Просмотр кода страницы Английская Википедия:1988 in American television

{{Английская Википедия/Панель перехода}}
{{short description|Television related events during 1988}}
{{more citations needed|date=June 2015}}

{{USTV year|1988}}<!--no space 1988-->

The year '''1988 in television''' involved some significant events. This is a list of notable events in the United States.

==Events==
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
! Date || Event
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|rowspan=3|January 1
|The season finale of the original ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' animated series airs in [[Broadcast syndication|syndication]] with "[[Shredder & Splintered]]". The series will return for a second season in fall.
|-
|''[[Australia Live]]'', a 4-hour TV special about [[Australia's Bicentennial]], airs on [[A&E Network|A&E]].
|-
|[[NBC Sports|NBC]] [[List of Rose Bowl Game broadcasters|broadcasts]] the [[Rose Bowl Game]] for the [[1988 Rose Bowl|final time]], ending a 37-year partnership. [[ESPN College Football on ABC|ABC Sports]] picked up rights to broadcast the game [[1989 Rose Bowl|the following year]].
|-
|January 3
|[[WWTI|WFYF]] in [[Watertown (city), New York|Watertown, New York]] begins broadcasting, giving the Watertown market its first full-time [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate.
|-
|rowspan="2"|January 4
|[[Nick Jr. (block)|Nick Jr.]] begins as a block of [[Nickelodeon]] programming for younger children.
|-
|''[[Blackout (game show)|Blackout]]'', hosted by [[Bob Goen]], premieres on [[CBS]]. The game show runs for only thirteen weeks, after which ''[[The $25,000 Pyramid]]'', the show it replaced, returns to the air on April 4 while CBS develops a revival of ''[[Family Feud]]''.
|-
|January 8
|The ABC sitcom ''[[I Married Dora]]'' had low [[Nielsen ratings|ratings]] and was canceled halfway into its only season. The final episode ended with a scene, known as "breaking the [[fourth wall]]," that ranked number 49 on [[TV Land]]'s list of ''The 100 Most Unexpected TV Moments.'' The cameras pulled back to show the entire stage as the cast and crew waved goodbye and performed [[curtain call]]s.
|-
|January 16
|Due to comments he made about breeding practices during slavery leading to blacks becoming superior athletes, [[CBS]] fires [[Jimmy Snyder (sports commentator)|Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder]], who had been a regular on ''[[NFL Today]]'' since [[1976 NFL season|1976]].
|-
|January 22
|[[KYMA-DT (1988-2020)|KYMA]] in [[Yuma, Arizona]] signs-on the air, returning [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] programming to the Yuma market for the first time since [[KECY-TV]] dropped its affiliation to rejoin [[CBS]] in 1985.
|-
|January 24
|The inaugural [[Royal Rumble (1988)|Royal Rumble]] event airs live on the [[USA Network]]. The [[Card (sports)#Main event|main event]] saw [[The Islanders (professional wrestling)|The Islanders]] defeat [[The Young Stallions]] in a 2 out of 3 falls match. The [[Royal Rumble match|titular match]] was won by [[Jim Duggan|"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan]].
|-
|January 25
|During that night's edition of the ''[[CBS Evening News]]''; anchor [[Dan Rather]] enters a nearly 10-minute confrontation with [[Vice-President of the United States|Vice-President]] [[George H. W. Bush]] over what Bush knew about the [[Iran-Contra scandal]].
|-
|January 29
|The ''[[Peanuts]]'' musical television special ''[[Snoopy! The Musical (TV special)|Snoopy! The Musical]],'' based on the [[Snoopy! The Musical|musical comedy of the same name]], premiered on [[CBS]].
|-
|January 31
|The [[The Wonder Years (season 1)|pilot]] for ''[[The Wonder Years]]'' airs following [[Monday Night Football|ABC]]'s coverage of [[Super Bowl XXII]].
|-
|February 5
|Wrestlers [[Hulk Hogan]] and [[André the Giant]] compete on ''[[The Main Event (1988)|The Main Event]]'' on [[NBC]], marking the return of [[professional wrestling]] to network prime-time for the first time since 1955. 
|-
|rowspan="2"|February 6
|UK animated television series for children ''[[Count Duckula]]'' (a spinoff of ''[[Danger Mouse (1981 TV series)|Danger Mouse]]'') begins on [[Nickelodeon]] prior to airing in its homeland which will start on September 6 of the same year.
|-
|The writers of ''[[The Facts of Life (TV series)|The Facts of Life]]'' create a controversial [[List of The Facts of Life episodes#Season 9 (1987–88)|storyline]] in which Natalie ([[Mindy Cohn]]) becomes the first of the girls to lose her [[virginity]]. [[Lisa Whelchel]] (Blair) refused this particular storyline that would have made her character, not Natalie, the first among the four young women in the show to lose her virginity. Having become a [[Christians|Christian]] when she was 10, Whelchel refused because of her religious convictions. Whelchel appeared in every episode but asked to be written out of "The First Time".<ref>{{cite book|last=Whelchel|first=Lisa |title=The Facts of Life: And Other Lessons My Father Taught Me|year=2001|publisher=Multnomah Books |isbn=1-576-73858-2|pages=35–37}}</ref> The episode ran a parental advisory before starting and placed 22nd in the ratings for the week.<ref name="thefirsttime">{{cite web|url=http://www.televisionhits.com/factsoflife/ratings.html|title=Facts of Life Site: Ratings History}}</ref>
|-
|February 13
|[[ABC Olympic broadcasts|ABC]] broadcasts the Opening Ceremonies for the [[1988 Winter Olympics|Winter Olympic Games]] from [[Calgary]]. This is ABC's tenth and final Olympic Games that they would broadcast to date.
|-
|February 21
|[[Televangelist]] [[Jimmy Swaggart]], involved with a sex scandal, admits to being with prostitutes and temporarily ends his television ministry.
|-
|February 23
|Future [[Grammy Award]]-winning [[recording artist]] [[Lauryn Hill]] ([[The Fugees]] frontwoman) makes her television debut on ''[[Showtime at the Apollo]]'' as a contestant of [[Amateur Night]], where the 13-year-old Hill performed "[[Who's Lovin' You]]" by [[Motown Records]] singer [[Smokey Robinson]], and gets booed by the audience.
|-
|February 26
|[[List of General Hospital characters (1970s)#Tom Hardy|Tom Hardy]] marries [[List of General Hospital characters (1980s)#Simone Hardy|Simone Ravelle]] on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] soap opera ''[[General Hospital]]'', the first interracial wedding on American daytime television.
|-
|March 2
|[[Michael Jackson]] performs a live, extended version of the song "[[Man in the Mirror]]" a [[30th Annual Grammy Awards]], having [[Siedah Garrett]], [[the Winans]], and the [[Andraé Crouch]] choir perform with him.
|-
|March 18
|In what would turn out to be her final television appearance, [[Gilda Radner]] [[List of It's Garry Shandling's Show episodes#Season 2 (1987–88)|guest stars]] on ''[[It's Garry Shandling's Show]]''.
|-
|March 19
|"[[I Heard It Through the Grapevine]]" experiences a surge of popularity caused by television commercials featuring [[claymation]] raisin figures. [[The California Raisins]]' version of the song peaks at No. 84 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].
|-
|March 27
|The first edition of ''[[Clash of the Champions]]'' airs on [[TBS (American TV channel)|TBS]] opposite [[WrestleMania IV]] on [[pay-per-view]]. The [[Card (sports)#Main event|main event]] would be [[Ric Flair]] and [[Sting (wrestler)|Sting]] wrestling to a time limit draw.
|-
|April 3
|In [[Jacksonville, Florida]], [[NBC]] affiliate [[WCWJ|WJKS]] (now [[The CW|CW]] affiliate [[WCWJ]]) and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate [[WTLV]] swap affiliations, reversing a swap that took place in 1980. NBC will later dub this swap one of its most successful affiliation switches ever.
|-
|April 4
|[[James Brown]] appears on [[CNN]] after allegedly assaulting his wife with a lead pipe and shooting at her car. During the interview with Sonya Friedman, Brown shouted song titles of his own songs instead of answering questions.
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| rowspan="2" |April 11
|[[WNCN|WYED-TV]], an [[Independent station (North America)|independent station]], serving both [[Goldsboro, North Carolina|Goldsboro]], [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]], [[Durham, North Carolina|Durham]] and [[Fayetteville, North Carolina|Fayetteville]] launches.
|-
|[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate [[WVAH-TV]] moves to channel 11, one of the last remaining channel allocations in the U.S., from UHF channel 23.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1988-04-11|title=Print ad promoting the move to channel 11|work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/88-OCR/BC-1988-04-11-OCR-Page-0073.pdf|access-date=2021-12-17}}</ref>
|-
|April 8
|[[Ana Alicia]]'s character, Melissa Agretti, dies in a house fire on the [[CBS]] drama ''[[Falcon Crest]]''.
|-
|April 13
|[[Geraldo Rivera]]'s live special ''Murder: Live from Death Row'' is broadcast in syndication; a highlight is Rivera's pre-taped interview with [[Charles Manson]].
|-
|April 18
|[[Disney Channel|The Disney Channel]] celebrates its fifth anniversary.
|-
|rowspan="2"|April 25
|[[Nickelodeon]] debuts the [[1988 Kids' Choice Awards|first]] [[Kids Choice Awards]] ceremony.
|-
|Lieutenant [[Tasha Yar]] is killed off in [[Skin of Evil|an episode]] of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' after actress [[Denise Crosby]] asked to be released from her contract.
|-
|May 1
|''[[Magnum, P.I.]]'' broadcasts its 2-hour series finale on [[CBS]].
|-
|May 6
|''[[The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound]]'', the seventh installment of the ''[[Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10]]'' series, is broadcast in [[Broadcast syndication|syndication]]. This film marks the final time [[Daws Butler]] voiced [[Huckleberry Hound]], [[Quick Draw McGraw]] and [[Baba Looey]], [[Snagglepuss]], [[Hokey Wolf]], and [[Peter Potamus]], as he died a couple weeks after its telecast from a heart attack.
|-
|May 7
|The [[List of The Facts of Life episodes#Season 9 (1987–88)|series finale]] of ''[[The Facts of Life (TV series)|The Facts of Life]]'' airs on [[NBC]]. In the two-part episode, Blair buys Eastland to prevent its closing. Blair finds that the school is in such dire financial straits that she is forced to make the school co-ed. Blair then essentially adopts the Mrs. Garrett role as she presides over the school and is forced to deal with the trouble-making students in a plot line that is highly reminiscent of the season two premiere. The new Eastland students included [[Seth Green]], [[Mayim Bialik]], future [[Academy Award nomination|Oscar]]-nominee [[Juliette Lewis]], and [[Meredith Scott Lynn]]. 
|-
|May 13
|In the season finale of the [[CBS]] drama ''[[Dallas (1978 TV series)|Dallas]]'', character J.R. Ewing pushes over the railing of his high-rise office building the character Nicholas Pierce, and Sue Ellen is so enraged that she fires three shots at Ewing. 
|-
|May 15
|''[[Beverly Hills Cop]]'' makes its broadcast network television debut on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]].
|-
|May 18
|''[[The Late Show (Fox TV series)|The Late Show]]'' on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] hosts a reunion of the entire cast of ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''. This would prove to be the last time that all of the regular cast members appeared together as [[Jim Backus]], who was suffering from [[Parkinson's disease]] at the time, died the following year.
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|May 22
|[[NBC]] broadcasts ''[[The Incredible Hulk Returns]]'', a continuation of the [[The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series)|TV series]] that aired on [[CBS]] from 1978 to 1982.
|-
|May 24
|[[CBS Olympic broadcasts|CBS]] wins the broadcasting rights to the [[1992 Winter Olympics]] after bidding around $243 million. 
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|May 28
|The [[List of St. Elsewhere episodes#Season 6 (1987–88)|series finale]] of ''[[St. Elsewhere]]'' reveals that the entire series was the product of an [[Tommy Westphall|autistic boy's]] imagination.
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|May 30
|After rejecting an offer to join [[CBS News]], [[Peter Mansbridge]] replaces [[Knowlton Nash]] as anchorman of [[CBC Television]]'s series ''[[The National (CBC)|The National]]''.
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|June 4
|The [[Universal Pictures Debut Network]] broadcasts a special edition of the 1984 film ''[[Dune (1984 film)|Dune]]''<ref>{{cite news |last=Willman|first=Chris|date=June 5, 1988|title='Dune II: The Re-edit'|url=https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:1tTzD80ZbfkJ:https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-06-05-ca-6381-story.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us|work=Los Angeles Times|location= |access-date=}}</ref> as a two-night event, with additional footage not included in the film's original release.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Cinema of David Lynch: American Dreams, Nightmare Visions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l5JwyKjpH2QC&pg=PA207|author=Erica Davison|author2=Annette Sheen|publisher=Wallflower Press|page=207|date=2004|access-date=April 9, 2015|isbn=190336485X}}</ref> This version totalled at 186 minutes, including a "What happened last night" recap and second credit roll. Director [[David Lynch]] disavowed this version and had his name removed from the credits, [[Alan Smithee]] being credited instead.
|-
|June 14
|The [[CBS]] soap opera ''[[The Young and the Restless]]'' tops the daytime ratings (deposing longtime winner ''[[General Hospital]]'').<ref>{{cite web |url=http://michaelfairmansoaps.com/news/yr-marks-26-years-as-the-number-1-daytime-drama/2014/12/18/ |title=Y&R Marks 26 Years As The Number #1 Daytime Drama! |website=michaelfairmansoaps.com |access-date=2015-06-20 |archive-date=2015-09-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906124810/http://michaelfairmansoaps.com/news/yr-marks-26-years-as-the-number-1-daytime-drama/2014/12/18/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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|June 21
|Game 7 of the [[1988 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]] between the [[1987-88 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]] and the [[1987-88 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit Pistons]] airs on [[NBA on CBS|CBS]]. With a 21.2 [[Nielsen ratings|rating]] / 37 share, it would prove to be the [[NBA Finals television ratings|highest-rated NBA game]] in the 17 years that CBS [[National Basketball Association on television|broadcast the NBA]] (1973-1990). It's also the only NBA game that scored more than 20 ratings points for the network.
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|July 4
|Three years after its cancellation by [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[CBS]] resurrects ''[[Family Feud]]'' for its daytime lineup, featuring new host [[Ray Combs]].  A syndicated nighttime version would premiere later in the autumn.
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|July 11
|The day before the [[1988 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|Major League Baseball All-Star Game]] from [[Cincinnati]], [[Major League Baseball on TBS|TBS]] televised the annual All-Star Gala<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/mlb-all-star-game-cincinnati-1988-gala-zoo-home-run-derby-rain-baseball-video-weird-tbs-mark-mcgwire-snake-marge-schott-elephant-larry-king/hdbqo39kca7a1f67d2eivphwf|title=The last time Cincinnati hosted the MLB All-Star Game, things got weird|work=The Sporting News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180721185454/http://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/mlb-all-star-game-cincinnati-1988-gala-zoo-home-run-derby-rain-baseball-video-weird-tbs-mark-mcgwire-snake-marge-schott-elephant-larry-king/hdbqo39kca7a1f67d2eivphwf|archive-date=2018-07-21}}</ref> from the [[Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden|Cincinnati Zoo]]. [[Larry King]] hosted the broadcast with [[Craig Sager]] and [[Pete Van Wieren]] handling interviews. The broadcast's big draw would've been the [[Home Run Derby (Major League Baseball)|Home Run Derby]], which TBS intended on taping during the afternoon, and later airing it in [[prime time]] during the Gala coverage. The Gala coverage also had some canned features such as highlights from previous All-Star Games, a segment on [[History of the Cincinnati Reds|Cincinnati's baseball history]], a video recap of the [[1988 Major League Baseball season|season]]'s first half and, a slow-motion highlight montage set to "This Is the Time" by [[Styx (band)|Styx]] frontman [[Dennis DeYoung]]. Unfortunately, the derby and a skills competition were canceled due to rain. As a result, TBS scrambled to try to fill nearly an hour of now-open airtime. For example, the [[Larry Gatlin#With the Gatlin Brothers|Gatlin Brothers]], the event's musical guests, who had already played a full concert, were asked to come back out and play some more.
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|July 14
|The first ever edition of "[[Shark Week]]" airs on [[Discovery Channel]].
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|August 1
|The word "Family" is incorporated into the [[Freeform (TV channel)|CBN Cable Network]]'s name to better reflect its programming format, [[rebranding]] as '''The CBN Family Channel'''; shortly after the new name was adopted, however, references to CBN within its name began to be excised in on-air [[continuity announcer|continuity announcements]] and print promotions for its programs (with the exception of the initialized reference to its parent ministry featured within its logo), referring to it as simply "The Family Channel".
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|August 9
|As a special [[prime time]] edition of the ''[[Major League Baseball Game of the Week|Game of the Week]]'', [[Major League Baseball on NBC|NBC]] broadcasts the first official [[night game]] at [[Chicago]]'s [[Wrigley Field]] between the [[1988 Chicago Cubs season|Cubs]] and [[1988 New York Mets season|New York Mets]]. 
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|August 27
|[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate [[WATM-TV|WWPC-TV]] in [[Altoona, Pennsylvania]] (a satellite of [[WWCP-TV]] in [[Johnstown, Pennsylvania|Johnstown]]) breaks from its simulcast with WWCP-TV to become an [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate, returning ABC to Altoona/[[State College, Pennsylvania|State College]] (and giving Johnstown its first full-time ABC affiliate) after Altoona/State College's previous ABC affiliate WOPC-TV went dark in 1982.
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|August 29
|Some of the stations in markets [[WMYA-TV|WAXA]] in [[Greenville, South Carolina]], [[WTOG]] in [[Tampa Bay|Tampa Bay, Florida]], [[KMSP-TV|KMSP]] in [[Minneapolis]]/[[Saint Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]], and [[KPTV]] in [[Portland, Oregon]] [[List of former Fox television affiliates|left]] [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] due to disappointments with the weak network's offerings. The replacement affiliates were [[WHNS]] in Greenville, South Carolina, [[WFTS-TV|WFTS]] in Tampa Bay, Florida, [[WFTC]] in Minneapolis/St. Paul, and [[KPDX-TV|KPDX]] in Portland, Oregon.
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|August 29
|The World Wrestling Federation (now [[WWE]]) telecasts the [[SummerSlam (1988)|inaugural]] [[SummerSlam]] event on [[pay-per-view]].
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|September 2
|[[Dick Clark]] hosts his final episode of the game show ''[[Pyramid (game show)|Pyramid]]'', ending his 15-year run as host of the program. Clark would make guest appearances on both the 1991 revival hosted by [[John Davidson (entertainer)|John Davidson]] and the 2002 revival hosted by [[Donny Osmond]].
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|September 5
|[[WABC-TV|WABC]]'s ''The Morning Show'' makes its national [[Broadcast syndication|syndication]] debut under its new title ''[[Live with Kelly and Ryan|Live with Regis and Kathie Lee]]''.
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|September 10
|In [[Knoxville, Tennessee]], [[CBS]] affiliate [[WBIR-TV]] swaps affiliations with [[NBC]] affiliate [[WVLT-TV|WTVK]] in time for [[NBC Olympic broadcasts|NBC Sports]]' coverage of the [[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Summer Olympic Games]]. Shortly after the switch, WTVK moves to channel 8, one of the last remaining VHF channel allocations in the U.S., and becomes WKXT-TV (now [[WVLT-TV]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wbir.com/about/|title=About WBIR in Knoxville|website=wbir.com}}</ref>
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|rowspan="2"|October 3
|[[TNT (American TV network)|TNT]], the fourth cable network owned by [[Turner Broadcasting System|Turner Broadcasting]], commences programming with a broadcast of the movie ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]''.
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|The Bonus Round in ''[[Wheel of Fortune (American game show)|Wheel of Fortune]]'' now adopts a ''Three-and-a-vowel'' format which was used till this day, with letters "R", "S", "T", "L", "N" and "E" provided immediately, and the time limit was reduced from 15 seconds to 10.
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|rowspan="3"|October 4
|As did [[Cher]], actress [[Shirley MacLaine]] calls [[David Letterman]] an "[[asshole]]" during a taping of the [[NBC]] talk show ''[[Late Night with David Letterman|Late Night]]''.
|-
|As part of a [[television special]] hosted by [[Patrick Stewart]], called ''The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next'', the first pilot episode of ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'', called [[The Cage (Star Trek: The Original Series)|"The Cage"]] is broadcast in its entirety for the first time. In some markets, the airing of this special was delayed until October 15, 1988. Prior to this, footage of "The Cage" was incorporated into the [[Star Trek: The Original Series (season 1)|Season 1]] two-parter episode [[The Menagerie (Star Trek: The Original Series)|"The Menagerie"]].
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|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] under the guidance of new executive producer Geoffrey Mason,<ref>{{cite news |last=Nidetz|first=Steve|date=September 23, 1988|title=ABC SPORTS HONCHO IS IN PURSUIT OF GRAPHIC CHANGES|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-09-23-8802010991-story.html|work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> debuts fatter and wider graphics that gave off a cleaner, sharper look complete with a black border for their [[Major League Baseball]] [[Major League Baseball on ABC|coverage]]. ABC also debuts a new energetic, [[Orchestral pop|symphonic-pop]] styled musical theme,<ref>{{YouTube|title=The ABC baseball theme, 1988-'89|id=tWjThaT4fWs}}</ref><ref name="Foster">{{cite web |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/best-network-baseball-theme-songs-music-of-all-time-nbc-abc-cbs-espn-tbs-fox-mlb/1n6v4oqetdasi15wv50vbur2cm|title=The 9 best network baseball theme songs of all time, ranked|last=Foster|first=Jason|date=September 19, 2015|website=Sporting News}}</ref> composed by [[Kurt Bestor]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Robinson|first=Doug|date=October 28, 2002|title=Kurt Bestor: Private discord, public acclaim|url=https://www.deseret.com/2002/10/28/19781682/kurt-bestor-private-discord-public-acclaim#kurt-bestor|work=Deseret News}}</ref> which would become an all-compassing theme of sorts for [[ESPN on ABC|ABC Sports]] during this time period.
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|October 8
|A young [[Countess Vaughn]] (winner of ''[[Star Search]]'') joins the cast of the [[NBC]] comedy ''[[227 (TV series)|227]]'' as Alexandria DeWitt, a young 11-year-old talented [[college]] student, whom the Jenkins' have as a houseguest for a year.
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|October 11
|[[Turner Broadcasting System|Turner Broadcasting]] purchases [[Jim Crockett Promotions]] and subsequently rebrands it as [[World Championship Wrestling]]. The sale would be completed on November 2, 1988. Three days later, on ''[[WCW Saturday Night|NWA World Championship Wrestling]]'', [[Ric Flair|"Nature Boy" Ric Flair]] cut a promo and pointed out a large group of Turner executives in the crowd. This was a subtle nod to [[Ted Turner]] purchasing Jim Crockett Promotions.
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|rowspan="2"|October 15
|[[Kirk Gibson]] hits his now iconic [[Kirk Gibson's 1988 World Series home run|walk-off home run]] off of [[Dennis Eckersley]] in Game 1 of the [[1988 World Series|World Series]] between the [[1988 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Los Angeles Dodgers]] and [[1988 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland Athletics]]. [[Vin Scully]] and [[Joe Garagiola Sr.|Joe Garagiola]] are in the broadcast booth for [[Major League Baseball on NBC|NBC Sports]]. During the same game at the second inning, NBC affiliate [[WMGT-TV]] in [[Macon, Georgia]] is hijacked for 10 seconds replacing parts of the second inning with an [[adult movie]]. The technician was later fired, and Production Manager L. A. Sturdivant reported to ''[[The Atlanta Constitution]]'' at the incident was an accident.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/400190481/|title=WMGT-41's World Series hijacking incident|work=The Atlanta Constitution|date=October 15, 1988|access-date=July 9, 2020|language=en-US}}</ref>  
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|[[College Football on CBS Sports|CBS]] airs a highly anticipated [[1988 Notre Dame vs. Miami football game|college football game]] between the [[1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame Fighting Irish]] and the [[1988 Miami Hurricanes football team|Miami Hurricanes]], colloquially known as "Catholics vs. Convicts".
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|October 18
|The [[List_of_Roseanne_episodes#Season_1_(1988–89)|pilot episode]] for ''[[Roseanne]]'' is broadcast on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]].
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|October 21
|[[Lori Loughlin]] makes her [[Full House (season 2)|first appearance]] as [[List of Full House and Fuller House characters#Rebecca Donaldson Katsopolis|Rebecca Donaldson]] on ''[[Full House]]''.
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|October 27
|The last of [[Harding Lemay]]'s "comeback" episodes are broadcast on the [[NBC]] soap opera ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]''. In the final minutes of the episode, Australian actress [[Carmen Duncan]] assumed the role of the legendary [[bitch (insult)|bitch]] Iris Cory Wheeler, after the role had been vacated for many years by [[Beverlee McKinsey]].
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|rowspan="2"|November 3
|[[Talk show]] host [[Geraldo Rivera]]'s nose is broken during a taping of [[Geraldo (TV series)|his show]] when a fight begins on the set between guests. The theme of the episode was "Young Hate Mongers," and the fight originated between [[white supremacy|white supremacist]] [[Tom Metzger (white supremacist)|Tom Metzger]] and liberal activist [[Roy Innis]].
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|Australian-made 1986 cartoon television movie of ''King Solomon's Mines'' by Warwick Gilbert debuts on American television after multiple weeks of promotion and is one of the most-watched children's television shows of the year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462384/|title = King Solomon&apos;s Mines|website = [[IMDb]]}}</ref> 
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|November 10
|[[Milwaukee]] [[List of television stations in Wisconsin|television station]] [[WDJT-TV]] goes on the air.
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|November 12
|Australian-made 1986 cartoon television movie of ''King Solomon's Mines'' by Warwick Gilbert airs for a second time and is the most watched program for children for the second Saturday in a row.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462384/|title = King Solomon&apos;s Mines|website = [[IMDb]]}}</ref> 
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|rowspan="2"|November 13
|''[[Mickey's 60th Birthday]]'', which as the title suggests, was a [[television special]] produced for the 60th anniversary of the [[Mickey Mouse]] character, airs on [[NBC]].
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|''[[Back to the Future]]'' makes its broadcast network television premiere on [[NBC]].
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|November 21
|[[CBS]] broadcasts ''Inside the Sexes'', a documentary produced by ''The Body Human's'' [[Alfred R. Kelman]] that features explicit content about human sexuality (including detailed visuals inside human reproductive organs), which prompts several CBS affiliates to broadcast the program with a parental warning at the beginning of the program, at a later time of the day. Some affiliates canceled their broadcast of the program.
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|November 24
|''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' airs for the [[List of Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes#KTMA-TV (1988–89)|first time]] on [[WUCW|KTMA-TV]] in [[Minneapolis]], [[Minnesota]].
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|December 2
|[[NBC]] wins the rights to [[NBC Olympic broadcasts|broadcast]] the [[1992 Summer Olympics]] from [[Barcelona]], [[Spain]], bidding over $401 million.
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|December 8
|[[Tichina Arnold]] (later of ''[[Martin (TV series)|Martin]]'' and ''[[Everybody Hates Chris]]'' fame) joins the cast of the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] soap opera ''[[Ryan's Hope]]'' for what will prove to be its final season.
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|December 11
|''[[Roots: The Gift]]'', the third installment of the ''[[Roots (1977 miniseries)|Roots]]'' series is broadcast on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]].
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|December 13
|The [[American Wrestling Association]] airs its first and only [[pay-per-view]] card, [[SuperClash III]].
|-
|December 14
|[[Major League Baseball on CBS|CBS]] pays [[Major League Baseball]] approximately US$1.8 billion<ref name="NYT-CBS">{{cite news|title=A Billion-Dollar Bid By CBS Wins Rights To Baseball Games|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/15/sports/a-billion-dollar-bid-by-cbs-wins-rights-to-baseball-games.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 15, 1988}}</ref> for exclusive over-the-air television rights for over four years (beginning in [[1990 in baseball|1990]]). CBS paid about $265 million each year<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.medialifemagazine.com:8080/news2002/apr02/apr15/4_thurs/news3thursday.html |title=Waning days of big $ TV sports |last1=Downey |first1=Kevin |date=18 April 2002 |website=Media Life |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225103228/http://www.medialifemagazine.com:8080/news2002/apr02/apr15/4_thurs/news3thursday.html |archive-date=25 February 2015 }}</ref> for the [[World Series]], [[League Championship Series]], [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]], and the Saturday ''[[Major League Baseball Game of the Week|Game of the Week]]''. CBS replaces [[Major League Baseball on ABC|ABC]] (which had broadcast [[Monday Night Baseball|Monday]] and later [[Thursday Night Baseball|Thursday night]] baseball games from [[1976 in baseball|1976]] to [[1989 in baseball|1989]]) and NBC (which had broadcast Major League Baseball in some shape or form since 1947 and the ''Game of the Week'' exclusively since [[1966 in baseball|1966]]) as the national broadcast network television home of Major League Baseball.<ref name="LATimes-CBS">{{cite news|title=Baseball to CBS; NBC Strikes Out : ABC Also Falls Short as 4-Year Package Goes for $1 Billion|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1988-12-15/sports/sp-563_1_baseball-strike|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=December 15, 1988}}</ref> It was one of the largest agreements<ref>{{cite news |last=Shames|first=Laurence|date=23 July 1989|title=CBS HAS WON THE WORLD SERIES......NOW IT COULD LOSE ITS SHIRT|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/23/magazine/cbs-has-won-the-world-seriesnow-it-could-lose-its-shirt.html|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> (to date) between the sport of baseball and the business of [[broadcasting]]. The cost of the deal between CBS and Major League Baseball was about 25% more<ref>{{cite book |last=Erardi, Luckhaupt|first=John, Joel|date= 29 September 2010|title=The Wire-to-Wire Reds: Sweet Lou, Nasty Boys, and the Wild Run to a World ...|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vEEAWnCRL6UC&q=1990+baseball+cbs&pg=PA40|page=40|isbn=9781578604661}}</ref> than in the previous television contract with ABC and NBC.<ref>{{cite book|title=And There Was Television|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V4qcZDB8xvMC&q=Major+League+Baseball+on+CBS&pg=PA146|page=146|author=Ernest Cashmore|isbn= 9780415091305|year=1994}}</ref> The deal with CBS was also intended to pay each team (26 in {{mlby|1990}} and then, 28 by {{mlby|1993}}) $10 million a year.
|-
|December 18
|''[[A Very Brady Christmas]]'' airs on [[CBS]] and with a 25.1 [[Nielsen ratings|rating]] and a 39 share, becomes the second highest rated television film of the year. Its success would soon lead to the creation of a new ''[[The Brady Bunch|Brady Bunch]]'' series called ''[[The Bradys]]'', which only lasts for six episodes.
|-
|December 26
|''[[The Young and the Restless]]'' becomes the number 1 daytime drama on television, where it remains to this very day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbs.com/shows/the_young_and_the_restless/news/1004984/y-r-celebrates-27-consecutive-years-as-daytime-s-no-1-drama/ |title=Y&R Celebrates 27 Consecutive Years As Daytime's No. 1 Drama |website=CBS.com}}</ref>
|}

==Programs==

===Debuting this year===

The following is a list of shows that premiered in 1988.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Date
! Title
! Network
|-
| January 2
| ''[[High Mountain Rangers]]'' 
|rowspan="2"|[[CBS]]
|-
|rowspan="2"|January 4
| ''[[Blackout (game show)|Blackout]]'' 
|-
| ''[[The World of David the Gnome]]''
| [[Nick Jr. Channel]]
|-
| January 11
| ''[[T. and T.]]''
| [[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]]
|-
| January 15
| ''[[The Thorns (TV series)|The Thorns]]''
| [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
| January 17
| ''[[The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh]]'' 
|[[Disney Channel|The Disney Channel]] and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
| January 18
| ''[[Home (1988 TV series)|Home]]''
| [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
| January 19
| ''[[48 Hours (TV series)|48 Hours]]'' 
|[[CBS]]
|-
| January 31
| ''[[The Wonder Years]]'' 
|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
| February 6
| ''[[Count Duckula]]''
|[[Nickelodeon]]
|-
| February 7
| ''[[America's Most Wanted]]'' 
|[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]
|-
| February 29
| ''[[Day by Day (American TV series)|Day by Day]]'' 
|rowspan="2"|[[NBC]]
|-
|rowspan="2"| March 6
| ''[[In the Heat of the Night (TV series)|In the Heat of the Night]]'' 
|-
| ''[[Supercarrier (TV series)|Supercarrier]]'' 
|rowspan="2"|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
| March 7
| ''[[Probe (1988 TV series)|Probe]]'' 
|-
| March 9
| ''[[Aaron's Way]]'' 
|[[NBC]]
|-
| March 14
| ''[[Eisenhower and Lutz]]'' 
|rowspan="3"|[[CBS]]
|-
|rowspan="2"| March 15
| ''[[Coming of Age (1988 TV series)|Coming of Age]]'' 
|-
| ''[[Trial and Error (TV series)|Trial and Error]]'' 
|-
| March 23
| ''[[HeartBeat (1988 TV series)|HeartBeat]]''
|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
| April 1
| ''[[Denver, the Last Dinosaur]]''
|[[Syndication (television)|Syndication]]
|-
| April 6
| ''[[Just in Time (TV series)|Just in Time]]'' 
|rowspan="3"|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
|rowspan="2"| April 26
| ''[[China Beach]]'' 
|-
| ''[[Just the Ten of Us]]'' 
|-
| May 8
| ''[[Something Is Out There]]''
|[[NBC]]
|-
| June 13
| ''[[Blue Skies (1988 TV series)|Blue Skies]]''
|[[CBS]]
|-
| July 1
| ''[[Don't Just Sit There]]''
|[[Nickelodeon]]
|-
| August 6
| ''[[Yo! MTV Raps]]'' 
|[[MTV]]
|-
| August 22
| ''[[Later (talk show)|Later with Bob Costas]]''
|[[NBC]]
|-
| August 27
|''[[Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (TV series)|Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers]]''
|[[Disney Channel]]
|-
| September 3
| ''[[Kids' Court]]''
|[[Nickelodeon]]
|-
|rowspan="2"| September 5
| ''[[Fun House (American game show)|Fun House]]''
|rowspan="2"|[[Syndication (television)|Syndication]]
|-
| ''[[Relatively Speaking (game show)|Relatively Speaking]]''
|-
|rowspan="7"| September 10
| ''[[A Pup Named Scooby-Doo]]'' 
|rowspan="2"|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
| ''[[The New Adventures of Beany and Cecil]]''
|-
| ''[[ALF Tales]]'' 
|rowspan="3"|[[NBC]]
|-
| ''[[Baby Boom (American TV series)|Baby Boom]]'' 
|-
| ''[[The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley]]'' 
|-
| ''[[Beyond Tomorrow (TV series)|Beyond Tomorrow]]''
|[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]
|-
| ''[[Police Academy (TV series)|Police Academy]]''
|rowspan="4"|[[Syndication (television)|Syndication]]
|-
|rowspan="3"| September 12
| ''[[Sweethearts (American game show)|Sweethearts]]''
|-
| ''[[USA Today#USA Today: The Television Show|USA Today: The Television Series]]''
|-
| ''[[Wipeout (1988 American game show)|Wipeout]]''
|-
|rowspan="5"| September 17
| ''[[Katts and Dog|Rin Tin Tin: K-9 Cop]]''
|[[Freeform (TV channel)|CBN Family Channel]]
|-
| ''[[Garfield and Friends]]'' 
|rowspan="3"|[[CBS]]
|-
| ''[[Hey Vern, It's Ernest!]]'' 
|-
| ''[[Superman (TV series)|Superman]]'' 
|-
| ''[[Fantastic Max]]''
| [[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]]
|-
| September 19
| ''[[C.O.P.S.]]''
|rowspan="3"|[[Syndication (television)|Syndication]]
|-
| October 1
| ''[[Monsters (American TV series)|Monsters]]'' 
|-
| October 2
| ''[[Marvel Action Universe]]'' 
|-
|rowspan="2"| October 4
| ''[[The American Experience]]'' 
|[[PBS]]
|-
| ''[[High Risk (TV series)|High Risk]]'' 
|[[CBS]]
|-
| October 6
| ''[[Dear John (American TV series)|Dear John]]'' 
|rowspan="2"|[[NBC]]
|-
| rowspan="4" | October 8
| ''[[Empty Nest]]'' 
|-
| ''[[Freddy's Nightmares]]''
| rowspan="4" |[[Syndication (television)|Syndication]]
|-
| ''[[The Munsters Today]]''
|-
| ''[[Superboy (TV series)|Superboy]]''
|-
| October 10
| ''[[War of the Worlds (1988 TV series)|War of the Worlds]]'' 
|-
| October 15
| ''[[Capital Gang]]''
|[[CNN]]
|-
| October 18
| ''[[Roseanne (TV series)|Roseanne]]'' 
|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
| October 23
| ''[[Mission: Impossible (1988 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]'' 
|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
| October 25
| ''[[Midnight Caller]]'' 
|rowspan="2"|[[NBC]]
|-
|rowspan="3"| October 26
| ''[[Tattingers]]'' 
|-
| ''[[Annie McGuire (TV series)|Annie McGuire]]'' 
|rowspan="4"|[[CBS]]
|-
| ''[[The Van Dyke Show]]'' 
|-
| October 27
| ''[[Paradise (American TV series)|Paradise]]'' 
|-
| October 29
| ''[[Dirty Dancing (1988 TV series)|Dirty Dancing]]'' 
|-
| November 2
| ''[[Murphy's Law (American TV series)|Murphy's Law]]'' 
|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
| November 5
| ''[[Raising Miranda]]'' 
|[[CBS]]
|-
| November 11
| ''[[Knightwatch]]'' 
|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
| November 14
| ''[[Murphy Brown]]'' 
|[[CBS]]
|-
| November 24
| ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' 
|[[WUCW|KTMA-TV]]
|-
| November 27
| ''[[Almost Grown (TV series)|Almost Grown]]'' 
|rowspan="2"|[[CBS]]
|-
| November 29
| ''[[TV 101]]'' 
|-
| November 30
| ''[[Good Morning, Miss Bliss]]'' 
|[[Disney Channel]]
|}

===Resuming this year===
{| class="wikitable"
|- "
! Title || Final aired || Previous network || Returning network || Date of return
|-
|''[[Family Feud]]''
|1985
|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|[[CBS]]
|July 4
|-
|''[[The Gong Show]]''
|1980
|[[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]]
|Same
|September 12
|-
|''[[Gumby]]''
|1968
|[[NBC]]
|[[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]]
|Fall 1988
|}

===Changing networks===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Show || Moved from || Moved to
|-
|''[[Family Feud]]''
|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|[[CBS]]
|-
|''[[The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh]]''
|[[Disney Channel]]
|ABC
|-
|''[[Double Dare (Nickelodeon game show)|Double Dare]]''
|rowspan="2"|[[Nickelodeon]]
|[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]/[[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]]
|-
|''[[Finders Keepers (American game show)|Finders Keepers]]''
|First-run syndication
|-
|''[[Snorks]]''
|[[NBC]]
|[[USA Network]] / First-run syndication
|-
|''[[Heathcliff (1984 TV series)|Heathcliff]]''
|Syndication
|Nickelodeon
|}

===Entering syndication===
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.
{|class="wikitable"
|- "
! Show || Seasons 
|-
|''[[The Cosby Show]]''||4
|-
|''[[Kate & Allie]]''||4
|-
|''[[Night Court]]''||4
|}

===Ending this year===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
! Date || Title || Debut
|-
|January 2
|''[[Sable (TV series)|Sable]]''
|rowspan="5"|1987
|-
|January 8
|''[[I Married Dora]]''
|-
|January 15
|''[[Rags to Riches (TV series)|Rags to Riches]]''
|-
|February 10
|''[[The Law & Harry McGraw]]''
|-
|February 11
|''[[The Charmings]]''
|-
|February 12
|''[[Sledge Hammer!]]''
|1986
|-
|February 13
|''[[Mr. President (TV series)|Mr. President]]''
|rowspan="5"|1987
|-
|February 20
|''[[Women in Prison (TV series)|Women in Prison]]''
|-
|March 8
|''[[I'm Telling!]]''
|-
|March 22
|''[[Frank's Place]]''
|-
|March 25
|''[[Lingo (American game show)|Lingo]]'' (returned in 2002)
|-
|rowspan="3"|March 26
|''[[9 to 5 (TV series)|9 to 5]]''
|1982
|-
|''[[Dennis the Menace (1986 TV series)|Dennis the Menace]]''
|1986
|-
|''[[What's Happening Now!!]]''
|rowspan="2"|1985
|-
|March 28
|''[[Yogi's Treasure Hunt]]''
|-
|March 29
|''[[Trial and Error (TV series)|Trial and Error]]''
|1988
|-
|March 30
|''[[We Got It Made]]''
|1983
|-
|April 1
|''[[Blackout (game show)|Blackout]]''
|rowspan="2"|1988
|-
|April 9
|''[[High Mountain Rangers]]''
|-
|April 12
|''[[My Sister Sam]]''
|1986
|-
|April 14
|''[[Probe (1988 TV series)|Probe]]''
|1988
|-
|April 22
|''[[Beverly Hills Buntz]]''
|1987
|-
|rowspan="2"|May 1
|''[[Magnum, P.I.]]'' (original series) (Rebooted in 2018)
|1980
|-
|''[[Truth or Consequences]]''
|1950
|-
|May 2
|''[[Jem (TV series)|Jem]]''
|1985
|-
|May 3
|''[[Hotel (American TV series)|Hotel]]''
|1983
|-
|rowspan="3"|May 7
|''[[The Facts of Life (TV series)|The Facts of Life]]''
|1979
|-
|''[[Spenser: For Hire]]''
|1985
|-
|''[[Ohara (TV series)|Ohara]]''
|rowspan="2"|1987
|-
|May 6
|''[[The Highwayman (TV series)|The Highwayman]]''
|-
|May 8
|''[[Our House (1986 TV series)|Our House]]''
|rowspan="2"|1986
|-
|rowspan="2"|May 10
|''[[Crime Story (American TV series)|Crime Story]]''
|-
|''[[Dolly (1987 TV series)|Dolly]]''
|rowspan="3"|1987
|-
|May 12
|''[[Max Headroom (TV series)|Max Headroom]]''
|-
|May 14
|''[[Second Chance (1987 TV series)|Second Chance]]'' (aka ''Boys Will Be Boys'')
|-
|May 16
|''[[Cagney and Lacey]]''
|rowspan="2"|1982
|-
|rowspan="2"|May 25
|''[[St. Elsewhere]]''
|-
|''[[Aaron's Way]]''
|1988
|-
|May 27
|''[[Punky Brewster]]'' (returned in [[Punky Brewster (2021 TV series)|2021]])
|1984
|-
|May 28
|''[[Marblehead Manor]]''
|rowspan="3"|1987
|-
|June 8
|''[[The Slap Maxwell Story]]''
|-
|June 10
|''[[Houston Knights]]''
|-
|June 20
|''[[Eisenhower and Lutz]]''
|1988
|-
|June 28
|''[[J.J. Starbuck]]''
|rowspan="3"|1987
|-
|June 29
|''[[The Bronx Zoo (TV series)|The Bronx Zoo]]''
|-
|July 16
|''[[Little Clowns of Happytown]]''
|-
|July 23
|''[[Solid Gold (television series)|Solid Gold]]''
|1980
|-
|July 24
|''[[Tales from the Darkside]]''
|1984
|-
|August 21
|''[[Werewolf (TV series)|Werewolf]]''
|1987
|-
|September 2
|''[[Pyramid (game show)|Pyramid]]'' (returned in 1991)
|1973
|-
|rowspan="2"|September 3
|''[[Dennis the Menace (1986 TV series)|Dennis the Menace]]''
|rowspan="2"|1986
|-
|''[[The Flintstone Kids]]''
|-
|September 9
|''[[High Rollers]]''
|1974
|-
|October 22
|''[[Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures]]''
|1987
|-
|October 28
|''[[The Late Show (1986 TV series)|The Late Show]]''
|1986
|-
|November 18
|''[[3-2-1 Contact]]''
|1980
|-
|November 22
|''[[Denver, the Last Dinosaur]]''
|rowspan="6"|1988
|-
|December 3
| ''[[The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley]]'' 
|-
|December 7
|''[[The Van Dyke Show]]''
|-
|December 9
|''[[Something Is Out There]]''
|-
|December 17
|''[[Superman (TV series)|Superman]]''
|-
|December 24
|''[[Hey Vern, It's Ernest!]]''
|-
|December 25
|''[[The Care Bears (TV series)|The Care Bears]]''
|1985
|-
|December 28
|''[[Annie McGuire (TV series)|Annie McGuire]]''
|rowspan="2"|1988
|-
|December 31
|''[[Raising Miranda]]''
|}

===Made-for-TV movies and miniseries===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Title !! Network !! Premiere date !! class="unsortable" |Notes
|-
|''[[The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank]]'' 
| align="center"|CBS 
| April 17
|
|-
|''[[Case Closed (film)|Case Closed]]'' 
| align="center"|CBS 
| April 9
|
|-
|''[[David (1988 film)|David]]'' 
| align="center"|ABC
| October 28
|
|-
|''[[Goddess of Love (film)|Goddess of Love]]''
| align="center"|NBC
| November 20
|
|-
|''[[Inherit the Wind (1988 film)|Inherit the Wind]]'' 
| align="center"|NBC
| March 20
| [[Emmy Award]] winner
|-
|''[[Internal Affairs (film)|Internal Affairs]]'' 
| align="center"|CBS
| November 6
| 
|-
|''[[Jack the Ripper (1988 TV series)|Jack the Ripper]]'' 
| align="center"|CBS 
| October 21
|
|-
|''[[Lincoln (miniseries)|Lincoln]]''
| align="center"|NBC
| March 27
| Miniseries, based on [[Lincoln (novel)|Gore Vidal's novel]]
|-
|''[[The Murder of Mary Phagan]]''
| align="center"|NBC
| January 24
| Emmy Award winner
|-
|''[[The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story]]''
| align="center"|NBC
| May 2
|
|-
|''[[War and Remembrance (miniseries)|War and Remembrance]]''
| align="center"|ABC
| November 13
| Miniseries; sequel to ''[[The Winds of War (miniseries)|The Winds of War]]''
|}

==Television stations==

=== Station launches ===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Date 
! Market 
! Station 
! Channel 
! Affiliation
! Notes/Ref.
|-
| January 
| [[Owensboro, Kentucky]] 
| WROZ-TV
| 61
| rowspan=2| [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]] 
|- 
| rowspan=3| January 1 
| [[Murray, Kentucky|Murray]]/[[Paducah, Kentucky]]
| [[WQTV-LP|W46BE]]
| 46
|- 
| [[Tequesta, Florida|Tequesta]]/[[West Palm Beach, Florida]]
| [[WPBF]]
| 25
| [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
| [[Utica, New York]]
| [[WPNY-LD|W11BS]]
| 11
| [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]]
|- 
| January 4
| [[New York City]] 
| [[WMUN-CD|W57BC]]
| 57
| Independent
| [[Low-power broadcasting|LPTV]] translator of [[WLNY-TV|WLIG]] 
|- 
| January 6
| [[Burlington, Iowa]] <br> {{small|([[Quad Cities]], [[Illinois]]-[[Iowa]])}} 
| [[KGCW|KJMH]]
| 26
| [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] 
|- 
| January 11
| [[Lebanon, Tennessee|Lebanon]]/[[Nashville, Tennessee]]
| [[WJFB]]
| 66
| [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]]
|- 
| January 15 
| [[Fort Smith, Arkansas]] 
| [[KFDF-CD|K46BZ]] 
| 46 
|[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] 
|-
| January 22
| [[Yuma, Arizona]] <br> {{small|([[El Centro, California]])}} 
| [[KYMA-DT (1988-2020)|KYMA-DT]]
| 11
| [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|- 
| January 27
| [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama|Tuscaloosa]]/[[Birmingham, Alabama]] 
| [[WUOA-LD|W52AI]]
| 52
| [[Trinity Broadcasting Network|TBN]]
|- 
| January 29
| [[Indianapolis, Indiana]] 
| [[WIIH-LD|W11BV]]
| 11
| [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]]
|- 
| February 1 
| [[Cedar Rapids, Iowa]] 
| [[KFXA|KOCR-TV]] 
| 28
| [[Fox Broadcasting Company]]
|-
| rowspan=3| February 8
| [[Honolulu, Hawaii]]
| [[KHII-TV|KFVE]]
| 9
| [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]]
|-
| [[Jamestown, North Dakota|Jamestown]]/[[Valley City, North Dakota]] 
| [[KVRR|KJRR]] 
| 7 
| [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]
|- 
| [[Orlando, Florida]] 
| [[WDSC-TV|WCEU]]
| 15
| [[PBS]] 
|- 
| February 13
| [[Kansas City, Missouri]]
| [[KMCI-TV]]
| 38
| [[Home Shopping Network|HSN]]
|- 
| February 22
| [[Kingman, Arizona]] 
| [[KMOH-TV]] 
| 6  
| [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]] 
|- 
| March 
| [[Heiskell, Tennessee|Heiskell]]/[[Knoxville, Tennessee]]
| [[WFEM-LP|W12BU]] 
| 12 
| [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]]
| <ref>1992 Television Factbook, page B-91.</ref>
|- 
| March 1 
| [[Brainerd, Minnesota]] 
| [[Lakeland PBS|KAWB]]
| 22
| [[PBS]] 
|- 
| March 7
| [[Greensboro, North Carolina]] 
| [[WGSR-LD|W14AU]]
| 14
| rowspan=2| [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]]
|-
| March 11 
| [[Charlotte, North Carolina]] 
| [[WTBL-CD|W53AO]]
| 53
|- 
| March 13
| [[Waco, Texas]]
| [[KXXV]]
| 25
| [[NBC]]
|- 
| March 28
| [[Indianapolis, Indiana]]
| [[WALV-CD|W27AR]]
| 27
| [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]] 
|- 
| April 3 
| [[Wichita, Kansas]] 
| [[KAAS-TV]]
| 17
| [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] 
|- 
| April 11 
| [[Raleigh, North Carolina]] 
| [[WNCN|WYED]] 
| 17 
| [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]]
|- 
| April 29 
| [[Arecibo, Puerto Rico]]
| [[WATX-TV]] 
| 54
| [[Religious broadcasting|Religious ind.]] 
|-
| May  
| [[Steamboat Springs, Colorado]] 
| [[KRMZ|KSBS-TV]]
| 10 
| [[Telemundo]]
|- 
| May 18
| [[Houston, Texas]] 
| [[KLTJ|KUYA]]
| 22
| [[Trinity Broadcasting Network|TBN]]
|- 
| May 20
| [[Panama City, Florida]] 
| [[WPGX]]
| 28
| [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] 
|-
| May 25
| [[Washington, D.C.]]
| [[WMDO-CD|W14AA]]
| 14
| [[Univision]]
|-
| June 1 
| [[Kenosha, Wisconsin|Kenosha]]/[[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]]
| [[WPXE-TV|WHKE]]
| 
| Religious ind. 
|- 
| June 8
| [[Indianapolis, Indiana]]
| [[WDTI|WBUU]]
| 69
| Educational ind.
|- 
| rowspan="2"|July 22
| [[Panama City, Florida]] 
| [[WFSG-TV]]
| 56
| [[PBS]] 
|- 
| [[South Bend, Indiana]]
| [[WYGN-LD|W12BK]]
| 12
| [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]]
|-
| August 19 
| [[Phoenix, Arizona]] 
| [[K14RK-D|K69HJ]]
| 69
| [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]] 
|- 
| August 20 
| [[Denver, Colorado]]
| [[KRMT|KWBI-TV]]
| 41
| Religious ind.
| 
|- 
| August 29
| [[Amarillo, Texas]]
| [[KACV-TV]]
| 2 
| [[PBS]]
|
|- 
| rowspan=2| September 1 
| [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]]/[[Fort Worth, Texas]]
| [[KFWD]]
| 52
| [[Telemundo]]
|-
| [[Denton, Texas]] <br> {{small|([[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]]/[[Fort Worth, Texas]])}} 
| [[KDTN]]
| 2 
| [[PBS]] 
|- 
| September 24
| [[Buffalo, New York]] 
| [[WNYB|WTJA-TV]] 
| 26
| Independent{{efn|name=wtja|WTJA was previously on the air from 1966 to 1969 as WNYP-TV.}}
|- 
| October 3
| [[Oklahoma City, Oklahoma]] 
| [[KSBI]]
| 52
| rowspan=2| [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]]
|- 
| October 15
| [[Lexington, Kentucky]]
| [[WLKT-TV]]
| 62
|- 
| October 18
| [[Odessa, Texas|Odessa]]/[[Midland, Texas]]
| [[KMLM-DT|KMLM-TV]] 
| 42
| [[Gods Learning Channel]]
|- 
| November 1 
| [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]]
| [[WDJT-TV]]
| 
| Independent
|- 
| November 28
| [[Rapid City, South Dakota]] 
| [[KCLO-TV|K15AC]]
| 15
| [[CBS]]
|- 
| rowspan=2| December 
| [[Orlando, Florida]] 
| [[WKCF]]
| 18
| Independent 
|- 
| [[Washington, D.C.]]
| [[WDDN-LD|W42AJ]]
| 43
| [[Telemundo]]
|- 
| rowspan=2| December 1 
| [[Denver, Colorado]] 
| [[KTVD]] 
| 20
| [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]]
|- 
| [[Pine Bluff, Arkansas|Pine Bluff]]/[[Little Rock, Arkansas]]
| [[KVTN-TV]]
| 25
| Religious ind. 
|-
| December 9
| [[Brooklyn, New York|Brooklyn]]/[[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]]
| [[WNXY-LD|W54AY]]
| 54
| unknown
|
|- 
| December 17
| [[Riverside, California]] ([[Los Angeles]]) 
| [[KRCA|KSLD]]
| 62
| Asian independent 
|-
| December 23
| [[Cheyenne, Wyoming]] 
| [[KLWY]]
| 27
| [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] 
|- 
| December 27
| [[Bloomington, Indiana]] 
| [[WIPX-TV|WIIB]]
| 63
| [[Home Shopping Network|HSN]]
|- 
| December 30 
| [[Williamsport, Pennsylvania]] <br> {{small|([[Scranton, Pennsylvania|Scranton]]/[[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania]])}} 
| [[WQMY|WDZA]] 
| 53 
| [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]
|- 
| December 31 
| [[Lebanon, Kentucky]] 
| [[WDHC-LD|K06AY]]
| 6
| Independent
|
|- 
| rowspan=9| Unknown date
| [[Buffalo, New York]]
| [[WFHW-LP|W58AV]]
| 58
| [[Channel America]]
|
|- 
| [[Key West, Florida]] 
| [[WETV (Florida)|WETV]]
| 13
| Educational independent
|
|- 
| [[Kona, Hawaii]] 
| [[KSIX-TV|KSHQ]]
| 6
| Independent
|-
| [[Manchester, New Hampshire]] 
| [[WYCN-CD|W13BG]]
| 13
| [[FamilyNet]] 
|
|- 
| [[Morehead City, North Carolina]] 
| [[WFXI]]
| 8
| Fox
|- 
| [[Springfield, Massachusetts]] 
| [[WSHM-LD|W42AU]]
| 42
| [[Trinity Broadcasting Network|TBN]]
|-  
| [[Tampa, Florida]]
| [[WFTT-TV|WBHS]]
| 62
| [[Home Shopping Network]]
|- 
| [[West Palm Beach, Florida]] 
| [[WWHB-CA|W19AQ]]
| 19
| rowspan=2| Independent
|- 
| [[Wichita Falls, Texas]] 
| [[KJBO-LD|K35BO]] 
| 35
|- 
|}

=== Stations changing network affiliation ===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Market || Date || Station || Channel || Prior affiliation || New affiliation
|-
| [[Columbia, South Carolina]] || June 11 || [[WACH]] || 57 || [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]] || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]
|-
| [[Concord, New Hampshire]] || February 1 || [[WNHT (TV)|WNHT]] || 21 || [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]] || [[CBS]]
|-
| [[Davenport, Iowa]] || January 6 || [[KLJB-TV]] || 18 || Fox || Independent 
|- 
| [[Erie, Pennsylvania]] || May 23 || [[WFXP|WETG]] || 66 || rowspan="2"|[[Independent station (North America)|Independent]] || rowspan="2"|[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[Greenville, South Carolina|Greenville]]/[[Spartanburg, South Carolina]]<br><small>([[Anderson, South Carolina]])</small> || rowspan="2"|August 29 || [[WHNS]] || 21
|-
| [[WMYA-TV|WAXA]] || 40 || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] || [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]]
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[Jacksonville, Florida]] || rowspan="2"|April 3 || [[WTLV]] || 12 || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] || [[NBC]]
|-
| [[WCWJ|WJKS-TV]] || 17 || [[NBC]] || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
| [[Johnstown, Pennsylvania|Johnstown]]/[[Altoona, Pennsylvania]] || August 27 || [[WATM-TV]] || 23 || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
| [[Omaha, Nebraska]] || August 28 || [[KPTM]] || 42 || [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]] || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]
|- 
| rowspan="2"|[[Knoxville, Tennessee]] || rowspan="2"|September 10 || [[WBIR-TV]] || 10 || [[CBS]] || [[NBC]]
|-
| [[WVLT-TV|WTVK]] || 26 || [[NBC]] || [[CBS]]
|-
| [[Laredo, Texas]] || October 31 || [[KLDO-TV]] || 27 || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] || [[Univision]]
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis]]/[[St. Paul, Minnesota]] || rowspan="6"|August 29 || [[KMSP-TV]] || 9 || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] || [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]]
|-
| [[WFTC|KITN-TV]] || 29 || [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]] || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[Portland, Oregon]]<br><small>([[Vancouver, Washington]])</small> || [[KPTV]] || 12 || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] || [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]]
|-
| [[KPDX]] || 49 || [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]] || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]]/[[St. Petersburg, Florida]] || [[WFTS-TV]] || 28 || [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]] || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]
|-
| [[WTOG]] || 44 || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] || [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]]
|-
|}

===Station closures===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Date
! City of license/Market
! Station
! Channel 
! Affiliation
! Sign-on date
! Notes
|- 
| April 8
| [[Natchez, Mississippi]] 
| [[WNTZ-TV]]
| 33
| Independent 
| November 16, 1985
| Would return to the air in 1991 as a Fox affiliate
|- 
| May 31
| [[Hot Springs, Arkansas]]
| [[KRZB-TV]]
| 26
| Independent 
| February 7, 1986
| 
|- 
|}

===Notes===
{{notelist}}

==Births==
{| class="wikitable"
|- "
! Date || Name || Notability
|-
|January 3
|[[Karl Glusman]]
|Actor
|-
|rowspan="2"|January 7
|[[Haley Bennett]]
|Actress and singer
|-
|[[Robert Sheehan]]
|Actor
|-
|January 8
|[[Lily Nicksay]]
|Actress (''[[Boy Meets World]]'')
|-
|January 12
|[[Andrew Lawrence (actor)|Andrew Lawrence]]
|Actor (''[[Brotherly Love (1995 TV series)|Brotherly Love]]'', ''[[Oliver Beene]]'',  ''[[Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series)|Hawaii Five-0]]'', voice of T.J. Detweiler on ''[[Recess (TV series)|Recess]]'' (1998–2001))
|-
|January 18
|[[Ashleigh Murray]]
|Actress (''[[Riverdale (2017 TV series)|Riverdale]]'')
|-
|January 21
|[[John Early (comedian)|John Early]]
|Actor
|-
|January 22
|[[Nick Palatas]]
|Actor
|-
|January 28
|[[Alexandra Krosney]]
|Actress (''[[Last Man Standing (American TV series)|Last Man Standing]]'')
|-
|January 30
|[[Rob Pinkston]]
|Actor (''[[Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide]]'')
|-
|February 2
|[[Zosia Mamet]]
|Actress
|-
|February 4
|[[Charlie Barnett (actor)|Charlie Barnett]]
|Actor (''[[Chicago Fire (TV series)|Chicago Fire]]'')
|-
|rowspan="3"|February 6
|[[Bailey Hanks]]
|Actress and singer
|-
|[[David Boyd (singer)|David Boyd]]
|Singer
|-
|[[Anna Diop]]
|Senegalese-American actress (''[[Titans (2018 TV series)|Titans]]'')
|-
|February 8
|[[Ryan Pinkston]]
|Actor (''[[Quintuplets]]'', ''[[Tower Prep]]'')
|-
|February 11
|[[Jazz Raycole]]
|Actress (''[[My Wife and Kids]]'')
|-
|February 15
|[[Jessica De Gouw]]
|Australian actress (''[[Dracula (2013 TV series)|Dracula]]'')
|-
|rowspan="3"|February 18
|[[Maiara Walsh]]
|Actress (''[[Desperate Housewives]]'', ''[[Cory in the House]]'')
|-
|[[Sarah Sutherland]]
|Actress (''[[Veep (TV series)|Veep]]'')
|-
|[[Shane Lyons]]
|Actor (''[[All That]]'')
|-
|February 19
|[[Stacie Chan]]
|Voice actress (''[[Jackie Chan Adventures]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|February 20
|[[Rihanna]]
|Singer and actress (''[[Bates Motel (TV series)|Bates Motel]]'')
|-
|[[Tracy Spiridakos]]
|Actress
|-
|February 22
|[[Marieve Herington]]
|Actress
|-
|February 24
|[[Alexander Koch (actor)|Alexander Koch]]
|Actor (''[[Under the Dome (TV series)|Under the Dome]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|February 29
|[[Reilly Dolman]]
|Actor
|-
|[[Joel Kim Booster]]
|Actor
|-
|March 1
|[[Katija Pevec]]
|Actress (''[[Just for Kicks (TV series)|Just for Kicks]]'') 
|-
|March 3
|[[Josh Duggar]]
|Actor (''[[19 Kids and Counting]]'') and television personality
|-
|March 8
|[[Kendrick Sampson]]
|Actor
|-
|March 10
|[[Ego Nwodim]]
|Actress
|-
|March 22
|[[Tania Raymonde]]
|Actress (''[[Lost (2004 TV series)|Lost]]'', ''[[Death Valley (TV series)|Death Valley]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|March 24
|[[Finn Jones]]
|English actor (''[[Game of Thrones]]'')
|-
|[[Nick Lashaway]]
|American actor (died 2016)
|-
|rowspan="2"|March 25
|[[Ryan Lewis]]
|Rapper
|-
|[[Erik Knudsen]]
|Actor
|-
|rowspan="2"|March 27
|[[Brenda Song]]
|Actress (''[[100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd]]'', ''[[The Suite Life of Zack and Cody]]'', ''[[The Suite Life on Deck]]'', ''[[Scandal (American TV series)|Scandal]]'', ''[[New Girl]]'', ''[[Dads (2013 TV series)|Dads]]'', ''[[Pure Genius]]''), voice actress (''[[American Dragon: Jake Long]]'', ''[[Miles from Tomorrowland]]'', ''[[Amphibia (TV series)|Amphibia]]'') 
|-
|[[Holliday Grainger]]
|English actress (''[[Where the Heart Is (1997 TV series)|Where the Heart Is]]'', ''[[The Borgias (2011 TV series)|The Borgias]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|April 2
|Francesca Catalano
|Actress (''[[Just for Kicks (TV series)|Just for Kicks]]'') 
|-
|[[Jesse Plemons]]
|Actor
|-
|April 4
|[[Maggie Geha]]
|Actress (''[[Gotham (TV series)|Gotham]]'')
|-
|April 7
|[[Ed Speleers]] 
|Actor
|-
|rowspan="2"|April 10 
|[[Haley Joel Osment]] 
|Actor (''[[Thunder Alley (TV series)|Thunder Alley]]'', ''[[The Jeff Foxworthy Show]]'')
|-
|[[Molly Bernard]] 
|Actress
|-
|rowspan="2"|April 13
|[[Allison Williams (actress)|Allison Williams]]
|Actress (''[[Girls (TV series)|Girls]]'') and singer
|-
|[[Katie Lucas]]
|Actress
|-
|April 14
|[[Chris Wood (actor)|Chris Wood]]
|Actor (''[[The Vampire Diaries]]'', ''[[Containment (TV series)|Containment]]'')
|-
|April 15
|[[Benedict Samuel]]
|Actor
|-
| rowspan="2" |April 18
|[[Kayleigh McEnany]]
|Political commentator and former [[White House Press Secretary]] ([[CNN]], [[Fox News]])
|-
|[[Nicolette Robinson]]
|Actress
|-
|rowspan="2"|April 21
|[[Christoph Sanders]]
|Actor (''[[Ghost Whisperer]]'', ''[[Last Man Standing (American TV series)|Last Man Standing]]'')
|-
|[[Robbie Amell]] 
|Canadian actor (''[[True Jackson, VP]]'', ''[[The Tomorrow People (American TV series)|The Tomorrow People]]'', ''[[The Flash (2014 TV series)|The Flash]]'')
|-
|April 23
|[[Carla Quevedo]]
|Argentine actress (''[[Show Me a Hero]]'')
|-
|April 25
|[[Sara Paxton]]
|Actress (''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'', ''[[Greetings from Tucson]]'', ''[[Summerland (TV series)|Summerland]]'', ''[[Darcy's Wild Life]]'') and singer
|-
|April 27
|[[Austin Amelio]]
|Actor
|-
|April 30
|[[Ana de Armas]]
|Cuban actress (''[[El Internado|The Boarding School]]'')
|-
|May 1
|[[Nicholas Braun]]
|Actor (''[[10 Things I Hate About You (TV series)|10 Things I Hate About You]]'')
|-
|May 4
|[[LaRoyce Hawkins]]
|Actor
|-
|rowspan="2"|May 5 
|[[Brooke Hogan]] 
|Actress (''[[Hogan Knows Best]]'')
|-
|[[Adele]] 
|Singer
|-
|May 8
|[[Trisha Paytas]]
|Singer
|-
|May 11
|[[Danielle Pinnock]]
|Actress
|-
|May 16
|[[Behati Prinsloo]]
|Model
|-
|May 17
|[[Nikki Reed]]
|Actress
|-
|May 19
|[[Zack Pearlman]]
|Actor
|-
|May 22
|[[Heida Reed]]
|Actress
|-
|rowspan="2"|May 24
|[[Kimberley Crossman]]
|New Zealand-born actress
|-
|[[Callie Hernandez]]
|Actress
|-
|rowspan="2"|June 2
|[[Amber Marshall (actor)|Amber Marshall]]
|Canadian actress
|-
|[[Zuri Hall]]
|Actress
|-
|June 6
|[[Kristen Gutoskie]]
|Canadian actress
|-
|June 7
|[[Michael Cera]]
|Canadian actor (''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]'')
|-
|June 9
|[[Mae Whitman]]
|Actress (''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]'', ''[[Parenthood (2010 TV series)|Parenthood]]'', ''[[Good Girls (TV series)|Good Girls]]''), voice actress (''[[Johnny Bravo]]'',  ''[[Teacher's Pet (TV series)|Teacher's Pet]]'', ''[[American Dragon: Jake Long]]'', ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'', ''[[Family Guy]]'', ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV series)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'', ''[[DC Super Hero Girls]]'')
|-
|June 11
|[[Claire Holt]]
|Actress (''[[H2O: Just Add Water|H<sub>2</sub>O: Just Add Water]]'', ''[[The Vampire Diaries]]'', ''[[The Originals (TV series)|The Originals]]'', ''[[Aquarius (American TV series)|Aquarius]]'')
|-
|June 12
|[[Cody Horn]]
|Actress
|-
|June 13
|[[Cody Walker (actor)|Cody Walker]]
|Actor
|-
|rowspan="2"|June 14
|[[Kara Kilmer]]
|Actress (''[[Chicago Fire (TV series)|Chicago Fire]]'')
|-
|[[Kevin McHale (actor)|Kevin McHale]]
|Actor (''[[Glee (TV series)|Glee]]'') and singer
|-
|June 20
|[[Shefali Chowdhury]] 
|Actress (''[[Harry Potter (film series)|Harry Potter]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|June 22
|[[Portia Doubleday]]
|Actress (''[[Mr. Sunshine (2011 TV series)|Mr. Sunshine]]'', ''[[Mr. Robot]]'')
|-
|[[Karla Crome]]
|Actress
|-
|June 24
|[[Candice Patton]]
|Actress (''[[The Game (American TV series)|The Game]]'', ''[[The Flash (2014 TV series)|The Flash]]'')
|-
|June 27
|[[Alanna Masterson]]
|Actress (''[[The Young and the Restless]]'', ''First Day'', ''[[The Walking Dead (TV series)|The Walking Dead]]'')
|-
|June 30
|[[Sean Marquette]] 
|Actor (''[[Titus (TV series)|Titus]]'', ''[[The Goldbergs (2013 TV series)|The Goldbergs]]''), voice actor (''[[Johnny Bravo]]'', ''[[Rocket Power]]'', ''[[Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends]]'')
|-
|July 1
|Evan Ellingson
|Actor (''[[Complete Savages]]'' ''[[CSI: Miami]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|July 6
|[[Brittany Underwood]]
|Actress (''[[One Life to Live]]'', ''[[Hollywood Heights (TV series)|Hollywood Heights]]'') and singer
|-
|[[Cody Fern]]
|Actor
|-
|rowspan="2"|July 10
|[[Heather Hemmens]]
|Actress
|-
|[[Katie Pavlich]]
|American conservative commentator
|-
|July 12
|[[Ta'Rhonda Jones]]
|Actress (''[[Empire (2015 TV series)|Empire]]'') and rapper
|-
|rowspan="2"|July 13
|[[Colton Haynes]]
|Actor (''[[Teen Wolf (2011 TV series)|Teen Wolf]]'', ''[[Arrow (TV series)|Arrow]]'')
|-
|[[Steven R. McQueen]]
|Actor (''[[The Vampire Diaries]]'', ''[[Chicago Fire (TV series)|Chicago Fire]]'')
|-
|July 15
|[[Aimee Carrero]]
|Dominican actress (''[[Level Up (American TV series)|Level Up]]'', ''[[Young & Hungry]]'', ''[[Elena of Avalor]]'', ''[[She-Ra and the Princesses of Power]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|July 20
|[[Julianne Hough]]
|Singer and actress (''[[Dancing with the Stars]]'')
|-
|[[Chloe Fineman]]
|Actress
|-
|July 24
|[[Joe Pera]]
|Actor
|-
|July 26
|[[Francia Raisa]]
|Actress (''[[The Secret Life of the American Teenager]]'')
|-
|July 30
|[[Nico Tortorella]]
|Actor (''[[Make It or Break It]]'', ''[[Younger (TV series)|Younger]]'') 
|-
|July 31
|[[Charlie Carver]]
|Actor (''[[Teen Wolf (2011 TV series)|Teen Wolf]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|August 1
|[[Max Carver]]
|Actor (''[[Desperate Housewives]]'', ''[[Teen Wolf (2011 TV series)|Teen Wolf]]'')
|-
|[[Sasha Jackson]]
|British actress
|-
|August 3
|[[Christine Ko]]
|Actress
|-
|August 12
|[[Leah Pipes]]
|Actress (''[[Life is Wild]]'', ''[[The Deep End (2010 TV series)|The Deep End]]'', ''[[The Originals (TV series)|The Originals]]'') and singer
|-
|rowspan="3"|August 16
|[[Kevin Schmidt]]
|Actor (''[[The Young and the Restless]]'', ''[[Unnatural History (TV series)|Unnatural History]]'') 
|-
|[[Rumer Willis]]
|Actress ([[Dancing with the Stars (American season 20)|''Dancing with the Stars'' season 20]] [winner]) and daughter of [[Bruce Willis]] and [[Demi Moore]]
|-
|[[Parker Young]]
|Actor
|-
|August 17
|[[Brady Corbet]]
|Actor
|-
|August 19
|Cody Ross Pitts
|Actor
|-
|August 23
|[[Kim Matula]]
|Actress (''[[The Bold and the Beautiful]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|August 26
|[[Danielle Savre]]
|Actress (''[[Summerland (TV series)|Summerland]]'', ''[[Heroes (American TV series)|Heroes]]'', ''[[Kaya (TV series)|Kaya]]'', ''[[Too Close to Home (TV series)|Too Close to Home]]'')
|-
|[[Evan Ross]] 
|Actor
|-
|August 27 
|[[Alexa PenaVega]] 
|Actress (''[[Life's Work]]'', ''[[Ladies Man (1999 TV series)|Ladies Man]]'', ''[[Ruby & The Rockits]]'') and singer
|-
|August 28
|[[Shalita Grant]]
|Actress (''[[NCIS: New Orleans]]'', ''[[Mercy Street (TV series)|Mercy Street]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|September 1
|[[Angus McLaren]]
|Australian actress (''[[H2O: Just Add Water|H<sub>2</sub>O: Just Add Water]]'')
|-
|[[Vaneza Pitynski]] 
|Actress (''[[The Brothers García]]'') 
|-
|September 6
|[[Max George]]  
|British actor (''[[The Wanted]]'') and singer
|-
|rowspan="2"|September 15
|[[Chloe Dykstra]]
|Actress
|-
|[[Chelsea Kane]]
|Actress (''[[Jonas (TV series)|Jonas]]'', ''[[Fish Hooks]]'', ''[[Baby Daddy]]'') and singer
|-
|September 19
|[[Katrina Bowden]]
|Actress (''[[30 Rock]]'', ''[[Public Morals (2015 TV series)|Public Morals]]'')
|-
|September 20
|[[Clark James Gable]]
|Actor (died 2019)
|-
|September 23
|Bryan Hearne
|Actor (''[[All That]]'')
|-
|September 24 
|[[Kyle Sullivan]] 
|Actor (''[[Malcolm in the Middle]]'', ''[[Whatever Happened to Robot Jones?]]'', ''[[Fillmore!]]'', ''[[All That]]'', ''[[The War at Home (TV series)|The War at Home]]'')
|-
|September 26 
|[[James Blake (musician)|James Blake]] 
|Singer
|-
|rowspan="2"|September 28
|[[Olivia Jordan]]
|Actress, model, television host, [[Miss USA 2015]]
|-
|[[Hana Mae Lee]] 
|Actress
|-
|October 1
|[[Cariba Heine]]
|Actress (''[[H2O: Just Add Water|H<sub>2</sub>O: Just Add Water]]'')
|-
|October 2
|[[Laura Rutledge]]
|Reporter and host for ESPN
|-
|October 3
|[[Alicia Vikander]]
|Actress (''Second Avenue'')
|-
|October 4
|[[Melissa Benoist]]
|Actress (''[[Glee (TV series)|Glee]]'', ''[[Supergirl (TV series)|Supergirl]]'') and singer
|-
|October 5
|[[Bobby Edner]]
|Actor
|-
|October 10
|[[Rose McIver]]
|Actress (''[[iZombie (TV series)|iZombie]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|October 14
|[[MacKenzie Mauzy]]
|Actress (''[[Guiding Light]]'', ''[[The Bold and the Beautiful]]'', ''[[Forever (2014 TV series)|Forever]]'')
|-
|[[Max Thieriot]]
|Actor
|-
|October 17
|[[Dee Jay Daniels]]
|Actor (''[[The Hughleys]]'')
|-
|October 19
|[[Parveen Kaur (Canadian actress)|Parveen Kaur]]
|Actress
|-
|rowspan="2"|October 21
|[[Glen Powell]]
|Actor (''[[Scream Queens (2015 TV series)|Scream Queens]]'')
|-
|[[Mark Rendall]]
|Canadian voice actor (''[[Arthur (TV series)|Arthur]]'', ''[[The Save-Ums!]]'', ''[[Time Warp Trio]]'', ''[[Wayside (TV series)|Wayside]]'')
|-
|October 28
|[[Devon Murray]] 
|Actor (''[[Harry Potter (film series)|Harry Potter]]'')
|-
|October 29
|Cherilyn Wilson
|Actress (''[[I Heart Vampires]]'', ''Greetings from Home'')
|-
|October 30
|[[Janel Parrish]]
|Actress (''[[Pretty Little Liars (TV series)|Pretty Little Liars]]'')
|-
|November 2
|[[Lindze Letherman]]
|Actress (''[[General Hospital]]'')
|-
|November 3
|[[Angus McLaren]]
|Australian actor (''[[Neighbours]]'', ''[[H2O: Just Add Water|H<sub>2</sub>O: Just Add Water]]'')
|-
|November 6
|[[Emma Stone]]
|Actress (''[[Drive (2007 TV series)|Drive]]'')
|-
|November 7
|[[Reid Ewing]]
|Actor (''[[Modern Family]]'')
|-
|November 8
|[[Jessica Lowndes]]
|Actress (''[[90210 (TV series)|90210]]'') and singer
|-
|November 9  
|[[Nikki Blonsky]] 
|Actress (''[[Huge (TV series)|Huge]]'') and singer
|-
|November 11
|[[Alexandra Kyle]]
|Actress
|-
|November 22
|[[Jamie Campbell Bower]]
|Actor
|-
|November 25
|[[Abby Phillip]]
|American journalist
|-
|November 26
|[[Tamsin Egerton]]
|English actress (''[[Camelot (TV series)|Camelot]]'')
|-
|November 28 
|[[Scarlett Pomers]] 
|Actress (''[[Reba (TV series)|Reba]]'')
|-
|November 29
|[[Russell Wilson]] 
|Football quarterback
|-
|November 30
|[[Rebecca Rittenhouse]]
|Actress (''[[Red Band Society]]'', ''[[Blood & Oil]]'')
|-
|rowspan="3"|December 1
|[[Ashley Monique Clark]]
|Actress (''[[The Hughleys]]'')
|-
|[[Zoë Kravitz]]
|Actress
|-
|[[Nadia Hilker]]
|Actress
|-
|December 2
|[[Alfred Enoch]] 
|Actor (''[[Harry Potter (film series)|Harry Potter]]'', ''[[How to Get Away With Murder]]'')
|-
|December 3
|[[Jamie Erdahl]] 
|Reporter
|-
|December 5
|[[Ross Bagley]] 
|Actor
|-
|rowspan="2"|December 11
|[[Ashley Hinshaw]]
|Actress and model
|-
|[[Allie LaForce]]
|Model
|-
|December 14
|[[Vanessa Hudgens]] 
|Actress (''[[High School Musical (franchise)|High School Musical]]'', ''[[The Suite Life of Zack & Cody]]'') and singer
|-
|December 15
|[[Emily Head]]
|English actress (''[[The Inbetweeners]]'')
|-
|December 16
|[[Anna Popplewell]]
|English actress (''[[Reign (TV series)|Reign]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|December 21
|[[Teresa Ruiz (actress)|Teresa Ruiz]]
|Actress
|-
|[[Shelley Regner]]
|Actress
|}

==Deaths==
{| class="wikitable sortable" 
|- bgcolor="#E0E0E0" 
! Date || Name || Age ||class="unsortable" |Notability 
|-
|January 3
|[[William Cagney]]
|align="center"|82
|Actor
|-
|February 1 
|[[Heather O'Rourke]]
|align="center"|12
|Actress (''[[Poltergeist (1982 film)|Poltergeist]]'', ''[[Happy Days]]'')
|-
|February 17
|[[Alexander Bashlachev]]
|align="center"|27
|Soviet singer
|-
|March 10 
|[[Andy Gibb]]
|align="center"|30
|Singer (''[[Solid Gold (TV series)|Solid Gold]]'')
|-
|April 5
|[[Alf Kjellin]]
|align="center"|68
|Actor and director
|-
|April 25
|[[Carolyn Franklin]]
|align="center"|43
|Singer
|-
|April 27
|[[David Scarboro]]
|align="center"|20
|English actor (''[[EastEnders]]'')
|-
|May 15 
|[[Andrew Duggan]]
|align="center"|64
|Character actor (''[[Lancer (TV series)|Lancer]]'')
|-
|May 21
|[[Sammy Davis Sr.]]
|align="center"|87
|Dancer
|-
|May 18 
|[[Daws Butler]]
|align="center"|71
|[[Voice actor]] (''[[The Jetsons]]'', several animated commercials)
|-
|May 27 
|[[Florida Friebus]]
|align="center"|78
|Actress (''[[The Bob Newhart Show]]'', ''[[The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis|Dobie Gillis]]'')
|-
|June 25
|[[Hillel Slovak]]
|align="center"|26
|Israeli-American musician ([[Red Hot Chili Peppers]])
|-
|July 21 
|[[Jack Clark (television personality)|Jack Clark]]
|align="center"|62
|Game show announcer (''[[Wheel of Fortune (American game show)|Wheel of Fortune]]'')
|-
|July 25 
|[[Judith Barsi]]
|align="center"|10
|Child actress
|-
|July 31 
|[[Trinidad Silva]]
|align="center"|38
|Actor (Jesus Martinez on ''[[Hill Street Blues]]''), in a car accident
|-
|September 11 
|[[John Sylvester White]]
|align="center"|68
|Actor (''[[Welcome Back, Kotter]]'')
|-
|September 29 
|[[Charles Addams]]
|align="center"|76
|Cartoonist whose drawings inspired (''[[The Addams Family (1964 TV series)|The Addams Family]]'')
|-
|October 11 
|[[Wayland Flowers]]
|align="center"|48
|Puppeteer (''[[Madame's Place]]'')
|-
|October 31
|[[John Houseman]]
|align="center"|86
|Actor (''[[The Paper Chase (TV series)|The Paper Chase]]'', ''[[Silver Spoons]]'')
|-
|December 6 
|[[Timothy Patrick Murphy]]
|align="center"|29
|Actor (''[[Dallas (1978 TV series)|Dallas]]'')
|-
|December 12 
|[[Dick Clair]]
|align="center"|57
|Comedy writer (''[[The Carol Burnett Show]]'', ''[[The Facts of Life (TV series)|The Facts of Life]]'')
|-
|December 20 
|[[Max Robinson]]
|align="center"|49
|''[[ABC World News]]'' correspondent
|-
|December 27 
|[[Jess Oppenheimer]]
|align="center"|75
|Comedy writer who created (''[[I Love Lucy]]'')
|}

==See also==
* [[1988 in the United States]]
* [[List of American films of 1988]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?title_type=tv_series&release_date=1988-01-01,1988-12-31&countries=us&adult=include&sort=num_votes,desc List of 1988 American television series] at [[IMDb]]

{{Years in TV by country|1988}}
{{Years in television}}

[[Category:1988 in American television| ]]
[[Category:1980s in American television]]
{{Навигационная таблица/Портал/Английская Википедия}}
[[Категория:Английская Википедия]]
[[Категория:Википедия]]
[[Категория:Статья из Википедии]]
[[Категория:Статья из Английской Википедии]]