1964 in television - Definition and Overview

See also: 1963 in television, other events of 1964, 1965 in television and the list of 'years in television'.

Events

• January 1 - Nearly all of NBC's programs are now broadcast in color.
• January 3 - Footage of the Beatles performing a concert in Bournemouth, England is shown on The Jack Paar Show.
• January 4 - TV Tokyo launched in Japan.
• February 9 - The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show, breaking television ratings records.
• February 16 - The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show.
• February 23 - The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show.
• April 20 - BBC2 starts broadcasting; the existing BBC channel is renamed BBC1.
• April 30 - Television sets manufactured as of this date are required to receive UHF channels.
• Danger Man returns to British TV after being cancelled in 1961. It would later air on CBS and be produced until 1966.

Debuts

• January 1 - Top of the Pops premieres on BBC television (1964-present)
• March 30 - The game show Jeopardy! debuts on NBC daytime TV (1964-1975, 1984-present)
• May 4 - The American soap opera Another World debuts on NBC at 3:00 PM Eastern time, as a half-hour show (1964-1999)
• September 1 - Shindig! premieres on ABC
• November 2 - Crossroads premieres on ITV in the UK (1964-1988, 2001-2003)
• Bewitched on ABC (1964-1972)
• Daniel Boone premieres (1964-1970)
• Gilligan's Island on CBS (1964-1967)
• Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. on CBS (1964-1970)
• Peyton Place on ABC (1964-1969)
• The Addams Family on ABC (1964-1966)
• The Munsters on CBS (1964-1966)
• The Wednesday Play on BBC1 (1964-1970)
• This Hour Has Seven Days on CBC (1964-1966)

Popular Television Shows

• Meet the Press (1947-present)
• Candid Camera (1948-present)
• The Ed Sullivan Show (1948-1971)
• The Jack Benny Show (1950-1965)
• Truth or Consequences (1950-1988)
• What's My Line (1950-1967)
• 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)
• Panorama (UK) (1953-present)
• The Good Old Days (UK) (1953-1983)
• Face the Nation (1954-present)
• The Milton Berle Show (1954-1967)
• The Secret Storm (1954-1974)
• The Tonight Show (1954-present)
• Captain Kangaroo (1955-1984)
• Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955-1976)
• Gunsmoke (1955-1975)
• The Lawrence Welk Show (1955-1982)
• This Is Your Life (UK) (1955-2003)
• Armchair Theatre (UK) (1956-1968)
• As the World Turns (1956-present)
• Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956-1978)
• The Edge of Night (1956-1984)
• The Price Is Right (1956-1965)
• What the Papers Say (UK) (1956-present)
• The Sky at Night (UK) (1957-present)
• Blue Peter (UK) (1958-present)
• Grandstand (UK) (1958-present)
• The Donna Reed Show (1958-1966)
• Bonanza (1959-1973)
• Juke Box Jury (1959-1967, 1979, 1989-1990)
• Coronation Street (UK) (1960-present)
• My Three Sons (1960-1972)
• The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968)
• The Flintstones (1960-1966)
• Ben Casey (1961-1966)
• Mister Ed (1961-1966)
• The Avengers (UK) (1961-1969)
• The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966)
• The Fulton Sheen Program (1961-1968)
• The Mike Douglas Show (1961-1981)
• Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1961-1969)
• Match Game (1962-1969, 1973-1984, 1990-1991, 1998-1999)
• The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971)
• The Late Late Show (Ireland) (1962-present)
• The Lucy Show (1962-1968)
• Z-Cars (UK) (1962-1978)
• Doctor Who (UK) (1963-1989, 1996, 2005-present)
• General Hospital (1963-present)
• Petticoat Junction (1963-1970)
• Ready Steady Go (1963-1966)
• The Doctors (1963-1982)
• Danger Man (UK) (1960-1961, 1964-1966)

Ending this year

• Zoo Quest (UK) (1954-1964).
• The Twilight Zone (1959-1964). The show was revived in 1985-1988, and then for one season in 2002.
• The Judy Garland Show (1963-1964).

Births

• February 15 - Chris Farley
• April 25 - Hank Azaria, actor and voice actor
• June 15 - Courteney Cox, actress
• June 23 - Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• July 3 - Yeardley Smith, voice actress, The Simpsons
• July 22 - Bonnie Langford, actress
• September 2 - Keanu Reeves, actor
• November 11 - Calista Flockhart, actress
• November 21 - Liza Tarbuck, British actress and television presenter
• December 8 - Teri Hatcher, actress

Deaths

• August 28 - Gracie Allen, actress, comedienne