2007 in American television

The following is a list of events affecting American television in 2007. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel launches.

Notable events

January

Date Event
1 Playhouse Disney rebrands with all new mascots which are named Ooh and Ahh.
29 i is relaunched as ION Television.

February

Date Event
22 The O.C. airs for the final episode on Fox.

March

Date Event
1 NBC Universal launches Chiller, the first US cable/satellite channel devoted to horror programming.
Sportscaster George Michael retires from Washington, D.C. TV station WRC-TV; his syndicated The George Michael Sports Machine, which originated from WRC, aired for the final time on March 25.
17 Cartoon Network's Toonami commemorates its 10th anniversary.

April

Date Event
11 MSNBC announces its simulcast of radio's Imus in the Morning would be canceled, effective immediately, after public outcry against host Don Imus' derogatory remarks about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. Imus' relationship with his show's radio distributor, CBS Radio, would be terminated later in the spring over the same incident.

May

Date Event
5 For the first time in 5 years, WNBC New York revives the We're 4 New York campaign after they return for brief time during 2002 Winter Olympics. The song promos was stopped after 2008 Summer Olympics in 2008 in the wake of the "Lend America" incident.
20 The Simpsons reaches the landmark 400 episode milestone.
23 Jordin Sparks wins the 6th season of the popular singing competition American Idol; Blake Lewis is the runner up.
27 Flagship station WABC-TV Channel 7 New York is knocked off the air due to a newsroom studio fire at the 11PM newscast with Joe Torres and Sandra Bookman. The station briefly returned to carry an ABC West Coast flagship feed and a rebroadcast of ABC World News.

June

Date Event
15 Bob Barker hosts The Price Is Right for the final time, ending his 35-year tenure on the show and 50 years on television. CBS airs Barker's final episode in both its regular daytime slot and in prime time, the latter airing as a lead-in to the 34th Daytime Emmy Awards.
For the first time ever, two soap operas share honors for Outstanding Drama Series at the Daytime Emmy Awards (Guiding Light and The Young and the Restless).
26 In an on-air protest over trivial journalism (specifically MSNBC producers ranking Paris Hilton's release from jail ahead of developments in the Iraq War), newsreader Mika Brzezinski attempts to set fire to a news script, tears up a second, and shreds a third.
29 After 8 years, Cartoon Network ends its Friday night block, Fridays. The block originally began as Cartoon Cartoon Fridays in June 1999, becoming Summer Fridays in May 2003 before being known simply as Fridays in late September of the same year.

July

Date Event
6 Cartoon Network debuts its new Friday night block, Fried Dynamite. It replaced Adult Swim on Friday nights.
23 Drew Carey is announced as the new host of The Price Is Right; his first episode as host aired on October 15.

August

Date Event
17 The Disney Channel's premiere showing of High School Musical 2 becomes the most-watched made-for-cable movie ever, drawing in 17.24 million viewers.
30 The Big Ten Network formally launches, but its debut is marred by its failure to reach carriage agreements with Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Charter Cable, and several other smaller providers serving the conference's geographical footprint. The dispute goes unsolved for nearly a year, causing millions of fans to miss several games seen in previous years via local syndication, public broadcasting stations connected to universities, and ESPN's family of networks.

September

Date Event
1 In one of the first football games to air on the Big Ten Network, Appalachian State University upsets the University of Michigan, 34–32, at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, the first time a NCAA Division I FCS school defeats an AP-ranked school from the Bowl subdivision.
7 The soap opera Passions airs for the final time on NBC, only to resurface on September 17 as an exclusive presentation of DirecTV's 101 Network. The cancellation leaves Days of Our Lives as the last remaining soap opera on NBC.
8 KOL Secret Slumber Party ends. WNBC New York's Live at Five airs its final news broadcast after 25 years it was renamed.
10 Noggin ends its relationship with Sesame Workshop, though new or older shows would continue to air on some PBS stations or on PBS Kids Sprout.

Nick Jr. rebrands with all its idents using plushies.

15 KOL Secret Slumber Party was renamed KEWLopolis. KEWLopolis debuts.
16 The Sopranos wins Outstanding Drama Series and 30 Rock wins Outstanding Comedy Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards.
20 Survivor opens its 15th season in China, becoming the first American TV program to film entirely in that nation.
24 The Big Bang Theory premieres on CBS.

October

Date Event
1 TBS becomes exclusively a national cable network after WTBS, the Atlanta, Georgia "superstation" from which it was born, becomes an Atlanta-only TV station as WPCH-TV (Peachtree TV).
Cartoon Network Celebrates its 15th Birthday.
The Tube Music Network officially ceases broadcasting.
15 Fox Business Network launches.
Drew Carey replaces Bob Barker as the new host on The Price Is Right and airs his first show.

November

Date Event
5 The Writers Guild of America commences a strike against television and movie production studios; the strike lasts until February 2008, but not before production on TV shows are halted and networks' schedules are severely disrupted.
12 Nickelodeon promotes its very first SpongeBob SquarePants TV movie, Atlantis SquarePantis, attracting 8.8 million viewers.
15 Jorja Fox appears for the last time as a regular cast member as investigator Sara Sidle on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
19 Firebrand, a nightly television program broadcast television advertising from around the world, debuts on Ion Television.

December

Date Event
3 ESPN's Monday Night Football telecast of the unbeaten New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens draws 17.52 million viewers, breaking the basic cable viewership record set earlier in the year by Disney Channel's High School Musical 2.
23 Ashlee Register wins the $1,720,000 jackpot, along with a banked total of $75,000, for a grand total of $1,795,000 on Duel. She becomes the second female contestant to win $1,000,000 or more on a game show and sets the record for the highest amount of money won on a game show by a woman.
29 After weeks of political pressure (and, to a lesser extent, acknowledging the limited reach of the NFL Network), the National Football League allows that network's broadcast of the game between the New England Patriots and New York Giants to be simulcast nationally on league broadcast partners CBS and NBC. The Patriots would win the game to become the first team in NFL history to go undefeated in a 16-game regular season. (The teams would meet again later in Super Bowl XLII, where the Giants won the NFL title and prevented the Pats from going 19–0.)
31 Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids leaves the air (although it stayed on Dish Network until April 23, 2009, when it was replaced by the west coast feed of Cartoon Network) and is replaced by The N, allowing that kids-oriented network and its sister channel Noggin to air on a 24/7 basis after previously sharing the same channel space.

Programs

Debuts

Date Show Network
January 1 Engaged and Underage MTV
High Maintenance 90210 E!
Ooh, Aah & You Playhouse Disney
Poker After Dark NBC
January 2 Dirt FX
January 3 In Case of Emergency ABC
The Knights of Prosperity
January 7 Grease: You're the One that I Want! NBC
I'm from Rolling Stone MTV
Just Jordan Nickelodeon
January 8 I Love New York VH1
The Surreal Life: Fame Games
The (White) Rapper Show
January 10 Armed & Famous CBS
January 12 Cory in the House Disney Channel
January 17 The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show Comedy Central
January 20 Bam's Unholy Union MTV
January 21 The Dresden Files SciFi
January 22 E-Vet Interns Animal Planet
January 23 Disney's Really Short Report Disney Channel
January 30 Wrestling Society X MTV
February 1 Juvies
The Sarah Silverman Program Comedy Central
February 3 The Naked Brothers Band Nickelodeon
February 5 Rules of Engagement CBS
February 8 Survivor: Fiji
February 11 Saul of the Mole People Adult Swim
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
February 20 100 Winners GSN
February 23 quiznation
February 26 Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern Travel Channel
The Black Donnellys NBC
Power Rangers Operation Overdrive Jetix
February 27 Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Fox
March 3 El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera Nickelodeon
March 4 Dice: Undisputed VH1
March 5 The Land Before Time Cartoon Network
March 6 The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll The CW
March 7 The Wedding Bells Fox
March 10 Blood+ Adult Swim
March 12 The Riches FX
March 13 Bullrun Spike
March 14 Halfway Home Comedy Central
March 15 October Road ABC
Raines NBC
March 22 This American Life Showtime
March 23 Acceptable.TV VH1
March 27 The Great American Dream Vote ABC
March 29 1,000 Places to See Before You Die Travel Channel
April 1 Sons of Hollywood A&E
The Tudors Showtime
April 5 Adventures in Hollyhood MTV
April 7 Human Giant
Short Circuitz
April 9 Culture Shock Travel Channel
April 10 Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno 3 MTV
Scarred
April 12 Notes from the Underbelly ABC
April 13 Painkiller Jane Sci Fi
April 15 Drive Fox
Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School VH1
April 16 Jon & Kate Plus 8 TLC
Wilbur Discovery Kids
May 12 My Friends Tigger & Pooh Playhouse Disney
May 13 Fat Guy Stuck in Internet Adult Swim
Superjail!
May 18 National Bingo Night ABC
May 25 Storm Hawks Cartoon Network
May 30 Hidden Palms The CW
The Next Best Thing ABC
Traveler
May 31 Pirate Master CBS
June 1 Demons
June 3 Army Wives Lifetime
June 4 Creature Comforts CBS
Pokémon: Diamond & Pearl Cartoon Network
June 6 Passport to Latin America Travel Channel
Tyler Perry's House of Payne TBS
June 10 John From Cincinnati HBO
June 13 First Annual Guys' Choice Awards Spike
Lil' Bush Comedy Central
June 17 Flight of the Conchords HBO
Ice Road Truckers History
Man Caves DIY Network
Meadowlands Showtime
June 18 Age of Love NBC
Heartland TNT
June 24 Friday: The Animated Series MTV2
June 25 Wayside Nickelodeon
June 26 Shaq's Big Challenge ABC
June 28 Burn Notice USA Network
June 29 The Best Years The N
July 2 Camouflage GSN
July 8 American Body Shop Comedy Central
July 9 Greek ABC Family
July 10 Baldwin Hills BET
July 12 General Hospital: Night Shift Soapnet
July 15 Rock of Love with Bret Michaels VH1
July 16 Victoria Beckham: Coming to America NBC
July 17 The Bill Engvall Show TBS
July 19 Mad Men AMC
July 23 Saving Grace TNT
July 24 Damages FX
July 25 Diagnosis X TLC
August 4 Grand Slam GSN
August 5 The Company TNT
August 7 LA Ink TLC
August 8 The Real World: Sydney MTV
August 10 Flash Gordon Sci Fi
August 13 Californication Showtime
Slacker Cats ABC Family
August 17 Phineas and Ferb Disney Channel
August 20 Yo Gabba Gabba! Nick Jr.
August 22 Anchorwoman Fox
August 27 Life of Ryan MTV
August 30 Celebrity Rap Superstar
August 31 Fried Dynamite Cartoon Network
Tak and the Power of Juju Nickelodeon
September 3 Super Why! PBS Kids
WordWorld
WordGirl PBS Kids Go!
September 6 Tim Gunn's Guide to Style Bravo
September 8 iCarly Nickelodeon
Torchwood BBC America
September 10 Tell Me You Love Me HBO
Steve Wilkos Syndication
September 14 Nashville Fox
Out of Jimmy's Head Cartoon Network
September 15 Cake KEWLopolis
Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-lot
Horseland
Sabrina's Secret Life
Strawberry Shortcake
September 17 Passions The 101 Network
K-Ville Fox
September 19 Back to You
Kitchen Nightmares
Gossip Girl The CW
MANswers Spike
Kid Nation CBS
September 20 Survivor: China
September 23 CW Now The CW
Online Nation
September 24 Chuck NBC
Journeyman
The Big Bang Theory CBS
September 25 Cane
Reaper The CW
September 26 Bionic Woman NBC[1]
Life
Dirty Sexy Money ABC
Private Practice
September 27 Big Shots
September 28 Moonlight CBS
September 29 Back at the Barnyard Nickelodeon
October 1 Aliens in America The CW
Digimon Data Squad Jetix
Dr. Steve-O USA Network
October 2 Sunday Best BET
Carpoolers ABC
Cavemen
October 3 Pushing Daisies
October 4 Last One Standing Discovery Channel
October 5 About A Girl The N
October 6 Cash Explosion Syndication
October 7 America's Most Smartest Model VH1
Edgar & Ellen Nicktoons
Life Is Wild The CW
October 9 A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila MTV
October 12 Say Yes to the Dress TLC
Wizards of Waverly Place Disney Channel
Women's Murder Club ABC
October 13 The Future is Wild Discovery Kids
The Search for the Next Elvira Fox Reality Channel
October 14 Keeping Up with the Kardashians E!
October 15 Fox Business Morning Fox Business Network
Money for Breakfast
The Salt-N-Pepa Show VH1
Samantha Who? ABC
October 17 Storm Chasers Discovery Channel
October 18 Viva Laughlin CBS
October 19 The Next Great American Band Fox
October 22 Kaya MTV
October 24 Phenomenon NBC
October 31 MonsterQuest History
November 2 Chowder Cartoon Network
Orangutan Island Animal Planet
November 3 DinoSquad KEWLopolis
Sushi Pack
November 10 Bunnytown Playhouse Disney
December 12 Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants The CW
December 17 Duel ABC
December 26 Transformers: Animated Cartoon Network

Ending this year

Date Show Debut
January 5 The Megan Mullally Show 2006
January 23 Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks 2003
January 24 Armed & Famous 2007
January 25 On the Road Again 1987
January 27 Cartoon Alley 2004
January 28 ITV 2005
January 30 Big Day 2006
February 9 Room 101 1994
February 10 Catscratch 2005
February 14 JoJo's Circus 2003
February 18 PlayMania 2006
Reba 2001
February 22 The O.C. 2003
February 23 Cartoon Network Fridays
February 24 Celebrity Dog School 2007
February 26 The (White) Rapper Show
March 4 What's with Andy? 2001
March 5 The Class 2006
March 6 Watch Over Me
Wicked Wicked Games
March 7 Maui Fever 2007
March 13 Stargate SG-1 1997
March 14 Wrestling Society X 2007
March 16 The Vicar of Dibley 1994
March 17 Mr. Meaty 2006
March 18 I'm From Rolling Stone 2007
The Winner
March 25 Grease: You're the One that I Want!
The George Michael Sports Machine 1980
Rome 2005
March 26 What About Brian 2006
March 28 The Great American Dream Vote 2007
March 29 Blue's Room 2004
March 30 Celebrity Deathmatch 1998
Crank Yankers 2002
Falcon Beach 2006
Six Degrees
March 31 Ulraman Mebius
April 1 Miffy and Friends 2003
April 2 The Black Donnellys 2007
April 3 Bam's Unholy Union
April 6 The Wedding Bells
April 7 Bratz 2005
April 9 The Life and Times of Juniper Lee
April 10 Life on Mars 2006
April 11 In Case of Emergency 2007
April 14 Andy Barker, P.I.
April 15 The Dresden Files
April 20 My GamesFever 2006
April 22 The War at Home 2005
April 23 Drive 2007
April 27 Raines
Identity 2006
April 29 Spider Riders
Sons of Hollywood 2007
May 3 Trading Spouses 2004
May 5 Loonatics Unleashed 2005
May 8 George Lopez 2002
May 11 Acceptable.TV 2007
Close to Home 2005
May 13 7th Heaven 1996
May 14 All of Us 2003
The King of Queens 1998
May 15 Gilmore Girls 2000
May 16 12 oz. Mouse 2005
Crossing Jordan 2001
Halfway Home 2007
Thank God You're Here
May 22 Veronica Mars 2004
May 24 Pimp My Ride
May 28 The Real Wedding Crashers 2007
May 29 Punk'd 2003
June 8 Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide 2004
June 10 The Sopranos 1999
June 13 100 Winners 2007
June 18 Creature Comforts
June 19 Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends 2004
June 21 The Showbiz Show with David Spade 2005
June 24 Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race 2007
June 25 The Ex-Wives Club
June 28 Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip 2006
June 29 Marina
June 30 Dinosapien 2007
July 1 The Loop 2006
July 4 Hidden Palms 2007
July 5 Short Circuitz
July 8 Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School
Friday: The Animated Series
July 15 Saul of the Mole Men
July 16 Extreme Makeover 2002
Victoria Beckham: Coming to America 2007
July 17 Pirate Master
July 18 American Heiress
Saints & Sinners
Traveler
July 20 Standoff 2006
July 22 Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law 2000
July 23 Zorro: La Espada y la Rosa 2007
July 26 Hey Paula
August 5 The Simple Life 2003
August 8 13 Is Mean (returned in 2014) 1992
The Nine 2006
August 11 Kidnapped
August 12 John from Cincinnati 2007
August 21 On the Lot
August 22 Anchorwoman
August 23 The Knights of Prosperity
August 24 Friday Night Premiere Thunder
Danny Phantom 2004
August 25 Flight 29 Down 2005
Masters of Science Fiction 2007
August 26 The Kill Point
August 29 The Nation
August 31 Heartland
September 1 American Dragon: Jake Long 2005
September 3 It's a Big Big World 2006
September 7 Kim Possible 2002
September 8 KOL Secret Slumber Party 2006
September 16 The Dead Zone 2002
The 4400 2004
Drake & Josh
September 17 Slacker Cats 2007
September 21 Nashville
Painkiller Jane
September 23 The 1/2 Hour News Hour
September 27 Squirrel Boy 2006
September 30 Braves TBS Baseball 1975
October 1 LazyTown 2004
October 5 Maya & Miguel
Dame Chocolate 2007
October 14 Online Nation
October 18 Celebrity Rap Superstar
October 21 Viva Laughlin
October 30 Queer Eye 2003
November 10 That's So Raven
November 11 Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil 2005
November 12 Power Rangers Operation Overdrive 2007
November 13 Cavemen
November 14 Drawn Together 2004
November 21 Phenomenon 2007
November 28 Bionic Woman
December 12 Kid Nation
December 15 Kaya
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (returned in 2013) 1998
December 16 Unfabulous 2004
December 17 K-Ville 2007
December 18 Cane
December 19 Journeyman
Parkinson 1971
December 20 Clash of the Choirs 2007
December 21 The Next Great American Band

Changes of Network Affiliation

Show Moved from Moved to
American Chopper Discovery Channel TLC
Batman: The Animated Series Cartoon Network Jetix
Pinky and the Brain Nickelodeon
Superman: The Animated Series Kids' WB
Crank Yankers Comedy Central MTV2
Kenny vs. Spenny GSN Comedy Central
Law & Order: Criminal Intent NBC USA Network
Passions The 101
Play with Me Sesame Noggin PBS Kids Sprout
Tim Russert CNBC MSNBC
Imus in the Morning MSNBC RFD-TV

Deaths

Date Name Age Notability
January 14 Darlene Conley 72 Actress
January 16 Benny Parsons 65 Race car driver and television announcer and analyst
January 22 Doug Blasdell 44 Personal trainer
January 30 Sidney Sheldon 89 Writer and screenwriter
January 31 Lee Bergere 88 Actor
February 8 Anna Nicole Smith 39 Model and actress (The Anna Nicole Show)
April 11 Roscoe Lee Browne 81 Actor (Spider-Man)
May 15 Jerry Falwell 73 Pastor, televangelist
May 25 Charles Nelson Reilly 76 Actor and game show panelist (The Match Game)
May 27 Gretchen Wyler 75 Actress
June 21 Carlos Romero 80 Actor
June 24 Chris Benoit 40 Professional Wrestler and star of ECW(WWE)
July 29 Tom Snyder 71 Talk show host (Tomorrow Show)

References

  1. Bill Keveney (2007-08-20). "'Bionic Woman' remake plugs into modern mind-set". USA Today. Retrieved 2010-02-23.