1976 in television - Definition and Overview

See also: 1975 in television, other events of 1976, 1977 in television and the list of 'years in television'.

Events

• January 1 - NBC replaces the peacock logo with a modern N made up of two trapezoids.
• January 6 - SABC television goes on the air in South Africa, introducing television to the nation for the first time.
• January 17 - The Blues Brothers make their debut on NBC's Saturday Night Live.
• February-March - Rich Man, Poor Man mini series.
• April 5 - Patricia Phoenix returns to the role of Elsie Tanner on Coronation Street after an absence of three years.
• April 7 - Margot Bryant makes her last appearance as Minnie Caldwell on Coronation Street.
• April 24 - Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels makes on on-air offer to pay The Beatles $3,000 to reunite on the show. Lennon and McCartney were apparently watching the show together in New York and considered walking down to the studio to accept the check.
• May 22 - Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels raises his previous offer to The Beatles from $3,000 to $3,200.
• November 7 - Beginning tonight, NBC airs the movie Gone With the Wind on TV over two nights due to its length. The event is the highest-rated US television event of the season.
• November 9 - the Museum of Broadcasting is opened, located on the first three floors of the Paley Foundation building in New York City. (The museum would later be renamed the Museum of Television and Radio).
• December 1 - Punk group the Sex Pistols cause a storm of controversy and outrage in the UK by swearing on the regional London news program Tonight with Bill Grundy. Grundy, who has goaded them into doing so, is sacked.
• The Olympics, broadcast from Montreal, draw an estimated 1 billion viewers worldwide.
• Matsushita introduces the VHS home video cassette recorder to compete with Sony's Betamax system.
• Dennis Potter's Play for Today Brimstone and Treacle is pulled from transmission on BBC1 due to controversy over its content, including the rape of a woman by the devil. It is eventually screened on BBC2 in 1987, after having been made into a film starring Sting in 1982.

Debuts

• July 12 - Family Feud premieres on ABC daytime (1976-1985, 1988-1995, 1999-present)
• August 5 - What's Happening!! premieres on ABC (1976-1979)
• August 31 - Alice premieres on CBS (1976-1985)
• Charlie's Angels premieres (1976-1981)
• In Search of... premieres (1976-1982)
• Laverne & Shirley premieres (1976-1983)
• New Howdy Doody Show premieres (1976-1977)
• Quincy, M.E. premieres (1976-1983)
• Second City Television (SCTV) debuts on Global Television Network in Canada (1976-1984)
• The Bionic Woman premieres (1976-1978)
• The Muppet Show premieres on ITV in the UK and in syndication in the USA (1976-1981)
• The P.T.L. Club premieres (1976-1987)

Television shows

• Meet the Press (1947-present)
• Candid Camera (1948-present)
• Truth or Consequences (1950-1988)
• Love of Life (1951-1980)
• Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986)
• American Bandstand (1952-1989)
• The Guiding Light (1952-present)
• The Today Show (1952-present)
• Panorama (UK) (1953-present)
• The Good Old Days (UK) (1953-1983)
• Face the Nation (1954-present)
• The Tonight Show (1954-present)
• Captain Kangaroo (1955-1984)
• The Lawrence Welk Show (1955-1982)
• This Is Your Life (UK) (1955-2003)
• As the World Turns (1956-present)
• Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956-1978)
• The Edge of Night (1956-1984)
• What the Papers Say (UK) (1956-present)
• The Sky at Night (UK) (1957-present)
• Blue Peter (UK) (1958-present)
• Grandstand (UK) (1958-present)
• Coronation Street (UK) (1960-present)
• The Mike Douglas Show (1961-1981)
• The Late Late Show (Ireland) (1962-present)
• Z-Cars (UK) (1962-1978)
• Doctor Who (UK) (1963-1989, 1996, 2005-present)
• General Hospital (1963-present)
• The Doctors (1963-1982)
• Another World (1964-1999)
• Crossroads (UK) (1964-1988, 2001-2003)
• Top of the Pops (UK) (1964-present)
• Days of Our Lives (1965-present)
• World of Sport (UK) (1965-1985)
• Play School (1966-present)
• The Carol Burnett Show (1967-1978)
• 60 Minutes (1968-present)
• Hawaii Five-O (1968-1980)
• Magpie (UK) (1968-1980)
• One Life to Live (1968-present)
• Hee Haw (1969-1993)
• Sesame Street (1969-present)
• The Benny Hill Show (UK) (1969-1989)
• The Wonderful World of Disney (1969-1979)
• All My Children (1970-present)
• Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977)
• McCloud (1970-1977)
• Monday Night Football (1970-present)
• Play for Today (UK) (1970-1984)
• All in the Family (1971-1979)
• Columbo (1971-1978)
• Masterpiece Theatre (1971-present)
• McMillan and Wife (1971-1977)
• Old Grey Whistle Test (UK) (1971-1987)
• Soul Train (1971-present)
• Are You Being Served? (UK) (1972-1985)
• Emmerdale Farm (UK) (1972-present)
• John Craven's Newsround (UK) (1972-present)
• Maude (1972-1978)
• M*A*S*H (1972-1983)
• Sanford and Son (1972-1977)
• The Bob Newhart Show (1972-1978)
• The Price Is Right (1972-present)
• The Waltons (1972-1981)
• Barnaby Jones (1973-1980)
• Kojak (1973-1978)
• Last of the Summer Wine (UK) (1973-present)
• Match Game '76 (1962-1969, 1973-1984, 1990-1991, 1998-1999)
• Schoolhouse Rock! (1973-1986)
• The Six Million Dollar Man (1973-1978)
• The Tomorrow Show (1973-1982)
• The Young and the Restless (1973-present)
• Chico and the Man (1974-1978)
• Derrick (1974-1998)
• Good Times (1974-1979)
• Happy Days (1974-1984)
• Land of the Lost (1974-1977)
• Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983)
• Rhoda (1974-1978)
• Tattletales (1974-1978, 1982-1984)
• The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast (1974-1984)
• The Rockford Files (1974-1980)
• Tiswas (UK) (1974-1982)
• Wish You Were Here...? (UK) (1974-present)
• Baretta (1975-1978)
• Barney Miller (1975-1982)
• Good Morning America (1975-present)
• King of Kensington (Canada) (1975-1980)
• Match Game PM (1975-1981)
• One Day at a Time (1975-1984)
• Pop Quest (UK) (1975-1978)
• Runaround (UK) (1975-1981)
• Ryan's Hope (1975-1989)
• Saturday Night Live (1975-present)
• Space: 1999 (UK) (1975-1977)
• Supersonic (UK) (1975-1977)
• Superstars (UK) (1975-1985, 2003-present)
• the fifth estate (Canada) (1975-present)
• The Jeffersons (1975-1985)
• The Sweeney (UK) (1975-1978)
• Welcome Back, Kotter (1975-1979)
• Wheel of Fortune (1975-present)

Ending this year

• Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955-1976).
• Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969-1976).

Births

• April 6 - Candace Cameron, actress on Full House.
• July 12 - Anna Friel, British actress.
• August 6 - Soleil Moon Frye, actress who would go on to play the character Punky Brewster.
• August 27 - Sarah Chalke, actress on Roseanne.
• September 19 - Alison Sweeney, actress.
• October 12 - Sarah Lane, US television presenter.
• October 23 - Cat Deeley, British television presenter.

Deaths

• August 28 - Anissa Jones, former child actress, from a drug overdose.