1985 in American television
| List of years in American television: |
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| 1984–85 United States network television schedule |
| 1985–86 United States network television schedule |
| List of American television shows currently in production |
For the American TV schedule, see: 1985-86 United States network television schedule.
The year 1985 involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events of that year.
Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| January 1 | VH1 begins in the United States. |
| February 4 | NBC becomes the first commercial television network to use satellite interconnection for its stations; as a result, it is the first network to discontinue use of chime intonations at the beginning of each telecast, to signal to its affiliates to start broadcasting the network feed. |
| March 2 | The NBC situation comedy Gimme a Break! broadcasts an episode live. |
| March 20 | Norman Lear sells Tandem Productions and Embassy Television companies to The Coca-Cola Company, which also owns Columbia Pictures company, for $485 million. |
| April 28 | WLIG commences broadcasting. (The call letters would change to WLNY-TV on September 1, 1996) |
| May 11 | The first episode of Saturday Night's Main Event is broadcast by NBC, the first time that professional wrestling had been broadcast by the network television since the 1950s. |
| May 15 | The season finale of Dynasty sees the entire wedding party of Amanda Carrington (Catherine Oxenberg) and Prince Michael of Moldavia (Michael Praed) shot by revolutionaries in what is known as the Moldavian Massacre |
| May 17 | The season finale of Dallas finds character Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) on his deathbed after his crazed ex-sister-in-law Katherine Wentworth (Morgan Brittany) runs him down with her car. |
| May 19 | WOIO-TV commences broadcasting in Cleveland. |
| June 14 | ABC broadcasts its 2,311th and last daytime episode of Family Feud after 9 years. Richard Dawson gives an emotional speech at the end of the broadcast. Dawson would return to the series during 1994 for one more season. Also, Press Your Luck broadcasts the episode in which all three contestants would be invited back after a mistake on a question about the cartoon character Sylvester was corrected by Mel Blanc telephoning Peter Tomarken at the end of the show. |
| July 1 | Nick at Nite, a nighttime program service with an emphasis on classic television reruns, is launched in the United States, being broadcast on the same channel as Nickelodeon. At the same time, A&E, which previously shared Nickelodeon's channel, begins broadcasting as its own 24-hour cable channel on a separate satellite transponder. |
| July 13 | The Live Aid concerts are broadcast from London and Philadelphia. In the U.S., the concerts are broadcast by MTV and over-the-air syndication, with ABC joining in a 3-hour prime-time time period. |
| July 22 | Douglas Marland starts his critically acclaimed eight-year run writing for the series As the World Turns. |
| August 19 | A taping of an outdoor interview for NBC's Today is interrupted by David Letterman, who, while taping his own Late Night, leans out of an office window and announces, "My name is Larry Grossman (then-president of NBC News) and I'm not wearing any pants!" |
| September 2 | NBC becomes the first broadcast network in the U.S. to broadcast its prime time programs with stereo sound. |
| September 14 | In part one of a three-part season premiere of The Facts of Life, Edna's Edibles, which had been the main locale of the long-running series since 1983, is burned to the ground. Edna Garrett and the girls would rebuild and replace it with an ice cream and gift shop named Over Our Heads. |
| September 18 | "Top Ten Things That Almost Rhyme With Peas" is the subject of the first "Top 10 List" on Late Night with David Letterman. |
| September 22 | The first Farm Aid concert is telecast from Champaign, Illinois, in syndication and by TNN. |
| September 23 | Jackie Gleason and Art Carney reunite in the CBS movie Izzy and Moe. |
| November 8 | The final episode of The Price is Right with Johnny Olson as announcer is broadcast by CBS. Olson had died on October 12; the show was broadcast as an "in memoriam" tribute to him on October 29. |
| November 9 | Saturday Night Live begins its 11th season, with Lorne Michaels returning as executive producer and an all-new cast that includes Jon Lovitz and Dennis Miller. |
| November 17 | Kane & Abel, a miniseries based on the bestselling Jeffrey Archer novel, debuts on CBS television. |
| November 18 | Elmo, a new character for Sesame Street, is introduced. In the same episode, the adult cast of Sesame Street come face-to-face with Aloysius Snuffleupagus for the first time since the character's 1971 introduction. |
| December 3 | Copacabana, an original musical featuring Barry Manilow (based on his 1978 song of the same name), Annette O'Toole, and Estelle Getty, is broadcast by CBS. |
| Courteney Cox uses the word "period" (referring to menstruation) on U.S. television for the first time, in a commercial for Tampax brand tampons. |
Programs
- 20/20 (1978–present)
- 60 Minutes (1968–present)
- ABC's Wide World of Sports (1961–1997)
- All My Children (1970–present)
- American Bandstand (1952–1989)
- Another World (1964–1999)
- As the World Turns (1956–2010)
- Benson (1979–1986)
- Cagney & Lacey (1982–1988)
- Candid Camera (1948–2004)
- Capitol (1982–1987)
- Cheers (1982–1993)
- Dallas (1978–1991)
- Days of Our Lives (1965–present)
- Derrick (1974–1998)
- Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986)
- Dynasty (1981–1989)
- Entertainment Tonight (1981–present)
- Face the Nation (1954–present)
- Falcon Crest (1981–1990)
- Fame (1982–1987)
- Family Feud (1976–1985, 1988–1995, 1999–present)
- Family Ties (1982–1989)
- Fraggle Rock (1983–1987)
- General Hospital (1963–present)
- Gimme a Break! (1981–1987)
- Good Morning America (1975–present)
- Guiding Light (1952–2009)
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951–present)
- Hee Haw (1969–1993)
- Highway to Heaven (1984–1989)
- Hill Street Blues (1981–1987)
- Hockey Night in Canada (1952–present)
- Jeopardy! (1964–1975, 1984–present)
- Kate and Allie (1984–1989)
- Knight Rider (1982–1986)
- Knots Landing (1979–1993)
- Late Night with David Letterman (1982–1993)
- Loving (1983–1995)
- Magnum, P.I. (1980–1988)
- Masterpiece Theatre (1971–present)
- Meet the Press (1947–present)
- Miami Vice (1984–1989)
- Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968–2001)
- Monday Night Football (1970–present)
- Moneyline (1980–2009)
- Mother and Son (Australia) (1984–1994)
- Muppet Babies (1984–1991)
- Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996)
- Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom (1963–1988)
- NBC Nightly News (1970–present)
- Newhart (1982–1990)
- Night Court (1984–1992)
- Nightline (1979–present)
- Nova (1974–present)
- One Life to Live (1968–present)
- Press Your Luck (1983–1986)
- Professional Bowlers Tour (1962–1997)
- Punky Brewster (1984–1988)
- Remington Steele (1982–1987)
- Ryan's Hope (1975–1989)
- Santa Barbara (1984–1993)
- Saturday Night Live (1975–present)
- Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983–1987)
- Schoolhouse Rock! (1973–1986)
- Search for Tomorrow (1951–1986)
- Sesame Street (1969–present)
- Silver Spoons (1982–1987)
- Simon & Simon (1981–1988)
- Solid Gold (1980–1988)
- Soul Train (1971–2006)
- SportsCenter (1979–present)
- St. Elsewhere (1982–1988)
- Star Search (1983-1995, 2003)
- T. J. Hooker (1982–1986)
- Tales from the Darkside (1984–1988)
- The A-Team (1983–1987)
- The Cosby Show (1984–1992)
- The Facts of Life (1979–1988)
- The Fall Guy (1981–1986)
- The Jetsons (1962–1963, 1984–1985, 1987)
- The Love Boat (1977–1986)
- The MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour (1975–present)
- The P.T.L. Club (1976–1987)
- The Price Is Right (1972–present)
- The Today Show (1952–present)
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992)
- The Young and the Restless (1973–present)
- This Old House (1979–present)
- This Week in Baseball (1977–1998, 2000–present)
- Too Close for Comfort (1980–1986)
- Trapper John, M.D. (1979–1986)
- Truth or Consequences (1950–1988)
- Webster (1983–1989)
- Wheel of Fortune (1975–present)
- Who's the Boss? (1984–1992)
Debuts
Returning this year
| Show | Last aired | Previous network | Retitled as/Same | New/Returning/Same network | Return date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Jetsons | 1963 | ABC | Same | Syndication | September 16 |
| The Twilight Zone | 1964 | CBS | Same | September 27 | |
| Making a Living | 1982 | ABC | It's a Living | Syndication | September 28 |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | 1965 | NBC | Same | Same | September 29 |
Ending this year
| Date | Show | Debut |
|---|---|---|
| February 1 | Call to Glory | 1984 |
| February 8 | The Dukes of Hazzard | 1979 |
| February 23 | It's Your Move | 1984 |
| March 19 | Alice | 1976 |
| March 22 | V | 1984 |
| April 9 | Three's a Crowd | |
| April 19 | Off the Rack | 1985 |
| May 8 | Sara | |
| May 14 | Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids | 1972 |
| May 16 | Street Hawk | 1985 |
| June 14 | Family Feud (returned in 1988) | 1976 |
| June 25 | The Jeffersons | 1975 |
| June 28 | Robotech | 1985 |
| July 6 | Cover Up | 1984 |
| July 20 | Hail to the Chief | 1985 |
| August 1 | Battle of the Planets | 1978 |
| August 31 | Super Friends | 1973 |
| December 7 | The Wuzzles | 1985 |
| December 27 | Glitter | 1984 |
Changes of network affiliation
| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
|---|---|---|
| Diff'rent Strokes | NBC | ABC |
Made-for-TV movies and miniseries
| Title | Network | Date of airing |
|---|---|---|
| Space | CBS | April 14–18 |
| North and South | ABC | November 3–10 |
| Alice in Wonderland | CBS | December 9–10 |
Births
| Date | Name | Notability |
|---|---|---|
| July 2 | Ashley Tisdale | Actress (Phineas and Ferb) |
| Aja Naomi King | Actress (How to Get Away with Murder) | |
| October 8 | Bruno Mars | Singer (Saturday Night Live) |
| October 11 | Michelle Trachtenberg | Actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) |
| December 5 | Frankie Muniz | Actor (Malcolm in the Middle) |
Deaths
| Date | Name | Age | Notability |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 12 | Nicholas Colasanto | 61 | Actor (Coach Ernie Pantusso on Cheers) |
| February 28 | Charita Bauer | 62 | Soap opera actress (Bert Bauer on Guiding Light) |
| May 8 | Dolph Sweet | 64 | Actor (Chief Carl Kanisky on Gimme a Break!) |
| May 13 | Selma Diamond | 64 | Actress (Selma Hacker on Night Court) |
| August 2 | Bob Holt | 56 | Voice actor, (The Lorax, Dr. Seuss on the Loose, The Hoober-Bloob Highway, The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat) |
| October 2 | Rock Hudson | 59 | Actor (Commissioner Stuart McMillan on McMillan & Wife) |
| October 12 | Johnny Olson | 75 | Game show announcer (The Price Is Right) |
| November 1 | Phil Silvers | 74 | Actor, comedian (Sgt. Bilko on You'll Never Get Rich) |
| November 29 | Bill Scott | 65 | Voice actor (Bullwinkle J. Moose) |
| December 31 | Ricky Nelson | 45 | Actor (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet), musician |