While the summer TV season may seem like a cesspool of mediocrity, there have actually been a few hit programs that have moved beyond the realm of Don't Forget the Lyrics! Check out these seven shows with surprising summer starts!
7- Survivor
The reality TV renaissance began with a surprise summer hit in 2000. Without any suitable summer competition, the premiere season of CBS' landmark reality show scored bigtime, with its finale's ratings besting every program that year, save the Super Bowl. Survivor is still a consistently high-ratings show, even in its 16th iteration.
6- Saved By the Bell
Surprisingly, one of the most seminal high school shows ever aired got its start during summer vacation. NBC decided to air the first few episodes during prime time in August of 1989 before shuffling it off to Saturday morning where it would air for for over a decade due to spinoffs and TV-movies. Add in syndication, and it's quite possible there may never be a day when this show isn't airing somewhere in the US.
5- South Park
South Park was one of the first shows to display cable TV's brilliant strategy of programming outside of the network norm. Comedy Central decided to premiere the program in the late summer, while the big networks were at the tail-end of a typically weak summer season. The show became a phenomenon from the start, and its off-beat scheduling continues to this day, as the show airs in two mini-seasons each year that allow the program to return before becoming forgotten.
4- Sex in the City
Sex in the City aired almost exclusively during the summer throughout its 6-year run to great success, becoming one of HBO's most successful shows in the process? Think that would have happened if it aired during the same months as The Sopranos? The program has had continued success in the summer this year, as its full-length feature film has been one of the biggest hits of the year.
3-The Daily Show
When Politically Incorrect (another summer premiere) made the jump from Comedy Central to ABC, the cable channel needed a suitable replacement to challenge the late-night talk shows airing on network TV. The Daily Show was born in the summer of 1997 with then host Craig Kilborn. It was a success from the start, but the show really hit its stride when Jon Stewart took Kilborn's place when Craiggers took over The Late Late Show. Again, a network move benefited Comedy Central immensely.
2- American Idol
Much like Survivor did 2 years previous, American Idol burst onto the scene from relative obscurity in the first season. In fact, the show was picked up only because of the recommendation of Rupert Murdoch's daughter, who enjoyed the British version. Nevertheless, the program picked up steam right from the start, and the show has been the highest-rated program in the US for the last four seasons.
1-Seinfeld
The pilot for Seinfeld aired in July of 1989. It was likely a time-filler for NBC, as the show was not picked up for another year, only getting four more episodes due to the dedication of NBC exec Rick Ludwin who set aside money from his "special programming" budget. Those four episodes aired during--you guessed it--the summer of 1990, during which it produced respectable enough ratings for the show to be picked up. After a few seasons of so-so Nielsen numbers, the show shot into the stratosphere during its fifth season, when it placed in the top 3 shows of the year. The show spent the following four seasons in the number 1 or 2 ranking.
