with its team of entirely new writers and cast members, the show was plagued by problems from the start and deemed a commercial disappointment by critics, and by viewers as reflected in the nielsen ratings. for much of the season, the show was in turmoil and many critics wrote the show off as a pale imitation of its former glory due to budget cuts, lack of support that was promised to jean doumanian by either the network or her staff, and stiff competition from abc's "fridays", which, at the time, enjoyed critical acclaim and was gaining popularity as a similarly-"edgy", late-night sketch show that aired on a weekend.