Complex sentence: When the 1984--1985 television season finished the show placed 38th in the Nielsen ratings; this put the show on the fence with ABC, since the show had enough of an audience to warrant renewal.
Split into simpler sentences: When the 1984--1985 television season finished, the show placed 38th in the Nielsen ratings. This put the show on the fence with ABC, since the show had enough of an audience to warrant renewal.