# 2005 in American television

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
In American television in 2005, notable events included television series debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel initiations.

## Events
### January

| Date | Event |
| 1 | The American channel package PT East, originally created by the New York, New York, company PrimeTime 24, and used by satellite TV viewers where over-the-air TV is unavailable, changes its ABC affiliate from WKRN-TV (Nashville, Tennessee) to flagship station WABC-TV (New York City). |
| 1 | DirecTV removed Trio from its EPG lineup. The network loses two-thirds of its 20 million viewers, putting in doubt the future of the NBCUniversal-owned channel. |
| 2 | Fox cancels the reality show Who's Your Daddy? after only one episode. |
| 3 | Craig Ferguson replaces Craig Kilborn as the host of The Late Late Show on CBS, becoming the first foreign-born host to have his own late-night talk show. |
| 5 | The 35th anniversary episode of the series All My Children is broadcast by ABC. The special episode, which used former characters Mark Dalton (Mark LaMura) and Nick Davis (Larry Keith), was also unique in that it was the last appearance of ailing actress Ruth Warrick. She died less than two weeks after the episode was broadcast. |
| 7 | Tamala Edwards resigns as co-anchor of ABC's World News Now and heads to the network's O&O WPVI/Philadelphia. |
| 8 | CBS airs the first episode of the reality series The Will. Ratings for the show are so low, it is canceled after only one episode, following Fox's Who's Your Daddy? which was cancelled six days ago. |
| 8 | Cartoon Network airs Hot Wheels: AcceleRacers: Ignition, the first of four computer-animated films of Hot Wheels: AcceleRacers, as part of the channel's Toonami block. |
| 17 | After over 6 years, Big Tigger hosts Rap City: Tha Bassment for the last time on BET. He reveals that his mother has sold the basement and forced him out to live with his father. The following day, the show is retitled as Rap City with Mad Linx taking over as the new host. |
| 17 | Heather Cabot becomes the new co-anchor of ABC's World News Now. |
| 22 | FoxBox, Fox's Saturday morning programming block owned by 4Kids Entertainment, is rebranded as 4Kids TV. |
| 29 | Nickelodeon's successful Saturday night block, SNICK, is discontinued after 12 years. It would then be revamped as a Saturday night edition of TEENick for the 2004–05 television season and onward until the TEENick name was dropped in February 2009 and shifted into a 24-hour channel (rebranding The N) months later. |

### February

| Date | Event |
| 2 | Paramount Television and UPN announce the cancellation of the series Star Trek: Enterprise. Soon afterward, fan efforts begin to save the show, climaxing in a campaign that raises more than $3 million (US) towards funding further production, an offer Paramount ultimately rejects. |
| 6 | Super Bowl XXXIX is telecast by Fox. Following the game, Fox airs The Simpsons episode "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass", followed by the pilot of American Dad!. |
| 7 | MTV2's logo revamps the two-headed dog design. |
| 9 | Jeopardy! held its Ultimate Tournament of Champions and concluded on May 25; Brad Rutter emerged as the champion of the tournament and won the grand prize of $2,000,000; with his career winnings of $3,270,102 (which include another $15,000 for winning a match), Rutter surpassed Ken Jennings's $3,022,700 as the new largest winner in the show's program, as well as the all-time biggest game show winner in the history of American and international television, a title which Rutter held on until October 10, 2008, where Jennings regained the status (Rutter would later top Jennings' record on May 16, 2014, after winning another Jeopardy! tournament, Battle of the Decades; Rutter would later lose the record to Jennings on January 14, 2020, after losing to another Jeopardy! tournament, The Greatest of All Time). |
| 21 | Avatar: The Last Airbender airs its hour-long series premiere on Nickelodeon. |

### March

| Date | Event |
| 9 | On the 24th anniversary of his debut, Dan Rather retires as main anchorman of the CBS Evening News and is succeeded by Face the Nation anchor Bob Schieffer on an interim basis. |
| 18 | G4 broadcasts the final episode of the former TechTV series The Screen Savers; the series was replaced by a new show known as Attack of the Show! the following week. |
| 18 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody premieres on Disney Channel. |
| 26 | After a 16-year hiatus, Doctor Who returns to BBC television in the UK. Around this time efforts are under way to get the cult program a berth on an American network, however Sci-Fi Channel rejects it for the entire first two seasons on its revival run. The following Doctor Who episodes were returned to the air on BBC America in December 2009. |

### April

| Date | Event |
| 1 | ABC news anchorman Peter Jennings anchors what will turn out to be his final World News Tonight telecast. Four days later, Jennings informs viewers of World News Tonight, via a taped segment, that he has been diagnosed with lung cancer and beginning of chemotherapy. He dies four months later at the age of 67. |
| 15 | PBS Kids Go! celebrates Tax Day with the first two-hour Cyberchase special "Know Your Dough". |

### May

| Date | Event |
| 1 | Family Guy begins airing new episodes on Fox with "North by North Quahog". Initially cancelled by Fox in 2002, the unexpected popularity of the show's reruns on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block and DVD releases, as well as letters addressed to Fox, forces the network to renew the show. Fox's revival of Family Guy coincides with the launch of the network's Animation Domination block, which also debuts on this night and pairs Family Guy with King of the Hill, The Simpsons, and the official series premiere of American Dad!. |
| 2 | Hunter Tylo resumes her role as Dr. Taylor Forrester on the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, after the character was "killed off" three years ago. The revelation that she was alive surprises many viewers as it had not been hinted by any other sources, print or online. |
| 6 | SpongeBob SquarePants debuts its fourth season on Nickelodeon after a 7-month hiatus. Originally set to end in 2004, the success of the third season forces Nickelodeon to renew the series for a fourth season before the development of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. |
| 13 | The controversial final episode of Star Trek: Enterprise is broadcast in the United States on UPN, ending an 18-year, uninterrupted run of four consecutive or concurrent Star Trek series dating back to 1987. |
| 23 | Tom Cruise appears on The Oprah Winfrey Show, which made several public pronouncements of his relationship with Katie Holmes, and most notably "the couch incident." |
| 24 | CBS aired a special, Rob and Amber Get Married, featuring the marriage of Survivor and The Amazing Race contestants Amber Brkich and Rob Mariano, in The Bahamas. They were earlier engaged on May 9 last year on the live finale of Survivor: All-Stars, in which Brkich won the season. |
| 25 | On Fox, Carrie Underwood wins season four of the popular singing competition, American Idol. |

### June

| Date | Event |
| 30 | Viacom launches Logo TV, a TV channel intended for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender adults. The channel space of defunct sister network VH1 Mega Hits provides the bulk of the new channel's carriage. |

### July

| Date | Event |
| 1 | The PAX network is renamed as i: Independent Television. |
| 8 | The first episode of Camp Lazlo airs on Cartoon Network. |
| 28 | After 5 years, AJ and Free retire as hosts of BET's 106 & Park and are succeeded by Big Tigger (co-host of BET Style) and Julissa (host of The Center) on an interim basis. |

### August

| Date | Event |
| 1 | Current TV, a 24-hour youth-oriented news channel owned by the former U.S. vice president Al Gore, is initiated. The channel replaces Newsworld International. |
| 7 | ABC's acclaimed news anchor Peter Jennings dies of lung cancer. He is succeeded by Bob Woodruff and Elizabeth Vargas for World News Tonight in December. |
| 7 | Oregon-based model Sara Jean Underwood makes her national television debut on the premiere night of The Girls Next Door. |
| 13 | In response to Linda Vester's year-long maternity leave, Fox News Channel announces that she will not be hosting DaySide again. |
| 29 | Hurricane Katrina strikes the Greater New Orleans area, causing major disruption of the region's television broadcasts. Local television news programs relocate to other cities to cover the story, though most are interrupted by the storm; some continue to broadcast reports by the Internet. |

### September

| Date | Event |
| 2 | While presenting for the NBC telecast of A Concert for Hurricane Relief, music producer and rapper Kanye West ignores his script and addresses what he perceives as the racism of both the government and of the media, stating: George Bush doesn't care about black people, and calls for the media to stop labeling African-American families as "looters" while white families were depicted as "looking for food." |
| 5 | In Champaign, Illinois, NBC affiliates WICS/WICD end their 46-year relationship with the network and swap affiliations with ABC affiliate WAND due to an affiliation deal between LIN Media, operators of WAND, and NBC. |
| 10 | The Naruto franchise makes its North American television debut on Cartoon Network's Toonami block. |
| 18 | The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards are given at the Shrine Auditorium in a ceremony broadcast by CBS. |
| 19 | Mike Jerrick and Juliet Huddy take over as new hosts of DaySide on Fox News Channel. |
| 20 | Maggie Ausburn is the winner of the American version of Big Brother 6 on CBS, and wins the $500,000 prize. Runner-Up Ivette Corredero wins $50,000. |
| 23 | Nicktoons is rebranded as Nicktoons Network (but will revert to the Nicktoons name in 2009). |
| 26 | Sprout (now Universal Kids) is launched by a joint venture between PBS, Comcast, HIT Entertainment, and Sesame Workshop. The new network replaces PBS Kids, allowing for an initial reach of 16.5 million subscribers. |

### October

| Date | Event |
| 1 | NBC's Saturday Night Live begins broadcasting in HDTV format. |
| 3 | Rap City host Mad Linx temporarily leaves the show to host BET's The Road Show. For the next several months his place is taken by J-Nicks, until Mad Linx returns the following February. |
| 5 | The Outdoor Life Network broadcast its first NHL game. The network eventually rebranded into Versus the following year and then to NBCSN in 2012. |
| 9 | Little Einsteins premieres on Playhouse Disney. |
| 20 | Neon Genesis Evangelion makes its U.S. television debut on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block. |
| 22 | Tina Fey returns from maternity leave to resume her duties for Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update skit. |
| 22 | The last episode of All That airs on Nickelodeon. First-run episodes of All That wouldn't be produced again for another nearly 15 years. |
| 26 | Game 4 of the World Series airs on Fox. The Chicago White Sox sweep the Houston Astros, winning the title for the first time since 1917. This marked the end of the Curse of the Black Sox, a term given to the scandals that affected the team after the 1919 series. |

### November

| Date | Event |
| 8 | Days of Our Lives celebrates its 40th anniversary on NBC. |
| 13 | Professional wrestler Eddie Guerrero dies at the age of 38 after being found unconscious in his hotel room. |
| 22 | Ted Koppel resigns as host of ABC's Nightline after 25 years. Six days later, Koppel is succeeded by a three-anchor team of Martin Bashir, Cynthia McFadden, and Terry Moran. |

### December

| Date | Event |
| 1 | Oprah Winfrey appears on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman, making her first appearance on a David Letterman-hosted show in sixteen years. |
| 2 | A Knots Landing retrospective, Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again, is broadcast (appropriately) by CBS. |
| 2 | ABC World News Now anchor Heather Cabot leaves the program due to her pregnancy. |
| 5 | Bob Woodruff and Elizabeth Vargas unofficially begin anchoring duties for ABC News's World News Tonight, replacing Peter Jennings, who died of cancer almost four months ago. |
| 6 | The 2005 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is broadcast on CBS. 8.9 million people tune in. |
| 24 | TBN's kid-aimed, faith-based channel Smile of a Child is launched, but closed 20 years later. |
| 26 | The first episode of My Gym Partner's a Monkey airs as a sneak peek before officially premiering on February 24, 2006. |
| 26 | ABC broadcasts its 555th and final telecast of Monday Night Football, a game between the New England Patriots and New York Jets. |
| 31 | The original Viacom officially divides into two companies, with the CBS television network and pay-TV division Showtime Networks becoming part of CBS Corporation, and the MTV Networks group of channels (which includes MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central) and BET (Black Entertainment Television) becoming part of the new Viacom. Eventually, the greatest casualty of the division was that Paramount Television, which became part of CBS Corporation, would cease to exist after 38 years of television production, as it was rebranded as CBS Paramount Television in January 2006, using that name until it became CBS Television Studios three years later. |

## Programs
### Debuts

| Date | Show | Network |
| January 3 | Who's Your Daddy? | Fox |
| January 3 | The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson | CBS |
| January 3 | Medium | NBC |
| January 4 | Committed | NBC |
| January 5 | The Road to Stardom with Missy Elliott | UPN |
| January 5 | Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search | NBC |
| January 8 | The Will | CBS |
| January 9 | Strange Love | VH1 |
| January 9 | Zoey 101 | Nickelodeon |
| January 11 | Queer Eye for the Straight Girl | Bravo |
| January 13 | Tilt | ESPN |
| January 14 | Jonny Zero | Fox |
| January 17 | Supernanny | ABC |
| January 17 | Auto-B-Good | Syndication |
| January 19 | Antiques Roadshow FYI | PBS |
| January 19 | Point Pleasant | Fox |
| January 21 | American Dragon: Jake Long | Disney Channel |
| January 22 | D.I.C.E. | Cartoon Network |
| January 23 | Numbers | CBS |
| January 23 | Pet Alien | Cartoon Network |
| January 23 | Young Blades | PAX TV |
| January 24 | Digging for the Truth | History |
| February 2 | It Takes a Thief | Discovery Channel |
| February 5 | Power Rangers S.P.D. | ABC Family (Jetix) |
| February 6 | American Dad! | Fox |
| February 8 | Most Outrageous Moments | NBC |
| February 14 | Kudlow & Company | CNBC |
| February 14 | Cuts | UPN |
| February 20 | Robot Chicken | Adult Swim |
| February 21 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Nickelodeon |
| February 23 | Unique Whips | Speed |
| March 3 | Law & Order: Trial By Jury | NBC |
| March 3 | The Contender | NBC |
| March 6 | Damage Control | MTV |
| March 6 | Iron Chef America | Food Network |
| March 6 | The Starlet | The WB |
| March 7 | Fat Actress | Showtime |
| March 8 | Blind Justice | ABC |
| March 8 | Lie Detector | PAX TV |
| March 11 | Wonder Showzen | MTV2 |
| March 13 | Jake in Progress | ABC |
| March 14 | Mad Money | CNBC |
| March 18 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Disney Channel |
| March 24 | The Office | NBC |
| March 24 | Life on a Stick | Fox |
| March 25 | Kojak | USA Network |
| March 25 | Krypto the Superdog | Cartoon Network |
| March 27 | Grey's Anatomy | ABC |
| March 28 | Attack of the Show! | G4 |
| March 30 | Eyes | ABC |
| April 1 | The Eyes of Nye | PBS |
| April 4 | Lost Worlds | History |
| April 4 | Next | MTV |
| April 5 | Pinky Dinky Doo | Noggin |
| April 6 | Con | Comedy Central |
| April 6 | Meet the Barkers | MTV |
| April 8 | Living with Fran | The WB |
| April 12 | Deadliest Catch | Discovery Channel |
| April 13 | Revelations | NBC |
| April 13 | Stacked | Fox |
| April 24 | Strip Search | VH1 |
| April 30 | Showdog Moms & Dads | Bravo |
| May 3 | The Search for the Funniest Mom in America | Nick at Nite |
| May 9 | Xtreme Fakeovers | PAX TV |
| May 14 | Game Show Moments Gone Bananas | VH1 |
| May 17 | Britney and Kevin: Chaotic | UPN |
| May 24 | The Bad Girl's Guide | UPN |
| May 26 | Kept | VH1 |
| May 30 | Hell's Kitchen | Fox |
| May 30 | The Life and Times of Juniper Lee | Cartoon Network |
| June 1 | Dancing with the Stars | ABC |
| June 1 | Hit Me, Baby, One More Time | NBC |
| June 1 | Sports Kids Moms & Dads | Bravo |
| June 2 | Beauty and the Geek | The WB |
| June 6 | Fire Me...Please | CBS |
| June 7 | The Scholar | ABC |
| June 8 | The Inside | Fox |
| June 9 | The Cut | CBS |
| June 17 | The Buzz on Maggie | Disney Channel |
| June 19 | 12 oz. Mouse | Adult Swim |
| June 20 | Wildfire | ABC Family |
| June 21 | I Want To Be a Hilton | NBC |
| June 26 | The Andy Milonakis Show | MTV |
| June 29 | Stella | Comedy Central |
| June 30 | Being Bobby Brown | Bravo |
| July 6 | Mind of Mencia | Comedy Central |
| July 8 | Camp Lazlo | Cartoon Network |
| July 8 | Stankervision | MTV2 |
| July 9 | Catscratch | Nickelodeon |
| July 9 | Time Warp Trio | Discovery Kids |
| July 10 | Hogan Knows Best | VH1 |
| July 10 | The Princes of Malibu | Fox |
| July 11 | Rock Star | CBS |
| July 15 | Ooh, Aah & You | Playhouse Disney |
| July 20 | Criss Angel Mindfreak | A&E |
| July 20 | So You Think You Can Dance | Fox |
| July 27 | R U the Girl | UPN |
| July 28 | The Law Firm | NBC |
| August 2 | Hi-Jinks | Nick at Nite |
| August 3 | Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List | Bravo |
| August 4 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | FX |
| August 7 | American Princess | We TV |
| August 7 | Carl² | Cartoon Network |
| August 7 | The Girls Next Door | E! |
| August 7 | Man, Moment, Machine | The History Channel |
| August 8 | Beautiful People | ABC Family |
| August 8 | The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer | CNN |
| August 8 | Weeds | Showtime |
| August 14 | Barbershop | Showtime |
| August 14 | Delilah and Julius | Cartoon Network |
| August 14 | My Kind of Town | ABC |
| August 16 | Tommy Lee Goes to College | NBC |
| August 22 | Tickle-U | Cartoon Network |
| August 22 | Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto! | Cartoon Network |
| August 22 | Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs | Cartoon Network |
| August 22 | Peppa Pig | Cartoon Network |
| August 22 | Firehouse Tales | Cartoon Network |
| August 22 | Gerald McBoing-Boing | Cartoon Network |
| August 22 | Little Robots | Cartoon Network |
| August 22 | Gordon the Garden Gnome | Cartoon Network |
| August 27 | A.T.O.M. | Jetix |
| August 28 | Palmetto Pointe | PAX TV |
| August 29 | Prison Break | Fox |
| September 3 | Danger Rangers | Syndicated through PBS Kids |
| September 4 | The Zula Patrol | Syndicated through PBS Kids |
| September 6 | Go, Diego, Go! | Nick Jr. |
| September 8 | Reunion | Fox |
| September 10 | Bratz | 4Kids TV |
| September 10 | G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 | 4Kids TV |
| September 11 | Breaking Bonaduce | VH1 |
| September 11 | My Fair Brady | VH1 |
| September 11 | The War at Home | Fox |
| September 12 | Judge Alex | Syndication |
| September 12 | Jack's Big Music Show | Noggin |
| September 12 | Meerkat Manor | Animal Planet |
| September 12 | The Tyra Banks Show | Syndication |
| September 12 | The Martha Stewart Show | Syndication |
| September 13 | Bones | Fox |
| September 13 | Supernatural | The WB |
| September 13 | Engineering an Empire | The History Channel |
| September 14 | Head Cases | Fox |
| September 16 | Twins | The WB |
| September 16 | Threshold | CBS |
| September 17 | Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island | Kids' WB |
| September 17 | Loonatics Unleashed | Kids' WB |
| September 17 | Johnny Test | Kids' WB |
| September 17 | The Showbiz Show with David Spade | Comedy Central |
| September 18 | Life with Derek | Disney Channel |
| September 19 | How I Met Your Mother | CBS |
| September 19 | Out of Practice | CBS |
| September 19 | Just Legal | The WB |
| September 19 | Surface | NBC |
| September 19 | Kitchen Confidential | Fox |
| September 20 | My Name Is Earl | NBC |
| September 21 | E-Ring | NBC |
| September 21 | The Apprentice: Martha Stewart | NBC |
| September 21 | Invasion | ABC |
| September 22 | Everybody Hates Chris | UPN |
| September 22 | Love, Inc. | UPN |
| September 22 | Criminal Minds | CBS |
| September 23 | Ghost Whisperer | CBS |
| September 23 | Inconceivable | NBC |
| September 23 | Killer Instinct | Fox |
| September 23 | Three Wishes | NBC |
| September 24 | Get Ed | Jetix |
| September 24 | America's Heartland | Syndication |
| September 27 | Commander in Chief | ABC |
| September 27 | Sex, Love & Secrets | UPN |
| September 29 | Night Stalker | ABC |
| October 1 | Flight 29 Down | Discovery Kids |
| October 2 | Sunday Pants | Cartoon Network |
| October 3 | The Road Show | BET |
| October 4 | Close to Home | CBS |
| October 5 | The Adam Carolla Project | TLC |
| October 5 | Related | The WB |
| October 5 | Freddie | ABC |
| October 7 | Hot Properties | ABC |
| October 9 | Little Einsteins | Playhouse Disney |
| October 9 | Johnny and the Sprites | Playhouse Disney |
| October 13 | Run's House | MTV |
| October 16 | Squidbillies | Adult Swim |
| October 17 | The Colbert Report | Comedy Central |
| October 17 | Pokémon: Advanced Challenge | Comedy Central |
| October 17 | Miss Seventeen | MTV |
| October 28 | I Shouldn't Be Alive | Discovery Channel |
| October 28 | Masters of Horror | Showtime |
| October 30 | But Can They Sing? | VH1 |
| October 30 | Homewrecker | MTV |
| October 30 | Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil | Adult Swim |
| November 4 | South of Nowhere | Noggin (during "The N" block) |
| November 5 | IGPX | Toonami |
| November 6 | The Boondocks | Adult Swim |
| November 6 | Minoriteam | Adult Swim |
| November 7 | Charlie and Lola | Playhouse Disney |
| November 25 | The X's | Nickelodeon |
| December 4 | Sleeper Cell | Showtime |
| December 6 | Madden Nation | ESPN2 |
| December 6 | Party/Party | Bravo |
| December 15 | Celebrity Eye Candy | VH1 |
| December 18 | Moral Orel | Adult Swim |
| December 19 | Deal or No Deal | NBC |
| December 26 | My Gym Partner's a Monkey | Cartoon Network |
| December 27 | Ben 10 | Cartoon Network |
| December 30 | Mr. Meaty | Nickelodeon |

### Returning this year

| Show | Channel | Last aired | Returning |
| A Current Affair | Syndication | 1996 | March 21 |
| Family Guy | Fox | 2002 | May 1 |
| The Dating Game | Syndication | 2000 | May 4 |
| SpongeBob SquarePants | Nickelodeon | 2004 | May 6 |
| Dirty Jobs | Discovery Channel | 2003 | June 26 |
| Zoboomafoo | PBS Kids | 2001 | July 16 |
| Rugrats | Nickelodeon | 2004 | September 24 |

### Ending this year

| Date | Show | Channel | Debut | Status |
| January 1 | Fraternity Life | MTV | 2003 | Cancelled |
| January 2 | The Mountain | The WB | 2004 | Cancelled |
| January 2 | Who's Your Daddy? | Fox Reality Channel | 2005 | Cancelled |
| January 9 | The Will | CBS | 2005 | Cancelled |
| January 10 | Battle for Ozzfest | MTV | 2004 | Cancelled |
| January 11 | Celebrity Blackjack | GSN | 2004 | Cancelled |
| January 15 | Megas XLR | Cartoon Network | 2004 | Cancelled |
| January 19 | Center of the Universe | CBS | 2004 | Cancelled |
| January 20 | Life as We Know It | ABC | 2004 | Cancelled |
| January 20 | Century City | CBS | 2004 | Cancelled |
| January 22 | Dave the Barbarian | Disney Channel | 2004 | Cancelled |
| January 24 | Second Time Around | UPN | 2004 | Cancelled |
| January 26 | The Club | Spike TV | 2004 | Cancelled |
| January 28 | I Love the '90s: Part Deux | VH1 | 2005 | Cancelled |
| January 28 | Grounded for Life | The WB | 2001 | Cancelled |
| February 11 | Kudlow & Cramer | MSNBC | 2002 | Cancelled |
| February 11 | Oobi | Noggin | 2000 | Cancelled |
| February 19 | Kenny the Shark | Discovery Kids | 2003 | Cancelled |
| February 26 | ¡Mucha Lucha! | Kids' WB | 2002 | Cancelled |
| March 1 | NYPD Blue | ABC | 1993 | Ended |
| March 11 | Bullseye | CNBC | 2003 | Cancelled |
| March 11 | Tru Calling | Fox | 2003 | Cancelled |
| March 11 | Wanna Come In? | MTV | 2004 | Cancelled |
| March 13 | Tilt | ESPN | 2005 | Cancelled |
| March 15 | Committed | NBC | 2005 | Cancelled |
| March 18 | The Screen Savers | G4 | 1998 | Cancelled |
| March 21 | The Osbournes | MTV | 2002 | Cancelled |
| March 25 | Medical Investigation | NBC | 2004 | Cancelled |
| March 25 | The Powerpuff Girls (returned in 2016) | Cartoon Network | 1998 | Cancelled |
| March 25 | Star Wars: Clone Wars | Cartoon Network | 2003 | Cancelled |
| March 27 | Carnivàle | HBO | 2003 | Cancelled |
| March 30 | Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica | MTV | 2003 | Cancelled |
| March 30 | American Dreams | NBC | 2002 | Cancelled |
| March 30 | The Ashlee Simpson Show | MTV | 2004 | Cancelled |
| April 8 | EGG, the Arts Show | PBS | 2000 | Cancelled |
| April 12 | Curious Buddies | Nick Jr. | 2004 | Cancelled |
| April 13 | Scientific American Frontiers | PBS | 1990 | Cancelled |
| April 15 | 8 Simple Rules | ABC | 2002 | Cancelled |
| April 16 | LAX | NBC | 2004 | Cancelled |
| April 18 | Fat Actress | Showtime | 2005 | Cancelled |
| April 20 | Baby Looney Tunes | Cartoon Network | 2002 | Cancelled |
| April 22 | Joan of Arcadia | CBS | 2003 | Cancelled |
| April 24 | Damage Control | MTV | 2005 | Cancelled |
| April 24 | Strange Love | VH1 | 2005 | Cancelled |
| April 25 | Sealab 2021 | Adult Swim | 2000 | Cancelled |
| April 25 | Listen Up | CBS | 2004 | Cancelled |
| April 29 | JAG | CBS | 1995 | Cancelled |
| May 1 | Steve Harvey's Big Time Challenge | The WB | 2003 | Cancelled |
| May 3 | Judging Amy | CBS | 1999 | Cancelled |
| May 6 | Third Watch | NBC | 1999 | Cancelled |
| May 6 | Zoom | PBS | 1999 | Cancelled |
| May 8 | Queer Eye for the Straight Girl | Bravo | 2005 | Cancelled |
| May 11 | Con | Comedy Central | 2005 | Cancelled |
| May 11 | Jack & Bobby | The WB | 2004 | Cancelled |
| May 12 | Project Greenlight (returned in 2015) | Bravo | 2001 | Cancelled |
| May 13 | Andromeda | Sci-Fi Channel | 2000 | Cancelled |
| May 13 | Star Trek: Enterprise | UPN | 2001 | Cancelled |
| May 15 | Page to Screen | Bravo | 2002 | Cancelled |
| May 16 | Everybody Loves Raymond | CBS | 1996 | Ended |
| May 18 | Kevin Hill | UPN | 2004 | Cancelled |
| May 18 | Showdog Moms & Dads | Bravo | 2005 | Cancelled |
| May 18 | My Wife and Kids | ABC | 2001 | Cancelled |
| May 20 | Texas Justice | Syndication | 2001 | Cancelled |
| May 22 | Kojak | USA | 2005 | Cancelled |
| May 22 | Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye | PAX TV | 2002 | Cancelled |
| May 25 | Street Smarts | Syndication | 2000 | Cancelled |
| May 25 | The Jane Pauley Show | Syndication | 2004 | Cancelled |
| May 26 | Pet Alien | Cartoon Network | 2005 | Cancelled |
| May 27 | Father of the Pride | NBC | 2004 | Cancelled |
| May 27 | Shop 'til You Drop | PAX TV | 1991 | Cancelled |
| May 27 | U-Pick Live | Nickelodeon | 2002 | Cancelled |
| June 15 | CatDog | Nickelodeon | 1998 | Cancelled |
| June 17 | Complete Savages | ABC | 2004 | Cancelled |
| June 18 | Skin | Fox | 2003 | Cancelled |
| June 18 | Game Show Moments Gone Bananas | VH1 | 2005 | Cancelled |
| June 21 | Blind Justice | ABC | 2005 | Cancelled |
| June 26 | The Eyes of Nye | KCTS-TV | 2005 | Cancelled |
| June 28 | Average Joe | NBC | 2003 | Cancelled |
| July 8 | Jackie Chan Adventures | Kids' WB | 2000 | Cancelled |
| July 15 | America's Castles | A&E | 1994 | Cancelled |
| July 16 | Wild Card | Lifetime | 2003 | Cancelled |
| July 18 | Summerland | The WB | 2004 | Cancelled |
| July 20 | Sports Kids Moms & Dads | Bravo | 2005 | Cancelled |
| July 22 | Video Mods | MTV2 | 2004 | Cancelled |
| August 4 | Kept | VH1 | 2005 | Cancelled |
| August 7 | Queer as Folk | Showtime | 2000 | Cancelled |
| August 14 | Viva La Bam | MTV | 2003 | Cancelled |
| August 19 | The Proud Family | Disney Channel | 2001 | Cancelled |
| August 21 | Six Feet Under | HBO | 2001 | Ended |
| August 30 | Stella | Comedy Central | 2005 | Cancelled |
| September 2 | 60 Minutes II | CBS | 1999 | Cancelled |
| September 3 | Midnight Love | BET | 1985 | Cancelled |
| September 7 | Antiques Roadshow FYI | PBS | 2005 | Cancelled |
| September 30 | Inconceivable | NBC | 2005 | Cancelled |
| October 1 | Intimate Portrait | Lifetime | 1994 | Cancelled |
| October 7 | Girls v. Boys | The N (Noggin) | 2003 | Cancelled |
| October 16 | Barbershop | Showtime | 2005 | Cancelled |
| October 18 | A Walk in Your Shoes | Noggin | 1999 | Cancelled |
| October 22 | All That (returned in 2019) | Nickelodeon | 1994 | Cancelled |
| October 28 | A Current Affair | Syndication | 1986 | Cancelled |
| October 30 | Sunday Pants | Cartoon Network | 2005 | Cancelled |
| November 4 | NewsNight with Aaron Brown | CNN | 2001 | Cancelled |
| November 8 | Drew Carey's Green Screen Show | Comedy Central | 2004 | Cancelled |
| November 11 | Duck Dodgers | Boomerang | 2003 | Cancelled |
| November 14 | Power Rangers S.P.D. | Toon Disney | 2005 | Cancelled |
| November 25 | Dragon Tales | PBS Kids | 1999 | Cancelled |
| November 25 | Jay Jay the Jet Plane | PBS Kids | 1998 | Cancelled |
| November 27 | Fatherhood | Nick at Nite | 2004 | Cancelled |
| December 2 | The Road Show | BET | 2005 | Cancelled |
| December 2 | $40 a Day | Food Network | 2002 | Cancelled |
| December 3 | Trading Spaces: Boys vs. Girls | Discovery Kids | 2003 | Cancelled |
| December 4 | But Can They Sing? | VH1 | 2005 | Cancelled |
| December 6 | Rubbadubbers | Noggin | 2003 | Cancelled |
| December 9 | Three Wishes | NBC | 2005 | Cancelled |
| December 10 | City Confidential (returned in 2021) | A&E | 1998 | Cancelled |
| December 15 | Reunion | Fox | 2005 | Cancelled |
| December 18 | Homewrecker | MTV | 2005 | Cancelled |
| December 19 | Miss Seventeen | MTV | 2005 | Cancelled |
| December 20 | The Adam Carolla Project | TLC | 2005 | Cancelled |
| December 21 | Being Bobby Brown | Bravo | 2005 | Cancelled |
| December 25 | Stroker and Hoop | Adult Swim | 2004 | Cancelled |
| December 30 | Hot Properties | ABC | 2005 | Cancelled |

### Entering syndication this year

| Show | Seasons | In Production |
| 24 | 4 | Yes |
| Alias | 4 | Yes |
| The Bernie Mac Show | 4 | Yes |
| My Wife and Kids | 4 | Yes |
| Sex and the City | 6 | No |
| Smallville | 4 | Yes |
| Star Trek: Enterprise | 4 | No |
| South Park | 8 | Yes |

### Changes of network affiliation

| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
| Journal Editorial Report | PBS | Fox News Channel |
| Project Greenlight | HBO | Bravo |
| TNA iMPACT! | Fox Sports Net | Spike TV |
| Drew Carey's Green Screen Show | The WB | Comedy Central |
| Whose Line is it Anyway? | ABC | ABC Family |
| Wildboyz | MTV | MTV2 |
| WWE Raw | Spike TV | USA Network |
| 6teen | Cartoon Network | Nickelodeon |
| Kipper | Nick Jr. | PBS Kids Sprout |
| Bob the Builder | Nick Jr. | PBS Kids Sprout |
| Teletubbies | PBS Kids | PBS Kids Sprout |
| Boohbah | PBS Kids | PBS Kids Sprout |
| Zoboomafoo | PBS Kids | PBS Kids Sprout |
| Jay Jay the Jet Plane | PBS Kids | PBS Kids Sprout |
| Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat | PBS Kids | PBS Kids Sprout |
| Sesame Street | Noggin | PBS Kids Sprout |
| Baby Looney Tunes | Cartoon Network | Boomerang |
| American Casino | Discovery Channel | Travel Channel |

### Television films

| Title | Channel | Date of airing |
| Lackawanna Blues | HBO | February 12 |
| Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama | Disney Channel | April 8 |
| Warm Springs | HBO | April 30 |
| The Proud Family Movie | Disney Channel | August 19 |
| The Flight That Fought Back | Discovery Channel | September 11 |
| Mrs. Harris | HBO | September 16 |
| Twitches | Disney Channel | October 14 |
| The Batman vs. Dracula | Cartoon Network | October 22 |

### Miniseries

| Title | Channel | Premiere date |
| Thief | FX | March 28 |
| Elvis | CBS | May 8 |
| Empire Falls | HBO | May 28 |
| Into the West | TNT | June 10 |
| Elizabeth I | HBO | September 29 |
| Sleeper Cell | Showtime | December 4 |
| The Triangle | Sci Fi Channel | December 5 |
| The Lost Prince | PBS | December 18 |

## Networks and services
### Launches

| Network name | Type | Launch Date |
| Military History Channel | Cable television | January 5 |
| Starz Comedy | Paid television | Unknown |
| ESPNU | Cable television | March 4 |
| Crime & Investigation | Cable television | April 1 |
| Fox Soccer Plus | Cable and satellite | April 26 |
| The Tube Music Network | OTA television | June |
| Logo TV | Cable television | June 30 |
| Retro TV | OTA television | July |
| Current TV | Cable television | August 1 |
| Funimation Channel | Cable television | September 29 |
| KBS America | Cable television | October 6 |
| mHz Worldview | Cable television | October 19 |
| Latele Novela Network | Cable television | November 1 |
| MTV Chi | Cable television | December 6 |
| NRB TV | Cable television | December 21 |
| Smile of a Child (closed 20 years later) | OTA television | December 24 |

### Conversions and rebrandings

| Old network name | New network name | Type | Conversion Date | Notes | Source |
| International Channel | AZN Television | Cable television | Unknown | | |
| Black Starz! | Starz in Black | Paid television | Unknown | | |
| Starz! Theater | Starz Edge | Paid television | March 25 | | |
| Starz! Kids | Starz Kids & Family | Paid television | Unknown | | |
| Starz! Family | Starz Kids & Family | Paid television | Unknown | | |
| Action | Encore Action | Paid television | Unknown | | |
| Love Stories | Encore Love | Paid television | March 25 | | |
| True Stories | Encore Drama | Paid television | March 25 | | |
| WAM! America's Kidz Network | Encore Wam | Paid television | Unknown | | |
| Mystery | Encore Mystery | Paid television | Unknown | | |
| Westerns | Encore Westerns | Paid television | Unknown | | |
| Fox Sports World | Fox Soccer Channel | Cable television | March 28 | | |
| Speed Channel | Speed | Cable television | Unknown | | |
| VH1 MegaHits | Logo | Cable television | June 30 | | |
| Pax TV | i: Independent Television | OTA television | July 1 | | |
| PBS Kids Channel | PBS Kids Sprout (then Universal Kids until 2025 closure) | Cable television | September 26 | | | |
| Freeview | PBS Kids Sprout (then Universal Kids until 2025 closure) | Cable television | September 26 | The 101 Network | Cable television | Unknown |
| Goodlife TV Network | AmericanLife TV Network | Cable television | Unknown | | |

### Closures

| Network name | Type | Closure Date | Notes | Source |
| G4TechTV | Cable television | February 15 | | |
| Newsworld International | Cable television | July 31 | | |

## Television stations
### Station launches

| Date | City of License/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
| January 1 | Columbia, South Carolina | WZRB | 47 | UPN | |
| March 24 | Walsenburg, Colorado | K28HN | 28 | America One | |
| June 1 | Alexandria, Louisiana | KBCA | 41 | The WB | |
| June 15 | Hattiesburg, Mississippi | WHPM-LP | 23 | Fox | |
| July | Boise, Idaho | KKJB | 39 | America One | |
| July 1 | Great Falls, Montana | KTGF-LP | 50 | NBC | Translator of KTVH/Helena |
| August | Lake Havasu City, Arizona | KBBA-LP | 10 | Independent | |
| October | Holbrook, Arizona | KNJO-LP | 6 | America One | |
| November 29 | Ames/Des Moines, Iowa | KEFB | 34 | TBN | |
| Unknown date | Albany, Georgia | WALB-DT2 | 10.2 | NBC Weather Plus | |
| Unknown date | Charlotte, North Carolina | WCEE-LP | 16 | TBN | |
| Unknown date | Chicago, Illinois | W55DF | 55 | MTV Tr3s | |
| Unknown date | Frederiksted, U.S. Virgin Islands | WEON-LP | 60 | Fox | |
| Unknown date | Marquette, Michigan | WLUC-DT2 | 6.2 | The Tube Music Network | |
| Unknown date | Pittsburg, Kansas (Joplin, Missouri) | KPJO-LP | 49 | TBN | |
| Unknown date | Spokane, Washington | K09FZ | 11 | ABC | Translator of KXLY-TV/Spokane |

## Births

| Date | Name | Notability |
| January 8 | Collin Dean | Voice actor (Over the Garden Wall, The Loud House) |
| January 20 | Carter Thorne | Canadian voice actor (PAW Patrol, PJ Masks) |
| January 31 | Mallory James Mahoney | Actress (Bunk'd) |
| February 14 | Jailen Bates | Actor (WITS Academy) |
| February 15 | Nicolas Bechtel | Actor (Stuck in the Middle) |
| February 23 | Arica Himmel | Actress (Mixed-ish) |
| March 14 | Aiden Lewandowski | Actor |
| March 17 | Flynn Morrison | Actor (Last Man Standing) |
| March 18 | Ryan Alessi | Actor (All That) |
| March 26 | Ella Anderson | Actress (Henry Danger, The Adventures of Kid Danger) |
| March 29 | Brooklyn Shuck | Actress (Evil) |
| April 7 | Nathan Janak | Actor (All That, Drama Club) |
| April 13 | Brandon Severs | Actor (Walk the Prank) |
| April 19 | Olivia Presti | Canadian actress (Odd Squad) |
| May 4 | Navia Robinson | Actress (Raven's Home) |
| May 5 | Gabrielle Nevaeh Green | Actress (All That, That Girl Lay Lay) |
| May 12 | Ava Acres | Actress (Adventure Time, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) |
| May 14 | Maxwell Acee Donovan | Actor (Gabby Duran and the Unsittables) |
| May 19 | Jack Gore | Actor (Billions, The Kids Are Alright) |
| June 2 | Jadah Marie | Actress |
| June 14 | Tamara Smart | Actress (Are You Afraid of the Dark?) |
| June 25 | Kylie Cantrall | Actress (Gabby Duran & the Unsittables) and singer |
| June 27 | Isaiah Crews | Actor (Side Hustle) |
| July 12 | Issac Ryan Brown | Actor (Raven's Home, Puppy Dog Pals, The Owl House) |
| July 20 | Alison Fernandez | Actress |
| July 22 | Israel Johnson | Actor (Bunk'd) |
| August 3 | Ramon Reed | Actor (Just Roll with It) |
| September 6 | Shay Rudolph | Actress (The Baby-Sitters Club) |
| September 7 | Ruth Righi | Actress (Sydney to the Max) and singer |
| September 7 | Andrew Ortega | Actor (WITS Academy) |
| September 10 | Sophia Forest | Actress (I Am Frankie) |
| September 30 | Nathan Arenas | Actor (Bunk'd) |
| October 7 | Lulu Wilson | Actress |
| October 16 | Ruby Rose Turner | Actress (Coop & Cami Ask the World) and dancer |
| December 10 | Kyliegh Curran | Actress (Secrets of Sulphur Springs) |
| December 14 | Mia Sinclair Jenness | Actress (Fancy Nancy) |
| December 24 | Jaxon Mercey | Canadian voice actor (Ryder on PAW Patrol) |
| December 30 | Brady Noon | Actor (The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers) |

## Deaths

| Date | Name | Age | Notability |
| January 19 | Lamont Bentley | 31 | Actor (Moesha, The Parkers) and rapper |
| January 23 | Johnny Carson | 79 | Comedian, host of The Tonight Show |
| January 29 | Bill Shadel | 96 | News anchor (ABC News) |
| February 12 | Brian Kelly | 73 | Actor (Straightaway, Flipper) |
| March 25 | Paul Henning | 93 | Producer (The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres) |
| March 29 | Johnnie Cochran | 67 | Lawyer |
| April 5 | Debralee Scott | 52 | Actress, game show panelist (Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Match Game) |
| April 26 | Mason Adams | 86 | Actor (Charlie Hume on Lou Grant) |
| May 17 | Frank Gorshin | 72 | Actor (The Riddler on Batman) |
| May 21 | Howard Morris | 85 | Actor, director (Your Show of Shows, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, The Andy Griffith Show, The Magilla Gorilla Show, The Archie Show, DuckTales, Garfield and Friends, Cow and Chicken, I Am Weasel) |
| May 22 | Thurl Ravenscroft | 91 | Actor (Tony the Tiger of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes commercials) |
| May 26 | Eddie Albert | 99 | Actor (Oliver Wendell Douglas on Green Acres, Frank MacBride on Switch) |
| June 24 | Paul Winchell | 82 | Ventriloquist, actor (Wacky Races, Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines, Heathcliff, The Smurfs, Yogi's Treasure Hunt, Adventures of the Gummi Bears, The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh) |
| June 25 | John Fiedler | 80 | Actor (The Bob Newhart Show, Buffalo Bill, The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh) |
| July 20 | James Doohan | 85 | Actor (Scotty on original Star Trek) |
| August 4 | Ileen Getz | 43 | Actress (3rd Rock from the Sun) |
| August 7 | Peter Jennings | 67 | ABC news anchor |
| August 8 | Barbara Bel Geddes | 82 | Actress ("Miss Ellie" on Dallas) |
| August 9 | Matthew McGrory | 32 | Actor |
| August 23 | Brock Peters | 78 | Actor |
| September 2 | Bob Denver | 70 | Actor (Gilligan on Gilligan's Island and Maynard G. Krebs on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) |
| September 25 | Don Adams | 82 | Actor (Get Smart, Tennessee Tuxedo, Inspector Gadget, Gadget Boy & Heather, Pepper Ann) |
| October 2 | Nipsey Russell | 87 | Actor, comedian and game-show panelist |
| October 6 | Ray Bumatai | 52 | Actor (Tito Makani on Rocket Power) |
| October 7 | Charles Rocket | 56 | Actor (Saturday Night Live) |
| October 21 | Tara Correa-McMullen | 16 | Actress |
| November 13 | Eddie Guerrero | 38 | Professional wrestler and star of WWE SmackDown |
| November 24 | Pat Morita | 73 | Actor (Sanford and Son, Happy Days, Ohara) |
| November 29 | Wendie Jo Sperber | 47 | Actress (Babes, Bosom Buddies) |
| December 10 | Richard Pryor | 65 | Actor, comedian (The Richard Pryor Show) |
| December 16 | John Spencer | 58 | Actor (Leo McGarry on The West Wing and Tommy Mullaney on L.A. Law) |
| December 26 | Vincent Schiavelli | 57 | Actor (Hey Arnold!) |