1975 in television

This is a list of television-related events in 1975.

Years in television:	1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978
Centuries:	19th century · 20th century · 21st century
Decades:	1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
Years:	1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978

For the American network television schedule, see 1975-76 United States network television schedule.

Events

• January 6 - Another World becomes the first American soap opera to start airing hour-long telecasts.
• March 1 - Colour television transmissions begin in Australia.
• March 18 - McLean Stevenson's character Henry Blake was killed in the M*A*S*H episode Abysinnia, Henry, its third season finale.
• April 3 - Meg Richardson (Noele Gordon) marries Hugh Mortimer (John Bentley) on the soap opera Crossroads.
• April 18 - Alice Cooper's first television special, Welcome To My Nightmare: The Making Of A Record Album airs.
• April 21 - Days of Our Lives becomes the second American soap opera to expand from thirty minutes to an hour in length.
• April 28 - Tom Snyder interviews John Lennon on The Tomorrow Show.
• May 7 - Matt Helm is shown as a pilot episode in the US but the actual television series will be shown later that same year.
• May 24 - In the UK, Independent Television programs are blacked out by a strike.
• June - As the World Turns airs its last live episode and switches to pre-recording, making it the last soap opera to do so.
• September 5 - A bomb explodes in the wine bar/delicatessen on Number 96, in an attempt to shake up the cast and earn back lost viewers.
• September 8 - Match Game starts airing weekly episodes in syndicated primetime as Match Game PM.
  • Until September 12, The Price Is Right is hour-long during the whole week.
• October 11 - Andy Kaufman makes his debut on the first episode of Saturday Night Live, lip syncing portions of the theme to Mighty Mouse.
• October 28 - A James Bond film is shown on British television for the first time, Dr. No on ITV.
• November - Sony introduces the Betamax video recorder in the US. The LV-1901 comes in a teakwood console with a 19” color TV set and retails for $2,495.
• November 3 - The Price is Right expands to an hour in length, its current format.
• November 7 - The New Original Wonder Woman airs as a TV movie, leading to a weekly series, Wonder Woman, which debuts in 1976.
• November 10 - The producers of the long-running serial drama The Guiding Light change the show's name to Guiding Light, in an attempt to modernize the show's image. The show's announcer, however, continues to call the series The Guiding Light in his announcements until the early 1980s.
• December 1 - Top-rated As the World Turns, bowing to competition from NBC, expands to one hour in length.
• Fred Silverman becomes the head of ABC Entertainment. Initiating an era of what is disparagingly called "T&A" or "jiggle television", his programming choices result in ABC achieving ratings dominance.
• The In Soviet Georgia television advertisements for Dannon yogurt first air in the United States.
• US television program Match Game (note: not Match Game PM) is rated #1 for the third year running.

Debuts

• January 2 - The Sweeney premieres in the UK (1975-1978).
• January 6 - Wheel of Fortune premieres on NBC's daytime lineup (1975-1989). Blank Check premieres the same day, and lasts 26 weeks.
• January 17 - Baretta premieres (1975-1978).
• January 18 - The Jeffersons, a spinoff of All in the Family, premieres on CBS (1975-1985).
• January 23 - Barney Miller debuts on ABC (1975-1982).
• April 4 - The Good Life premieres in the UK (1975-1978).
• April 5 - Himitsu Sentai Goranger premieres on TV-Asahi (formely NET) (1975-1977)
• April - Survivors debuts on BBC1 in the UK (1975-1977).
• May - The Don Lane Show premieres in Australia (1975-1983).
• May 31 - Jim'll Fix It premieres in the UK (1975-1994).
• June 16 - Spin-Off and Musical Chairs premiere on CBS's daytime lineup.
• July 7 - Ryan's Hope premieres on ABC's daytime lineup (1975-1989).
• August 19 - Golden Road (1975-present) debuts on The Price Is Right.
• September 4 -"The Bobby Vinton Show" premiers on CTV in Canada and across the U.S. in syndication. (1975-1978)
• September 6 - Hanna-Barbera's The New Tom and Jerry/Grape Ape Show premieres on ABC Saturday Morning (1975-1976); it's H-B's only new series for the fall of 1975.
• September 9 - Welcome Back, Kotter premieres on ABC (1975-1979).
• October 1 - Arena (UK) premieres on BBC Two (1975-present).
• October 11 - Saturday Night Live premieres with George Carlin hosting (1975-present).
• October 17 - Space: 1999 premieres in the UK (1975-1977).
• November 3 - Good Morning America premieres with co-anchors David Hartman and Nancy Dussault (1975-present).
• November 7- Wonder Woman premieres on ABC (1975-1979)
• December 16 - One Day at a Time, produced by Norman Lear, premieres on CBS (1975-1984).
• Bod - debuts (and completes) (1975).
• Fawlty Towers premieres on the BBC (1975, 1979).
• The fifth estate debuts on CBC (1975-present).
• The Invisible Man debuts on US TV.
• King of Kensington debuts on CBC (1975-1980).
• Match Game PM (1975-1982).
• Pop Quest premieres in the UK (1975-1978).
• Runaround premieres in the UK (1975-1981).
• Supersonic debuts in the UK (1975-1977).

Television shows

1940s

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

1950s

• Truth or Consequences (1950-1988).
• Love of Life (1951-1980).
• Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986).
• Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951-present).
• American Bandstand (1952-1989).
• The Guiding Light (1952-present).
• The Today Show (1952-present).
• Panorama (UK) (1953-present).
• The Good Old Days (UK) (1953-1983).
• Face the Nation (1954-present).
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962-1992).
• Captain Kangaroo (1955-1984).
• Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955-1976).
• The Lawrence Welk Show (1955-1982) .
• This Is Your Life (UK) (1955-2003).
• As the World Turns (1956-present).
• Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956-1978).
• The Edge of Night (1956-1984).
• What the Papers Say (UK) (1956-present).
• The Sky at Night (UK) (1957-present).
• Blue Peter (UK) (1958-present).
• Grandstand (UK) (1958-present).

1960s

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

1970s

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

Ending this year

• January 16 - Ironside (1967-1975).
• March 7 - The Odd Couple (1970-1975).
• March 31 - Gunsmoke (1955-1975).
• April 13 - Mannix (1967-1975).
• April 18 - How to Survive a Marriage (1974-1975).
• April 26 - Kung Fu (1972-1975).

Cancelled, but eventually to return to the air

• January 3 - Jeopardy! (1964-1975, 1984-present).
• June 13 - The Joker's Wild (1972-1975, 1978-1986)
• June 13 - Now You See It (1974-1975, 1989).
• June 27 - Password (1961-67, 71-75, 79-81, 84-89).
• June 27 - Split Second (1972-1975, 1986)

Changes of network affiliation

• The Edge of Night moves from CBS to ABC.

Births

• January 1 - Georgina Mellor, British actress

Deaths

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