Events

• January 6 - Another World becomes the first American soap opera to start airing hour-long telecasts.
• March 1 - Colour television transmissions begin in Australia.
• March 18 - McLean Stevenson's character Henry Blake was killed in the M*A*S*H episode Abysinnia, Henry.
• April 3 - Meg Richardson (Noele Gordon) marries Hugh Mortimer (John Bentley) on the soap opera Crossroads.
• April 18 - Alice Cooper's first television special, Welcome To My Nightmare: The Making Of A Record Album airs.
• April 21 - Days of Our Lives becomes the second American soap opera to expand from thirty minutes to an hour in length.
• April 28 - Tom Snyder interviews John Lennon on The Tomorrow Show.
• May 7 - Matt Helm is shown as a pilot episode in the US but the actual television series will be shown later that same year.
• May 24 - In the UK, Independent Television programs are blacked out by a strike.
• June - As the World Turns airs its last live episode and switches to pre-recording, making it the last soap opera to do so.
• September 5 - A bomb explodes in the wine bar/delicatessen on Number 96, in an attempt to shake up the cast and earn back lost viewers.
• September 8 - Match Game starts airing weekly episodes in syndication.
• October 11 - *Andy Kaufman makes his debut on the first episode of Saturday Night Live, lip syncing portions of the theme to Mighty Mouse
• October 28 - A James Bond film is shown on British television for the first time, Dr. No on ITV.
• November 3 - The Price is Right expands to an hour in length.
• November 7 - The New Original Wonder Woman airs as a TV movie, leading to a weekly series, Wonder Woman, which debuts in 1976.
• November 10 - The producers of the long-running serial drama The Guiding Light change the show's name to Guiding Light, in an attempt to modernize the show's image. The show's announcer, however, continues to call the series The Guiding Light in his announcements until the early 1980s.
• December 1 - Top-rated As the World Turns, bowing to competition from NBC, expands to one hour in length.
• Fred Silverman becomes the head of ABC Entertainment. Initiating an era of what is disparagingly called "T&A" or "jiggle television", his programming choices result in ABC achieving ratings dominance.
• Sony introduces the Betamax video recorder in the US.
• The In Soviet Georgia television advertisements for Dannon yogurt first air in the United States.

Debuts

• January 2 - The Sweeney premieres in the UK (1975-1978).
• January 6 - Wheel of Fortune premieres on NBC's daytime lineup (1975-1989).
• January 17 - Baretta premieres (1975-1978).
• January 18 - The Jeffersons, a spinoff of All in the Family, premieres on CBS (1975-1985).
• January 23 - Barney Miller debuts on ABC (1975-1982).
• April 4 - The Good Life premieres in the UK (1975-1978).
• April - Survivors debuts on BBC1 in the UK (1975-1977).
• May - The Don Lane Show premieres in Australia (1975-1983).
• May 31 - Jim'll Fix It premieres in the UK (1975-1994).
• July 7 - Ryan's Hope premieres on ABC's daytime lineup (1975-1989).
• September 4 -"The Bobby Vinton Show" premiers on CTV in Canada and across the U.S. in syndication. (1975-1978)
• September 6 - Hanna-Barbera's The New Tom and Jerry/Grape Ape Show premieres on ABC Saturday Morning (1975-1976).
• September 9 - Welcome Back, Kotter premieres on ABC (1975-1979).
• October 1 - Arena (UK) premieres on BBC Two (1975-present).
• October 11 - Saturday Night Live premieres with George Carlin hosting (1975-present).
• October 17 - 1999 premieres in the UK (1975-1977).
• November 3 - Good Morning America premieres with co-anchors David Hartman and Nancy Dussault (1975-present).
• December 16 - One Day at a Time, produced by Norman Lear, premieres on CBS (1975-1984).
• Bod - debuts (and completes) (1975).
• Fawlty Towers premieres on the BBC (1975, 1979).
• the fifth estate debuts on CBC (1975-present).
• The Invisible Man debuts on US TV.
• King of Kensington debuts on CBC (1975-1980).
• Match Game PM (1975-1982).
• Pop Quest premieres in the UK (1975-1978).
• Runaround premieres in the UK (1975-1981).
• Supersonic debuts in the UK (1975-1977).

Television shows

1940s

• Meet the Press (1947-present).
• Candid Camera (1948-present).
• Bozo the Clown (1949-present).
• Come Dancing (UK) (1949-1995).

1950s

• Truth or Consequences (1950-1988).
• Love of Life (1951-1980).
• Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986).
• Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951-present).
• American Bandstand (1952-1989).
• The 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 Starring Johnny Carson (1962-1992).
• Captain Kangaroo (1955-1984).
• Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955-1976).
• The Lawrence Welk Show (1955-1982) .
• This Is Your Life (UK) (1955-2003).
• As the World Turns (1956-present).
• Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956-1978).
• 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).

1960s

• Coronation Street (UK) (1960-present).
• Four Corners (Australia) (1961-present).
• It's Academic (1961-present).
• The Mike Douglas Show (1961-1981).
• The Late Late Show (Ireland) (1962-present).
• Z-Cars (UK) (1962-1978).
• Doctor Who (UK) (1963-1989, 1996, 2005-present).
• General Hospital (1963-present).
• The Doctors (1963-1982).
• Another World (1964-1999).
• Crossroads (UK) (1964-1988, 2001-2003).
• Top of the Pops (UK) (1964-present).
• Days of Our Lives (1965-present).
• World of Sport (UK) (1965-1985).
• Play School (1966-present).
• The Money Programme (UK) (1966-present).
• The Carol Burnett Show (1967-1978).
• 60 Minutes (1968-present).
• Dad's Army (UK) (1968-1977).
• Hawaii Five-O (1968-1980).
• Magpie (UK) (1968-1980).
• One Life to Live (1968-present).
• Hee Haw (1969-1993).
• Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969-1976).
• Sesame Street (1969-present).
• The Benny Hill Show (UK) (1969-1989).
• The Wonderful World of Disney (1969-1979).

1970s

• All My Children (1970-present).
• Mary Tyler Moore (1970-1977).
• McCloud (1970-1977).
• Monday Night Football (1970-present).
• Play for Today (UK) (1970-1984).
• All in the Family (1971-1979).
• Columbo (1971-1978).
• Masterpiece Theatre (1971-present).
• McMillan and Wife (1971-1977).
• Old Grey Whistle Test (UK) (1971-1987).
• Soul Train (1971-present).
• Are You Being Served? (UK) (1972-1985).
• Emergency! (1972-1977).
• Emmerdale Farm (UK) (1972-present).
• Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972-1984).
• John Craven's Newsround (UK) (1972-present).
• Maude (1972-1978).
• M*A*S*H (1972-1983).
• Sanford and Son (1972-1977).
• The Bob Newhart Show (1972-1978) .
• The Price Is Right (1972-present).
• The Waltons (1972-1981).
• Barnaby Jones (1973-1980).
• Kojak (1973-1978, 2005-present).
• Last of the Summer Wine (UK) (1973-present).
• Match Game '75 (1962-1969, 1973-1984, 1990-1991, 1998-1999).
• Schoolhouse Rock! (1973-1986).
• The Six Million Dollar Man (1973-1978).
• Superstars (UK) (1973-1985, 2003-2005).
• The Tomorrow Show (1973-1982).
• The Young and the Restless (1973-present).
• Chico and the Man (1974-1978).
• Countdown (Australia) (1974-1987).
• Derrick (1974-1998).
• Good Times (1974-1979).
• Happy Days (1974-1984).
• Land of the Lost (1974-1977).
• Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983).
• Police Woman (1974-1978).
• Rhoda (1974-1978).
• Tattletales (1974-1978, 1982-1984).
• The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast (1974-1984).
• The Rockford Files (1974-1980).
• Tiswas (UK) (1974-1982).
• Wish You Were Here...? (UK) (1974-present).
• Tom and Jerry (1965-1972, 1975-1977, 1980-1982).

Ending this year

• Split Second (ABC Daytime, 1972-1975).
• Gunsmoke (1955-1975).
• Ironside (1967-1975).
• Mannix (1967-1975).
• The Odd Couple (1970-1975).
• Kung Fu (1972-1975).
• How to Survive a Marriage (1974-1975).

Cancelled, but eventually to return to the air

• Jeopardy! (1964-1975, 1984-present).
• The Joker's Wild (1972-1975, 1978-1986).
• Password (1961-67, 71-75, 79-81, 84-89).

Changes of network affiliation

• The Edge of Night moves from CBS to ABC.

Births

1975 | Years in television

1975 à la télévision | TV-året 1975