# 1991 in American television

In American television in 1991, notable events included television show debuts, finales, and cancellations; channel launches, closures, and re-brandings; stations changing or adding their network affiliations; information on controversies, business transactions, and carriage disputes; and deaths of those who made various contributions to the medium.

## Events

| Date | Event |
| January 3 | The first television sets with built-in closed-caption display are introduced in the United States. |
| January 14 | Wheel of Fortune returns to NBC (but would ultimately be canceled on September 20, after a 16½ year run on daytime network television). |
| January 16 | All major television network schedules are pre-empted by Gulf War coverage right after the evening news broadcasts. The planned broadcasts included Seinfeld. |
| January 19 | NBC breaks away from their telecast of the NHL All-Star Game in the third period to televise a briefing from The Pentagon involving the Gulf War. SportsChannel America included the missing coverage in a replay of NBC's telecast (NBC owned 50% of Rainbow Enterprises, the parent of SportsChannel America). |
| January 25 | Steve Urkel of Family Matters makes a guest appearance on Full House. |
| January 27 | Whitney Houston delivers a rousing rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" during the pre-game ceremonies for Super Bowl XXV. During halftime, ABC broadcast a special ABC News report anchored by Peter Jennings on the progress of the Gulf War. ABC eventually aired the halftime show, headlined by New Kids on the Block on tape delay following the game. |
| February 7 | NBC broadcasts an episode of L.A. Law which features the first in a series of "lesbian kiss episodes", in which a lesbian or bisexual character (in this case, C.J. Lamb) kisses a female character identified as heterosexual (here, Abby Perkins). |
| February 9 | Tim Meadows and Adam Sandler join the cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live. (Meadows stays with the show until 2000, while Sandler departs during 1995.) |
| February 22 | Deborah Norville co-anchors NBC's The Today Show for the final time. Going on maternity leave, she is replaced by Katie Couric, who stays a Today anchor into the early 21st century. |
| March 3 | In Los Angeles, California, African-American Rodney King is beaten severely by police officers after leading them on a high-speed chase and allegedly resisting arrest. A video is made by an observer, and portions of the tape are broadcast repeatedly, resulting in massive rioting in the Los Angeles area. |
| March 16 | A. Whitney Brown makes his final appearance on the NBC sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live. |
| March 21 | An episode of NBC's L.A. Law features Diana Muldaur's character Rosalind Shays plummeting to her death through an open elevator shaft. |
| April 1 | The premium movie channel Encore launches in the United States, primarily on TCI cable systems. The channel initially displayed movies from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, before eventually phasing in more recent movies by the 2000s (decade). Showtime Networks initiated Flix, a premium channel with a format identical to Encore less than a year-and-a-half later. |
| April 1 | CBS begins broadcasting a late-night crime-investigation program block entitled Crimetime After Primetime. |
| April 1 | HBO and Viacom agree to merge their respective comedy channels, Ha! and The Comedy Channel to create CTV: The Comedy Network, later known as Comedy Central come June 1991. |
| April 5 | Katie Couric is designated as co-host of The Today Show on NBC after substituting as host since February 1991. |
| April 20 | The Museum of Broadcasting, now known as The Paley Center for Media, relocates into its new 17-story building, located a block from its previous location in New York City. |
| April 20 | An episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live guest hosted by actor Steven Seagal immediately becomes infamous due to Seagal being difficult and uncooperative to work with among the cast and crew. Seagal is soon banned from ever appearing on the series again and is branded by SNL creator and producer Lorne Michaels as the "worst host ever". |
| May 3 | The final episode of Dallas is broadcast by CBS; the series is eventually revived in 2012 on TNT. |
| May 9 | After being diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer in April 1991, Michael Landon appears as a guest on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Landon would succumb to the disease seven weeks later at the age of 54. |
| May 13 | Delta Burke makes her final appearance as Suzanne Sugarbaker on the CBS sitcom Designing Women. |
| May 22 | Tulsa's television station KGCT-TV returns to the air as KTFO-TV. |
| May 23 | WFXG in Augusta, Georgia signs-on as a Fox affiliate, taking that affiliation from W67BE (now NBC affiliate WAGT-CD) which becomes an independent station. |
| May 23 | At an NBC network affiliate managers meeting at New York City's Carnegie Hall, Johnny Carson announces that he will be stepping down as host of The Tonight Show within May of the following year. |
| May 25 | The syndicated sitcom Out of This World concludes its fourth and ultimately final season on an unresolved cliffhanger involving Evie's alien father Troy coming to visit Earth and her mother Donna accidentally taking his place on his home planet, Antares Prime. |
| June 1 | After merging with Ha! and The Comedy Channel. CTV: The Comedy Network becomes Comedy Central. This is to avoid confusion with the Canadian broadcast network known as CTV. |
| June 2–12 | NBC broadcasts the NBA Finals for the first time after the event aired on CBS for the previous 17 years. It was Michael Jordan's first NBA Finals appearance, Magic Johnson's last, and the last NBA Finals for the Los Angeles Lakers until 2000. This series would mark the end of the Lakers' Showtime era and the beginning of the Chicago Bulls' dynasty. |
| June 3 | The Australian soap Neighbours makes its American debut, on KCOP-TV in Los Angeles, CA. Two weeks later, WWOR-TV debuts this for its New York, NY market. |
| June 3 | Scripps-Howard Broadcasting finalizes the purchase on Baltimore's NBC affiliate WMAR-TV from Gillett Communications, which was about to be divested into SCI television. |
| July 9 | The Major League Baseball All-Star Game airs on CBS for the second consecutive year. Emanating from Toronto, it is the second time that the All-Star Game is played outside of the United States, the first being the 1982 All-Star Game in Montreal, Quebec. CBS started their broadcast at the top of the hour with the customary pregame coverage. Because American President George H.W. Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney were throwing out the first ball, there was a slight delay from the 8:30 p.m. EDT start. The game eventually started about 15–20 minutes late. |
| July 28 | NBC airs a pilot for a proposed series starring Adam West and written and produced by Conan O'Brien and Robert Smigel called Lookwell. While the pilot ultimately wouldn't be picked up as a series, it has since become a cult classic. |
| August 2 | Deidre Hall returns on-screen to the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives after a four-year absence in which her character, Marlena Evans is revealed to be mysteriously alive and kept hidden outside of Salem after being presumed dead in an accident nearly four years prior. |
| August 11 | Nickelodeon introduces its series of Nicktoons, with Doug, Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show the first three to air. |
| August 11 | WGMB-TV in Baton Rouge, Louisiana signs-on the air, giving the Baton Rouge area its first full-time Fox affiliate (NBC affiliate WVLA had previously aired Fox programming on a delayed basis). |
| August 13 | The time slot for Full House was moved from Friday's TGIF lineup on ABC to Tuesday nights (remaining there until its finale in 1995). |
| September 1 | KLSB-TV in Nacogdoches, Texas signs-on as a satellite of the Tyler market's NBC affiliate KETK-TV. KLSB-TV will eventually become the market's CBS affiliate in 2004 when the station is sold to Max Media. |
| September 6 | KLNO (now MyNetworkTV affiliate KBVO) in Llano, Texas is signed-on by NBC affiliate KXAN-TV to improve coverage of that station in parts of the Texas Hill Country. |
| September 8 | Minnie Pearl makes her final appearance on the program Hee Haw. |
| September 9–13 | The 20th anniversary week of The Price Is Right is celebrated during this week on CBS. |
| September 9 | After being fired from World Championship Wrestling following a contract dispute, Ric Flair makes his World Wrestling Federation debut on USA Network's Prime Time Wrestling with the "Big Gold Belt". |
| September 19 | Michael Jackson (credited as John Jay Smith) guest voices on Fox's The Simpsons. |
| September 23 | Over a year after its cancelation from NBC, Baywatch is relaunched in first–run syndication, where it will run for ten seasons. |
| September 25 | Leonardo DiCaprio joins the cast of the ABC sitcom Growing Pains for what would be its final season. |
| September 29 | Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video debuts on MTV's 120 Minutes. |
| October 6 | On the Major League Baseball Game of the Week on CBS, the Atlanta Braves cap off their "worst to first" season by defeating the Houston Astros to clinch their first divisional title in nine years. |
| October 11 | Redd Foxx suffers a fatal heart attack on the set of the CBS sitcom The Royal Family. It was noted that initially cast mates on set thought Foxx was only fooling around after he clutched a chair and fell to the floor, since his character on Sanford and Son often faked heart attacks. |
| October 13 | Jennifer Lopez joins the cast as one of the Fly Girls on the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color (she would leave the show after the next season). Other cast additions include future Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx and Steve Park (who left after the season ended). Shawn Wayans, the original DJ for the show, also becomes a regular cast member (and will remain in the cast until the end of the next season). Wayans' original DJ role is assumed by Twist. |
| October 19–27 | The World Series between the Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves airs on CBS. With five of its games decided by a single run, four decided in the final at-bat, and three going into extra innings, this World Series immediately became regarded as one of the greatest postseason series in baseball history. In 2003, ESPN selected this championship as the "Greatest of All Time" in their "World Series 100th Anniversary" countdown. The Series telecast drew an overall national Nielsen rating of 24.0 and a 39 share for CBS; Game 7 drew a 32.2 rating and 49 share. |
| October 20–22 | ABC airs the four-hour miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion, which continues the story of 1981–1989 prime time soap opera Dynasty. |
| October 24 | Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry dies at the age of 70. After his death, Star Trek: The Next Generation airs a two-part episode of season five, called "Unification", which features a dedication to Roddenberry. |
| October 25 | NBC's affiliate in Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville, WPTF-TV, changes its name to WRDC-TV. |
| October 26 | In front of a national television audience on CBS, play-by-play man Jack Buck famously says "And we'll see you tomorrow night!" while calling Minnesota Twins star Kirby Puckett's game-winning home run to send the World Series against the Atlanta Braves to a decisive seventh game. |
| October 29 | Turner Broadcasting System and Apollo Investment Fund purchase the Hanna-Barbera library for $320 million. |
| October 31 | KLSR-TV in Eugene, Oregon signs-on, giving Fox a full-power home in the Eugene market. Sister station K25AS (now MyNetworkTV affiliate KEVU-CD) becomes an independent station before joining UPN in 1995. |
| November 4–11 | Leonard Nimoy guest stars as Spock in a two-part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The first of the two episodes earn a 15.4 household Nielsen rating, drawing over 25 million viewers, making it one of the most watched episodes in all seven seasons of The Next Generation's run. |
| November 6 | The fourth installment of the Gambler film series is broadcast on NBC. The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw features Kenny Rogers' character Brady Hawkes running across a galaxy of old TV western characters played by the original actors. This includes Gene Barry as Bat Masterson, Hugh O'Brian as Wyatt Earp, Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick, Clint Walker as Cheyenne Bodie, David Carradine as Kung Fu's Caine, Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford from The Rifleman, Brian Keith as The Westerner, James Drury and Doug McClure from The Virginian, Paul Brinegar from Rawhide, and Reba McEntire as Burgundy Jones. |
| November 7 | In a nationally televised press conference, NBA superstar Magic Johnson announces that he is HIV-positive and is retiring from the Los Angeles Lakers, effective immediately. Johnson would appear as a guest on The Arsenio Hall Show the very next night. |
| November 9 | Hurricane Saturday, a one-off programming block of a three-way, two-hour crossover event airs on NBC. It involves three television sitcoms created by Susan Harris: The Golden Girls, Empty Nest and Nurses. The event depicts a fictional hurricane storming into the storylines of the three series set in Miami, Florida. |
| November 14 | The music video for "Black or White", the first single from Michael Jackson's forthcoming eighth album Dangerous, is first televised by Fox. Despite controversy over the video's ending, Fox, which simulcasts the video along with MTV, VH1, and BET, scores its highest Nielsen ratings to date. |
| November 16 | Ellen Cleghorne, Melanie Hutsell and Beth Cahill join the cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live. |
| November 16 | KTMF in Missoula, Montana signs-on the air, giving the Missoula market its first full-time ABC affiliate. |
| November 23 | An hour long television special commemorating the 19th anniversary of The Bob Newhart Show airs on CBS. |
| November 28 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial makes its broadcast network television premiere on CBS. |
| December 1 | Britney Spears appears on the program Star Search. |
| December 8 | Tim Russert becomes moderator of the NBC discussion program Meet the Press, a job he possesses until his sudden death in 2008. |
| December 14 | Guest host Steve Martin kicks off NBC's Saturday Night Live by singing "Not Gonna Phone It In Tonight!". |

## Programs
### Debuts

| Date | Show | Network |
| January 4 | Sons and Daughters | CBS |
| January 6 | Expose | NBC |
| January 7 | The Party Machine with Nia Peeples | Syndication |
| January 7 | Talk Soup | E! |
| January 7 | Under Cover | ABC |
| January 10 | Good Sports | CBS |
| January 12 | Roggin's Heroes | Syndication |
| January 13 | Harry and the Hendersons | Syndication |
| January 13 | Dark Shadows (reboot) | NBC |
| January 27 | Davis Rules | ABC |
| February 1 | Welcome Freshmen | Nickelodeon |
| February 2 | Fifteen | Nickelodeon |
| February 3 | Sunday Best | NBC |
| February 9 | The Adventures of Pete & Pete | Nickelodeon |
| February 25 | The Pirates of Dark Water | ABC |
| March 1 | Clarissa Explains it All | Nickelodeon |
| March 1 | Toxic Crusaders | USA Network |
| March 7 | Yearbook | Fox |
| March 8 | Baby Talk | ABC |
| March 11 | Studs | Syndication |
| March 12 | Eddie Dodd | ABC |
| March 18 | Get the Picture | Nickelodeon |
| March 26 | The Antagonists | CBS |
| March 29 | True Detectives | CBS |
| March 31 | The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage | NBC |
| March 31 | Darkwing Duck | Syndication and ABC |
| April 3 | Scene of the Crime | CBS |
| April 4 | Fly by Night | CBS |
| April 5 | Dark Justice | CBS |
| April 7 | Top of the Heap | Fox |
| April 24 | My Life and Times | ABC |
| April 26 | Dinosaurs | ABC |
| April 28 | The Sunday Comics | Fox |
| April 30 | The Statler Brothers Show | The Nashville Network |
| May 1 | The Littl' Bits | Nickelodeon |
| May 2 | American Detective | ABC |
| May 11 | Sisters | NBC |
| June 4 | C. Everett Koop, M.D. | NBC |
| June 19 | The Man in the Family | ABC |
| June 24 | Johnny B. On the Loose | Syndication |
| July 4 | Salute Your Shorts | Nickelodeon |
| July 8 | Shop 'til You Drop | Lifetime |
| July 19 | Hi Honey, I'm Home! | ABC |
| August 11 | Doug | Nickelodeon |
| August 11 | Rugrats | Nickelodeon |
| August 11 | The Ren & Stimpy Show | Nickelodeon |
| August 17 | Best of the Worst | Fox |
| August 25 | Roc | Fox |
| August 31 | What Would You Do? | Nickelodeon |
| September 1 | Aeon Flux | MTV |
| September 1 | That's My Dog | The Family Channel |
| September 1 | E! News | E! |
| September 2 | Nickelodeon Launch Box | Nickelodeon |
| September 3 | The Legend of Prince Valiant | The Family Channel |
| September 3 | Little Dracula | Fox Kids |
| September 7 | Back to the Future: The Animated Series | CBS |
| September 7 | Little Shop | Fox Kids |
| September 7 | Taz-Mania | Fox Kids |
| September 8 | Herman's Head | Fox |
| September 8 | Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars | Syndication |
| September 9 | The Chuck Woolery Show | Syndication |
| September 9 | The Maury Povich Show | Syndication |
| September 9 | Now It Can Be Told | Syndication |
| September 9 | Realities with David Hartman | Syndication |
| September 9 | The Adventures of Mark & Brian | NBC |
| September 14 | Chip and Pepper | NBC |
| September 14 | Nurses | NBC |
| September 14 | Super Mario World | NBC |
| September 14 | Wish Kid | NBC |
| September 14 | Space Cats | NBC |
| September 14 | Yo Yogi! | NBC |
| September 14 | ProStars | NBC |
| September 14 | Hammerman | ABC |
| September 14 | The Pirates of Dark Water | ABC |
| September 14 | Mother Goose and Grimm | CBS |
| September 14 | Where's Wally?: The Animated Series | CBS |
| September 15 | P.S. I Luv U | CBS |
| September 15 | Eerie, Indiana | NBC |
| September 15 | Man of the People | NBC |
| September 15 | Pacific Station | NBC |
| September 16 | James Bond Jr. | Syndication |
| September 16 | The Jenny Jones Show | Syndication |
| September 16 | Walter & Emily | NBC |
| September 17 | Home Improvement | ABC |
| September 17 | Sibs | ABC |
| September 18 | The Royal Family | CBS |
| September 18 | Teech | CBS |
| September 19 | Drexell's Class | Fox |
| September 19 | Flesh 'n' Blood | NBC |
| September 19 | Reasonable Doubts | NBC |
| September 20 | Brooklyn Bridge | CBS |
| September 20 | Step by Step | ABC |
| September 21 | The Torkelsons | NBC |
| September 24 | Homefront | ABC |
| September 25 | Good & Evil | ABC |
| September 26 | FBI: The Untold Stories | ABC |
| September 27 | Investigative Reports | A&E |
| September 27 | Princesses | CBS |
| September 28 | The Commish | ABC |
| September 29 | Street Justice | Syndication |
| September 30 | The Jerry Springer Show | Syndication, on Multimedia stations |
| September 30 | The Montel Williams Show | Syndication |
| September 30 | Charlie Rose | PBS |
| September 30 | Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego | PBS |
| October 4 | Beyond Reality | Syndication |
| October 7 | I'll Fly Away | NBC |
| October 17 | Sightings | Fox |
| October 18 | Palace Guard | CBS |
| November 4 | NBC News Nightside | NBC |
| November 7 | Silk Stalkings | CBS |
| November 24 | Hot Country Nights | NBC |
| November 30 | Liquid Television | MTV |
| December 17 | A Bunch of Munsch | Showtime |
| Unknown date | Return to the Sea | PBS |

### Returning this year

| Show | Last aired | Previous network | New network | Returning |
| The $100,000 Pyramid | 1988 | Syndication | same | January 7 |
| Seinfeld | 1990 | NBC | same | January 23 |
| In Concert | 1975 | ABC | Same | June 7 |
| You Asked for It | 1959 | ABC | The Family Channel | September 1 |
| Beetlejuice: The Animated Series | 1990 | ABC | Fox Kids | September 9 |
| Candid Camera | 1988 | CBS | Syndication | September 16 |
| A Different World | 1990 | NBC | Same | September 19 |
| Baywatch | 1990 | NBC | Syndication | September 23 |

### Entering syndication this year

A list of programs (current or canceled) that have accumulated enough episodes (between 65 and 100) or seasons (3 or more) to be eligible for off-network syndication and/or basic cable runs.
| Show | Seasons |
| A Different World | 4 |
| Married With Children | 4 |
| Full House | 4 |

### Changes of network affiliation

The following shows aired new episodes on a different network than previous first-run episodes:
| Show | Moved from | Moved To |
| Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures | CBS | Fox Kids |
| Beetlejuice | ABC | Fox Kids |
| Tom and Jerry Kids | TBS | Fox Kids |
| Baywatch | NBC | Syndication |
| Candid Camera | CBS | Syndication |

### Ending this year

| Date | Show | Debut |
| January 1 | American Chronicles | 1990 |
| January 5 | Haywire | 1990 |
| January 19 | Zazoo U | 1990 |
| January 25 | Attitudes | 1985 |
| January 25 | Generations | 1989 |
| January 25 | Piggsburg Pigs! | 1990 |
| February 3 | Good Grief | 1990 |
| February 11 | About Face | 1989 |
| February 16 | The Fanelli Boys | 1990 |
| February 22 | Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears | 1985 |
| March 1 | Sons and Daughters | 1991 |
| March 8 | The Joker's Wild (returned in 2017) | 1972 |
| March 8 | Going Places | 1990 |
| March 9 | Lenny | 1990 |
| March 9 | Uncle Buck | 1990 |
| March 16 | Married People | 1990 |
| March 17 | Bordertown | 1989 |
| April 5 | Against the Law | 1990 |
| April 12 | Fun House | 1988 |
| April 26 | Hunter | 1984 |
| April 27 | 21 Jump Street | 1987 |
| May 3 | Dallas | 1978 |
| May 4 | Yearbook | 1991 |
| May 8 | The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd | 1987 |
| May 10 | Paradise | 1988 |
| May 10 | Midnight Caller | 1988 |
| May 11 | Swamp Thing | 1990 |
| May 18 | The Flash | 1990 |
| May 19 | Babes | 1990 |
| May 25 | The Munsters Today | 1988 |
| May 25 | Out of This World | 1987 |
| May 28 | Thirtysomething | 1987 |
| June 1 | DEA | 1990 |
| June 6 | Gabriel's Fire | 1990 |
| June 10 | Twin Peaks | 1990 |
| June 12 | Over My Dead Body | 1990 |
| June 22 | American Dreamer | 1990 |
| June 25 | Head of the Class | 1986 |
| June 30 | C. Everett Koop, M.D. | 1991 |
| July 6 | Doctor Doctor | 1989 |
| July 12 | Match Game (returned in 1998) | 1962 |
| July 14 | Lifestories | 1990 |
| July 17 | The Family Man | 1990 |
| July 20 | Carol & Company | 1990 |
| July 20 | The Hogan Family | 1986 |
| July 22 | China Beach | 1988 |
| July 27 | Amen | 1986 |
| August 8 | TaleSpin | 1990 |
| August 11 | Ferris Bueller | 1990 |
| August 11 | Parenthood | 1990 |
| August 17 | A Pup Named Scooby-Doo | 1988 |
| August 30 | The Challengers | 1990 |
| August 30 | Hey Dude | 1989 |
| August 31 | Dink, The Little Dinosaur | 1989 |
| August 31 | Kid 'n Play | 1990 |
| September 6 | Trump Card | 1990 |
| September 10 | Peter Pan and the Pirates | 1991 |
| September 15 | The Party Machine with Nia Peeples | 1991 |
| September 16 | Adam-12 | 1990 |
| September 20 | Concentration | 1958 |
| September 20 | Wheel of Fortune | 1975 |
| October 5 | The Real Ghostbusters | 1986 |
| October 16 | Teech | 1991 |
| October 25 | Princesses | 1991 |
| October 26 | Captain N: The Game Master | 1989 |
| October 26 | The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | 1988 |
| October 30 | Good & Evil | 1991 |
| November 1 | Palace Guard | 1991 |
| November 2 | Muppet Babies (returned in 2018) | 1984 |
| November 10 | Eureeka's Castle | 1989 |
| November 15 | Flesh 'n' Blood | 1991 |
| November 16 | Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures | 1990 |
| November 23 | Attack of the Killer Tomatoes | 1990 |
| November 30 | Little Shop | 1991 |
| December 1 | Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars | 1991 |
| December 2 | Peter Pan and the Pirates | 1990 |
| December 6 | Pyramid (returned in 2002) | 1973 |
| December 6 | Beetlejuice | 1989 |
| December 6 | Get the Picture | 1991 |
| December 7 | Hammerman | 1991 |
| December 7 | Super Mario World | 1991 |
| December 7 | Wish Kid | 1991 |
| December 7 | Yo Yogi! | 1991 |
| December 8 | The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda | 1990 |
| December 14 | Where's Wally?: The Animated Series | 1991 |
| December 27 | Chain Reaction (returned in 2006) | 1980 |
| December 29 | Make the Grade | 1989 |

### Made-for-TV movies and miniseries

| Title | Channel | Premiere |
| Sarah, Plain and Tall | CBS | February 3 |
| The Josephine Baker Story | HBO | March 16 |
| Separate but Equal | ABC | April 7 |
| Switched at Birth | NBC | April 28 |
| Knight Rider 2000 | NBC | May 19 |
| C. Everett Koop, M.D. | NBC | June 4 |
| A Woman Named Jackie | NBC | October 13 |

## Networks and services
### Launches

| Network | Type | Launch date |
| The California Channel | Cable and satellite television | February 4 |
| ValueVision | Cable and satellite television | March 12 |
| Encore | Cable television | April 1 |
| TV Japan | Cable television | April 1 |
| CNN Airport | Cable and satellite television | June 3 |
| Foxnet | Cable and satellite television | June 6 |
| Court TV | Cable television | July 1 |
| HBO 2 | Cable television | August 1 |
| HBO 3 | Cable television | August 1 |

### Conversions and rebrandings

| Old network name | New network name | Type | Conversion Date | Notes | Source |
| The Comedy Channel Ha! | Comedy Central | Cable television | April 1 | | |
| SuperStation TBS | TBS | Cable television | Unknown | | |

### Closures

| Network | Type | Closure date |
| Star Television Network | Broadcast television | January 14 |
| Financial News Network | Cable television | May 21 |
| Mizlou Television Network | Syndicated programming block | Unknown |
| Universal Pictures Debut Network | Syndicated programming block | Unknown |

## Television stations
### Station launches

| Date | City of License/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
| January 11 | Palm Beach, Florida | W16AR | 16 | Independent | |
| February 4 | Evansville, Indiana | W52AZ | 52 | Independent | |
| March 2 | Hammond, Indiana (Chicago, Illinois) | WJYS | 62 | Independent | |
| March 8 | Boise, Idaho | KTMW | 9 | HSN | |
| March 15 | Atlanta, Georgia | WHSG-TV | 63 | HSN | |
| May 3 | Tampa, Florida | WBSV-TV | 50 | Independent | |
| May 23 | Augusta, Georgia | WFXG | 54 | Fox | |
| May 29 | Jacksonville, Florida | WJEB-TV | 59 | TBN | |
| June 15 | Eagle Pass, Texas | KVAW | 24 | Telemundo | |
| June 22 | El Paso, Texas | KJLF-TV | 65 | Independent | |
| July 19 | New York City | W51BV | 51 | The Box | |
| August | Auburn, Indiana | W07CL | 7 | Main Street TV | |
| August | Bayamón, Puerto Rico | WDWL | 36 | Religious independent | |
| August 11 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | WGMB | 44 | Fox | |
| August 31 | San Francisco, California | KMTP-TV | 32 | Non-commercial independent | |
| September 1 | Nacogdoches, Texas | KYTX | 19 | NBC | Satellite/translator of KETK-TV/Tyler, Texas |
| September 1 | Lufkin, Texas | K53IQ | 53 | NBC | Satellite/translator of KETK-TV/Tyler, Texas |
| September 6 | Llano/Austin, Texas | KLNO | 14 | NBC | |
| September 15 | Holly Springs, Mississippi (Memphis, Tennessee) | WBUY-TV | 40 | HSN | |
| October 7 | Washington, D.C. | NewsChannel 8 | 8 (cable-only) | Independent | |
| October 31 | Eugene, Oregon | KEVU | 34 | Fox | |
| November 16 | Missoula, Montana | KTMF | 23 | ABC | |
| November 29 | Evansville, Indiana | W56DN | 56 | Telemundo | |
| December 1 | Yauco, Puerto Rico | WIRS | 42 | Independent | Satellite of WJPX-TV/San Juan |
| December 16 | Davenport, Iowa | KQCT | 36 | PBS | Part of the Iowa Public Television network |
| December 24 | Indiana, Pennsylvania | W49BT | 49 | America One | |
| Unknown date | Columbia, Missouri | K38II | 38 | unknown | |
| Unknown date | Huron, South Dakota | KTTM | 12 | Fox | Satellite of KTTW/Sioux Falls |
| Unknown date | Natchez, Mississippi | WNTZ-TV | 33 | Fox | Returned to the air after a three-year hiatus |
| Unknown date | St. Louis, Missouri | K18BT | 18 | TBN | |
| Unknown date | St. Louis, Missouri | K58DH | 58 | The Box | |

### Network affiliation changes

| Date | City of License/Market | Station | Channel | Old affiliation | New affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
| January 5 | Homewood, Alabama (Birmingham/Tuscaloosa/Anniston) | WTTO | 21 | Independent | Fox | |
| May 23 | Augusta, Georgia | W67BE | 67 | Fox | Independent | |

### Station closures

| Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Sign-on date | Notes |
| December | Pago Pago, American Samoa | KVZK-5 | 5 | NBC | October 5, 1964 | |

## Births

| Date | Name | Notability |
| January 4 | Charles Melton | Actor (Riverdale) and model |
| January 4 | Olivia Tennet | New Zealand actress (Power Rangers RPM) |
| January 14 | Ryan Coleman | Actor (All That) |
| January 17 | Willa Fitzgerald | Actress (Alpha House, Scream, Dare Me) |
| January 18 | Britt McKillip | Canadian voice actress (Baby Looney Tunes, Sabrina's Secret Life, Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island) |
| January 19 | Erin Sanders | Actress (Zoey 101, The Young and the Restless, Big Time Rush) |
| January 20 | Ciara Hanna | Actress (Power Rangers Megaforce) |
| January 28 | C. J. Harris | Singer (American Idol) (d. 2023) |
| January 28 | Calum Worthy | Canadian actor (Austin & Ally) |
| February 3 | Glenn McCuen | Actor (Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures) |
| February 7 | Gabbie Hanna | Actress |
| February 10 | Emma Roberts | Actress (Unfabulous, Scream Queens) and daughter of Eric Roberts |
| February 12 | Tanaya Beatty | Actress (The Night Shift) |
| February 16 | Micah Stephen Williams | Actor (Good Luck Charlie) |
| February 17 | Ed Sheeran | English singer |
| February 17 | Jeremy Allen White | Actor (Shameless, The Bear) |
| February 18 | Malese Jow | Actress (Unfabulous, The Vampire Diaries), singer |
| February 25 | Tony Oller | Actor (As the Bell Rings, Gigantic) |
| March 5 | Hanna Mangan-Lawrence | Australian actress (Bed of Roses) |
| March 8 | Devon Werkheiser | Actor (Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide) |
| March 16 | Wolfgang Van Halen | Musician (Van Halen) |
| March 19 | Garrett Clayton | Actor, singer and dancer |
| March 25 | Seychelle Gabriel | Actress (Falling Skies, The Legend of Korra) |
| March 27 | Gilbert Leal | Voice actor (Rocket Power) |
| March 28 | Amy Bruckner | Actress (Phil of the Future, American Dragon: Jake Long) |
| March 29 | Hayley McFarland | Actress (Lie to Me, Sons of Anarchy) |
| April 3 | Hayley Kiyoko | Actress (CSI: Cyber) and singer |
| April 4 | Jamie Lynn Spears | Actress (All That, Zoey 101) and sister of Britney Spears |
| April 5 | Hunter March | Actor |
| April 8 | Cameron Deane Stewart | Actor |
| April 10 | AJ Michalka | Actress (The Guardian, The Goldbergs, Steven Universe, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), singer and guitarist |
| April 10 | Conor Leslie | Actress |
| April 21 | Frank Dillane | English actor (Fear the Walking Dead) |
| April 23 | Caleb Johnson | Singer (American Idol) |
| April 28 | Aleisha Allen | Actress (Blue's Clues, Out of the Box) |
| April 28 | Cheslie Kryst | Presenter |
| May 1 | Creagen Dow | Actor (Zoey 101) |
| May 10 | Jordan Francis | Canadian voice actor (Custard on The Save-Ums!) |
| May 12 | Jennifer Damiano | Actress and singer |
| May 13 | Jake Borelli | Actor |
| May 14 | C.J. Manigo | Actor (Dude, What Would Happen) |
| May 17 | Daniel Curtis Lee | Actor (Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Zeke and Luther) and rapper |
| May 17 | Jill Duggar Dillard | Actress (19 Kids and Counting, Counting On) and television personality |
| May 24 | Sarah Ramos | Actress (American Dreams, Runaway, Parenthood) |
| May 26 | Julianna Rose Mauriello | Actress (Stephanie on LazyTown (2004–08)) |
| May 29 | Kristen Alderson | Actress (One Life to Live, General Hospital) |
| June 4 | Quincy | Actor (Star) |
| June 4 | Jordan Danger | Actress (Eureka) |
| June 7 | Poppy Drayton | English actress (The Shannara Chronicles) |
| June 7 | India Oxenberg | Actress |
| June 12 | Louisa Gummer | American model and daughter of Meryl Streep and Don Gummer |
| June 18 | Willa Holland | Actress (The O.C., Gossip Girl, Arrow) |
| June 24 | Max Ehrich | Actor (The Young and the Restless, Under the Dome, 100 Things to Do Before High School) |
| June 27 | Madylin Sweeten | Actress (Ally on Everybody Loves Raymond) |
| June 28 | Daniel Zovatto | Actor |
| June 29 | Tajja Isen | Canadian voice actress (The Save-Ums!, JoJo's Circus, Atomic Betty, Time Warp Trio, Super Why!) |
| June 29 | Addison Timlin | Actress |
| July 3 | Grant Rosenmeyer | Actor (Oliver Beene) |
| July 5 | Jason Dolley | Actor (Complete Savages, Cory in the House, Good Luck Charlie) and musician |
| July 9 | Mitchel Musso | Actor (Hannah Montana, Pair of Kings), voice actor (Phineas and Ferb, Milo Murphy's Law) |
| July 11 | Kelsey Impicciche | YouTube personality, actress and singer |
| July 12 | Erik Per Sullivan | Actor (Malcolm in the Middle) |
| July 15 | Emily Roeske | Actress (Halloweentown) |
| July 16 | Alexandra Shipp | Actress (House of Anubis) |
| July 24 | Emily Bett Rickards | Actress (Arrow) |
| July 27 | Adam Page | Pro wrestler |
| July 29 | Maestro Harrell | Actor (Guys Like Us, The Wire, Suburgatory) |
| July 29 | Miki Ishikawa | Actress (Zoey 101) |
| August 2 | Skyler Day | Actress (Gigantic, Parenthood) and singer |
| August 5 | John Reynolds | Actor |
| August 9 | Alexa Bliss | Pro wrestler (WWE, Total Divas) |
| August 12 | Lakeith Stanfield | Actor (Atlanta) |
| August 17 | Austin Butler | Actor (Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Zoey 101, Ruby & The Rockits, Life Unexpected, Switched at Birth, The Carrie Diaries, The Shannara Chronicles) |
| August 18 | Richard Harmon | Canadian actor (The 100) |
| August 21 | Christian Navarro | Actor (13 Reasons Why) |
| August 26 | Dylan O'Brien | Actor (Teen Wolf) |
| August 27 | Kasha Kropinski | Actress |
| August 28 | Jonathan Whitesell | Canadian actor (The 100, Beyond) |
| August 28 | Kyle Massey | Actor (That's So Raven, Cory in the House, Fish Hooks, Mighty Magiswords) and rapper |
| August 28 | Samuel Larsen | Actor (Glee) |
| August 30 | Gaia Weiss | French-American actress (Vikings) |
| September 3 | Samantha Marie Ware | Actress |
| September 4 | Carter Jenkins | Actor (Famous in Love) |
| September 7 | Jennifer Veal | English actress (Descendants: Wicked World) |
| September 9 | Kelsey Chow | Actress (One Tree Hill, Pair of Kings, Teen Wolf) |
| September 15 | Mike Perry | Martial artist |
| September 20 | Spencer Locke | Actress |
| September 22 | Chelsea Tavares | Actress (Unfabulous, Just Jordan) |
| October 5 | Jackson Rogow | Actor (Dude, What Would Happen) |
| October 6 | Roshon Fegan | Actor (Shake It Up) and singer |
| October 18 | Tyler Posey | Actor (Doc, Brothers & Sisters, Teen Wolf, Elena of Avalor, Jane the Virgin, Scream) |
| October 23 | Hunter Clowdus | Actor (All American) |
| October 27 | Bryan Craig | Actor (Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures, General Hospital, Valor) |
| November 1 | Anthony Ramos | Actor |
| November 6 | Pierson Fodé | Actor (The Bold and the Beautiful) |
| November 8 | Riker Lynch | Actor (Glee) and singer (R5) |
| November 11 | Emma Blackery | Actress, singer and YouTube personality |
| November 11 | Christa B. Allen | Actress (Cake, Revenge) |
| November 13 | Devon Bostick | Canadian actor (The 100) |
| November 13 | Matt Bennett | Actor (Victorious) |
| November 14 | Graham Patrick Martin | Actor |
| November 15 | Shailene Woodley | Actress (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) |
| November 18 | Rory Thost | Voice actor (Kip on Higglytown Heroes) |
| December 1 | Olivia Grace Applegate | Actress |
| December 2 | Charlie Puth | Singer and actor |
| December 12 | Wallis Currie-Wood | Actress (Madam Secretary) |
| December 15 | Eunice Cho | Actress (Little Bill) |
| December 19 | Keiynan Lonsdale | Australian actor (The Flash) |
| December 19 | Libe Barer | American actress |
| December 20 | Hunter Gomez | Actor (National Treasure) |
| December 20 | Jillian Rose Reed | Actress (Awkward, Elena of Avalor) |
| December 24 | Louis Tomlinson | English actor (One Direction) and singer |
| December 26 | Eden Sher | Actress (The Middle, Star vs. the Forces of Evil) |
| December 27 | Chloe Bridges | Actress (Freddie, The Carrie Diaries) |

## Deaths

| Date | Name | Age | Notability |
| January 8 | Steve Clark | 31 | English musician (Def Leppard) |
| January 12 | Keye Luke | 86 | Character actor (Kung Fu) |
| February 1 | Jimmy MacDonald | 84 | Voice actor (Mickey Mouse) |
| February 3 | Harry Ackerman | 78 | Producer (Bewitched) |
| February 3 | Nancy Kulp | 69 | Actress (Miss Jane Hathaway on The Beverly Hillbillies) |
| February 6 | Danny Thomas | 79 | Actor and comedian (Danny Williams on Make Room for Daddy) |
| February 24 | John Charles Daly | 77 | News journalist and game show host (What's My Line?) |
| February 24 | George Gobel | 71 | Comedian (The George Gobel Show) |
| March 3 | Vance Colvig | 72 | Actor (Bozo the Clown on KTLA in Los Angeles) |
| April 10 | Kevin Peter Hall | 35 | Actor (Misfits of Science, 227, Harry and the Hendersons) |
| April 10 | Natalie Schafer | 90 | Actress (Lovey Howell on Gilligan's Island) |
| April 23 | William Dozier | 83 | Producer (Batman) |
| April 28 | Ken Curtis | 74 | Singer and actor (Festus Haggin on Gunsmoke) |
| June 9 | Joe Hamilton | 62 | Producer (The Carol Burnett Show, Mama's Family), former husband of Carol Burnett |
| July 1 | Michael Landon | 54 | Actor and producer (Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven) |
| July 15 | Bert Convy | 57 | Game show host (Super Password and Win, Lose Or Draw) |
| July 21 | Theodore Wilson | 47 | Character actor (Good Times, That's My Mama) |
| August 6 | Harry Reasoner | 68 | News anchor/reporter (60 Minutes) |
| August 22 | Colleen Dewhurst | 67 | Actress (Murphy Brown, Avonlea) |
| September 4 | Tom Tryon | 65 | Actor (Texas John Slaughter) |
| September 7 | Ben Piazza | 57 | Actor (Dallas) |
| September 15 | John Hoyt | 85 | Actor (Gimme a Break!) |
| October 9 | Thalmus Rasulala | 51 | Actor (Roots, What's Happening!!) |
| October 11 | Redd Foxx | 68 | Comedian and actor (Fred Sanford on Sanford and Son) |
| October 24 | Gene Roddenberry | 70 | Creator of (Star Trek) |
| November 2 | Irwin Allen | 75 | Producer (Lost in Space) |
| November 5 | Fred MacMurray | 83 | Actor (Steve Douglas on My Three Sons) |
| November 24 | Eric Carr | 41 | Drummer (Kiss) |
| November 24 | Freddie Mercury | 45 | British singer (Queen) |