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1975–76 United States network television schedule

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The 1975–76 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers the primetime hours from September 1975 through August 1976. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series canceled after the 1974–75 season.

This was the first season since 1971 in which a four-hour Sunday night schedule was implemented.

This was also the first season for the 22-hour weekly prime-time schedule (four hours on Sunday, three hours each on Monday through Saturday). It remains in effect to this day.

PBS is not included as member stations have local flexibility over most of their schedules, and broadcast times for network shows may vary.

Each of the 30 highest-rated shows released in May 1976 is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.[1]

New series are highlighted in bold.

All times are U.S. Eastern and Pacific Time (except for some live sports or events). Subtract one hour for Central, Mountain, Alaska and Hawaii-Aleutian times.

Legend

[edit]
  •   Gray indicates encore programming.
  •   Blue-gray indicates news programming.
  •   Light green indicates sporting events.
  •   Red indicates series being burned off and other regularly scheduled programs, including specials and movies.
  •  highlight  Yellow highlights indicates the top-10 most watched programs of the season.
  •  highlight  Cyan highlights indicates numbers 11-20 most watched programs of the season.
  •  highlight  Magenta highlights indicates numbers 21-30 most watched programs of the season.
  •  highlight  Highlights indicates that it falls in multiple of the above categories.

Sunday

[edit]
Network 7:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 10:30 p.m.
ABC The Swiss Family Robinson The Six Million Dollar Man (9/24.3) The ABC Sunday Night Movie (13/23.0)
CBS Fall Three for the Road Cher Kojak (20/21.8) Bronk
Winter 60 Minutes The Sonny & Cher Show (23/21.2)
Summer Johnny Cash and Friends Cannon
NBC Fall The Wonderful World of Disney The Family Holvak The NBC Mystery Movie: Columbo / McCloud / McMillan & Wife / McCoy
Winter Ellery Queen

Note: As of the 2022–23 television season, since December 1975, 60 Minutes has continually aired at the same 7:00 PM ET (or after sporting event overrun) time slot on CBS.

Monday

[edit]
Network 8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 10:30 p.m.
ABC Fall Barbary Coast Monday Night Football
Mid-fall Mobile One
Winter On the Rocks Happy Days The ABC Monday Night Movie (10/24.2)
Spring Good Heavens (16/22.5)
(Tied with Starsky and Hutch)
Barbary Coast Rich Man, Poor Man (2/28.0)
Mid-spring Good Heavens (16/22.5)
(Tied with Starsky & Hutch)
Monday Night Baseball
Summer Viva Valdez
CBS Rhoda (7/24.4)
(Tied with Sanford and Son)
Phyllis (6/24.5) All in the Family (1/30.1) Maude (4/25.0) Medical Center
NBC Fall The Invisible Man NBC Monday Night at the Movies
Winter The Rich Little Show Joe Forrester Jigsaw John
Summer The John Davidson Show
July Comedy Theatre

Tuesday

[edit]
Network 8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 10:30 p.m.
ABC Fall Happy Days (11/23.9) Welcome Back, Kotter (18/22.1) The Rookies Marcus Welby, M.D.
Winter Laverne & Shirley (3/27.5)
Spring Family
Summer Specials
CBS Fall Good Times (24/21.0) Joe and Sons Switch Beacon Hill
Winter Popi M*A*S*H (14/22.9)
(Tied with The Waltons)
One Day at a Time (12/23.1) Switch
Spring The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show Good Times (24/21.0)
Summer I've Got a Secret
Mid-summer Popi
NBC Early fall Movin' On Police Story Joe Forrester
Fall Police Woman (30/20.2)
Winter City of Angels

Note: Beginning March 9, Family was added onto ABC's lineup, replacing Marcus Welby, M.D..

Wednesday

[edit]
Network 8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 10:30 p.m.
ABC Fall When Things Were Rotten That's My Mama Baretta (22/21.3) Starsky & Hutch (16/22.5)
(Tied with Good Heavens)
Winter The Bionic Woman (5/24.9)
Spring Wonder Woman
Late spring The Bionic Woman (5/24.9)
CBS Fall Tony Orlando and Dawn Cannon Kate McShane
Winter The Blue Knight
Summer The Jacksons The Kelly Monteith Show
NBC Fall Little House on the Prairie Doctors' Hospital Petrocelli
Winter Chico and the Man (25/20.8) The Dumplings
Spring The Best of Sanford and Son Chico and the Man (25/20.8) Hawk
Mid-spring Fay

Note: The Best of Sanford and Son consisted of reruns of Sanford and Son from earlier seasons; Sanford and Son continued to air in its normal Friday 8:00-8:30 time slot during The Best of Sanford and Son's run. Hawk consisted of reruns of the 1966 ABC television series.

Thursday

[edit]
Network 8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 10:30 p.m.
ABC Fall Barney Miller On the Rocks The Streets of San Francisco (26/20.7)
(Tied with The Bob Newhart Show and Donny & Marie)
Harry O
Winter Welcome Back, Kotter (18/22.1) Barney Miller
Summer What's Happening!!
CBS Fall The Waltons (14/22.9)
(Tied with M*A*S*H)
CBS Thursday Night Movie
Late fall Hawaii Five-O Barnaby Jones
NBC Fall The Montefuscos Fay Ellery Queen Medical Story
Winter Grady The Cop and the Kid NBC Thursday Night at the Movies
Spring The Mac Davis Show

Friday

[edit]
Network 8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 10:30 p.m.
ABC Fall Mobile One The ABC Friday Night Movie
Mid-fall Barbary Coast
Winter Donny & Marie (26/20.7)
(Tied with The Bob Newhart Show and The Streets of San Francisco)
CBS Fall Big Eddie M*A*S*H (14/22.9)
(Tied with The Waltons)
Hawaii Five-O Barnaby Jones
Winter Sara The CBS Friday Night Movie
NBC Early fall Sanford and Son (7/24.4)
(Tied with Rhoda)
Chico and the Man (25/20.8) The Rockford Files Police Woman (30/20.2)
Fall Police Story
Winter The Practice

Saturday

[edit]
Network 8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 10:30 p.m.
ABC Fall Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell S.W.A.T. Matt Helm
Winter Almost Anything Goes! Bert D'Angelo/Superstar
CBS Fall The Jeffersons (21/21.5) Doc The Mary Tyler Moore Show (19/21.9) The Bob Newhart Show (26/20.7)
(Tied with Donny & Marie and The Streets of San Francisco)
The Carol Burnett Show (29/20.5)
Summer Ivan the Terrible
NBC Emergency! NBC Saturday Night at the Movies

By network

[edit]

Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason.

References

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

Additional sources

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