1997–98 United States network television schedule
This was the United States broadcast television schedule on all six commercial television networks for the fall season beginning in September 1997. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football.
New series highlighted in bold.
Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.[1]
- Lime indicates the #1 most watched program of the season.
- Yellow indicates the programs in the top 10 for the season.
- Cyan indicates the programs in the top 20 for the season.
- Magenta indicates the programs in the top 30 for the season.
- Orange indicates the programs in the top 40 for the season.
- Silver indicates the programs in the top 50 for the season.
PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service, was in operation, but the schedule was set by each local station.
From February 7 to 22, 1998, all of CBS' primetime programming was preempted in favor of coverage of the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.
For new series debuting during the season, it would ultimately prove to be one of the weakest in television history, as only seven shows would be picked up for a second season. Of those seven, only Dharma & Greg, Two Guys and a Girl, Dawsons Creek, and Ally McBeal would last beyond three seasons, and would all end their run within five years.
From this season on, the number of viewers will be shown instead of the number of households.
Sunday
Network | 7:00 PM | 7:30 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | The Wonderful World of Disney (#31/13.5 million) | The ABC Sunday Night Movie (#38/12.8 million) | |||||||
CBS | 60 Minutes (#8/19.8 million) | Touched by an Angel (#5/21.8 million) | CBS Sunday Movie(#9/19.4 million) | ||||||
Fox | The World's Funniest! | The Simpsons (#18/15.3 million) | King of the Hill (#15/16.3 million) | The X-Files (#11/17.1 million) | Local | ||||
NBC | Dateline Sunday | Men Behaving Badly | Jenny | NBC Sunday Night Movie (#22/14.2 million) | |||||
The WB | Fall | Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher | The Parent 'Hood | The Jamie Foxx Show | Unhappily Ever After | The Tom Show | Alright Already | Local | |
Winter | The Tom Show | The Parent 'Hood | The Jamie Foxx Show | Unhappily Ever After |
Monday
Network | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | Fall | Timecop | Monday Night Football (#6/21.0 million) | ||||
Follow-up | Various programming | ||||||
Winter | America's Funniest Home Videos | 20/20 (#27/13.9 million) | The Practice | ||||
Spring | Push | ||||||
Follow-up | America's Funniest Home Videos | ||||||
CBS | Fall | Cosby (#28/13.8 million) | Everybody Loves Raymond (#33/13.3 million) | Cybill | George & Leo | Brooklyn South | |
Winter | George & Leo | Style & Substance | |||||
Follow-up | The Closer | George & Leo | |||||
Spring | Murphy Brown | ||||||
Fox | Melrose Place | Ally McBeal | Local | ||||
NBC | Suddenly Susan | Fired Up | Caroline in the City | The Naked Truth | Dateline Monday (#16/15.4 million) | ||
UPN | In the House | Malcolm & Eddie | Good News | Sparks | Local | ||
The WB | Fall | 7th Heaven | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Local | |||
Winter | Three |
Tuesday
Network | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | Fall | Soul Man (#29/13.6 millions) | Over the Top | Home Improvement (#10/18.4 million) | Hiller and Diller (#30/13.5 million) | NYPD Blue (#19/15.0 million) | |
Follow-up | Grace Under Fire | Soul Man (#29/13.6 millions) | Various programming | ||||
Winter | Various repeats | Grace Under Fire | |||||
Spring | Home Improvement repeats | Something So Right (#50/11.9 million) | That's Life | ||||
Follow-up | Soul Man (#29/13.6 millions) | Something So Right (#50/11.9 million) | |||||
CBS | Fall | JAG (#36/12.9 million) | Michael Hayes | Dellaventura | |||
Winter | CBS Tuesday Night Movie | ||||||
Follow-up | Various programming | Four Corners | |||||
Spring | Public Eye with Bryant Gumbel | Various programming | |||||
Fox | Fox Tuesday Night Movie | Local | |||||
NBC | Fall | Mad About You (#32/13.4 million) | NewsRadio | Frasier (#14/16.7 million) | Just Shoot Me! (#12/17.0 million) | Dateline Tuesday (#17/15.3 million) | |
Spring | For Your Love | LateLine (#44/12.3 million) | |||||
UPN | Clueless | Moesha | Hitz | Head over Heels | Local | ||
The WB | Began Jan. 20 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Dawson's Creek | Local |
Wednesday
Network | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | Fall | Spin City (#47/12.0 million) | Dharma & Greg (#25/13.9 million) | The Drew Carey Show (#13/16.7 million) | Ellen (#42/12.4 million) | Primetime Live (#23/14.2 million) | |
Spring | Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place (#37/12.9 million) | ||||||
CBS | Fall | The Nanny | Murphy Brown | Public Eye with Bryant Gumbel | Chicago Hope (#45/12.1) | ||
Spring | Cybill | Michael Hayes | |||||
Summer | The Simple Life | Style & Substance | Public Eye with Bryant Gumbel | ||||
Fox | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Party of Five | Local | ||||
NBC | Fall | The Tony Danza Show | Built to Last | 3rd Rock from the Sun (#43/12.3 million) | Working | Law & Order (#24/14.1 million) | |
Spring | NewsRadio | Seinfeld repeats | |||||
UPN | The Sentinel | Star Trek: Voyager | Local | ||||
The WB | Sister, Sister | Smart Guy | The Wayans Bros. | The Steve Harvey Show | Local |
Thursday
Network | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | Fall | Nothing Sacred | Cracker | 20/20 Thursday | |||
Winter | Prey | The ABC Thursday Night Movie | |||||
Spring | Various programming | ||||||
CBS | Promised Land (#35/13.1 million) | Diagnosis: Murder (#26/13.9 million) | 48 Hours | ||||
Fox | Living Single (#117/7.0) | Between Brothers | 413 Hope St. | Local | |||
NBC | Fall | Friends (#4/24.0 million) | Union Square (#7/19.9 million) | Seinfeld (#1/34.1 million) | Veronica's Closet (#3/24.4 million) | ER (#2/30.2 million) | |
Spring | Just Shoot Me! (#12/11.9 million) |
Note: On FOX, World's Wildest Police Videos premiered on April 2, 1998 at 8 p.m.
Friday
Network | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | Fall | Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (#41/12.5 million) | Boy Meets World (#55/11.6) | You Wish | Teen Angel | 20/20 Friday (#20/15.0 million) | |
Winter | Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (#41/12.5 million) | ||||||
Spring | Hiller and Diller (#30/13.5 million) | ||||||
Follow-up | Boy Meets World (#55/11.6) | ||||||
CBS | Fall (Until Oct. 24) | Family Matters | Meego | The Gregory Hines Show | Step by Step | Nash Bridges | |
Follow-up (Until Dec. 19) | Various programming | Family Matters | |||||
Winter (Until Jan. 30) | Kids Say the Darndest Things | The Gregory Hines Show | |||||
Spring | Candid Camera | Unsolved Mysteries | |||||
Fox | The Visitor | Millennium | Local | ||||
NBC | Players | Dateline Friday (#34/13.2 million) | Homicide: Life on the Street |
Saturday
Network | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | Fall | C-16 | Total Security | The Practice | |||
Follow-up | Various programming | ||||||
Winter | Nothing Sacred | Cracker | ABC News Saturday Night | ||||
Follow-up | The ABC Saturday Night Movie | ||||||
CBS | Fall | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman | Early Edition | Walker, Texas Ranger (21/14.4 million) | |||
Winter | The Magnificent Seven | ||||||
Follow-up | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman | The Magnificent Seven | |||||
Spring | Early Edition | ||||||
Fox | COPS | COPS 2 | America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back | Local | |||
NBC | Sleepwalkers | The Pretender | Profiler |
Pickups and Shows
Full Season Shows
ABC
- 20/20
- America's Funniest Home Videos
- Boy Meets World
- C-16
- Cracker
- Dharma & Greg
- The Drew Carey Show
- Ellen
- Grace Under Fire
- Hiller and Diller
- Home Improvement
- Monday Night Football
- Nothing Sacred
- NYPD Blue
- The Practice
- Primetime
- Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
- Something So Right
- Soul Man
- Spin City
- Teen Angel
- Timecop
- Total Security
- Turning Point
- Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place
- The Wonderful World of Disney
- You Wish
CBS
- 48 Hours
- 60 Minutes
- Brooklyn South
- Chicago Hope
- Cosby
- Dellaventura
- Diagnosis Murder
- Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
- Early Edition
- Everybody Loves Raymond
- Family Matters
- George and Leo
- The Gregory Hines Show
- JAG
- Meego
- Michael Hayes
- Murphy Brown
- The Nanny
- Nash Bridges
- Promised Land
- Public Eye with Bryant Gumbel
- Step by Step
- Touched by an Angel
- Unsolved Mysteries
- Walker, Texas, Ranger
Fox
- 413 Hope St.
- Ally McBeal
- America's Most Wanted
- Ask Harriet
- Between Brothers
- Beverly Hills, 90210
- Beyond Belief: Fact Or Fiction
- COPS
- Damon
- King of the Hill
- Living Single
- Melrose Place
- Millennium
- New York Undercover
- Party of Five
- Significant Others
- The Simpsons
- The Visitor
- World's Wildest Police Videos
- The X-Files
NBC
- 3rd Rock from The Sun
- Built To Last
- Caroline In The City
- Dateline NBC
- ER
- Fired Up
- Fraiser
- Friends
- Homicide: Life on the Street
- Jenny
- Just Shoot Me!
- Law and Order
- Mad About You
- Men Behaving Badly
- Michelle
- The Naked Truth
- NewsRadio
- Players
- The Pretender
- Profiler
- Seinfeld
- Suddenly Susan
- The Tony Danza Show
- Union Square
- Veronica's Closet
- Working
UPN
- Clueless
- Good News
- Head Over Heels
- Hitz
- In The House
- The Love Boat: The Next Wave
- Malcolm and Eddie
- Moesha
- The Sentinel
- Sparks
- Star Trek: Voyager
- Sweet Valley High
The WB
- 7th Heaven
- Alright Already
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Dawson's Creek
- The Jamie Foxx Show
- Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher
- The Parent 'Hood
- The Tom Show
- Sister, Sister
- Smart Guy
- The Steve Harvey Show
- Three
- Unhappily Ever After
- The Wayans Bros.
References
- ↑ 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.