20/20

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This article is about the television show. For other uses, see 20/20 (disambiguation).
20/20
Format Newsmagazine
Created by Roone Arledge
Starring John Stossel
(2003–present)
Elizabeth Vargas
(2004–present)
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of episodes N/A
Production
Running time 60 Minutes
Broadcast
Original channel ABC
Picture format 480i (SDTV)
Original run June 6, 1978 – present
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

20/20 is an American television newsmagazine broadcast on ABC since June 6, 1978. Created by ABC News executive Roone Arledge[citation needed], the show was designed similarly to CBS's 60 Minutes but focuses more on human interest stories than international and political subjects. The program's name derives from the "20/20" measurement of visual acuity.

Contents

[edit] History

The show's anchors on the premiere telecast were Harold Hayes, the renowed editor of Esquire magazine who also served as senior producer, and famed Time art critic Robert Hughes. The debut received largely harsh reviews; The New York Times described it as "dizzingly absurd" and the Washington Post denounced it as "the trashiest stab at candycane journalism yet." In his autobiography Roone: A Memoir, Arledge recalled that probably the most embarrassing part of that initial program was the Claymation segments featuring cariactures representing then-President Jimmy Carter (singing "Georgia on My Mind") and Walter Cronkite (closing the show intoning, "That's the way it was"). As a result of the scathing reviews, serious and drastic changes were made immediately: Hayes and Hughes were fired (as was original executive producer Bob Shanks), and a then semi-retired Hugh Downs was recruited to take on the role of sole host on the following week's program.

Under Downs as host, 20/20 evolved into a more standard yet unique newsmagazine and received kinder reviews. The program originally was seen as a summer replacement series, after which during the 1978-1979 season it was presented on a once-a-month basis before acquiring a regular Thursday 10:00 p.m. slot beginning May 31, 1979. Ratings were generally very good during the summertime during its eight years on Thursday nights despite competition from Knots Landing on CBS and Hill Street Blues on NBC.

Barbara Walters joined the cast in 1979 as something less than a co-anchor and soon became a regular special contributor in the fall of 1981. In 1984 she became Hugh Downs' equal, thus reuniting a duo which had already anchored together on NBC's Today from 1964 to 1971. The team would remain together on-air for the next 15 years.

In the fall of 1987, 20/20 was moved to Fridays at 10:00 p.m., where by the 1990-1991 season it ranked 20th in the annual ratings as a result. While the series moved to the 8:00 p.m. timeslot briefly on October 12, 2007, it reverted to its usual time two weeks later.

For a time from 1997-2000, ABC News combined 20/20 and Primetime Live to compete with Dateline NBC. The editions were called 20/20 Monday, 20/20 Wednesday, 20/20 Thursday, 20/20 Friday, 20/20 Sunday, and finally 20/20 Downtown. In 2000 ABC News returned the news magazines to the original 20/20, reinstating Primetime Wednesday, and spinning off 20/20 Downtown as simply Downtown.

Downs retired in 1999 and Walters became the solo news anchor until 2002 when John Miller was hired to be a permanent co-host of the series. But he never got very comfortable in the anchor chair and a year later he jumped at the chance to rejoin law enforcement. For a few months in early 2003 Barbara Walters anchored solo again. However, in May of 2003, John Stossel, the man behind the controversial, though popular, "Give Me a Break" segments, was named co-anchor of 20/20. As one of the first veteran anchors, Barbara Walters chose to go into semi-retirement as a broadcast journalist in 2004. However, she remained as a frequent contributor to the show. ABC News reporter Elizabeth Vargas was promoted to the co-anchor spot.

[edit] One Hour Specials

“20/20” has done unique hour-long reports that include “My Secret Self: A Story of Transgender Children,” “Waiting on the World to Change” – a year in the lives of children in one of the poorest cities in America -- “Scared Stiff: Worried in America,” “Caught on Tape” – on how the proliferation of cameras in our society has impacted our lives -- “Seeing and Believing: The Power of Faith,” “Privilege in America: Who’s Shutting You Out,” “Sweet Revenge,” a report on the differences between female and male brains, and "When Is Young Too Young?" which reports on teenagers and kids who do things that are mostly adult like careers like an 11 or 12 year old girl who is a race car driver and a 10 or 11 year old boy who is a matador as well as talking to the mother of pilot traniee Jessica Dubroff who at the age of seven died when the plane she was flying crashed not long after take off.

In August, 2006, a one hour special entitled Last Days on Earth aired. It discussed 7 ways in which life on Earth could end, and has since aired on the History Channel.

[edit] Music theme

The distinctive theme music to 20/20 was written by Robert Arnold Israel and based upon ABC's World News Tonight theme written by Lillian Scheinert. The original theme was revamped around 1993, and was subsequently replaced in 1999 along with 20/20 logo and the anchor's desk. Finally the orchestral 20/20 theme was updated in 2001, along with a few modifications in 2003 and 2005.

[edit] Past anchors

The Anchors of 20/20 from 1998 to 2000. From Left to right, Charles Gibson, Sam Donaldson, Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, Hugh Downs, and Connie Chung
The Anchors of 20/20 from 1998 to 2000. From Left to right, Charles Gibson, Sam Donaldson, Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, Hugh Downs, and Connie Chung

[edit] Current and past correspondents

[edit] International broadcasts

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Co-Anchors of 20/20
Hayes • Hughes • Downs • Walters • Miller • Stossel • Vargas
Languages