I remember reading that Battlestars ratings were decent at the time it was cancelled, and the show that moved into that time slot never achieved what Battlestars achieved. That's probably why it was revived.
We're talking about 11:30 AM on NBC. Quick(ish) backgrounder: In April of '78, Wheel of Fortune moves there and plays second fiddle to Family Feud on ABC. Meanwhile, Wheel either outperforms, or stays neck-and-neck, with Love of Life on CBS.
The arrival of Whew! pushes up The Price is Right from 10:30 to 11, making the last half of Price into Wheel's new competition. Price eventually outperforms the combo of Laverne & Shirley reruns and Feud on ABC, making High Rollers & Wheel fall into a distinct third on NBC.
The David Letterman Show makes Wheel's stock fall further. The 11 o'clock hour eventually goes back to all-game with Wheel first and Password Plus now at 11:30. Still, Password Plus can't outperform primetime reruns on ABC, with Password's last weeks in the slot averaging an 18 share against Love Boat's 28 and Price's 32.
Enter Battlestars in October of '81. Frankly, there's not much to report over its run. Price and Love Boat stay largely steady at 33 and 27 respectively, while Battlestars ticks up and up to a 20 share for 2 weeks in April '82 before another slight dip, increases for its competition, and a cancellation. The hour-long soap Texas wipes out both games in its move from afternoons, and doesn't go above a 12-share average during its 36 weeks in the timeslot.
Meanwhile, at Noon, Doctors is earning single-digit share numbers for NBC. Just Men! enters and betters Doctor's 6-or-7 average with a 9 share. But alas, enter New Battlestars, which outperforms them both with a 10 average over its 13 weeks. However, it's still not good enough against Family Feud's 18-to-21 point averages, and time given to the affiliates on CBS.
-Jason