1974 in television

The year 1974 involved some significant events in television. Below is a list of television-related events of that year.

Events

*January 6 – CKGN-TV begins broadcasting in Brantford, Ontario.
*January 31 – CBS airs a multi-Emmy-winning adaptation of Ernest J. Gaines' novel ''The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman'', which follows the 110-year life of a former slave from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement. Cicely Tyson portrays the title role.
*February 1 – KITC (now KIVI-TV) begins broadcasting in Boise, Idaho.
*February 2 – The Filipino government television station GTV 4 (now known as the People's Television Network) begins operations, under the National Media Production Center.
*February 8 – After 20 years, '' The Secret Storm'' airs its 5195th and final episode on CBS Daytime. The show is replaced ten days later by ''Tattletales'', a game show hosted by Bert Convy.
*March 11 – The children's special '' Free to Be... You and Me'', produced by comedic actress Marlo Thomas, airs on ABC.
*March 13 – '' The Execution of Private Slovik'' airs on NBC. A made-for-television film, it told the story of Pvt. Eddie Slovik, the only American soldier to be executed for desertion since the American Civil War.
*March 18 – Lucille Ball ends her 23-year consecutive television reign when ''Here's Lucy'' is cancelled.
*April 5 – After 264 hour-long episodes, ''The Dean Martin Show'' ends its run on NBC, then spins off to 10 years of ''The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast''.
*April 6 – "Waterloo" wins the Eurovision Song Contest for Sweden and launches ABBA on their stellar global career.
*May 4 – Steve Frame (George Reinholt) marries Alice Matthews (Jacqueline Courtney) for the second time on a special hour-long broadcast of '' Another World'', coinciding with the show's tenth anniversary.
*June 8 – Jon Pertwee makes his final regular appearance as the Third Doctor in the concluding moments of Part Six of the ''Doctor Who'' serial '' Planet of the Spiders''. Tom Baker briefly appears as the Fourth Doctor at the conclusion of this serial.
*August 5 – For the first time on a pre-school children's programme, the UK show ''Inigo Pipkin'' covers the death of the main character, Inigo, as the actor who played him ( George Woodbridge) had died. The show is renamed ''Pipkins''.
*August 8 – US President Richard Nixon announces pending resignation (effective August 9) live on television.
*September 10 – The controversial TV movie '' Born Innocent'', starring Linda Blair, airs on NBC. The film, which involved a fourteen-year-old being sent to what the television preview deemed a women's prison (when in reality it was a reform school), drew heavy criticism due to an all-female rape scene, the first ever seen on American television. The scene was deleted in subsequent re-airings after a group of girls assaulted an eight-year-old with a pop bottle, influenced by the scene in the film.
*October 6 – ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'', the popular British sketch comedy which aired its final episode this year, is first shown in the U.S. on KERA-TV in Dallas, Texas, at 10pm.
*December 28 – Tom Baker makes his first full appearance as the Fourth Doctor in the ''Doctor Who'' serial ''Robot''.
*On the American soap opera '' Love of Life'', Meg Dale (Tudi Wiggins) calls her son Ben (Christopher Reeve) a "bastard", the first time a profanity was spoken on American daytime television.

Programmes

*''60 Minutes'' (1968–present)
*''All in the Family'' (1971–1979)
*''All My Children'' (1970–2011)
*''American Bandstand'' (1952–1989)
*'' Another World'' (1964–1999)
*''Are You Being Served?'' (UK) (1972–1985)
*''As the World Turns'' (1956–2010)
*''Barnaby Jones'' (1973–1980)
*''Blue Peter'' (UK) (1958–present)
*''Bozo the Clown'' (1949–present)
*''Candid Camera'' (1948–present)
*''Captain Kangaroo'' (1955–1984)
*'' Clyde Frog Show'' (1974–1976)
*''Columbo'' (1971–1978)
*''Come Dancing'' (UK) (1949–1995)
*''Coronation Street'' (UK) (1960–present)
*''Crossroads'' (UK) (1964–1988, 2001–2003)
*'' Cutey Honey'' (Japan) (1973–1974)
*''Dad's Army'' (UK) (1968–1977)
*''Days of Our Lives'' (1965–present)
*'' Dixon of Dock Green'' (UK) (1955–1976)
*''Doctor Who'' (UK) (1963–1989, 1996, 2005–present)
*''Emergency!'' (1972–1977)
*'' Emmerdale Farm'' (UK) (1972–present)
*''Face the Nation'' (1954–present)
*''Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids'' (1972–1984)
*''Four Corners'' (Australia) (1961–present)
*''General Hospital'' (1963–present)
*''Grandstand'' (UK) (1958–2007)
*''Gunsmoke'' (1955–1975)
*''Hallmark Hall of Fame'' (1951–present)
*'' Hawaii Five-O'' (1968–1980)
*''Hee Haw'' (1969–1993)
*'' Ironside'' (1967–1975)
*''It's Academic'' (1961–present)
*''It Ain't Half Hot Mum'' (UK) (1974–1981)
*''Jeopardy!'' (1964–1975, 1984–present)
*'' John Craven's Newsround'' (UK) (1972–present)
* '' Kaynanalar'' (Turkey) (1974–2004)
*''Kojak'' (1973–1978)
*''Kung Fu'' (1972–1975)
*''Last of the Summer Wine'' (UK) (1973–present)
*'' Love of Life'' (1951–1980)
*''Magpie'' (UK) (1968–1980)
*''Majokko Megu-chan'' (Japan) (1974–1975)
*''Mannix'' (1967–1975)
*''Marcus Welby, M.D.'' (1969–1976)
*''Mary Tyler Moore'' (1970–1977)
*''M*A*S*H'' (1972–1983)
*'' Masterpiece Theatre'' (1971–present)
*'' Match Game '74'' (1962–1969, 1973–1984, 1990–1991, 1998–1999)
*'' Maude'' (1972–1978)
*'' McCloud'' (1970–1977)
*''McMillan & Wife'' (1971–1977)
*''Meet the Press'' (1947–present)
*''Monday Night Football'' (1970–present)MNF History: 1970
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*''Old Grey Whistle Test'' (UK) (1971–1987)
*''One Life to Live'' (1968–2012)
*'' Opportunity Knocks'' (UK) (1956–1978).
*''Panorama'' (UK) (1953–present)
*''Play for Today'' (UK) (1970–1984)
*'' Play School'' (Australia) (1966–present)
*''Sanford and Son'' (1972–1977)
*''Schoolhouse Rock!'' (1973–2009)
*''Search for Tomorrow'' (1951–1986)
*''Sesame Street'' (1969–present)
*''Soul Train'' (1971–2008)
*''Space Battleship Yamato'' (Japan) (1974–1975)
*''Superstars'' (UK) (1973–1985)
*''The Benny Hill Show'' (UK) (1969–1989)
*''The Bob Newhart Show'' (1972–1978)
*''The Carol Burnett Show'' (1967–1978)
*''The Dean Martin Show'' (1965–1974)
*'' The Doctors'' (1963–1982)
*''The Edge of Night'' (1956–1984)
*'' The Good Old Days'' (UK) (1953–1983)
*''The Guiding Light'' (1952–2009)
*'' The Late Late Show'' (Ireland) (1962–present)
*''The Lawrence Welk Show'' (1955–1982)
*''The Mike Douglas Show'' (1961–1981)
*'' The Money Programme'' (UK) (1966–present)
*'' The Odd Couple'' (1970–1975)
*''The Price Is Right'' (1972–present)
*''The Six Million Dollar Man'' (1973–1978)
*''The Sky at Night'' (UK) (1957–present)
*''The Today Show'' (1952–present)
*''The Tomorrow Show'' (1973–1982)
*''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992)
*''The Waltons'' (1972–1981)
*''The Wonderful World of Disney'' (1969–1979)
*''The Young and the Restless'' (1973–present)
*''This Is Your Life'' (UK) (1955–2003)
*''Top of the Pops'' (UK) (1964–2006)
*''Truth or Consequences'' (1950–1988)
*'' What the Papers Say'' (UK) (1956–present)
*'' World of Sport'' (UK) (1965–1985)
*''Z-Cars'' (UK) (1962–1978)

Debuts

*January 5 – ''Tiswas'', a local programme in the Midlands ( ATV) in the UK, though not fully automatically networked through ITV until 1979 (1974–82)
*January 7
**''How to Survive a Marriage'' in a 90-minute special on NBC daytime
**''Jackpot!'' (1974–75), a game show hosted by Geoff Edwards on daytime NBC
** '' Wish You Were Here...?'' premieres on ITV (1974–2003, 2007–)
*January 15 – ''Happy Days'' on ABC (1974–84)
*February 1 – ''Good Times'' (a spinoff of '' Maude'') on CBS (1974–79)
*February 10 – '' Apple's Way'' on CBS (1974–1975)
*February 12 – ''Bagpuss'' (12 February – 7 May 1974)
*February 18 – ''Tattletales'', hosted by Bert Convy, on CBS daytime (1974–78, 1982–84)
*March 3 – ''Nova'' on PBS (1974–present)
*March 13 – '' Clyde Frog Show'' on PBS (1974–1976)
*April 12 – ''Ultraman Leo'' on '' TBS'' in Japan (1974–75)
*May 6 – ''The $10,000 Pyramid'' moves to ABC, with Dick Clark as host
*July 1
**'' High Rollers'' on NBC (1974–76; 1978–80)
**'' Winning Streak'' on NBC daytime
*July 4 – CBS airs its first '' Bicentennial Minute'' (They will continue until the end of 1976)
*July 29 – '' Name That Tune'' on NBC daytime with Dennis James hosting, and in nighttime syndication with Tom Kennedy hosting
*September 4 – '' That's My Mama'' on CBS (1974–1975)
*September 7 (Saturday)
**'' Land of the Lost'' on NBC (1974–77)
**''Valley of the Dinosaurs'' on CBS (1974–76)
**'' Shazam!'' on CBS (1974–77)
**'' Hong Kong Phooey'' on ABC (1974)
*September 9 (Monday)
**''Rhoda'' on CBS (1974–78)
**'' The $25,000 Pyramid'' in syndication with host Bill Cullen; basically ''The $10,000 Pyramid'' with larger prizes
**''Definition'' on CTV daytime (1974–89)
**'' Dinah!'' in syndication (1974–80)
*September 11 – ''Little House on the Prairie'' on NBC (1974–83)
*September 12
**''Harry O'' on ABC (1974–76)
**'' Paper Moon'' on ABC (1974)
*September 13 (Friday)
**''Chico and the Man'' (1974–78) on NBC
**''The Rockford Files'' (1974–80) on NBC
**'' Police Woman'' (1974–78) on NBC
**''The Texas Wheelers'' (1974) on ABC
**'' Kolchak: The Night Stalker'' (1974–75) on ABC
**''Planet of the Apes'' (1974) on CBS
*September 14 (Saturday)
**'' The New Land'' (1974) on ABC
**''Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers'' (1974–75) on CBS
*September 23 – '' Dr. Zonk and the Zunkins'' on CBC (1974–75)
*October 20 – ''Derrick'', German ''Krimi'' written by Herbert Reinecker, starring Horst Tappert, on ZDF (1974–1988)
*November 8 – ''Countdown'' on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1974–87)
*December 23 – ''The Big Showdown'' and '' The Money Maze'' on ABC daytime
*Unknown date – ''House of Pride'' on CBC (1974–76)

Ending this year

Births

Deaths

See also

* 1974–75 United States network television schedule

References

{{Years in television