Editing TGIF (TV programming block) (section)

===Jim Janicek===
''TGIF'' was created and executive produced by Jim Janicek.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jim Janicek|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1371018/|website=[[IMDb]]|access-date=2018-06-30|archive-date=2019-03-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301141711/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1371018/|url-status=live}}</ref> Prior to the official launch of the block, Janicek was employed as a writer and producer for [[ABC Entertainment]], who was in charge of promoting the network's Tuesday- and Friday-night comedy lineups. Recalling his childhood when his family would gather to watch ''[[Walt Disney anthology television series|The Wonderful World of Disney]]'', he was inspired to create a family-oriented comedy block. In 1988, Janicek began gaining support for his concept by approaching the studios and talent of independently produced ABC shows, promoting the synergy and potential success of the family block brand. With four ABC family-oriented comedy series on board, and the backing of network president [[Bob Iger]], the initial lineup for the block was created.<ref name=TVWeek5-03>{{cite news|title=ABC Reinventing 'TGIF'|first1=Leslie|last1=Ryan|first2=Michele|last2=Greppi|periodical=Television Week|date=May 12, 2003<!--|access-date=January 19, 2014-->}}</ref>

Before ABC experienced its success on that night during the 1980s, its Friday night schedule consisted of hit comedies such as ''[[Webster (TV series)|Webster]]'' (which remained on Fridays until its cancellation by ABC in 1987, only to subsequently be renewed by [[Paramount Television]] as a first-run syndicated series), ''[[Benson (TV series)|Benson]]'' (which would be cancelled at the end of the 1985–86 season) and ''[[Diff'rent Strokes]]'' (which moved to ABC in 1985 after being cancelled after seven seasons by NBC, only to cancelled by ABC following its eighth and final season). The block of predominantly family-friendly situation comedies was inaugurated in the [[1988–89 United States network television schedule|1988–89 season]] with three series that were already part of the Friday lineup (''[[Perfect Strangers (TV series)|Perfect Strangers]]'', ''[[Full House]]'' and ''[[Mr. Belvedere]]'') and a sophomore series new to that night, ''[[Just the Ten of Us]]'' (a [[Spin-off (media)|spinoff]] of ''[[Growing Pains]]'', which originally aired on Tuesdays for its abbreviated first season in the spring of 1988).

Since the [[1987–88 United States network television schedule|1987–88 season]], ''Perfect Strangers'' stars [[Mark Linn-Baker]] and [[Bronson Pinchot]] (in character as [[Larry Appleton]] and [[Balki Bartokomous]], respectively) had been doing hosted [[interstitial program|interstitials]] that were conducted from the ''Perfect Strangers'' set, originally airing during the two-hour Wednesday sitcom block that their series was part of as that season began. In March 1988, ''Perfect Strangers'' moved to Fridays, and the interstitials went with them. On Fridays, the hosted interstitial concept gained more traction before the family-friendly concept on that night was actually implemented. Pinchot and Linn-Baker would remain the sole hosts of the Friday lineup throughout the 1988–89 season.

Meanwhile, ABC began reformulating its Tuesday night lineup which, for the past several seasons, had consisted of a comedy block from 8:00 to 9:00&nbsp;p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern Time]] followed by two hour-long dramas, most notably with the hit series ''[[Moonlighting (TV series)|Moonlighting]]'' airing at 9:00&nbsp;p.m. Eastern. ''Moonlighting'', then in its fifth season and starting to experience a considerable decline in its ratings (greatly thanks to the 1988 [[Writers Guild of America|WGA]] strike, which delayed the premieres of many programs set to launch or return for the 1988 fall season), was placed on a temporary hiatus by ABC in February 1989 when the network decided to add a second hour of comedy offerings onto its Tuesday schedule. Janicek, in response, came up with the idea to promote the restructured lineup under a unified brand name, ''Terrific Tuesday'', to draw audiences to the changes, to reference the two additional sitcoms that were being offered, and especially as a nod to ''[[Who's the Boss?]]'' and the freshman smash hit ''[[Roseanne]]'', which now served as a strong anchor for the expanded comedy lineup.

The ''Terrific Tuesday'' branding was a success, and ABC urged Janicek to continue the banner name for the following season. At the time of the network [[Upfront (advertising)|upfronts]] that unveiled the upcoming fall schedule in May 1989, Janicek, as well as ABC, devised the notion of further promoting their family fun-themed Fridays with a brand name. Over the summer, ABC began promoting the Friday sitcoms under the experimental title, "The Friday Fun Club". While ''Terrific Tuesday'' and ''What-a-Wednesday'' were both on tap for the 1989–90 fall season, the Friday branding concept was to undergo a revision before September.