1992 in television - Definition and Overview

See also: 1991 in television, other events of 1992, 1993 in television and the list of 'years in television'.

Events

• January 10 - The Days of Our Lives nighttime special One Stormy Night airs on NBC.
• April 30 - After an eight year run the last episode of The Cosby Show airs. One of the show's time-slot rivals, Fox's The Simpsons, pays tribute to it with a brief animated segment.
• May 9 - The popular NBC sitcom The Golden Girls airs its final episode.
• May 22 - After 30 years, 66 year old Johnny Carson hosts The Tonight Show for the last time. David Letterman, who had been promised The Tonight Show by NBC upon Carson's retirement years earlier, leaves for CBS when the network gives the show to frequent guest host Jay Leno.
• June 3 - US Presidential Candidate Bill Clinton appears on The Arsenio Hall Show. Clinton even plays the saxophone with the live band.
• June 23 - Another World airs its first and only primetime episode, called Summer Desire, right before the Daytime Emmy Awards.
• September - The Young and the Restless airs its milestone 5000th episode.
• October - Zee TV, the first Hindi satellite channel launched in India.
• November 18- NBC's Seinfeld airs its most infamous episode, "The Contest", in which the four friends agree to abstain from all sexually related activity and see who could go without "it" the longest. It is never said who won the contest, however it is assumed to be a tie between Jerry Seinfeld's character and Jason Alexander's character.
• December 31 - After 24 years, Thames Television ceases broadcasting. Carlton Television takes over its London weekday franchise.
• In Belize, Channel 5 begins the nation's first daily news broadcast.
• In Latin America, Sabado Gigante turns 30 years old, with a new show every week. The Guinness Book of Records recognized it as the longest continuously running television show in history.
• Texas billionaire Ross Perot buys blocks of U.S. television time for his Presidential campaign.
• Growing Pains actress Tracey Gold loses a massive amount of weight due to anorexia nervosa and is placed in hospital care. As a result, she is written out of most of the final episodes.
• The soap opera Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten debuts on RTL Television in Germany.
• Kalimera Ellada on ANT1 debuts as one of its first morning show in Greek language television history.
• Sailor Moon premieres on TV Asahi in Japan.

Debuts

• Absolutely Fabulous premieres on BBC (1992-1996, 2001-2003).
• Barney & Friends, a children's educational television show starring a giant purple dinosaur, premieres (1992-2002).
• Dateline NBC premieres on NBC (1992-present).
• Mad About You premieres on NBC (1992-1999).
• Prime Time News replaces The National and The Journal on CBC television (1992-1995).
• The Larry Sanders Show premieres on cable television (1992-1998).
• The Real World premieres on MTV (1992-present). The show is one of the first popular "reality television" series.

Television shows

• Meet the Press (1947-present)
• Candid Camera (1948-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)
• Coronation Street (UK) (1960-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)
• 60 Minutes (1968-present)
• One Life to Live (1968-present)
• Hee Haw (1969-1993)
• Sesame Street (1969-present)
• 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)
• 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)
• Knots Landing (1979-1993)
• Entertainment Tonight (1981-present)
• Cheers (1982-1993)
• Late Night with David Letterman (1982-1993)
• Loving (1983-1995)
• Jeopardy! (1964-1975, 1984-present)
• Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996)
• Santa Barbara (1984-1993)
• The Bill (UK) (1984-present)
• EastEnders (UK) (1985-present)
• Neighbours (Australia) (1985-present)
• Sally (1985-2002)
• Designing Women (1986-1993)
• Double Dare (1986-1993)
• L.A. Law (1986-1994)
• Matlock (1986-1995)
• Perfect Strangers (1986-1993)
• The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986-present)
• A Different World (1987-1993)
• Full House (1987-1995)
• Inspector Morse (1987-2000)
• Married... with Children (1987-1997)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987-1996)
• The Bold and the Beautiful (1987-present)
• Children's Ward (UK) (1988-2000)
• Empty Nest (1988-1995)
• Family Feud (1976-1985, 1988-1995, 1999-present)
• Garfield and Friends (1988-1995)
• Murphy Brown (1988-1998)
• Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988-1999)
• Roseanne (1988-1997)
• The Wonder Years (1988-1993)
• Baywatch (1989-2001)
• Cops (1989-present)
• Family Matters (1989-1998)
• Life Goes On (1989-1993)
• Press Gang (UK) (1989-1993)
• Seinfeld (1989-1998)
• Tales from the Crypt (1989-1996)
• The Arsenio Hall Show (1989-1994)
• The Simpsons (1989-present)
• In Living Color (1990-1994)
• Law & Order (1990-present)
• One Foot in the Grave (UK) (1990-2000)
• Road to Avonlea (Canada) (1990-1996)
• Doug (1991-1994, 1996-1999)
• Home Improvement (1991-1999)
• Rugrats (1991-2004)
• Sisters (1991-1996)
• The House of Eliott (UK) (1991-1994)
• The Jerry Springer Show (1991-present)
• The Ren & Stimpy Show (1991-1996)

Ending this year

• The Journal (Canada) (1982-1992).
• Night Court (1984-1992).
• The Cosby Show (1984-1992).
• Who's the Boss? (1984-1992).
• Growing Pains (1985-1992).
• MacGyver (1985-1992).
• The Golden Girls (1985-1992).

Births

• June 14 - Daryl Sabara, actor.

Deaths

• January 26 - José Ferrer, actor.
• February 2 - Bert Parks, longtime host of the Miss America beauty pageant.
• February 20 - Dick York, actor on Bewitched.
• March 25 - Nancy Walker, actress.
• March 26 - Barbara Frum, legendary Canadian television journalist.
• April 20 - Benny Hill, British comedian.
• May 12 - Robert Reed, The Brady Bunch.
• May 17 - Lawrence Welk, accordionist and bandleader.
• July 9 - Eric Sevareid, news commentator.
• October 16 - Shirley Booth, actress who starred as the character Hazel.
• October 22 - Cleavon Little, actor.
• November 10 - Chuck Connors, actor.
• November 22 - Sterling Holloway, actor.
• December 18 - Mark Goodson, prolific producer of game shows.
• December 24 - Pierre Culliford, a.k.a. "Peyo"; Belgian creator of Smurfs.