# 1972 in television

The year 1972 involved some significant events in television. Below is a list of notable television-related events.

## Events

* January 3 – Show Boat is aired for the first time on network television in the United States, on NBC
* January 21 – The first convention of Star Trek fans is held in New York City's Statler-Hilton hotel
* Mid-February – John Lennon and Yoko Ono co-host an entire week on The Mike Douglas Show in the U.S.
* February 19 – Sammy Davis Jr. makes a guest appearance on All in the Family
* March 18 – After losing a 15-year court battle over the legality of its business relationship with The Herald-Traveler, CBS' Boston, Massachusetts affiliate WHDH-TV Channel 5 signs off the air. At 3 a.m. on March 19, WCVB takes over the Channel 5 frequency, simultaneously switching affiliations to the ABC network following CBS' loss of interest in the channel during the long legal wrangle.
* March 27 - The Amateur's Guide to Love begins on the air, making it CBS' first attempt to make a game show since 1968 when To Tell the Truth went off the air. It fails after 3 months
* April 4 – After a three-year courtship, Emily Nugent (Eileen Derbyshire) marries Ernest Bishop (Stephen Hancock) on ITV soap Coronation Street in the U.K.
* May – The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson relocates its production from New York City to the NBC studios in Burbank, California. The Tonight Show will remain there until relocating back to New York in February 2014
* July 21 – Victoria Wyndham makes her first appearance as vixen (and later, good girl) Rachel Davis on the U.S. soap opera Another World
* August 1 – Three years after it was first filmed, the Israel Broadcasting Authority finally agrees to screen Barricades, a controversial documentary film that offers a sympathetic portrayal of Palestinians expelled from their homes in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
* August 26 – Effective with this issue, TV Guide in the U.S. discontinues the practice of using a "C" to indicate color programs, and instead starts using a "BW" for monochrome, saving a lot of printer's ink in the process. At thIS time about half of the TV households in the U.S. have color sets
* September 1 – A day for CBS' daytime lineup that marks the end of an era. CBS airs reruns of popular primetime shows, The Lucy Show, The Beverly Hillbillies and My Three Sons for the final time, as reruns dominating CBS' daytime lineup (a tradition since 1959). The following Monday, all three shows move to syndication
* September 4 – Another eventful day for CBS' daytime schedule. The Price Is Right premieres on CBS. It becomes the longest running game show on American television. The Joker's Wild and Gambit also debut, bringing game shows back to CBS' schedule in a more successful attempt than The Amateur's Guide to Love, which was cancelled on June 23, and replacing the morning reruns dominating CBS' daytime lineup (a staple since 1959).
* September 9 – The Lawrence Welk Show opens its 18th season on location in Hawaii
* October 27 – The 5000th episode of CBS children's show Captain Kangaroo airs
* November 8 – Home Box Office (HBO) is launched, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
* November 21 – In the second part of a two-part story which began the previous week, Beatrice Arthur's character, Maude Findlay, on the U.S. television sitcom Maude, decides to go through with an abortion, in a move that shocks CBS executives and Maude advertisers. (Rue McClanahan makes her first appearance as Vivian Cavender in this two-parter; she will become a regular cast member the following season)
* December 31
** ORTF 3ème Chaîne launches in France
** The first installment of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve airs on NBC, beginning a yearly tradition of Dick Clark-hosted New Year's specials

## Programs

* 60 Minutes (1968–)
* About Safety (1972–1973)
* All in the Family (1971–1979)
* All My Children (1970–2011)
* American Bandstand (1952–1989)
* Another World (1964–1999)
* As the World Turns (1956–2010)
* Blue Peter (UK) (1958–)
* Bonanza (1959–1973)
* Bozo the Clown (1949–)
* Candid Camera (1948–)
* Captain Kangaroo (1955–1984)
* Columbo (1971–1978)
* Come Dancing (UK) (1949–95)
* Coronation Street (UK) (1960–)
* Crossroads (UK) (1964–1988, 2001–2003)
* Dad's Army (UK) (1968–1977)
* Days of Our Lives (1965–)
* Devilman (Japan) (1972–1973)
* Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955–1976)
* Doctor Who (UK) (1963–1989, 1996, 2005–)
* Emmerdale Farm (1972–)
* Face the Nation (1954–)
* Four Corners (Australia) (1961–)
* General Hospital (1963–)
* Grandstand (UK) (1958–2007)
* Gunsmoke (1955–1975)
* Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951–)
* Hawaii Five-O (1968–1980)
* Hee Haw (1969–1993)
* Here's Lucy (1968–1974)
* Ironside (1967–1975)
* It's Academic (1961–)
* Jeopardy! (1964–1975, 1984–)
* Kashi no Ki Mokku (Adventures of Pinocchio) (Japan) (1972)
* Kimba the White Lion (1966–1967), re-runs
* Laugh-In (1968–1973)
* Leave It to Beaver (1957–1963)
* Lost In Space (1965–1968)
* Love is a Many Splendored Thing (1967–73)
* Love of Life (1951–1980)
* Love, American Style (1969–1974)
* Magpie (UK)(1968–1980)
* Mannix (1967–1975)
* Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969–1976)
* Mary Tyler Moore (1970–77)
* Masterpiece Theatre (1971–)
* McCloud (1970–1977)
* McMillan & Wife (1971–1977)
* Meet the Press (1947–)
* Mission: Impossible (1966–1973)
* Monday Night Football (1970–)
* Monty Python's Flying Circus (UK) (1969–1974)
* Old Grey Whistle Test (UK) (1971–1987)
* One Life to Live (1968–2012)
* Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956–78)
* Panorama (UK) (1953–)
* Play for Today (UK) (1970–1984)
* Play School (1966–)
* Rainbow (1972–1992)
* Room 222 (1969–1974)
* Search for Tomorrow (1951–1986)
* Sesame Street (1969–)
* Soul Train (1971–2006)
* The Benny Hill Show (1969–1989)
* The Brady Bunch (1969–1974)
* The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1978)
* The Dean Martin Show (1965–1974)
* The Doctors (1963–1982)
* The Doris Day Show (1968–1973)
* The Edge of Night (1956–1984)
* The Flip Wilson Show (1970–1974)
* The Good Old Days (UK) (1953–1983)
* The Guiding Light (1952–2009)
* The Late Late Show (Ireland) (1962–)
* The Lawrence Welk Show (1955–1982)
* The Mike Douglas Show (1961–1981)
* The Mod Squad (1968–1973)
* The Money Programme (UK) (1966–)
* The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971–1974)
* The Newlywed Game (1966–1974)
* The Odd Couple (1970–75)
* The Partridge Family (1970–1974)
* The Price Is Right (1972–)
* The Secret Storm (1954–1974)
* The Sky at Night (UK) (1957–)
* The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour (1971–1974)
* The Today Show (1952–)
* The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992)
* The Wonderful World of Disney (1969–1979)
* This Is Your Life (UK) (1955–2003)
* Tom and Jerry (1965–1972, 1975–1977, 1980–1982)
* Top of the Pops (UK) (1964–2006)
* Truth or Consequences (1950–1988)
* What the Papers Say (UK) (1956–)
* Where the Heart Is (1969–1973)
* World of Sport (UK) (1965–1985)
* Z-Cars (UK) (1962–1978)

### Debuts

* January 4 – Des chiffres et des lettres on ORTF 2ème Chaîne in France (1972–)
* January 13 – Me and the Chimp on CBS (1 season)
* January 14 – Sanford and Son on NBC (1972–1977)
* January 15 – Emergency! on NBC (1972–1977)
* March 13 – Number 96 on Australia's 0–10 Network (1972–1977)
* April 4 – John Craven's Newsround (now titled Newsround) on BBC1
* April 7 – Ultraman Ace on TBS in Japan (1972–73)
* June 21 – The Super (1972–1972) on ABC.
* June 22 – The first Tattslotto draw on HSV-7 Melbourne
* July 5 – Tony Bennett at the Talk of the Town on Thames Television (first and only series)
* July 8 – Android Kikaider on TV Asahi (formerly NET) (1972–1973)
* August 16 – About Safety on PBS
* September 4 – The New Price Is Right (1972–present), The Joker's Wild (1972–1975, 1977–1986), and Gambit (1972–1976) all on CBS. Any Number, Bonus Game, and Double Prices were the three games played on the first episode of The New Price Is Right, which loses the "New" by mid-1973, and is currently television's longest running game show in history, having started its 43rd season in September 2014.
* September 8 – Are You Being Served? (1972–1985) on BBC1
* September 9
** Runaround on NBC (1972–1973)
** Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972–1984) and The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972–1973) both on CBS
* September 11 – Mastermind (1972–97, 2002–) on BBC1; The Rookies (1972–1976) on ABC
* September 12
** Maude, a spinoff of All in the Family on CBS (1972–1978)
** Temperatures Rising on ABC (1972–1974)
* September 13
** The Julie Andrews Hour on ABC; although only on for one season, it won seven Emmy Awards including Best Musical Variety Series.
** The Paul Lynde Show (1972-1973) on ABC.
* September 14 – The Waltons on CBS (1972–1981)
* September 15 – Ghost Story on NBC (1972–1973)
* September 16
** The Bob Newhart Show (1972–1978) and Bridget Loves Bernie (1972–1973) on CBS
** The Streets of San Francisco on ABC (1972–1977)
* September 17
** M*A*S*H on CBS (1972–1983)
** The Adventures of Black Beauty (1972–74) on ITV
* October 2 – The Stanley Baxter Picture Show (1972–75) on ITV
* October 3 – 4 Country Reporter on then-CBS affiliate KDFW Channel 4 (now a Fox O&O station); in 1986, the show moves into first-run syndication under the new name Texas Country Reporter, eventually airing nationally on the RFD-TV satellite/cable channel (As of October 2007, the show will mark 35 years on television)
* October 14 – Kung Fu on ABC (1972–75)
* October 16 – Emmerdale Farm starts transmissions in the daytime on ITV (1972–)
* October 19 – Prisoner-of-war drama
** Colditz on BBC1
** The Beachcombers (1972–1989) and This Is the Law (1972–1976) both on CBC
** Canada AM on CTV (1972–)
* November 4 – Great Performances on PBS (1972–)

### Ending this year

| Date | Show | Debut |
| January 8 | The Good Life (US) | 1971 |
| March 1 | The Courtship of Eddie's Father (US) | 1969 |
| March 10 | O'Hara, U.S. Treasury (US) | 1971 |
| March 12 | The Jimmy Stewart Show (US) | 1971 |
| March 25 | Bewitched (US) | 1964 |
| March 31 | Bright Promise (US) | 1969 |
| March 31 | The Return of Ultraman (Japan) | 1971 |
| April 27 | Me and the Chimp (US) | 1972 |
| August 14 | Doomwatch (UK) | 1970 |
| August 23 | The Super (US) | 1972 |
| August 24 | My Three Sons (US) | 1960 |
| September 2 | The Road Runner Show | 1966 |
| November 10 | Clangers (UK) | 1969 |
| November 29 | Kate (UK) | 1970 |
| December 4 | Father Brown (West Germany) | 1966 |

## Births

| Date | Name | Notability |
| January 2 | Christopher Lennertz | Composer |
| January 9 | Deon Cole | Actor and comedian (Black-ish) |
| January 11 | Marc Blucas | Actor (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Necessary Roughness, Underground) |
| January 11 | Amanda Peet | Actress (Jack & Jill) |
| January 12 | Zabryna Guevara | Actress (Gotham) |
| January 13 | Nicole Eggert | Actress (Charles in Charge, Baywatch) |
| January 19 | Drea de Matteo | Actress (The Sopranos, Joey, Desperate Housewives, Sons of Anarchy, Shades of Blue) |
| January 22 | Gabriel Macht | Actor |
| January 27 | Nic Testoni | Actor (Home and Away) |
| January 27 | Josh Randall | Actor (Ed) |
| January 28 | Gillian Vigman | Comic actress (Mad TV) |
| January 29 | Lisa Desjardins | American Journalist (PBS NewsHour) |
| February 2 | Zoë Keating | Composer |
| February 4 | Nicolle Wallace | TV host |
| February 7 | Robyn Lively | Actress (Savannah, Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street) |
| February 7 | Essence Atkins | Actress (Smart Guy, Half & Half, Are We There Yet?) and model |
| February 8 | Paul Wight | Actor and professional wrestler |
| February 9 | Jason Winston George | Actor (Sunset Beach, Eve, Grey's Anatomy) |
| February 11 | Kelly Slater | American professional surfer |
| February 14 | Rob Thomas | Singer |
| February 16 | Sarah Clarke | Actress (24, Bosch) |
| February 16 | Jerome Bettis | Football player |
| February 16 | Steven Molaro | American television producer |
| February 17 | Billie Joe Armstrong | Singer |
| February 22 | Keir Simmons | British journalist |
| February 26 | Keith Ferguson | Voice actor (Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Wander Over Yonder) |
| February 28 | Rory Cochrane | Actor (CSI: Miami) |
| February 28 | Nejat İşler | Actor |
| February 29 | Saul Williams | Actor |
| February 29 | Antonio Sabàto Jr. | Actor |
| February 29 | Joey Greco | Television host |
| February 29 | Sylvie Lubamba | Television model |
| February 29 | Steve Hart | Actor |
| February 29 | Pedro Zamora | Television personality (d. 1994) |
| March 2 | Richard Ruccolo | Actor (Two Guys and a Girl) |
| March 6 | Shaquille O'Neal | NBA basketball player and actor (Shaq Vs.) |
| March 7 | Dina Cantin | American television personality |
| March 9 | Jean Louisa Kelly | Actress (Yes, Dear) |
| March 9 | Kerr Smith | Actor (Dawson's Creek, Charmed) |
| March 9 | Travis Lane Stork | Television personality |
| March 11 | Jennifer Barnhart | Actress |
| March 13 | Common | Rapper and actor |
| March 18 | Dane Cook | Actor |
| March 23 | Reggie Watts | Actor |
| March 26 | Leslie Mann | Actress (Allen Gregory) |
| March 31 | Andrew Bowen | Actor (Mad TV) |
| April 3 | Jennie Garth | Actress (Beverly Hills, 90210, What I Like About You) |
| April 4 | Kevin Brown | Comedian and actor (30 Rock) |
| April 4 | Jill Scott | Singer and actress (Black Lightning, First Wives Club) |
| April 6 | Jason Hervey | Actor (The Wonder Years) |
| April 8 | Chuck Todd | Television journalist (Meet the Press) |
| April 8 | Sung Kang | Actor |
| April 17 | Jennifer Garner | Actress (Alias) |
| April 18 | Eli Roth | Actor |
| April 19 | Jennifer Taylor | Actress (Two and a Half Men) |
| April 20 | Carmen Electra | Model and actress (Baywatch) |
| April 20 | Danny McNulty | Actor (Boy Meets World) |
| April 22 | Willie Robertson | American TV personality |
| April 27 | David Lascher | Actor (Hey Dude, Blossom, Sabrina the Teenage Witch) |
| April 27 | Wellesley Wild | Writer |
| May 1 | Julie Benz | Actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dexter, No Ordinary Family, Defiance) |
| May 2 | Dwayne Johnson | Professional wrestler and actor |
| May 3 | Reza Aslan | Television host |
| May 4 | Mike Dirnt | American rock musician |
| May 4 | Micah Ohlman | American journalist |
| May 8 | Brian Tyler | Composer |
| May 9 | Chu Sang-mi | Korean actress |
| May 9 | Dana Perino | American political commentator |
| May 12 | Rhea Seehorn | American actress |
| May 15 | David Charvet | French singer and actor (Baywatch) |
| May 16 | Khary Payton | Actor (The Walking Dead, Teen Titans, Young Justice) |
| May 18 | Teresa Giudice | American television personality |
| May 19 | Claudia Karvan | Actress |
| May 20 | Busta Rhymes | Rapper and actor (The Boondocks) |
| May 21 | The Notorious B.I.G. | Rapper (d. 1997) |
| May 22 | Anna Belknap | Actress (CSI: NY) |
| May 29 | Laverne Cox | Actress |
| May 31 | Archie Panjabi | Actress (The Good Wife, The Fall, Blindspot) |
| May 31 | Sara Sidner | American journalist |
| June 2 | Wayne Brady | Actor (Whose Line Is It Anyway?), host (Let's Make a Deal) |
| June 2 | Wentworth Miller | British-American actor (Prison Break, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow) |
| June 3 | Sharyn Alfonsi | American journalist |
| June 6 | Natalie Morales | American journalist |
| June 7 | Karl Urban | Actor |
| June 12 | Finesse Mitchell | Actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live) |
| June 16 | John Cho | Actor |
| June 19 | Eric Sheffer Stevens | Actor (As the World Turns) |
| June 19 | Robin Tunney | Actress (Prison Break, The Mentalist) |
| June 19 | Poppy Montgomery | Australian-American actress (Relativity, Without a Trace, Unforgettable) |
| June 23 | Selma Blair | Actress (Anger Management) |
| June 27 | Christian Kane | Actor |
| June 28 | Alessandro Nivola | Actor |
| June 29 | Kevin Mambo | Zimbabwean-Canadian actor (Guiding Light) |
| June 30 | Molly Parker | Actress |
| July 7 | Kirsten Vangsness | Actress (Criminal Minds) |
| July 10 | Sofía Vergara | Colombian actress (Modern Family) and model |
| July 11 | Michael Rosenbaum | Actor (Smallville, Justice League, The Zeta Project) |
| July 12 | Kerri Kasem | Radio host |
| July 13 | Sean Waltman | Pro wrestler |
| July 15 | Scott Foley | Actor (Felicity, The Unit, True Blood, Scandal) |
| July 17 | Elizabeth Cook | Singer and radio host |
| July 20 | Vitamin C | Singer |
| July 22 | Colin Ferguson | Actor |
| July 23 | Marlon Wayans | Actor (In Living Color, The Wayans Bros.) |
| July 27 | Maya Rudolph | Actress (Saturday Night Live, Big Mouth, The Good Place) |
| July 27 | Jill Arrington | Sportscaster |
| July 29 | Wil Wheaton | Actor (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Teen Titans, Ben 10: Alien Force) |
| August 1 | Guri Weinberg | Actor |
| August 2 | Jacinda Barrett | Actress |
| August 7 | Heather Kadin | Television producer |
| August 9 | Liz Vassey | Actress (All My Children, The Tick, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) |
| August 10 | Angie Harmon | American actress (Law & Order, Rizzoli & Isles) and model |
| August 13 | Michael Sinterniklaas | French-American actor (Kappa Mikey, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir) |
| August 15 | Syd Butler | Band leader |
| August 16 | George Stroumboulopoulos | Canadian media personality |
| August 17 | Chiquinquirá Delgado | Actress |
| August 19 | Jeremy Hubbard | American news anchor |
| August 24 | Ava DuVernay | Filmmaker |
| August 30 | Cameron Diaz | Actress |
| September 6 | Dylan Bruno | Actor (NCIS, Numb3rs) |
| September 6 | Justina Machado | Actress (Six Feet Under, Queen of the South) |
| September 6 | Kendis Gibson | Anchor |
| September 8 | Kennedy | Fox News commentator |
| September 9 | Goran Višnjić | Croatian-American actor (ER) |
| September 15 | Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano | Spanish TV journalist, later queen consort |
| September 15 | John Schwab | American actor, TV producer, musician (Weaponology, Wife Swap, Trust) |
| September 16 | Alex Rice | Actress |
| September 20 | Sergio Di Zio | Canadian actor (Flashpoint) |
| September 23 | Karl Pilkington | English presenter |
| September 24 | Finty Williams | English actress |
| September 26 | Melanie Paxson | Actress (Notes from the Underbelly) and Red Robin spokesperson |
| September 27 | Gwyneth Paltrow | Actress and singer |
| September 30 | Jamal Anderson | American football running back |
| October 5 | Thomas Roberts | American television journalist |
| October 5 | Grant Hill | NBA basketball player |
| October 10 | Joelle Carter | Actress |
| October 16 | Trentemøller | Composer |
| October 17 | Eminem | Rapper |
| October 17 | Sharon Leal | Actress |
| October 24 | Susan Barnett | News anchor |
| October 25 | Persia White | Actress (Girlfriends) |
| October 28 | Brad Paisley | Singer |
| October 29 | Tracee Ellis Ross | Actress (Girlfriends, Black-ish) and daughter of Diana Ross |
| October 29 | Gabrielle Union | Actress |
| November 1 | Toni Collette | Actress (United States of Tara) and singer |
| November 1 | Michael Seitzman | Writer |
| November 1 | Jenny McCarthy | Actress |
| November 6 | Thandiwe Newton | English actress (Westworld) |
| November 7 | Jeremy London | Actor (Party of Five, 7th Heaven) |
| November 8 | Gretchen Mol | Actress |
| November 9 | Eric Dane | Actor (Charmed, Grey's Anatomy, The Last Ship) |
| November 11 | Adam Beach | Actor (Walker, Texas Ranger, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) |
| November 14 | Josh Duhamel | Actor (Las Vegas) |
| November 16 | Brandi Glanville | American television personality |
| November 19 | Sandrine Holt | Actress |
| November 15 | Jonny Lee Miller | English-American actor (Eli Stone, Elementary) |
| November 15 | Michael Pearlman | Actor (Charles in Charge) |
| November 16 | Brandi Glanville | American television personality |
| November 17 | Leonard Roberts | Actor (Heroes) |
| November 28 | Sage Steele | Anchor (ESPN) |
| November 29 | Brian Baumgartner | Actor (The Office) and director |
| November 30 | Christophe Beck | Composer |
| December 5 | Ruthanna Hopper | Actress |
| December 6 | Mónica Santa María | Peruvian model and TV host (d. 1994) |
| December 6 | Sarah Rafferty | Actress |
| December 7 | Jason Winer | Actor |
| December 9 | Reiko Aylesworth | Actress (24) |
| December 9 | Tré Cool | Singer |
| December 9 | Michael Corcoran | Musician |
| December 13 | Mo Elleithee | American political campaign strategist |
| December 14 | Miranda Hart | English comic actress and writer (Miranda, Not Going Out, Call the Midwife) |
| December 15 | Stuart Townsend | Actor |
| December 18 | Jason Mantzoukas | Actor |
| December 19 | Rosa Blasi | Actress (Strong Medicine, The Thundermans) |
| December 19 | Alyssa Milano | Actress (Who's the Boss?, Melrose Place, Charmed, Mistresses) |
| December 22 | Poorna Jagannathan | Actress |
| December 27 | Brooke Totman | Comedic actress (Mad TV) |
| December 29 | Barry Atsma | Dutch actor (Rozengeur & Wodka Lime) |
| December 29 | Jude Law | Actor |

## Deaths

| Date | Name | Age | Notability |
| January 16 | Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. | 52 | Composer, creator of The Alvin Show |
| May 12 | Steve Ihnat | 37 | Actor (Star Trek) |
| May 13 | Dan Blocker | 43 | Actor (Hoss Cartwright on Bonanza) |
| October 16 | Leo G. Carroll | 85 | English actor (Topper, Going My Way, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) |
| December 26 | Harry S. Truman | 88 | Politician and 33rd President of the United States |

## Television debuts

* Margaret Avery – Something Evil
* Timothy Bottoms – Look Homeward, Angel
* Ned Beatty – Footsteps
* John Candy – Cucumber
* Joanna Cassidy – Mission: Impossible
* Candy Clark – Room 222
* Ronny Cox – Look Homeward, Angel
* Bill Duke – ABC Afterschool Specials
* Ian Holm – BBC Play of the Month
* Timothy Hutton – The Magical World of Disney
* Jackie Earle Haley – The Carol Burnett Show
* Bob Hoskins – The Main Chance
* Jonathan Pryce – Doomwatch
* Randy Quaid – Night Gallery
* Vincent Schiavelli – The Corner Bar
* John Travolta – Emergency!
* Rita Wilson – The Brady Bunch