90 Bristol Court is the umbrella title of a short-lived NBC experiment comprising three situation comedies set in a Southern California apartment complex located at the title address. The 90-minute block aired Monday nights and consisted of Karen (7:30-8:00pm), Harris Against the World (8:00-8:30pm), and Tom, Dick, and Mary (8:30-9:00pm).
The address, Ninety Bristol Court, cleverly utilized the initials of its network, N.B.C. in the title, a feat that no other network could ever accomplish.
While they were promoted as a single programming block, the three components were individual series with separate casts, writing and production staffs, with the core production companies, Kayro-Vue and Universal Television (who also produced The Munsters for CBS that season) being the only common component. Besides the umbrella title/address, the only on-air continuity from one series to the next was provided by Guy Raymond, who portrayed handyman Cliff Murdoch, often seen greeting the residents as they approached their apartments.
Premiering October 5, 1964, 90 Bristol Court faced formidable competition opposite the venerable To Tell the Truth, I've Got a Secret, and Andy Griffith Show on CBS and a fledgling Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea on ABC. NBC’s programming experiment came to an end on January 4, 1965 as Harris Against the World and Tom, Dick, and Mary, victims of low Nielsen ratings, aired their final episodes. Karen lasted the 1964-1965 television season but was not renewed for a sophomore year; its last episode was a rerun broadcast on August 30, 1965.