1996 IN TELEVISION

The year '1996 in television' involved some significant events.
Below is a list of television-related events in 1996.
''For the American TV schedule, see: 1996-97 United States network television schedule.''

Contents

Events

Debuts

Television shows

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

Ending this year

Changes of Network Affiliation

Deaths

Events

★ January 1 - ''Speedvision'' premiered as a new cable channel, it will change its name to the ''Speed Channel'' in 2002.

★ January 15-March 11 - ''Our Friends in the North'', a nine-part serial spanning the 1960s to the 1990s in the lives of four friends, is shown on BBC2.

★ January 28 - Chris Isaak and Brooke Shields make guest appearances on the television show ''Friends''.

★ April 29- TV Land, a United States cable network launches.

★ May 14 - ''Doctor Who'', an American television movie continuation of the famous British series of the same name, airs on the Fox Network in the ''Tuesday Night Movie'' slot. This television movie is regarded as being a part of the same story as the original series and is an unsuccessful pilot for a new, American co-produced series. Paul McGann stars as the Eighth Doctor.

★ June 14 - After 32 years (barring six months in 1973), ''Top of the Pops'' moves from its traditional Thursday evening slot to Fridays.

★ July - When it becomes evident that Anna Stuart will be next to die in a serial killer storyline on ''Another World'', many fans start letter-writing campaigns to save the actress; the NBC studios in New York City also report a high number of switchboard calls regarding Stuart's imminent demise. Executive producer Jill Farren Phelps decides that actress Alice Barrett will be killed off the show instead.

★ 14-15 July - America's Talking ceases transmissions, and using its transponders and positions, MSNBC, a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC, launches the following morning.

★ September 1 - Sky 2 launches in the UK, a sister channel to Sky One. It closes a year later, but a channel of almost the same name (Sky Two) would later launch in 2005.

★ September 2 - The ITV region Tyne Tees Television is rebranded as ''Channel 3 North East''. The rebranding is unsuccessful, and the original name returns two years later. BSkyB's Sky 2 goes on air.

★ September 13 - The dubbed version of the Japanese series ''Dragonball Z'' premieres in the U.S.

★ September 17 - The O.J. Simpson civil trial begins.

★ October 7 - News Corporation gets into the cable news fray with the launch of Fox News Channel.

★ October 20 - ''Canada's Sesame Street'' switches to showing exclusively Canadian content, renaming itself ''Sesame Park'' 1996-2002), as it no longer uses any American made segments from ''Sesame Street''

★ November 2 - Final episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the 1987 series airs. Episode is Divide and Conquer.

★ December 29 - ''Time On Our Hands'', the final episode of a Christmas trilogy of the popular sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', airs on BBC1. Publicised as the last ever episode, it draws 24.35 million viewers, the largest ever audience for a sitcom in the UK, and discounting Diana, Princess of Wales's funeral, the biggest UK television audience of the 1990s. In the event, however, the show returns for three subsequent specials, one shown each Christmas from 2001.

★ Zenith introduces the first HDTV-compatible front projection TV in the U.S. Broadcasters, TV & PC manufacturers set industry standards for digital HDTV.

★ Over a billion households worldwide now own television sets.

Debuts

Date	Debut	Canceled
January 2	''The Demon Headmaster'' on BBC 1	1998
January 9	''3rd Rock from the Sun'' on NBC	2001
January 23	''Moesha'' on UPN	2001
February 7	''Dragon Ball GT'' on Fuji TV	1997
March 29	''Nash Bridges'' on CBS	2001
April 27	''Dexter's Laboratory'' on Cartoon Network	2003
April 28	The ''What-A-Cartoon! Show'' on Cartoon Network	1997
July 22	''The Daily Show'' on Comedy Central
August 26	''7th Heaven'' on The WB	2007
August 28	''The Jamie Foxx Show'' on The WB	2001
September 2	''Arthur'' on PBS
September 9	''Access Hollywood'' in syndication
September 13	''Everybody Loves Raymond'' on CBS	2005
September 16	''Judge Judy'' in syndication
September 17	''Spin City'' on ABC	2002
September 28	''Early Edition'' on CBS	2000
September 30	''Shopping Spree'' on ABC Family	1998
October 7	''Hey Arnold!'' on Nickelodeon	2004
October 21	''The Newsroom'' on CBC	1997, (2003-2004)

Television shows

1940s

★ ''Meet the Press'' (1947-present).

★ ''Candid Camera'' (1948-present).

1950s

★ ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'' (1951-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) (1958-2007).

1960s

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

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

★ ''It's Academic'' (1961-present).

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

★ ''General Hospital'' (1963-present).

★ ''Another World'' (1964-1999).

★ ''Top of the Pops'' (UK) (1964-2006).

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

★ ''Play School'' (Australia) (1966-present).

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

★ ''60 Minutes'' (1968-present).

★ ''One Life to Live'' (1968-present).

★ ''Sesame Street'' (1969-present).

1970s

★ ''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).

★ ''Arena'' (UK) (1975-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).

★ ''Antiques Roadshow'' (UK) (1979-present).

★ ''Nightline'' (1979-present).

★ ''This Old House'' (1979-present).

1980s

★ ''Entertainment Tonight'' (1981-present).

★ ''What Now'' (1982-present)

★ ''Timewatch'' (UK) (1982-present)

★ ''Jeopardy!'' (1964-1975, '1984-present').

★ ''The Bill'' (UK) (1984-present).

★ ''EastEnders'' (UK) (1985-present).

★ ''Neighbours'' (Australia) (1985-present).

★ ''Sally'' (1985-2002).

★ ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' (1986-present).

★ ''Comic Relief'' (UK) (1986-present).

★ ''Casualty'' (UK) (1986-present).

★ ''ChuckleVision'' (UK) (1987-present).

★ ''Inspector Morse'' (UK) (1987-2000).

★ ''Married... with Children'' (1987-1997).

★ ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (1987-present).

★ ''America's Most Wanted'' (1988-present).

★ ''The American Experience'' (1988-present).

★ ''Electric Circus'' (Canada) (1988-2003).

★ ''Fair City'' (1988-present).

★ ''Home and Away'' (1988-present).

★ ''This Morning'' (UK) (1988-present).

★ ''Red Dwarf'' (UK) (1988-1999).

★ ''Murphy Brown'' (1988-1998).

★ ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (1988-1999).

★ ''Roseanne'' (1988-1997).

★ ''The Ward'' (UK) (1988-2000).

★ ''Baywatch'' (1989-2001).

★ ''COPS'' (1989-present).

★ ''Family Matters'' (1989-1998).

★ ''Seinfeld'' (1989-1998).

★ ''The Simpsons'' (1989-present).

1990s

★ ''Law & Order'' (1990-present).

★ ''America's Funniest Home Videos'' (1990-present).

★ ''One Foot in the Grave'' (UK) (1990-2000).

★ ''Home Improvement'' (1991-1999).

★ ''Rugrats'' (1991-2004).

★ ''The Jerry Springer Show'' (1991-present).

★ ''The Red Green Show'' (1991-2006).

★ ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (UK) (1992-1996, 2001-2003).

★ ''Barney & Friends'' (1992-2002).

★ ''Dateline NBC'' (1992-present).

★ ''Mad About You'' (1992-1999).

★ ''The Larry Sanders Show'' (1992-1998).

★ ''The Real World'' (1992-present).

★ ''Shortland Street'' (NZ) (1992-present)

★ ''Beavis and Butt-head'' (1993-1997).

★ ''Frasier'' (1993-2004).

★ ''Ricki Lake'' (1993-2004).

★ ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' (1993-present).

★ '' (1993-1997).

★ ''NYPD Blue'' (1993-2005).

★ '' (1993-1999).

★ ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' (1993-present).

★ ''The Nanny'' (1993-1999).

★ ''The X-Files'' (1993-2002).

★ ''WWF Monday Night RAW'' (1993-present).

★ ''ER'' (1994-present).

★ ''Friends'' (1994-2004).

★ ''Time Team'' (UK) (1994-present).

★ ''Touched by an Angel'' (1994-2003).

★ ''JAG'' (1995-2005).

★ ''Pamela Wallin Live'' (Canada) (1995-1999).

★ ''Sesame Park'' (Canada) (1995-2002).

★ ''Sliders'' (1995-2000).

★ '' (1995-2001).

★ ''Stickin' Around'' (1996-1998, 2004).

★ ''The Drew Carey Show'' (1995-2004).

★ ''The Wheezer Bros.'' (1995-2001).

★ ''Timon and Pumbaa'' (1995-1998).

★ ''Doctor Who'' (UK) (1963-1989, '1996', 2005-present).

★ ''Doug'' (1991-1994, '1996-1999').

★ ''Only Fools and Horses'' (UK) (1981-1983, 1985-1993, '1996-1997', 2001-2003).

★ ''Postman Pat'' (UK) (1981, '1996', 2004-present).

★ ''Martin'' (1992-1997).

Ending this year

Date	Show	Debut
February 3	''Are You Afraid of the Dark?''	1992
February 10	''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers''	1993
March 27	''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' (Japan)	1995
March 31	''Road to Avonlea''	1990
May 4	''Sisters''	1991
May 19	''Murder, She Wrote''	1984
May 20	''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air''	1990
June 9	''SeaQuest''	1993
July 19	''Tales from the Crypt''	1989
November 2	''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''	1987
November 14	''The Ren and Stimpy Show''	1991
November 24	''Rocko's Modern Life''	1993
Unknown	''WWF Wrestling Challenge''	1986
Unknown	''Beadle's About'' (UK)	1987

Changes of Network Affiliation

★ ''Brotherly Love'', from NBC to The WB.

★ ''Doug'', from Nickelodeon to ABC.

★ ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'', from Comedy Central to the Sci Fi Channel.

Deaths

★ February 3 - Audrey Meadows, actress (Alice Kramden on ''The Honeymooners'')

★ February 13 - Martin Balsam, actor (Murray on ''Archie Bunker's Place'')

★ February 15 - McLean Stevenson, actor (Lt. Col. Henry Blake on ''M
★ A
★ S
★ H'')

★ February 15 - Tommy Rettig, former child actor (Jeff on ''Lassie'')

★ March 4 - Minnie Pearl, comedian

★ March 5 - Whit Bissell, character actor

★ March 9 - George Burns, 100, comedian

★ March 11 - Vince Edwards, actor (''Ben Casey'')

★ April 21 - Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, sports commentator

★ May 20 - Jon Pertwee, 76, former star of ''Doctor Who''.

★ June 2 - Ray Combs, 40, former host of ''Family Feud''.

★ June 16 - Mel Allen, sports commentator

★ July 21 - Herb Edelman, actor (Stanley Zbornak on ''The Golden Girls'')

★ August 27 - Greg Morris, actor ('')

★ September 13 - Tupac Shakur, 25, actor/songwriter.

★ September 29 - Leslie Crowther, 63, British TV comedian & game show host

★ October 6 - Ted Bessell, actor (''That Girl'')

★ October 27 - Morey Amsterdam. actor and comedian (Buddy on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'')

★ December 8 - Howard E. Rollins, Jr., actor (Tibbs on the TV version of ''In the Heat of the Night'')

★ December 11 - Willie Rushton, 59, comedian, actor, and performer.

★ December 12 - Larry Gates, soap opera actor (''Guiding Light'')