1997 in television
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This is a list of television-related events in 1997.
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Contents
Events
- January 1 - The U.S. television networks adopt ratings systems for their programming, similar to those used for motion pictures.
- January 3 - NBC's The Today Show Bryant Gumbel signs off for the last time.
- January 6 - The UK's Channel 4 closes down for the last time. From 6am, the channel broadcasts 24 hours a day.
- February 9 - The Simpsons surpasses The Flintstones as the longest-running prime-time animated series in terms of episodes aired.
- March 30 - Channel 5, the UK's fifth & last terrestrial channel, launches at 6.00pm. The first faces seen are the Spice Girls, who perform 1-2-3-4-5, a rewritten version of the Manfred Mann song 5-4-3-2-1.
- April 20 - Retired World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Superstar Bret Hart appeared on The Simpsons, the first wrestler appear on this longest running cartoon.
- June 6 - Actress Farrah Fawcett makes a bizarre appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. Fawcett tells long, rambling stories without a point, fails to understand simple questions, and gets easily distracted by things like blinking lights on the set.
- July 3 - Peter Snow presents Newsnight for the last time, though he will continue to make occasional appearances as a policial analyst until 2005.
- July 15 - A tribute episode is aired on Another World in honor of core cast member Victoria Wyndham's twenty-five years with the program.
- August 31 - BBC1 continues to air through the whole night in the UK for the first time (apart from general elections), simulcasting with BBC World to bring news updates of Diana, Princess of Wales's car accident.
- September – After several years of anchoring ABC's successful "TGIF" Friday night situation comedy programming block, Family Matters and Step by Step switch networks to CBS. Both shows, which were in their waning years (and would be cancelled in 1998), anchor CBS's new Friday night lineup of family-friendly programming.
- October 4 - BBC One adopts new "hot air balloon" globe identifications to coincide with the introduction of the network's new corporate logo. See BBC One Balloon Idents.
- October 13 - Canadian cable channels like Comedy Network, Food Network, HGTV, Prime, Teletoon began launching, Speedvision was introduced there.
- October 27 - UK Living changes its name to Living, to distance itself from the forthcoming UKTV network.
- November 1 - The UKTV network is launched in the UK. Existing channel UK Gold is joined by UK Horizons, UK Arena and UK Style.
- November 2 - A third production of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's version of Cinderella airs on ABC. This version, starring Brandy Norwood and Whitney Houston, is produced by The Walt Disney Company, who made their own version of the story as an animated film in 1950.
- November 8 - BBC One closes down for the last time, making BBC Two England's last terrestrial channel to still closedown at night. From the next day, BBC News 24 broadcasts on BBC1 through the night.
- November 9 - BBC News 24 launched, the BBC's first new UK channel since BBC Two in 1964.
- November 9 - Bret Hart lost his last match in the WWF (World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)) via submission to Shawn Michaels, however Hart never tapped out. see Montreal Screwjob.
- December 16 - An episode of Pokémon (called Electric Soldier Porygon) in Japan causes 685 children to have epileptic seizures.
Debuts
- January 6 - Sunset Beach premieres on NBC (1997-1999).
- January 12 - King of the Hill premieres on FOX (1997-2006).
- March 3 - Daria premieres on MTV (1997-2001).
- March 4 - Just Shoot Me premieres on NBC (1997-2003).
- March 4 - The Practice premieres (1997-2004).
- March 10 - Buffy the Vampire Slayer premieres on the WB (1997-2003).
- March 10 - It Takes Two (game show) returns to the Family Channel for 12 weeks host Dick Clark (entertainer)
- March 30 - Family Affairs premieres on Channel 5 (1997-2005).
- March 31 - 100% (game show) premieres on Channel 5 (1997-2001)
- March 31 - Teletubbies premieres on BBC1 (1997-2001).
- July 14 - Johnny Bravo premieres on Cartoon Network (1997-2003).
- July 15 - Cow and Chicken premieres on Cartoon Network (1997-1999).
- July 27 - Stargate SG-1 (1997-present).
- August 23 - South Park premieres on Comedy Central (1997-present).
- September 8 - Ally McBeal premieres on FOX (1997-2002).
- September 13 - Disney's One Saturday Morning premieres on ABC (1997-2002) featuring Recess and Pepper Ann.
- September 22- Brooklyn South premieres on CBS (1997-1998)
- September 23 - Dharma & Greg premieres on ABC (1997-2002).
- September 28 - The Wonderful World of Disney returns on ABC after a seven year break (1997-present).
- October 1 - ''Ned's Newt (1997-1998).
Miniseries
- , a reunion of the 1979-1993 series
- The Last Don
Television shows
1940s
- Meet the Press (1947-present).
- Candid Camera (1948-present)
1950s
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951-present).
- Guiding Light (1952-present).
- The Today Show (1952-present).
- Panorama (UK) (1953-present).
- Face the Nation (1954-present).
- The Tonight Show (1954-present).
- This Is Your Life (UK) (1955-2003).
- As the World Turns (1956-present).
- What the Papers Say (UK) (1956-present).
- The Sky at Night (UK) (1957-present).
- Blue Peter (UK) (1958-present).
- Grandstand (UK) (1958-present).
1960s
- Coronation Street (UK) (1960-present).
- Four Corners (Australia) (1961-present).
- It's Academic (1961-present).
- The Late Late Show (Ireland) (1962-present).
- General Hospital (1963-present).
- Another World (1964-1999).
- Top of the Pops (UK) (1964-present).
- Days of Our Lives (1965-present).
- Play School (1966-present).
- The Money Programme (1966-present).
- 60 Minutes (1968-present).
- One Life to Live (1968-present).
- Sesame Street (1969-present).
1970s
- All My Children (1970-present).
- Monday Night Football (1970-present).
- Masterpiece Theatre (1971-present).
- Soul Train (1971-present).
- Emmerdale (UK) (1972-present).
- Newsround (UK) (1972-present).
- The Price Is Right (1972-present).
- Last of the Summer Wine (UK) (1973-present).
- The Young and the Restless (1973-present).
- Derrick (1974-1998).
- Wish You Were Here...? (UK) (1974-present).
- Arena (UK) (1975–present).
- Good Morning America (1975-present).
- Saturday Night Live (1975-present).
- the fifth estate (Canada) (1975-present).
- Wheel of Fortune (1975-present).
- 20/20 (1978-present).
- Grange Hill (UK) (1978-present).
- Antiques Roadshow (UK) (1979-present).
- Nightline (1979-present).
- This Old House (1979-present).
1980s
- Entertainment Tonight (1981-present).
- What Now (1982-present)
- Timewatch (UK) (1982-present)
- Jeopardy! (1964-1975, 1984-present).
- The Bill (UK) (1984-present).
- EastEnders (UK) (1985-present).
- Neighbours (Australia) (1985-present).
- Sally (1985-2002).
- The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986-present).
- Comic Relief (UK) (1986-present).
- Casualty (UK) (1986-present).
- Chucklevision (UK) (1987-present).
- Inspector Morse (1987-2000).
- The Bold and the Beautiful (1987-present).
- America's Most Wanted (1988-present).
- The American Experience (1988-present).
- Fair City (1988-present).
- Home and Away (1988-present).
- This Morning (1988-present).
- Red Dwarf (UK) (1988-1999).
- Murphy Brown (1988-1998).
- Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988-1999).
- The Ward (UK) (1988-2000).
- Electric Circus (Canada) (1988-2003).
- Baywatch (1989-2001).
- Cops (1989-present).
- Family Matters (1989-1998).
- Seinfeld (1989-1998).
- The Simpsons (1989-present).
1990s
- Law & Order (1990-present).
- America's Funniest Home Videos (1990-present).
- Beverly Hills 90210 (1990-2000).
- One Foot in the Grave (UK) (1990-2000).
- Home Improvement (1991-1999).
- Rugrats (1991-2004).
- The Jerry Springer Show (1991-present).
- The Red Green Show (1991-present).
- Barney & Friends (1992-2002).
- Dateline NBC (1992-present).
- Mad About You (1992-1999).
- The Larry Sanders Show (1992-1998).
- Melrose Place (1992-1999).
- The Real World (1992-present).
- Frasier (1993-2004).
- Ricki Lake (1993-2004).
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993-present).
- NYPD Blue (1993-present).
- (1993-1999).
- The Late Show with David Letterman (1993-present).
- The Nanny (1993-1999).
- The X-Files (1993-2002).
- WWF RAW Is War/WWF War Zone (1993-present).
- ER (1994-present).
- Friends (1994-2004).
- Party of Five (1994-2000).
- Pokémon (Japan) (1997-2002).
- Time Team (UK) (1994-present).
- Touched by an Angel (1994-2003).
- JAG (1995-present).
- Pamela Wallin Live (Canada) (1995-1999).
- Sesame Park (Canada) (1995-2002).
- Sliders (1995-2000).
- (1995-2001).
- The Drew Carey Show (1995-2004).
- The Wheezer Bros. (1995-2001).
- Timon and Pumbaa (1995-1998).
- 7th Heaven (1996-2006).
- Dexter's Laboratory (1996-present).
- Doug (1991-1994, 1996-1999).
- Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005).
- Hey Arnold! (1996-2004).
- Judge Judy (1996-present).
- Only Fools and Horses (UK) (1981-1983, 1985-1993, 1996-1997, 2001-2003) (the only episode aired this year was a 10-minute special appeal Comic Relief 1997 Sketch).
- Spin City (1996-2002).
- The Daily Show (1996-present).
- The Demon Headmaster (UK) (1996-1998).
- The Newsroom (Canada) (1996-1997, 2003-2004).
Ending this year
- April 20 - Married... with Children (1987-1997).
- May 20 - Roseanne (1988-1997).
- February 8 - Sailor Moon (1992-1997).
- November 28 - Beavis and Butt-head (1993-1997).
- May 1 - Martin (1992-1997).
- August 30 - Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992-1997).
Changes of Network Affiliation
- JAG, from NBC to CBS.
- Family Matters, from ABC to CBS.
- Step by Step, from ABC to CBS.
- Clueless, from ABC to UPN.
Deaths
- January 16 - Ennis Cosby, 27, Bill Cosby's son is murdered.
- February 26 - David Doyle, 67, actor.
- April 15 - Donald Bexley, 87, actor on Sanford & Son.
- May 4 - Alvy Moore, 75, actor on Green Acres.
- May 11 - Howard Morton, 71, character actor.
- June 8 - Reid Shelton, 72, actor.
- June 24 - Brian Keith, 75, actor.
- July 4 - Charles Kuralt, 63, journalist.
- August 27 - Brandon Tartikoff, 48, former president of NBC.
- September 9 - Burgess Meredith, 89, actor.
- September 17 - Red Skelton, 84, comedian.
- October 16 - Audra Lindley, 79, actress on Three's Company.
- October 24 - Don Messick, 71, voice actor.
- October 30 - Sydney Newman, 80, producer.
- December 18 - Chris Farley, 33, accidental overdose of cocaine and morphine.
- December 25 - Denver Pyle, 77, actor.
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