UPFRONT & CENTER: The Golden Girls to Move to Hallmark Channel
Emmy Award-Winning Show from Disney-ABC Domestic Television to Leave Lifetime Television After February 2009
By Anne Becker -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/26/2008 2:01:00 AM
Hallmark Channel has bought the rights to The Golden Girls from Disney-ABC Domestic Television.
The Emmy Award-winning show will begin running on the cable network after February 2009, when it will leave its longtime home, Lifetime Television. The deal does not give Hallmark exclusive rights, however.
“The Golden Girls has been on our wish list for a long time, so we’re delighted to reach this agreement,” said Michelle Vicary, Hallmark’s senior vice president of acquisitions and scheduling. “This is the perfect complement to our schedule of family-friendly programming.”
Golden has run on Lifetime since March 1, 1997, and while it has a devoted core fan base, it takes up a big chunk of its schedule -- six episodes per day -- and doesn’t bring in huge enough ratings to justify such a big presence for a network trying to establish branding based on its original programming.
Last week’s most-viewed episode averaged about 800,000 viewers at 1 a.m. on a Thursday night, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The show, produced by ABC Studios, ran for seven seasons beginning in 1985.
Hallmark announced the acquisition at its upfront presentation to press Tuesday night at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
The network made several other announcements, among them the acquisition of 99 classic family Disney movies also from Disney-ABC Domestic TV, including The Shaggy Dog, Flubber, Old Yeller, The Parent Trap, The Incredible Journey, The Princess Diaries and Freaky Friday. They will run on Hallmark and sister channel Hallmark Movie Channel.
“The ‘classic’ series will depart our schedule after a 12-year run to make room for our next generation of off-net comedies such as the very popular Reba, Still Standing and Will & Grace, as well as numerous original comedies in development, along with the return of the smash hit Army Wives,” Lifetime said in a statement. “We wish Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia all the best of luck in their new home.”
For complete coverage of the upfronts, click here.
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I could never get tired of watching the Golden Girls.
Hallmark, thank you so much for running them. Andy
Griffith and the GG are the best shows ever.
Ms. Peggy S. Doss - 9/30/2009 12:20:40 AM EDT -
Thank you for bringing GG into our homes. They keep me laughing.
R. Martinez - 5/14/2009 8:19:53 PM EDT -
Yes!!! Thank you so much Hallmark for picking up GG. It is my fav show of all time too. Lifetime totally lost me as a viewer too. Bad move. I hope GG never goes off the air. It is genius and I still quote lines from it verbatum to people. Thanks for the unedited versions too. GG should only be viewed like this. Thanks again for keeping the girls in my life.
Brent D.
Mt.Vernon,Wa
Brent D. - 4/14/2009 11:58:26 PM EDT -
Lifetime has become so focused on attracting gays to the network,the look good guy, will & grace, the heavily promoted Bobby movie, etc.
It's supposed to be television for women not..., and most women do not support.... Golden Girls was the only show I watched on Lifetime, and glad they've moved so that I can put Lifetime on my blocked channels list.
Noella - 3/21/2009 1:58:08 AM EDT -
Unfortunately they are the same episodes that were on Lifetime. Not only that they have already run two of the same ones since Halmark took the show over. Why are they showing the same ones that were JUST SHOWN on Lifetime? I've been turning the channel more often than not. Out of all the episodes of this show that were made why can't they show different ones? Plus the descriptions of each episode are completely wrong every night. C'Mon Hallmark folks - get your heads out of your butts!
C. Scott - 3/18/2009 4:20:12 AM EDT
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