The Friday night death slot (also Friday evening death slot) is a perceived graveyard slot in American television. It implies that a television program in the United States scheduled on Friday nights (typically, between 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. ET) is likely to be canceled.
The term possibly began as a reflection of certain programs' dominance of Friday night in the 1980s and 1990s, which resulted in decreased ratings for those scheduled at the same time.Katherine Phillips. "Witty sitcoms scheduled in Friday night death slot," Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 28, 1986, page 46: "ABC is sending two of this season's brightest new sitcoms to certain death at the hands of J.R. Ewing and his Dallas clan."John Voorhees. "ABC reshuffles schedule for ratings but deals only two new shows," The Seattle Times, December 13, 1985, page C5: "Also being dropped is Our Family Honor, the ABC series that has had the distinction of being the lowest-rated Nielsen show almost every week since its debut. It is in the Friday night death slot of 10 pm, against Miami Vice and Falcon Crest."Knight-Ridder News Service. 'Family Honor' ditched for 'Spenser', Lexington Herald-Leader (KY), October 19, 1985, page C6: "Spenser: For Hire, the above-par detective series starring Robert Urich, is being moved out of the Friday-night death slot opposite Miami Vice and Falcon Crest. ... To make room for "Spenser," ABC is taking "Our Family Honor" off the air [Tuesdays], at least for a while and perhaps permanently. However, this narrative can be contradicted with examples of shows that had consistent audiences on Friday nights over consecutive years despite competition, such as Miami Vice from 1984 to 1989. By the 2000s, the term was used in reference to the belief that young, single Americans rarely watch television on Friday or Saturday nights, thereby removing from the household what is considered the most lucrative demographic for advertisers.News: Election 2006, The Austin Chronicle With the collapse of the traditional network viewing model where viewers had to be in front of the TV to watch shows (and then the evolution from VCR or DVR capabilities to almost all shows being viewed increasingly through on-demand streaming media), the stigma of Friday night scheduling is much less evident or considered today than in the past.
Affected series by network
NBC One of the earliest and most famous examples of the graveyard slot was Star Trek: The Original Series.
The second season of Star Trek aired on Fridays from 8:30–9:30 p.m. (Eastern Time). Although NBC discussed plans to move it to a 7:30–8:30 p.m. slot on Mondays for mid-season, that never occurred. The poor ratings in the time slot affected the show after it, Jerry Van Dyke's sitcom Accidental Family, leading to its failure after less than a season and angering Van Dyke, who was desperate for a hit and openly (but unsuccessfully) campaigned for NBC to give the show a better time slot. After Star Trek fans deluged NBC with a mail-in protest, producer Gene Roddenberry stated that he was promised the same 8:30–9:30 time slot for Season 3, but airing on Monday instead of Friday. However, that would have meant Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In had to start a half-hour later (moving from 9:00 to 9:30). Laugh-In producer George Schlatter saw no reason why his show, which was a ratings smash at the time, had to yield its slot to the poorly rated Star Trek, and he made no secret of his displeasure. Star Trek instead remained on Fridays, moving to the even less desirable 10:00 p.m. timeslot (one that had been used mainly for filler and throwaway documentaries the previous season). Roddenberry lamented, "If the network wants to kill us, it couldn't make a better move."
The following are examples of NBC programs that aired on Friday nights, either originally or after having been moved from another night, before being canceled: Years airedSeriesSeasons lasted before cancellation1940–1968The Bell Telephone HourLast season, after 28 years on air. Already one of the last highbrow Golden Age of Television shows on the air, this final season consisted mostly of documentaries and not the concert performances seen and heard in the 27 prior seasons. The series moved back to radio at the end of the season, airing only in reruns.1965–1974The Dean Martin ShowNinth and final season. (Martin would continue hosting Man of the Week Celebrity Roasts for NBC irregularly for the next decade.)1965–1967LaredoSecond and final season.1966–1969Star TrekLast season, after 2 years on air at 8:30pm timeslot, third and final season moved to the 10:00pm timeslot.1967–1968Accidental FamilyCancelled midway through its only season.1974Lotsa LuckMoved to Friday midway through its only season.1976–1977SerpicoFirst and only season.1977Sanford ArmsFirst and only season. Cancelled after only 4 weeks.1979–1980EischiedFirst and only season.1979–1980Hello, LarryFirst and part of the second season. Last 18 episodes were moved to Wednesdays in a failed attempt to boost ratings.1979–1980ShirleyFirst and only season.1980Pink LadyMoved to Friday after its first episode, canceled four weeks after the move with one episode unaired. Widely considered one of the worst TV shows of all time.1981SanfordSecond and final season. Its predecessor Sanford & Son had aired, with greater success, on Fridays throughout much of its run.1982Cassie & Co.First and only season.1982JokebookFirst and only season. Cancelled after three episodes.1982–1986Knight RiderFourth and final season.1983Mr. SmithBedell, Sally. "NBC Schedules Nine New Programs for Fall," The New York Times, Wednesday, May 11, 1983. Retrieved February 15, 2025.First and only season.Smith, Sally Bedell. "NBC Revises Prime-Time Schedule," The New York Times, Thursday, December 15, 1983. Retrieved February 15, 2025.1983ManimalFirst and only season.1983–1987The A-TeamFifth and final season1984–1986RiptideThird and final season1984–1989Highway to HeavenLast eight episodes of its fifth and final season. The network had announced the end of the program in June 1988 as a result of repercussions caused by the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike, along with a decline in ratings during the fourth season. 1991–1993I'll Fly AwayMoved to Friday during its first season, in February 1992; cancelled in the middle of its second, with the last episode airing February 5, 1993.1987–1993A Different WorldWhile not airing previously on Fridays, the show ended its sixth and final season on NBC on July 9, 1993, two months after its proper series finale aired; the show's demise had more to do with it having reached a natural stopping point by 1993.1987–1997Unsolved MysteriesMoved to Friday for its seventh season in the fall of 1994. The ninth season was the last one to air on NBC; the show moved to CBS for its tenth season in 1997, where it continued to air until its original run ended in 1999 after 11 seasons. Lifetime, Spike, and Netflix later revived the show on three different occasions.1988–1991Midnight CallerThird and final season1988–1992Dear JohnFourth and final season1989The Jim Henson HourCancelled midway through its only season.1999–2005Third WatchMoved from Mondays to Fridays starting with the fifth episode of its fifth season, and ended its run after its sixth season2002–2003BoomtownMoved from Sundays to Fridays for second season, and then cancelled after two episodes; remaining episodes burned off after Christmas2003Miss MatchCancelled during its first and only season, airing only 11 of its 18 episodes in the U.S.2003Mister SterlingFirst and only season2004–2005Medical InvestigationFirst and only season2005Law & Order: Trial by JuryFirst and only season2006The Book of DanielFirst and only season2006ConvictionFirst and only season2006–20081 vs. 100Second season; last one to air on NBC. The show would be revived for GSN with a half-hour format in 2010, but was ultimately canceled in late 2011.2007–2012ChuckRenewed for an abbreviated fifth and final season primarily to gain enough episodes for syndication.2008–2009Lipstick JungleMoved from Wednesdays to Fridays midway for its second and final season2010OutlawFirst and only season2011–2012Rock Center with Brian WilliamsMoved to Fridays (the fourth time slot for the series) partway through its second and final season.2013–2014DraculaFirst and only season2014–2016UndateableThird and final season2014–2015ConstantineFirst and only season2015Truth Be ToldFirst and only season2018Midnight, TexasSecond season2020Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone CollectorFirst and only season2021–2023Young RockThird and final season2022–2025Lopez vs. LopezOriginally aired on Fridays during its first season, before being moved to Tuesdays for its second season; it returned to Fridays for its abbreviated third and final season2025Grosse Pointe Garden SocietyMoved to Fridays during its first and only season2025–2026StumbleFirst and only season
CBS CBS was the most successful network on Friday nights in the 1980s due to their hit shows Dallas and Falcon Crest. However, both shows were struggling by the end of the decade and were cancelled in the early 1990s. In an effort to revive Friday night television in the 1990s, and to compete with ABC's successful TGIF block of family comedies airing opposite it, CBS first attempted to compete with ABC launching a comedy night in the fall of 1992 with The Golden Palace (a spin-off/continuation of NBC's The Golden Girls), Major Dad and Designing Women, along with a new sitcom from Bob Newhart, Bob. The Golden Girls had been a top-10 hit on Saturday nights for NBC (though it had fallen to 30th in its final season), while Major Dad and Designing Women had also been top-10 hits on Monday nights, and Newhart's previous sitcom, Newhart, had spent most of its run in the top 30. Nevertheless, this effort failed, and only Bob was renewed for the 1993–1994 season, only to end in December 1993.Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable Shows 1946–present, 7th edition. A later effort to counterprogram TGIF, the CBS Block Party (which included former TGIF series Family Matters and Step by Step, both of which were hits for several years while on ABC before both shows were canceled in 1997), met a similar fate in the fall of 1997.
In 2013, CBS moved Vegas to Friday nights to make room for Golden Boy, another police drama. Both shows were eventually cancelled during their first year.
In general, however, CBS has found ways, particularly in the years following the cancellation of the Block Party, to be at least somewhat more successful in the Friday night time slots than its broadcast competitors.. Zap2It: November 3, 2007Friday Night 'Numb3rs' Favor CBS. Zap2It: November 10, 2007
Since 2010, the Blue Bloods franchise has become a staple of Friday nights, first with the titled show and with its spin-off Boston Blue.
The following are all examples of CBS shows that either started on Friday nights and lasted a few episodes, or moved to Friday nights, lost the battle for television ratings, and were eventually cancelled: