1989 in television

For the United States network television schedule, please see 1989-90 United States network television schedule.

Events

February 5 - The world's first commercial DBS system, Sky Television, goes on air in the United Kingdom.
February 23 - Leslie Grantham makes his last appearance in EastEnders as Den Watts for fourteen years.
May - Donna Mills makes her final regular appearance as villainess Abby on Knots Landing.
May 19 - Sue Ellen plans to reveal a tell-all movie on J.R. Ewing, and hopes to make him "the laughingstock of Texas," in the season finale of Dallas.
June 22 - John Craven signs off for the last time on the UK children's news programme John Craven's Newsround. The show continues under the name Newsround.
July 31 - Canadian cable television network CBC Newsworld is launched.
September 29 - Susan Sullivan's character, Maggie Gioberti Channing, is killed off on the season premiere of Falcon Crest.
October 4 - Jeremy Paxman makes his first appearance as presenter of BBC2's Newsnight.
December 6 - The last episode of the original run of Doctor Who, 'Survival' (part three) is broadcast on BBC One. This marks the end of Sylvester McCoy's era as the Seventh Doctor.
December 8 - Alan Bradley is run over by a Blackpool tram on Coronation Street, getting the programme's biggest ever audience at 26.93 million viewers, a record that remains to this day.
December 18 - A seldom-seen 1956 Christmas special episode of I Love Lucy re-airs on CBS.
December 29 - Deirdre Barlow confronts her husband Ken on Coronation Street before infamously throwing him out, ending their decade-long television marriage.
David Spade, and Mike Myers join the cast of Saturday Night Live.
Cliff and Nina Warner marry one another for the fourth (and seemingly final) time on All My Children, a record that has not been matched in the soap world.
The ABT (Australian Broadcasting Tribunal) declares Nine Network executive Alan Bond "not a fit and proper person to own a television licence."

Debuts

January - The newsmagazine series Inside Edition premieres in syndication.
January 3 - The Arsenio Hall Show (1989-1994) premieres on CBS. His first musical guest is Luther Vandross.
January 16 - Press Gang, a massively popular comedy/drama aimed at teenagers, begins its run on the ITV network in the UK (1989-1993).
March 11 - Cops premieres on FOX, which shows footage shot in real life situations with US police officers (1989-present).
April 1 The Mickey Mouse Club'' premieres on Disney Channel (1989-1994)
April 12 - Fast Forward premieres on commercial television in Australia (1989-1992).
April 18 - Dragonball Z premieres on Fuji TV in Japan

(1989-1995).

May 21 - The Matthew Barnard Show premieres on NBC with the first episode: Matt and the Giant Squid of Doomness (1989-2000)
June - That's Showbusiness premieres on BBC 1(1989-1996).
June 10 - Tales from the Crypt premieres on HBO (1989-1996).
July 5 - The Seinfeld Chronicles premieres on NBC. The show would later be retitled Seinfeld and become one of the most popular sitcoms in television history (1989-1998).
August 16 - Acropolis Now premieres on the Seven Network in Australia (1989-1992).
September 8 - Challenge Anneka premieres on BBC1 (1989-1995)
September 12 - Life Goes On premieres on ABC (1989-1993).
September 22 - Baywatch premieres on NBC (1989-2001).
September 22 - Family Matters premieres on ABC (1989-1998).
November 6 - About Face premieres on ITV (1989-1991).
November 16 - Maid Marian and her Merry Men premieres on BBC1 (1989-1994).
November 26 - ''America's Funniest Home Videos premieres on ABC with Full House host Bob Saget.
December 17 - The Simpsons premieres on FOX with a special Christmas episode (1989-present). The characters had first appeared two years earlier as a segment on The Tracey Ullman Show. The regular run begins January 14, 1990.
The Big Gig premieres on the ABC in Australia (1989-1992).

Television shows

1940s

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

1950s

Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951-present).
Guiding Light (1952-present).
The Today Show (1952-present).
Panorama (UK) (1953-present).
Face the Nation (1954-present).
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962-1992).
This Is Your Life (UK) (1955-2003).
As the World Turns (1956-present).
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 Late Late Show (Ireland) (1962-present).
Doctor Who (UK) (1963-1989, 1996, 2005-present).
General Hospital (1963-present).
Another World (1964-1999).
Top of the Pops (UK) (1964-present).
Days of Our Lives (1965-present).
Play School (1966-present).
The Money Programme (UK) (1966-present).
60 Minutes (1968-present).
One Life to Live (1968-present).
Hee Haw (1969-1993).
Sesame Street (1969-present).

1970s

All My Children (1970-present).
Monday Night Football (1970-present).
Masterpiece Theatre (1971-present).
Soul Train (1971-present).
Emmerdale (UK) (1972-present).
Newsround (UK) (1972-present).
The Price Is Right (1972-present).
Last of the Summer Wine (UK) (1973-present).
The Young and the Restless (1973-present).
Derrick (1974-1998).
Wish You Were Here...? (UK) (1974-present).
Arena (UK) (1975-present).
Good Morning America (1975-present).
Jim'll Fix It (UK) (1975-1994).
Saturday Night Live (1975-present).
the fifth estate (Canada) (1975-present).
Wheel of Fortune (1975-present).
20/20 (1978-present).
Dallas (1978-1991).
Grange Hill (UK) (1978-present).
Knots Landing (1979-1993).
You Can't Do That on Television (Canada) (1979-1990).
Antiques Roadshow (UK) (1979-present).
Nightline (1979-present).
This Old House (1979-present).

1980s

Entertainment Tonight (1981-present).
Falcon Crest (1981-1990).
What Now (1982-present)
Timewatch (UK) (1982-present)
Cheers (1982-1993).
Late Night with David Letterman (1982-1993).
Newhart (1982-1990).
The Journal (Canada) (1982-1992).
Loving (1983-1995).
Jeopardy! (1964-1975, 1984-present).
Mother and Son (Australia) (1984-1994).
Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996).
Night Court (1984-1992).
Santa Barbara (1984-1993).
The Bill (UK) (1984-present).
The Cosby Show (1984-1992).
Who's the Boss? (1984-1992).
227 (1985-1990).
EastEnders (UK) (1985-present).
Growing Pains (1985-1992).
MacGyver (1985-1992).
Mr. Belvedere (1985-1990).
Neighbours (Australia) (1985-present).
Only Fools and Horses (UK) (1981-1983, 1985-1993, 1996-1997, 2001-2003).
Sally (1985-2002).
T-Bag and the Revenge of the T-Set and T-Bag's Christmas Carol (There were various T-Bag series between 1985 and 1992)
The Golden Girls (1985-1992).
ALF (1986-1990).
Amen (1986-1991).
Casualty (UK) (1986-present).
Comic Relief (UK) (1986-present).
Designing Women (1986-1993).
Double Dare (1986-1993).
Hey Dad...! (Australia) (1986-1994).
L.A. Law (1986-1994).
Mama's Family (1983-1984, 1986-1990).
Matlock (1986-1995).
Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986-1991).
Perfect Strangers (1986-1993).
The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986-present).
A Different World (1987-1993).
Beadle's About (UK) (1987-1996).
Chucklevision (UK) (1987-present).
Full House (1987-1995).
Going Live! (1987-1993).
Inspector Morse (1987-2000).
Knightmare (UK) (1987-1994).
Married... with Children (1987-1997).
The Next Generation (1987-1994).
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987-1996).
The Bold and the Beautiful (1987-present).
The Tracey Ullman Show (1987-1990).
thirtysomething (1987-1991).
America's Most Wanted (1988-present).
The American Experience (1988-present).
Red Dwarf (UK) (1988-1999).
Fair City (1988-present).
Home and Away (1988-present).
This Morning (1988-present).
48 Hours (1988-present).
The Adventures of Superboy (1988-1992).
Children's Ward (UK) (1988-2000).
Empty Nest (1988-1995).
Family Feud (1976-1985, 1988-1995, 1999-present).
Garfield and Friends (1988-1995).
Murphy Brown (1988-1998).
Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988-1999).
Roseanne (1988-1997).
The Comedy Company (Australia) (1988-1990).
T. and T. (1988-1990).
The Magical World of Disney (1988-1990).
The Wonder Years (1988-1993).
Electric Circus (1988-2003).
Juke Box Jury (1959-1967, 1979, 1989-1990).
Lonesome Dove (miniseries on CBS}

Ending this year

January 13 - The last episode of the soap opera Ryan's Hope airs on ABC; in the final scene, matriarch Maeve Ryan (Helen Gallagher) sings Danny Boy at Ryan's Bar for the last time (1975-1989).
March 9 - Webster (1983-1989).
March 24 - of the Century|$ale of the Century" target="_blank" >^* (1983-1989).
March 24 - Super Password (1984-1989).
March 31 - Card Sharks (1978-1981, 1986-1989).
May 1 - The Benny Hill Show (UK) (1955-1989).
May 10 - Dynasty (1981-1989).
May 14 - Family Ties (1982-1989).
May 14 - Moonlighting (1985-1989).
May 21 - Miami Vice (1984-1989).
May 22 - Kate and Allie (1984-1989).
August 4 - Highway to Heaven (1984-1989).
September - It's a Living (1980-1982, 1985-1989).
October 7 - American Bandstand (1952-1989).
December 6 - After 26 seasons, the original run of Doctor Who comes to an end on BBC1 with the broadcasting of episode three of the final serial, Survival. Following a one-off television movie in 1996, the show resumed in spring 2005 (1963-1989, 1996, 2005-present).
Pinwheel (1979-1989).