1985 in American television

The year 1985 had some major events. Below is a list of television-related events for that year.

 Events 
DateEventJanuary 1VH1 begins in the United States.January 4Sesame Street broadcasts its 2,000th episode.January 7On ABC's Good Morning America, actor Yul Brynner makes a public service announcement to be run after his death. He tells others to not smoke. Brynner was dying from lung cancer at the timeJanuary 20Super Bowl XIX is televised by ABC. This was also the first time that the Super Bowl is broadcast by ABC. It is also the first time that a Super Bowl had closed captioned in real-time. In this game the San Francisco 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins 38-16February 4NBC becomes the first television network to use satellite to connect its stations.February 8CBS airs the last episode of The Dukes of Hazzard.March 2The NBC situation comedy Gimme a Break! broadcasts an episode live.March 18Capital Cities Communicationssays that it is buying ABC for $3.5 billion. To do this, the company must sell off several of its television and radio stations to follow FCC ownership limits. The deal will be take place on January 3, 1986.Kleinfield, N.R. "ABC is being sold for $3.5 billion; 1st network sale." The New York Times, March 19, 1985."Capcities + ABC." Broadcasting, March 25, 1985, pp. 31-32.March 20Norman Lear sells Tandem Productions and Embassy Television companies to The Coca-Cola Company for $485 million.March 31The World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) broadcast the first WrestleMania. The event is very successful. It had over a million viewers. This was the start of the yearly  WrestleMania events.April 6The first edition of World Championship Wrestling by Jim Crockett Promotions is broadcast on TBS.April 9The last episode of Three's a Crowd is broadcast on ABC. This ended John Ritter's run as Jack Tripper which begin with  Three's Company back in 1977.April 29The two-night version of Ken Follett's The Key to Rebecca is broadcast on WPIX Channel 11 in New York City. It has non-pixelated toplessness from both of its female stars, Season Hubley and Lina Raymond.May 4News Corporation and 20th Century Fox Film Corporation announces that they will buy Metromedia's television stations and Metromedia Producers Corp. for $3.5 billion. This is the start of the Fox Broadcasting Company, which would first broadcast in October 1986.May 9Nicholas Colasanto makes his last appearance as Coach Ernie Pantusso on Cheers. After his death, Woody Harrelson joins the cast as Woody Boyd beginning in the fourth season.May 11The first episode of Saturday Night's Main Event is broadcast by NBC. This is the first time that professional wrestling had been broadcast by network television since the 1950s.Dolph Sweet makes his last appearance as Chief Carl Kanisky on Gimme a Break!. His last episode was broadcast three days after his death.May 12During halftime of the Boston Celtics–Philadelphia 76ers NBA playoff game, CBS televises the first ever NBA Draft Lottery.May 15The season finale of Dynasty on ABC sees the wedding party of Amanda Carrington (Catherine Oxenberg) and Prince Michael of Moldavia (Michael Praed) shot by revolutionaries in what is known as the Moldavian MassacreMay 17The season finale of Dallas on CBS finds character Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) on his deathbed after his  ex-sister-in-law Katherine Wentworth (Morgan Brittany) runs him down with her car.May 25CBS airs the fourth game of the Major Indoor Soccer League's championship series. This would be the last year the MISL would have games on network television.May 30The USA Network airs its last National Hockey League  game, Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals. NHL was not broadcast on USA again until the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs.June 14ABC broadcasts its 2,311th and last daytime episode of Family Feud after 9 years.June 24Kathie Lee Johnson (later Gifford)  joins Regis Philbin on WABC's The Morning Show. The Morning Show soon becomes number 1 in the market. It became syndicated on September 5, 1988, when the title is changed to Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.July 1Nick at Nite is launched in the United States.  It was a nighttime program service which mainly broadcast classic television reruns.  July 2The last episode of The Jeffersons airs on CBS.July 13The Live Aid concerts are broadcast from London and Philadelphia.  In the U.S., the concerts are broadcast by MTV with ABC joining in a 3-hour prime-time period.July 16NBC's telecast of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game out of the Metrodome in Minnesota is the first program to be broadcast in stereo by a television network.September 2NBC becomes the first broadcast network in the U.S. to broadcast its prime time programs with stereo sound.September 9The Price Is Right returns to daily syndication after a five-year break with Tom Kennedy hosting.September 16After a 22-year hiatus, new episodes of The Jetsons debut. The syndicated revival would run for two seasons.September 22The first Farm Aid concert is telecast from Champaign, Illinois, in syndication and by TNN.September 28ABC broadcasts an episode of The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians called "The Fear", in which Batman's origin is shown for the first time outside of the comic books.September 29Howard Cosell makes his last assignment for ABC Sports. It was a Major League Baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins. Cosell was removed from his announcing duties for that year's World Series because of the controversy caused by his book I Never Played the Game. October 4The PBS program Electric Company ended after 8 straight years in reruns.NBC won the rights to broadcast the 1988 Summer Olympics from Seoul, South Korea.November 8The final episode of The Price Is Right with Johnny Olson as announcer is broadcast by CBS. Olson had died on October 12;November 9On NBC, Saturday Night Live begins its 11th season, with Lorne Michaels returning as executive producer and an all-new cast that includes Jon Lovitz and Dennis Miller.November 18Elmo becomes a new character on PBS's Sesame Street. In the same episode, the adult cast meet Aloysius Snuffleupagus for the first time since the character's 1971 introduction.December 3Courteney Cox uses the word "period" (referring to menstruation) on U.S. television for the first time, in a commercial for Tampax brand tampons.December 12General Electric says is will buy RCA, owner of NBC for $6.3 billion. The deal would be finalized on June 9, 1986.

 Programs 

 Debuting this year 
DateTitleNetworkJanuary 4Street HawkABCJanuary 5Berrenger'sNBCJanuary 7Time MachineJanuary 20MacGruder and LoudABCJanuary 23SaraNBCThunderCatsSyndicationJanuary 26OtherworldCBSJanuary 27Code Name: FoxfireNBCMarch 1Michael Nesmith in Television PartsNBCMarch 3MoonlightingABCMarch 4RobotechSyndicationMarch 15Mr. BelvedereABCOff the RackMarch 18Safe at HomeWTBSMarch 21Eye to EyeABCWildsideMarch 24Half NelsonNBCMarch 30CBS StorybreakCBSApril 5Me and MomABCApril 7National Geographic ExplorerNickelodeonApril 9Hail to the ChiefABCApril 10Double DareCBSApril 15Lady BlueABCApril 19The Best TimesNBCMay 6Dumbo's CircusThe Disney ChannelMay 11Saturday Night's Main EventNBCJune 3Larry King LiveCNNTurkey TelevisionNickelodeonJune 30Code of VengeanceNBCJuly 4The RaccoonsThe Disney ChannelJuly 14StingrayNBCAugust 13West 57thCBSAugust 22HometownSeptember 2AttitudesLifetimeRocky RoadWTBSSeptember 4Hell TownNBCSeptember 7The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-DooABCStar Wars: DroidsEwoksSmall WonderSyndicationWhat's Happening Now!!September 14227NBCAdventures of the Gummi BearsThe Golden GirlsIt's Punky BrewsterThe Berenstain BearsCBSHulk Hogan's Rock 'n' WrestlingJim Henson's Little Muppet MonstersThe WuzzlesThe Care BearsSyndicationSeptember 16AmericaBreak the BankG.I. Joe: A Real American HeroJayce and the Wheeled WarriorsSeptember 18Charlie & Co.CBSThe EqualizerGeorge Burns Comedy WeekStir CrazySeptember 20Spenser: For HireABCSeptember 21Hollywood BeatLime StreetSeptember 24Growing PainsSeptember 25The InsidersSeptember 29MacGyverAmazing StoriesNBCSeptember 30M.A.S.K.SyndicationOctober 4Misfits of ScienceNBCOctober 6JemSyndicationOctober 20Andy Warhol's Fifteen MinutesMTVNovember 20The ColbysABCNovember 21Shadow ChasersDecember 11Foley SquareCBSMary

 Resuming this year 
TitleFinal airedPrevious networkNew titleReturning networkDate of returnThe Jetsons1963ABCSameWTBSSeptember 16The Twilight Zone1964CBSSameSeptember 27Making a Living1982ABCIt's a LivingSyndicationSeptember 28Alfred Hitchcock Presents1965NBCSameSameSeptember 29

 Ending this year 
DateTitleDebutJanuary 21Insight1960February 1Call to Glory1984February 8The Dukes of Hazzard1979February 23It's Your Move1984February 26Pink Panther and SonsFebruary 27E/RMarch 19Alice1976March 22V1984April 3Charles in Charge (returned in 1987)April 9Three's a CrowdApril 13Finder of Lost LovesApril 19Off the Rack1985May 1Out of Control1984May 8Sara1985May 16Street HawkMay 22Double DareJune 14Family Feud (returned in 1988)1976June 25The Jeffersons1975June 28Robotech1985July 6Cover Up1984July 19Matt Houston1982July 20Hail to the Chief1985August 1Battle of the Planets1978August 10Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids1972September 28Little Muppet Monsters1985October 12The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show1983October 26Lime Street1985November 2The Littles1983November 9Super Friends1973November 16Snorks (returned in 1987)1984November 18VoltronNovember 21He-Man and the Masters of the Universe1983November 23Hollywood Beat1985December 7The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-DooThe WuzzlesDungeons & Dragons1983December 27Glitter1984

 Entering syndication 

 Changing networks 
ShowMoved fromMoved toDiff'rent StrokesNBCABCThe Bugs Bunny ShowCBSThe JetsonsABCSyndicationIt's a LivingT.J. HookerCBS

 Made-for-TV movies and miniseries 
TitleNetworkDate of airingPoison IvyNBCFebruary 10SpaceCBSApril 14–18North and SouthABCNovember 3–10Alice in WonderlandCBSDecember 9–10

 References 

 Other websites 

 List of 1985 American television series at IMDb