Editing TGIF (TV programming block) (section)

====Explosive success in the 1990s====
With the ''TGIF'' moniker permanently in place, more changes in presentation occurred as the lineup grew in popularity. On September 21, 1990, the animated mice opening and accompanying theme music were dropped from the Friday block, in favor of a new graphics package that officially incorporated the new ''TGIF'' name for the first time. With these new visuals came the "classic" ''TGIF'' theme ("''It's Friday night/And the mood is right/Gonna have some fun/Show you how it's done, TGIF.''").

For most of ''TGIF''{{'}}s run until the 1998–99 season, at least one series on the lineup was produced (and in some cases, developed) by the team of [[Miller-Boyett Productions|Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett]], whose relationship with ABC traces back to the premiere of ''[[Love, American Style]]'' – produced by Miller and former producing partner Edward K. Milkis under a development deal with Paramount Television – in 1972. The first two series were ''Perfect Strangers'' and ''Full House'', both of which were produced through Miller-Boyett's development deal with [[Lorimar Television]] (absorbed into [[Warner Bros. Television]] in 1993) and aired on the network's Friday night schedule prior to the launch of ''TGIF''. (The latter premiered in September 1987 as part of the network's Friday schedule, while the former concurrently was moved from Wednesdays to Fridays that month.)

''Family Matters'', a spin-off of ''Perfect Strangers'' that debuted in September 1989 as part of the inaugural ''TGIF'' lineup, originally centered solely on the family of Harriette Winslow ([[Jo Marie Payton]]), who began as a recurring character on its parent series (where her cop husband, Carl ([[Reginald VelJohnson]]), was also first introduced). Earning modest ratings early on, the series evolved into a major hit following the addition of breakout character [[Steve Urkel]] ([[Jaleel White]]) midway through its first season; the character's promotion to the main cast in its second season (gradually becoming the primary focus of the show), resulted in ''Family Matters'' shifting from a "down-to-earth" family sitcom to a mix of conventional family comedy and [[slapstick comedy|slapstick]]-driven storylines (with [[science fiction|sci-fi]] elements being weaved into plots in later seasons as Urkel was further developed from a proud nerd who served as the Winslows' annoying neighbor into a budding scientist and inventor).

By this point, Miller-Boyett and Lorimar had ownership stakes in the block and were therefore responsible for the majority of programming duties. All four ''TGIF'' shows featured as part of the block's [[1990–91 United States network television schedule|1990–91 Fall schedule]] were produced by them (a move that resulted in the cancellation of ''Just the Ten of Us'', despite it maintaining fairly decent ratings in its Friday slot), with ''Perfect Strangers'', ''Family Matters'' and ''Full House'' being joined by ''[[Going Places (American TV series)|Going Places]]'', a comedy centering on the lives of four roommates ([[Alan Ruck]], [[Heather Locklear]], [[Jerry Levine]] and [[Hallie Todd]]) who write for a ''[[Candid Camera]]''-style [[hidden camera]] show. Being a more adult-targeted entry in the 9:30/8:30 ''TGIF'' slot, ''Going Places'' initially lagged behind its sister shows; a mid-season retool, one that placed an equal emphasis on juvenile characters and saw the adult leads' job setting switch to a [[late-night talk show]], improved ratings. (Ironically, ''Perfect Strangers'' maintained a similar, virtually exclusive focus on adult characters even after moving to ''TGIF'' and had abandoned plans to add child actress [[Alisan Porter]] to its cast as a young neighbor to lead characters Balki and Larry after one episode that same season.)

''Going Places'' was cancelled after one season in spite of its ratings increase, and was replaced in the [[1991–92 United States network television schedule|1991–92]] season by ''[[Baby Talk (TV series)|Baby Talk]]'', a sitcom based on the film ''[[Look Who's Talking]]'' that initially scored high ratings as a [[mid-season replacement]] – temporarily occupying ''Going Places''{{'}}s time slot – in the Spring of 1991; however, ratings for the show collapsed in its second season, resulting in its cancellation. Also added as a midseason replacement in April 1991 was ''[[Dinosaurs (TV series)|Dinosaurs]]'', a [[The Jim Henson Company|Jim Henson Television]]-produced live-action comedy using [[Audio-Animatronics|audio-animatronic puppetry]], centering on the Sinclairs, a family of [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] dinosaurs living in prehistoric [[Pangaea]]; often touching upon sensitive topical issues (such as [[environmentalism]], [[women's rights]], [[sexual harassment]], [[LGBT rights by country or territory|LGBT rights]], censorship, [[body image]], [[drug abuse]], [[racism]] and [[peer pressure]], sometimes through satire) seldom dealt with on family sitcoms of the time, ''Dinosaurs'' spent much of its four-season run on ''TGIF'', up through the conclusion of its third season in 1993.{{NoteTag|ABC aired ''Dinosaurs''  on Wednesdays for most of its second season (1991–92, returning to Fridays for the remainder of the season in late Spring 1992) and its abbreviated fourth season (June–July 1994), during which ABC cancelled the series. Unaired fourth season episodes would later air in 1995 on [[Disney Channel|The Disney Channel]], through its cable syndication rights to the series.}}

Also joining the lineup for the 1991–92 season was another Miller-Boyett series, ''[[Step by Step (TV series)|Step by Step]]'', a [[star vehicle]] for [[Suzanne Somers]] and [[Patrick Duffy]] (the latter having come off an eleven-year run as [[Bobby Ewing]] on the [[CBS]] prime time [[soap opera|soap]] ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'') that went on to become a ''TGIF'' mainstay for the next six seasons. The ''Brady Bunch''-inspired comedy centered on two single parents (Duffy and Somers), each with three children (two of them played by former ''Going Places'' co-stars [[Staci Keanan]] and [[Christopher Castile]]), who create a [[stepfamily]] after marrying each other in the midst of a whirlwind romance while on vacation. (As a result of picking up ''Step by Step'' and renewing ''Baby Talk'', ABC decided to move ''Full House'' from Fridays to Tuesdays for 1991–92, having it lead off the latter night's lineup that included hit series ''Roseanne'', ''[[Coach (TV series)|Coach]]'' and freshman offering ''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]]''.)

During the most successful years of ''TGIF'', the main characters of one of the Friday prime-time sitcoms would "host" the two-hour block of episodes for that week. Always in character, they would introduce each show and comment on the proceedings afterward. Sometimes, characters from a series that did not air on the Friday schedule would appear to host. For example, in January 1996, [[Daniel Hugh Kelly]], [[Betsy Brantley]] and other stars from the short-lived drama ''[[Second Noah]]'' served as one-time-only guest hosts of ''TGIF'' as a cross promotion for the new Saturday series. Occasionally, the hosts for the evening would find a common thread between each show. Each Fall from 1989 to 1996, cast members from various ''TGIF'' shows co-hosted ABC's annual [[Saturday morning preview specials]], outlining the new programs being added to the network's [[Saturday-morning cartoon|children's program lineup]]. (After [[The Walt Disney Company]] began programming the Saturday morning lineup in 1997, in the wake of its prior acquisition of ABC, these preview specials were hosted for the remainder of ''TGIF''{{'}}s run by the hosts of ''[[ABC Kids (TV programming block)#Disney's One Saturday Morning|Disney's One Saturday Morning]]''; ABC ceased producing annual Fall preview specials for its children's programming slate—becoming the last of the [[Big Three television networks|Big Three]] networks to discontinue the practice—after the 1999–2000 season.)

When ''TGIF'' officially launched, weekly promos for the lineup were voiced by actor and resident ABC announcer [[Robert Ridgely]], who had mainly been voicing sitcom promos (including those for Fridays) for a few years before the brand was incorporated. Veteran television personality and announcer [[Gary Owens]] (who had been with ABC since 1985 as a primetime promo voiceover) became the sole announcer for weekly ''TGIF'' promotions beginning with the 1990–91 season. Owens remained as the "voice of ''TGIF''" until the end of the 1995–96 season. During the 1995-96 season, fellow voice actor and resident ABC announcer [[Brian Cummings]] shared announcer duties with Owens (doing weekly promos for the lineup whenever he wasn't available). Also during the 1990–91 season, [[SkyBox International|Impel Marketing]], in partnership with ABC, released a series of [[trading cards]] featuring publicity shots featuring the stars of ''Perfect Strangers'', ''Full House'' and ''Family Matters'' to promote the block.

After trying out three new series during the [[1992–93 United States network television schedule|1992–93]] season that were canceled either because of poor ratings (''[[Camp Wilder]]'' and ''[[Where I Live]]'', the latter's occurring weeks after its October 1993 move to Saturdays for its short-lived second season) or network politics (''[[Getting By]]'', which moved to NBC for its second and final season), the [[1993–94 United States network television schedule|1993–94 season]] saw the additions of three new comedies to the block, two of which would provide some needed stability to the lineup for most of the time up through the end of the 1995–96 season. The first was ''[[Boy Meets World]]'', a sitcom from ''Dinosaurs'' co-creator [[Michael Jacobs (producer)|Michael Jacobs]] with similar underlying themes as the then-recently concluded ABC dramedy ''[[The Wonder Years]]'', centering around [[Cory Matthews]] ([[Ben Savage]], the younger brother of ''Wonder Years'' star [[Fred Savage]]) as he navigates life with his family, friends and ever-present teacher and neighbor George Feeny ([[William Daniels]]); the series—which was the longest-running ''TGIF'' comedy series not produced by Miller–Boyett, and the only long-running sitcom to air on the block for the series' entire run—was a breakout ratings success and received favorable reviews from critics for its humor and handling of the complications surrounding the transition from childhood to adulthood.

Moving from Tuesdays for its second season that year was ''[[Hangin' with Mr. Cooper]]'', a series from ''Full House'' creator [[Jeff Franklin]] that debuted in September 1992 as a starring vehicle for comedian [[Mark Curry (actor)|Mark Curry]] (playing [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] player-turned-teacher—and eventually, high school basketball coach—Mark Cooper), and co-stars [[Dawnn Lewis]] (previously of ''[[A Different World]]'') and [[Holly Robinson Peete|Holly Robinson]] (previously of ''[[21 Jump Street]]''). The concurrences of ''Cooper''{{’}}s move to Fridays and Lewis's departure saw it retooled from a series about three adult roommates into more of a family-oriented comedy, which saw Curry and Robinson being joined in the main cast by [[Raven-Symoné]] and [[Saundra Quarterman]] as Cooper's cousins, [[Marquise Wilson]] (who recurred in the first season) as his pre-teen neighbor, and [[Nell Carter]] as his childhood friend-turned-high school principal and boss.{{NoteTag|Longtime Miller-Boyett collaborators William Bickley and Michael Warren, who wrote for ''Perfect Strangers'' and created ''Family Matters'', ''Step by Step'' and ''Getting By'', would later serve as ''Cooper''{{’}}s showrunners for its last three seasons beginning with the 1994–95 season.}} Serving as a Spring replacement for ''Cooper'' in 1994 and [[1994–95 United States network television schedule|1995]] was ''[[Sister, Sister (TV series)|Sister, Sister]]'', starring [[Tia Mowry|Tia]] and [[Tamera Mowry]] as identical twins adopted at birth to parents with polar-opposite personalities ([[Tim Reid]] and [[Jackeé Harry]]) who are reunited during a chance encounter at a clothing store.{{NoteTag|ABC aired ''Sister, Sister''  on Tuesdays for the final four episodes of its first season (which ran from April–September 1994) and on Wednesdays for most of its second season (1994–95), before returning to Fridays in March 1995 for the latter's final five episodes.}} Despite scoring decent ratings over its two seasons on the network (particularly among teenage viewers), ABC canceled ''Sister, Sister'' in May 1995, a few weeks after its second season concluded. (It was subsequently picked up by fledgling “netlet” [[The WB]], where it ran for four additional seasons.)