1984 in American television
This article is a list of television-related events during 1984.
| List of years in American television: |
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| 1983–84 United States network television schedule |
| 1984–85 United States network television schedule |
| List of American television programs currently in production |
Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| January 2 | Oprah Winfrey takes over as host of WLS-TV's A.M. Chicago, which would serve as a forerunner to her nationwide, syndicated talk show. |
| January 9 | Wendy's "Fluffy Bun" advertisement is first broadcast, which gains Clara Peller and her "Where's the beef?" catchphrase national fame. |
| Something About Amelia, a story concerning incest, is broadcast by ABC. Glenn Close, Ted Danson, and Roxana Zal are the main actors. | |
| January 22 | During CBS's broadcast of Super Bowl XVIII, Apple Computer Company heralds the introduction of its Apple Macintosh personal computer with the famous advertisement "1984", the only time it is broadcast on national television. |
| January 23 | Professional wrestler Hulk Hogan defeats The Iron Sheik to win his first World Wrestling Federation championship at Madison Square Garden; the match is televised by the MSG Network. |
| January 27 | Michael Jackson's hair catches fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial. |
| February 1 | Arts & Entertainment Network launches from the merger of ARTS and RCA's The Entertainment Channel. It originally broadcasts after kids' channel Nickelodeon signs off. |
| Lifetime is launched from the merger of Hearst/ABC's Daytime and Viacom's Cable Health Network. | |
| In Bakersfield, California, CBS affiliate KPWR-TV changes its call letters to the current KGET-TV, in preparation for an affiliation swap with NBC affiliate KERO-TV the following month. | |
| February 26 | KDRV in Medford, Oregon signs on as an ABC affiliate, giving the Medford market full-time access to all three networks for the first time. |
| CBS airs the network broadcast television premiere of Star Wars. | |
| February 28 | At the 26th Grammy Awards telecast by CBS, Michael Jackson wins a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards. |
| April 7 | After being cancelled by ABC following its third season, Too Close for Comfort with the aid of Metromedia, is revived for the first-run syndicated market. |
| May 8 | Happy Days airs its series finale, "Passages". However, five additional episodes would air from the end of June on through the end of September. The last episode to be aired on ABC, "Fonzie's Spots", is actually #251 in chronological order. |
| May 18 | Character Bobby Ewing finds himself in the crossfire as a rival tries to gun down his brother J.R. on the season finale of the CBS series Dallas. |
| May 19 | CBS tapes the Michael Larson episodes of Press Your Luck in which Larson wins $110,237 cash and prizes. (The episodes, which are split into two parts, would air on June 8 and 11.) |
| June 23 | On a broadcast of NBC's Game of the Week between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals, Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg hits two crucial, game tying home runs off of Cardinals closer Bruce Sutter in both the bottom of the ninth and tenth innings. The Cubs would go on to win the game in eleven innings, by the score of 12 – 11. Bob Costas and Tony Kubek were on the call for what would soon become known as "The Sandberg Game". |
| July 14 | In what became known as "Black Saturday", Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation takes over Superstation WTBS' Saturday evening time period once occupied by Georgia Championship Wrestling. |
| July 23 | MTV broadcasts the live World Wrestling Federation event "The Brawl to End It All" from Madison Square Garden in New York City. |
| July 28 | ABC begins their coverage of the Summer Olympic Games from Los Angeles. Jim McKay and Peter Jennings served as hosts for the opening ceremonies. |
| July 30 | The soap opera Santa Barbara debuts on NBC. |
| September 9 | The Tyler-Longview market's lone television station KLTV finally receives competition when KLMG-TV (now Fox affiliate KFXK-TV) signs-on and takes KLTV's secondary CBS affiliation. |
| September 10 | The game show Jeopardy! returns to television as a syndicated show with new host Alex Trebek. |
| September 14 | Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler host the first MTV Video Music Awards at New York City's Radio City Music Hall, an event which included Madonna's performance of the song "Like a Virgin". |
| September 17 | The Transformers debuts in syndication. |
| September 18 | The series finale of Three's Company airs following a three-episode story arc that also sets up the spin-off Three's a Crowd. |
| September 20 | The Cosby Show debuts on NBC. |
| September 24 | The game show Super Password premieres on NBC at 12:00 noon EST. The new version of the classic game show is one of the few shows to survive at a time period that normally broadcasts news on any of the three major networks, running for 4 1/2 years. |
| CBS affiliate WJKA (now Fox affiliate WSFX-TV) in Wilmington, North Carolina signs-on the air, giving Wilmington in-market affiliates of all three commercial networks. | |
| October 1 | Montana, the last state in the Union without its own PBS station, gains one when Montana PBS launches. |
| American Movie Classics is initiated. | |
| October 8 | NBC broadcasts The Burning Bed, which features Farrah Fawcett as a woman who kills her abusive husband. The fact-based film is the highest-rated entertainment event of the 1984–1985 season. |
| October 12 | Actor Jon-Erik Hexum dies after shooting himself with a blank pistol. The cast and crew of the TV series Cover Up were filming the seventh episode of the series, "Golden Opportunity", on Stage 17 of the 20th Century Fox lot. One of the scenes filmed that day called for Hexum's character to load blanks into a .44 Magnum handgun. When the scene did not play as the director wanted, there was a delay in filming. Hexum became restless during the delay and began playing around to lighten the mood. He had apparently unloaded all but one blank round when, at 5:15 p.m., he spun the cylinder and, as if playing Russian roulette, put the revolver to his right temple and pulled the trigger. The force of the blank round was sufficient to dislodge fragments of his skull, which acted as projectiles in lieu of a bullet loaded in the cartridge. The skull fragments were propelled into his brain, killing him instantly. |
| October 27 | Turner Broadcasting System initiates the Cable Music Channel in the U.S., only to end it one month later. |
| November 12 | Theresa Saldana appears as herself in the NBC movie Victims for Victims: The Theresa Saldana Story, a retelling of her 1982 stabbing incident and its aftermath. |
| December 15 | One year after officially departing the cast of Saturday Night Live, Eddie Murphy returns to guest host. This would be Murphy's last appearance on the show (not counting a brief appearance during SNL's 40th Anniversary Special in 2015) until hosting again during the forty-fifth season in 2019. |
| December 17 | George C. Scott plays Ebenezer Scrooge in a new version of the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, broadcast by CBS. |
| The ABC soap opera One Life to Live changes its opening sequence and theme song, which lasted until 1991. | |
| ABC purchases a majority stake of ESPN from Getty Oil Corp. | |
| KLDO-TV in Laredo, Texas signs-on as an ABC affiliate, giving Laredo in-market affiliates of all three commercial networks (it is now an Univision affiliate). | |
| December 28 | The Edge of Night ends after twenty-eight years on CBS and ABC daytime. |
Programs
- 20/20 (1978–present)
- 60 Minutes (1968–present)
- ABC's Wide World of Sports (1961–1998)
- Alice (1976–1985)
- All My Children (1970–2011)
- American Bandstand (1952–1989)
- Another World (1964–1999)
- As the World Turns (1956–2010)
- Battle of the Planets (1978–1985)
- Benson (1979–1986)
- Cagney & Lacey (1982–1988)
- Candid Camera (1948–2004)
- Capitol (1982–1987)
- Cheers (1982–1993)
- Dallas (1978–1991)
- Dangermouse (1980–1992)
- Days of Our Lives (1965–present)
- Derrick (1974–1998)
- Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986)
- Dynasty (1981–1989)
- Face the Nation (1954–present)
- Falcon Crest (1981–1990)
- Fame (1982–1987)
- Family Feud (1976–1985, 1988–1995, 1999–present)
- Family Ties (1982–1989)
- Fraggle Rock (1983–1987)
- General Hospital (1963–present)
- Gimme a Break! (1981–1987)
- Good Morning America (1975–present)
- Guiding Light (1952–2009)
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951–present)
- Happy Days (1974–1984)
- Hart to Hart (1979–1984)
- Hee Haw (1969–1993)
- Hill Street Blues (1981–1987)
- Inspector Gadget (1983–1986)
- Knight Rider (1982–1986)
- Knots Landing (1979–1993)
- Late Night with David Letterman (1982–1993)
- Loving (1983–1995)
- Magnum, P.I. (1980–1988)
- Mama's Family (1983–1985, 1986–1990)
- Masterpiece Theatre (1971–present)
- Match Game—Hollywood Squares Hour (1962–1969, 1973–1984, 1990–1991, 1998–1999)
- Meet the Press (1947–present)
- Monday Night Football (1970–present)
- Moneyline (1980–present)
- Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom (1963–1988, 2002–present)
- Newhart (1982–1990)
- Nightline (1979–present)
- One Life to Live (1968–2012, 2013)
- Press Your Luck (1983–1986)
- Professional Bowlers Tour (1962–1997)
- Remington Steele (1982–1987)
- Ryan's Hope (1975–1989)
- Saturday Night Live (1975–present)
- Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983–1987)
- Schoolhouse Rock! (1973–1986)
- Search for Tomorrow (1951–1986)
- Sesame Street (1969–present)
- Silver Spoons (1982–1987)
- Simon & Simon (1981–1988)
- Solid Gold (1980–1988)
- Soul Train (1971–2006)
- SportsCenter (1979–present)
- St. Elsewhere (1982–1988)
- Star Search (1983-1995, 2003)
- That's Incredible! (1980–1984)
- The A-Team (1983–1987)
- The Dukes of Hazzard (1979–1985)
- The Edge of Night (1956–1984)
- The Facts of Life (1979–1988)
- The Fall Guy (1981–1986)
- The Jeffersons (1975–1985)
- The Love Boat (1977–1986)
- The P.T.L. Club (1976–1987)
- The Price Is Right (1972–present)
- The Today Show (1952–present)
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992)
- The Young and the Restless (1973–present)
- This Old House (1979–present)
- This Week in Baseball (1977–1998, 2000–2011)
- Three's Company (1977–1984)
- Too Close for Comfort (1980–1986)
- Trapper John, M.D. (1979–1986)
- Truth or Consequences (1950–1988)
- Webster (1983–1989)
- Wheel of Fortune (1975–present)
Debuting this year
| Date | Title | Network |
|---|---|---|
| January 3 | Riptide | NBC |
| January 4 | Night Court | |
| January 6 | Blue Thunder | ABC |
| January 20 | The Master | NBC |
| January 22 | Airwolf | CBS |
| January 28 | Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer | |
| March 6 | a.k.a. Pablo | ABC |
| March 19 | Kate and Allie | CBS |
| March 20 | Shaping Up | ABC |
| March 31 | Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous | Syndication |
| April | Video Music Box | WNYC-TV |
| April 4 | Double Trouble | NBC |
| April 12 | The Duck Factory | |
| April 14 | My Little Pony | Syndication |
| June 2 | Leo the Lion | CBN |
| June 4 | Danger Mouse | Nickelodeon |
| July 2 | Scrabble | NBC |
| July 13 | Brothers | Showtime |
| July 30 | Santa Barbara | NBC |
| August 13 | Call to Glory | ABC |
| September 5 | Heathcliff | Syndication |
| September 7 | Kids Incorporated | |
| September 8 | Dragon's Lair | ABC |
| Mighty Orbots | ||
| Turbo Teen | ||
| Challenge of the GoBots | Syndication | |
| September 10 | Voltron: Defender of the Universe | |
| September 13 | Glitter | ABC |
| September 14 | Hawaiian Heat | |
| September 15 | Snorks | NBC |
| Pink Panther and Sons | ||
| The Get Along Gang | CBS | |
| Muppet Babies | ||
| Pole Position | ||
| Pryor's Place | ||
| September 16 | E/R | |
| Miami Vice | NBC | |
| Punky Brewster | ||
| September 17 | The Transformers | Syndication |
| September 18 | Hunter | NBC |
| September 19 | Highway to Heaven | |
| September 20 | The Cosby Show | |
| Who's the Boss? | ABC | |
| September 22 | Cover Up | CBS |
| Hot Pursuit | NBC | |
| Finder of Lost Loves | ABC | |
| September 23 | Paper Dolls | |
| September 25 | Three's a Crowd | |
| September 26 | It's Your Move | NBC |
| September 27 | Partners in Crime | |
| September 30 | Tales from the Darkside | NBC |
| Murder, She Wrote | CBS | |
| October 3 | Charles in Charge | |
| October 7 | Out of Control | Nickelodeon |
| October 8 | Trivia Trap | ABC |
| October 10 | Dreams | CBS |
| October 26 | V | NBC |
| December 30 | Crazy Like a Fox | CBS |
Resuming this year
| Title | Final aired | Previous network | New title | Returning network | Date of return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| People are Funny | 1960 | NBC | Same | Same | March 24 |
| Showoffs | 1975 | ABC | Body Language | CBS | June 4 |
| Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids | 1981 | CBS | Same | Syndication | September 1 |
| Jeopardy! | 1979 | NBC | September 10 | ||
| Let's Make a Deal | 1981 | Syndication | The All-New Let's Make a Deal | Same | September 17 |
| Password Plus | 1982 | NBC | Super Password | September 24 |
Changing networks
| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
|---|---|---|
| Showoffs | ABC | CBS |
| Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids | CBS | Syndication |
| Jeopardy! | NBC |
Ending this year
| Date | Title | Debut |
|---|---|---|
| March 10 | We Got It Made (returned in 1987) | 1983 |
| April 2 | Automan | |
| April 7 | Mama's Family (returned in 1986) | |
| April 10 | a.k.a. Pablo | 1984 |
| April 16 | Blue Thunder | |
| April 27 | Masquerade | 1983 |
| April 30 | That's Incredible! | 1980 |
| May 15 | Oh Madeline | 1983 |
| May 19 | Fantasy Island | 1978 |
| May 22 | Hart to Hart | 1979 |
| May 28 | One Day at a Time | 1975 |
| June 1 | Tattletales | 1974 |
| June 2 | Whiz Kids | 1983 |
| June 14 | Lottery! | |
| July 4 | Real People | 1979 |
| July 11 | The Duck Factory | 1984 |
| July 27 | Hollywood Squares (returned in 1986) | 1966 |
| August 11 | Boone | 1983 |
| September 1 | Monchhichis | |
| The Little Rascals | 1982 | |
| Pac-Man | ||
| Richie Rich | 1980 | |
| Rubik, the Amazing Cube | 1983 | |
| The Littles | ||
| September 5 | Jennifer Slept Here | |
| September 8 | The Flintstone Funnies | 1982 |
| September 18 | Three's Company | 1977 |
| September 24 | Happy Days | 1974 |
| November 10 | The Puppy's Further Adventures | 1982 |
| December 1 | The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast | 1974 |
| The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show | 1983 | |
| December 8 | Captain Kangaroo | 1955 |
| Pole Position | 1984 | |
| Pryor's Place | ||
| December 11 | AfterMASH | 1983 |
| December 28 | The Edge of Night | 1956 |
| December 29 | Partners in Crime | 1984 |
Entering syndication
| Show | Seasons | In Production | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benson | 5 | Yes | [1] |
| Bizarre | 4 | Yes | [1] |
| Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids | 7 | Yes | [1] |
| The Greatest American Hero | 3 | No | [1] |
| Hart to Hart | 5 | No | [1] |
| Trapper John, M.D. | 5 | Yes | [1] |
| Voyagers! | 1 | No | [1] |
Made-for-TV movies and miniseries
- V: The Final Battle
Television stations
Station launches
| Date | City of License/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 21 | Santa Fe/Albuquerque, New Mexico | KCHF | 11 | Religious independent | |
| February 1 | Indianapolis, Indiana | WPDS-TV | 59 | Independent | |
| February 14 | Fort Walton Beach, Florida | WPAN | 40 | ||
| February 18 | Nashville, Tennessee | WCAY-TV | 30 | ||
| February 22 | Green Bay, Wisconsin | WSCO | 14 | Religious independent | |
| February 23 | Lake Havasu City, Arizona | K45AJ | 45 | Independent | |
| February 26 | Medford, Oregon | KDRV | 12 | ABC | |
| March 5 | Greensboro, North Carolina | WLXI | 61 | Independent | |
| March 7 | Appleton/Green Bay, Wisconsin | WBOU | 32 | ||
| March 25 | New Orleans, Louisiana | WNOL-TV | 38 | ||
| March 30 | Seattle, Washington | KQFB | 20 | ||
| April 1 | Greenville, South Carolina (Spartanburg, SC/Asheville, SC) |
WHNS | 21 | ||
| April 16 | Concord, New Hampshire | WNHT | 21 | ||
| April 17 | Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas | KLTJ | 49 | TBN | |
| May 5 | El Paso, Texas | KINT | 26 | Spanish independent | |
| May 12 | San Angelo, Texas | KIDY | 6 | Independent | |
| May 13 | Decatur, Illinois (Champaign/Springfield, Illinois) |
WFHL | 23 | Religious independent | |
| June 1 | Columbus, Ohio | WTTE | 28 | Independent | |
| June 25 | Harlingen/Brownsville/McAllen, Texas | KLUJ-TV | 44 | ||
| July 1 | Hopkinsville, Kentucky | W43AG | 43 | ||
| July 5 | Florence, South Carolina | WGSE | 43 | ||
| July 8 | New Orleans, Louisiana | WLAE-TV | 32 | Educational independent | |
| July 10 | Lake Havasu City, Arizona | K25AL | 25 | TBN | |
| July 31 | Las Vegas, Nevada | KRLR | 21 | Independent | |
| August | Jacksonville, Illinois | WJPT | 14 | PBS | |
| August 1 | Hagerstown, Maryland | WJAL | 68 | Independent | Now licensed to Silver Spring, Maryland |
| August 7 | Burlington, North Carolina (Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina) |
WRDG | 16 | ||
| August 22 | Chicago, Illinois | W13BE | 13 | ||
| September 9 | Toccoa, Georgia | WNEG | 32 | ||
| Tyler, Texas | KLMG-TV | 51 | CBS | ||
| September 10 | Greenwood/Anderson, South Carolina | 38 | PBS | Part of South Carolina ETV | |
| Jacksonville, Florida | W10AX | 10 | The Box | ||
| September 14 | Hartford, Connecticut | WTIC-TV | 61 | Independent | |
| September 23 | Dayton, Ohio | WRGT-TV | 45 | ||
| September 24 | Wilmington, North Carolina | WJKA | 26 | CBS | |
| October 1 | Bozeman/Butte, Montana | KUSM-TV | 9 | PBS | Flagship of Montana PBS |
| Kalamazoo, Michigan (Battle Creek/Grand Rapids, Michigan) |
WGVK | 52 | |||
| Macomb, Illinois | WMEC | 22 | |||
| San Diego, California | KTTY | 69 | Independent | ||
| October 24 | Miami, Florida | W30AB | 30 | PBS | Translator of WPBT |
| October 31 | Asheville, North Carolina (Greenville/Spartanburg, South Carolina) |
WASV | 62 | Independent | |
| November | Columbus, Georgia (Auburn, Alabama) |
WXTX | 54 | ||
| November 24 | Richmond, Virginia | WVRN-TV | 63 | Religious independent | |
| November 30 | Jackson, Mississippi | WDBD | 40 | Independent | |
| December 3 | Albany, New York | WUSV | 45 | ||
| December 15 | Flint, Michigan | WSMH | 66 | ||
| December 17 | Laredo, Texas | KLDO-TV | 27 | ABC | |
| December 18 | K61CV | 61 | unknown | ||
| December 24 | Pensacola, Florida (Mobile, Alabama) |
WJTC | 44 | Independent | |
| December 31 | Tucson, Arizona | KDTU | 18 | ||
| Unknown date | Billings, Montana | K05HS | 5 | Daystar | |
| Casper, Wyoming | KFNB | 20 | ABC | ||
| Glenwood Springs, Colorado | KCWS | 3 | Independent | ||
| Minneapolis, Minnesota | K58BS | 58 | TBN | ||
| Wenatchee, Washington | KCWT-TV | 27 | Independent |
Network affiliation changes
| Date | City of License/Market | Station | Channel | Old affiliation | New affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 1 | Bakersfield, California | KGET-TV | 17 | CBS | NBC | |
| Unknown date | Cheyenne, Wyoming | KYCU-TV | 5 | CBS | ABC (primary) NBC (secondary) |
|
Births
Deaths
| Date | Name | Age | Notability |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 16 | Kenny Williams | 69 | Game show announcer (The Hollywood Squares, High Rollers, Gambit) |
| March 1 | Jackie Coogan | 69 | actor (Uncle Fester on The Addams Family) |
| March 24 | Sam Jaffe | 93 | actor (Dr. Zorba on Ben Casey) |
| May 2 | Jack Barry | 66 | game show host/producer (The Joker's Wild) |
| May 16 | Andy Kaufman | 35 | comedian (Latka Gravas on Taxi) |
| June 15 | Ned Glass | 78 | actor |
| August 8 | Richard Deacon | 63 | actor (Fred Rutherford on Leave It to Beaver, Mel Cooley on The Dick Van Dyke Show) |
| September 24 | Neil Hamilton | 85 | actor (Commissioner Gordon on Batman) |
| October 18 | Jon-Erik Hexum | 26 | actor (gunshot wound from accident on set of TV series Cover Up) |
| December 7 | Jeanne Cagney | 65 | actress |
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gollark: Us real intellectuals just read and send raw TCP streams to random Minecraft servers.
gollark: Furnaces... broke...?
gollark: Contact the Supreme Yemmels and hopefully be refunded.
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