Promos

Every once in a while I like to go hunting for old network promos, just to see how they sold their fall lineups. (This is actually the start of midseason, but elaborate midseason promos are rarer.) This time I came across ABC’s promotions for its 1980-1 season, its attempt to recover after some of its key shows suffered big ratings declines the season before. So of course they kicked off their fall launch, and the all-important promotional video for the advertisers, by having all their stars dress up in white and black clothes and disco dance, just as disco was dying. This is probably not the right way to get a network back on track. But on the bright side, they did discover Tom Hanks that fall.