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1979–80 United States network television schedule

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The following is the 1979–80 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1979 through August 1980. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1978–79 season. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football.

New fall series are highlighted in bold.

Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.[1]

  Yellow indicates the programs in the top 10 for the season.
  Cyan indicates the programs in the top 20 for the season.
  Magenta indicates the programs in the top 30 for the season.

PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service, was in operation but the schedule was set by each local station.

Sunday

[edit]
Network 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Out of the Blue A New Kind of Family Mork & Mindy (27/20.2) The Associates The ABC Sunday Night Movie (29/20.0)
(Tied with Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, Vega$ and Knots Landing)
November Salvage 1
Winter Galactica 1980 Tenspeed and Brown Shoe (29/20.0)
(Tied with The ABC Sunday Night Movie, Vega$ and Knots Landing)
Summer When the Whistle Blows
CBS 60 Minutes (1/28.4) Archie Bunker's Place* (11/22.9) One Day at a Time (10/23.0) Alice (4/25.3)
(Tied with M*A*S*H)
The Jeffersons (8/24.3) Trapper John, M.D. (19/21.2)
NBC Fall Disney's Wonderful World The Big Event Prime Time Sunday
Summer CHiPs The Big Event

(*) Formerly known as All in the Family.

Monday

[edit]
Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall 240-Robert ABC NFL Monday Night Football
Winter Repeats The ABC Monday Night Movie
Follow-up Laverne & Shirley Angie Stone Family
Spring That's Incredible! (3/25.8) Family Stone
Summer One in a Million Monday Night Baseball
CBS Fall The White Shadow M*A*S*H (4/25.3)
(Tied with Alice)
WKRP in Cincinnati (22/20.7) Lou Grant
Winter House Calls (14/22.1)
(Tied with Real People)
Follow-up WKRP in Cincinnati (22/20.7) The Last Resort
Spring The Stockard Channing Show Flo (7/24.4)
Summer Phyl & Mikhy House Calls
NBC Little House on the Prairie (16/21.8) NBC Monday Night at the Movies

Tuesday

[edit]
Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Happy Days (17/21.7) Angie Three's Company (2/26.3) Taxi (13/22.4) The Lazarus Syndrome
Follow-up Hart to Hart
Winter One in a Million
February Goodtime Girls
March Laverne & Shirley
CBS Fall California Fever The CBS Tuesday Night Movies
Follow-up Hawaii Five-O Paris
Winter The White Shadow
Follow-up The CBS Tuesday Night Movies
NBC Fall The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo NBC Tuesday Night at the Movies
Spring The Big Show United States

Wednesday

[edit]
Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Eight Is Enough (12/22.8) Charlie's Angels (20/20.9)
(Tied with Barney Miller)
Vega$ (29/20.0)
(Tied with Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, The ABC Sunday Night Movie and Knots Landing)
CBS Fall The Last Resort Struck by Lightning The CBS Wednesday Night Movies
October The Bad News Bears
November Young Maverick
March Beyond Westworld
NBC Fall Real People (14/22.1)
(Tied with House Calls)
Diff'rent Strokes (26/20.3) Hello, Larry The Best of Saturday Night Live (repeats)
Spring From Here to Eternity
Summer Quincy, M.E.

Thursday

[edit]
Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Laverne & Shirley Benson (23/20.6)
(Tied with The Love Boat)
Barney Miller (20/20.9)
(Tied with Charlie's Angels)
Soap (25/20.5) 20/20
Winter Mork & Mindy (27/20.2)
Spring The Associates
Follow-up The Ropers
CBS Fall The Waltons Hawaii Five-O Barnaby Jones
Winter Barnaby Jones Knots Landing (29/20.0)
(Tied with Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, The ABC Sunday Night Movie and Vega$)
Spring Palmerstown, U.S.A. The Contender
Summer The Waltons
NBC Fall Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Quincy, M.E. Kate Loves a Mystery*
Winter Skag
Spring The Rockford Files
Summer NBC Thursday Night at the Movies
Follow-up Games People Play

(*) Formerly known as Mrs. Columbo

Friday

[edit]
Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Fantasy Island (28/20.1) The ABC Friday Night Movie
Winter B.A.D. Cats
Spring When the Whistle Blows
Summer The ABC Friday Night Movie Tenspeed and Brown Shoe
Follow-up Benson Goodtime Girls The ABC Friday Night Movie
CBS The Incredible Hulk The Dukes of Hazzard (9/24.1) Dallas (6/25.0)
NBC Pre-Fall Hello, Larry The Facts of Life Various Programming
Fall Shirley The Rockford Files Eischied
Spring Here's Boomer The Facts of Life Pink Lady
Follow-up Me and Maxx Various Programming
Summer Hello, Larry The Rockford Files A Man Called Sloane

Saturday

[edit]
Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall The Ropers Detective School The Love Boat (23/20.6)
(Tied with Benson)
Hart to Hart
Follow-up Fantasy Island (28/20.1)
December A New Kind of Family
Winter One in a Million The Ropers
Spring Angie Goodtime Girls
CBS Fall Working Stiffs The Bad News Bears Big Shamus, Little Shamus Paris
Follow-up Various Programming The CBS Saturday Night Movies
Winter The Chisholms
Spring The Tim Conway Show Hawaii Five-O Hagen
Follow-up CBS Saturday Movie
Summer The Bad News Bears The Stockard Channing Show
July One Day at a Time The Bad News Bears
Follow-up Universe
NBC Fall CHiPs (18/21.5) B. J. and the Bear A Man Called Sloane
Winter Prime Time Saturday
Spring B. J. and the Bear Sanford Me and Maxx
Follow-up Joe's World
Summer Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Various Good Time Harry

Note: In November 1979, CBS took Paris off their Saturday night lineup before scheduling it in the 10:00-11:00 pm time slot on Tuesdays beginning December 4.

By network

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Highest-rated series is based on the annual top-rated programs list compiled by Nielsen Media Research and reported in: Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.

Additional sources

[edit]
  • Castleman, H. & Podrazik, W. (1982). Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television. New York: McGraw-Hill. 314 pp.
  • McNeil, Alex. Total Television. Fourth edition. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-024916-8.
  • Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1985). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-31864-1.