers specifically seeking the out the show, not nearly enough were staying for its lead-out. Yet, it wasn’t the numbers, as anomalous as they might have been, that was threatening the show’s existence. It was another studio demanding an entire night to themselves.

At ABC, it was Miller-Boyett that demanded their Friday nights be entirely populated by their shows; giving the network the perfect excuse to send Just the Ten of Us packing. Now, it was Disney that was making the same demand; this time for NBC Saturdays. They had two shows ready to add to their existing stable of The Golden Girls and Empty Nest; one being a spin-off of Empty Nest (which itself was a spin-off of The Golden Girls). The other was a new series from Michael Jacobs. Amen, whose anemic ratings had surprisingly little effect on Just the Ten of Us, was already off the schedule, so slotting one show in was little issue. A second Disney show, however, would require Just the Ten of Us to vacate its slot. Unfortunately, just as Just the Ten of Us needed a champion; its greatest champion, Brandon Tartikoff, was off to run Paramount. His successor, long-time second-in-command Warren Littlefield, didn’t have quite the same enthusiasm for the show as Brandon did. The good news was: he didn’t hate it, either. While he and comedy division head Rick Ludwin were seeking out more shows like Mad About You and Seinfeld (read: shows about adults, for adults); he, at least, saw its commercial potential. He could have moved Ten to Monday nights, the network’s youth-oriented night, but its one hour was booked solid after Disney themselves rescued the post-Fresh Prince slot with Blossom, quickly masking the odor of the failed Ferris Bueller series (which Tartikoff also had great faith in, for what it’s worth). NBC was earnestly finding itself in the same place ABC said they were in: a promising show called Just the Ten of Us, and no place to put it.

Unlike ABC, however, NBC decided that Just the Ten of Us had too much promise to allow it to die. It would give Disney an additional half-hour on Saturdays, but no more; and Disney acquiesced. However, it put NBC in another bind. They had certain loyalties to Witt-Thomas-Harris, the company making The Golden Girls and Empty Nest for Disney. They ended up picking up their new show, Nurses; and pushing the new Michael Jacobs series, called The Torkelsons, to mid-season. Even at the time, it seemed like a mistake. The Torkelsons was about a White, working-class family; just like Just the Ten of Us. It was, however, a much more G-rated program than what Witt-Thomas-Harris was putting out (Blossom, included). Ten could have made for an effective “bridge” between The Torkelsons and The Golden Girls; but instead, they decided to put Just the Ten of Us in a “hammock” between The Golden Girls and Empty Nest. Nestled between two older-skewing show, the ability for the youthful Just the Ten of Us to attract its own viewers would really be put to the test.