# 2002 in American television

In American television in 2002, notable events included television series debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel initiations.

## Events
### January

| Date | Event |
| 1 | KRON-TV/San Francisco ends its affiliation with NBC after 52 years and becomes an independent station after Young Broadcasting, which purchased the station for $823 million in November 1999 from the deYoung family (who also sold the San Francisco Chronicle to the Hearst Corporation), refuses to agree to demands made by NBC to manage KRON under the conventions of a network-owned station (which included rebranding from "KRON 4" to "NBC 4", and airing the entire network schedule in pattern with pre-emptions reduced to those necessitated due to extended breaking news coverage). San Jose-based WB affiliate KNTV (which served as the ABC affiliate for the South Bay from 1960 until 2000, when it agreed to disaffiliate at the request of the Bay Area's primary ABC station, O&O KGO-TV) assumes the NBC affiliation and soon afterward is sold to the network by the Granite Broadcasting Corporation, whose remaining Bay Area station, KBWB-TV (now independent station KOFY-TV), consequently became the market's sole WB affiliate. |
| 5 | Soul Train airs its 1,000th episode. Faith Evans, Rayvon, and Mack 10 performed. |
| 17 | The Price Is Right tapes its 30th Anniversary Special broadcast in Las Vegas, and it was broadcast by CBS January 31. |

### February

| Date | Event |
| 3 | Super Commercials: A Mental Engineering Special is broadcast by PBS member stations reaching 85% of the U.S. after Super Bowl XXXVI; reportedly the best coverage yet achieved by a former public-access television program. |
| 3 | Pat Summerall calls his 26th and final Super Bowl overall for television and radio. This was also the eighth final Super Bowl telecast (and final NFL telecast of any kind) to be called by Summerall and John Madden. The duo called five for CBS and three for Fox. The New England Patriots win their first championship ever against the St. Louis Rams, leading a start of their dynasty. |
| 8 | The opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics are televised by NBC. |
| 8 | In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, WNBC in New York City revives the We're 4 New York campaign. |
| 13 | The UPN series Special Unit 2 airs its 19th and final episode. One of the guest stars in this episode was a then-19-year old Canadian actress by the name of Cobie Smulders, who would go on to star in the CBS series How I Met Your Mother alongside Josh Radnor and Jason Segel 3 years later. |
| 14 | CBS buys KCAL (channel 9) in Los Angeles, California from Young Broadcasting for $650 million, making it a sister station to KCBS channel 2. |
| 14 | The final Family Guy episode airs after Fox announces its cancellation (however, record DVD sales and high ratings in syndication convince Fox to bring it back in 2005). |

### March

| Date | Event |
| 10 | CBS broadcasts a commercial-free documentary TV movie about the September 11 attacks, without edits to content or language. |
| 25 | The first WWF draft lottery is broadcast live on the show Raw, causing a split between the two brands Raw and SmackDown. |

### April

| Date | Event |
| 1 | Noggin refocuses its daytime programming towards preschoolers, debuting Play with Me Sesame and Tiny Planets, and launches The N, a nighttime block for teenagers. |
| 15 | The 63rd and final episode of Once and Again is broadcast by ABC. This would mark Evan Rachel Wood's final appearance as a main cast member on a television series until Westworld premieres on HBO in 2016. |
| 17 | The ABC soap opera General Hospital broadcasts its milestone 10,000th episode. |
| 19 | Tribune Broadcasting buys WB affiliate WTTV (channel 4) in Bloomington, Indiana and its translator WTTK (channel 29) in Kokomo, Indiana from Sinclair for $125 million. |
| 29 | Donovan Patton replaces Steve Burns as the second host of Nick Jr.'s live-action animated children's television series Blue's Clues in a three-part special. |

### May

| Date | Event |
| 1-14 | Jeopardy! hosted a Million Dollar Masters Tournament held at Radio City Music Hall in commemoration of host Alex Trebek's 4,000th episode. Brad Rutter won the tournament aired May 14 and the $1,000,000 grand prize. The day after the finals, Jeopardy! celebrates the airing of Trebek's 4,000th episode in syndication. |
| 5 | NBC broadcasts a three-hour 75th anniversary special. |
| 6 | One Life to Live broadcasts a full week of episodes broadcast live from the ABC New York studios. |
| 6 | The first Monday Night Raw episode under the World Wrestling Entertainment name is broadcast after following a lawsuit by the World Wildlife Fund for the initials "WWF". |
| 13 | TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time is presented by ABC. |
| 17 | The 29th Daytime Emmy Awards are broadcast by CBS. |
| 19 | In CBS, Vecepia Towery was named the Sole Survivor in Survivor: Marquesas. That episode was also panned with criticism over the infamous tiebreaker dubbed "Purple Rock" leading to the elimination of frontrunner Paschal English. As of today, this is the last reunion special hosted by someone other than the host Jeff Probst, Rosie O'Donnell hosted the special. |
| 22 | The Rosie O'Donnell Show airs its last live episode. |

### June

| Date | Event |
| 12 | NBC broadcasts its last NBA game after 12 years with the league. The network will not broadcast another NBA game until the 2025–26 season. |
| 16 | The Dead Zone premieres on USA Network, with the highest ratings of a cable series debut in history. |
| 18 | FX broadcasts a "lost episode" of Married... with Children entitled "I'll See You in Court". Produced during the show's third season (1988–89), the episode was pulled from Fox's schedule due conflicts between the show's producers and the network over its content. |
| 27 | Fox Television Stations acquire WPWR-TV from Newsweb Corporation. |

### July

| Date | Event |
| 4 | ABC broadcasts a three-hour primetime news special, entitled In Search of America: Celebration. |
| 13 | Fox News Channel overtakes CNN as the #1-rated news channel. |
| 15 | After negotiations concerning a new affiliation agreement with CBS fail, WJXT (channel 4) in Jacksonville, Florida becomes an independent station on this date, with former UPN affiliate WTEV-TV (channel 47) assuming the market's CBS affiliation. This also results in an affiliation change in nearby Gainesville (where WJXT had long been the market's default CBS affiliate), as WB/UPN affiliate WGFL joins CBS (giving the Gainesville market its first-ever CBS affiliate). |

### August

| Date | Event |

### September

| Date | Event |
| 1 | Clear Channel reverts the KMOL-TV branding in San Antonio back to the WOAI-TV branding, since Clear Channel traded WFTC to Fox in return for two network-based affiliates originally by Chris Craft, KTVX, and KMOL. |
| 2 | Disney Channel stops broadcasting its afternoon and late night programming blocks "Zoog Disney" and "Vault Disney". |
| 2 | In Portland, Oregon, the Meredith Corporation's duopoly of UPN affiliate KPTV and Fox affiliate KPDX (which Fox had sold to Meredith on June 17 in exchange for WOFL in Orlando, Florida and its semi-satellite in Gainesville, WOGX) swap affiliations. |
| 2 | KPSP-LP in Palm Springs, California signs-on the air, giving the Coachella Valley its first-ever CBS affiliate. |
| 4 | Kelly Clarkson wins the first season of Fox's reality series American Idol. |
| 7 | Fox Kids (which had been on the air since 1990) airs for the final time, as Fox had sold the block's program library to Disney, parent company of rival network ABC. It was replaced the following week (on September 14) by the 4Kids-programmed FoxBox. |
| 8 | In Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, Fox O&O WFTC swaps affiliations with sister station and UPN affiliate KMSP-TV, due to Fox's desire to place their programming on a stronger station (in addition to being on VHF, KMSP-TV has higher ratings, a stronger signal, and a well-established news department). |
| 9 | John Madden officially makes his debut as the new color commentator for Monday Night Football on ABC. Madden's first regular season broadcast was a game in New England between the Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Working alongside Al Michaels, Madden would later that season, be in the booth for ABC's broadcast of Super Bowl XXXVII from San Diego. Madden would become the first person to do televised color commentary for two consecutive Super Bowls on two different networks (having previously called Super Bowl XXXVI for Fox). |
| 14 | Major upheavals take place on Saturday mornings, as three of the four major networks change their programming on this day, with NBC preparing to do the same. Fox, having sold Fox Kids Worldwide to The Walt Disney Company the previous year, ends Fox Kids and sells its airtime to 4Kids Entertainment, who begins programming their new children's programming block FoxBox. Disney, having acquired Fox Kids' program library, re-launches Disney's One Saturday Morning on ABC as ABC Kids. CBS, whose then and now-corporate sibling Nickelodeon programs its lineup, rebrands its Nick Jr. on CBS block as Nick on CBS and refocuses it on 2–11 year old children. |
| 16 | Sony Pictures Entertainment rebranded the television unit of Columbia TriStar Domestic Television into its proper name, Sony Pictures Television (which could bring Sony's upcoming future series, as well as Sony distributed shows, and classic shows from the Screen Gems Television/Columbia Pictures Television library to be under the Sony Television unit as a whole). The new Sony Pictures Television unit would produce the remaining Columbia TriStar programs under the Sony name that were renewed for the 2002-2003 TV season (which includes well-known series, Days of Our Lives, The Young and the Restless, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, etc.). |
| 17 | Release date of Kelly Clarkson's debut single, the double-A side CD "A Moment Like This"/"Before Your Love". |
| 22 | Two NBC programs, Friends and The West Wing, respectively win Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Drama Series at the 54th Primetime Emmy Awards, which, by coincidence, airs on NBC. |
| 25 | Lisa Donahue is the winner of CBS's contest Big Brother 3 and wins the $500,000 prize; runner-up Danielle Reyes wins $50,000. |
| 28 | After being on the air for over ten years, NBC's Saturday morning block TNBC airs for the final time. The following week, NBC's deal with Discovery Networks takes effect, resulting in the launch of Discovery Kids on NBC. |
| 30 | American Movie Classics is revamped to become a commercial general movie channel. |
| 30 | Disney Channel, Playhouse Disney, and Toon Disney unveil their new logos and graphics. |

### October

| Date | Event |
| 5 | NBC, having signed a contract with Discovery Networks, replaces their teen-oriented block TNBC with a programming strand called Discovery Kids on NBC (a spinoff of digital cable channel Discovery Kids). |
| 14 | Nickelodeon debuts its weekly programming variety block U-Pick Live. |
| 17 | Four television stations debut in Guam carrying programming from the Trinity Broadcasting Network: K28HS, K30HB, K32GB, and K36GJ. All four stations will become translators of NBC affiliate KUAM-TV in 2007. |
| 25 | CBS News weatherman Mark McEwen leaves after 15 years. |
| 27 | Game 7 of the World Series is broadcast on Fox. The Anaheim Angels win their first championship by defeating the San Francisco Giants. |
| 30 | Warren Zevon is featured on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman as the only guest for the entire hour, performing several songs and talking about being diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. |
| 30 | Longtime cast member Hunter Tylo's character, Dr. Taylor Hamilton Forrester, is killed in the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, which is seen worldwide. |
| 30 | The NBA on ESPN returned for the first time since the 1983–84 season, featuring a doubleheader between the Washington Wizards and the Toronto Raptors, and the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers. |

### November

| Date | Event |
| 20 | The 2002 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is broadcast on CBS. 10.5 million people tune in. |

### December

| Date | Event |
| 25 | The NBA on ABC returned for the first time since the 1972–73 season, broadcasting a Christmas Day doubleheader between the Boston Celtics and the New Jersey Nets, and the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers. |

## Programs
### Debuts

| Date | Show | Network |
| January 2 | The Crocodile Hunter Diaries | Animal Planet |
| January 8 | Last Call with Carson Daly | NBC |
| January 8 | Imagine That | NBC |
| January 13 | The Jamie Kennedy Experiment | The WB |
| January 13 | The Chamber | Fox |
| January 15 | The Chair | ABC |
| January 15 | First Monday | CBS |
| January 16 | Combat Missions | USA Network |
| January 16 | Glory Days | The WB |
| January 18 | NOW | PBS |
| January 19 | The Nick Cannon Show | Nickelodeon |
| January 19 | Teamo Supremo | ABC |
| January 19 | DragonflyTV | PBS Kids |
| January 21 | Cyberchase | PBS Kids |
| January 23 | American Family | PBS |
| January 23 | That '80s Show | Fox |
| February 4 | Morning Call | CNBC |
| February 4 | Closing Bell | CNBC |
| February 9 | Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension | Fox Kids |
| February 9 | Power Rangers Wild Force | Fox Kids |
| February 12 | On the Record | Fox News Channel |
| February 24 | Inside TV Land | Nick at Nite |
| February 26 | Watching Ellie | NBC |
| February 28 | Leap of Faith | NBC |
| March 3 | Jeremiah | Showtime |
| March 4 | Late World with Zach | VH1 |
| March 5 | The Osbournes | MTV |
| March 5 | As If | UPN |
| March 5 | The Random Years | UPN |
| March 11 | The American Embassy | Fox |
| March 12 | The Shield | FX |
| March 14 | My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star | The WB |
| March 18 | Baby Bob | CBS |
| March 19 | Yankeeography | YES Network |
| March 19 | Andy Richter Controls the Universe | Fox |
| March 21 | Under One Roof | UPN |
| March 22 | ChalkZone | Nickelodeon |
| March 25 | The Bachelor | ABC |
| March 26 | The Court | ABC |
| March 27 | George Lopez | ABC |
| March 27 | Wednesday 9:30 (8:30 Central) | ABC |
| March 27 | Greg the Bunny | Fox |
| March 29 | AFP: American Fighter Pilot | CBS |
| April 1 | $40 a Day | Food Network |
| April 1 | Play with Me Sesame | Noggin |
| April 4 | Opportunity Knocks | PAX TV |
| April 7 | Super Duper Sumos | Nickelodeon |
| April 15 | Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck | Game Show Network |
| April 22 | Made | MTV |
| May 1 | Arena | G4 |
| May 1 | Blister | G4 |
| May 1 | Cheat! | G4 |
| May 1 | Cinematech | G4 |
| May 1 | Filter | G4 |
| May 1 | Game On | G4 |
| May 1 | Icons | G4 |
| May 1 | Players | G4 |
| May 1 | Portal | G4 |
| May 1 | Pulse | G4 |
| May 1 | Signing Time! | Direct-to-video |
| May 3 | Max & Ruby | Nickelodeon |
| May 6 | Taildaters | MTV |
| May 24 | WWE Afterburn | Syndication |
| May 24 | WWE Bottom Line | Syndication |
| May 25 | WWE Velocity | TNN |
| May 25 | Phantom Investigators | Kids' WB |
| June 2 | The Wire | HBO |
| June 3 | Crank Yankers | Comedy Central |
| June 3 | Friend or Foe? | Game Show Network |
| June 3 | Russian Roulette | Game Show Network |
| June 7 | Kim Possible | Disney Channel |
| June 10 | I Bet You Will | MTV |
| June 11 | American Idol | Fox |
| June 12 | World Music | Link TV |
| June 16 | The Dead Zone | USA Network |
| June 17 | Dog Eat Dog | NBC |
| June 18 | Houston Medical | ABC |
| June 21 | Def Poetry Jam | HBO |
| June 21 | Odyssey 5 | Showtime |
| June 23 | Street Time | Showtime |
| June 23 | Monster Garage | Discovery Channel |
| June 23 | Totally in Tune | Disney Channel |
| June 24 | Sorority Life | MTV |
| July 6 | While You Were Out | TLC |
| July 7 | The Most Extreme | Animal Planet |
| July 11 | Wide Angle | PBS |
| July 12 | Monk | USA Network |
| July 17 | 30 Seconds To Fame | Fox |
| July 17 | Breaking News | Bravo |
| July 19 | Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? | Cartoon Network |
| July 20 | The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius | Nickelodeon |
| July 20 | She Spies | NBC |
| July 21 | For the People | Lifetime |
| July 22 | Meet My Folks | NBC |
| July 29 | One-Hit Wonders | VH1 |
| August 1 | The Rerun Show | NBC |
| August 1 | Contest Searchlight | Comedy Central |
| August 1 | Cavuto on Business | Fox News Channel |
| August 6 | A Haunting | Discovery Channel |
| August 12 | Studio B with Shepard Smith | Fox News Channel |
| August 16 | He-Man and the Masters of the Universe | Cartoon Network |
| August 17 | ¡Mucha Lucha! | Kids' WB |
| August 25 | Nickelodeon Robot Wars | Nickelodeon |
| September 2 | The Caroline Rhea Show | Syndication |
| September 2 | Liberty's Kids | PBS Kids |
| September 2 | Make Way For Noddy | PBS Kids |
| September 12 | Family Affair | The WB |
| September 14 | What's New, Scooby-Doo? | Kids' WB |
| September 14 | Ozzy & Drix | Kids' WB |
| September 14 | Fillmore! | ABC Kids |
| September 14 | Stargate Infinity | FoxBox |
| September 15 | Just Cause | PAX TV |
| September 16 | Baby Looney Tunes | Cartoon Network |
| September 16 | Beyond with James Van Praagh | Syndication |
| September 16 | The Daily Buzz | Syndication |
| September 16 | Dr. Phil | Syndication |
| September 16 | The Rob Nelson Show | Syndication |
| September 16 | Everwood | The WB |
| September 16 | Body and Soul | PAX TV |
| September 17 | 8 Simple Rules | ABC |
| September 17 | Life with Bonnie | ABC |
| September 17 | Push, Nevada | ABC |
| September 17 | Beg, Borrow & Deal | ESPN |
| September 18 | Cedric the Entertainer Presents | Fox |
| September 18 | Fastlane | Fox |
| September 19 | Do Over | The WB |
| September 20 | Greetings from Tucson | The WB |
| September 20 | What I Like About You | The WB |
| September 20 | Firefly | Fox |
| September 20 | John Doe | Fox |
| September 22 | The Chris Matthews Show | Syndication |
| September 22 | O2Be | Oxygen |
| September 23 | CSI: Miami | CBS |
| September 23 | Half & Half | UPN |
| September 24 | Haunted | UPN |
| September 24 | Hidden Hills | NBC |
| September 24 | In-Laws | NBC |
| September 24 | Presidio Med | CBS |
| September 25 | MDs | ABC |
| September 26 | Good Morning, Miami | NBC |
| September 26 | Without a Trace | CBS |
| September 27 | Hack | CBS |
| September 27 | Robbery Homicide Division | CBS |
| September 27 | That Was Then | ABC |
| September 28 | Biker Build-Off | Discovery Channel |
| September 29 | American Dreams | NBC |
| September 29 | Boomtown | NBC |
| September 30 | Recipe TV Featuring the World's Greatest Chefs | Syndication |
| September 30 | Still Standing | CBS |
| September 30 | Taboo | Nat Geo |
| October 1 | Less Than Perfect | ABC |
| October 5 | TNA Xplosion | Sunshine Network |
| October 5 | Croc Files | Discovery Kids on NBC |
| October 5 | Endurance | Discovery Kids on NBC |
| October 5 | Operation Junkyard | Discovery Kids on NBC |
| October 5 | Scout's Safari | Discovery Kids on NBC |
| October 5 | Strange Days at Blake Holsey High | Discovery Kids on NBC |
| October 5 | Prehistoric Planet | Discovery Kids on NBC |
| October 6 | Bram & Alice | CBS |
| October 9 | Birds of Prey | The WB |
| October 9 | Unsolved History | Discovery Channel |
| October 13 | Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye | PAX TV |
| October 14 | U-Pick Live | Nickelodeon |
| October 21 | Girls Club | Fox |
| October 22 | Scaredy Camp | Nickelodeon |
| October 28 | Page to Screen | Bravo |
| October 30 | 3-South | MTV |
| November 2 | Clone High | MTV |
| November 4 | Around the Horn | ESPN |
| November 7 | 3-South | MTV |
| November 25 | Doggy Fizzle Televizzle | MTV |
| November 28 | Dinotopia | ABC |
| November 30 | Barefoot Contessa | Food Network |
| December 1 | Conquest | The History Channel |
| December 6 | Codename: Kids Next Door | Cartoon Network |
| December 9 | WinTuition | Game Show Network |
| December 11 | Extreme Makeover | ABC |
| December 16 | I Love the '80s | VH1 |
| December 25 | NBA on ABC | ABC |

### Shows changing networks

| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
| The News with Brian Williams | MSNBC | CNBC |
| Stargate SG-1 | Showtime | Sci-Fi Channel |
| The Wiggles | ABC Family | Playhouse Disney |
| Power Rangers Wild Force | Fox Kids | ABC Kids |
| NBA Inside Stuff | TNBC | ABC |
| The Wayne Brady Show | Syndication | ABC |
| Lingo | Syndication | Game Show Network |
| The Twilight Zone | Syndication | UPN |
| Wild Kingdom | NBC | Animal Planet |
| The Weakest Link | NBC | Syndication |
| Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | ABC | Syndication |
| Making the Band | ABC | MTV |
| Lloyd in Space | ABC | Toon Disney |
| Mary Kate and Ashley in Action! | ABC | Toon Disney |
| Teacher's Pet | ABC | Toon Disney |
| House of Mouse | ABC | Toon Disney |
| The Weekenders | ABC | Toon Disney |
| Teamo Supremo | ABC | Toon Disney |
| Mission Hill | The WB | Adult Swim |
| The Oblongs | The WB | Adult Swim |
| Baby Blues | The WB | Adult Swim |
| Beat The Clock | CTV | PAX TV |

### Returning this year

| Show | Last aired | Previous network | New/Same network | Returning |
| All That | 2000 | Nickelodeon | Same | January 19 |
| Baby Blues | 2000 | The WB | Adult Swim | January 20 |
| Mission Hill | 2000 | The WB | Adult Swim | July 14 |
| The Oblongs | 2001 | The WB | Adult Swim | August 25 |
| Barney & Friends | 2000 | PBS Kids | Same | September 2 |
| The $100,000 Pyramid | 1992 | Syndication | Pyramid | September 16 |
| Wild Kingdom | 1988 | NBC | Animal Planet | September 17 |

### Ending this year

| Date | Show | Network | Debut | Status |
| January 1 | Tales from the Neverending Story | HBO | 2001 | Cancelled |
| January 5 | Sk8 | NBC | 2001 | Cancelled |
| January 11 | The Ellen Show | CBS | 2001 | Cancelled |
| January 11 | Card Sharks (returned in 2019) | Syndication | 1978 | Cancelled |
| January 15 | Max Steel | Cartoon Network | 2000 | Cancelled |
| January 15 | Imagine That | NBC | 2002 | Cancelled |
| January 18 | The Outer Limits | Sci Fi Channel | 1995 | Cancelled |
| January 21 | Daria | MTV | 1997 | Ended |
| January 25 | The Chamber | Fox | 2002 | Cancelled |
| January 26 | Marvin The Tap-Dancing Horse | PBS Kids | 2000 | Cancelled |
| January 26 | That's Life | CBS | 2000 | Cancelled |
| January 27 | Nikki | The WB | 2000 | Cancelled |
| January 31 | The Tick | Fox | 2001 | Cancelled |
| February 1 | Market Watch | CNBC | 1998 | Cancelled |
| February 5 | Three Sisters | NBC | 2001 | Cancelled |
| February 10 | Action League Now! | Nickelodeon | 2001 | Cancelled |
| February 13 | Special Unit 2 | UPN | 2001 | Cancelled |
| February 13 | Dr. Katz Professional Therapist | Comedy Central | 1995 | Cancelled |
| February 14 | Going to California | Showtime | 2001 | Cancelled |
| February 17 | The Steve Harvey Show | The WB | 1996 | Cancelled |
| February 17 | Jackass | MTV | 2000 | Cancelled |
| February 23 | Sheena | Syndication | 2000 | Cancelled |
| March 4 | Sponk! | Noggin | 2001 | Cancelled |
| March 5 | 100 Centre Street | A&E | 2001 | Cancelled |
| March 10 | Any Day Now | Lifetime | 1998 | Cancelled |
| March 10 | Baby Blues | Kids' WB | 2000 | Cancelled |
| March 12 | Undeclared | Fox | 2001 | Cancelled |
| March 15 | To Tell the Truth (returned in 2016) | Syndication | 1956 | Cancelled |
| March 16 | The Nightmare Room | Kids' WB | 2001 | Cancelled |
| March 18 | The Chair | ABC | 2002 | Cancelled |
| March 19 | The Random Years | UPN | 2002 | Cancelled |
| March 21 | My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star | The WB | 2002 | Cancelled |
| March 23 | UC: Undercover | NBC | 2001 | Cancelled |
| March 25 | Glory Days | The WB | 2002 | Cancelled |
| March 31 | The URL With Phred Show | Noggin | 2001 | Cancelled |
| April 7 | Sheep in the Big City | Cartoon Network | 2000 | Cancelled |
| April 9 | The Court | Fox | 2002 | Cancelled |
| April 11 | Eco-Challenge (returned in 2019) | Discovery Channel | 1995 | Cancelled |
| April 15 | Once and Again | ABC | 1999 | Cancelled |
| April 17 | Combat Missions | USA | 2002 | Cancelled |
| April 21 | 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd | Nickelodeon | 1999 | Cancelled |
| April 24 | The Job | ABC | 2001 | Cancelled |
| April 25 | Leap of Faith | NBC | 2002 | Cancelled |
| April 26 | Lexx | Sci Fi Channel | 1997 | Cancelled |
| April 28 | Caitlin's Way | Nickelodeon | 2000 | Cancelled |
| April 30 | Dharma & Greg | ABC | 1997 | Cancelled |
| April 30 | Spin City | ABC | 1996 | Cancelled |
| May 1 | Wolf Lake | CBS | 2001 | Cancelled |
| May 2 | Late World with Zach | VH1 | 2002 | Cancelled |
| May 3 | Dark Angel | Fox | 2000 | Cancelled |
| May 3 | First Monday | CBS | 2002 | Cancelled |
| May 3 | Maybe It's Me | The WB | 2001 | Cancelled |
| May 4 | So Little Time | ABC Family | 2001 | Cancelled |
| May 10 | Raising Dad | The WB | 2001 | Cancelled |
| May 10 | Teacher's Pet | Toon Disney | 2000 | Cancelled |
| May 11 | Taina | Nickelodeon | 2001 | Cancelled |
| May 12 | Ponderosa | PAX TV | 2001 | Cancelled |
| May 13 | Beastmaster | Syndication | 1999 | Cancelled |
| May 13 | The Lost World | Syndication | 1999 | Cancelled |
| May 14 | Roswell | The WB | 1999 | Cancelled |
| May 14 | Mysterious Ways | NBC | 2000 | Cancelled |
| May 17 | Talk Soup (returned in 2004 as The Soup) | E! | 1991 | Ended |
| May 18 | V.I.P. | Syndication | 1998 | Cancelled |
| May 18 | The Andy Dick Show | MTV | 2001 | Cancelled |
| May 19 | The X-Files (returned in 2016) | Fox | 1993 | Ended |
| May 19 | WWF Jakked/Metal | Syndication | 1999 | Cancelled |
| May 20 | Ally McBeal | Fox | 1997 | Cancelled |
| May 20 | Earth: Final Conflict | Syndication | 1997 | Cancelled |
| May 20 | Relic Hunter | Syndication | 1999 | Cancelled |
| May 20 | The Hughleys | ABC | 1998 | Cancelled |
| May 22 | Felicity | The WB | 1998 | Ended |
| May 22 | The Rosie O'Donnell Show | Syndication | 1996 | Cancelled |
| May 22 | Sally | Syndication | 1983 | Cancelled |
| May 24 | Friday Night Videos | NBC | 1983 | Cancelled |
| May 24 | Shop 'til You Drop (returned in 2003) | PAX TV | 1991 | Cancelled |
| May 25 | Maximum Exposure | Syndication | 2000 | Cancelled |
| May 27 | Family Law | CBS | 1999 | Cancelled |
| May 28 | Philly | ABC | 2001 | Cancelled |
| May 29 | That '80s Show | Fox | 2002 | Cancelled |
| June 2 | The Education of Max Bickford | CBS | 2001 | Cancelled |
| June 6 | Celebrity Deathmatch (returned in 2006) | MTV | 1998 | Cancelled |
| June 12 | NBA on NBC (will return in 2025) | NBC | 1990 | Cancelled |
| June 15 | The Tex Avery Show | Cartoon Network | 1996 | Cancelled |
| June 21 | Smush | USA | 2001 | Cancelled |
| June 22 | Alienators: Evolution Continues | Fox Kids | 2001 | Cancelled |
| June 25 | Unscripted with Chris Connelly | ESPN | 2001 | Cancelled |
| June 29 | Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action! | ABC | 2001 | Cancelled |
| June 29 | Phantom Investigators | Kids' WB | 2002 | Cancelled |
| July 5 | Politically Incorrect | ABC | 1993 | Cancelled |
| July 13 | Spy Groove | MTV | 2000 | Cancelled |
| July 17 | Breaking News | Bravo | 2002 | Cancelled |
| July 27 | The New Woody Woodpecker Show | Fox Kids | 1999 | Cancelled |
| August 8 | Pop-Up Video (returned in 2011) | VH1 | 1996 | Cancelled |
| August 10 | The Zeta Project | Kids' WB | 2001 | Cancelled |
| August 11 | For Your Love | The WB | 1998 | Cancelled |
| August 11 | Greg the Bunny | Fox | 2002 | Cancelled |
| August 11 | Mission Hill | Adult Swim | 1999 | Cancelled |
| August 12 | Titus | Fox | 2000 | Cancelled |
| August 18 | A Nero Wolfe Mystery | A&E | 2001 | Cancelled |
| August 18 | Totally in Tune | Disney Channel | 2002 | Cancelled |
| August 20 | The Rerun Show | NBC | 2002 | Cancelled |
| August 24 | Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension | Fox Kids | 2002 | Cancelled |
| August 26 | Witchblade | TNT | 2001 | Cancelled |
| August 30 | I Bet You Will | MTV | 2002 | Cancelled |
| August 30 | Dennis Miller Live | HBO | 1994 | Cancelled |
| August 31 | Teen Summit | BET | 1989 | Cancelled |
| September 1 | Contest Searchlight | Comedy Central | 2002 | Cancelled |
| September 5 | Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction | Fox | 1997 | Cancelled |
| September 5 | Undressed | MTV | 1999 | Cancelled |
| September 7 | Just Deal | NBC | 2000 | Cancelled |
| September 8 | Arliss | HBO | 1996 | Cancelled |
| September 18 | Resurrection Blvd. | Showtime | 2000 | Cancelled |
| September 20 | Unsolved Mysteries (returned in 2008) | Lifetime | 1987 | Cancelled |
| September 21 | The Amanda Show | Nickelodeon | 1999 | Cancelled |
| October 1 | Son of the Beach | FX | 2000 | Cancelled |
| October 4 | That Was Then | ABC | 2002 | Cancelled |
| October 5 | Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat (returned in 2004) | PBS Kids | 2001 | Cancelled |
| October 6 | Nickelodeon Robot Wars | Nickelodeon | 2002 | Cancelled |
| October 7 | Wild & Crazy Kids | Nickelodeon | 1990 | Cancelled |
| October 7 | Beat the Geeks | Comedy Central | 2001 | Cancelled |
| October 14 | The Oblongs | The WB | 2001 | Cancelled |
| October 15 | Odyssey 5 | Showtime | 2002 | Cancelled |
| October 18 | Grim & Evil | Cartoon Network | 2001 | Cancelled |
| October 24 | Push, Nevada | ABC | 2002 | Cancelled |
| October 27 | Bram & Alice | CBS | 2002 | Cancelled |
| October 27 | O2Be | Oxygen | 2002 | Cancelled |
| October 28 | Girls Club | Fox | 2002 | Cancelled |
| October 31 | Off Centre | The WB | 2001 | Cancelled |
| November 5 | Haunted | UPN | 2002 | Cancelled |
| November 15 | Pelswick | Nickelodeon | 2000 | Cancelled |
| November 22 | In Search of... (returned in 2018) | Sci-Fi Channel | 1977 | Cancelled |
| November 22 | Courage the Cowardly Dog | Cartoon Network | 1999 | Cancelled |
| December 4 | State of Grace | ABC Family | 2001 | Cancelled |
| December 10 | Invader Zim (returned in 2006) | Nickelodeon | 2001 | Cancelled |
| December 11 | MDs | ABC | 2002 | Cancelled |
| December 15 | Do Over | The WB | 2002 | Cancelled |
| December 18 | The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries | Cartoon Network | 1995 | Cancelled |
| December 20 | Providence | NBC | 1999 | Cancelled |
| December 20 | Firefly | Fox | 2002 | Cancelled |
| December 20 | I Love the '80s | VH1 | 2002 | Cancelled |
| December 21 | BattleBots (returned in 2015) | Comedy Central | 2000 | Cancelled |

### Entering syndication this year

| Show | Seasons | In Production |
| Charmed | 4 | Yes |
| Dawson's Creek | 5 | Yes |
| Dharma & Greg | 5 | Yes |
| The Larry Sanders Show | 6 | No |
| Providence | 3 | Yes |
| Stargate SG-1 | 5 | Yes |
| The Hughleys | 4 | Yes |
| That 70's Show | 4 | Yes |
| Will & Grace | 4 | Yes |

### Television films

| Title | Network | Date of airing |
| Is It College Yet? | MTV | January 21 |
| Cadet Kelly | Disney Channel | March 8 |
| 9/11 | CBS | March 10 |
| A Season on the Brink | ESPN | March 10 |
| Blue's Clues: Joe's Scrapbook | Nickelodeon | April 29 |
| Get a Clue | Disney Channel | June 28 |
| Gotta Kick It Up! | Disney Channel | July 26 |
| Hope Ranch | Animal Planet | September 2 |
| Hey Arnold!: The Journal | Nickelodeon | November 11 |
| Home Alone 4 | ABC | November 25 |
| Live from Baghdad | HBO | December 7 |
| The Man Who Saved Christmas | CBS | December 15 |

### Miniseries

| Title | Channel | Premiere |
| Dinotopia | ABC | May 12 |
| Taken | Sci-Fi | December 2 |

## Networks and services
### Launches

| Network | Type | Launch date |
| TeleFutura | Over-the-air multicast/cable and satellite | January 14 |
| The Church Channel | Cable and satellite/over-the-air multicast | January 14 |
| YES Network | Cable and satellite | March 19 |
| G4 | Cable television | April 24 |
| Cartoon Network Kids | Cable and satellite | April 24 |
| MTV Hits MTV Jams Nicktoons TV VH1 MegaHits | Cable television | May 1 |
| National College Sports Network | Cable and satellite | June 1 |
| Discovery HD Theater | Cable and satellite | June 17 |
| BET Gospel BET Hip-Hop | Cable television | July 1 |
| Fine Living Network | Cable and satellite | August 21 |

### Conversions and rebrandings

| Old network name | New network name | Type | Conversion Date | Notes | Source |
| Discovery Science Channel | Science Channel | Cable and satellite | April 22 | Discovery Science Channel becomes the first Discovery Networks-owned cable network to drop the Discovery branding from its name, rebranding as the Science Channel. | |
| HBO Plus | HBO 2 | Cable television | September | | |

### Closures

| Network | Type | End date | Notes | Sources |
| CNN/SI | Cable and satellite | May 15 | | |
| All News Channel | Satellite television | September 30 | | |

## Television stations
### Station launches

| Date | City of License/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
| January 18 | Pago Pago, American Samoa | K11UU | 11 | Baha’I religious independent (primary) Australia Network (secondary) | |
| March | Juneau, Alaska | K24FM | 24 | Pax TV | |
| April | Goldfield/Reno, Nevada | KTVY-TV | 7 | ImaginAsian | |
| April | Sheridan, Wyoming | KJCW | 7 | CBS | Satellite of KTVQ |
| June 9 | Richmond, Virginia | W39CD | 39 | TBN | |
| June 13 | Lewiston, Idaho | K61HN | 61 | America One | |
| June 13 | Redding, California | K50LD | 50 | Daystar | |
| September | Columbus/Tupelo, Mississippi | WCBI-DT2 | 4.2 | UPN | |
| September 2 | Palm Springs, California | KPSP-LP | 38 | CBS | |
| October 6 | Tazewell/Knoxville, Tennessee | WVLR | 48 | CTN | |
| October 17 | Hagåtña, Guam (Agana) | K28HS | 28 | TBN | |
| October 17 | Hagåtña, Guam (Agana) | K30HB | 30 | TBN | |
| October 17 | Hagåtña, Guam (Agana) | K32GB | 32 | TBN | |
| October 17 | Hagåtña, Guam (Agana) | K36GJ | 36 | TBN | |
| November 27 | Chisholm, Minnesota | KRII | 11 | NBC | Semi-satellite of KBJR/Duluth |
| December 1 | Waterloo/Cedar Rapids, Iowa | KWWF | 22 | LeSEA/World Harvest Television | |
| Unknown date | Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands | W52DG | 52 | Religious independent | |
| Unknown date | Farmington, New Mexico | KOFT | 8 | ABC | Satellite of KOAT-TV/Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Unknown date | Huntsville, Alabama | WZDX-DT2 | 54.2 | The WB | |
| Unknown date | Missoula, Montana | KMMF | 17 | Fox | |
| Unknown date | Pago Pago, American Samoa | K30HO | 30 | TBN | |
| Unknown date | Parkersburg, West Virginia (Marietta, Ohio) | W64CS | 64 | unknown | |
| Unknown date | Parkersburg, West Virginia (Marietta, Ohio) | W22CU | 22 | unknown | |
| Unknown date | Pascagoula/Biloxi, Mississippi | W07DG | 7 | America One | |
| Unknown date | Syracuse, New York | WNYI | 52 | Univision | |
| Unknown date | Woodward, Oklahoma | KUOK | 36 | Pax TV | |

### Network affiliation changes

| Date | City of License/Market | Station | Channel | Old affiliation | New affiliation |
| March | Berrien Springs, Michigan (South Bend/Elkhart, Indiana) | WRDY-LP | 25 | Independent | ABC (via WBND-LP) |
| July 15 | Gainesville, Florida | WGFL | 23 | The WB (primary) UPN (secondary) | CBS (primary) UPN (secondary) |
| July 15 | Gainesville, Florida | WBFL-LP | 11 | The WB (primary) UPN (secondary) | CBS (primary) UPN (secondary) |
| July 15 | Jacksonville, Florida | WJXT | 4 | CBS | Independent |
| July 15 | Jacksonville, Florida | WTEV-TV | 47 | UPN | CBS |
| September 2 | Portland, Oregon | KPTV | 12 | UPN | Fox |
| September 2 | Portland, Oregon | KPDX | 49 | Fox | UPN |
| September 8 | Minneapolis–Saint Paul | KMSP | 9 | UPN | Fox |
| September 8 | Minneapolis–Saint Paul | WFTC | 29 | Fox | UPN |
| October | Berrien Springs, Michigan (South Bend/Elkhart, Indiana) | WRDY-LP | 25 | ABC (via WBND-LP) | The WB |
| November 1 | Sheridan, Wyoming | KJCW | 7 | CBS | NBC |
| Unknown date | Bellingham, Washington (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) | KVOS-TV | 12 | Independent (primary) CityTV (secondary) | Independent (full-time) |
| Unknown date | Calipatria/El Centro, California Yuma, Arizona, United States/Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico | KAJB | 54 | Independent | Telefutura |
| Unknown date | Lima, Ohio | WLMO-LP | 38 | Fox (as W65DP) | CBS |
| Unknown date | Madison, Wisconsin | WISC-DT2 | 3.2 (digital) | The WB | UPN |
| Unknown date | Madison, Wisconsin | WBUW | 57 | UPN (as WHPN) | The WB |

## Births

| Date | Name | Notability |
| January 22 | Caitlin Clark | Basketball player |
| February 2 | Soni Nicole Bringas | Actress (Fuller House) |
| February 4 | Graham Verchere | Actor (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, The Good Doctor) |
| February 5 | Davis Cleveland | Actor (Shake It Up) |
| February 6 | Shelby Simmons | Actress (Bunk'd) |
| February 11 | Chase Vacnin | Actor (Drama Club) |
| February 24 | Louis Tomeo | Actor (Every Witch Way) |
| March 4 | Jacob Hopkins | Voice actor (Gumball on The Amazing World of Gumball (2014–17)) |
| March 29 | Mohana Krishnan | Actress (I Am Frankie) |
| April 8 | Skai Jackson | Actress (Bubble Guppies, Jessie, Dora the Explorer, Bunk'd) |
| April 18 | Noah Thompson | Singer on (American Idol) |
| April 26 | Kristen Li | Voice actress (Bubbles on The Powerpuff Girls) |
| May 6 | Emily Alyn Lind | Actress (Revenge, Gossip Girl) |
| May 8 | Ethan Wacker | Actor (Miles from Tomorrowland, Bizaardvark) |
| May 9 | Cree Cicchino | Actress (Game Shakers) |
| May 16 | Sadie Sink | Actress (Stranger Things) |
| May 19 | Kayden Muller-Janssen | Actress (The Villains of Valley View) |
| May 29 | Aidan Miner | Actor (School of Rock) |
| May 31 | Giselle Torres | Actress |
| June 2 | Madison Hu | Actress (Bizaardvark) |
| June 4 | Eva Bella | Actress (Shimmer and Shine) |
| June 16 | Isaak Presley | Actor (Stuck in the Middle) |
| June 16 | Matthew Zhang | Actor (Henry Danger, Harvey Beaks) |
| June 17 | Jake Goodman | Canadian actor (Life with Boys, Max & Shred) |
| June 25 | Mason Vale Cotton | Actor (Desperate Housewives, Mad Men) |
| July 23 | Benjamin Flores Jr. | Actor (The Haunted Hathaways, Game Shakers) |
| July 26 | Michael Campion | Actor (Fuller House) |
| July 26 | Theodore Barnes | Actor (Legendary Dudas, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn) |
| July 31 | Lela Brown | Actress (Just Roll with It) and Rapper |
| July 31 | Abi Carter | Singer (American Idol) |
| August 18 | Murray Wyatt Rundus | Actor (Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything) |
| August 19 | Brighton Sharbino | Actress (The Walking Dead) |
| August 21 | Isabella Pappas | Actress (The Villains of Valley View) |
| August 30 | Grant Palmer | Voice actor (Lincoln Loud on The Loud House (Episodes 1–22)) |
| September 3 | Iman Vellani | Actress (Ms. Marvel) |
| September 6 | Asher Angel | Actor (Andi Mack) |
| September 6 | Pearce Joza | Actor (Legendary Dudas, Mech-X4) |
| September 8 | Gaten Matarazzo | Actor (Stranger Things) |
| September 12 | DeVion Harris | Actor (Legendary Dudas) |
| September 19 | Isaac Kragten | Actor (Odd Squad) |
| September 21 | Ethan Estrada | Actor (Talia in the Kitchen) |
| September 22 | Cody Veith | Actor (Walk the Prank) |
| September 27 | Jenna Ortega | Actress (Jane the Virgin, Stuck in the Middle, Elena of Avalor) |
| September 27 | Jillian Shea Spaeder | Actress (Walk the Prank) |
| September 30 | Maddie Ziegler | Actress (Dance Moms) |
| October 3 | Felix Avitia | Actor (Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything, Raven's Home) |
| October 6 | Rio Mangini | Actor (Bella and the Bulldogs, Everything Sucks!) |
| October 12 | Iris Apatow | Actress (Love) |
| October 14 | Thomas Kuc | Actor (Game Shakers) |
| October 25 | Johnny Sequoyah | Actress |
| November 15 | Van Crosby | Actor (Splitting Up Together) |
| November 20 | Madisyn Shipman | Actress (Saturday Night Live, Game Shakers) |
| November 26 | Baylee Littrell | Actor |
| November 30 | Emily Skinner | Actress (Andi Mack) |
| December 6 | Cade Sutton | Actor (Kirby Buckets) |
| December 20 | Isabella Ferreira | Actress (Love, Victor) |
| December 23 | Finn Wolfhard | Actor (Stranger Things, Carmen Sandiego) |

## Deaths

| Date | Name | Age | Notability |
| January 13 | Ted Demme | 38 | Director |
| February 6 | Guy Stockwell | 68 | Actor, brother of Dean Stockwell |
| February 13 | Waylon Jennings | 64 | Singer (balladeer/narrator on The Dukes of Hazzard) |
| February 15 | Howard K. Smith | 87 | Television anchor (ABC News, CBS News) |
| February 22 | Chuck Jones | 89 | Animator (Looney Tunes), director (How the Grinch Stole Christmas!) |
| February 24 | Mel Stewart | 72 | Character actor (Henry Jefferson on All in the Family and Billy Melrose on Scarecrow and Mrs. King) |
| February 28 | Mary Stuart | 75 | Soap opera actress (Jo for the entire 35-year run of Search for Tomorrow) |
| March 15 | Sylvester Weaver | 93 | President of NBC, credited with creating (The Today Show and The Tonight Show) |
| March 17 | Rosetta LeNoire | 90 | Actress (Mother Winslow on Family Matters) |
| March 27 | Milton Berle | 93 | Comedian, actor (Texaco Star Theater) |
| April 2 | Jack Kruschen | 80 | Character actor (Papa Papadopolous on Webster) |
| April 16 | Robert Urich | 55 | Actor (Spenser on Spenser: For Hire and Dan Tanna on Vega$) |
| April 25 | Lisa Lopes | 30 | Rapper of TLC |
| May 24 | Susie Garrett | 72 | Actress (Betty Johnson on Punky Brewster), sister of Marla Gibbs |
| June 3 | Sam Whipple | 41 | Actor (Open All Night, Seven Days) |
| June 5 | Dee Dee Ramone | 50 | Singer-songwriter (Ramones) |
| June 13 | John Hope | 83 | Meteorologist of The Weather Channel |
| July 8 | Ward Kimball | 88 | Animator |
| August 5 | Josh Ryan Evans | 20 | Actor (Timmy Lenox on Passions) |
| September 7 | Erma Franklin | 64 | Singer |
| September 14 | LaWanda Page | 81 | Comedian, actress (Aunt Esther on Sanford and Son) |
| September 28 | Whitney Blake | 76 | Actress (Dorothy Baxter on Hazel), co-creator of One Day at a Time and mother of Meredith Baxter |
| October 10 | Teresa Graves | 54 | Actress (Get Christie Love!) |
| October 13 | Keene Curtis | 79 | Actor (John Allen Hill on Cheers) |
| October 20 | Barbara Berjer | 82 | Actress (Claire Cassen Shea on As the World Turns, Barbara Norris Thorpe on Guiding Light, Bridget Connell on Another World) |
| November 3 | Jonathan Harris | 87 | Actor (Bradford Webster on The Third Man, Doctor Zachary Smith on Lost in Space, Commander Isaac Gampu on Space Academy) |
| November 9 | Merlin Santana | 26 | Actor (Romeo Santana on The Steve Harvey Show) |
| December 3 | Glenn Quinn | 32 | Actor (Mark on Roseanne) |
| December 5 | Roone Arledge | 71 | Sports producer, credited with creating (Monday Night Football) |