1987 in American television
For American TV schedule, see: 1987–88 United States network television schedule.
| List of years in American television: |
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| 1986–87 United States network television schedule |
| 1987–88 United States network television schedule |
| List of American television shows currently in production |
The year 1987 in television involved some significant events. This is a list of notable events in the United States.
Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| January 5 | Remington Steele is resumed by NBC after a six-month hiatus during which series main actor Pierce Brosnan won the movie role of James Bond, only to lose it when NBC unexpectedly renewed the television series. Remington Steele adopts a TV-movie length format but only runs for a few installments before being canceled permanently. |
| January 22 | R. Budd Dwyer shoots and kills himself at a televised press conference. The decision by some companies to broadcast the footage results in a debate concerning journalistic ethics. |
| February 2 | PBS broadcasts the critically acclaimed series Eyes on the Prize. |
| February 8 | Amerika, the science-fiction drama miniseries, showing life ten years after the United States is defeated and occupied by the USSR, was broadcast on ABC. |
| March 9 | KETK-TV in Jacksonville, Texas signs on the air, giving the Tyler market its first full-time NBC affiliate. (NBC had previously been shared on KLTV with CBS (until KLMG-TV signed on in 1984), and later ABC which KLTV retains as a full-time affiliate.) |
| March 19 | Televangelist Jim Bakker resigns as the host of The PTL Club after involvement in a sex scandal. |
| March 27 | The Price Is Right surpassed Concentration as the longest-running daytime game show in history. |
| April 5 | The Fox TV network makes its prime-time debut, marking the first time since 1955 that there were four U.S. networks with prime-time programming. The network debuted two shows, Married... with Children and The Tracey Ullman Show, which are broadcast three times each during the night so that viewers watching other networks can switch over and sample the shows. |
| April 6 | During an episode of the ABC late-night news program Nightline devoted to the upcoming 40th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut in Major League Baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Al Campanis makes racially insensitive comments when asked about the scarcity of black field or general managers in MLB. Campanis would be fired two days later. |
| April 19 | Matt Groening's The Simpsons debuts as a series of short animated segments as part of The Tracey Ullman Show on Fox. |
| May 3 | The fledgling Fox network enters the Tri-Cities area of Tennessee when independent station WETO in Greeneville begins airing their programming. |
| May 6 | Mr. Belvedere is canceled after three seasons. Criticism caused ABC executives to rethink the decision and resume the series. (Since the fall programming schedules were already set, Mr. Belvedere would not premiere until late October.) |
| May 15 | Pamela Ewing's car speeds out of control, crashes into a tanker, and explodes on the season finale of the CBS drama Dallas. |
| June 4 | CBS becomes the last American network to cease a chime intonation at the beginning of telecasts; satellite feeds have made the tones obsolete (their function was to signal to the affiliates to start broadcasting the network feed in synchronization with the others). |
| June 30 | U.S. daytime television was interrupted for the Iran-Contra hearings. |
| July 15 | Genie Francis, of General Hospital fame, starts a new soap opera role as Diana Colville on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives, which she will play until 1989. |
| July 31 | Movietime, forerunner to E!, goes on the air. |
| August 1 | ABC affiliate KRCR-TV in Redding, California launches full-time satellite KAEF-TV in Arcata, California, giving the Eureka market its first full-time ABC affiliate. |
| September 5 | Dick Clark's American Bandstand was broadcast for the 2,751st and last time by ABC, after 30 years on the network. (It continued in syndication for 2 more years.) |
| September 11 | Dan Rather of the CBS Evening News leaves the newscast when a televised tennis match runs two minutes over. He is missing for six minutes. |
| October 12 | Valerie Harper files a lawsuit against NBC and Lorimar for breach of contract after being dismissed from her sitcom Valerie. |
| October 15 | Bob Barker stopped dyeing his hair brown and appears on The Price is Right for the first time with white hair. He is given a minute-long standing ovation by the audience. |
| November 13 | Sonny & Cher reunite for a performance on NBC's late-night talk show Late Night with David Letterman. |
| November 22 | During a showing of the Doctor Who story "Horror of Fang Rock", Chicago PBS station WTTW-TV Channel 11 is interrupted for 88 seconds by a pirate television transmitter overriding the station's transmission signal to broadcast a video of himself in a Max Headroom mask being spanked. |
Programs
- 20/20 (1978—present)
- 60 Minutes (1968—present)
- 227 (1985–1990)
- ABC World News (1978–present)
- Airwolf (1984–1987)
- ALF (1986–1990)
- All My Children (1970—2011)
- Amen (1986–1991)
- America This Morning (1982–present)
- America Undercover (1983–present)
- American Bandstand (1952–1989)
- American Masters (1983–present)
- Another World (1964–1999)
- As the World Turns (1956—2010)
- Cagney & Lacey (1982–1988)
- Candid Camera (1948—2004)
- Capitol (1982–1987)
- CBS News Sunday Morning (1979–present)
- Cheers (1982–1993)
- Dallas (1978–1991)
- Days of Our Lives (1965—present)
- Derrick (1974–1998)
- Designing Women (1986–1993)
- Double Dare (1986–1993)
- Dynasty (1981–1989)
- Entertainment Tonight (1981—present)
- Face the Nation (1954—present)
- Falcon Crest (1981–1990)
- Family Ties (1982–1989)
- Fraggle Rock (1983–1987)
- Frontline (1983–present)
- General Hospital (1963—present)
- Gimme a Break! (1981–1987)
- Good Morning America (1975—present)
- Growing Pains (1985–1992)
- Guiding Light (1952—2009)
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951—present)
- Hee Haw (1969–1993)
- Highway to Heaven (1984–1989)
- Hill Street Blues (1981–1987)
- It's a Living (1980–1982, 1985–1989)
- Jeopardy! (1964–1975, 1984–present)
- Kate & Allie (1984–1989)
- Knots Landing (1979–1993)
- L.A. Law (1986–1994)
- Larry King Live (1985–2010)
- Late Night with David Letterman (1982–1993)
- Lou Dobbs Tonight (1980–2009)
- Loving (1983–1995)
- MacGyver (1985–1992)
- Magnum, P.I. (1980–1988)
- Mama's Family (1983–1984, 1986–1990)
- Masterpiece Theatre (1971—present)
- Matlock (1986–1996)
- Max Headroom (1987–1988)
- Meet the Press (1947—present)
- Miami Vice (1984–1989)
- Monday Night Football (1970—present)
- Moonlighting (1985–1989)
- Mr. Belvedere (1985–1990)
- Muppet Babies (1984–1991)
- Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996)
- Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom (1963–1988, 2002–present)
- Mystery! (1980–present)
- National Geographic Explorer (1985–present)
- Nature (1982–present)
- NBC Nightly News (1970–present)
- Newhart (1982–1990)
- Night Court (1984–1992)
- Nightline (1979—present)
- Nova (1974–present)
- One Life to Live (1968—present)
- Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986–1990)
- Perfect Strangers (1986–1993)
- Punky Brewster (1984–1988)
- Remington Steele (1982–1987)
- Ryan's Hope (1975–1989)
- Sally (1985–2002)
- Santa Barbara (1984–1993)
- Saturday Night Live (1975—present)
- Sesame Street (1969—present)
- Silver Spoons (1982–1987)
- Simon & Simon (1981–1988)
- Solid Gold (1980–1988)
- Soul Train (1971—2006)
- SportsCenter (1979–present)
- Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
- St. Elsewhere (1982–1988)
- Tales from the Darkside (1984–1988)
- The A-Team (1983–1987)
- The Addams Family (1964-1966)
- The Cosby Show (1984–1992)
- The Disney Sunday Movie (1986–1988)
- The Facts of Life (1979–1988)
- The Golden Girls (1985–1992)
- The McNeil/Leather Newshour (1975–present)
- The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986–2011)
- The Price Is Right (1972—present)
- The Today Show (1952—present)
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992)
- The Twilight Zone (1985–1988)
- The Young and the Restless (1973—present)
- This Old House (1979—present)
- This Week (1981–present)
- Truth or Consequences (1950–1988)
- Webster (1983–1989)
- What's Happening Now!! (1985–1988)
- Wheel of Fortune (1983–present)
- Wheel of Fortune, daytime version (1975—1991)
- Who's the Boss? (1984–1992)
- Wide World of Sports (1961–1998)
Debuts
Returning this year
| Show | Last aired | Previous network | Retitled as/Same | New/Same network | Return date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles in Charge | 1985 | CBS | Same | Syndication | January 3 |
| Blockbusters | 1982 | NBC | Same | January 5 | |
| Concentration | 1978 | Syndication | Classic Concentration | NBC | May 4 |
| We Got it Made | 1984 | NBC | Same | Same | September 11 |
| High Rollers | 1980 | Syndication | September 14 |
Ending this year
Changes of network affiliation
| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
|---|---|---|
| Punky Brewster | NBC | Syndication |
| Webster | ABC |
Made-for-TV movies and miniseries
| Title | Network | Premiere date |
|---|---|---|
| Amerika | ABC | February 8 |
| The Facts of Life Down Under | NBC | February 15 |
| LBJ: The Early Years | February 1 | |
| Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story | November 16 | |
| Roman Holiday | December 28 |
Births
Deaths
| Date | Name | Age | Notability |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 22 | David Susskind | 66 | Commentator and producer (The David Susskind Show) |
| February 25 | James Coco | 56 | Actor |
| March 3 | Danny Kaye | 76 | Actor & comedian (The Danny Kaye Show) |
| March 21 | Dean Paul Martin | 35 | Actor (Misfits of Science) |
| March 28 | Patrick Troughton | 67 | Actor (the Second Doctor on Doctor Who from 1966 to 1969) |
| April 17 | Dick Shawn | 63 | Actor |
| May 4 | Cathryn Damon | 56 | Actress (Mary on Soap) |
| May 31 | Roy Winsor | 75 | Soap opera writer (Search for Tomorrow) |
| June 24 | Jackie Gleason | 71 | Actor (The Honeymooners, The Jackie Gleason Show) |
| August 11 | Clara Peller | 85 | Wendy's spokesperson (Where's the Beef? ad campaign) |
| August 19 | Hayden Rorke | 76 | Actor (Dr. Bellows on I Dream of Jeannie) |
| September 5 | Quinn Martin | 65 | Executive producer (The Fugitive and many others) |
| September 11 | Lorne Greene | 72 | Actor (Ben Cartwright on Bonanza) |
| September 22 | Dan Rowan | 65 | Comedian (co-host of Laugh-In) |
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