Surf Wiki
Save to docs
geography/united-states

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

1990 in American television

none

none

In 1990, television in the United States saw a number of significant events, including the debuts, finales, and cancellations of television shows; the launch, closure, and rebranding of channels; changes and additions to network affiliations by stations; controversies, business transactions, and carriage disputes; and the deaths of individuals who had made notable contributions to the medium.

Notable events

DateEventJanuary 2January 8January 10January 13January 14January 20January 21February 6February 9February 17February 18February 24February 25March 4March 12March 13March 24March 30April 1April 8April 14April 15April 21April 22April 27April 30May 4May 7May 12May 18May 21May 25June 1June 6June 7June 14June 27June 29July 1July 5July 10July 16July 30July 31August 10August 17August 23September 8September 9September 10September 12September 12–14September 13September 15September 16September 23–27September 26October 1October 6October 13October 20–26November 3November 10November 17November 18–20November 22December 1December 3December 10
All My Children broadcasts its 20th anniversary special on ABC. Joe and Ruth Martin sit down with Erica Kane, her mother Mona, and Phoebe Wallingford as they go through scrapbook pictures which segue into memorable clips from the series's past twenty years.
Deborah Norville makes her debut as co-anchor on NBC's Today (succeeding Jane Pauley) alongside Bryant Gumbel.
Time Warner is formed.
Married... with Children star Ed O'Neill guest–hosts Saturday Night Live, becoming the first star of a Fox television program to host the NBC sketch comedy series.
An episode of the Canadian teen drama series Degrassi High entitled "A New Start" is first broadcast on American television via PBS. The episode is notable as it was the first in the Degrassi franchise to depict abortion. In the PBS broadcast, the final scene, in which Erica and Heather are accosted by anti-abortion picketers as they make their way up to the clinic, is removed. The episode instead, ends on a shot of the twins looking on before they do so.
The first regular episode of The Simpsons premieres on Fox, "Bart the Genius".
"Too Much, Too Late", the fourth and final "lost episode" of Miami Vice to air after its series finale, "Freefall", is first broadcast on the USA Network. It was not aired on NBC due to its strong subject matter pertaining to child molestation.
NBC broadcasts the National Hockey League All-Star Game from Pittsburgh. This was the first NHL game of any kind to be televised on American network television since Game 6 of the 1980 Stanley Cup Finals on CBS.
NBC and the University of Notre Dame announce a deal that would call for the network to have exclusive rights to the Fighting Irish football team's home games, beginning in 1991.
WZTV became a Fox affiliate in Nashville, replacing WXMT, which became an independent station. This was partly due to the fact that Michael Thompson had bought out the station from TVX, which resulted in the loss of the Fox affiliation and the move to a higher-rated station.
The Bradys, a sequel and continuation of the original 1969–1974 sitcom The Brady Bunch premieres on CBS. The Bradys involved more dramatic storytelling than that which viewers had seen in the previous Brady series such as the previous Brady Bunch sequel series, 1981's The Brady Brides. Airing on Friday nights, The Bradys would ultimately fail in the ratings against Full House and Family Matters as part of the TGIF lineup on ABC and is canceled after one month; the last of the six episodes produced would air on March 9, 1990.
On NBC, Aerosmith appear in Wayne's World, a recurring sketch on Saturday Night Live, where they perform the Wayne's World theme song.
The Death of the Incredible Hulk, the third and final installment of the revival films based on the 1978–1982 television series The Incredible Hulk starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno is broadcast on NBC. Despite Hulk's death in the film, a script is written for a sequel television film, The Revenge of the Incredible Hulk, which would resurrect the character, but it is ultimately canceled because of the disappointing ratings for The Death of the Incredible Hulk.
The series finale of Mama's Family is broadcast in first-run syndication. In it, Naomi gives birth to a baby girl, who is named Tiffany Thelma.
Challenger, a made-for-television docudrama about the tragic events of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986 is broadcast on ABC. Its production is somewhat controversial as the families of the astronauts generally objected to it.
On SportsCenter, ESPN broadcasts the graphic footage of Loyola Marymount University basketball player Hank Gathers' collapse and subsequent death from a heart condition during a West Coast Conference (WCC) Tournament game. The network was at the game recording advance footage for the championship game it was scheduled to televise the next night. The tournament final was ultimately canceled in wake of Gathers' death and LMU was given the league's automatic bid to that year's NCAA tournament by virtue of its regular-season league championship.
CBS affiliate in Boston, WNEV-TV changes its name to WHDH-TV.
All My Children actress Debbi Morgan quits the role of Angie Baxter Hubbard.
The season-ending cliffhanger of ALF, "Consider Me Gone", becomes an unintentional series finale when NBC gives Alien Productions a verbal commitment for a fifth season, but ultimately withdraws its support. ABC resolved the cliffhanger on February 17, 1996, with the TV movie Project: ALF.
Radio host Rush Limbaugh makes headlines when he guest hosts The Pat Sajak Show on CBS, and, in a departure from its regular format, enters the audience to get a response about the veto of a bill in Idaho that would have restricted abortion. Directly after announcing that the bill was vetoed, Limbaugh went to the first woman who stood up and was cheering the loudest. The woman denounced Limbaugh's anti-abortion statements earlier in the show. After a verbal confrontation with the angry woman in the audience, followed by an angry man shouting, Limbaugh addresses the camera and stated that he went into the audience in an attempt to show the viewing public that there was an underlying prejudice against him. Due to this, Limbaugh decides to conduct his interview with Sydney Biddle Barrows in another studio. After a commercial break, Limbaugh attempts to address the topic of affirmative action, but was backed out again by several male audience members wearing ACT UP T-shirts. After another break, Limbaugh returned and conducted the final segment after the audience had been cleared.
CBS dismisses prominent sportscaster Brent Musburger one day before his final assignment for the network, the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. Later that year, Musburger signs with ABC Sports.
In what is dubbed "The Ultimate Challenge", The Ultimate Warrior defeats Hulk Hogan for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania VI from Toronto's SkyDome. The pay-per-view event marks the first time that WrestleMania was held outside of the United States.
The pilot episode for Twin Peaks airs on ABC. The two-hour pilot is the highest-rated movie for the 1989–1990 season with a 21.7 rating and is viewed by 34.6 million people. In Los Angeles, Twin Peaks becomes the seventh most-watched show of the week earning 29% of viewers, the most-watched show being Married... with Children which gathers 34% of viewers.
CBS officially assumes the role as Major League Baseball's network broadcast partner (succeeding both ABC and NBC under a four-year deal through the end of the 1993 season) with coverage of the Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh and Los Angeles at Houston.
Sunday Night Baseball debuts on ESPN with coverage of the New York Mets against the Montreal Expos.
The Living Daylights makes its network broadcast television premiere on ABC. This would be the final time that a James Bond film would make its American television debut on ABC. The next Bond film, Licence to Kill would premiere on Fox in 1993. ABC wouldn't broadcast the Bond series again until 2002 under the title The Bond Picture Show.
Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue, a special program warning children about the inconvenience of drugs and featuring characters from several Saturday morning children's shows, is simultaneously simulcast by ABC, BET, CBS, Fox, NBC, USA Network, and Nickelodeon.
The Earth Day Special, a two-hour commercial-free special event, premieres on ABC.
Barbara Bel Geddes makes her final appearance on the CBS drama Dallas as Miss Ellie Ewing.
The long-lost pilot show for I Love Lucy is broadcast by CBS as a special.
Muppets creator Jim Henson makes what turns out to be his final public appearance when he appears as a guest on The Arsenio Hall Show. Henson would die less than two weeks later.
Stepfanie Kramer makes her final appearance as Sgt. Dee Dee McCall on the NBC police drama Hunter.
Comedian Andrew Dice Clay guest-hosts Saturday Night Live. Cast member Nora Dunn immediately announces to the press that she was boycotting the show in protest. She stated the protest was in view of Clay's perceivably misogynistic act, and did so without informing executive producer Lorne Michaels, the cast, or most of the crew about her intent. Sinéad O'Connor was scheduled to be the musical guest for the episode, but she also boycotted the show because of Clay's involvement, forcing the producers to find two musical replacements, with one performance by Julee Cruise and a second by Spanic Boys.{{cite booklast=Veseyfirst=Alexandrayear=2013chapter=Live Music: Mediating Musical Performance and Discord on Saturday Night Liveeditor1-last=Marxeditor1-first=Nickeditor2-last=Sienkiewiczeditor2-first=Matteditor3-last=Beckereditor3-first=Rontitle=Saturday Night Live and American TVlocation=Bloomington, Indianapublisher=Indiana University Pressisbn=978-0-253-01090-2jstor=j.ctt16gznszlast1=Jamesfirst1=Caryntitle=Review/Television; 'Saturday Night Live,' With Andrew Dice Clayurl=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/14/arts/review-television-saturday-night-live-with-andrew-dice-clay.htmlaccess-date=June 19, 2015work=The New York Timesdate=May 14, 1990}} NBC censors insisted that the episode be aired with a delay to compensate for anything Clay might say on air. During the live show, some audience members protested Clay but were immediately removed by the increased security detail.
The made–for–TV film Return to Green Acres, which reunited Eddie Albert, Eva Gabor, and the rest of the surviving cast of the 1965–1971 sitcom Green Acres, is broadcast on CBS.
CBS broadcasts the series finale of Newhart, in which it is revealed that the entire series was really just a dream of Bob Newhart's character, Dr. Bob Hartley from The Bob Newhart Show.
CBS begins broadcasting its daytime lineup in stereo sound, becoming the last of the three major networks to do so.
The series finale of You Can't Do That on Television is broadcast on Nickelodeon. For its tenth and final season, only five episodes are produced (tying 1990 with 1987 as the shortest season of the series), with production ending in February. This is also one of the rare times in television where a show's cast and producer's knew they would not be coming back, allowing them to make several in-jokes and references to this being the final show of the series, despite it not being a proper "finale". Though ratings decline, Nickelodeon continues to air reruns until January 1994, at which point it is only aired on weekends.
Mariah Carey delivers her first live television performance (singing "Vision of Love") on The Arsenio Hall Show.
The character Taylor Hayes (originally portrayed by actress Hunter Tylo) makes her first appearance on the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.
The start of the Cruise of Deception storyline is broadcast on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives, lasting through July 16, 1990. The story includes several of the show's most popular characters attending a masked ball on a cruise ship, which is taken over by a vengeful Ernesto Toscano, played by Charles Cioffi. The miniseries acts as the climax of several stories that had been developing previously to it, and the launching pad of several more, some of which would play out through most of the 1990s. NBC promotes the story heavily to lure kids home from school to watch the show during their summer vacation.
Nickelodeon Studios officially opens in Orlando, Florida.
CBS concludes their 17-year run with the NBA, as the league was moving to NBC after the 1990 NBA Finals. In their goodbye montage, CBS used Marvin Gaye's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" from the 1983 NBA All-Star Game.
Genie Francis, in an attempt to shed her image as Laura Spencer on ABC's soap opera General Hospital, starts playing Irishwoman Ceara Connor on All My Children (which also airs on ABC).
WUTV officially became a Fox affiliate in Buffalo again after Act III Broadcasting took control of the station, and acquired stronger programming and the Fox affiliation rights from WNYB-TV, which was then sold to the Tri-State Christian Television.
Pinwheel, the very first show to air on Nickelodeon as well as its Nick Jr. block, is broadcast on the network for the final time.
WPTY-TV became a Fox affiliate in Memphis, replacing WLMT. This was due to the station's higher ratings, and WLMT lost the Fox affiliation because there is a clause that Michael Thompson bought out the station from TVX in 1989, which resulted in the loss of its affiliation.
ABC airs the National Academy of Dance's first annual Gypsy Awards from the San Diego Convention Center. Taped on January 19, America's Dance Honors is notable for marking Sammy Davis Jr.'s final public appearance prior to his death on May 16. Liza Minnelli taped a special introduction to the show in light Davis' death. Later that December, Davis gave his final acting performance in the made-for-TV film The Kid Who Loved Christmas.
CBS broadcasts the first of four consecutive Major League Baseball All-Star Games. Unfortunately, the 1990 edition from Chicago's Wrigley Field, is interrupted by a rain delay in the top of the seventh inning. During the delay, CBS airs Rescue 911.
Radio DJ personality Rick Dees debuts an ABC late-night talk show, Into the Night, Starring Rick Dees.
Johnny Depp makes his final appearance as Officer Tom Hanson on 21 Jump Street. This is also the final episode to be broadcast on Fox as for its fifth and ultimately final season, 21 Jump Street would air in first–run syndication.
MovieTime, which initially launched on July 31, 1987 as a national barker service to air movie trailers, entertainment news, event and awards coverage, and interviews is rebranded as E!. This name change is made to emphasize its widening coverage of the celebrity–industrial complex, contemporary film, television and music, daily Hollywood gossip, and fashion.
Memories of Murder, the first ever film to be produced for the Lifetime Television Network is broadcast.
The American Wrestling Association holds its final television taping.
CBS airs an unsold half-hour pilot that's based on the film Steel Magnolias. The cast includes Cindy Williams as M'Lynn, Sally Kirkland as Truvy, Elaine Stritch as Ouiser, Polly Bergen as Clairee, and Sheila McCarthy as Annelle.
The pilot episode for Ferris Bueller, an adaptation of the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, is broadcast on NBC. In said pilot, Ferris (Charlie Schlatter) refers to the film and expresses his displeasure at Matthew Broderick portraying him, even going as far as destroying a life-size cardboard cutout of Broderick with a chainsaw. The show would ultimately be cancelled after its first season and only 13 episodes due to its poor reception. It would also suffer from comparisons to another series, Fox's Parker Lewis Can't Lose, which proves to be more successful when it comes to ratings, lasting for three seasons.
Fox Kids, a children's programming block, debuts on Fox.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles makes its debut on CBS, where it will run through 1996. First–run episodes will continue to be broadcast in syndication until the end of its fourth season in March 1991.
CBS debuts a brand new look for The NFL Today, front-lined by Greg Gumbel and Terry Bradshaw. Gumbel and Bradshaw replaced Brent Musburger and Irv Cross respectively. The two would remain on The NFL Today until CBS lost their NFL rights to Fox at the end of the 1993 season.
TNT broadcasts their first Sunday night NFL game with the Philadelphia Eagles visiting the New York Giants.
The Disney Afternoon debuts as a syndicated children's block.
Univision broadcasts the final of the 13th National OTI Festival live from Miami.
Wheel of Fortune contestant Mindy Mitola won a total of $146,014 cash & prizes accumulated for her 3-day stint in the show, setting an all-time winnings record for the program, surpassing Diane Landry's $129,370 held last year. This record would last for almost five years until Peter Argyropolous and Deborah Cohen surpassed her record on February 8–9, 1996 with $146,529. At the time, she also became the biggest winner (for any individual contestant) in the program until more than 18 years later on October 14, 2008, where Michelle Lowenstein surpassed her total with $1,026,080.
The premiere episode of Law & Order is broadcast on NBC. The actual pilot episode, "Everybody's Favorite Bagman", which was filmed two years prior to the rest of the first season, would ultimately air as the sixth episode.
The CBN Family Channel renames itself The Family Channel. By this point, the network had grown too profitable to remain under the Christian Broadcasting Network umbrella without endangering the ministry's non-profit status.
Captain Planet and the Planeteers, an animated environmental edutainment series that was created by created by Barbara Pyle and Ted Turner premieres on Turner's cable channel TBS.
WSYM in Lansing officially became a Fox television station.
The Ken Burns directed miniseries The Civil War is broadcast on PBS. More than 39 million viewers would tune in to at least one episode, and viewership averaged more than 14 million viewers each evening, making it the most-watched program ever to air on PBS.
Cop Rock, a police procedural series that mixes music and choreography throughout storylines debuts on ABC. The show is a critical and commercial failure and is canceled by ABC after 11 episodes. The combination of a fusion of musical performances with serious police drama and dark humor with its high-powered production talent, make it infamous as one of the biggest television failures of the 1990s. TV Guide Magazine would rank it #8 on its List of the 50 Worst TV Shows of All Time list in 2002 and dubs it "the single most bizarre TV musical of all time".
The very first edition of UWF Fury Hour airs from Reseda Country Club in Reseda, California on SportsChannel America.
All My Children star Susan Lucci guest–hosts an episode of Saturday Night Live, becoming the first daytime soap opera performer to do so.
WLAJ in Jackson, Michigan signs-on the air, giving the Lansing market its first full-time ABC affiliate.
CBS airs the first of four consecutive World Series. The Cincinnati Reds sweep the heavily favored and defending world champions, the Oakland Athletics in four games to win their first world title since 1976.
The NBA on NBC debuts on NBC, with its first game being the Los Angeles Lakers visiting the San Antonio Spurs.
Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, David Spade and Julia Sweeney join the cast of Saturday Night Live.
The series finale of Charles in Charge airs in first-run syndication. In the finale, Sarah puts on a show to raise money, and Charles directs while preparing for an interview to get into Princeton.
ESPN broadcasts the Notre Dame Fighting Irish's college football game against the 1990 Penn State Nittany Lions. This is to date, the final time that a television network other than NBC, would broadcast Notre Dame's home games. On September 7, 1991, NBC would start televising Notre Dame's home games; it would become the first Division I-A football program to have all of its home games televised exclusively by one television network.
The last original episode of Pee-wee's Playhouse airs on CBS. In July 1991, series star Paul Reubens is arrested for exposing himself in a Sarasota, Florida, adult movie theater, prompting CBS to immediately stop airing its Playhouse re-runs, which are originally intended to air until late 1991. The show is replaced by reruns of The Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Andy.
The two-episode television miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's 1986 epic supernatural horror novel It premiered on the American Broadcasting Company.
The Undertaker makes his World Wrestling Federation debut at the fourth annual Survivor Series pay-per-view event.
Univision stages the 19th OTI Festival at the Circus Maximus of the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, which is broadcast live throughout Ibero-America.
ABC attracts a great deal of controversy when it airs Madonna's infamous music video for her single "Justify My Love" on its late-night news program Nightline, as part of an interview with the singer on the video's explicit sexual content. The broadcast follows across-the-board bans of the video by MTV and other networks around the world.
Following his broadcast of a Chicago Bears–Washington Redskins NFL game, CBS announcer Pat Summerall is hospitalized with a bleeding ulcer after vomiting on a plane during a flight. Summerall would be out for a considerable amount of time. While Verne Lundquist replaced Summerall on games with John Madden, Jack Buck (who was at CBS during the time as the network's lead Major League Baseball announcer) was added as a regular NFL broadcaster to fill-in.

Programs

Debuts

The following is a list of shows that premiered in 1990.

DateShowChannelJanuary 1January 5January 6January 24January 26January 28January 29February 6February 9February 19February 25March 3March 5March 21March 25March 27March 30March 31April 1April 4April 8April 9April 12April 14April 15April 16April 19April 21May 1May 13June 1June 16July 4July 5July 8July 12July 14July 16July 17July 27July 29August 8August 13August 20August 22August 23August 25August 27September 1September 2September 3September 4September 7September 8September 10September 11September 13September 14September 15September 16September 17September 18September 20September 21September 23September 24September 26September 29September 30October 1October 4October 15October 24October 27November 2November 3
The Baby-Sitters ClubHBO
Maya the BeeNickelodeon
Max Monroe: Loose CannonCBS
ZorroCBN Family Channel
Peter Jennings ReportingABC
Pirate TVMTV
Grand SlamCBS
City
Rodeo DriveLifetime
The BradysCBS
Nasty BoysNBC
A Family for Joe
H.E.L.P.ABC
His & HersCBS
Normal Life
Sydney
The OutsidersFox
Equal JusticeABC
Bagdad CaféCBS
Sugar and Spice
Carol & CompanyNBC
On the TelevisionNick at Nite
The Marshall ChroniclesABC
Twin Peaks
Capital News
Down HomeNBC
Major League Baseball on CBSCBS
In Living ColorFox
Sunday Night BaseballESPN
Working GirlNBC
WingsNBC
Sunset BeatABC
Brewster Place
Clash!Ha!
America's Funniest PeopleABC
Great Getaway GameThe Travel Channel
MonopolyABC
SK8-TVNickelodeon
Wild & Crazy Kids
BlossomNBC
Dream OnHBO
Northern ExposureCBS
The Howard Stern Show (1990 TV program)WWOR-TV
Into the Night starring Rick DeesABC
Real Life with Jane PauleyNBC
Swamp ThingUSA Network
Tim Conway's Funny AmericaABC
New AttitudeABC
Outta Here!Nickelodeon
ParenthoodNBC
Working It Out
Ferris Bueller
Jim Henson's Mother Goose StoriesThe Disney Channel
Guys Next DoorNBC
Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream ZoneSyndication
HaywireFox
Parker Lewis Can't Lose
Big Brother JakeCBN Family Channel
Bob Vila's Home AgainSyndication
The Challengers
Instant Recall
Personalities
Barnyard CommandosSyndication
D.E.A.Fox
American Chronicles
TaleSpinThe Disney Channel, Syndication
Attack of the Killer TomatoesFox Kids
Bobby's World
Peter Pan & the Pirates
Zazoo U
New Kids on the BlockABC
Little Rosey
The Wizard of Oz
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3NBC
The Fanelli Boys
Tom & Jerry Kids
Gravedale High
Kid 'n Play
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The New Adventures of He-ManUSA Network
Quiz Kids ChallengeSyndication
Trump Card
LennyCBS
Uncle Buck
The Family Man
Law & OrderNBC
BabesFox
Tiny Toon AdventuresCBS, Syndication, Fox Kids
The Adventures of the Black StallionThe Family Channel
Bill & Ted's Excellent AdventuresCBS
Captain Planet and the PlaneteersTBS
Piggsburg Pigs!Fox Kids
The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho PandaSyndication
E.A.R.T.H. ForceCBS
The Trials of Rosie O'Neill
Preview: The Best of the NewSyndication
Wake, Rattle & Roll
Married PeopleABC
American DreamerNBC
The FlashCBS
Top Cops
Evening Shade
Going PlacesABC
Against the LawFox
Get a Life
Adam-12Syndication
My Talk Show
Cop RockABC
Dracula: The SeriesSyndication
Widget the World Watcher
The Jesse Jackson Show
Good GriefFox
America TonightCBS
UWF Fury HourSportsChannel America
Video PowerSyndication
Beverly Hills, 90210Fox
Screen SceneBET
WIOUCBS
NBA Inside StuffNBC
Over My Dead BodyCBS
NBA on NBCNBC

Entering syndication this year

A list of programs (current or canceled) that have accumulated enough episodes (between 65 and 100) or seasons (3 or more) to be eligible for off-network syndication and/or basic cable runs.

ShowSeasons
The Golden Girls
Perfect Strangers
227

Changes of network affiliation

The following shows aired new episodes on a different network than previous first-run episodes:

ShowMoved fromMoved to
Night Flight
TaleSpin
21 Jump Street
Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears
Supermarket Sweep
The Hogan Family
The Major League Baseball Game of the Week
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Let's Make a Deal
To Tell the Truth
Match Game
Father Dowling Mysteries
Fun House

Returning this year

ShowLast airedPrevious networkNew networkReturning
Supermarket Sweep
Match Game
Let's Make a Deal
To Tell The Truth
The Joker's Wild
Tic-Tac-Dough

Ending this year

DateShowDebutJanuary 14January 21January 25February 24March 5March 9March 12March 15March 23March 24March 26March 30April 6April 13April 14April 24April 28April 30May 4May 6May 7May 12May 14May 17May 21May 25May 26June 14June 28June 29July 6July 8July 21July 30August 4August 19August 31September 1September 2September 14September 29November 10November 17November 19November 28December 1December 7December 8December 12December 13December 26December 28December 30
Free Spirit1989
Fantastic Max1988
Miami Vice1984
Mission: Impossible1988
Eyes on the Prize1987
The Bradys1990
Mama's Family1983
Freddy's Nightmares1988
Island Son1989
Scrabble (returned in 1993)1984
ALF1986
The Baby-Sitters Club1990
Think Fast1989
Baywatch (returned in 1991)
The Pat Sajak Show
H.E.L.P.1990
Mancuso, F.B.I.1989
Tour of Duty1987
My Two Dads
Just the Ten of Us1988
2271985
Booker1989
Alien Nation
The Famous Teddy Z
War of the Worlds1988
Falcon Crest1981
Newhart1982
You Can't Do That on Television1981
Friday the 13th: The Series1987
The Tracey Ullman Show
NBA on CBS1973
Wolf1989
Hardball
Snoops
Pinwheel1977
Mr. Belvedere1985
Open House1989
Sister Kate
Beauty and the Beast1987
Ann Jillian1989
Rodeo Drive1990
Monopoly
Tim Conway's Funny America
Make the Grade1989
E.A.R.T.H. Force1990
SK8-TV
Charles in Charge1984
Pee-wee's Playhouse1986
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers1989
DuckTales (original series) (returned in 2017)1987
Alvin and the Chipmunks1983
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 31990
Gravedale High
Tic-Tac-Dough1956
Wiseguy1987
Working It Out1990
Remote Control1987
Cop Rock1990
Quiz Kids Challenge
The Wizard of Oz
Hull High

Made-for-TV movies

TitleNetworkDate of airing
Murder in MississippiNBCFebruary 5
The Death of the Incredible HulkFebruary 18
ChallengerABCFebruary 25
The IncidentCBSMarch 4
A Killing in a Small TownMay 22
Psycho IV: The BeginningNBCNovember 10
The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum StoryNBCDecember 10

Networks and services

Launches

NetworkTypeLaunch dateNotesSource
International ChannelCable televisionUnknown
SportsChannel PhiladelphiaCable televisionJanuary 1
WWOR EMI ServiceCable and satelliteJanuary 1
HA! TV Comedy NetworkCable televisionApril 1
Star Television NetworkBroadcast televisionSeptember 29
Hollywood Premiere NetworkSyndicated programming blockOctober 9

Conversions and rebrandings

Old network nameNew network nameTypeConversion DateNotesSource
The Nostalgia ChannelNostalgia TelevisionCable televisionUnknown
MovieTimeE!Cable televisionJuly 30
CBN Family ChannelThe Family ChannelCable televisionSeptember 15

Closures

NetworkTypeClosure dateNotesSource
Sports News NetworkCable and satelliteDecember 17

Television stations

Station launches

DateCity of License/MarketStationChannelAffiliationNotes/Ref.
January 21Anchorage, AlaskaKYES-TV5Independent
February 4Brownsville, TexasK64FM64America's Store
March 9Richmond, VirginiaWZXK65Independent
March 15Springfield, MissouriK15CZ15Independent
March 29Chattanooga, TennesseeW39AW39Independent
April 2Brunswick, Georgia
(Jacksonville, Florida)WBSG-TV21Independent
April 23Cedar City/St. George, UtahKCCZ8Independent
May 1Atlanta, GeorgiaW07CP7
May 5Fort Pierce, FloridaWTCE-TV21TBN
July 1Denver, ColoradoKWHD53LeSEA
August 15Knoxville, TennesseeWKOP-TV15PBSSatellite of WSJK-TV/Sneedville
August 27Sacramento, CaliforniaKCMY29Independent
September 18Toledo, OhioW05BZ5The Box
September 27Eugene, OregonKEPB-TV28PBSPart of the Oregon Educational and Public Broadcasting Service (OEPBS)
September 30Richmond, VirginiaW14BN14Independent
October 1Ventura, California (Los Angeles)KSTV-TV57Galavision
October 13Lansing, MichiganWLAJ53ABC
October 18Boulder, ColoradoKSHP50Independent
October 22Naples/Fort Myers, FloridaWNPT-TV46IndependentNot to be confused with today's WNPT of Nashville
October 31Evansville, IndianaW38BK38TBN
NovemberMacon, GeorgiaWGNM45Independent
November 14Chico/Redding, CaliforniaKBCP20Independent
December 5Toledo, OhioW38DH38The Box
December 27Bethlehem, PennsylvaniaWBPH-TV60Religious independent
Unknown dateAtlanta, GeorgiaW67CI67Telemundo
Bismarck, North DakotaK46DY46TBN
Charlotte, North CarolinaW26AZ26Daystar
Columbia, MissouriK02NQ2unknown
Columbia, South CarolinaW51BR51
Dothan, AlabamaW29BB29TBN
Fort Bragg, CaliforniaKFWU8ABCSatellite of KRCR-TV
Gulfport/Biloxi, MississippiW46AV46TBN
Indianapolis, IndianaW47AZ47The Box
Minneapolis, MinnesotaK13UT13The Box
Monterey, CaliforniaK53DT53TBN
Tyler, TexasK48DP48Independent

Network affiliation changes

DateCity of License/MarketStationChannelOld affiliationNew affiliationNotes/Ref.
February 6Nashville, TennesseeWZTV17IndependentFox
WXMT30FoxIndependent
June 27Buffalo, New YorkWUTV29IndependentFox
WNYB49FoxTCT
July 1Memphis, TennesseeWPTY24IndependentFox
WLMT30FoxIndependent
September 8Louisville, KentuckyWHAS-TV11CBSABC
WLKY-TV32ABCCBS
September 16Lansing, MichiganWSYM47IndependentFox
Unknown dateDavenport, IowaKLJB-TV18IndependentFoxPreviously with Fox 1987-1988
Saipan, Northern Mariana IslandsWSZE-TV10NBC (primary)
CBS/ABC/Fox (secondary)NBC (primary)
CBS/ABC (secondary)Satellite of KUAM-TV/Hagtna, Guam

Station closures

DateCity of license/MarketStationChannelAffiliationSign-on dateNotes
May 23New Orleans, LouisianaWCCL49Independent (primary)
CBS (secondary)March 19, 1989
Unknown dateKey West, FloridaWETV13Educational independent1989
Owensboro, KentuckyWROZ-TV61Independent

Births

DateNameNotabilityJanuary 4January 6January 7January 10January 12January 13January 14January 15January 18January 26January 29January 30February 1February 5February 6February 8February 9February 14February 16February 23February 27February 28March 4March 5March 7March 13March 18March 24March 25March 26March 30April 2April 3April 6April 9April 10April 12April 14April 15April 18April 19April 21April 22April 23May 1May 2May 10May 14May 16May 17May 18May 19May 21May 25May 26May 27May 30June 2June 9June 10June 13June 15June 19June 20June 28July 2July 6July 11July 12July 16July 19July 24July 26July 27July 28July 29July 30August 1August 4August 9August 10August 14August 15August 17August 25August 28August 29September 2September 8September 9September 10September 12September 14September 15September 20September 21September 25September 27September 28September 29September 30October 5October 6October 7October 8October 13October 18October 19October 20October 22October 24October 28October 29October 31November 2November 4November 6November 13November 17November 24November 26November 29December 13December 20December 21December 23December 28
Michelle MylettCanadian actress
Spencer RothbellVoice actor (Clarence)
Natalie PalamidesActress (The Powerpuff Girls, Star vs. the Forces of Evil)
Liam AikenActor
Camryn GrimesActress (The Young and the Restless)
Trevante RhodesAmerican television actor
Jana WissmannAmerican television personality
Liam HemsworthAustralian actor (Neighbours, The Elephant Princess, The Hunger Games)
Kacy CatanzaroContestant on American Ninja Warrior and WWE wrestler
Grant GustinActor (Glee, The Flash)
Chris WarrenActor (High School Musical)
Zeeko ZakiActor
Christopher MasseyActor (Zoey 101)
MacKenzie PorterCanadian actress (Dinosapien, Hell on Wheels, Travelers)
Jessica D. StoneVoice actress (Stanley)
Jake ThomasActor (Lizzie McGuire, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Cory in the House)
Davi SantosActor
Charlbi DeanSouth African actress (Elementary, Black Lightning) (d. 2022)
Dominic SherwoodEnglish actor (Shadowhunters)
Christian MadsenActor
Camille WinbushActress (The Bernie Mac Show)
Jake WearyActor (As the World Turns, Fred: The Show, Animal Kingdom)
Brett DierCanadian actor (Ravenswood, Jane the Virgin)
The WeekndSinger
Anjli MohindraActress
Lindsey MorganActress (General Hospital, The 100)
Georgina LeonidasEnglish actress (Harry Potter)
Andrea BowenActress (Desperate Housewives)
Matt RogersActor
Daniel SamonasActor (Avatar: The Last Airbender, Wizards of Waverly Place)
Alec MedlockActor (Drake & Josh)
Emory CohenActor (Smash)
Sebastian JudeActor (Lizzie McGuire)
Luke TarsitanoActor (Fudge)
Keisha Castle-HughesAustralian actress (Game of Thrones)
Kiowa GordonActor
Carly ChaikinActress (Suburgatory, Mr. Robot)
Cassie ScerboActress (Dance Revolution, Make It or Break It, Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja)
Allie GoninoActress (The Lying Game)
Sawyer FultonProfessional wrestler
Natasha NegovanlisCanadian actress (Carmilla) and singer
Charlie McDermottActor (The Middle)
Kristen StewartActress (The Twilight Saga)
Alex PettyferEnglish actor
Maren MorrisSinger-songwriter
Hannah DunneActress (Mozart in the Jungle)
Christian AlexanderActor (General Hospital, The Lying Game)
Emma WatsonActress
Britt RobertsonActress (Swingtown, Life UneXpected, The Secret Circle, Under the Dome)
Teo OlivaresActor (Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Hannah Montana)
Bree EssrigYouTube personality and actress
Machine Gun KellyMusician
Matthew UnderwoodActor (Zoey 101)
Dev PatelActor
Caitlin StaseyActress (Neighbours)
Kay PanabakerActress (Summerland, Phil of the Future, American Dragon: Jake Long, No Ordinary Family)
Lauren PotterActress (Glee)
Sasha SpielbergActress
Marc John JefferiesVoice actor (Fatherwood)
Thomas Brodie-SangsterEnglish actor (Phineas and Ferb, Game of Thrones)
Ross ButlerActor (K.C. Undercover)
Kree HarrisonSinger (American Idol)
Leven RambinActress (All My Children, Scoundrels)
Luke KleintankActor (Gossip Girl, The Young and the Restless, Bones, Pretty Little Liars, The Man in the High Castle)
Crawford WilsonVoice actor (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Scotty LeavenworthActor
Ebonée NoelActress
Madeleine MantockActress
Chris ColferActor (Glee)
Dean CollinsActor (Jack & Bobby, The War at Home)
Brittany CurranAmerican actress
Lauren SochaEnglish actress
Tristin MaysActress (Gullah Gullah Island, Private)
Aaron Taylor-JohnsonEnglish actor
Denzel WhitakerActor (All That, Hannah Montana)
Ashly BurchVoice actress (Adventure Time, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes)
Chuku ModuActor
Jacob WysockiActor
Jasmine RichardsCanadian actress (Naturally, Sadie)
Nick PurcellActor (The Troop)
Margot RobbieAustralian actress (Pan Am)
Kayla HarrisonAmerican professional mixed martial artist
Jeremy SuarezActor (The Bernie Mac Show)
Connor PaoloActor (Gossip Girl, Revenge)
Kelsey SandersActress (Private) and singer
Rachel BrosnahanActress (House of Cards, Manhattan)
James MaslowActor (Big Time Rush) and singer
Steven Anthony LawrenceActor (The Amanda Show, Even Stevens)
Daveigh ChaseActress (Oliver Beene, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Big Love)
Jay McGuinessBritish singer (The Wanted)
Bianca SantosActress (The Fosters)
Indiana EvansAustralian actress and singer (Snobs, Home and Away, H2O: Just Add Water, Crownies, Secrets and Lies)
Soulja BoyRapper
Matt ProkopActor
Munro ChambersCanadian actor (The Latest Buzz)
Eliot SumnerActor
Jack O'ConnellBritish actor (Skins)
Chet HanksActor
Adelaide KaneAustralian actress (Neighbours, Power Rangers RPM, Teen Wolf, Reign)
Bill SkarsgårdSwedish actor (Hemlock Grove)
Lucas TillActor
Sydney LemmonActress
Miranda Rae MayoActress
Jennifer LawrenceActress (The Bill Engvall Show, The Hunger Games)
Rachel Hurd-WoodBritish actress (Home Fires)
Kristos AndrewsActor
Katie FindlayCanadian actress (The Killing, The Carrie Diaries, How to Get Away with Murder)
Laura Ashley SamuelsActress
Nicole Gale AndersonActress (Jonas, Beauty & the Beast, Ravenswood)
Merritt PattersonCanadian actress (Ravenswood, The Royals)
Ella Rae PeckActress (Gossip Girl, Welcome to the Family)
Haley ReinhartMusician (American Idol)
Sarah BakerActress
Eddy MartinActor (Just Jordan)
Chandler MasseyActor (Days of Our Lives)
Wayne DalglishActor (The O.C., Kickin' It)
Lolly AdefopeActress
Harry McEntireEnglish actor
Matt ShivelyActor (True Jackson, VP, The Troop)
Phillip PhillipsSinger (American Idol)
Allison ScagliottiActress (Drake & Josh, Warehouse 13, Stitchers)
Christian SerratosActress (Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, The Walking Dead)
Hannah GrossAmerican actress
Lola KirkeEnglish-American actress (Mozart in the Jungle)
Kirsten ZienCanadian actress (Kyle XY, The Lying Game)
Doug BrochuActor (Sonny with a Chance, So Random!)
Swerve StricklandPro wrestler
Myles JeffreyActor (Beverly Hills, 90210, Early Edition, Whatever Happened to Robot Jones?)
Scarlett ByrneActress (Harry Potter, Falling Skies, The Vampire Diaries)
Noah RobbinsActor
Ayla KellActress (Make It or Break It)
Trent HarmonSinger (American Idol)
Bailey NobleActress (First Day, True Blood)
Jordan CallowayActress (Unfabulous)
Carly SchroederActress (Port Charles, General Hospital, Lizzie McGuire)
Ciara RenéeActress (Legends of Tomorrow)
Galadriel StinemanActress (The Middle)
Jonathan LipnickiActor (The Jeff Foxworthy Show)
Kirby Bliss BlantonActress
LaMarcus TinkerActor (Cougar Town)
Kianna UnderwoodActress (Little Bill, All That)
Carlson YoungActress (As the Bell Rings, Scream)
Lil' JJActor (All That, Just Jordan)
Kendall SchmidtActor (Big Time Rush) and singer
Jean-Luc BilodeauActor
Bowen YangActor
Kathleen HerlesVoice actress (Dora on Dora the Explorer (2000–07))
Shanica KnowlesActress (Hannah Montana)
Sarah HylandActress (Modern Family)
Rita OraSinger
Diego BonetaMexican actor (Underemployed, Scream Queens) and singer
Emily PeacheyActress
JoJoAmerican singer
Mandeep DhillonActress
Anna Maria Perez de TagleActress (Hannah Montana, Cake)
David ArchuletaSinger (American Idol) and actor

Deaths

DateNameAgeNotabilityJanuary 2January 9January 18January 20March 24May 9May 10May 14May 16May 25June 4July 7July 8July 30August 15October 26November 3November 12November 27December 2December 28
Alan Hale68Actor (Skipper Jonas Grumby on Gilligan's Island)
Northern Calloway41Actor (David on Sesame Street)
Rusty Hamer42Former child actor (Make Room For Daddy)
Barbara Stanwyck82Actress (The Barbara Stanwyck Show, The Big Valley)
Ray Goulding68Comedian, half of the comedy team Bob and Ray
Pauline Frederick82Journalist (ABC News, NBC News)
Susan Oliver58Actress (Peyton Place)
Franklyn Seales37Actor (Dexter on Silver Spoons)
Jim Henson53Puppeteer (The Muppets creator)
Sammy Davis Jr.64Actor and singer
Vic Tayback60Actor (Mel Sharples on Alice)
Jack Gilford82Actor (Cracker Jack commercials)
Bill Cullen70Game show host (original host of The Price Is Right)
Howard Duff76Actor (Felony Squad)
Karl Weber74title=Karl Weber; Longtime Radio Actorurl=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-08-06-mn-154-story.htmlaccess-date=11 September 2016work=Los Angeles Timesdate=August 6, 1990}}
Viktor Tsoi28Soviet singer (Kino)
William S. Paley89Founder and longtime head of CBS
Mary Martin76Actress & singer (Peter Pan)
Eve Arden82Actress (Our Miss Brooks)
David White74Actor (Larry Tate on Bewitched)
Bob Cummings80Actor (The Bob Cummings Show)
Kiel Martin46Actor (Officer J.D. LaRue on Hill Street Blues)

References

References

  1. Pai, Tanya. (January 25, 2016). "Degrassi, the Canadian teen soap that gave us Drake, explained".
  2. (November 4, 1989). "Degrassi High edited by PBS". The Ottawa Citizen.
  3. (24 June 2009). "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present". Random House Publishing.
  4. Maçek III, J.C.. (12 January 2017). "What Happens When Happy Shows Turn All X-Files on You?". [[PopMatters]].
  5. Glenn, Greenberg. (February 2014). "The Televised Hulk". [[TwoMorrows Publishing]].
  6. Dawson, Greg. (February 25, 1990). "'CHALLENGER': PAINFUL BUT MOSTLY WELL-DONE". Orlando Sentinel.
  7. Dawson, Greg. (February 24, 1990). "NETWORK, FAMILIES AT ODDS". Orlando Sentinel.
  8. Schlangenstein, Mary. (February 23, 1990). "Wives angered by Challenger movie". UPI.
  9. (January 2020). "403. "Challenger" made for TV movie (February 25, 1990)".
  10. Jicha, Tom. (February 25, 1990). "McAuliffe Family Criticizes Movie on Challenger Disaster With AM-Space Shuttle". AP News.
  11. O'Connor, John J.. (February 25, 1990). "TO VIEW; ARROGANCE IN THE NAME OF LIFTOFF?". The New York Times.
  12. Jicha, Tom. (February 25, 1990). "'CHALLENGER' MOVIE RATES THUMBS UP". South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
  13. Stewart, Larry. (March 6, 1990). "This Was a Story That Was Tough to Watch, and Difficult to Cover". Los Angeles Times.
  14. Zakarin, Jordan. (May 22, 2012). "Greetings From Melmac: ALF Creator Paul Fusco on His Star Alien and Potential Comeback". The Hollywood Reporter.
  15. Zurawik, David. (March 23, 1990). "Consider ALF Gone . . . Unless He Phones Home". [[Los Angeles Times]].
  16. DuBrow, Rick. (April 10, 1990). "''Twin Peaks'' Bow Garners Lofty Ratings". [[Los Angeles Times]]}}{{dead link.
  17. Eric Mink. (April 29, 1990). "Buck Swings For The Fences". [[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]].
  18. Jeff Brusnak. (April 13, 1990). "ESPN Baseball More And Better". [[Sun-Sentinel.
  19. Steven Herbert. (April 14, 1990). "Sports on Weekend TV". Los Angeles Times.
  20. Bill Plachke. (April 14, 1990). "One From Heart, 6-1, for Dodgers". Los Angeles Times.
  21. (May 14, 1990). "Review/Television; 'Saturday Night Live,' With Andrew Dice Clay". The New York Times.
  22. "Things Even Die-Hard Steel Magnolias Fans Probably Don't Know About the Classic {{!".
  23. Shales, Tom. (1990-08-23). "'Ferris Bueller's' Off Day; On NBC, a Lame Take on a Movie"&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(%22Ferris%20Bueller%27s%20Off%20Day%22)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no). [[The Washington Post]].
  24. Storm, Jonathan. (1990-08-23). "High School Comedy Strictly Sophomoric In The NBC Version, 'Ferris Bueller' Has An Off Day". [[The Philadelphia Inquirer]].
  25. (November 13, 1990). "ABC Cancels 'Cop Rock'". [[The New York Times]].
  26. Weinraub, Bernard. (November 11, 1991). "A Series Makes the Starting Gate". The New York Times.
  27. Tucker, Ken. (June 4, 2004). "Flops 101: Lessons From The Biz".
  28. (July 12, 2002). "The Worst TV Shows Ever". [[CBS News]].
  29. "TV Musicals: The Highs and Lows". [[TV Guide]].
  30. Sandomir, Richard. (1991-08-25). "COLLEGE FOOTBALL; Notre Dame Scored a $38 Million Touchdown on Its TV Deal". The New York Times.
  31. Phillips, Stone. (April 5, 2004). "Pee-wee Herman creator speaks out". [[NBC News]].
  32. Vejnoska, Jill. (July 10, 2006). "Pee-wee back with bizarre appeal intact". Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  33. "What was on TV when Rugrats started".
  34. (2021-12-18). "The Magic of Pee-wee Herman in a Dark Year". [[The Atlantic]].
  35. Rich, Joshua. (November 20, 1998). "Madonna Banned".
  36. "Madonna speaks on Nightline".
  37. Schweid, Richard. (1990-02-06). "Ch. 17 owner begins chunk of Ch. 30". [[The Tennessean]].
  38. Pergament, Alan. (27 June 1990). "SHUFFLING OF CHANNELS 29, 49 TO RESULT IN SHIFT OF PROGRAMS".
  39. Walter, Tom. (1990-05-30). "Fox to flip channel to WPTY-TV's 24". [[The Commercial Appeal]].
  40. Hughes, Mike. (1990-08-21). "Channel 47 catches Fox, 'Simpsons'". [[Lansing State Journal]].
  41. (2024-01-08). "WWE Profile: Katana Chance".
  42. Ugwu, Reggie. (2022-08-31). "Charlbi Dean, Star of Top Winner at Cannes, Dies at 32". The New York Times.
  43. "Kree Harrison".
  44. "Phillip Phillips – The Vogue".
  45. (2024-01-26). "AEW Profile - Swerve Strickland".
  46. Ginsberg, Gabriella. (2016-03-11). "Trent Harmon".
  47. (August 6, 1990). "Karl Weber; Longtime Radio Actor". Los Angeles Times.
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1990-in-american-television 1990s-in-american-television
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about 1990 in American television — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report