# 2004 in American television

In American television during 2004 notable events included television series debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel initiations.

## Events
### January

| Date | Event |
| 7 | The Apprentice, a reality show franchise produced by Mark Burnett involving a test of skill to be 'hired' into a company, which was hosted by businessman Donald Trump (who would later become the nation's president in 2016), premieres its first episode. David Gould would be the first person fired. |
| 19 | British children's television series Boohbah (made by Ragdoll Productions who also made Teletubbies) premieres in the US on PBS Kids. |
| 22 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire aired a spin-off of Who Wants to Be a Super Millionaire which offered its biggest cash prize in a game show history of $10,000,000. Only one contestant, Robert Essig, won at least $1,000,000 during the run, and no contestants won the top prize of $10,000,000. |

### February

| Date | Event |
| 1 | Super Bowl XXXVIII airs on CBS, featuring the halftime show controversy occurring during a performance "Rock Your Body" by Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake over indecency. The incident went viral and gave way to the rise of the term, "wardrobe malfunction"; in the wake of the incident, the Federal Communications Commission strengthened its rules concerning certain types of indecency, while Jackson was temporarily blacklisted from Viacom, CBS' parent company, along with other music websites, as well as having her invitation revoked for the then-upcoming Grammy Awards ceremony. |
| 1 | After 23 years, TBS quits using the superstation moniker. |
| 11 | The True Hollywood Stories sketch featuring Rick James and Charlie Murphy first airs on Chappelle's Show. |
| 14 | Jetix was introduced on Toon Disney and ABC Family, making it the first trade-name to be introduced as an anime-based block. |
| 22 | Sex and the City broadcasts its last episode on HBO, "An American Girl in Paris, Part Deux." |

### March

| Date | Event |
| 1 | On CBS, The Price Is Right broadcasts its 6,000th episode. |
| 1 | PBS launched the HD network for the purpose of offering high definition and widescreen content 24 hours per day, seven days per week onto most PBS stations. |
| 4 | Rich Fields debuts as the new announcer for The Price is Right, a role he would hold until the end of Season 38. |
| 8 | Tiffany is named the new host of BET's The Center. Young Sir, who has been filling in since Amerie left last fall, takes over as the new host of BET.com Countdown. |
| 8 | In Casper, Wyoming, independent station/Pax TV affiliate KTWO-TV (having lost NBC to KCWY in September of last year) finally becomes an ABC affiliate after ABC's outgoing affiliate KFNB reaches an agreement with KTWO-TV ending its affiliation three months earlier than scheduled. KFNB then becomes a Fox affiliate, while sister station K26ES (now KWYF-LD) elevates its secondary UPN affiliation to full-time status. |
| 15 | Game Show Network began making the switch to their new rebranding, GSN. |
| 18 | The 57th episode of The Powerpuff Girls "See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey" airs in Canada on YTV, having been banned in the United States due to religious controversy. |

### April

| Date | Event |
| 1 | Nickelodeon celebrates its 25th anniversary. |
| 4 | The Sesame Street primetime special "The Street We Live On" premieres on PBS. |
| 5 | The Australian soap Neighbours returns to U.S. television for the first time since 1991, on Oxygen. |
| 12 | KLSB-TV in Nacogdoches, Texas, a satellite station of NBC affiliate KETK-TV, separates from its parent station to become a CBS affiliate, returning CBS to the Tyler-Longview market for the first time since KLMG-TV became Fox affiliate KFXK-TV in April 1991. The next day, the Federal Communications Commission approves KLSB-TV's call letter change to the current KYTX. |
| 16 | C-SPAN aired a press conference being held in the White House Rose Garden in which President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke about the war in Iraq and other issues. The event was far more watched than almost any other C-SPAN broadcast of the year, getting "shockingly high" Nielsen ratings. A similar broadcast on March 27 of the previous year was similarly widely viewed. |

### May

| Date | Event |
| 6 | Friends ends its run after 10 years, broadcasting the last episode, "The Last One", on NBC. A spinoff, Joey, debuts on NBC the following season. |
| 9 | In CBS, season two contestant Amber Brkish proposed to season four contestant Rob Mariano before naming the former the "Sole Survivor" in the inaugural All-Stars season. Four days later, season seven contestant Rupert Boneham was also awarded the $1 million prize after voted for the most popular contestant in the America's Tribal Council special aired four days later. |
| 11 | NBCUniversal is founded by General Electric and Vivendi Universal. |
| 13 | Frasier broadcasts its last episode on NBC, "Goodnight, Seattle". |
| 15 | Jimmy Fallon makes his last appearance as a cast member of NBC's Saturday Night Live, for its season finale. The episode was hosted by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen with a musical performance of J-Kwon. |
| 26 | Fantasia Barrino wins the third season of Fox's American Idol. This series also marked the first time it topped viewerships in the television ratings of this season. |
| 27 | Fox announced the cancellation of television special Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay, which was intended to air on June 7, 2004. The cancellation followed intense media backlash, such as from GLAAD, over the special's portrayal of gay men; the network attributed the cancellation to "creative reasons". |
| 28 | TechTV merges with G4 to form G4techTV, one of the most controversial mergers of television history as less than a year later, the merged network becomes G4 once again. |

### June

| Date | Event |
| 2 | Ken Jennings of Salt Lake City, Utah, begins a long run as Jeopardy! champion. |
| 7 | ABC broadcasts its final NHL game for 17 years, which also turns out to be the last one before the lockout that canceled the league's 2004–05 season. Through ESPN, the network resumes airing NHL games in the 2021-22 season. |
| 10 | TBS reintroduces its Very Funny campaign. |
| 11 | Major networks cover the state funeral of Ronald Reagan. |
| 14 | Cartoon Network unveils a new logo for the first time in 11 years and a new branding that involve various animated characters living around a realistic CGI-themed city. The new branding known as "CN City", replaced the previous Powerhouse branding which had been in use for the past 7 years. |
| 18 | Rodney Dangerfield (who appeared more than seventy times as a guest on The Tonight Show) makes his final appearance as a talk show guest on CBS' The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. He died on October 5. |

### July

| Date | Event |
| 22 | Documentary miniseries The Staircase is premiered in an abbreviated version as a special two-hour presentation of ABC's Primetime Thursday. |
| 27 | During the Democratic National Convention, Illinois Senate candidate (and future president) Barack Obama delivers the keynote address. The speech is widely praised and is credited for his victory four years later. |
| 24 | The infamous fight between Jason Varitek and Alex Rodriguez occurs during a Red Sox-Yankees game on Fox. That same night, the Red Sox came back with a two-run walk-off homer by Bill Mueller against closer Mariano Rivera. |

### August

| Date | Event |
| 9 | David Muir resigns as co-anchor of World News Now on ABC and is replaced by Ron Corning. |
| 13 | The animated comedy series Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends premieres on Cartoon Network starring Grey DeLisle as the voice of Frankie Foster, Keith Ferguson as the voice of Bloo and others. |
| 15 | In Charlottesville, Virginia, NBC affiliate WVIR-TV, long the only commercial station in its market, receives competition for the first time ever when WCAV signs-on as a CBS affiliate. Shortly thereafter, WCAV adds WVAW-LP as an ABC affiliate. |
| 27 | Craig Kilborn ends his five-year run as host of The Late Late Show. |
| 28 | PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch ended. |
| 30 | ABC affiliate WDTN in Dayton, Ohio swaps affiliations with NBC affiliate WKEF, reversing a swap that took place in 1980. |

### September

| Date | Event |
| 4 | A series premiere promo for the Canadian animated series Atomic Betty, which is set to premiere on sister cable network Cartoon Network on September 17, accidentally airs on Kids' WB during the split screen credits of the Pokémon: Advanced episode "A Poké-Block Party". |
| 5 | British preschooler's program Thomas & Friends comes to PBS Kids as a stand-alone program with Michael Brandon taking over as the narrator. |
| 12 | In Chicago, independent station WCIU drops Kids' WB. The city's WB affiliate WGN-TV, which had previously declined the block in favor of newscasts and sitcoms, picks up the block, and thus clears the entire WB schedule for the first time. |
| 19 | The 56th Primetime Emmy Awards are given out on ABC. |
| 21 | Drew Daniel is the winner of the U.S. version of Big Brother 5 on CBS. Runner-Up Michael "Cowboy" Ellis wins $50,000. |
| 22 | The pilot episode of Lost airs on ABC. |
| 24 | Kathleen Herles announces her retirement as voice of Dora on Dora the Explorer. Her final episode, "Dora Saves the Mermaids", would not air until November 2007. |
| 28 | Longtime veteran Marcy Walker makes her final appearance on the ABC soap opera All My Children after two decades of being affiliated with the program. |
| 30 | President Bush and Senator John Kerry participate in the first of the 2004 presidential debates moderated by Jim Lehrer. |

### October

| Date | Event |
| 2 | Amy Poehler succeeds Jimmy Fallon as Tina Fey's co-anchor of NBC's Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update skit, making the first Weekend Update female duos. |
| 2 | Nickelodeon and its affiliated channels begin debuting special educational programming, Worldwide Day of Play, after the Let's Just Play campaign. |
| 5 | Gwen Ifill moderates the 2004 Vice Presidential debate between Vice President Cheney and Senator John Edwards at Case Western Reserve University. |
| 8 | Charles Gibson moderates the second presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis. |
| 11 | PBS Kids debuts a programming block targeted at children aged 6–10 entitled PBS Kids Go!, with new shows Maya & Miguel and an Arthur spinoff, Postcards from Buster premiering. |
| 13 | Bob Schieffer of CBS News moderates the final presidential debate at Arizona State University. |
| 15 | Comedian Jon Stewart makes an appearance on Crossfire with Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala and calls the show out for "partisan hackery". |
| 20 | Game 7 of the ALCS is broadcast on Fox. The Boston Red Sox reverse-sweep the New York Yankees and become the first and (to date) only team in MLB history to come back from being down 3-0 in a playoff series. |
| 27 | The Boston Red Sox win the World Series title for the first time since 1918, with a total of 86 years. They swept the 105-win St. Louis Cardinals in four games. Sox closer Keith Foulke made the final out for underhanding the ball to Doug Mientkiewicz at first base after a grounder by Edgar Rentería (who coincidentally wore Babe Ruth's number 3). This officially marked the end of the Curse of the Bambino. |
| 29 | The fifth and final aired episode of Dr. Vegas aired on CBS. This marked the last time that Amy Adams appeared as a regular cast member on a television series, before returning many years later with Sharp Objects. |

### November

| Date | Event |
| 1 | The Young and the Restless broadcasts its 8,000th episode on CBS. |
| 7 | Dallas airs a third TV movie, Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork, on CBS. |
| 8 | Young Sir resigns as host of BET.com Countdown and is replaced by recording artist Ray J. |
| 9 | Tiffany resigns as host of BET's The Center and is replaced by Julissa. |
| 10 | Sesame Street celebrates its 35th anniversary. |
| 19 | Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi premieres on Cartoon Network with Janice Kawaye starring as Ami Onuki and Grey DeLisle, previously voicing Frankie Foster in Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends as Yumi Yoshimura. |
| 23 | Longtime CBS News anchor and manager editor Dan Rather announces he will step down in March. |
| 30 | After seventy-four consecutive wins, Ken Jennings finally loses on Jeopardy!, to competitor Nancy Zerg. Jennings' final cash winnings total is $2,522,700 making him the richest winner of American television history. |

### December

| Date | Event |
| 2 | Tom Brokaw resigns as anchorman of NBC Nightly News and is replaced by Brian Williams. |
| 15 | CNN's financial news channel, CNNfn, is ended. |
| 16 | All My Children broadcasts its 9,000th episode. |
| 29 | Rogers Media buys remaining 20% ownership of Rogers Sportsnet from Fox. |
| 29 | General Electric, owner of NBC, purchases Universal Studios from Vivendi, leaving all six U.S. broadcast networks part of a company which also owns a movie studio. |
| 29 | For the first time in its history, Nielsen Media Research, the official American television ratings service, began counting original shows on pay television premium channels in its prime-time ratings. At the time, most of these were broadcast by competitors HBO and Showtime, but Starz has since begun producing original shows. |

## Programs
### Debuts

| Date | Debut | Network |
| January 7 | The Apprentice | NBC |
| January 11 | Drake & Josh | Nickelodeon |
| January 14 | Seven Little Monsters | PBS Kids |
| January 18 | Whoopi's Littleburg | Nick Jr. |
| January 18 | The L Word | Showtime |
| January 19 | Boohbah | PBS Kids |
| January 19 | My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance | Fox |
| January 21 | 'Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen and Dave | MTV |
| January 23 | Dave the Barbarian | Disney Channel |
| January 26 | The Koala Brothers | Playhouse Disney |
| January 28 | College Hill | BET |
| February 14 | Power Rangers Dino Thunder | ABC Family |
| March 1 | Forever Eden | Fox |
| March 3 | Kingdom Hospital | ABC |
| March 4 | Pimp My Ride | MTV |
| March 5 | The Help | The WB |
| March 7 | Nickelodeon Splat! | Nickelodeon |
| March 9 | Cracking Up | Fox |
| March 10 | Game Over | UPN |
| March 12 | Touching Evil | USA |
| March 12 | Playing It Straight | Fox |
| March 12 | Wonderfalls | Fox |
| March 16 | Century City | CBS |
| March 17 | The Stones | CBS |
| March 19 | The D.A. | ABC |
| March 21 | Deadwood | HBO |
| March 21 | Animal Face-Off | Discovery Channel |
| April 2 | The Big House | ABC |
| April 3 | Danny Phantom | Nickelodeon |
| April 7 | The Swan | Fox |
| April 12 | Peep and the Big Wide World | Discovery Kids |
| April 13 | Showbiz Moms & Dads | Bravo |
| April 28 | Shorties Watchin' Shorties | Comedy Central |
| May 1 | Megas XLR | Cartoon Network |
| May 17 | Superstar USA | The WB |
| May 17 | On the Cover | PAX TV |
| May 17 | Colonial House | PBS |
| May 27 | Pepsi Smash | The WB |
| June 1 | Summerland | The WB |
| June 1 | Wanna Come In? | MTV |
| June 2 | BBQ with Bobby Flay | Food Network |
| June 3 | Come to Papa | NBC |
| June 4 | TNA iMPACT! | Fox Sports Net |
| June 8 | The Jury | Fox |
| June 8 | Blow Out | Bravo |
| June 14 | North Shore | Fox |
| June 14 | The Casino | Fox |
| June 14 | Next Action Star | NBC |
| June 16 | Quintuplets | Fox |
| June 16 | Method & Red | Fox |
| June 16 | The Ashlee Simpson Show | MTV |
| June 18 | Phil of the Future | Disney Channel |
| June 20 | Fatherhood | Nick at Nite |
| July 1 | Trading Spouses | Fox |
| July 6 | Seconds From Disaster | National Geographic Channel |
| July 12 | I Love the '90s | VH1 |
| July 16 | Stargate Atlantis | Sci Fi |
| July 18 | Entourage | HBO |
| July 21 | Rescue Me | FX |
| July 22 | Studio 7 | The WB |
| July 28 | Amish in the City | UPN |
| July 29 | Blue Collar TV | The WB |
| July 30 | O'Grady | The N |
| July 31 | Justice League Unlimited | Cartoon Network |
| August 1 | Stroker and Hoop | Adult Swim |
| August 2 | Balderdash | PAX TV |
| August 4 | The Player | UPN |
| August 10 | Blue's Room | Nick Jr. |
| August 13 | Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends | Cartoon Network |
| August 21 | Brandy & Mr. Whiskers | Disney Channel |
| August 30 | The Jane Pauley Show | Syndication |
| August 31 | Curious Buddies | Nick Jr. |
| August 31 | Father of the Pride | NBC |
| September 1 | Hawaii | NBC |
| September 7 | Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends | Nick Jr. |
| September 9 | Joey | NBC |
| September 9 | Medical Investigation | NBC |
| September 11 | The Batman | Kids' WB |
| September 11 | Da Boom Crew | Kids' WB |
| September 12 | Jack & Bobby | The WB |
| September 12 | Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide | Nickelodeon |
| September 12 | Unfabulous | Nickelodeon |
| September 13 | A Place of Our Own | PBS |
| September 13 | Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan | National Geographic Channel |
| September 13 | The Insider | Syndication |
| September 13 | The Tony Danza Show | Syndication |
| September 13 | The Benefactor | ABC |
| September 13 | LAX | NBC |
| September 13 | Higglytown Heroes | Playhouse Disney |
| September 16 | Video Mods | MTV |
| September 17 | Atomic Betty | Cartoon Network |
| September 18 | Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! | Jetix |
| September 20 | Listen Up | CBS |
| September 20 | Second Time Around | UPN |
| September 21 | Rodney | ABC |
| September 22 | CSI: NY | CBS |
| September 22 | The Mountain | The WB |
| September 22 | Veronica Mars | UPN |
| September 22 | Lost | ABC |
| September 24 | Complete Savages | ABC |
| September 24 | Dr. Vegas | CBS |
| September 26 | Clubhouse | CBS |
| September 26 | Wife Swap | ABC |
| September 28 | Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County | MTV |
| September 29 | Kevin Hill | UPN |
| October 2 | Darcy's Wild Life | Discovery Kids |
| October 2 | Austin Stevens: Snakemaster | Animal Planet |
| October 2 | Faith Under Fire | PAX TV |
| October 3 | Boston Legal | ABC |
| October 3 | Desperate Housewives | ABC |
| October 3 | Cold Turkey | PAX TV |
| October 4 | Model Citizens | PAX TV |
| October 5 | BET Style | BET |
| October 5 | Wanda Does It | Comedy Central |
| October 5 | Second Verdict | PAX TV |
| October 6 | Ghost Hunters | Sci Fi |
| October 6 | Proof Positive | Sci Fi |
| October 6 | World Cup Comedy | PAX TV |
| October 7 | Drew Carey's Green Screen Show | The WB |
| October 7 | Life as We Know It | ABC |
| October 11 | The Backyardigans | Nick Jr. |
| October 11 | Maya & Miguel | PBS Kids Go! |
| October 11 | Postcards From Buster | PBS Kids Go! |
| October 18 | Battlestar Galactica | Sci Fi |
| October 19 | The Biggest Loser | NBC |
| October 19 | He's a Lady | TBS |
| October 24 | You've Got a Friend | MTV |
| October 25 | Battle for Ozzfest | MTV |
| October 27 | Center of the Universe | CBS |
| October 27 | Drawn Together | Comedy Central |
| November 3 | Nanny 911 | Fox |
| November 5 | Cartoon Alley | TCM |
| November 7 | Perfect Hair Forever | Adult Swim |
| November 7 | Huff | Showtime |
| November 7 | My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss | Fox |
| November 8 | ToddWorld | Ready Set Learn! on TLC and Discovery Kids |
| November 8 | $25 Million Dollar Hoax | NBC |
| November 9 | The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best | Fox |
| November 14 | Tom Goes to the Mayor | Adult Swim |
| November 15 | Date My Mom | MTV |
| November 16 | House | Fox |
| November 19 | Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi | Cartoon Network |
| November 29 | Family Face Off: Hollywood | Nick at Nite |
| December 1 | Project Runway | Bravo |
| December 15 | Big Man on Campus | The WB |
| December 18 | W.I.T.C.H. | Jetix |

### Returning this year

| Show | Last aired | Previous network | New/Same network | Returning |
| House of Mouse | 2003 | Toon Disney | Disney Channel | August 11 |
| Thomas & Friends | 2000 | Nick Jr | PBS Kids | September 5 |
| Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat | 2002 | PBS Kids | Same | September 26 |
| Teletubbies | 2001 | PBS Kids | Same | October 30 |
| Little Bear | 2003 | Nick Jr. Channel | Same | November 16 |

### Ending this year

| Date | Show | Channel | Debut | Status |
| January 16 | He-Man and the Masters of the Universe | Cartoon Network | 2002 | Cancelled |
| January 23 | Fillmore! | Toon Disney | 2002 | Cancelled |
| January 25 | 10-8: Officers on Duty | ABC | 2003 | Cancelled |
| January 28 | Becker | CBS | 1998 | Cancelled |
| January 29 | Threat Matrix | ABC | 2003 | Cancelled |
| January 30 | Boston Public | Fox | 2000 | Cancelled |
| January 30 | The Handler | CBS | 2003 | Cancelled |
| February 3 | Sabrina's Secret Life | DIC Kids Network | 2003 | Cancelled |
| February 6 | Jake 2.0 | UPN | 2003 | Cancelled |
| February 6 | Ed | NBC | 2000 | Cancelled |
| February 6 | Little Bill | Nickelodeon | 1999 | Cancelled |
| February 7 | Scout's Safari | Discovery Kids | 2002 | Cancelled |
| February 12 | All About the Andersons | The WB | 2003 | Cancelled |
| February 14 | Lizzie McGuire | Disney Channel | 2001 | Cancelled |
| February 22 | Sex and the City (returned in 2021 as And Just Like That...) | HBO | 1998 | Ended |
| February 27 | Lloyd in Space | Toon Disney | 2001 | Cancelled |
| February 29 | The Weekenders | Toon Disney | 2000 | Cancelled |
| March 3 | 'Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen and Dave | MTV | 2004 | Cancelled |
| March 13 | Hack | CBS | 2002 | Cancelled |
| March 17 | The Mullets | UPN | 2003 | Cancelled |
| March 20 | The Tracy Morgan Show | NBC | 2003 | Cancelled |
| March 25 | The Chris Isaak Show | Showtime | 2001 | Cancelled |
| April 1 | Stripperella | Spike | 2003 | Cancelled |
| April 2 | Game Over | UPN | 2004 | Cancelled |
| April 4 | Home Movies | Adult Swim | 2001 | Cancelled |
| April 6 | It's All Relative | ABC | 2003 | Cancelled |
| April 9 | The D.A. | ABC | 2004 | Cancelled |
| April 9 | Life with Bonnie | ABC | 2002 | Cancelled |
| April 12 | Space Ghost Coast to Coast (returned in 2006) | Cartoon Network | 1994 | Cancelled |
| April 14 | Karen Sisco | ABC | 2003 | Cancelled |
| April 16 | The Help | The WB | 2004 | Cancelled |
| April 20 | Happy Family | NBC | 2003 | Cancelled |
| April 20 | Whoopi | NBC | 2003 | Cancelled |
| April 22 | Like Family | The WB | 2003 | Cancelled |
| April 23 | Married to the Kellys | ABC | 2003 | Cancelled |
| April 24 | WWE Confidential | TNN/Spike TV | 2002 | Cancelled |
| April 27 | I'm with Her | ABC | 2003 | Cancelled |
| April 28 | Rolie Polie Olie | Playhouse Disney | 1998 | Cancelled |
| April 29 | The Jamie Kennedy Experiment | The WB | 2002 | Cancelled |
| April 30 | Living It Up! with Ali & Jack | Syndication | 2003 | Cancelled |
| May 1 | The District | CBS | 2000 | Cancelled |
| May 4 | The Guardian | CBS | 2001 | Cancelled |
| May 6 | Friends (returned in 2021 as Friends: The Reunion) | NBC | 1994 | Ended |
| May 7 | Run of the House | The WB | 2003 | Cancelled |
| May 10 | The Parkers | UPN | 1999 | Cancelled |
| May 13 | Frasier (returned in 2023) | NBC | 1993 | Ended |
| May 14 | The News with Brian Williams | CNBC | 1996 | Cancelled |
| May 16 | The Practice | ABC | 1997 | Cancelled |
| May 17 | Mutant X | Syndication | 2001 | Cancelled |
| May 17 | She Spies | NBC | 2002 | Cancelled |
| May 19 | Angel | The WB | 1999 | Cancelled |
| May 19 | Showbiz Moms & Dads | Bravo | 2004 | Cancelled |
| May 21 | Ricki Lake | Syndication | 1993 | Cancelled |
| May 21 | The 5th Wheel | Syndication | 2001 | Cancelled |
| May 21 | The Wayne Brady Show | Syndication | 2001 | Cancelled |
| May 22 | Static Shock | Kids' WB | 2000 | Cancelled |
| May 25 | Rock Me Baby | UPN | 2003 | Cancelled |
| May 25 | Colonial House | PBS | 2004 | Cancelled |
| May 26 | Soul Food | Showtime | 2000 | Cancelled |
| May 28 | The Sharon Osbourne Show | Syndication | 2003 | Cancelled |
| May 29 | Justice League | Cartoon Network | 2001 | Cancelled |
| May 30 | Line of Fire | Syndication | 2003 | Cancelled |
| June 4 | Hollywood Squares (returning in 2025) | Syndication | 1966 | Ended |
| June 5 | The Restaurant | NBC | 2003 | Cancelled |
| June 7 | Whoopi's Littleburg | Nickelodeon | 2004 | Cancelled |
| June 8 | Hey Arnold! | Nickelodeon | 1996 | Cancelled |
| June 11 | The Wild Thornberrys | Nickelodeon | 1998 | Cancelled |
| June 19 | The Man Show | Comedy Central | 1999 | Cancelled |
| June 25 | VH1 ILL-ustrated | VH1 | 2003 | Cancelled |
| June 28 | The Division | Lifetime | 2001 | Cancelled |
| July 2 | Slime Time Live | Nickelodeon | 2000 | Cancelled |
| July 5 | Ozzy & Drix | Kids' WB | 2002 | Cancelled |
| July 16 | I Love the '90s | VH1 | 2004 | Cancelled |
| July 27 | King of the Jungle | Animal Planet | 2003 | Cancelled |
| July 29 | 106 & Park: Prime | BET | 2003 | Cancelled |
| July 30 | Rocket Power | Nickelodeon | 1999 | Cancelled |
| August 1 | Rugrats | Nickelodeon | 1991 | Cancelled |
| August 2 | Who Wants to Marry My Dad? | NBC | 2003 | Cancelled |
| August 8 | The Brothers García | Nickelodeon | 2000 | Cancelled |
| August 9 | For Love or Money | NBC | 2003 | Cancelled |
| August 10 | The Joe Schmo Show (returned in 2013) | Spike | 2003 | Cancelled |
| August 17 | Teamo Supremo | Toon Disney | 2002 | Cancelled |
| August 17 | Nickelodeon Splat! | Nickelodeon | 2004 | Cancelled |
| August 27 | Johnny Bravo | Cartoon Network | 1997 | Cancelled |
| September 1 | It's a Miracle | PAX TV | 1998 | Cancelled |
| September 8 | The Drew Carey Show | ABC | 1995 | Ended |
| September 10 | Pyramid (returned in 2012) | Syndication | 1973 | Cancelled |
| September 12 | Oliver Beene | Fox | 2003 | Cancelled |
| September 12 | Animal Face-Off | Animal Planet | 2004 | Cancelled |
| September 24 | Jeremiah | Showtime | 2002 | Cancelled |
| September 25 | Samurai Jack (returned in 2017) | Cartoon Network | 2001 | Cancelled |
| September 27 | Out of the Box | Playhouse Disney | 1998 | Cancelled |
| September 28 | The Berenstain Bears | Treehouse TV | 2003 | Cancelled |
| October 1 | Knock First | ABC Family | 2003 | Cancelled |
| October 6 | Hawaii | NBC | 2004 | Cancelled |
| October 11 | SpongeBob SquarePants (returned in 2005) | Nickelodeon | 1999 | Cancelled |
| October 22 | Evil Con Carne | Cartoon Network | 2003 | Cancelled |
| October 25 | The Benefactor | ABC | 2004 | Cancelled |
| October 29 | Dr. Vegas | CBS | 2004 | Cancelled |
| October 31 | The New Detectives | Discovery Channel | 1996 | Cancelled |
| October 31 | Dead Like Me | Showtime | 2003 | Cancelled |
| November 11 | Unscrewed with Martin Sargent | TechTV | 2003 | Cancelled |
| November 11 | Insomniac with Dave Attell | Comedy Central | 2001 | Cancelled |
| November 14 | He's a Lady | TBS | 2004 | Cancelled |
| November 16 | Wanda Does It | Comedy Central | 2004 | Cancelled |
| November 26 | Stanley | Playhouse Disney | 2001 | Cancelled |
| November 28 | Doc | PAX TV | 2001 | Cancelled |
| December 8 | Proof Positive | Sci Fi Channel | 2004 | Cancelled |
| December 10 | Players | G4 | 2002 | Cancelled |
| December 12 | My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss | Fox | 2004 | Cancelled |
| December 12 | You've Got a Friend | Fox | 2004 | Cancelled |
| December 15 | Wonderfalls | Fox | 2004 | Cancelled |
| December 16 | Shorties Watchin' Shorties | Comedy Central | 2004 | Cancelled |

### Made-for-TV movies

| Title | Channel | Date of airing |
| Pixel Perfect | Disney Channel | January 16 |
| 12 Days of Terror | Discovery Channel | May 1 |
| Zenon: Z3 | Disney Channel | June 11 |
| Stuck in the Suburbs | Disney Channel | July 16 |
| Tiger Cruise | Disney Channel | August 6 |
| House of Bloo's | Cartoon Network | August 13 |
| Halloweentown High | Disney Channel | October 8 |

### Entering syndication this year

| Show | Seasons | In Production |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | 4 | Yes |
| Fear Factor | 4 | Yes |
| Gilmore Girls | 4 | Yes |
| Girlfriends | 4 | Yes |
| Malcolm in the Middle | 4 | Yes |
| Yes, Dear | 4 | Yes |

### Shows changing networks

| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
| Arthur | PBS Kids | PBS Kids Go! |
| Cyberchase | PBS Kids | PBS Kids Go! |
| As Told by Ginger | Nickelodeon | Nicktoons |
| Fillmore! | ABC Kids | Toon Disney |
| Timothy Goes To School | PBS Kids | TLC |
| The Surreal Life | The WB | VH1 |
| National Geographic Explorer | MSNBC | National Geographic Channel |
| Project Greenlight | HBO | Bravo |
| America's Most Talented Kid | NBC | PAX TV |

## Networks and services
### Launches

| Network | Type | Launch date |
| ESPN Deportes | Cable television | January 7 |
| TV One | Cable television | January 19 |
| Hallmark Movies & Mysteries | Cable television | January 20 |
| MTVU | Cable television | January 20 |
| Si TV | Cable television | February 25 |
| Cinema One | Cable television | May |
| World Channel | Cable television | May 4 |
| The Pentagon Channel | Cable television | May 14 |
| Wealth TV | Cable television | June 1 |
| IndiePlex | Cable television | June 8 |
| History Channel en Espanol | Cable television | June 24 |
| ImaginAsian | Cable television | August 30 |
| TCM | Cable television | September 1 |
| Altitude Sports and Entertainment | Cable and satellite | September 4 |
| Hustler TV | Cable television | October 1 |
| Maverick Television | Cable television | October 1 |
| Gospel Music Channel | Cable television | October 30 |
| NBC Weather Plus | Cable television | November 15 |

### Conversions and rebrandings

| Old network name | New network name | Type | Conversion date | Notes | Source |
| Discovery Home & Leisure Channel | Discovery Home Channel | Cable television | March 29 | | |
| TechTV | G4TechTV | Cable television | May 28 | | |

### Closures

| Network | Type | Closure date | Notes | Source |
| CNNfn | Cable television | December 15 | | |

## Television stations
### Station launches

| Date | City of License/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
| March 1 | Idaho Falls, Idaho | KPIF | 15 | America One The WB | |
| May 5 | Rehoboth Beach/Dover, Delaware (Salisbury, Maryland) | W59DZ | 59 | UATV | |
| July 31 | Knoxville, Tennessee | WMAK | 7 | Independent | |
| August 5 | Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands | WZVI | 43 | ABC | |
| August 15 | Charlottesville, Virginia | WCAV | 19 | CBS | |
| August 15 | West Palm Beach, Florida | WBWP-LP | 57 | Independent | |
| August 25 | Juneau, Alaska | K17HC | 17 | UPN | |
| November | Cheyenne, Wyoming | KWYP-TV | 6 (now on 8) | PBS | Part of Wyoming PBS |
| November 1 | Youngstown, Ohio | WFMJ-DT2 | 21.2 | The WB | |
| November 15 | Peoria/Bloomington, Illinois | WEEK-DT2 | 25.2 | NBC Weather Plus | |
| November 15 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | W25DN | 25 | Independent | |
| December 3 | Durango, Colorado | KRMU | 20 | PBS | Part of Rocky Mountain PBS |
| December 17 | Dededo/Hagåtña, Guam (Agana) | KEQI-LP | 22 | Independent | |
| Unknown date | Albuquerque, New Mexico | KNMD-TV | 9 | PBS | |
| Unknown date | Borger/Amarillo, Texas | KEYU | 31 | Univision | |
| Unknown date | Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands | WVGN-LP | 19 | NBC | |
| Unknown date | Columbia, Missouri | KZOU-LP | 22 | UPN | |
| Unknown date | Flint, Michigan | WBSF | 46 | The WB | |
| Unknown date | Kailua/Honolulu, Hawaii | KKAI-TV | 50 | Faith TV | |
| Unknown date | Lafayette, Indiana | W65EH | 65 | Independent | |
| Unknown date | Nacogdoches, Texas | KLSB-LP | 53 | NBC | Translator of KETK-TV/Jacksonville, Texas |
| Unknown date | Victoria, Texas | K17FS | 17 | NBC | |

### Network affiliation changes

| Date | City of License/Market | Station | Channel | Old affiliation | New affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
| Unknown date | Bellingham, Washington (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) | KBCB | 34 | Jewelry Television | ImaginAsian | |
| Unknown date | Sun Valley/Twin Falls, Idaho | KIDA | 5 | UPN | Independent | |

## Births

| Date | Name | Notability |
| January 4 | Peyton Kennedy | Canadian actress (Odd Squad, Everything Sucks!) |
| January 7 | Sofia Wylie | Actress (Andi Mack, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) |
| January 8 | Berkley Silverman | Canadian voice actress (PAW Patrol) |
| January 9 | Tyree Brown | Actor (Parenthood) |
| January 24 | Brandon Rossel | Actor (Fast Layne, Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion) |
| January 26 | Addison Riecke | Actress (The Thundermans) |
| February 19 | Millie Bobby Brown | English actress (Stranger Things) and model |
| March 4 | Donielle T. Hansley Jr. | Voice actor (Darwin on The Amazing World of Gumball (2017–18)) |
| March 1 | Izabella Alvarez | Actress (Walk the Prank, The Loud House, The Casagrandes) |
| March 10 | Mace Coronel | Actor (Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn) |
| March 21 | Forrest Wheeler | Actor (Fresh Off the Boat) |
| April 5 | Christopher Martinez | Actor (Warped!) |
| April 6 | Casey Simpson | |
| April 17 | Kyla Drew Simmons |
| April 19 | Caleel Harris | Voice actor (Blaze and the Monster Machines, The Loud House) |
| May 22 | Peyton Elizabeth Lee | Actress (Andi Mack) |
| June 4 | Mackenzie Ziegler | Actress (Dance Moms) |
| June 7 | Saara Chaudry | Canadian actress (Max & Shred) |
| June 8 | Francesca Capaldi | Actress (Dog with a Blog) |
| June 15 | Sissy Sheridan | Actress |
| June 16 | Charlie Bushnell | Actor (Diary of a Future President) |
| June 22 | Laya DeLeon Hayes | Actress |
| July 4 | Dylan Kingwell | Actor |
| July 28 | Lauren Lindsey Donzis | Actress (Liv and Maddie) |
| August 5 | Albert Tsai | Actor (Trophy Wife, Dr. Ken, Coop and Cami Ask the World) |
| August 14 | Marsai Martin | Actress (Black-ish) |
| August 19 | Siena Agudong | Actress (Star Falls) |
| August 26 | Hannah Nordberg | Actress (Fancy Nancy) |
| September 1 | Iam Tongi | Singer (American Idol) |
| October 3 | Noah Schnapp | Actor (Stranger Things) |
| October 9 | Tomaso Sanelli | Actor (Star Falls) |
| October 30 | Elisha Henig | Actor |
| November 1 | Jayden Bartels | Actress (Side Hustle) |
| November 11 | Oakes Fegley | Actor |
| November 17 | Andre Robinson | Voice actor (Clyde McBride on The Loud House (Episode 101 onwards)) |
| November 27 | Jet Jurgensmeyer | Actor |
| December 3 | Ruby Jay | Actress (Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, Fancy Nancy) |
| December 4 | Sophie Pollono | Actress (Fast Layne) |
| December 5 | Jules LeBlanc | Actress (Side Hustle) |
| December 12 | Sky Katz | Actress (Raven's Home) |
| December 14 | Timothy Colombos | Actor (WITS Academy) |
| December 17 | Dakota Lotus | Actor (Coop and Cami Ask the World) |
| December 18 | Isabella Cramp | Actress (Shimmer and Shine, Colony, Vampirina) |
| December 22 | Bryce Gheisar | Actor (Walk the Prank, The Astronauts, Are You Afraid of the Dark?) |
| December 28 | Miles Brown | Actor (Black-ish) |
| December 30 | Lyliana Wray | Actress (Are You Afraid of the Dark?) |

## Deaths

| Date | Name | Age | Notability |
| January 17 | Noble Willingham | 72 | Actor (C.D. Parker on Walker, Texas Ranger) |
| January 19 | Jerry Nachman | 57 | MSNBC editor-in-chief |
| January 23 | Bob Keeshan | 76 | Children's show host (Captain Kangaroo) |
| January 27 | Jack Paar | 85 | Host of (The Tonight Show) |
| January 29 | Mary-Ellis Bunim | 57 | Producer and co-creator of The Real World |
| February 15 | Jan Miner | 86 | Actress (Madge the Manicurist) |
| February 23 | Carl Anderson | 58 | Actor (Another World) |
| February 24 | John Randolph | 88 | Actor (Grand) |
| March 7 | Paul Winfield | 64 | Actor (King, 227) |
| March 8 | Robert Pastorelli | 49 | Actor (Murphy Brown) |
| March 17 | J. J. Jackson | 62 | MTV VJ |
| March 26 | Jan Sterling | 82 | Actress |
| March 27 | Art James | 74 | Game show host and announcer |
| April 1 | Carrie Snodgress | 58 | Actress |
| April 13 | Caron Keating | 41 | British TV presenter |
| May 9 | Alan King | 76 | Comedian and actor |
| May 14 | Anna Lee | 91 | Actor (Lila Morgan Quartermaine on General Hospital from 1978 to 2003) |
| May 17 | Tony Randall | 84 | Actor (Felix on The Odd Couple) |
| May 21 | Gene Wood | 78 | Announcer of (Family Feud and other game shows) |
| May 22 | Richard Biggs | 44 | Actor |
| June 5 | Ronald Reagan | 93 | Actor and U.S. president; host of General Electric Theater and Death Valley Days |
| July 6 | Eric Douglas | 46 | Actor |
| July 9 | Isabel Sanford | 86 | Actress (Louise "Weezie" Mills Jefferson on The Jeffersons) |
| July 28 | Eugene Roche | 75 | Actor (Soap, Webster, more) |
| August 13 | Julia Child | 91 | Host of The French Chef on PBS |
| September 4 | Michael Louden | 40 | Actor (As the World Turns) |
| September 15 | Johnny Ramone | 55 | Singer-songwriter (Ramones) |
| October 5 | Rodney Dangerfield | 82 | Actor and comedian (The Dean Martin Show, frequent Tonight Show guest) |
| October 10 | Christopher Reeve | 52 | Actor |
| November 7 | Howard Keel | 85 | Actor, singer (Clayton Farlow on Dallas) |
| December 28 | Jerry Orbach | 69 | Actor (Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order) |