1979 IN TELEVISION

The year '1979 in television' involved some significant events.
Below is a list of television-related events in 1979.
''For the American TV schedule, see: 1979-80 American network television schedule.''
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Contents

Events

Debuts

Miniseries

Television shows

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

Ending this year

Births

Deaths

Events

★ January 9 - The Music for UNICEF Concert is performed in New York City. The televised special airs the following night on NBC in the United States.

★ February 11 - In the US, 43 million viewers watch "Elvis!" on ABC, a made for TV movie starring Kurt Russell as Elvis.

★ March 6 - ''Another World'' becomes the first (and, to date, the only) soap opera to air regularly-scheduled ninety-minute telecasts. The time extension coincides with the death of long-running character John Randolph (played by Michael M. Ryan) in a house fire. The show goes back to 60-minute episodes in August 1980.

★ March 6 - Villain Roger Thorpe (played by Michael Zaslow) rapes his wife Holly (Maureen Garrett) on ''Guiding Light'', the first time spousal rape was shown on U.S. television.

★ March 19- C-Span. a United States cable channel is launched.

★ August 10 - Every television station in the UK is shut down by a technician's strike for eleven weeks. Technically, the Channel Islands are not directly a part of the UK, and so Channel Television makes due with an emergency 12-hour-a-day schedule made up largely of programs from the ITV archives.

★ September 7 - ESPN begins broadcasting sports 24/7 and was the first cable channel to be launched.

★ September 19 - On the two-hour TV-movie season premiere event on ''Eight is Enough'', both David and Susan Bradford married their respective loves in a double ceremony. The premiere grabbed a 40 share across the two hours.

★ October 24 - On ITV's first night back on air after the strike, ''Quatermass'', the fourth and final serial featuring Professor Bernard Quatermass, begins its run on the network.

★ October 25 - On BBC's first night back on the air after the strike, the two services simultaneously transmit a special two-and-a-half-hour Top of the Pops, featuring music clips that could not be broadcast in the previous eleven weeks.

★ Over 300 million households worldwide now own television sets.

★ December 1 - The Movie Channel begins broadcasting movies 24/7.

★ December 27 -The Knowledge starring Kim Taylforth airs on UK television.

★ ''General Hospital'' tops the yearly daytime television ratings for the first time.

★ CFMT, Toronto's first multicultural channel, launches.

★ ''Un Pecado del Amor'' premieres in Guatemala.

★ First color television broadcasts in Greece.

★ BBC2 unveils the first computer-generated television presentation symbol in the world. US broadcaster NBC unveils their first computer-generated symbol later that year.

★ Berlinda Tolbert and Mike Evans who both portray Lionel and Jenny Willis Jefferson, rejoins the cast of The Jeffersons, Mike Evans returns to the series, after his television he co-created, Good Times, was cancelled, Tolbert and Evans joins the cast until Spring of 1981.

★ April 22 - ''Friendly Fire'', a TV-movie starring Carol Burnett as a mother who wants to know how her son died in Vietnam, airs on ABC.

Debuts

★ January 8 - ''Password Plus'' premieres on NBC (1979-1982).

★ January 26 - ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' premieres on CBS (1979-1985).

★
★ ''Hello, Larry'', the third series McLean Stevenson has done since leaving ''M
★ A
★ S
★ H'', premieres on NBC (1979-1980).

★ January 28 - ''Thomas & Sarah'' premiered on LWT. It lasted only one series.

★
★ ''You Can't Do That on Television'' premieres on CTV affiliate CJOH-TV (1979-1990).

★ February 1 - ''Makin' It'' premiered on ABC. It lasted eight episodes.

★ February 3 - ''Battle Fever J'' premieres on TV Asahi (1979-1980)

★ February 7 - ''Supertrain'' premieres on NBC (1979).

★ February 8 - ''Angie'' premieres on ABC (1979-1980).

★ February 9 - ''Hana no Ko Lunlun'' premieres on TV Asahi (1979-1980)

★ March 24 - ''Tales of the Unexpected'', an Anglia Television series based on the short stories of Roald Dahl, debuts on ITV in the UK (1979-1985; 1987-1988).

★ April 1 - ''Pinwheel'' premieres on Nickelodeon making it the first Nickelodeon show. (1979-1989)

★ April 7 - ''Mobile Suit Gundam'' (1979-1980), the first part of Gundam anime metaseries (1979-present), airs in Japan

★ April 18 - ''Real People'' premieres on NBC (1979-1984).

★ August 24 - ''The Facts of Life'', a spinoff of ''Diff'rent Strokes'', premieres on NBC (1979-1988).

★ September 10 - Syndicated version of Match Game debuts. This version lasts until 1982 with the MG/Hollywood Squares Hour following it up in 1983-1984.

★ September 13 - ''Benson'', a spinoff of ''Soap'', premieres on ABC (1979-1986).

★ September 20 - ''Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' premieres on NBC (1979-1981).

★ September 23 - ''Archie Bunker's Place'', a continuation of ''All in the Family'', premieres on CBS (1979-1983).

★
★ ''Trapper John, M.D.'' premieres on CBS (1979-1986).

★ December 27 - ''Knots Landing'', a spinoff of ''Dallas'', premieres on CBS (1979-1993).

★ ''Antiques Roadshow'' premieres on BBC1 (1979-present).

★ ''The Mad Dash'' premieres on CTV.

★ ''The NewMusic'' premieres on CityTV.

★ ''Nightline'' premieres on ABC (1979-present).

★ ''Smith and Smith'' premieres (syndicated in Canada, 1979-1985).

★ ''This Old House'' premieres on PBS (1979-present).

Miniseries

★ ''Backstairs at the White House''

★ ''

Television shows

1940s

★ ''Meet the Press'' (1947-present).

★ ''Candid Camera'' (1948-present).

★ ''Bozo the Clown'' (1949-present).

★ ''Come Dancing'' (UK) (1949-1995).

1950s

★ ''Truth or Consequences'' (1950-1988).

★ ''Love of Life'' (1951-1980).

★ ''Search for Tomorrow'' (1951-1986).

★ ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'' (1951-present).

★ ''American Bandstand'' (1952-1989).

★ ''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 Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962-1992).

★ ''Captain Kangaroo'' (1955-1984).

★ ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' (1955-1982).

★ ''This Is Your Life'' (UK) (1955-2003).

★ ''As the World Turns'' (1956-present).

★ ''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) (1958-2007).

1960s

★ ''Coronation Street'' (UK) (1960-present).

★ ''Four Corners'' (Australia) (1961-present).

★ ''It's Academic'' (1961-present).

★ ''The Mike Douglas Show'' (1961-1981).

★ ''The Late Late Show'' (Ireland) (1962-present).

★ ''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) (1964-2006).

★ ''Days of Our Lives'' (1965-present).

★ ''World of Sport'' (UK) (1965-1985).

★ ''Play School'' (1966-present).

★ ''The Money Programme'' (UK) (1966-present).

★ ''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) ends on September 2 to resume on September 9 as ''Disney's Wonderful World'' (1979-1981).

1970s

★ ''All My Children'' (1970-present).

★ ''Monday Night Football'' (1970-present).

★ ''Play for Today'' (UK) (1970-1984).

★ ''Masterpiece Theatre'' (1971-present).

★ ''Old Grey Whistle Test'' (UK) (1971-1987).

★ ''Soul Train'' (1971-present).

★ ''Are You Being Served?'' (UK) (1972-1985).

★ ''Emmerdale Farm'' (UK) (1972-present).

★ ''Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids'' (1972-1984).

★ ''John Craven's Newsround'' (UK) (1972-present).

★ ''M
★ A
★ S
★ H'' (1972-1983).

★ ''The Price Is Right'' (1972-present).

★ ''The Waltons'' (1972-1981).

★ ''Barnaby Jones'' (1973-1980).

★ ''Last of the Summer Wine'' (UK) (1973-present).

★ ''Match Game '79'' (1962-1969, '1973-1984', 1990-1991, 1998-1999).

★ ''Schoolhouse Rock!'' (1973-1986).

★ ''Superstars'' (UK) ('1973-1985', 2003-2005).

★ ''The Tomorrow Show'' (1973-1982).

★ ''The Young and the Restless'' (1973-present).

★ ''Countdown'' (Australia) (1974-1987).

★ ''Derrick'' (1974-1998).

★ ''Dinah!'' (1974-1980).

★ ''Happy Days'' (1974-1984).

★ ''Little House on the Prairie'' (1974-1983).

★ ''The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast'' (1974-1984).

★ ''The Rockford Files'' (1974-1980).

★ ''Tiswas'' (UK) (1974-1982).

★ ''Wish You Were Here...?'' (UK) (1974-present).

★ ''Arena'' (UK) (1975–present).

★ ''Barney Miller'' (1975-1982).

★ ''Good Morning America'' (1975-present).

★ ''Jim'll Fix It'' (UK) (1975-1994).

★ ''King of Kensington'' (Canada) (1975-1980).

★ ''Match Game PM'' (1975-1981).

★ ''One Day at a Time'' (1975-1984).

★ ''Ryan's Hope'' (1975-1989).

★ ''Runaround'' (UK) (1975-1981).

★ ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975-present).

★ ''The Don Lane Show'' (Australia) (1975-1983).

★ ''the fifth estate'' (Canada) (1975-present).

★ ''The Jeffersons'' (1975-1985).

★ ''Wheel of Fortune'' (1975-present).

★ ''Alice'' (1976-1985).

★ ''Charlie's Angels'' (1976-1981).

★ ''Family Feud'' (1976-1985, 1988-1995, 1999-present).

★ ''Laverne & Shirley'' (1976-1983).

★ ''Multi-Coloured Swap Shop'' (UK) (1976-1982).

★ ''Quincy, M.E.'' (1976-1983).

★ ''Second City Television (SCTV)'' (Canada) (1976-1984).

★ ''The Muppet Show'' (UK) (1976-1981).

★ ''The P.T.L. Club'' (1976-1987).

★ ''CHiPs'' (1977-1983).

★ ''Eight is Enough'' (1977-1981).

★ ''Fantasy Island'' (1977-1984).

★ ''In Search of...'' (1977-1982).

★ ''Lou Grant'' (1977-1982).

★ ''Soap'' (1977-1981).

★ ''The Love Boat'' (1977-1986).

★ ''Three's Company'' (1977-1984).

★ ''20/20'' (1978-present).

★ ''3-2-1'' (UK) (1978-1987).

★ ''Battle of the Planets'' (1978-1985).

★ ''Dallas'' (1978-1991).

★ ''Diff'rent Strokes'' (1978-1986).

★ ''Grange Hill'' (UK) (1978-present).

★ ''Mork & Mindy'' (1978-1982).

★ ''Taxi'' (1978-1983).

★ ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' (1978-1982).

★ ''Juke Box Jury'' (1959-1967, '1979', 1989-1990).

Ending this year

★ March 2 - ''The All-New Jeopardy'' (1978-1979)

★ March 16 - ''Makin' It'' (1979)

★ April 8 - ''All in the Family'' (1971-1979) - continues as ''Archie Bunker's Place''.

★ April 20 - Match Game '79 (1973-79)

★ April 28 - ''What's Happening!!'' (1976-1979).

★ April 29 - ''Battlestar Galactica'' (1978-1979).

★ June 8 - ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975-1979).

★ August 1 - ''Good Times'' (1974-1979).

★ September 11 - ''Wonder Woman'' (1976-1979).

★ October 25 - ''Fawlty Towers'' (1975, '1979') (UK).

Births

★ January 1 - Sarah Graham, UK actress.

★ January 2 — Morena Baccarin, US actress (born in Brazil).

★ January 2 — Suranne Jones, UK actress.

★ January 3 - Corrieann Turner, English actress

★ January 4 - Lisa Huo

★ January 16 — Aaliyah, US singer/actress.

★ January 24

★
★ Tatyana Ali, US actress.

★
★ Kyle Brandt, US actor.

★ January 26 — Sara Rue, US actress.

★ February 11 — Brandy Norwood, US singer/actress.

★ February 21 — Jennifer Love Hewitt, US actress.

★ March 12 — John-Paul Lavoisier, US actor

★ April 9 — Keshia Knight Pulliam, US actress.

★ April 12 — Claire Danes, US actress.

★ July 11 — Julie Stoffer, US actress.

★ August 22 — Jennifer Finnigan, US actress (born in Canada).

★ October 8 — Kristanna Loken, US actress and model.

★ October 23 - Rebecca Loudonsack, British actress

★ November 23 — Kelly Brook, British television presenter and model.

★ December 2 — Melissa Archer, US actress.

★ December 15 — Adam Brody, US actor.

★ December 26 - Chris Daughtry, US singer.

Deaths

★ January 11 - Jack Soo, actor (Nick Yemana) on ''Barney Miller''.

★ January 16 - Ted Cassidy, 6'9" actor (Lurch) on ''The Addams Family''.

★ January 27 - Dick Wesson, actor, announcer on ''The Wonderful World of Disney''.

★ February 28 - Mister Ed.

★ July 29 - Bill Todman, game show producer.

★ August 17 - Vivian Vance, actress (Ethel Mertz) on ''I Love Lucy''.