1981 in American television
For the American TV schedule, see: 1981-82 American network television schedule.
| List of years in American television: |
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| 1980–81 United States network television schedule |
| 1981–82 United States network television schedule |
| List of American television shows currently in production |
The year 1981 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1981.
Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| February 20 | Comedian Andy Kaufman disrupts sketches and starts a brawl while broadcasting during ABC's sketch series Fridays, an occurrence that was later disclosed to have been entirely staged.[1] |
| February 21 | During an improvised segment at the end of a Saturday Night Live telecast hosted by Charlene Tilton, Charles Rocket uses the word "fuck". As a result of the ensuing controversy he is fired, along with producer Jean Doumanian and most of his fellow cast members, bringing an early end to a season that had been heavily criticized and sunk in the ratings.[2] |
| March 6 | After a 19-year run, Walter Cronkite resigns as main anchorman of The CBS Evening News and is succeeded the next Monday by Dan Rather. |
| March 30 | An assassination attempt against President Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C., in which the President and several other people were wounded, interrupted programming on the three major networks and CNN at 2:42 PM. Millions of viewers worldwide witnessed footage of the shooting and the chaos that followed. ABC News was flooded with unconfirmed reports, which pestered the chief anchor Frank Reynolds, one of which falsely stated that the President's press secretary James Brady had died in the shooting. This was also reported by CBS News and ABC News. Coverage of the assassination attempt continued for hours on the big three networks, and for two days on CNN. As a result, the Academy Awards were postponed for a day. |
| April 1 | Berlinda Tolbert and Michael Jonas Evans made their final appearance as Lionel and Jenny Willis Jefferson in The Jeffersons. |
| April 11 | Van Halen's main guitarist Eddie Van Halen marries One Day at a Time actress Valerie Bertinelli. |
| April 12 | The Alpha Repertory Television Service (also known as ARTS) launches right after the Nickelodeon time period. |
| April 21 | "Weird Al" Yankovic makes his first television appearance on The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder. |
| May 1 | The season four finale of Dallas, entitled "Ewing-Gate" aired. |
| June 30 | Fred Silverman is dismissed as president of NBC, after failing to improve that network's third-place rating, and is replaced by Grant Tinker. |
| July 4 | Showtime ends its part-time status and inaugurates a 24/7 schedule. |
| August 1 | The MTV network debuts on cable television, playing music videos 24 hours a day. "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles was the first video broadcast on the network. |
| September 7 | During the course of the year, all soap operas produced by Procter & Gamble change title sequences and theme songs. Another World, Guiding Light, Search for Tomorrow, and The Edge of Night all have new title sequences. |
| October 12 | CBS Cable is initiated. |
| November 1 | The NBC soap opera The Doctors broadcasts its 5,000th episode. |
| November 2 | Soap opera As the World Turns debuted a new opening sequence and theme song for the first time in its 25-year history. |
| November 8 | ESPN televises its first live flag-to-flag NASCAR race, the Atlanta Journal 500. |
| November 9 | The cast and crew of The Incredible Hulk were delivered a surprise: despite maintaining good ratings, The Incredible Hulk was to be canceled immediately (Executive producer Kenneth Johnson tried to convince the network to buy six additional episodes so that CBS could fill season five, but it was refused.) |
| November 16–17 | Luke and Laura's wedding for series General Hospital becomes one of the most watched weddings in American television history, second only to the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer. |
| December 10 | KJTV-TV in Lubbock, Texas signs on the air as an independent station under the KJAA call letters before becoming KJTV in 1985 then becoming a Fox affiliate in 1986. |
| December 24 | HBO begins broadcasting 24 hours a day full-time. |
| December 25 | Chuck Woolery hosted his last episode of Wheel of Fortune after a salary dispute with series producer and creator Merv Griffin. The next Monday, December 28, Pat Sajak began hosting. |
Programs
- 20/20 (1978–present)
- 60 Minutes (1968–present)
- Alice (1976–1985)
- All My Children (1970–present)
- American Bandstand (1952–1989)
- Another World (1964–1999)
- Archie Bunker's Place (1979–1983)
- As the World Turns (1956–2010)
- Barney Miller (1975–1982)
- Battle of the Planets (1978–1985)
- Benson (1979–1986)
- Candid Camera (1948–present)
- Captain Kangaroo (1955–1984)
- Charlie's Angels (1976–1981)
- CHiPs (1977–1983)
- Dallas (1978–1991)
- Days of Our Lives (1965–present)
- Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986)
- Disney's Wonderful World (1979–1981)
- Face the Nation (1954–present)
- Family Feud (1976–1985, 1988–1995, 1999–present)
- Fantasy Island (1977–1984)
- Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972–1984)
- General Hospital (1963–present)
- Good Morning America (1975–present)
- Guiding Light (1952–2009)
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951–present)
- Happy Days (1974–1984)
- Hee Haw (1969–1993)
- In Search of... (1977–1982)
- It's a Living (1980–1982, 1985–1989)
- Knots Landing (1979–1993)
- Laverne & Shirley (1976–1983)
- Little House on the Prairie (1974–1983)
- Lou Grant (1977–1982)
- Magnum, P.I. (1980–1988)
- M*A*S*H (1972–1983)
- Masterpiece Theatre (1971–present)
- Match Game (1962–1969, 1973–1984, 1990–1991, 1998–1999)
- Meet the Press (1947–present)
- Monday Night Football (1970–present)
- Mork & Mindy (1978–1982)
- Nightline (1979–present)
- One Day at a Time (1975–1984)
- One Life to Live (1968–present)
- Quincy, M.E. (1976–1983)
- Real People (1979–1984)
- Ryan's Hope (1975–1989)
- Saturday Night Live (1975–present)
- Schoolhouse Rock! (1973–1986)
- Search for Tomorrow (1951–1986)
- Sesame Street (1969–present)
- Soap (1977–1981)
- Solid Gold (1980–1988)
- Soul Train (1971–present)
- SportsCenter (1979–present)
- Taxi (1978–1983)
- Texas (1980–1982)
- That's Incredible! (1980–1984)
- The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast (1974–1984)
- The Doctors (1963–1982)
- The Dukes of Hazzard (1979–1985)
- The Edge of Night (1956–1984)
- The Facts of Life (1979–1988)
- The Jeffersons (1975–1985)
- The Lawrence Welk Show (1955–1982)
- The Love Boat (1977–1986)
- The Mike Douglas Show (1961–1981)
- The P.T.L. Club (1976–1987)
- The Price Is Right (1972–present)
- The Today Show (1952–present)
- The Tomorrow Show (1973–1982)
- The Tonight Show (1954–present; full title has generally included the host's name)
- The Waltons (1972–1981)
- The Young and the Restless (1973–present)
- This Old House (1979–present)
- This Week in Baseball (1977–1998, 2000–present)
- Three's Company (1977–1984)
- Too Close for Comfort (1980–1986)
- Trapper John, M.D. (1979–1986)
- Truth or Consequences (1950–1988)
- Wheel of Fortune (1975–present)
- WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982)
Debuts
Ending this year
| Date | Show | Debut |
|---|---|---|
| March 7 | The Tim Conway Show | 1980 |
| April 16 | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century | 1979 |
| April 20 | Soap | 1977 |
| July 21 | Flo | 1980 |
| August 19 | Charlie's Angels | 1976 |
| August 20 | The Waltons | 1972 |
| August 29 | Eight is Enough | 1977 |
| October 23 | Card Sharks | 1978 |
| November 30 | The Mike Douglas Show | 1961 |
Changes of network affiliation
| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
|---|---|---|
| Walt Disney anthology series | NBC | CBS |
Made-for-TV movies and miniseries
| Title | Network | Date(s) of airing |
|---|---|---|
| Fallen Angel | CBS | February 24 |
| Masada | ABC | April 5–8 |
| Family Reunion | NBC | October 11 & 12 |
| Skokie | CBS | November 17 |
| Bill | December 22 |
Births
Deaths
| Date | Name | Age | Notability |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 26 | Jim Davis | 71 | Actor (Jock Ewing on Dallas) |
| June 9 | Allen Ludden | 63 | Game show host (Password) |
| August 1 | Paddy Chayefsky | 58 | Writer (Marty) |
| September 27 | Robert Montgomery | 77 | Actor, host (Robert Montgomery Presents) |
| November 25 | Jack Albertson | 74 | Actor (Chico and the Man) |
References
- ↑ LaBrecque, Jeff (August 5, 2013). "'Fridays': What really happened the night Andy Kaufman melted down on live TV". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ↑ "How Bad Can It Be? Case File #23: Saturday Night Live’s aborted 1980-81 season". A.V. Club. September 5, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
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