# 1994 in Australian television

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]]

## Events

* 18 January – Australian police drama series Blue Heelers premieres on Seven Network.
* 28 January – American animated series Rugrats makes its debut on ABC at 5:30 pm.
* 31 January – American children's action TV series Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers debuts on Seven Network.
* 31 January – A sequel to the Australian family film Clowning Around called Clowning Around II airs on Seven Network.
* February – Derryn Hinch has taken over Ray Martin's place as host of the Australian award-winning daytime talk program Midday.
* 7 February – Nicky Buckley replaces Jo Bailey as Glenn Ridge's co-host on Sale Of The Century, where she would remain for the next 6 years.
* 10 February – American science fiction television series The X-Files makes it debut on Network Ten.
* 11 February – The ABC has signed a deal to sell its children's TV series Bananas in Pyjamas to various countries around the world. The series has been sold for broadcasting in the UK, Cyprus, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Portugal, Iceland, Canada, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, South Africa, Namibia and Ireland. A deal is about to be signed with a Japanese network to air the series and ABC Enterprises executives will fly over to the USA for the New York Toy Fair and talks on how to crack the lucrative US market.
* 27 February – Network Ten launches Heartbreak High, a brand new schoolroom drama which was a spinoff of the 1993 Australian romantic comedy feature film The Heartbreak Kid.
* 28 February – Australian long running children's TV series Mr Squiggle returns to ABC for a brand new series at 3:55 pm.
* 3 March – British long running science fiction series Doctor Who airs on ABC for the last time in its original run at 4:30 am with the fourth and final part of the sixth and final serial of Season 22 Revelation of the Daleks.
* 5 March – American animated series Animaniacs premieres on the Nine Network as part of their What's Up Doc? block.
* 21 March – Final episode of the Australian comedy series Mother and Son airs on ABC.
* 24 March – American sitcom Frasier starring Kelsey Grammer premieres on the Nine Network.
* 27 March – The Animals of Farthing Wood, a British children's animated series based on the books by Colin Dann premieres on ABC at 8:00 am as part of Couch Potato.
* 31 March – Australia's iconic and long running soap Home and Away begins premiering on NBC in Namibia.
* 10 April – Australian children's TV series Lift Off has spawned into a game show titled EC Plays Lift Off with Mr. Fish as the host and only running for 13 episodes. It will air on ABC on every Sunday morning as part of Couch Potato.
* 11 April – Australian children's comedy series The Ferals premieres on ABC.
* 11 April – Michael Tunn, the host of the ABC's Afternoon Show returns with a brand new music series called Loud as a replacement for the weekday afternoon magazine show that was axed in late 1993. The show includes music videos as well as reviews on movies and video games, feature stories on youth culture, musicians talking about their favourite music videos and on location interviews with bands and will be shown from Monday to Thursday at 5:30 pm.
* 13 April – A Country Practice switches over to air on Network Ten following its final air on Seven Network in 1993.
* 16 April – American children's TV series Barney & Friends premieres on Nine Network.
* 30 April – The Tasmanian television market is aggregated, with TasTV (now WIN Television) taking a Nine Network affiliation & Southern Cross taking a dual Seven and Ten affiliation.
* 9 May – Frontline a satirical look at current affairs television from Australian comedy group The D-Generation and starring Rob Sitch as anchor Mike Moore starts airing on the ABC.
* 16 May – A brand new Australian game show for children called A*mazing debuts on Seven Network. Hosted by James Sherry and airing at 4:30 pm, the show pitted teams from two different primary schools against each other during the course of a week. Points gained by each contestant during the week would be totalled up to decide the winning school at the end of each week.
* 20 May – SBS commences transmission in Darwin.
* 23 May – Australia's favourite koala Blinky Bill returns to television with a brand new animated series on ABC at 4:30 pm. The series had previously aired in Germany, Hong Kong, the UK, Singapore, Ireland and on UK forces television before airing in its homeland.
* 1 June - Australian soap opera Home and Away airs on television in the United States for the first time on the country's newly launched cable television channel FX. It would take years to bring the soap opera to America.
* 16 June – Final episode of the Australian music series Loud airs on ABC.
* 20 June – Australian teen game show Vidiot returns to the ABC for a brand new series with Scott McRae taking over as presenter.
* 30 June – ABC has expired the rights to the long running British science fiction series Doctor Who. The series itself will no longer continue to air on the Australian free for air public broadcaster until 2003, but will soon air on cable television on UKTV in 1996. The ABC will also broadcast the television movie of the series in July of the same year.
* 1 August – Melbourne's ATV10 celebrates 30 years of transmission.
* 17 August – Australian comedy series Hey Dad..! hosts its final original episode on Seven Network.
* 18–28 August – The Commonwealth Games are televised live on Network Ten from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
* 8 September – ABC debuts The Human Animal, a six-part British nature documentary series written and presented by Desmond Morris described as "a study of human behaviour from a zoological perspective", travels the world to filming the diverse customs and habits of various regions while suggesting common roots.
* 23 September – Iconic Australian drama series Banjo Paterson's The Man From Snowy River: The McGregor Saga starring Andrew Clarke and Wendy Hughes premieres on the Nine Network.
* 29 September – The fourth episode of ABC's The Human Animal includes sexually explicit scenes when it depicted a couple making love by using tiny endoscopic cameras placed inside both bodies to show intimate orifices. It also depicts the insertion of a man's erect penis into a woman's vagina and the subsequent orgasm.
* October – In Neighbours, the Kennedy family (Susan, Karl, Libby, Billy, Mal) arrive at No. 28, Doug and Pam Willis leave for Darwin, Julie Martin is killed in the Murder Mystery Weekend.
* 16 October – The Nine Network rebrands its on-air graphics.
* 19 October – A television special known as The Very Best of the Don Lane Show airs on Nine Network at 8:30 pm. It features Don Lane introducing some of the memorable segments to have come from the popular variety show that ran from 1975 to 1983, including footage of guest stars Mel Brooks, Billy Connolly, James Randi, Charlton Heston, Bob Hope, Liza Minnelli, Robin Williams, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Allen, John Farnham, Peter Sellers and Johnny O'Keefe. This special was remastered for a DVD release in 2004.
* 5 November – A Country Practice (1981–1993 on Channel 7) revival attempt on Network Ten backfires and is swiftly cancelled due to low ratings.
* 26 November – The popular television character Ossie Ostrich leaves Hey Hey It's Saturday after 23 years as Daryl Somers' co-host. When the show returns in 1995, Somers will host solo.
* The infamous TAC Nightshift commercial depicting A Volkswagen Kombi goes to air on television for the very first time.
* The 1994 FIFA World Cup is broadcast live from the United States and is shown on SBS and Prime Television.
* Community Television starts with long-term trials of stations in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
* The ABC purchases an Australian children's television programme from the creators of Johnson and Friends called Boffins about tiny alien like creatures called Boffins who spent their days in kitchen cupboards and surrounding areas, trying to discover science behind how the world works. The series was never broadcast in Australia but it did air in several other countries such as Singapore, Israel, Malaysia, Brunei, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Canada, Africa and the Middle East. The complete series will be released on VHS in Australia the following year by ABC Video and Roadshow Entertainment featuring all thirteen episodes.
* American children's animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles changes it schedule to mornings as part of Agro's Cartoon Connection on Seven Network.

## Debuts

| Program | Network | Debut date |
| Kate Ceberano and Friends | ABC TV | 17 January |
| Blue Heelers | Seven Network | 18 January |
| Level 23 | Network Ten | 24 January |
| Alan Jones Live | Network Ten | 31 January |
| Man O Man | Seven Network | 5 February |
| Under the Skin | SBS TV | 16 February |
| The Bob Morrison Show | Nine Network | 22 February |
| Heartbreak High | Network Ten | 27 February |
| The Times | Seven Network | 14 March |
| Denton | Seven Network | 15 March |
| Ballzup! | ABC TV | 20 March |
| Heartland | ABC TV | 23 March |
| The AFL Footy Show | Nine Network | 24 March |
| The Big Byte | SBS TV | 24 March |
| EC Plays Lift Off | ABC TV | 10 April |
| The Reading, Writing Roadshow | ABC TV | 11 April |
| The Ferals | ABC TV | 11 April |
| Loud | ABC TV | 11 April |
| Consumer Power | ABC TV | 13 April |
| The Zone | Nine Network | 30 April |
| Frontline | ABC TV | 9 May |
| Sydney Weekender | Seven Network | 14 May |
| A*mazing | Seven Network | 16 May |
| The Damnation of Harvey McHugh | ABC TV | 2 June |
| Stampede | ABC TV | 10 June |
| Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left | Seven Network | 19 June |
| Strike It Lucky | Nine Network | 11 July |
| The Battlers | Seven Network | 13 July |
| Total Recall | Seven Network | 15 August |
| Ocean Girl | Network Ten | 29 August |
| The NRL Footy Show | Nine Network | 1 September |
| Janus | ABC TV | 1 September |
| Living in the 90s | ABC TV | 1 September |
| Wedlocked | Seven Network | 7 September |
| Banjo Paterson's The Man From Snowy River: The McGregor Saga | Nine Network | 23 September |
| The Liberals: 50 Years of the Federal Party | ABC TV | 12 October |
| Big Girl's Blouse | Seven Network | 13 October |
| Halifax f.p. | Nine Network | 9 November |
| Escape from Jupiter | ABC TV | 26 November |

### International Programming

| Program | Network | Debut date |
| States of Mind | SBS TV | 2 January |
| The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 | Nine Network | 3 January |
| Great Crimes and Trials of the 20th Century | ABC TV | 7 January |
| Sandino | SBS TV | 8 January |
| The Late Show with David Letterman | Nine Network | 12 January |
| Kings Without Crowns | SBS TV | 16 January |
| Coast of Dreams | SBS TV | 19 January |
| A Very Merry Widow | SBS TV | 19 January |
| Super Mario World | Nine Network | 20 January |
| Grace & Favour | Network Ten | 28 January |
| Rugrats | ABC TV | 28 January |
| / Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers | Seven Network | 31 January |
| Biker Mice from Mars | Network Ten | 31 January |
| // Clowning Around II | Seven Network | 31 January |
| Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog | Network Ten | 31 January |
| / Funnybones | ABC TV | 1 February |
| / Where's Wally? | ABC TV | 2 February |
| Missing Persons | Nine Network | 2 February |
| NYPD Blue | Network Ten | 3 February |
| Calling the Shots | ABC TV | 3 February |
| / Eek! The Cat | Network Ten | 3 February |
| Anglo-Saxon Attitudes | ABC TV | 6 February |
| The X-Files | Network Ten | 10 February |
| Flesh 'n' Blood | Seven Network | 13 February |
| Doug | Network Ten | 13 February |
| Davis Rules | Nine Network | 17 February |
| Tooth Fairy, Where Are You? | ABC TV | 18 February |
| A Child's Garden of Verses | ABC TV | 18 February |
| Here's How! | ABC TV | 22 February |
| To Play the King | ABC TV | 24 February |
| Gallowglass | ABC TV | 27 February |
| Body & Soul | Nine Network | 1 March |
| Sightings | Seven Network | 1 March |
| Tracey Ullman: A Class Act | ABC TV | 2 March |
| Animaniacs | Nine Network | 5 March |
| Forever Knight | Nine Network | 9 March |
| Italianissimo | ABC TV | 12 March |
| Ashenden | ABC TV | 20 March |
| Boy Meets World | Seven Network | 23 March |
| Dave's World | Nine Network | 24 March |
| Frasier | Nine Network | 24 March |
| / The Animals of Farthing Wood | ABC TV | 27 March |
| Almost Home | Seven Network | 29 March |
| Here and Now | Seven Network | 30 March |
| Kevin's Cousins | ABC TV | 1 April |
| Ferris Bueller | Nine Network | 1 April |
| Out All Night | Nine Network | 2 April |
| Blood and Honey | ABC TV | 3 April |
| Northwood | ABC TV | 11 April |
| The Hat Squad | Nine Network | 15 April |
| Barney & Friends | Nine Network | 16 April |
| Old Bear Stories | ABC TV | 18 April |
| Rat-a-Tat-Tat | ABC TV | 20 April |
| Mathica's Mathshop | ABC TV | 20 April |
| Walker, Texas Ranger | Nine Network | 28 April |
| Today's Gourmet | SBS TV | 30 April |
| In Suspicious Circumstances | Seven Network | 4 May |
| The Full Wax | ABC TV | 7 May |
| Hit and Run | SBS TV | 11 May |
| Grace Under Fire | Seven Network | 15 May |
| Miffy | ABC TV | 16 May |
| His and Hers (USA) | Seven Network | 17 May |
| The Greedysaurus Gang | ABC TV | 23 May |
| Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Seven Network | 25 May |
| Kinsey | ABC TV | 30 May |
| Discover America: The West | SBS TV | 31 May |
| Where I Live | Seven Network | 3 June |
| Ready or Not | ABC TV | 17 June |
| // Deepwater Haven | Network Ten | 19 June |
| Beakman's World | Network Ten | 19 June |
| Key West | Seven Network | 22 June |
| Great Scott! | Nine Network | 24 June |
| Kevin and Co. | ABC TV | 27 June |
| Between the Lines | Seven Network | 28 June |
| // Madeline (TV series) | ABC TV | 28 June |
| Philbert Frog | ABC TV | 28 June |
| Behaving Badly | ABC TV | 3 July |
| // Conan the Adventurer | Network Ten | 4 July |
| A Touch of Frost | Seven Network | 8 July |
| Murder Most Horrid | ABC TV | 11 July |
| The Admiral and the Princess | ABC TV | 15 July |
| Teddy Trucks | ABC TV | 15 July |
| Glenroe | SBS TV | 18 July |
| Supercities | SBS TV | 19 July |
| Jo Brand Through the Cakehole | Seven Network | 21 July |
| Dolphin Stories | SBS TV | 21 July |
| Ooh La La | SBS TV | 22 July |
| Great Chefs of San Francisco | SBS TV | 23 July |
| Switch | SBS TV | 26 July |
| / Thicker than Water | ABC TV | 31 July |
| Do-It-Yourself Mr. Bean | ABC TV | 5 August |
| As Time Goes By | ABC TV | 8 August |
| Knight Rider 2000 | Network Ten | 10 August |
| / Highlander: The Series | Seven Network | 11 August |
| Back to School Mr. Bean | ABC TV | 12 August |
| Underbelly (UK) | ABC TV | 14 August |
| / Orson and Olivia | ABC TV | 19 August |
| Space Age: The Quest for Planet Mars | SBS TV | 21 August |
| SeaQuest DSV | Network Ten | 28 August |
| Models Inc. | Network Ten | 30 August |
| Mad About You | Network Ten | 30 August |
| / Counterstrike | Network Ten | 1 September |
| Burke's Law (1994) | Network Ten | 2 September |
| The Human Animal | ABC TV | 8 September |
| Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Nine Network | 10 September |
| / Tales of the City | ABC TV | 11 September |
| Café Americain | Seven Network | 14 September |
| Ben Elton: The Man from Auntie | ABC TV | 17 September |
| Good Advice | Nine Network | 19 September |
| Countess Dora | SBS TV | 21 September |
| So Haunt Me | ABC TV | 22 September |
| The Lodge | ABC TV | 26 September |
| Sea Dragon | ABC TV | 26 September |
| Seven Signs | SBS TV | 27 September |
| Wallace and Gromit | ABC TV | 30 September |
| Noel's House Party | Nine Network | 30 September |
| Exosquad | Network Ten | 15 October |
| Mansion: Great Houses of Europe | SBS TV | 18 October |
| Discovering Japan | ABC TV | 19 October |
| Shortland Street | SBS TV | 24 October |
| Side by Side | ABC TV | 29 October |
| The Sinbad Show | Seven Network | 1 November |
| The Dreamstone | ABC TV | 6 November |
| The Riff Raff Element | ABC TV | 12 November |
| Budgie the Little Helicopter | ABC TV | 18 November |
| Tumbledown Farm | ABC TV | 18 November |
| Scarlett | Nine Network | 20 November |
| Bottom | ABC TV | 22 November |
| Ricki Lake | Network Ten | 28 November |
| The John Larroquette Show | Nine Network | 28 November |
| Byrds of Paradise | Network Ten | 28 November |
| Real Stories of the Highway Patrol | Nine Network | 30 November |
| The Mommies | Seven Network | 1 December |
| Renegade | Nine Network | 1 December |
| Diagnosis: Murder | Nine Network | 1 December |
| The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. | Nine Network | 3 December |
| Cobra | Seven Network | 3 December |
| Babylon 5 | Seven Network | 3 December |
| / Kung Fu: The Legend Continues | Nine Network | 5 December |
| Sea Trek | ABC TV | 8 December |
| Open a Door | ABC TV | 11 December |
| // The Little Engine That Could | ABC TV | 11 December |
| Prince Cinders | ABC TV | 11 December |
| The Nightmare Years | Seven Network | 12 December |
| Byker Grove | ABC TV | 13 December |
| Three Stars | SBS TV | 16 December |
| Rubbish, King of the Jumble | ABC TV | 18 December |
| Wild Palms | Nine Network | 19 December |
| Success | SBS TV | 23 December |
| Mole's Christmas | Seven Network | 24 December |
| Jolly Old St. Nicholas | Seven Network | 24 December |
| Noddy and Father Christmas | ABC TV | 25 December |
| The Mousehole Cat | ABC TV | 25 December |
| Brains & Brawn (1993) | Seven Network | 26 December |
| Twins of Destiny | ABC TV | 27 December |
| What's Up Doc?: A Salute to Bugs Bunny | ABC TV | 28 December |
| See How They Grow | ABC TV | 29 December |
| The World of Hammer | SBS TV | 31 December |
| Mighty Max | Seven Network | 1994 |
| / Tales from the Cryptkeeper | Network Ten | 1994 |
| Bonkers | Seven Network | 1994 |
| Marsupilami | Seven Network | 1994 |

## Changes to network affiliation

This is a list of programs which made their premiere on an Australian television network that had previously premiered on another Australian television network. The networks involved in the switch of allegiances are predominantly both free-to-air networks or both subscription television networks. Programs that have their free-to-air/subscription television premiere, after previously premiering on the opposite platform (free-to air to subscription/subscription to free-to air) are not included. In some cases, programs may still air on the original television network. This occurs predominantly with programs shared between subscription television networks.

### Domestic

| Program | New network(s) | Previous network(s) | Date |
| A Country Practice | Network Ten | Seven Network | 13 April |
| Kaboodle | ABC TV | Seven Network | 27 June |
| Ship to Shore | ABC TV | Nine Network | 2 October |

### International

| Program | New network(s) | Previous network(s) | Date |
| Unsolved Mysteries | Network Ten | Seven Network | 15 January |
| The Black Adder | ABC TV | Seven Network | 8 April |
| Fawlty Towers | Seven Network | ABC TV | 14 April |
| Executive Stress | Network Ten | ABC TV | 22 April |
| Blackadder II | ABC TV | Seven Network | 13 May |
| The Wonderful World of Disney | Network Ten | Nine Network, Seven Network | 5 June |
| Blackadder the Third | ABC TV | Seven Network | 10 June |
| Blackadder Goes Forth | ABC TV | Seven Network | 24 June |
| Woof! | ABC TV | Nine Network | 9 October |
| The Woman Who Raised a Bear as Her Son | ABC TV | SBS TV | 11 December |
| Blackadder's Christmas Carol | ABC TV | Seven Network | 24 December |

## Specials

| Program | Channel | Debut date |
| No Cure for Cancer No Cure for Cancer | Nine Network | 6 April |

## Television

ABC TV
* Mr. Squiggle and Friends (1959–1999)
* Four Corners (1961–present)
* Rage (1987–beyond)
* G.P. (1989–1996)
* Foreign Correspondent (1992–present)
* The Damnation of Harvey McHugh (1994)
Seven Network
* Wheel of Fortune (1981–1996, 1996–2003, 2004-beyond)
* A Country Practice (1981–1994)
* Home and Away (1988–present)
* Family Feud (1988–1996)
* Real Life (1992–1994)
* The Great Outdoors (1993–2006, 2007)
* Full Frontal (1993–present)
Nine Network
* Sunday (1981–2008)
* Today (1982 – present)
* Sale of the Century (1980–2001)
* A Current Affair (1971–1978, 1988–2005, 2006–present)
* Hey Hey It's Saturday (1971–1999)
* The Midday Show (1973–1998)
* 60 Minutes (1979–present)
* The Flying Doctors (1986–1991)
* Australia's Funniest Home Video Show (1990–2000, 2000–2004, 2005–present)
* Hey Hey It's Saturday (1971–1999)
* Getaway (1992–present)
* Our House (1993–2001)
* Money (1993–2000)
Network Ten
* Neighbours (1985 – present)
* E Street (1989–1993)
* Good Morning Australia with Bert Newton (1991–2005)
* Sports Tonight (1993–2011)

## Ending this year

| Date | Show | Channel | Debut |
| 22 January | Let the Blood Run Free | Channel Ten | 1990 |
| 4 February | Supermarket Sweep | Channel Nine | 1992 |
| 16 March | Newlyweds | Channel Seven | 1993 |
| 20 March | Kideo | ABC | 1993 |
| 21 March | Mother and Son | ABC | 1984 |
| 28 April | Alan Jones Live | Channel Ten | 31 January 1994 |
| 4 May | Under the Skin | SBS | 16 February 1994 |
| 13 May | Blockbusters | Channel Seven | 1991 |
| 27 May | All in a Day's Work | ABC | 1992 |
| 1 June | Heartland | ABC | 23 March 1994 |
| 16 June | Loud | ABC | 11 April 1994 |
| 27 June | The Adventures of Blinky Bill | ABC | 23 May 1994 |
| 3 July | EC Plays Lift Off | ABC | 10 April 1994 |
| 8 July | Paradise Beach | Channel Nine | 1993 |
| 16 August | The Bob Morrison Show | Channel Nine | 22 February 1994 |
| 17 August | Hey Dad...! | Channel Seven | 1987 |
| 18 August | The Damnation of Harvey McHugh | ABC | 2 June 1994 |
| 14 October | Strike It Lucky | Channel Nine | 11 July 1994 |
| 5 November | A Country Practice | Channel Ten (Channel Seven, 1981–1993) | 18 April 1994 |
| 25 November | Man O Man | Channel Seven | 5 February 1994 |
| 1 December | Real Life | Channel Seven | 1992 |
| 9 December | Stampede | ABC | 10 June 1994 |
| 14 December | Live and Sweaty | ABC | 1991 |
| 24 December | Video Smash Hits | Channel Seven | 1990 |