From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
2002 in American television
none
none
In American television in 2002, notable events included television series debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel initiations.
Events
January
| Date | Event | 1 | 14 | 5 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KRON-TV/San Francisco ends its affiliation with NBC after 52 years and becomes an independent station after Young Broadcasting, which purchased the station for $823 million in November 1999 from the deYoung family (who also sold the *San Francisco Chronicle* to the Hearst Corporation), refuses to agree to demands made by NBC to manage KRON under the conventions of a network-owned station (which included rebranding from "KRON 4" to "NBC 4", and airing the entire network schedule in pattern with pre-emptions reduced to those necessitated due to extended breaking news coverage). San Jose-based WB affiliate KNTV (which served as the ABC affiliate for the South Bay from 1960 until 2000, when it agreed to disaffiliate at the request of the Bay Area's primary ABC station, O&O KGO-TV) assumes the NBC affiliation and soon afterward is sold to the network by the Granite Broadcasting Corporation, whose remaining Bay Area station, KBWB-TV (now independent station KOFY-TV), consequently became the market's sole WB affiliate. | |||||
| The Church Channel launches. | |||||
| *Soul Train* airs its 1,000th episode. Faith Evans, Rayvon, and Mack 10 performed. | |||||
| *The Price Is Right* tapes its 30th Anniversary Special broadcast in Las Vegas, and it was broadcast by CBS January 31. |
February
| Date | Event | 3 | 8 | 13 | 14 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Commercials: A *Mental Engineering* Special is broadcast by PBS member stations reaching 85% of the U.S. after Super Bowl XXXVI; reportedly the best coverage yet achieved by a former public-access television program. | ||||||
| Pat Summerall calls his 26th and final Super Bowl overall for television and radio. This was also the eighth final Super Bowl telecast (and final NFL telecast of any kind) to be called by Summerall and John Madden. The duo called five for CBS and three for Fox. The [New England Patriots](2001-new-england-patriots-season) win their first championship ever against the [St. Louis Rams](2001-st-louis-rams-season), leading a start of their dynasty. | ||||||
| The opening ceremony of the [2002 Winter Olympics](2002-winter-olympics) are televised by NBC. | ||||||
| In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, WNBC in New York City revives the *We're 4 New York* campaign. | ||||||
| The UPN series *Special Unit 2* airs its 19th and final episode. One of the guest stars in this episode was a then-19-year old Canadian actress by the name of Cobie Smulders, who would go on to star in the CBS series *How I Met Your Mother* alongside Josh Radnor and Jason Segel [3 years later](2005-in-american-television). | ||||||
| CBS buys KCAL (channel 9) in Los Angeles, California from Young Broadcasting for $650 million, making it a sister station to KCBS channel 2. | ||||||
| The final *Family Guy* episode airs after Fox announces its cancellation (however, record DVD sales and high ratings in syndication convince Fox to bring it back in 2005). | ||||||
| JCTV launches. |
March
| Date | Event | 1 | 10 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Sesame Street* broadcasts its 4,000th episode. | ||||
| CBS broadcasts a commercial-free [documentary TV movie](9-11-2002-film) about the September 11 attacks, without edits to content or language. | ||||
| The first WWF draft lottery is broadcast live on the show *Raw*, causing a split between the two brands *Raw* and *SmackDown*. |
April
| Date | Event | 1 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noggin refocuses its daytime programming towards preschoolers, debuting *Play with Me Sesame* and *Tiny Planets*, and launches The N, a nighttime block for teenagers. | ||||||
| The 63rd and final episode of *Once and Again* is broadcast by ABC. This would mark Evan Rachel Wood's final appearance as a main cast member on a television series until *Westworld* premieres on HBO in [2016](2016-in-american-television). | ||||||
| The ABC soap opera *General Hospital* broadcasts its milestone 10,000th episode. | ||||||
| Tribune Broadcasting buys WB affiliate WTTV (channel 4) in Bloomington, Indiana and its translator WTTK (channel 29) in Kokomo, Indiana from Sinclair for $125 million. | ||||||
| Donovan Patton replaces Steve Burns as the second host of Nick Jr.'s live-action animated children's television series *Blue's Clues* in a three-part special. |
May
| Date | Event | 1-14 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Jeopardy!* hosted a *Million Dollar Masters Tournament* held at Radio City Music Hall in commemoration of host Alex Trebek's 4,000th episode. Brad Rutter won the tournament aired May 14 and the $1,000,000 grand prize. The day after the finals, *Jeopardy!* celebrates the airing of Trebek's 4,000th episode in syndication. | ||||||||
| NBC broadcasts a three-hour 75th anniversary special. | ||||||||
| *One Life to Live* broadcasts a full week of episodes broadcast live from the ABC New York studios. | ||||||||
| The first *Monday Night Raw* episode under the World Wrestling Entertainment name is broadcast after following a lawsuit by the World Wildlife Fund for the initials "WWF". | ||||||||
| *TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time* is presented by ABC. | ||||||||
| The [29th Daytime Emmy Awards](29th-daytime-emmy-awards) are broadcast by CBS. | ||||||||
| In CBS, Vecepia Towery was named the Sole Survivor in *Survivor: Marquesas*. That episode was also panned with criticism over the infamous tiebreaker dubbed "Purple Rock" leading to the elimination of frontrunner Paschal English. As of today, this is the last reunion special hosted by someone other than the host Jeff Probst, Rosie O'Donnell hosted the special. | ||||||||
| *The Rosie O'Donnell Show* airs its last live episode. |
June
| Date | Event | 12 | 16 | 18 | 27 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBC broadcasts its [last](2002-nba-finals-game-4) NBA game after 12 years with the league. The network will not broadcast another NBA game until the [2025–26 season](2025-26-nba-season). | |||||
| *The Dead Zone* premieres on USA Network, with the highest ratings of a cable series debut in history. | |||||
| FX broadcasts a "lost episode" of *Married... with Children* entitled "I'll See You in Court". Produced during the show's third season ([1988–89](1988-89-united-states-network-television-schedule)), the episode was pulled from Fox's schedule due conflicts between the show's producers and the network over its content. | |||||
| Fox Television Stations acquire WPWR-TV from Newsweb Corporation. |
July
| Date | Event | 4 | 13 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC broadcasts a three-hour primetime news special, entitled *In Search of America: Celebration*. | ||||
| Fox News Channel overtakes CNN as the #1-rated news channel. | ||||
| After negotiations concerning a new affiliation agreement with CBS fail, WJXT (channel 4) in Jacksonville, Florida becomes an independent station on this date, with former UPN affiliate WTEV-TV (channel 47) assuming the market's CBS affiliation. This also results in an affiliation change in nearby Gainesville (where WJXT had long been the market's default CBS affiliate), as WB/UPN affiliate WGFL joins CBS (giving the Gainesville market its first-ever CBS affiliate). |
August
| Date | Event |
|---|
September
| Date | Event | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 22 | 25 | 30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Channel reverts the KMOL-TV branding in San Antonio back to the WOAI-TV branding, since Clear Channel traded WFTC to Fox in return for two network-based affiliates originally by Chris Craft, KTVX, and KMOL. | |||||||||||||
| Disney Channel stops broadcasting its afternoon and late night programming blocks "Zoog Disney" and "Vault Disney". | |||||||||||||
| In Portland, Oregon, the Meredith Corporation's duopoly of UPN affiliate KPTV and Fox affiliate KPDX (which Fox had sold to Meredith on June 17 in exchange for WOFL in Orlando, Florida and its semi-satellite in Gainesville, WOGX) swap affiliations. | |||||||||||||
| KPSP-LP in Palm Springs, California signs-on the air, giving the Coachella Valley its first-ever CBS affiliate. | |||||||||||||
| Kelly Clarkson wins the first season of Fox's reality series *American Idol*. | |||||||||||||
| Fox Kids (which had been on the air since 1990) airs for the final time, as Fox had sold the block's program library to Disney, parent company of rival network ABC. It was replaced the following week (on September 14) by the 4Kids-programmed [FoxBox](4kidstv). | |||||||||||||
| In Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, Fox O&O WFTC swaps affiliations with sister station and UPN affiliate KMSP-TV, due to Fox's desire to place their programming on a stronger station (in addition to being on VHF, KMSP-TV has higher ratings, a stronger signal, and a well-established news department). | |||||||||||||
| John Madden officially makes his debut as the new color commentator for *Monday Night Football* on ABC. Madden's first regular season broadcast was a game in New England between the [Patriots](2002-new-england-patriots-season) and the [Pittsburgh Steelers](2002-pittsburgh-steelers-season). Working alongside Al Michaels, Madden would later that season, be in the booth for ABC's broadcast of Super Bowl XXXVII from San Diego. Madden would become the first person to do televised color commentary for two consecutive Super Bowls on two different networks (having previously called Super Bowl XXXVI for Fox). | |||||||||||||
| Major upheavals take place on Saturday mornings, as three of the four major networks change their programming on this day, with NBC preparing to do the same. Fox, having sold Fox Kids Worldwide to The Walt Disney Company the previous year, ends Fox Kids and sells its airtime to [4Kids Entertainment](4licensing-corporation), who begins programming their new children's programming block [FoxBox](4kids-tv). Disney, having acquired Fox Kids' program library, re-launches Disney's One Saturday Morning on ABC as ABC Kids. CBS, whose then and now-corporate sibling Nickelodeon programs its lineup, rebrands its Nick Jr. on CBS block as Nick on CBS and refocuses it on 2–11 year old children. | |||||||||||||
| Sony Pictures Entertainment rebranded the television unit of Columbia TriStar Domestic Television into its proper name, Sony Pictures Television (which could bring Sony's upcoming future series, as well as Sony distributed shows, and classic shows from the Screen Gems Television/Columbia Pictures Television library to be under the Sony Television unit as a whole). The new Sony Pictures Television unit would produce the remaining Columbia TriStar programs under the Sony name that were renewed for the [2002-2003 TV season](2002-03-united-states-network-television-schedule) (which includes well-known series, *Days of Our Lives*, *The Young and the Restless*, *Wheel of Fortune*, *Jeopardy!*, etc.). | |||||||||||||
| Release date of Kelly Clarkson's debut single, the double-A side CD "A Moment Like This"/"Before Your Love". | |||||||||||||
| Two NBC programs, *Friends* and *The West Wing*, respectively win Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Drama Series at the [54th Primetime Emmy Awards](54th-primetime-emmy-awards), which, by coincidence, airs on NBC. | |||||||||||||
| Lisa Donahue is the winner of CBS's contest *Big Brother 3* and wins the $500,000 prize; runner-up Danielle Reyes wins $50,000. | |||||||||||||
| American Movie Classics's transition to a commercial-supported general movie channel is completed with a new brand identity. | |||||||||||||
| Disney Channel, Playhouse Disney, and Toon Disney unveil their new logos and graphics. |
October
| Date | Event | 5 | 14 | 17 | 25 | 27 | 30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBC, having signed a contract with Discovery Networks, replaces their teen-oriented block TNBC with a programming strand called Discovery Kids on NBC (a spinoff of digital cable channel Discovery Kids). | |||||||
| Nickelodeon debuts its weekly programming variety block *U-Pick Live*. | |||||||
| Four television stations debut in Guam carrying programming from the Trinity Broadcasting Network: K28HS, K30HB, K32GB, and K36GJ. All four stations will become translators of NBC affiliate KUAM-TV in 2007. | |||||||
| CBS News weatherman Mark McEwen leaves after 15 years. | |||||||
| Game 7 of the [World Series](2002-world-series) is broadcast on Fox. The [Anaheim Angels](2002-anaheim-angels-season) win their first championship by defeating the [San Francisco Giants](2002-san-francisco-giants-season). | |||||||
| Warren Zevon is featured on CBS's *Late Show with David Letterman* as the only guest for the entire hour, performing several songs and talking about being diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. | |||||||
| Longtime cast member Hunter Tylo's character, Dr. Taylor Hamilton Forrester, is killed in the CBS soap opera *The Bold and the Beautiful*, which is seen worldwide. | |||||||
| The *NBA on ESPN* returned for the first time since the [1983–84 season](1983-84-nba-season), featuring a doubleheader between the [Washington Wizards](2002-03-washington-wizards-season) and the [Toronto Raptors](2002-03-toronto-raptors-season), and the [Los Angeles Lakers](2002-03-los-angeles-lakers-season) and the [Portland Trail Blazers](2002-03-portland-trail-blazers-season). |
November
| Date | Event | 20 |
|---|---|---|
| The 2002 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is broadcast on CBS. 10.5 million people tune in. |
December
| Date | Event | 25 |
|---|---|---|
| The *NBA on ABC* returned for the first time since the [1972–73 season](1972-73-nba-season), broadcasting a Christmas Day doubleheader between the [Boston Celtics](2002-03-boston-celtics-season) and the [New Jersey Nets](2002-03-new-jersey-nets-season), and the [Sacramento Kings](2002-03-sacramento-kings-season) and the [Los Angeles Lakers](2002-03-los-angeles-lakers-season). |
Programs
Debuts
| Date | Show | Network |
|---|---|---|
| January 2 | *The Crocodile Hunter Diaries* | Animal Planet |
| January 8 | *Last Call with Carson Daly* | NBC |
| *Imagine That* | ||
| January 13 | *The Jamie Kennedy Experiment* | The WB |
| *The Chamber* | Fox | |
| January 15 | *The Chair* | ABC |
| *First Monday* | CBS | |
| January 16 | *Combat Missions* | USA Network |
| *Glory Days* | The WB | |
| January 18 | *NOW* | PBS |
| January 19 | *The Nick Cannon Show* | Nickelodeon |
| *Teamo Supremo* | ABC | |
| *DragonflyTV* | PBS Kids | |
| January 21 | *Cyberchase* | |
| January 23 | *American Family* | PBS |
| January 23 | *That '80s Show* | Fox |
| February 4 | *Morning Call* | CNBC |
| *Closing Bell* | ||
| February 9 | *Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension* | Fox Kids |
| *Power Rangers Wild Force* | ||
| February 12 | *On the Record* | Fox News Channel |
| February 24 | *Inside TV Land* | Nick at Nite |
| February 26 | *Watching Ellie* | NBC |
| February 28 | *Leap of Faith* | |
| March 3 | *Jeremiah* | Showtime |
| March 4 | *Late World with Zach* | VH1 |
| March 5 | *The Osbournes* | MTV |
| *As If* | UPN | |
| *The Random Years* | UPN | |
| March 11 | *The American Embassy* | Fox |
| March 12 | *The Shield* | FX |
| March 14 | *My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star* | The WB |
| March 18 | *Baby Bob* | CBS |
| March 19 | *Yankeeography* | YES Network |
| *Andy Richter Controls the Universe* | Fox | |
| March 21 | *Under One Roof* | UPN |
| March 22 | *ChalkZone* | Nickelodeon |
| March 25 | *The Bachelor* | ABC |
| March 26 | *The Court* | |
| March 27 | *George Lopez* | |
| *Wednesday 9:30 (8:30 Central)* | ||
| *Greg the Bunny* | Fox | |
| March 29 | *AFP: American Fighter Pilot* | CBS |
| April 1 | *[$40 a Day](40-a-day)* | Food Network |
| *Play with Me Sesame* | Noggin | |
| April 4 | *Opportunity Knocks* | PAX TV |
| April 7 | *Super Duper Sumos* | Nickelodeon |
| April 15 | *Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck* | Game Show Network |
| April 22 | *Made* | MTV |
| May 1 | *Arena* | G4 |
| *Blister* | ||
| *Cheat!* | ||
| *Cinematech* | ||
| *Filter* | ||
| *Game On* | ||
| *Icons* | ||
| *Players* | ||
| *Portal* | ||
| *Pulse* | ||
| *Signing Time!* | Direct-to-video | |
| May 3 | *Max & Ruby* | Nickelodeon |
| May 6 | *Taildaters* | MTV |
| May 24 | *WWE Afterburn* | Syndication |
| *WWE Bottom Line* | ||
| May 25 | *WWE Velocity* | TNN |
| *Phantom Investigators* | Kids' WB | |
| June 2 | *The Wire* | HBO |
| June 3 | *Crank Yankers* | Comedy Central |
| *Friend or Foe?* | Game Show Network | |
| *Russian Roulette* | ||
| June 7 | *Kim Possible* | Disney Channel |
| June 10 | *I Bet You Will* | MTV |
| June 11 | *American Idol* | Fox |
| June 12 | *World Music* | Link TV |
| June 16 | *The Dead Zone* | USA Network |
| June 17 | *Dog Eat Dog* | NBC |
| June 18 | *Houston Medical* | ABC |
| June 21 | *Def Poetry Jam* | HBO |
| *Odyssey 5* | Showtime | |
| June 23 | *Street Time* | |
| *Monster Garage* | Discovery Channel | |
| *Totally in Tune* | Disney Channel | |
| June 24 | *Sorority Life* | MTV |
| July 6 | *While You Were Out* | TLC |
| July 7 | *The Most Extreme* | Animal Planet |
| July 11 | *Wide Angle* | PBS |
| July 12 | *Monk* | USA Network |
| July 17 | *[30 Seconds To Fame](30-seconds-to-fame)* | Fox |
| *Breaking News* | Bravo | |
| July 19 | *Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?* | Cartoon Network |
| July 20 | *The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius* | Nickelodeon |
| *She Spies* | NBC | |
| July 21 | *For the People* | Lifetime |
| July 22 | *Meet My Folks* | NBC |
| July 29 | *One-Hit Wonders* | VH1 |
| August 1 | *The Rerun Show* | NBC |
| *Contest Searchlight* | Comedy Central | |
| *Cavuto on Business* | Fox News Channel | |
| August 6 | *A Haunting* | Discovery Channel |
| August 12 | *Studio B with Shepard Smith* | Fox News Channel |
| August 16 | *He-Man and the Masters of the Universe* | Cartoon Network |
| August 17 | *¡Mucha Lucha!* | Kids' WB |
| August 25 | *Nickelodeon Robot Wars* | Nickelodeon |
| September 2 | *The Caroline Rhea Show* | Syndication |
| *Liberty's Kids* | PBS Kids | |
| *Make Way For Noddy* | ||
| September 12 | *Family Affair* | The WB |
| September 14 | *What's New, Scooby-Doo?* | Kids' WB |
| *Ozzy & Drix* | ||
| *Fillmore!* | ABC Kids | |
| *Stargate Infinity* | FoxBox | |
| September 15 | *Just Cause* | PAX TV |
| September 16 | *Baby Looney Tunes* | Cartoon Network |
| *Beyond with James Van Praagh* | Syndication | |
| *The Daily Buzz* | ||
| *Dr. Phil* | ||
| *The Rob Nelson Show* | ||
| *Everwood* | The WB | |
| September 16 | *Body and Soul* | PAX TV |
| September 17 | *[8 Simple Rules](8-simple-rules)* | ABC |
| *Life with Bonnie* | ||
| *Push, Nevada* | ||
| *Beg, Borrow & Deal* | ESPN | |
| September 18 | *Cedric the Entertainer Presents* | Fox |
| *Fastlane* | ||
| September 19 | *Do Over* | The WB |
| September 20 | *Greetings from Tucson* | |
| *What I Like About You* | ||
| *Firefly* | Fox | |
| *John Doe* | ||
| September 22 | *The Chris Matthews Show* | Syndication |
| *O2Be* | Oxygen | |
| September 23 | *CSI: Miami* | CBS |
| *Half & Half* | UPN | |
| September 24 | *Haunted* | |
| *Hidden Hills* | NBC | |
| *In-Laws* | ||
| *Presidio Med* | CBS | |
| September 25 | *MDs* | ABC |
| September 26 | *Good Morning, Miami* | NBC |
| *Without a Trace* | CBS | |
| September 27 | *Hack* | |
| *Robbery Homicide Division* | ||
| *That Was Then* | ABC | |
| September 28 | *Biker Build-Off* | Discovery Channel |
| September 29 | *American Dreams* | NBC |
| *Boomtown* | ||
| September 30 | *Recipe TV Featuring the World's Greatest Chefs* | Syndication |
| *Still Standing* | CBS | |
| *Taboo* | Nat Geo | |
| October 1 | *Less Than Perfect* | ABC |
| October 5 | *TNA Xplosion* | Sunshine Network |
| *Croc Files* | Discovery Kids on NBC | |
| *Endurance* | ||
| *Operation Junkyard* | ||
| *Scout's Safari* | ||
| *Strange Days at Blake Holsey High* | ||
| *Prehistoric Planet* | ||
| October 6 | *Bram & Alice* | CBS |
| October 9 | *Birds of Prey* | The WB |
| *Unsolved History* | Discovery Channel | |
| October 13 | *Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye* | PAX TV |
| October 14 | *U-Pick Live* | Nickelodeon |
| October 21 | *Girls Club* | Fox |
| October 22 | *Scaredy Camp* | Nickelodeon |
| October 28 | *Page to Screen* | Bravo |
| October 30 | *[3-South](3-south)* | MTV |
| November 2 | *Clone High* | |
| November 4 | *Around the Horn* | ESPN |
| November 7 | *[3-South](3-south)* | MTV |
| November 25 | *Doggy Fizzle Televizzle* | MTV |
| November 28 | *Dinotopia* | ABC |
| November 30 | *Barefoot Contessa* | Food Network |
| December 1 | *Conquest* | The History Channel |
| December 6 | *Codename: Kids Next Door* | Cartoon Network |
| December 9 | *WinTuition* | Game Show Network |
| December 11 | *Extreme Makeover* | ABC |
| December 16 | *I Love the '80s* | VH1 |
| December 25 | *NBA on ABC* | ABC |
Shows changing networks
| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
|---|---|---|
| *The News with Brian Williams* | MSNBC | CNBC |
| *Stargate SG-1* | Showtime | Sci-Fi Channel |
| *The Wiggles* | ABC Family | Playhouse Disney |
| *Power Rangers Wild Force* | Fox Kids | ABC Kids |
| *NBA Inside Stuff* | TNBC | ABC |
| *The Wayne Brady Show* | Syndication | |
| *Lingo* | Game Show Network | |
| *The Twilight Zone* | UPN | |
| *Wild Kingdom* | NBC | Animal Planet |
| *The Weakest Link* | Syndication | |
| *Who Wants to Be a Millionaire* | ABC | |
| *Making the Band* | MTV | |
| *Lloyd in Space* | Toon Disney | |
| *Mary Kate and Ashley in Action!* | ||
| *Teacher's Pet* | ||
| *House of Mouse* | ||
| *The Weekenders* | ||
| *Teamo Supremo* | ||
| *Mission Hill* | The WB | Adult Swim |
| *The Oblongs* | ||
| *Baby Blues* | ||
| *Beat The Clock* | CTV | PAX TV |
Returning this year
| Show | Last aired | Previous network | New/same network | Returning | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *All That* | ||||||||
| *Baby Blues* | ||||||||
| *Mission Hill* | ||||||||
| *The Oblongs* | ||||||||
| *Barney & Friends* | ||||||||
| *The $100,000 Pyramid* | ||||||||
| *Wild Kingdom* |
Ending this year
| Date | Show | Network | Debut | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | *Tales from the Neverending Story* | HBO | 2001 | Cancelled |
| January 5 | *Sk8* | NBC | ||
| January 11 | *The Ellen Show* | CBS | ||
| *Card Sharks* (returned in 2019) | Syndication | 1978 | ||
| January 15 | *Max Steel* | Cartoon Network | 2000 | |
| *Imagine That* | NBC | 2002 | ||
| January 18 | *The Outer Limits* | Sci Fi Channel | 1995 | |
| January 21 | *Daria* | MTV | 1997 | Ended |
| January 25 | *The Chamber* | Fox | 2002 | Cancelled |
| January 26 | *Marvin The Tap-Dancing Horse* | PBS Kids | 2000 | |
| January 26 | *That's Life* | CBS | ||
| January 27 | *Nikki* | The WB | ||
| January 31 | *The Tick* | Fox | 2001 | |
| February 1 | *Market Watch* | CNBC | 1998 | |
| February 5 | *Three Sisters* | NBC | 2001 | |
| February 10 | *Action League Now!* | Nickelodeon | ||
| February 13 | *Special Unit 2* | UPN | ||
| *Dr. Katz Professional Therapist* | Comedy Central | 1995 | ||
| February 14 | *Going to California* | Showtime | 2001 | |
| February 17 | *The Steve Harvey Show* | The WB | 1996 | |
| *Jackass* | MTV | 2000 | ||
| February 23 | *Sheena* | Syndication | ||
| March 4 | *Sponk!* | Noggin | 2001 | |
| March 5 | *[100 Centre Street](100-centre-street)* | A&E | ||
| March 10 | *Any Day Now* | Lifetime | 1998 | |
| *Baby Blues* | Kids' WB | 2000 | ||
| March 12 | *Undeclared* | Fox | 2001 | |
| March 15 | *To Tell the Truth* (returned in 2016) | Syndication | 1956 | |
| March 16 | *The Nightmare Room* | Kids' WB | 2001 | |
| March 18 | *The Chair* | ABC | 2002 | |
| March 19 | *The Random Years* | UPN | ||
| March 21 | *My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star* | The WB | ||
| March 23 | *UC: Undercover* | NBC | 2001 | |
| March 25 | *Glory Days* | The WB | 2002 | |
| March 31 | *The URL With Phred Show* | Noggin | 2001 | |
| April 7 | *Sheep in the Big City* | Cartoon Network | 2000 | |
| April 9 | *The Court* | Fox | 2002 | |
| April 11 | *Eco-Challenge* (returned in 2019) | Discovery Channel | 1995 | |
| April 15 | *Once and Again* | ABC | 1999 | |
| April 17 | *Combat Missions* | USA | 2002 | |
| April 21 | *[100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd](100-deeds-for-eddie-mcdowd)* | Nickelodeon | 1999 | |
| April 24 | *The Job* | ABC | 2001 | |
| April 25 | *Leap of Faith* | NBC | 2002 | |
| April 26 | *Lexx* | Sci Fi Channel | 1997 | |
| April 28 | *Caitlin's Way* | Nickelodeon | 2000 | |
| April 30 | *Dharma & Greg* | ABC | 1997 | |
| *Spin City* | 1996 | |||
| May 1 | *Wolf Lake* | CBS | 2001 | |
| May 2 | *Late World with Zach* | VH1 | 2002 | |
| May 3 | *Dark Angel* | Fox | 2000 | |
| *First Monday* | CBS | 2002 | ||
| *Maybe It's Me* | The WB | 2001 | ||
| May 4 | *So Little Time* | ABC Family | ||
| May 10 | *Raising Dad* | The WB | ||
| *Teacher's Pet* | Toon Disney | 2000 | ||
| May 11 | *Taina* | Nickelodeon | 2001 | |
| May 12 | *Ponderosa* | PAX TV | ||
| May 13 | *Beastmaster* | Syndication | 1999 | |
| *The Lost World* | ||||
| May 14 | *Roswell* | The WB | ||
| *Mysterious Ways* | NBC | 2000 | ||
| May 17 | *Talk Soup* (returned in 2004 as *The Soup*) | E! | 1991 | Ended |
| May 18 | *V.I.P.* | Syndication | 1998 | Cancelled |
| *The Andy Dick Show* | MTV | 2001 | ||
| May 19 | *The X-Files* (returned in 2016) | Fox | 1993 | Ended |
| *WWF Jakked/Metal* | Syndication | 1999 | Cancelled | |
| May 20 | *Ally McBeal* | Fox | 1997 | |
| *Earth: Final Conflict* | Syndication | |||
| *Relic Hunter* | 1999 | |||
| *The Hughleys* | ABC | 1998 | ||
| May 22 | *Felicity* | The WB | Ended | |
| *The Rosie O'Donnell Show* | Syndication | 1996 | Cancelled | |
| *Sally* | 1983 | |||
| May 24 | *Friday Night Videos* | NBC | ||
| *Shop 'til You Drop* (returned in 2003) | PAX TV | 1991 | ||
| May 25 | *Maximum Exposure* | Syndication | 2000 | |
| May 27 | *Family Law* | CBS | 1999 | |
| May 28 | *Philly* | ABC | 2001 | |
| May 29 | *That '80s Show* | Fox | 2002 | |
| June 2 | *The Education of Max Bickford* | CBS | 2001 | |
| June 6 | *Celebrity Deathmatch* (returned in 2006) | MTV | 1998 | |
| June 12 | *NBA on NBC* (returned in 2025) | NBC | 1990 | |
| June 15 | *The Tex Avery Show* | Cartoon Network | 1996 | |
| June 21 | *Smush* | USA | 2001 | |
| June 22 | *Alienators: Evolution Continues* | Fox Kids | ||
| June 25 | *Unscripted with Chris Connelly* | ESPN | ||
| June 29 | *Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action!* | ABC | ||
| *Phantom Investigators* | Kids' WB | 2002 | ||
| July 5 | *Politically Incorrect* | ABC | 1993 | |
| July 13 | *Spy Groove* | MTV | 2000 | |
| July 17 | *Breaking News* | Bravo | 2002 | |
| July 27 | *The New Woody Woodpecker Show* | Fox Kids | 1999 | |
| August 8 | *Pop-Up Video* (returned in 2011) | VH1 | 1996 | |
| August 10 | *The Zeta Project* | Kids' WB | 2001 | |
| August 11 | *For Your Love* | The WB | 1998 | |
| *Greg the Bunny* | Fox | 2002 | ||
| *Mission Hill* | Adult Swim | 1999 | ||
| August 12 | *Titus* | Fox | 2000 | |
| August 18 | *A Nero Wolfe Mystery* | A&E | 2001 | |
| *Totally in Tune* | Disney Channel | 2002 | ||
| August 20 | *The Rerun Show* | NBC | ||
| August 24 | *Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension* | Fox Kids | ||
| August 26 | *Witchblade* | TNT | 2001 | |
| August 30 | *I Bet You Will* | MTV | 2002 | |
| *Dennis Miller Live* | HBO | 1994 | ||
| August 31 | *Teen Summit* | BET | 1989 | |
| September 1 | *Contest Searchlight* | Comedy Central | 2002 | |
| September 5 | *Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction* | Fox | 1997 | |
| *Undressed* | MTV | 1999 | ||
| September 7 | *Just Deal* | NBC | 2000 | |
| September 8 | *Arliss* | HBO | 1996 | |
| September 18 | *Resurrection Blvd.* | Showtime | 2000 | |
| September 20 | *Unsolved Mysteries* (returned in 2008) | Lifetime | 1987 | |
| September 21 | *The Amanda Show* | Nickelodeon | 1999 | |
| October 1 | *Son of the Beach* | FX | 2000 | |
| October 4 | *That Was Then* | ABC | 2002 | |
| October 5 | *Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat* (returned in 2004) | PBS Kids | 2001 | |
| October 6 | *Nickelodeon Robot Wars* | Nickelodeon | 2002 | |
| October 7 | *Wild & Crazy Kids* | Nickelodeon | 1990 | |
| *Beat the Geeks* | Comedy Central | 2001 | ||
| October 14 | *The Oblongs* | The WB | ||
| October 15 | *Odyssey 5* | Showtime | 2002 | |
| October 18 | *Grim & Evil* | Cartoon Network | 2001 | |
| October 24 | *Push, Nevada* | ABC | 2002 | |
| October 27 | *Bram & Alice* | CBS | ||
| *O2Be* | Oxygen | |||
| October 28 | *Girls Club* | Fox | ||
| October 31 | *Off Centre* | The WB | 2001 | |
| November 5 | *Haunted* | UPN | 2002 | |
| November 15 | *Pelswick* | Nickelodeon | 2000 | |
| November 22 | *In Search of...* (returned in 2018) | Sci-Fi Channel | 1977 | |
| *Courage the Cowardly Dog* | Cartoon Network | 1999 | ||
| December 4 | *State of Grace* | ABC Family | 2001 | |
| December 10 | *Invader Zim* (returned in 2006) | Nickelodeon | ||
| December 11 | *MDs* | ABC | 2002 | |
| December 15 | *Do Over* | The WB | 2002 | |
| December 18 | *The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries* | Cartoon Network | 1995 | |
| December 20 | *Providence* | NBC | 1999 | |
| *Firefly* | Fox | 2002 | ||
| *I Love the '80s* | VH1 | |||
| December 21 | *BattleBots* (returned in 2015) | Comedy Central | 2000 |
Entering syndication this year
| Show | Seasons | In Production | Source | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Charmed* | ||||||
| *Dawson's Creek* | ||||||
| *Dharma & Greg* | ||||||
| *The Larry Sanders Show* | ||||||
| *Providence* | ||||||
| *Stargate SG-1* | ||||||
| *The Hughleys* | ||||||
| *That 70's Show* | ||||||
| *Will & Grace* |
Television films
| Title | Network | Date of airing | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Is It College Yet?* | ||||
| *Cadet Kelly* | ||||
| *[9/11](9-11-2002-film)* | ||||
| *A Season on the Brink* | ||||
| *Blue's Clues: Joe's Scrapbook* | ||||
| *Get a Clue* | ||||
| *Gotta Kick It Up!* | ||||
| *Hope Ranch* | ||||
| *Home Alone 4* | ||||
| *Hey Arnold!: The Journal* | ||||
| *Live from Baghdad* | ||||
| *The Man Who Saved Christmas* |
Miniseries
| Title | Channel | Premiere | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Dinotopia* | ||||
| *Taken* |
Networks and services
Launches
| Network | Type | Launch date | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TeleFutura | Over-the-air multicast/cable and satellite | January 14 | ||
| The Church Channel | Cable and satellite/over-the-air multicast | January 14 | ||
| YES Network | Cable and satellite | March 19 | ||
| G4 | Cable television | April 24 | ||
| MTV Hits | ||||
| MTV Jams | ||||
| Nicktoons TV | ||||
| VH1 MegaHits | Cable television | May 1 | ||
| National College Sports Network | Cable and satellite | June 1 | ||
| Discovery HD Theater | Cable and satellite | June 17 | ||
| BET Gospel | ||||
| BET Hip-Hop | Cable television | July 1 | ||
| Fine Living Network | Cable and satellite | August 21 |
Conversions and rebrandings
| Old network name | New network name | Type | Conversion Date | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery Science Channel | Science Channel | Cable and satellite | April 22 | Discovery Science Channel becomes the first Discovery Networks-owned cable network to drop the Discovery branding from its name, rebranding as the Science Channel. | |
| HBO Plus | HBO 2 | Cable and satellite | September |
Closures
| Network | Type | End date | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNN/SI | Cable and satellite | May 15 | ||
| All News Channel | Satellite television | September 30 |
Television stations
Station launches
| Date | City of license/market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Notes/ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 18 | Pago Pago, American Samoa | K11UU | 11 | Baháʼí religious independent (primary) | |
| Australia Network (secondary) | |||||
| March | Juneau, Alaska | K24FM | 24 | Pax TV | |
| April | Goldfield/Reno, Nevada | KTVY-TV | 7 | ImaginAsian | |
| Sheridan, Wyoming | KJCW | 7 | CBS | Satellite of KTVQ | |
| June 9 | Richmond, Virginia | W39CD | 39 | TBN | |
| June 13 | Lewiston, Idaho | K61HN | 61 | America One | |
| Redding, California | K50LD | 50 | Daystar | ||
| September | Columbus/Tupelo, Mississippi | WCBI-DT2 | 4.2 | UPN | |
| September 2 | Palm Springs, California | KPSP-LP | 38 | CBS | |
| October 6 | Tazewell/Knoxville, Tennessee | WVLR | 48 | CTN | |
| October 17 | Hagåtña, Guam (Agana) | K28HS | 28 | TBN | |
| K30HB | 30 | ||||
| K32GB | 32 | ||||
| K36GJ | 36 | ||||
| November 27 | Chisholm, Minnesota | KRII | 11 | NBC | Semi-satellite of KBJR/Duluth |
| December 1 | Waterloo/Cedar Rapids, Iowa | KWWF | 22 | LeSEA/World Harvest Television | |
| Unknown date | Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands | W52DG | 52 | Religious independent | |
| Farmington, New Mexico | KOFT | 8 | ABC | Satellite of KOAT-TV/Albuquerque, New Mexico | |
| Huntsville, Alabama | WZDX-DT2 | 54.2 | The WB | ||
| Missoula, Montana | KMMF | 17 | Fox | ||
| Pago Pago, American Samoa | K30HO | 30 | TBN | ||
| Parkersburg, West Virginia | |||||
| (Marietta, Ohio) | W64CS | 64 | unknown | ||
| W22CU | 22 | ||||
| Pascagoula/Biloxi, Mississippi | W07DG | 7 | America One | ||
| Syracuse, New York | WNYI | 52 | Univision | ||
| Woodward, Oklahoma | KUOK | 36 | Pax TV |
Network affiliation changes
| Date | City of License/Market | Station | Channel | Old affiliation | New affiliation | Notes/ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | Berrien Springs, Michigan | |||||
| (South Bend/Elkhart, Indiana) | WRDY-LP | 25 | Independent | ABC (via WBND-LP) | ||
| July 15 | Gainesville, Florida | WGFL | 23 | The WB (primary) | ||
| UPN (secondary) | CBS (primary) | |||||
| UPN (secondary) | ||||||
| WBFL-LP | 11 | |||||
| Jacksonville, Florida | WJXT | 4 | CBS | Independent | ||
| WTEV-TV | 47 | UPN | CBS | |||
| September 2 | Portland, Oregon | KPTV | 12 | UPN | Fox | |
| KPDX | 49 | Fox | UPN | |||
| September 8 | Minneapolis–Saint Paul | KMSP | 9 | UPN | **Fox** | |
| WFTC | 29 | **Fox** | UPN | |||
| October | Berrien Springs, Michigan | |||||
| (South Bend/Elkhart, Indiana) | WRDY-LP | 25 | ABC (via WBND-LP) | The WB | ||
| November 1 | Sheridan, Wyoming | KJCW | 7 | CBS | NBC | |
| Unknown date | Bellingham, Washington | |||||
| (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) | KVOS-TV | 12 | Independent (primary) | |||
| CityTV (secondary) | Independent (full-time) | |||||
| Calipatria/El Centro, California | ||||||
| Yuma, Arizona, United States/Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico | KAJB | 54 | Independent | Telefutura | ||
| Lima, Ohio | WLMO-LP | 38 | Fox (as W65DP) | CBS | ||
| Madison, Wisconsin | WISC-DT2 | 3.2 | ||||
| (digital) | The WB | UPN | ||||
| WBUW | 57 | UPN (as WHPN) | The WB |
Births
| Date | Name | Notability | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 22 | ||||
| February 2 | ||||
| February 4 | ||||
| February 5 | ||||
| February 6 | ||||
| February 11 | ||||
| February 24 | ||||
| March 4 | ||||
| March 29 | ||||
| April 8 | ||||
| April 18 | ||||
| April 26 | ||||
| May 6 | ||||
| May 8 | ||||
| May 9 | ||||
| May 16 | ||||
| May 19 | ||||
| May 29 | ||||
| May 31 | ||||
| June 2 | ||||
| June 4 | ||||
| June 16 | ||||
| Matthew Zhang | ||||
| June 17 | ||||
| June 25 | ||||
| July 23 | ||||
| July 26 | ||||
| Theodore Barnes | ||||
| July 31 | ||||
| Abi Carter | ||||
| August 18 | ||||
| August 19 | ||||
| August 21 | ||||
| August 30 | ||||
| September 3 | ||||
| September 6 | ||||
| Pearce Joza | ||||
| September 8 | ||||
| September 12 | ||||
| September 19 | ||||
| September 21 | ||||
| September 22 | ||||
| September 27 | ||||
| Jillian Shea Spaeder | ||||
| September 30 | ||||
| October 3 | ||||
| October 6 | ||||
| October 12 | ||||
| October 14 | ||||
| October 25 | ||||
| November 15 | ||||
| November 20 | ||||
| November 26 | ||||
| November 30 | ||||
| December 6 | ||||
| December 20 | ||||
| December 23 |
Deaths
| Date | Name | Age | class="unsortable" | Notability | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 13 | |||||||
| February 6 | |||||||
| February 13 | |||||||
| February 15 | |||||||
| February 22 | |||||||
| February 24 | |||||||
| February 28 | |||||||
| March 15 | |||||||
| March 17 | |||||||
| March 27 | |||||||
| April 2 | |||||||
| April 16 | |||||||
| April 25 | |||||||
| May 24 | |||||||
| June 3 | |||||||
| June 5 | |||||||
| June 13 | |||||||
| June 18 | |||||||
| July 8 | |||||||
| August 5 | |||||||
| September 7 | |||||||
| September 14 | |||||||
| September 28 | |||||||
| October 10 | |||||||
| October 13 | |||||||
| October 20 | |||||||
| November 3 | |||||||
| November 9 | |||||||
| December 3 | |||||||
| December 5 |
References
References
- "Jeopardy!'streak". [[Associated Press]].
- [http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/071402/met_9908658.html 2 stations to fill TV-4's former CBS viewing area], ''[[The Florida Times-Union]]'', July 14, 2002.
- Paula Bernstein. (January 18, 2002). "4Kids buys 4 hours from Fox Kids". [[Variety (magazine).
- (May 23, 2002). "Channels 9 and 29 swap affiliations". [[Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal]].
- Paula Bernstein. (September 29, 2002). "Kid skeds tread on joint strategy". Variety.
- Bobbin, Jay. (November 17, 2002). "Heidi Klum reveals Victoria's fashion secrets in CBS special". [[The Daily Ardmoreite]].
- Rosenthal, Phil. (November 20, 2002). "An hour barely covers it". [[Chicago Sun-Times]].
- (November 17, 2002). "Movie Moguls Let Fur Fly, Too". [[New York Post]].
- ''[[Broadcasting & Cable]]'', April 9, 2001
- ''[[Broadcasting & Cable]]'', April 17, 2000
- ''[[Broadcasting & Cable]]'', January 29, 2001
- ''[[Broadcasting & Cable]]'', December 3, 2001
- ''[[Broadcasting & Cable]]'', October 1, 2001
- ''[[Broadcasting & Cable]]'', August 12, 2002
- ''[[Broadcasting & Cable]]'', September 30, 2002
- "Caitlin Clark Career Stats - WNBA".
- Bronson, Fred. (2022-04-26). "Meet 2022’s ‘American Idol’ Top 10".
- Bronson, Fred. (2024-04-23). "Meet 2024’s ‘American Idol’ Top 10 Contestants".
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.
Ask Mako anything about 2002 in American television — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up free
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