See also: 1957 in television, other events of 1958, 1959 in television and the list of 'years in television'.

Contents

1 Events 2 Debuts 3 Popular Television Shows 4 Ending this year 5 Births

Events

• July 1 - The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation links television broadcasting across Canada.
• November 28 - During the live broadcast of the Armchair Theatre play Underground on the ITV network in the UK, actor Gareth Jones dies between two of his scenes while in make-up. Director William Kotcheff is forced to improvise with his cast to carry on the play to its conclusion, with producer Sydney Newman ordering him to "shoot it like a football match".
• Senator Estes Kefauver holds congressional hearings on the rising rates of juvenile crime and publishes an article in Reader's Digest called "Let's Get Rid of Tele-Violence."
• Ampex demonstrates their design for a color Video Tape Recorder.
• In the United Kingdom, the top-rated show of the year was the ITV game show Dotto, based on children's Join the Dots puzzles.
• Television broadcasting begins in Portugal.

Debuts

• October 10 - Grandstand debuts on BBC Television (1958-present).
• October 16 - Blue Peter, the world's longest-running children's TV program, debuts on BBC Television (1958-present)
• Quatermass and the Pit (UK) (1958-1959)
• The Donna Reed Show (1958-1966)

Popular Television Shows

• Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (1946-1960)
• Howdy Doody (1947-1960)
• Meet the Press (1947-present)
• Candid Camera (1948-present)
• The Ed Sullivan Show (1948-1971)
• The Voice of Firestone (1949-1963)
• The Jack Benny Show (1950-1965)
• Truth or Consequences (1950-1988)
• What's My Line (1950-1967)
• Your Hit Parade (1950-1959)
• Dragnet (1951-1959)
• Love of Life (1951-1980)
• Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986)
• American Bandstand (1952-1989)
• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-1966)
• The Guiding Light (1952-present)
• The Honeymooners (1952-1970)
• The Today Show (1952-present)
• This Is Your Life (US) (1952-1961)
• Panorama (UK) (1953-present)
• The Good Old Days (UK) (1953-1983)
• Disneyland (1954-1958) ends on September 3, to resume on September 12 as Walt Disney Presents (1958-1961)
• Face the Nation (1954-present)
• The Brighter Day (1954-1962)
• The Milton Berle Show (1954-1967)
• The Secret Storm (1954-1974)
• The Tonight Show (1954-present)
• Zoo Quest (UK) (1954-1964)
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1962)
• Captain Kangaroo (1955-1984)
• Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955-1976)
• Gunsmoke (1955-1975)
• Mickey Mouse Club (1955-1959)
• The Lawrence Welk Show (1955-1982)
• This Is Your Life (UK) (1955-2003)
• Armchair Theatre (UK) (1956-1968)
• As the World Turns (1956-present)
• Hancock's Half Hour (1956-1962)
• Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956-1978)
• The Edge of Night (1956-1984)
• The Gale Storm Show, Oh! Susanna (1956-1960)
• The Price Is Right (1956-1965)
• The Steve Allen Show (1956-1960)
• What the Papers Say (UK) (1956-present)
• Leave It to Beaver (1957-1963)
• The Army Game (UK) (1957-1961)
• The Sky at Night (UK) (1957-present)

Ending this year

• Kraft Television Theater (1947-1958)
• The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950-1958)

Births

• January 1 - Kim Taylforth, actress
• January 2 - Maya Even, television presenter
• January 3 - Kerry Armstrong, actress
• April 29 - Eve Plumb, actress, The Brady Bunch
• July 6 - Jennifer Saunders, actress
• November 16 - Marg Helgenberger, actress