1965–66 United States network television schedule

This was the television schedule on all three networks for the fall season beginning in September 1965. All times are Eastern and Pacific.

New fall series are highlighted in bold.

The highest-rated show for the year is colored in lime. The top ten highest-rated shows are colored in yellow. The top 20 highest-rated shows are colored in cyan. The top 30 highest-rated shows are colored in magenta.

Note: This is the first season in which a majority of prime time programs were broadcast in color. The TV shows that were in color are italicized.

Contents

Sunday

PM 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30
ABC Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea The F.B.I. The ABC Sunday Night Movie
CBS Lassie #27 21.8 rating My Favorite Martian The Ed Sullivan Show #18 23.2 rating Perry Mason Candid Camera What's My Line?
NBC 6:30 The Bell Telephone Hour / Actuality Specials Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color #17 23.2 rating Branded Bonanza #1 31.8 rating The Wackiest Ship in the Army

Monday

PM 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30
ABC Twelve O'Clock High The Legend of Jesse James A Man Called Shenandoah The Farmer's Daughter Ben Casey
CBS To Tell the Truth I've Got a Secret #20 22.4 rating The Lucy Show #3 27.7 rating The Andy Griffith Show #6 26.9 rating Hazel The Steve Lawrence Show
NBC Hullabaloo The John Forsythe Show Dr. Kildare The Andy Williams Show / Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall (once a month) Run for Your Life

Note: Art Linkletter's Hollywood Talent Scouts replaced The Steve Lawrence Show in December. The Avengers replaced Ben Casey in March.

Tuesday

PM 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30
ABC Combat! McHale's Navy F Troop Peyton Place The Fugitive
CBS Rawhide The Red Skelton Hour #4 27.6 rating Petticoat Junction #21 22.3 rating CBS News Hour / CBS Reports
NBC My Mother the Car Please Don't Eat the Daisies Dr. Kildare NBC Tuesday Night at the Movies

Note: Daktari #14 (23.9 rating) premiered on CBS on Jan. 11, 1966 (7:30-8:30 p.m.)

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 Gidget The Big Valley Amos Burke — Secret Agent*
CBS Lost in Space The Beverly Hillbillies #8 25.9 rating Green Acres #11 24.6 rating The Dick Van Dyke Show #16 23.6 rating The Danny Kaye Show
NBC The Virginian #25 22.0 rating Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre / Chrysler Presents a Bob Hope Special I Spy

Note: Batman (1st of 2 parts per week) premiered on ABC January 12, 1966, taking The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet time slot

Thursday

PM 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30
ABC Shindig! The Donna Reed Show (moved to same time Saturday at mid-season) O.K. Crackerby! Bewitched #7 25.9 rating Peyton Place The Long Hot Summer
CBS The Munsters Gilligan's Island #22 22.1 rating My Three Sons #15 23.8 rating The CBS Thursday Night Movies
NBC Daniel Boone #26 21.9 rating Laredo Mona McCluskey The Dean Martin Show

Note: Batman (2nd of 2 parts per week) premiered on ABC January 13, 1966, taking Shindig! time slot

Friday

PM 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30
ABC The Flintstones Tammy The Addams Family Honey West Peyton Place The Jimmy Dean Show
CBS The Wild Wild West #23 22.0 rating Hogan's Heroes #9 24.9 rating Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. #2 27.8 rating The Smothers Brothers Show Slattery's People
NBC Camp Runamuck Hank Convoy Mister Roberts The Man from U.N.C.L.E. #13 24.0 rating

Note: The Farmer's Daughter took over the 9:30–10 time period on ABC, effective November 5, because many viewers were not home to watch Peyton Place on Fridays. Starting November 1, Peyton Place was seen Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

Saturday

PM 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30
ABC Shindig! The King Family Show The Lawrence Welk Show #19 22.4 rating The Hollywood Palace ABC Scope
CBS Jackie Gleason and his American Scene Magazine #24 22.0 rating The Trials of O'Brien The Loner Gunsmoke #30 21.3 rating
NBC Flipper #29 21.6 rating I Dream of Jeannie #28 21.8 rating Get Smart #12 24.5 rating NBC Saturday Night at the Movies

Note: Even though ABC Scope was scheduled at 10:30 p.m., not one major affiliate (including WABC-TV New York, the network's flagship station) carried it in that time period, preferring to schedule local or syndicated programming in its place. Most affiliates aired it in "fringe time" during the weekend.

References