Online Encyclopedia
Categories: 1970s | 1980
1980 in television
See also: 1979 in television, other events of 1980, 1981 in television and the list of 'years in television'.
Contents |
Events
- February 1 - After a brief return, the soap opera Love of Life airs its last episode, after twenty-nine years on the air.
- February 14 - Walter Cronkite announces his retirement from the CBS Evening News.
- February 15 - New Zealand's Television One and Television Two go to air under the newly formed Television New Zealand.
- March 21 - On the season finale of the soap opera Dallas, the infamous character J.R. Ewing is shot by an unseen assailant leading to the catchphrase "Who Shot JR?"
- April 4 - Violet Carson makes her last appearance as Ena Sharples on Coronation Street.
- April 7 - The Oldest Living Graduate , a live drama on NBC, is broadcast; the network had not aired a program like it since 1962. The production is aired from Southern Methodist University and stars Henry Fonda, George Grizzard , and Cloris Leachman.
- June 1 - The Cable News Network begins broadcasting.
- August 1 - After a failed experiment, the soap opera Another World airs its last regularly scheduled ninety-minute episode. The show returns to sixty minutes on August 4.
- December 30 - After 26 years, the longest-running prime-time TV series Disney's Wonderful World is cancelled by NBC. It was picked up by CBS the next fall.
- The David Letterman Show debuts on NBC. Letterman's humor does not go over well with a morning audience, and the show is soon cancelled. Letterman would go on to host a late night show two years later.
- US viewers get caught up in the "Who Shot J.R.?" cliff hanger on the soap opera series, Dallas, which is solved on a November 21 episode, drawing a record numbers of viewers.
- Armchair Thriller is taken off air (1978-1980, intermittently since 1956 as Armchair Theatre and Armchair Cinema) (UK).
Debuts
- May 30 - The Other 'Arf premieres on ITV starring Lorraine Chase (1980-1984)
- August 4 - Texas, the first soap opera to air hour-long episodes from the beginning, debuts in the slot largely vacated by Another World (1980-1982)
- Archie Bunker's Place (1980-1983)
- Bosom Buddies (1980-1982)
- Fridays (1980-1982)
- It's a Living (1980-1982, 1985-1989)
- Magnum, P.I. (1980-1988)
- Solid Gold (1980-1988)
- That's Incredible! (1980-1984)
- Too Close for Comfort (1980-1986)
Popular Television Shows
- Meet the Press (1947-present)
- Candid Camera (1948-present)
- Truth or Consequences (1950-1988)
- Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986)
- American Bandstand (1952-1989)
- Guiding Light (1952-present)
- The Today Show (1952-present)
- Panorama (UK) (1953-present)
- The Good Old Days (UK) (1953-1983)
- Face the Nation (1954-present)
- The Tonight Show (1954-present)
- Captain Kangaroo (1955-1984)
- The Lawrence Welk Show (1955-1982)
- This Is Your Life (UK) (1955-2003)
- As the World Turns (1956-present)
- The Edge of Night (1956-1984)
- What the Papers Say (UK) (1956-present)
- The Sky at Night (UK) (1957-present)
- Blue Peter (UK) (1958-present)
- Grandstand (UK) (1958-present)
- Coronation Street (UK) (1960-present)
- The Mike Douglas Show (1961-1981)
- The Late Late Show (Ireland) (1962-present)
- Dr Who (UK) (1963-1989)
- General Hospital (1963-present)
- The Doctors (1963-1982)
- Another World (1964-1999)
- Top of the Pops (UK) (1964-present)
- Days of Our Lives (1965-present)
- World of Sport (UK) (1965-1985)
- Play School (1966-present)
- 60 Minutes (1968-present)
- One Life to Live (1968-present)
- Hee Haw (1969-1993)
- Sesame Street (1969-present)
- The Benny Hill Show (UK) (1969-1989)
- All My Children (1970-present)
- Monday Night Football (1970-present)
- Play for Today (UK) (1970-1984)
- Masterpiece Theatre (1971-present)
- Old Grey Whistle Test (UK) (1971-1987)
- Are You Being Served? (UK) (1972-1985)
- Emmerdale Farm (UK) (1972-present)
- John Craven's Newsround (UK) (1972-present)
- M*A*S*H (1972-1983)
- The Price Is Right (1972-present)
- The Waltons (1972-1981)
- Last of the Summer Wine (UK) (1973-present)
- Match Game (1962-1969, 1973-1984, 1990-1991, 1998-1999)
- Schoolhouse Rock! (1973-1986)
- The Tomorrow Show (1973-1982)
- The Young and the Restless (1973-present)
- Derrick (1974-1998)
- Happy Days (1974-1984)
- Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983)
- The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast (1974-1984)
- Tiswas (UK) (1974-1982)
- Barney Miller (1975-1982)
- Fawlty Towers (UK) (1975-present)
- Good Morning America (1975-present)
- Match Game PM (1975-1981)
- One Day at a Time (1975-1984)
- Runaround (UK) (1975-1981)
- Ryan's Hope (1975-1989)
- Saturday Night Live (1975-present)
- Superstars (UK) (1975-1985, 2003-present)
- the fifth estate (Canada) (1975-present)
- The Jeffersons (1975-1985)
- Wheel of Fortune (1975-present)
- Alice (1976-1985)
- Charlie's Angels (1976-1981)
- Family Feud (1976-1985, 1988-1995, 1999-present)
- Laverne & Shirley (1976-1983)
- Quincy, M.E. (1976-1983)
- Second City Television (SCTV) (Canada) (1976-1984)
- The Muppet Show (UK) (1976-1981)
- The P.T.L. Club (1976-1987)
- CHiPs (1977-1983)
- Eight Is Enough (1977-1981)
- Fantasy Island (1977-1984)
- In Search of... (1977-1982)
- Lou Grant (1977-1982)
- Soap (1977-1981)
- The Love Boat (1977-1986)
- Three's Company (1977-1984)
- 20/20 (1978-present)
- 3-2-1 (UK) (1978-1987)
- Battle of the Planets (1978-1985)
- Dallas (1978-1991)
- Diff'rent Strokes (1978-1986)
- Grange Hill (UK) (1978-present)
- Mork and Mindy (1978-1982)
- Taxi (1978-1983)
- WKRP in Cincinnati (1978-1982)
- Benson (1979-1986)
- Disney's Wonderful World (1979-1981)
- Knots Landing (1979-1993)
- Real People (1979-1984)
- The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985)
- The Facts of Life (1979-1988)
- Trapper John, M.D. (1979-1986)
- You Can't Do That on Television (Canada) (1979-1990)
Ending this year
- Love of Life (1951-1980)
- Hawaii Five-O (1968-1980)
- Barnaby Jones (1973-1980)
- The Rockford Files (1974-1980)
- King of Kensington (Canada) (1975-1980)
- Angie (1979-1980)
Births
- September 6 - Kerry McFadden, British television presenter
- October 17 - Justin Shenkarow, voice actor ("Harold Berman" from Hey Arnold!)
- December 25 - Laura Sadler, British actress
Deaths
- January 29 - Jimmy Durante, actor, singer
- February 13 - David Janssen, actor
- March 5 - Jay Silverheels, actor
- April 29 - Alfred Hitchcock, film director and TV host
Categories: 1970s | 1980
Last updated: 11-05-2004 21:48:57