1978: What's on TV Friday Nights?

I was disappointed to learn that Donny & Marie have ditched the ice dancers for Season 4.  

But the truth is that 1978 me was probably moving away from that perky show for my TV79 Friday nights, anyway. NBC has my 7/7:30 Central eye wandering with new sitcoms showcasing Broadway Joe and Chachi!

As GoHeath noted, TV79 is not going down as a proud-as-an-anything moment in NBC history.

But there's a pretty good chance I'll give Channel 6 the benefit of the doubt with its new entries bookending old-standby Rockford Files Season 5.

And if I lose the Channel 6 steam by Eddie Capra at 9, I will happily flip to Flying High on Channel 12. I caught the preview pilot the other night, and that thing feels like it is poised to deliver the absolute best kind of made-for-TV movie (no guns/killing, more laughs than drama, familiar faces, lots of love) every freaking Friday night.

But, just to be clear, none of us is watching any of that stuff on this particular Friday night in 1978.

Well, I guess 27 percent of us were watching something else at 7 Central Sept. 15, 1978. Per the Associated Press, "The biggest audience ever for a televised sporting event watched ABC’s broadcast of the heavyweight championship rematch between Muhammad Ali and Leon Spinks live from New Orleans. ABC estimated the audience for the 15-round fight at 90 million and said that meant 73 percent of the sets in use at the time were tuned to the fight."

1977

Here are my updated NFL77 power rankings going into Week 2 action:

1. Steelers 244

2. Patriots 235

3. Cowboys 231

4. Colts 225

5. Bears 222

6. Raiders 221

7. Broncos 217

8. Rams 214

9. Vikings 208

T10. 49ers 204

T10. Bengals 204

12. Dolphins 187

13. Chargers 186

14. Browns 175

15. Washington 173

T16. Chiefs 170

T16. Oilers 170

18. Giants 166

19. Cardinals 163

20. Lions 155

21. Packers 148

22. Eagles 143

23. Saints 133

24. Bills 128

25. Falcons 126

26. Jets 116

27. Seahawks 115

28. Buccaneers 99 

I've been pretending all week that I've been traveling from Atlanta, where I watched the Falcons shock the Rams last Sunday, to Dallas, to see the 1-0 Giants at the 1-0 Cowboys this ...

I really hope I get checked in before 7.