# 1974 in Australian television

This is a list of Australian television-related events in 1974.

## Events

* 18 March – The Reg Grundy Organisation's new Australian daily soap opera for teenagers set in a secondary school Class of 74 starts screening on Seven Network and is shown five nights a week. The following year it was changed to Class of 75, before getting axed.
* 1 April – Long running American soap opera The Young and the Restless starts its first broadcast in Australia on Nine Network.
* 9 June – Australian horror anthology series The Evil Touch airs its final episode on Nine Network.
* 21 June – A new short lived Australian science fiction television series for children called Alpha Scorpio debuts on ABC only running for six episodes.
* October – Test colour transmissions commence across all networks.
* 8 November – Australian music program Countdown premieres on ABC with Grant Goldman as the first host.
* 31 December – News Limited and Nine Network have launched a 28-hour telethon to raise funding for the relief effort of Darwin, Northern Territory after the city was wiped out by Cyclone Tracy.

## Debuts

| Program | Network | Debut date |
| The Ernie Sigley Show | Nine Network | 22 January |
| The Box | Channel 0 | 11 February |
| Class of 74 | Seven Network | 18 March |
| Blind Date | Seven Network | 8 April |
| Alpha Scorpio | ABC | 21 June |
| Don Burrows | ABC | 15 June |
| Rush | ABC | 20 August |
| Countdown | ABC | 8 November |
| A Touch of Reverence | ABC | 21 November |
| Sounds Unlimited | Seven Network | Late 1974 |

### New international programming

* 21 January – The Electric Company (ABC)
* 15 February/4 April – Hawkins (15 February: Seven Network - Sydney, 4 April: Seven Network - Melbourne)
* 1 April – The Young and the Restless (Nine Network)
* 1 April – Dusty's Trail (Nine Network)
* 15 April – Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch! (Nine Network)
* 21 April – Kojak (The 0-10 Network)
* 6 May – The Beachcombers (ABC)
* 13 May – Mission: Magic! (The 0-10 Network)
* 26 May – Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (ABC)
* 27 May – Wild, Wild World of Animals (ABC)
* 10 June – Bailey's Comets (Nine Network)
* 26 June – Shaft (Seven Network)
* 30 June – The Six Million Dollar Man (The 0-10 Network)
* 1 July – Thriller (Seven Network)
* 20 July – Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids (ABC)
* 28 July – My Favorite Martians (ABC)
* 3 August – Jack the Ripper (1973) (ABC)
* 18 August – Man About the House (ABC)
* 14 September – Needles and Pins (ABC)
* 22 September – Happy Days (Nine Network)
* 17 October – The Ascent of Man (ABC)
* 19 October – Speed Buggy (ABC)
* 3 November – Adam's Rib (Seven Network)
* 6 November/9 December – Doc Elliot (6 November: Nine Network - Sydney, 9 December: Nine Network - Melbourne)
* 12 December – Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (Nine Network)
* Inch High, Private Eye (Nine Network)
* Super Friends (1973) (The 0-10 Network)

## Television shows
### 1950s

* Mr. Squiggle and Friends (1959–1999).

### 1960s

* Football Inquest (1960–1974)
* Four Corners (1961–present).
* It's Academic (1968–1978)
* Division 4 (1969–1975)
* GTK (1969–1974)

### 1970s

* Hey Hey It's Saturday (1971–1999, 2009–2010).
* Young Talent Time (1971–1988)
* Countdown (1974–1987).

## Ending this year

| Date | Show | Channel | Debut |
| 13 April | Ryan | Seven Network | 27 May 1973 |
| 26 May | Football Inquest | HSV-7 | 9 April 1960 |
| 9 June | The Evil Touch | Nine Network | 19 June 1973 |
| 26 July | Alpha Scorpio | ABC | 21 June 1974 |
| 5 December | A Touch of Reverence | ABC | 21 November 1974 |
| 1974 | GTK | ABC | 4 August 1969 |
| 1974 | The Price Is Right | Channel 0 | 5 February 1973 |