1980 in television

From TheBestLinks.com

See also: 1979 in television, other events of 1980, 1981 in television and the list of 'years in television'.

Table of contents

1 Events 2 Debuts 3 Popular Television Shows 4 Ending this year 5 Births 6 Deaths

Events

• February 1 - After a brief return, the soap opera Love of Life airs its last episode, after twenty-nine years on the air.
• February 14 - Walter Cronkite announces his retirement from the CBS Evening News.
• February 15 - New Zealand's Television One and Television Two go to air under the newly formed Television New Zealand.
• March 21 - On the season finale of the soap opera Dallas, the infamous character J.R. Ewing is shot by an unseen assailant leading to the catchphrase "Who Shot JR?"
• April 7 - The Oldest Living Graduate a live drama on NBC, which had not aired one since 1962. The production is aired from Southern Methodist University and stars Henry Fonda, George Grizzard, and Cloris Leachman.
• June 1 - The Cable News Network begins broadcasting.
• August 1 - After a failed experiment, the soap opera Another World airs its last regularly scheduled ninety-minute episode. The show returns to sixty minutes on August 4.
• December 30 - After 26 years, the longest-running prime-time TV series Disney's Wonderful World is cancelled by NBC. It was picked up by CBS the next fall.
• The David Letterman Show debuts on NBC. Letterman's humor does not go over well with a morning audience, and the show is soon cancelled. Letterman would go on to host a late night show two years later.
• US viewers get caught up in the "Who Shot J.R.?" cliff hanger on the soap opera series, Dallas, which is solved on a November 21 episode, drawing a record numbers of viewers.
• Armchair Thriller is taken off air (1978-1980, intermittently since 1956 as Armchair Theatre and Armchair Cinema) (UK).

Debuts

• May 30 - The Other 'Arf premieres on ITV starring Lorraine Chase (1980-1984)
• August 4 - Texas, the first soap opera to air hour-long episodes from the beginning, debuts in the slot largely vacated by Another World (1980-1982)
• Archie Bunker's Place (1980-1983)
• Bosom Buddies (1980-1982)
• Fridays (1980-1982)
• It's a Living (1980-1982, 1985-1989)
• Magnum, P.I. (1980-1988)
• Solid Gold (1980-1988)
• That's Incredible! (1980-1984)
• Too Close for Comfort (1980-1986)

Popular Television Shows

• Meet the Press (1947-present)
• Candid Camera (1948-present)
• Truth or Consequences (1950-1988)
• Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986)
• 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 (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)
• 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)
• Dr Who (UK) (1963-1989)
• General Hospital (1963-present)
• The Doctors (1963-1982)
• Another World (1964-1999)
• Top of the Pops (UK) (1964-present)
• Days of Our Lives (1965-present)
• World of Sport (UK) (1965-1985)
• Play School (1966-present)
• 60 Minutes (1968-present)
• One Life to Live (1968-present)
• Hee Haw (1969-1993)
• Sesame Street (1969-present)
• The Benny Hill Show (UK) (1969-1989)
• 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)
• Are You Being Served? (UK) (1972-1985)
• Emmerdale Farm (UK) (1972-present)
• John Craven's Newsround (UK) (1972-present)
• M*A*S*H (1972-1983)
• The Price Is Right (1972-present)
• The Waltons (1972-1981)
• Last of the Summer Wine (UK) (1973-present)
• Match Game (1962-1969, 1973-1984, 1990-1991, 1998-1999)
• Schoolhouse Rock! (1973-1986)
• The Tomorrow Show (1973-1982)
• The Young and the Restless (1973-present)
• Derrick (1974-1998)
• Happy Days (1974-1984)
• Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983)
• The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast (1974-1984)
• Tiswas (UK) (1974-1981)
• Barney Miller (1975-1982)
• Fawlty Towers (UK) (1975-present)
• Good Morning America (1975-present)
• Match Game PM (1975-1981)
• One Day at a Time (1975-1984)
• Ryan's Hope (1975-1989)
• Saturday Night Live (1975-present)
• 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)
• 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 and Mindy (1978-1982)
• Taxi (1978-1983)
• WKRP in Cincinnati (1978-1982)
• Benson (1979-1986)
• Disney's Wonderful World (1979-1981)
• Knots Landing (1979-1993)
• Real People (1979-1984)
• The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985)
• The Facts of Life (1979-1988)
• Trapper John, M.D. (1979-1986)
• You Can't Do That on Television (Canada) (1979-1990)

Ending this year

• Love of Life (1951-1980)
• Hawaii Five-O (1968-1980)
• Barnaby Jones (1973-1980)
• Rockford Files (1974-1980)
• King of Kensington (Canada) (1975-1980)
• Angie (1979-1980)

Births

• September 6 - Kerry McFadden, British television presenter
• October 17 - Justin Shenkarow, voice actor ("Harold Berman" from Hey Arnold!)
• December 25 - Laura Sadler, British actress

Deaths

• January 29 - Jimmy Durante, actor, singer
• February 13 - David Janssen, actor
• March 5 - Jay Silverheels, actor
• April 29 - Alfred Hitchcock, film director and TV host

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