1964–65 United States network television schedule

This was the television schedule on all three U.S. TV networks for the fall season beginning in September 1964. This is the first full season in which NBC broadcast more than 50% of its schedule in color, a fact which the network emphasized during its September 19-25 premiere week.[1]

CBS and ABC, still mostly in black and white, continued rolling out rural sitcoms; in fall 1964 the networks added Gomer Pyle, USMC (CBS) and No Time For Sergeants (ABC) to their respective schedules. According to television historians Castleman and Podrazik (1982), critics objected to CBS's rural sitcom-heavy schedule, particularly the Gomer Pyle character, but the "high ratings earned by the silly gimmicks and simpleton heroes would assure rural sitcoms spots in the network schedules for years."[1]

Castleman and Podrazik also point out the large number of "escapist" programs which debuted during fall 1964: Gilligan's Island (CBS), Bewitched (ABC), My Living Doll (CBS), The Addams Family (ABC) and Addams clone The Munsters (CBS). Only NBC avoided the escapist trend during the season.[1]

All times are Eastern and Pacific. New fall series are highlighted in bold. The highest-rated show for the year is colored in gold. The second highest-rated show is colored in silver. The third highest-rated show is colored in bronze.[2]

Contents

Sunday

PM 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30
ABC Local Wagon Train Broadside The ABC Sunday Night Movie
CBS Lassie My Favorite Martian The Ed Sullivan Show My Living Doll The Joey Bishop Show Candid Camera What's My Line?
NBC 6:30 Profiles in Courage Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color The Bill Dana Show Bonanza The Rogues

Monday

PM 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30
ABC Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea No Time for Sergeants Wendy and Me The Bing Crosby Show Ben Casey
CBS To Tell the Truth I've Got a Secret The Andy Griffith Show The Lucy Show Many Happy Returns Slattery's People
NBC 90 Bristol Court (consisting of 3 half-hour sitcoms): Karen; Harris Against the World; and Tom, Dick, and Mary The Andy Williams Show The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

Tuesday

PM 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30
ABC Combat! McHale's Navy The Tycoon Peyton Place The Fugitive
CBS Local World War One The Red Skelton Hour Petticoat Junction The Doctors and the Nurses
NBC Mr. Novak The Man from U.N.C.L.E. That Was The Week That Was The Bell Telephone Hour

Wednesday

PM 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30
ABC The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet The Patty Duke Show Shindig! Mickey Burke's Law ABC Scope
CBS CBS Reports / CBS News Specials The Beverly Hillbillies The Dick Van Dyke Show The Cara Williams Show The Danny Kaye Show
NBC The Virginian NBC Wednesday Night at the Movies

Thursday

PM 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30
ABC The Flintstones The Donna Reed Show My Three Sons Bewitched Peyton Place The Jimmy Dean Show
CBS The Munsters Perry Mason Password The Baileys of Balboa The Defenders
NBC Daniel Boone Dr. Kildare Hazel Kraft Suspense Theater / Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall (once a month)

Friday

PM 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30
ABC Jonny Quest The Farmer's Daughter The Addams Family Valentine's Day Twelve O'Clock High Local
CBS Rawhide The Entertainers Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. The Reporter /ended December 18
NBC International Showtime Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre / Chrysler Presents a Bob Hope Special The Jack Benny Program The Jack Paar Program

Saturday

PM 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30
ABC The Outer Limits The Lawrence Welk Show The Hollywood Palace Local
CBS Jackie Gleason and his American Scene Magazine Gilligan's Island Mr. Broadway Gunsmoke
NBC Flipper The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo Kentucky Jones NBC Saturday Night at the Movies

References

  1. ^ a b c Castleman, Harry; Walter J. Podrazik (1982). Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 171–179. ISBN 0-07-010269-4. 
  2. ^ 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.
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