View source for 1981 in American television

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{{more citations needed|date=March 2016}}
{{USTV year|1981}}<!--no space 1981-->
The year '''1981 in television''' involved some significant events. Below is a list of [[television]]-related events during 1981.

== Events ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Date || Event
|-
|January 12
|The television series ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]'' began a nine-year run on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] network. The prime time soap opera, described by ''[[New York Times]]'' TV critic Tom Buckley as "An embarrassingly obvious knockoff of ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]''",<ref>{{cite news |title=Premiere of 'Dynasty', A TV Series on an Oil Family |first=Tom |last=Buckley |journal=The New York Times |date=January 12, 1981}}</ref> starred [[Joan Collins]] as [[Alexis Carrington]], who briefly brought back the popularity of women's wear with [[Shoulder pads (fashion)|padded shoulders]]. ''Dynasty'' was the #1 rated TV program in the United States during the 1983–84 television season.<ref>{{cite book |first=David |last=Mansour |title=From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century |publisher=[[Andrews McMeel Publishing]] |year=2005 |page=135}}</ref>
|-
|January 15
|''[[Hill Street Blues]]'', described as "one of the most innovative and critically acclaimed television shows in recent television history"<ref>Museum of Broadcast Communications, ''Encyclopedia of Television'' (2d.Ed) (CRC Press, 2004) pp. 1089–1091</ref> and a program that "set an entirely new standard for television drama"<ref>Robert J. Thompson, ''Television's Second Golden Age: From Hill Street Blues to ER'' (Syracuse University Press, 1997) p. 30</ref> made its debut on [[NBC]] at 10:00 pm EST.
|-
|January 20
|Former [[Ronald Reagan filmography|actor]] and [[Governor of California|governor]] [[Ronald Reagan]] is [[First inauguration of Ronald Reagan|sworn in]] as [[President of the United States]]. It is the most watched presidential [[United States presidential inauguration|inauguration]] in American history.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-04-20 |title=Biden oath second only to Reagan and Obama with TV viewers |url=https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-new-york-ronald-reagan-television-cebdb622a8d8e93fd01f4820d559c9d3 |access-date=2023-02-28 |website=AP NEWS |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gordon |first=Brian |title=Fact check: Joe Biden's inauguration didn't have the lowest-ever TV ratings |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/01/28/fact-check-joe-bidens-inauguration-viewership-ranks-3rd-since-1981/4302498001/ |access-date=2023-02-28 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|February 6
|The cast of ''[[The Brady Bunch]]'' reunited for the TV movie [[The Brady Bunch#The Brady Girls Get Married / The Brady Brides|''The Brady Girls Get Married'']]. Although scheduled to be shown in its original full-length movie format, [[NBC]] at the last minute divided it into half-hour segments. NBC showed one part per week for three weeks, and the fourth week debuted a spin-off sitcom titled ''The Brady Brides''. This proved to be the only time the entire cast worked together on a single project following the cancellation of the original series. 
|-
|February 14
|[[Funky 4 + 1]] performed "[[That's the Joint]]" on [[NBC]]'s ''[[Saturday Night Live (season 6)|Saturday Night Live]]''. This made them the first [[hip hop music|hip hop]] act to perform on primetime (late night) television. [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]] frontwoman [[Debbie Harry]] hosted (and performed on) this episode, shortly after the release of "[[Rapture (Blondie song)|Rapture]]", which later hit the top of the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart as the first number-one song to feature rap vocals.
|-
|February 20
|[[Comedian]] [[Andy Kaufman]] disrupted sketches and started a brawl while broadcasting during [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s sketch series ''[[Fridays (TV series)|Fridays]]'', an occurrence that was later disclosed to have been entirely staged.<ref name="EW Kaufman article">{{cite news|last=LaBrecque|first=Jeff|title='Fridays': What really happened the night Andy Kaufman melted down on live TV|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2013/08/05/fridays-dvd-andy-kaufman|newspaper=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=August 5, 2013|accessdate=February 5, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|February 21
|During an improvised segment at the end of a ''[[Saturday Night Live (season 6)#Background|Saturday Night Live]]'' telecast on NBC hosted by [[Charlene Tilton]], [[Charles Rocket]] used the word "[[fuck]]". As a result of the ensuing controversy, he was fired, along with producer [[Jean Doumanian]] and most of his fellow cast members, bringing an early end to a season that had been heavily criticized and sunk in the ratings.<ref name="AV Club 6th season article">{{cite web|title=How Bad Can It Be? Case File #23: Saturday Night Live's aborted 1980-81 season|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/how-bad-can-it-be-case-file-23-isaturday-night-liv-84591|publisher=[[The Onion|A.V. Club]]|date=September 5, 2012|accessdate=February 5, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|February 27
|The [[Television film|made-for-television film]] ''[[The Munsters' Revenge]]'' was broadcast on NBC. Based on 1964–1966 sitcom ''[[The Munsters]]'', the film reunited original cast members [[Fred Gwynne]], [[Yvonne De Carlo]], and [[Al Lewis (actor)|Al Lewis]]. This was the last production to be made with most of the original actors from the 1960s TV series. 
|-
|March 1
|''[[Miracle on Ice (1981 film)|Miracle on Ice]]'', a hastily made docudrama about the [[United States men's national ice hockey team]]'s improbable gold medal victory in the [[Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics|Winter Olympics]] at [[Lake Placid, New York]] from the year prior aired on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. The film starred [[Karl Malden]] as head [[Coach (sport)|coach]] [[Herb Brooks]], [[Steve Guttenberg]] as goaltender [[Jim Craig (ice hockey)|Jim Craig]], and [[Andrew Stevens]] as captain [[Mike Eruzione]]. This was not the last time that the event known as the "[[Miracle on Ice]]" would be depicted in a film, as 23 years later, [[Walt Disney Pictures|Disney]] released ''[[Miracle (2004 film)|Miracle]]'', which was this time starring [[Kurt Russell]] as Herb Brooks. 
|-
|March 4
|[[CBS Sports]] paid $48,000,000 for the rights to broadcast the [[NCAA men's basketball tournament]] for three years, outbidding the NBC network, which had built the popularity of the playoffs since 1969. [[Bryant Gumbel]] would later comment, "I thought, How weird. We make the tournament a big deal and basically give it away."<ref>Seth Davis, ''When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball'' (Macmillan, 2009) p244; "N.C.A.A. Title Basketball Sold to CBS for $48 Million", ''New York Times'', March 5, 1981, pD-19</ref>
|-
|March 6
|After a 19-year run, [[Walter Cronkite]] resigned as main anchorman of ''[[The CBS Evening News]]'' and was succeeded the next Monday by [[Dan Rather]].
|-
|March 9
|[[Dan Rather]] began a nearly 24-year tenure as lead anchorman for the ''[[CBS Evening News]]'', lasting until he was pressured to retire on March 9, 2005.<ref>James S. O'Rourke, ''The Business Communication Casebook: A Notre Dame Collection'' (Cengage Learning, 2007) pp27-33</ref>
|-
|March 17
|[[Norman Fell]] and [[Audra Lindley]] made their [[List_of_Three%27s_Company_episodes#Season_5_(1980–81)|final appearances]] as [[Stanley Roper|Stanley]] and [[Helen Roper]] on the ABC sitcom ''[[Three's Company]]''.
|-
|rowspan="2"|March 18
|[[Independent station (North America)|Independent]] television station [[KMYT-TV|KGCT-TV]] signed on the air in [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]].
|-
|The television show ''[[The Greatest American Hero]]'' premiered on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], starring [[William Katt]] as Ralph Hinkley, an ordinary teacher who was given super powers, but not the knowledge of how to control them. Less than two weeks later, after [[John Hinckley Jr.]] shot U.S. President [[Ronald Reagan]], the character was renamed "Ralph Hanley" for episodes already filmed, and then "Mr. H." for the rest of the season. The show's theme song, "[[Theme from The Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)|Believe It or Not]]" (sung by [[Joey Scarbury]]) became a hit single, rising to No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Top 40. 
|-
|March 20
|The iconic 1950s sitcom ''[[Dennis the Menace (1959 TV series)|Dennis the Menace]]'' began its first transmission in Ireland when the series went on the air on [[RTÉ Television]].
|- 
|rowspan="2"|March 30
|An [[attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan|assassination attempt]] against [[President of the United States|President]] [[Ronald Reagan]] in [[Washington, DC]], in which the President and several other people were wounded, interrupted programming on the three major networks and [[CNN]] at 2:42 pm. Millions of viewers worldwide witnessed footage of the shooting and the chaos that followed. [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] was flooded with unconfirmed reports, which pestered the chief anchor [[Frank Reynolds]], one of which falsely stated that the President's press secretary [[James Brady]] had died in the shooting. This was also reported by [[CBS News]] and [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]. Coverage of the assassination attempt continued for hours on the big three networks, and for two days on CNN. As a result, the [[53rd Academy Awards|Academy Awards]] were postponed for a day.
|-
|[[College Basketball on NBC|NBC]] broadcast its final [[1981 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game|NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game]], having done so since [[1969 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|1969]]. The [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|tournament]] moved to [[College Basketball on CBS|CBS]] the [[1982 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|following year]]. [[Dick Enberg]], [[Billy Packer]], and [[Al McGuire]] called the game for NBC.
|-
|rowspan="2"|April 1
|[[Berlinda Tolbert]] and [[Michael Jonas Evans]] made their final appearances as [[Lionel Jefferson|Lionel]] and Jenny Willis Jefferson on the CBS sitcom ''[[The Jeffersons]]'' as series regulars.
|-
|A videotape was shown on [[CNN]], reportedly made during a January 6, 1981 broadcast of ''The Dick Maurice Show'', showing psychic Tamara Rand's appearance on the talk show seen on [[KTNV-TV|KTNV]] in [[Las Vegas]], and her amazing prediction of a March 30, 1981 event. On the tape, shown again the next day on [[NBC]]'s ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]'' and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[Good Morning America]]'', Rand was seen telling Maurice that  "the last few days of March or early April" would be "a crisis time" for U.S. President [[Ronald Reagan]]; that when she had the vision she felt "a thud" in her chest but that she also perceived "gunshots all over the place". Rand added that "It has to do with somebody young and radical... The only thing I can attach to it is [[John Hinckley Jr.|Humbley, and maybe Jack, or something like that]]."<ref>"Psychic 'Saw' President's Narrow Escape", Associated Press report in ''Los Angeles Times'', April 2, 1981, p. I-7</ref> Five days later, after the authenticity of the tape came into dispute, Rand and Maurice admitted that the prediction sequence had been taped the day after the March 30 [[attempted assassination of Reagan]] by John W. Hinckley, Jr.<ref>"TV host, psychic admit Reagan hoax", ''Chicago Tribune'', April 6, 1981, p.1-1</ref><ref>[http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/rand.html Museum of Hoaxes]</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ddB7do2jUx8C&dat=19810402&printsec=frontpage |title=Psychic 'shocked' |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |date=April 2, 1981 |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Doubt cast on authenticity of psychic's TV taping |newspaper=Chronicle |date=April 3, 1981 |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Columnist admits psychic hoax |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |date=April 7, 1981 |page=1}}</ref>
|-
|April 11
|[[Van Halen]]'s lead guitarist [[Eddie Van Halen]] married actress [[Valerie Bertinelli]], who appeared on the CBS sitcom ''[[One Day at a Time (1975 TV series)|One Day at a Time]]''.
|-
|April 12
|The [[Alpha Repertory Television Service]] (also known as ARTS) launched right after the [[Nickelodeon]] time period.
|-
|April 21
|[["Weird Al" Yankovic]] made his first television appearance on NBC's ''[[The Tomorrow Show|The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder]]''.
|-
|May 1
|The [[Dallas (1978 TV series, season 4)|season-four]] finale of ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'', entitled "Ewing-Gate", aired on CBS.
|-
|May 5–14
|The [[1981 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]] between the [[1980–81 Boston Celtics season|Boston Celtics]] and [[1980–81 Houston Rockets season|Houston Rockets]] was broadcast on [[NBA on CBS|CBS]]. This was the last NBA Finals to be broadcast on [[Broadcast delay|tape-delay]], with weeknight games airing after the late local news in most cities except Boston and Houston. Games 3 and 4 were played back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday, May 9 and 10, to give CBS two live Finals games. Game 3 was the last Finals contest played on a Saturday until Game 5 in [[2021 NBA Finals|2021]]. Game 4 tipped off at noon Central (1 pm Eastern/10 am Pacific) on [[Mother's Day]] for CBS to telecast [[PGA Tour on CBS|golf]] following the game. Had Game 7 been played, it would have tipped off at 1 pm Eastern. All in all, the Finals drew a 6.7 [[Nielsen ratings|rating]], according to [[Nielsen Media Research]]. Consequently, this was the lowest-rated NBA Finals in history prior to [[2003 NBA Finals|2003]].
|-
|May 7
|Stand-up comedian [[Jerry Seinfeld]], of [[Massapequa, New York]], performed for a national audience for the first time, introduced by [[Johnny Carson]] on ''[[The Tonight Show]]'' on [[NBC]]. His routine, taped in the evening, aired an hour into that night's show. Seinfeld's national television debut had been in 1980 on three shows of the TV comedy ''[[Benson (TV series)|Benson]]''.<ref>Jerry Oppenheimer, ''Seinfeld: The Making of an American Icon''(HarperCollins, 2002) p181, 189</ref>
|-
|May 15
|''[[The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island]]'', the third and final [[Television|made-for-television film]] that reunited the cast of the 1964–1967 sitcom ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', aired on NBC.
|-
|June 2
|On ABC's ''[[20/20 (American TV program)|20/20]]'', [[Barbara Walters]] famously asked [[Katharine Hepburn]], "If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?" 
|-
|June 24
|The [[Charlie's Angels (season 5)|series finale]] of ''[[Charlie's Angels]]'' aired on ABC.
|-
|June 30
|[[Fred Silverman]] was dismissed as president of NBC after failing to improve that network's third-place rating, and was replaced by [[Grant Tinker]].
|-
|July 4
|[[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] ended its part-time status and inaugurated a 24/7 schedule.
|-
|July 10
|The final episode of ''[[Sanford (TV series)|Sanford]]'' was broadcast on NBC. A sequel to the original 1972–1977 sitcom ''[[Sanford and Son]]'', this officially marked the end of [[Redd Foxx]]'s run as [[Fred G. Sanford]].
|-
|July 29
|A worldwide television audience of over 750&nbsp;million people watched the [[Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer|Wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer]] at [[St Paul's Cathedral]] in London.<ref>{{cite news |title=Charles, Diana Wed In Splendor — All World Watches Ceremony |journal=Pittsburgh Press |date=July 29, 1981 |page=1}}</ref>
|-
|August 1
|The [[MTV]] network debuted on [[cable television]], playing [[music videos]] 24 hours a day. "[[Video Killed the Radio Star]]" by [[The Buggles]] was the first video broadcast on the network.
|-
|August 9
|Following a two-month-long [[1981 Major League Baseball strike|players strike]], Major League Baseball resumed with the [[1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] from [[Cleveland Stadium|Cleveland]] on [[Major League Baseball on NBC|NBC]]. During the strike (which began on June 12 and lasted through July 31),<ref>{{cite news |date=June 27, 1981|title=BASEBALL STRIKE FORCES TV TO IMPROVISE|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/27/arts/baseball-strike-forces-tv-to-improvise.html|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> NBC used its Saturday ''[[Major League Baseball Game of the Week|Game of the Week]]'' time-slot to show a 20-minute strike update, followed by a sports anthology series hosted by [[Caitlyn Jenner]] (then Bruce)<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Leibovitz|first=Annie|title=Introducing Caitlyn Jenner|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/06/caitlyn-jenner-bruce-cover-annie-leibovitz/|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=June 1, 2015|accessdate=June 1, 2015}}</ref> called ''NBC Sports: The Summer Season''.<ref>{{cite news |date=July 30, 1994|title=Networks bracing for baseball strike|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1320&dat=19940730&id=4c0zAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fOoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5474,8535691&hl=en|newspaper=Gainesville Sun}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.itsabouttv.com/2014/08/this-week-in-tv-guide-august-1-1981.html|title=This week in TV Guide: August 1, 1981 |last1=Hadley|first1= Mitchell|date=August 2, 2014|website=It's About TV!}}</ref>
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|August 15
|The [[Eternal Word Television Network]], devoted to spreading the Roman Catholic faith in the United States and founded by [[Mother Angelica]], made its cable television debut at 6:00 pm Central Time on the date of the [[Feast of the Assumption]]. Based in [[Irondale, Alabama]], EWTN was, by 2000, the largest religious cable network in the world, on 1,500 systems in 38 nations.<ref>Chester Gillis, ''Roman Catholicism in America'' (Columbia University Press, 1999) p229; "Nun's Eternal World Network Debuts Tonight on Cable TV", ''Gainesville (FL) Sun'' - August 15, 1981, pB-1</ref>
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|August 30
|In [[Baltimore, Maryland]], CBS affiliate [[WMAR-TV]] swapped affiliations with NBC affiliate [[WBAL-TV]], marking the first affiliation switch in that city. CBS cited weak ratings for WMAR-TV's newscasts and heavy pre-emptions of network programming for programs of local interest as the reason they chose to switch affiliations. (However, the NBC affiliation would return to WBAL-TV on January 2, 1995, with WMAR-TV switching to ABC, and [[WJZ-TV]], which had been the city's only ABC affiliate at this point, switching to CBS.)
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|rowspan="2"|September 7
|During the course of the year, several [[soap operas]] produced by [[Procter & Gamble]] changed title sequences and theme songs. On this day, new title sequences debuted for ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]'' on NBC and ''[[Guiding Light]]'' and ''[[Search for Tomorrow]]'', both on CBS.
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|''[[The People's Court]]'' made its [[Broadcast syndication|syndicated]] television debut on 39 television stations in the United States. Created by producer [[Ralph Edwards]], the show presented real small claims court cases, with the litigants agreeing to dismiss court proceedings and to go before retired Los Angeles Superior Court Judge [[Joseph A. Wapner]]. Of the $800 provided by the producers for each case, the amount not awarded to the plaintiff ($750 maximum) would be divided evenly between both sides. The very first case saw a landlady receive an award of $614.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/08/arts/tv-people-s-court-reality-in-the-morning.html "TV: 'People's Court', 'Reality' in the Morning"], ''New York Times'', September 8, 1981; [https://web.archive.org/web/20071212054811/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,924829,00.html "Law: Oyez! Don't Touch That Dial"], ''TIME'' Magazine, September 7, 1981</ref>
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|September 11
|''[[The Pee-wee Herman Show]]'', a stage show starring [[Paul Reubens]] as his fictional comic character, [[Pee-wee Herman]] aired as a special on [[HBO]]. Taped at the [[Roxy Theatre (West Hollywood)|Roxy Theatre]] in [[West Hollywood, California]], this marked one of the first significant appearances of the Pee-wee Herman character. The nightclub show notably, had more adult humor than the later children's television series ''[[Pee-wee's Playhouse]]''.
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|September 12
|''[[The Smurfs (1981 TV series)|The Smurfs]]'' began a nine-season run on [[NBC]] Saturday morning television.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081933/episodes IMDb]</ref>
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|September 13
|The [[33rd Primetime Emmy Awards]] was broadcast on CBS. For the third consecutive year, the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series|Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series]] went to ''[[Taxi (TV series)|Taxi]].'' The top show on the drama side was ''[[Hill Street Blues]]'' which, in its first season, tied the record for most major nominations (14) and wins (6) by a non-[[television miniseries|miniseries]]. [[NBC]]'s ratings juggernaut ''[[Shōgun (1980 miniseries)|Shōgun]]'' received eight major nominations, but only won one, for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries|Outstanding Limited Series]]. Also, history was made when [[Isabel Sanford]], star of ''[[The Jeffersons]]'', became the first [[Black women|black woman]] to win an Emmy for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series]].
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|September 14
|''[[Entertainment Tonight]]'' made its [[Broadcast syndication|syndicated]] debut in various television markets.<ref>"Two magazine series to debut", ''Milwaukee Journal'', September 13, 1981</ref>
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|September 26
|''[[Elvira's Movie Macabre]]'', hosted by [[Cassandra Peterson]], aired for the first time on [[KHJ-TV]] in [[Los Angeles]].
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|September 28
|[[WRGB]] in [[Schenectady, New York]], NBC's first television affiliate, ended its 42-year relationship with the network (dating back to its days as experimental station W2XB) and swapped affiliations with CBS affiliate [[WNYT (TV)|WAST]], which changed its call letters to the current WNYT to mark the new affiliation.
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|September 29
|[[Spectrum (TV channel)|Spectrum]] is initiated.
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|rowspan="2"|October 6
|[[Priscilla Barnes]] made her [[List of Three's Company episodes#Season 6 (1981–82)|first appearance]] as [[Terri Alden]] on the ABC sitcom ''[[Three's Company]]''. Alden was brought in as the full-time replacement for [[Chrissy Snow]] following the abrupt and controversial departure of [[Suzanne Somers]]. Barnes stayed on ''Three's Company'' through the end of its run in 1984.
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|CBS broadcast ''[[Return of the Beverly Hillbillies]]'', which reunited most of the surviving cast members of the 1962–1971 sitcom ''[[The Beverly Hillbillies]]''.
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|October 8
|''[[Cagney & Lacey]]'' was first telecast as a [[Television film|made-for-TV movie]] on [[CBS]], and attracted a [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen rating]] of 42.<ref>{{cite book |first=Robert J. |last=Thompson |author-link=Robert Thompson (media scholar) |title=Television's second golden age: from Hill Street blues to ER |publisher=[[Syracuse University Press]] |year=1997 |page=102}}</ref>
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|October 12
|[[CBS Cable]] was initiated.
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|October 19
|[[WPBT]]'s news program ''[[Nightly Business Report]]'' became nationwide, launching on over 125 public television stations.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1981-10-19 |title=Going national. |pages=64 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting Magazine]] |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/81-OCR/1981-10-19-BC-OCR-Page-0064.pdf |access-date=2023-07-20}}</ref>
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|October 29
|The situation comedy ''[[Gimme a Break!]]'' began a six-season run on [[NBC]], as one of the few new hit shows of the 1981–82 season.<ref>"2 NBC Comedies Have Premieres", ''New York Times'' October 29, 1981 [http://www.tv.com/gimme-a-break%21/show/680/summary.html TV.com]</ref>
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|October 30
|[[John Carpenter]]'s 1978 horror film ''[[Halloween (1978 film)|Halloween]]'' made its broadcast network television premiere on NBC (the same day that its [[Halloween II (1981 film)|first sequel]] was released in theaters and the day before star [[Donald Pleasence]] [[Saturday Night Live (season 7)|guest-hosted]] NBC's ''Saturday Night Live''). To fill the two-hour time slot, Carpenter filmed 12 minutes of additional material during the production of ''Halloween II''. The newly filmed scenes<ref>{{YouTube|title=NBC Commercials/Extra Scenes - Halloween (Oct. 30, 1981)|id=66hEHiXXo8Y}}</ref> include [[Samuel Loomis|Dr. Loomis]] at a hospital board review of [[Michael Myers (Halloween)|Michael Myers]] and Dr. Loomis talking to a then-6-year-old Michael at Smith's Grove, telling him, "You've fooled them, haven't you, Michael? But not me." Another extra scene featured Dr. Loomis at Smith's Grove examining Michael's abandoned cell after his escape and seeing the word "Sister" scratched into the door. Finally, a scene was added in which Lynda comes over to [[Laurie Strode|Laurie]]'s house to borrow a [[silk blouse]] before Laurie leaves to babysit, just as Annie telephones asking to borrow the same blouse. The new scene had Laurie's hair hidden by a towel, since [[Jamie Lee Curtis]] was by then wearing a much shorter hairstyle than she had worn in 1978.
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|October 31
|The [[punk rock]] band [[Fear (band)|Fear]]'s [[Saturday Night Live (season 7)|appearance]] on ''Saturday Night Live'' included a group of [[moshing|slamdancers]], among them [[John Belushi]], [[Ian MacKaye]] of [[Minor Threat]] (and later [[Fugazi]]), [[Tesco Vee]] of [[the Meatmen]], [[Harley Flanagan]] and [[John Joseph (singer)|John Joseph]] of the [[Cro-Mags]], and [[John Brannon (musician)|John Brannon]] of [[Negative Approach]]. The show's director originally wanted to prevent the dancers from participating, so Belushi offered to be in the episode if the dancers were allowed to stay. The result was the shortening of Fear's appearance on TV. Fear played "I Don't Care About You", "Beef Bologna", and "New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones", and started to play "Let's Have a War" when the telecast faded into commercial. The slamdancers left ripe pumpkin remains on the set. Cameras, a piano, and other property were damaged. 
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|November 1
|The NBC soap opera ''[[The Doctors (soap opera)|The Doctors]]'' broadcast its 5,000th episode.
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|November 2
|The CBS soap opera ''[[As the World Turns]]'' debuted a new opening sequence and [[theme song]] for the first time in its 25-year history.
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|November 8
|[[ESPN]] [[ESPN SpeedWorld|televised]] its first live flag-to-flag [[NASCAR]] [[1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Series|race]], the [[Atlanta Journal 500]], which was won by [[Neil Bonnett]].
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|November 9
|The cast and crew of ''[[The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series)|The Incredible Hulk]]'' were delivered a surprise; despite maintaining good [[Nielsen ratings|ratings]], ''The Incredible Hulk'' was cancelled immediately, despite executive producer [[Kenneth Johnson (producer)|Kenneth Johnson]]'s attempts to convince CBS to buy six additional episodes to fill season five.
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|November 11
|[[Joan Collins]] made her [[Dynasty (1981 TV series, season 2)|first appearance]] as [[Alexis Colby|Alexis Carrington Colby]] on the ABC drama ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]''.
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|November 16–17
|[[Luke and Laura]]'s wedding on the ABC soap opera ''[[General Hospital]]'' became one of the most-watched weddings in American television history, second only to the wedding of [[Charles III|Charles, Prince of Wales]] and [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Lady Diana Spencer]].
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|November 30
|[[Financial News Network]] went on the air.
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|rowspan="2"|December 6
|NBC affiliate [[KARD (TV)|KARD]] in [[West Monroe, Louisiana]], and ABC affiliate [[KTVE]] in [[El Dorado, Arkansas]] swapped affiliations.<ref>Network Switch Effective, Monroe News-Star-World, December 6, 1981</ref>
|-
|Interviewed by satellite in [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]] by the [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] program ''[[This Week With David Brinkley]]'', [[Libya]]'s President [[Muammar Gaddafi]] denies a U.S. State Department report that he had sent a "hit squad" to assassinate [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Ronald Reagan]]. Speaking in [[English language|English]], Gaddafi said "We are sure we haven't sent any people to kill Reagan or any other people in the world... if they have evidence, we are ready to see this evidence."  He added, "How you are silly people!  You are superpower, how you are afraid? Oh, it is silly this administration, and this president."<ref>"Khadafy: Libya not trying to kill Reagan", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', December 7, 1981, p1</ref> Despite rumors that a 5, 10 or 14 member death squad had landed in the U.S. the previous weekend, nothing was ever confirmed and no person was ever arrested or detained.<ref>[[Geoff Simons]], ''Libya: The Struggle for Survival'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 1993) p328</ref>
|-
|December 10
|[[KJTV-TV|KJAA]] in [[Lubbock, Texas]], signed on the air as an independent station. It adopted its current call letters KJTV in 1985 and became a charter [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate the next year.
|-
|December 14
|[[WFTS-TV]] in [[Tampa Bay]], [[Florida]], signed on the air as an [[Independent station (North America)|independent station]]. It eventually became a [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] station in 1988, and an [[List of ABC television affiliates (by U.S. state)|ABC affiliate]] via an agreement with [[E. W. Scripps Company|Scripps-Howard]] in 1994.
|-
|December 18
|[[KVEO-TV]] in [[Brownsville, Texas]], signed on the air, returning primary NBC service to the [[Rio Grande Valley (Texas)|Rio Grande Valley]] market for the first time since [[KRGV-TV]] in [[Weslaco, Texas|Weslaco]] left the network in 1976 to become a full-time ABC affiliate.
|-
|rowspan="2"|December 18
|[[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]]'s first independent station [[WLFL|WLFL-TV]] went on the air. It became a Fox affiliate in 1986, moving to [[List of former WB affiliates|The WB]] in 1998, and finally with [[List of The CW affiliates (table)|The CW]] in 2006.
|-
|[[Tom Brokaw]] signed off from ''[[Today (American TV program)|The Today Show]]'', for the last time as co-anchor on NBC. [[Bryant Gumbel]] would succeed him as anchor in January 1982. Brokaw would go on to anchor ''[[NBC Nightly News]]'', with [[Roger Mudd]], for most of 1982 before becoming sole anchor.
|-
|December 24
|[[HBO]] began broadcasting 24 hours a day.
|-
|December 25
|[[Chuck Woolery]] hosted his last episode of the NBC game show ''[[Wheel of Fortune (American game show)|Wheel of Fortune]]'', quitting after a salary dispute with series producer and creator [[Merv Griffin]]. The next Monday, December 28, [[Pat Sajak]] began hosting.
|-
|December 31
|[[HLN (TV channel)|Cable News Network 2]], later called CNN Headline News and now HLN, first appeared on American cable television.<ref>Michael D. Murray, ''Encyclopedia of Television News'' (Greenwood Publishing, 1999) p47</ref>
|}

== Programs ==
===Debuting this year===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Date
! Show
! Network
|-
| January 12
| ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]'' 
|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
| January 15
| ''[[Hill Street Blues]]'' 
|rowspan="3"|[[NBC]]
|-
|rowspan="2"| January 16
| ''[[Harper Valley PTA (TV series)|Harper Valley PTA]]'' 
|-
| ''[[Nero Wolfe (1981 TV series)|Nero Wolfe]]'' 
|-
| January 31
| ''[[Walking Tall (TV series)|Walking Tall]]'' 
|[[CBS]]
|-
| February 2
| ''[[The Gangster Chronicles]]'' 
|rowspan="2"|NBC
|-
| February 6
| ''[[The Brady Brides]]'' 
|-
| March 18
| ''[[The Greatest American Hero]]''
|ABC
|-
| April 6
| ''[[Private Benjamin (TV series)|Private Benjamin]]'' 
|rowspan="2"|CBS
|-
| April 9
| ''[[Checking In]]'' 
|-
| May 16
| ''[[Second City Television|SCTV Network 90]]'' 
|rowspan="2"|NBC
|-
| July 17
| ''[[Comedy Theater]]''
|-
| August 7
| ''[[The Krypton Factor (American game show)|The Krypton Factor]]''
|ABC
|-
| August 21
| ''Rosie''
|CBS
|-
| September 10
| ''[[Best of the West]]'' 
|rowspan="2"|ABC
|-
|rowspan="8"| September 12
| ''[[Goldie Gold and Action Jack]]'' 
|-
| ''[[The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!]]''
|rowspan="4"|NBC
|-
| ''[[The Smurfs (1981 TV series)|The Smurfs]]'' 
|-
| ''[[Space Stars]]'' 
|-
| ''[[Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends]]''
|-
| ''[[The Kwicky Koala Show]]'' 
|rowspan="2"|CBS 
|-
| ''[[Trollkins]]''
|-
| ''[[Spider-Man (1981 TV series)|Spider-Man]]'' 
|rowspan="2"|Syndication
|-
| September 14
| ''[[Entertainment Tonight]]'' 
|-
| October 7
| ''[[Mr. Merlin]]'' 
|rowspan="2"|CBS
|-
| October 9
| ''[[Behind the Screen (TV series)|Behind the Screen]]'' 
|-
| October 10
| ''[[Laverne & Shirley in the Army]]'' 
|ABC
|-
| October 24
| ''Fitz and Bones'' 
|NBC
|-
| October 25
| ''[[Today's F.B.I.]]'' 
|ABC
|-
| October 26
| ''[[Battlestars (game show)|Battlestars]]'' 
|rowspan="4"|NBC
|-
| October 28
| ''[[Love, Sidney]]'' 
|-
|rowspan="2"| October 29
| ''[[Gimme a Break]]'' 
|-
| ''[[Lewis & Clark (TV series)|Lewis & Clark]]'' 
|-
| November 1
| ''[[Code Red (American TV series)|Code Red]]'' 
|ABC
|-
| November 3
| ''[[Father Murphy]]'' 
|NBC
|-
| November 4
| ''[[The Fall Guy]]'' 
|ABC
|-
| November 11
| ''[[Shannon (1981 TV series)|Shannon]]'' 
|CBS
|-
| November 13
| ''[[Strike Force (TV series)|Strike Force]]'' 
|rowspan="2"|ABC
|-
| November 15
| ''[[This Week (ABC TV series)|This Week]]''
|-
| November 20
| ''[[McClain's Law]]'' 
|NBC
|-
| November 24
| ''[[Simon & Simon]]'' 
|CBS
|-
| November 27
| ''[[Darkroom (TV series)|Darkroom]]'' 
|rowspan="2"|ABC
|-
| November 28
| ''[[Open All Night (TV series)|Open All Night]]'' 
|-
| December 1
| ''[[Bret Maverick]]'' 
|NBC
|-
|rowspan="2"| December 4
| ''[[Falcon Crest]]'' 
|CBS
|-
| ''[[You Can't Do That on Television]]'' 
|[[Nickelodeon]]
|}

=== Ending this year ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Date 
! Show 
! Debut
|-
|March 7
|''[[The Tim Conway Show (1980 TV series)|The Tim Conway Show]]''
|1980
|-
|April 10
|''[[Hollywood Squares]]'' (returned in 1983)
|1966
|-
|April 16
|''[[Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)|Buck Rogers in the 25th Century]]''
|1979
|-
|April 20
|''[[Soap (TV series)|Soap]]''
|rowspan="2"|1977
|-
|May 23
|''[[Eight Is Enough]]''
|-
|June 10
|''[[The Muppet Show]]''
|1976
|-
|July 10
|''[[Sanford (TV series)|Sanford]]''
|1980
|-
|July 21
|''[[Flo (TV series)|Flo]]''
|1980
|-
|August 19
|''[[Charlie's Angels]]''
|1976
|-
|August 20
|''[[The Waltons]]''
|1972
|-
|August 28
|''[[Comedy Theater]]''
|1981
|-
|August 29
|''[[Eight is Enough]]''
|rowspan="2"|1977
|-
|September 1
|''CBN Satellite Service''
|-
|October 23
|''[[Card Sharks]]'' (returned in 1986)
|1978
|-
|October 24
|''[[Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids]]'' (returned in 1984)
|1972
|-
|October 31
|''[[Super Friends]]'' (returned in 1983)
|1973
|-
|November 30
|''[[The Mike Douglas Show]]''
|1961
|-
|December 5 
|''[[Heathcliff (1980 TV series)|Heathcliff]]''
|1980
|-
|December 15
|''Peanuts'' (cancellation not announced by CBS until July 12 1983; returned in 2023)
|1969
|-
|December 17
|''[[The Tomorrow Show]]''
|1973
|}

===Changing networks===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Show
! Moved from 
! Moved to
|-
|''[[Walt Disney anthology series]]'' 
|[[NBC]]
|[[CBS]]
|-
|''[[Second City Television|SCTV]]''
|[[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]]
|[[NBC]]
|}

===Made-for-TV movies and miniseries===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Title || Network || Date(s) of airing
|-
| ''[[Dark Night of the Scarecrow]]''
| rowspan=2| CBS
| October 24
|-
| ''[[Fallen Angel (1981 film)|Fallen Angel]]'' 
| February 24
|-
| ''[[Miracle on Ice (1981 film)|Miracle on Ice]]''
|rowspan="2"| ABC
| March 1
|-
| ''[[Masada (miniseries)|Masada]]'' 
| April 5–8
|-
| ''[[The Adventures of Nellie Bly]]''
| NBC
| June 11
|-
| ''[[The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island]]''
| NBC
| May 5
|-
| ''[[The Five of Me]]''
| CBS 
| May 12
|-
| ''[[Return of the Beverly Hillbillies]]''
| CBS
| October 6
|-
| ''[[Family Reunion (1981 film)|Family Reunion]]'' 
| NBC 
| October 11 & 12
|-
| ''[[Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (film)|Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy]]''
| ABC
| October 14
|-
| ''[[Skokie (film)|Skokie]]'' 
|rowspan="2"| CBS 
| November 17
|-
| ''[[Bill (1981 film)|Bill]]'' 
| December 22
|}

==Networks and services==
===Launches===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Network
! Type 
! Launch date
! Notes 
! Source 
|-
| [[Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network]]
| Cable television
| Unknown
|
|
|-
| [[WBPX-TV|Star]]
| Satellite television
| Unknown
| 
|
|-
| Take 2
| [[Cable television]]
| January 31
|
|
|-
| [[Alpha Repertory Television Service]]
| Cable television
| April 12
|
|
|-
| [[Spotlight (TV channel)|Spotlight]]
| Cable television
| May 28
|
|
|-
| [[MTV]]
| Cable television
| August 1
| 
| 
|-
| [[EWTN]]
| Cable television
| August 15
| Catholic religious
|
|-
| [[YurView Arizona|ASPN]]
| Cable television
| October 1
|
|
|-
| [[CBS Cable]]
| Cable television
| October 12
|
|
|-
| [[NBC Sports Boston|PRISM Sports New England]]
| Cable television
| November 6
|
|
|-
| [[Financial News Network]]
| Cable television
| November 30
| 
| 
|-
|}

===Conversions and rebrandings===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Old network name
! New network name
! Type
! Conversion Date
! Notes
! Source
|-
|CBN Satellite Network
|[[Freeform (TV channel)|CBN Cable Network]]
|Cable television
|September 1
|
|
|-
|}

===Closures===
There are no closures for Cable and satellite television channels in this year.

==Television stations==
===Station launches===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Date
! [[City of license]]/[[Designated market area|Market]]
! [[Television station|Station]]
! Channel 
! Affiliation
! Notes/Ref.
|-
| rowspan=2| January&nbsp;13
| [[Cleveland|Cleveland, Ohio]] 
| [[WQHS-TV|WCLQ-TV]]
| 61
| rowspan=3| [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]]
| 
|- 
| [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]] 
| [[WPXD-TV|WRHT]]
| 31
| 
|- 
| January 26
| [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]]-[[Fort Worth, Texas]] 
| [[KDFI|KTWS-TV]]
| 27
| 
|- 
| February 8
| [[Clarksburg, West Virginia]] 
| [[WVFX|WLYJ]]
| 46
| Religious independent
| 
|- 
| February 15
| [[Jacksonville, Florida]] 
| [[WFOX-TV|WAWS-TV]] 
| 30 
| Independent
| 
|- 
| March 6
| [[Oklahoma City|Oklahoma City, Oklahoma]] 
| [[KTBO-TV]]
| 14
| [[Trinity Broadcasting Network|TBN]]
| 
|- 
| March 18 
| [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]] 
| [[KMYT-TV|KGCT-TV]]
| 41
| rowspan=4| Independent 
| 
|- 
| April 
| [[Santa Rosa, California]] 
| [[KEMO-TV|KFTY]] 
| 50
| Currently licensed to [[Fremont, California]] 
|- 
| rowspan=2| April 6
| [[Poughkeepsie, New York|Poughkeepsie]]/[[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]] 
| [[WTBY-TV|WFTI-TV]] 
| 51
| Now licensed in [[Jersey City, New Jersey]] 
|- 
| [[Washington, D.C.]] 
| [[WDCW|WCQR]] 
| 50 
| 
|- 
| May 5 
| [[Lake Charles, Louisiana]] 
| [[KLTL-TV]] 
| 18
| [[PBS]] 
| Part of [[Louisiana Public Broadcasting]] 
|- 
| May 8
| [[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]]/[[Santa Fe, New Mexico]] 
| [[KTFQ-TV|KGSW-TV]]
| 14
| rowspan=2| Independent
| 
|- 
| May 9
| [[Greensboro, North Carolina]]
| [[WMYV|WGGT-TV]]
| 33
| 
|- 
| May 13
| [[Lafayette, Louisiana]] 
| [[KLPB-TV]]
| 24
| [[PBS]] 
| Part of [[Louisiana Public Broadcasting]] 
|- 
| May 29
| [[Princeton, New Jersey|Princeton]]/[[Atlantic City, New Jersey]]
| [[WMCN-TV|WWAC-TV]] 
| 44
| rowspan=11| Independent
| 
|- 
| May 31
| [[San Jose, California]] <br> {{Small|([[San Francisco]]/[[Oakland, California]])}} 
| [[KSTS]] 
| 48
| 
|- 
| June 1 
| [[Fayetteville, North Carolina|Fayetteville]]/[[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]]/[[Durham, North Carolina]] 
| [[WUVC-DT|WKFT]]
| 40
| 
|-
| June 15
| rowspan=2| [[Philadelphia|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]
| [[WPSG|WWSG-TV]] 
| 57
| 
|- 
| July 13
| [[WUVP-DT|WRBV]] 
| 65
| 
|- 
| August 16
| [[Marion, Illinois]] 
| [[WTCT|WDDD-TV]] 
| 27
| 
|- 
| August 22
| [[Atlanta|Atlanta, Georgia]] 
| [[WUPA|WVEU]]
| 69 
| 
|- 
| September 1
| [[Columbia, South Carolina]] 
| [[WACH|WCCT-TV]] 
| 57
| 
|- 
| September&nbsp;18 
| [[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]]  
| [[WGBO-DT|WFBN]] 
| 66
| 
|-
| October 11
| [[Reno, Nevada]] 
| [[KAME-TV]] 
| 21
| 
|- 
| October 18
| [[Boise, Idaho]] 
| [[KTRV-TV|KTRV]]
| 12
| 
|- 
| November 1
| [[Salinas, California|Salinas]]/[[Monterey, California]] 
| [[KCBA]]
| 35
| [[Spanish International Network|SIN]] 
| 
|- 
| November 20 
| rowspan=2| San Jose, California
| [[KSCZ-LD|K42DT]] 
| 42
| [[Trinity Broadcasting Network|TBN]] 
| 
|- 
| November 21
| [[KPXG-TV|KECH]]
| 22
| Independent
| 
|- 
| December 4
| [[Seaford, Delaware|Seaford]]/[[Dover, Delaware]] <br> {{small|([[Salisbury, Maryland]])}} 
| [[WDPB]]
| 64
| [[PBS]] 
| Satellite of [[WHYY-TV]]/[[Wilmington, Delaware]]
|- 
| December 7
| [[North Pole, Alaska|North Pole]]/[[Fairbanks, Alaska]] 
| [[KJNP-TV]] 
| 4
| Religious Independent
|
|- 
| December 10 
| [[Lubbock, Texas]]
| [[KJTV-TV|KJAA]]
| 34
| rowspan=2|Independent
|- 
| December 14
| [[Tampa, Florida]] 
| [[WFTS-TV]]
| 28
| 
|- 
| rowspan=2| December 18
| [[Brownsville, Texas]] <br> {{small|([[McAllen, Texas|McAllen]]/[[Harlingen, Texas]])}}
| [[KVEO-TV]] 
| 23
| [[NBC]]
| 
|-
| [[Raleigh, North Carolina]] 
| [[WLFL]]
| 22
| Independent
| 
|- 
|}

===Network affiliation changes===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Date
! [[City of License]]/[[Designated market area|Market]]
! [[Television station|Station]]
! Channel 
! Old affiliation
! New affiliation
! Notes/Ref.
|-
| rowspan=2| August 30
| rowspan=2| [[Baltimore, Maryland]] 
| [[WMAR-TV]]
| 2 
| CBS
| NBC 
|
|- 
| [[WBAL-TV]] 
| 11
| NBC
| CBS 
| 
|- 
| rowspan=2| September 28
| rowspan=2| [[Albany, New York]] 
| [[WRGB]]
| 6
| NBC 
| CBS 
|
|- 
| [[WNYT (TV)|WNYT]]
| 13 
| CBS 
| NBC
| 
|- 
| rowspan=2| December 6
| [[El Dorado, Arkansas]] <br> {{small|([[Monroe, Louisiana]])}} 
| [[KTVE]]
| 10 
| ABC
| NBC 
| 
|- 
| [[West Monroe, Louisiana|West Monroe]]/[[Monroe, Louisiana]] <br> {{small|(El Dorado, Arkansas)}} 
| [[KARD (TV)|KLAA]]
| 14
| NBC 
| ABC 
| 
|- 
| rowspan=3| Unknown date
| [[Cheyenne, Wyoming]] 
| [[KGWN-TV]] 
| 5
| ABC 
| CBS 
| 
|- 
| [[Matamoros, Tamaulipas]], [[Mexico]] <br> {{small|([[Brownsville, Texas|Brownsville]]/[[Harlingen, Texas|Harlingen]]/[[McAllen, Texas]])}} 
| [[XHRIO-TDT|XHRIO-TV]] 
| 2
| English independent
| Spanish independent
| 
|- 
| [[Scottsbluff, Nebraska]] 
| [[KSTF]]
| 10 
| ABC 
| CBS 
| 
|- 
|}

===Station closures===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Date
! [[City of License]]/[[Designated market area|Market]]
! [[Television station|Station]]
! Channel 
! Affiliation
! First air date
! Notes/Ref.
|-
| Unknown date 
| [[Berlin, New Hampshire]] 
| [[WEDB-TV]]
| 40 
| [[PBS]] 
| April 30, 1969
| Part of the [[New Hampshire PBS|New Hampshire Public Television]] network
|}

==Births==
{| class="wikitable"
! Date || Name || Notability 
|-
|January 1
|[[Eden Riegel]]
|Actress (''[[All My Children]]'', ''[[The Young and the Restless]]''), voice actress (''[[Stitch!]]'', ''[[The Lion Guard]]'')
|-
|January 5
|[[Brooklyn Sudano]]
|Actress (''[[My Wife and Kids]]'')
|-
|January 8
|[[Genevieve Cortese]]
|Actress (''[[Wildfire (2005 TV series)|Wildfire]]'')
|-
|rowspan="3"|January 13
|[[Shad Gaspard]]
|Actor and pro wrestler (d. 2020)
|-
|[[Diana Perez]]
|American television reporter
|-
|[[Ginger Zee]]
|TV personality
|-
|rowspan="2"|January 15
|[[Pitbull (rapper)|Pitbull]]
|Singer and actor
|-
|[[Howie Day]]
|Singer
|-
|January 17
|[[Ray J]]
|Singer and actor (''[[Moesha]]'')
|-
|January 19
|[[Bitsie Tulloch]]
|Actress (''[[lonelygirl15]]'', ''[[Grimm (TV series)|Grimm]]'')
|-
|January 20
|[[Daniel Cudmore]]
|Actor
|-
|January 22 
|[[Beverley Mitchell]]
|Actress (''[[7th Heaven (TV series)|7th Heaven]]'')
|-
|January 23
|[[Julia Jones]]
|Actress
|-
|January 24
|[[Carrie Coon]]
|Actress (''[[The Leftovers (TV series)|The Leftovers]]'', ''[[Fargo (season 3)|Fargo]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|January 25
|[[Alicia Keys]]
|Singer, songwriter and actress (''[[The Voice (American TV series)|The Voice]]'')
|-
|[[Charlie Bewley]]
|Actor
|-
|January 26
|[[Colin O'Donoghue]]
|Irish actor (''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'')
|-
|January 28 
|[[Elijah Wood]]
|Actor (''[[Wilfred (American TV series)|Wilfred]]'', ''[[Tron: Uprising]]'', ''[[Over the Garden Wall]]'')
|-
|January 29
|[[Tenoch Huerta]]
|Actor
|-
|January 31 
|[[Justin Timberlake]]
|Singer (''[[NSYNC]]'') and actor (''[[The Mickey Mouse Club]]'', frequent ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' host)
|-
|rowspan="2"|February 1
|[[John Gemberling]]
|Actor
|-
|[[Conor Knighton]]
|Actor
|-
|February 2
|[[Emily Rose (actress)|Emily Rose]]
|Actress (''[[Haven (TV series)|Haven]]'')
|-
|February 3
|[[Alisa Reyes]]
|Actress (''[[All That]]'', ''[[The Proud Family]]'')
|-
|February 5
|[[Sara Foster]]
|Actress (''[[90210 (TV series)|90210]]'')
|-
|February 6
|[[Alison Haislip]]
|Actress and TV personality (''[[Attack of the Show!]]'', ''[[The Morning After (web series)|The Morning After]]'', ''[[Battleground (American TV series)|Battleground]]'')
|-
|February 8
|[[Jim Parrack]]
|Actor
|-
|rowspan="3"|February 10
|[[Uzo Aduba]]
|Actress (''[[Orange Is the New Black]]'', ''[[Steven Universe]]'')
|-
|[[Stephanie Beatriz]]
|Argentine-born American actress (''[[Brooklyn Nine-Nine]]'')
|-
|[[Holly Willoughby]]
|Television presenter who cameoed with [[Phillip Schofield]], in ''[[Ted Lasso]]'' in Season 2
|-
|February 11
|[[Kelly Rowland]]
|Singer (''[[Destiny's Child]]'') and actress
|-
|rowspan="2"|February 17 
|[[Joseph Gordon-Levitt]]
|Actor ([[Tommy Solomon (3rd Rock from the Sun)|Tommy Solomon]] on ''[[3rd Rock from the Sun]]'')
|-
|[[Paris Hilton]] 
|Actress and TV personality (''[[The Simple Life]]'')
|-
|rowspan="3"|February 20
|[[Majandra Delfino]]
|Actress and singer (''[[Roswell (TV series)|Roswell]]'')
|-
|[[Jocko Sims]]
|Actor
|-
|[[Stephanie Wittels Wachs]]
|Actress
|-
|February 23
|[[Josh Gad]]
|Actor (''[[1600 Penn]]'')
|-
|February 27
|[[Josh Groban]]
|Actor
|-
|March 1
|[[Adam LaVorgna]]
|Actor (''[[7th Heaven (TV series)|7th Heaven]]'')
|-
| rowspan="2" |March 2
|[[Lance Cade]]
|Pro wrestler (d. [[2010 in American television|2010]])
|-
|[[Bryce Dallas Howard]]
|Actress (''[[HitRecord on TV]]'') and daughter of [[Ron Howard]]
|-
|March 3
|[[P. J. Black]]
|Pro wrestler
|-
|March 6
|[[Ellen Muth]]
|Actress (''[[Dead Like Me]]'')
|-
|March 7
|[[Jason Latimer]]
|American illusionist
|-
|March 8
|[[Vinita Nair]]
|American journalist
|-
|March 10
|[[Michael Pitt]]
|American actor
|-
|rowspan="2"|March 11
|[[David Anders]]
|Actor (''[[Alias (TV series)|Alias]]'', ''[[Heroes (American TV series)|Heroes]]'', ''[[The Vampire Diaries (TV series)|The Vampire Diaries]]'', ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'', ''[[iZombie (TV series)|iZombie]]'')
|-
|[[LeToya Luckett]]
|Singer (''[[Destiny's Child]]'') and actress
|-
|March 14
|[[Ryan Cartwright]]
|Actor
|-
|March 18
|[[Chris Geere]]
|Actor
|-
|March 19
|[[Dan Levy (American comedian)|Dan Levy]]
|Actor
|-
|March 22
|[[Tiffany Dupont]]
|Actress (''[[Greek (TV series)|Greek]]'')
|-
|March 23
|[[Jenn Brown]]
|American sports broadcaster and television host
|-
|rowspan="2"|March 24
|[[Philip Winchester]]
|Actor (''[[Law and Order: SVU]]'')
|-
|[[Neil Grayston (actor)|Neil Grayston]]
|Actor
|-
|March 27
|[[Ashley Bank]]
|Actress
|-
|March 28
|[[Julia Stiles]]
|Actress (''[[Dexter (TV series)|Dexter]]'')
|-
|March 29
|[[Megan Hilty]]
|Actress
|-
|March 30
|[[Katy Mixon]]
|Actress (''[[Eastbound & Down]]'', ''[[American Housewife]]'')
|-
|March 31
|[[Ryan Bingham]]
|Actor
|-
|April 2
|[[Bethany Joy Lenz]]
|Actress (''[[Guiding Light]]'', ''[[One Tree Hill (TV series)|One Tree Hill]]'') and singer
|-
|April 6
|[[Eliza Coupe]]
|Actress (''[[Scrubs (TV series)|Scrubs]]'', ''[[Happy Endings (TV series)|Happy Endings]]'', ''[[Benched (TV series)|Benched]]'')
|-
|April 7
|[[Vanessa Olivarez]]
|Singer
|-
|April 8
|[[Taylor Kitsch]]
|Actor (''[[Friday Night Lights (TV series)|Friday Night Lights]]'')
|-
|April 11
|[[Laura Bell Bundy]]
|Actress
|-
|April 12
|[[Tulsi Gabbard]]
|Politician and Commentator ([[Fox News]])
|-
|April 13
|[[Courtney Peldon]]
|Actress (''[[Harry and the Hendersons (TV series)|Harry and the Hendersons]]'', ''[[Boston Public]]'')
|-
|April 19
|[[Hayden Christensen]]
|Actor
|-
|April 19
|[[Catalina Sandino Moreno]]
|Actress
|-
| rowspan="2" |April 28 
|[[Jessica Alba]]
|Actress (''[[Dark Angel (2000 TV series)|Dark Angel]]'')
|-
|[[Alex Riley]]
|Pro wrestler
|-
|April 28
|[[Catherine Reitman]]
|Actress
|-
|rowspan="2"|April 30
|[[Kunal Nayyar]]
|British-Indian actor (''[[The Big Bang Theory]]'', ''[[Sanjay and Craig]]'')
|-
|[[Rose Rollins]]
|Actress
|-
|May 2
|[[Robert Buckley]]
|Actor (''[[One Tree Hill (TV series)|One Tree Hill]]'')
|-
|May 3
|[[Farrah Franklin]]
|Singer (''[[Destiny's Child]]'') and actress
|-
|rowspan="3"|May 5 
|[[Danielle Fishel]]
|Actress (''[[Boy Meets World]]'', ''[[Girl Meets World]]'')
|-
|[[Zach McGowan]]
|Actor (''[[Black Sails (TV series)|Black Sails]]'', ''[[The 100 (TV series)|The 100]]'')
|-
|[[Soren Thompson]]
|American épée fencer
|-
|May 8
|[[Stephen Amell]]
|Canadian actor (''[[Arrow (TV series)|Arrow]]'')
|-
|May 11
|[[JP Karliak]]
|Actor, voice actor and comedian (''[[The Boss Baby: Back in Business]]'', ''[[Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz]]'')
|-
|May 15 
|[[Jamie-Lynn Sigler]]
|Actress (''[[The Sopranos]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|May 16
|[[Joseph Morgan (actor)|Joseph Morgan]]
|English actor (''[[The Vampire Diaries]]'')
|-
|[[Athena Karkanis]]
|Actress
|-
|May 17
|[[R. J. Helton]]
|Singer
|-
|May 22
|[[Bryan Danielson]]
|Pro wrestler<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pullar III |first=Sid |date=2024-09-26 |title=Bryan Danielson: Bio, News, Videos, Socials & More |url=https://www.si.com/fannation/wrestling/bryan-danielson-profile |access-date=2024-11-05 |website=Sports Illustrated |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|May 23
|[[Tim Robinson]]
|Actor and comedian (''[[Saturday Night Live]]'')
|-
|rowspan="3"|May 29
|Chris Violette
|Canadian actor (''[[Power Rangers S.P.D.]]'')
|-
|[[Justin Chon]]
|Actor (''[[Just Jordan]]'')
|-
|[[Anders Holm]]
|Actor
|-
|rowspan="2"|June 1
|[[Amy Schumer]]
|Actress and comedian (''[[Inside Amy Schumer]]'')
|-
|[[Johnny Pemberton]]
|Actor (''[[Pickle and Peanut]]'', ''[[Superstore (TV series)|Superstore]]'', ''[[Son of Zorn]]'')
|-
|June 2
|[[Velvet Sky]]
|Wrestler
|-
|rowspan="2"|June 4
|[[T.J. Miller]]
|Actor (''[[Gravity Falls]]'', ''[[Silicon Valley (TV series)|Silicon Valley]]'')
|-
|[[Zhubin Parang]]
|Writer
|-
|June 6
|[[Johnny Pacar]]
|Actor (''[[Flight 29 Down]]'')
|-
|June 7
|[[Larisa Oleynik]]
|Actress (''[[The Secret World of Alex Mack]]'', ''[[Winx Club]]'')
|-
|June 9
|[[Natalie Portman]]
|Actress (''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' host in 2006)
|-
|rowspan="2"|June 15
|[[Jordi Vilasuso]]
|Actor
|-
|[[Marie Harf]]
|American political commentator
|-
|June 17
|[[Jared Cotter]]
|Singer
|-
|June 18
|[[Scooter Braun]]
|American media proprietor, record executive, and investor
|-
|June 19
|[[Robin McLeavy]]
|Actress
|-
|June 20
|[[Alisan Porter]]
|Actress
|-
| rowspan="2" |June 21
|[[Christina Cewe]]
|Singer
|-
|[[Nicola Correia-Damude]]
|Actress
|-
|June 22
|[[Porsha Williams]]
|Actress
|-
|June 24
|[[Vanessa Ray]]
|Actress (''[[As the World Turns]]'', ''[[Blue Bloods (TV series)|Blue Bloods]]'')
|-
|June 26
|[[Adrianna Costa]]
|American television personality
|-
|rowspan="2"|July 1
|[[Kym Jackson]]
|Actress
|-
|[[Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave]]
|American television personality
|-
|July 5
|[[Ryan Hansen]]
|Actor (''[[Veronica Mars]]'')
|-
|July 8
|[[Lance Gross]]
|Actor
|-
|July 9
|[[Michelle Collins (comedian)|Michelle Collins]]
|Comedian and talk show host
|-
|July 13
|[[Michael Mando]]
|Actor
|-
|July 15
|[[Taylor Kinney]]
|Actor (''[[Chicago Fire (TV series)|Chicago Fire]]'')
|-
|July 16
|[[Michelle Morgan (actress)|Michelle Morgan]]
|Canadian actress (''[[Heartland (Canadian TV series)|Heartland]]'')
|-
|July 18
|[[Michiel Huisman]]
|Actor
|-
| rowspan="2" |July 21
|[[Blake Lewis]]
|Singer (''[[American Idol (season 6)|American Idol]]'')<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blake Lewis on Apple Music |url=https://music.apple.com/us/artist/blake-lewis/256088329 |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=Apple Music - Web Player |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|[[Chrishell Stause]]
|Actress (''[[All My Children]]'', ''[[Days of Our Lives]]'', ''Youthful Daze'')
|-
| rowspan="2" |July 22
|[[Fandango (wrestler)|Fandango]]
|Pro wrestler
|-
|[[Clive Standen]]
|Actor
|-
|July 24
|[[Summer Glau]]
|Actress (''[[Firefly (TV series)|Firefly]]'', ''[[Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles]]'', ''[[Sequestered (TV series)|Sequestered]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|July 28
|[[Billy Aaron Brown]]
|Actor (''[[8 Simple Rules]]'')
|-
|[[Neil Casey]]
|Actor
|-
|July 29
|[[Dyana Liu]]
|Actress (''[[Tower Prep]]''), voice actress (''[[Fanboy & Chum Chum]]'', ''[[Pig Goat Banana Cricket]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|July 30
|[[Lisa Goldstein (actress)|Lisa Goldstein]]
|Actress (''[[One Tree Hill (TV series)|One Tree Hill]]'')
|-
|[[Lisa Wilhoit]]
|Actress (''[[My So-Called Life]]'', ''[[Family Guy]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|July 31
|[[Alexander Torrenegra]]
|Investor
|-
|[[Eric Lively]]
|Actor
|-
|August 2
|[[Dylan Dreyer]]
|American television meteorologist
|-
|rowspan="3"|August 4
|[[Amanda Congdon]]
|Actress and video blogger (''[[Rocketboom]]'')
|-
|[[Meghan Markle]]
|Actress (''[[Suits (American TV series)|Suits]]'')
|-
|[[Abigail Spencer]]
|Actress (''[[All My Children]]'', ''[[Burning Love (TV series)|Burning Love]]'', ''[[Rectify]]'')
|-
|August 5
|[[Jesse Williams (actor)|Jesse Williams]]
|Actor (''[[Grey's Anatomy]]'')
|-
|August 6
|[[Leslie Odom Jr.]]
|Actor
|-
|August 7
|[[Randy Wayne]]
|Actor
|-
|August 8
|[[Meagan Good]]
|Actress (''[[Cousin Skeeter]]'')
|-
|August 14
|[[Kofi Kingston]]
|Pro wrestler<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-09-16 |title=WWE Profile - Kofi Kingston |url=https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/17173532/wwe-profile-page-kofi-kingston |access-date=2024-11-05 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|August 15
|[[Brooke Anderson (actress)|Brooke Anderson]]
|Television actress
|-
|August 17
|[[Kristin Adams]]
|Television personality
|-
|August 19
|[[Nate Burleson]]
|Host
|-
|August 21
|Erin Kelly
|Actress (''[[Beyond the Break]]'')
|-
|August 22
|[[Ross Marquand]]
|Actor
|-
|August 23
|[[Jaime Lee Kirchner]]
|Actress
|-
|August 24
|[[Chad Michael Murray]]
|Actor (''[[Gilmore Girls]]'', ''[[Dawson's Creek]]'', ''[[One Tree Hill (TV series)|One Tree Hill]]'', ''[[Chosen (American TV series)|Chosen]]'', ''[[Agent Carter (TV series)|Agent Carter]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|August 25 
|[[Rachel Bilson]]
|Actress (''[[The O.C.]]'', ''[[Hart of Dixie]]'')
|-
|[[Andrew Chambliss]]
|Writer
|-
|rowspan="2"|August 27
|[[Karla Mosley]]
|Actress
|-
|[[Patrick J. Adams]]
|Actor
|-
|August 29 
|[[Jay Ryan (actor)|Jay Ryan]]
|Australian actor (''[[Beauty & the Beast (2012 TV series)|Beauty & the Beast]]'')
|-
|August 31
|[[Joshua Close]]
|Actor
|-
|September 1
|[[Boyd Holbrook]]
|Actor
|-
|September 4 
|[[Beyoncé]]
|Singer (''[[Destiny's Child]]'') and actress
|-
|September 5
|[[Aaron Bay-Schuck]]
|American music industry executive
|-
|September 7 
|[[Athena Karkanis]]
|Actress
|-
|September 8 
|[[Jonathan Taylor Thomas]]
|Actor (''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]]'')
|-
|September 9
|[[Julie Gonzalo]]
|Argentine-American actress (''[[Veronica Mars (TV series)|Veronica Mars]]'', ''[[Eli Stone (TV series)|Eli Stone]]'', ''[[Dallas (2012 TV series)|Dallas]]'')
|-
|September 10
|[[Ben Aaron]]
|New York City-based media personality
|-
| rowspan="2" |September 12
|[[Hosea Chanchez]]
|Actor (''[[The Game (American TV series)|The Game]]'')
|-
|[[Jennifer Hudson]]
|Singer ([[American Idol (season 3)|''American Idol'']], ''[[The Jennifer Hudson Show]]'', [[The Voice (American TV series)|''The Voice US'']])
|-
|September 13
|[[EJay Day]]
|Singer
|-
|September 15
|[[Ben Schwartz]]
|Actor (''[[Parks and Recreation]]'', ''[[House of Lies]]'', ''[[Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja]]'', ''[[DuckTales (2017 TV series)|DuckTales]]'', ''[[Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'',  ''[[Pinky Malinky]]'')
|-
|September 16
|[[Alexis Bledel]]
|Actress (''[[Gilmore Girls]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|September 18
|[[Jennifer Tisdale]]
|Actress and sister of [[Ashley Tisdale]]
|-
|[[Arie Luyendyk Jr.]]
|Television personality
|-
|September 20
|Mandy Bruno
|Actress (''[[Guiding Light]]'')
|-
|September 21
|[[Nicole Richie]]
|Actress and TV personality (''[[The Simple Life]]'')
|-
|September 22
|[[Ashley Eckstein]]
|Actress (''[[That's So Raven]]'', ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)|Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]'', ''[[Sofia the First]]'', ''[[Ultimate Spider-Man (TV series)|Ultimate Spider-Man]]'', ''[[Star Wars Rebels]]'')
|-
|September 24
|[[Fernanda Urrejola]]
|Actress
|-
|rowspan="3"|September 25
|[[Lee Norris]]
|Actor (''[[Boy Meets World]]'', ''[[One Tree Hill (TV series)|One Tree Hill]]'', ''[[Girl Meets World]]'')
|-
|[[Dan Mintz]]
|Voice actor (''[[Bob's Burgers]]'')
|-
|[[Victor Blackwell]]
|News anchor
|-
|September 26
|[[Christina Milian]]
|Actress (''[[Grandfathered (TV series)|Grandfathered]]'')
|-
|rowspan="3"|September 28
|[[Melissa Claire Egan]]
|Actress (''[[All My Children]]'', ''[[The Young and the Restless]]'')
|-
|[[Jerrika Hinton]]
|Actress (''[[Grey's Anatomy]]'')
|-
|[[Rebecca Jarvis]]
|American journalist
|-
|September 29
|[[Kelly McCreary]]
|Actress (''[[Grey's Anatomy]]'')
|-
|October 3
|[[Seth Gabel]]
|Actor (''[[Fringe (TV series)|Fringe]]'', ''[[Salem (TV series)|Salem]]'')
|-
|October 8
|[[Ben Lyons]]
|Sportcaster
|-
|rowspan="2"|October 9
|[[Zachery Ty Bryan]]
|Actor (''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]]'')
|-
|[[Rupert Friend]]
|Actor
|-
|rowspan="2"|October 12
|[[Brian J. Smith]]
|Actor (''[[Stargate Universe]]'')
|-
|[[Dan Oster]]
|Comedic actor (''[[Mad TV]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|October 16
|[[Brea Grant]]
|Actress (''[[Heroes (American TV series)|Heroes]]'')
|-
|[[Caterina Scorsone]]
|Actress (''[[Missing (Canadian TV series)|Missing]]'', ''[[Grey's Anatomy]]'', ''[[Private Practice (TV series)|Private Practice]]'')
|-
|October 18
|[[Gabrielle Dennis]]
|Actress (''[[The Game (American TV series)|The Game]]'', ''[[Blue Mountain State]]'', ''[[Rosewood (TV series)|Rosewood]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|October 22
|[[Michael Fishman]]
|Actor (''[[Roseanne]]'')
|-
|[[John Boyd (actor)|John Boyd]]
|Actor (''[[24 (TV series)|24]]'', ''[[Bones (TV series)|Bones]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|October 30
|[[Shaun Sipos]]
|Actor (''[[Complete Savages]]'')
|-
|[[Fiona Dourif]]
|Actress
|-
|October 31
|[[Ivanka Trump]]
|TV personality
|-
|rowspan="2"|November 1
|[[Matt Jones (actor)|Matt Jones]]
|Actor (''[[Breaking Bad]]'', ''[[Mom (TV series)|Mom]]''), voice actor (''[[Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil]]'', ''[[Sanjay and Craig]]'', ''[[Pig Goat Banana Cricket]]'')
|-
|[[LaTavia Roberson]]
|Singer (''[[Destiny's Child]]'')
|-
|November 8 
|[[Azura Skye]]
|Actress (''[[Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane]]'')
|-
|November 9
|[[Scottie Thompson (actress)|Scottie Thompson]]
|Actress (''[[NCIS (TV series)|NCIS]]'', ''[[Trauma (American TV series)|Trauma]]'')
|-
|November 10
|[[Ryback]]
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|November 11
|[[Susan Kelechi Watson]]
|Actress (''[[Louie (American TV series)|Louie]]'', ''[[This Is Us]]'')
|-
|[[Alex Sim-Wise]]
|TV presenter
|-
|November 14
|[[Vanessa Bayer]]
|Actress (''[[Saturday Night Live]]'')
|-
|November 15
|[[Daniel Casey (screenwriter)|Daniel Casey]]
|Screenwriter
|-
|November 16
|[[Zerlina Maxwell]]
|TV host
|-
|rowspan="3"|November 18
|[[Allison Tolman]]
|Actress (''[[Fargo (TV series)|Fargo]]'')
|-
|[[Christina Vidal]]
|Actress (''[[Taina (TV series)|Taina]]'')
|-
|[[Nasim Pedrad]]
|Actress and comedian (''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', ''[[Scream Queens (2015 TV series)|Scream Queens]]'')
|-
|November 24
|[[Krystal Ball]]
|American political commentator
|-
|rowspan="2"|November 25
|[[Jenna Bush Hager]]
|American news personality
|-
|[[Amy Seimetz]]
|American actress
|-
|November 26
|[[Natasha Bedingfield]]
|Singer
|-
|November 28
|[[Erick Rowan]]
|Pro wrestler
|-
|rowspan="2"|November 29
|[[Kimberly Cullum]]
|Actress
|-
|[[John Milhiser]]
|Actor and comedian (''[[Saturday Night Live]]'')
|-
|November 30
|[[Billy Lush]]
|Actor
|-
|December 2 
|[[Britney Spears]]
|Singer (''[[The Mickey Mouse Club]]'')
|-
|rowspan="3"|December 3
|[[Brian Bonsall]]
|Actor (''[[Family Ties]]'', ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'')
|-
|[[Liza Lapira]]
|Actress
|-
|[[Elliott Kalan]]
|Writer
|-
|December 11
|[[Jason Kennedy (TV personality)|Jason Kennedy]]
|Entertainment journalist
|-
|December 12
|[[Eddie Kingston]]
|Pro wrestler
|-
|December 13
|Chelsea Hertford
|Actress (''[[Major Dad]]'')
|-
|December 15
|[[Michelle Dockery]]
|English actress (''[[Downton Abbey]]'', ''[[Good Behavior (2016 TV series)|Good Behavior]]'')
|-
|December 16
|[[Krysten Ritter]]
|Actress (''[[Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23]]'', ''[[Jessica Jones (TV series)|Jessica Jones]]'')
|-
|rowspan="2"|December 27
|[[Jay Ellis]]
|Actor (''[[The Game (American TV series)|The Game]]'', ''[[Insecure (TV series)|Insecure]]'')
|-
|[[Emilie de Ravin]]
|Actress (''[[Roswell (TV series)|Roswell]]'', ''[[Lost (2004 TV series)|Lost]]'', ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'')
|-
|December 28
|[[Sienna Miller]]
|Actress
|-
|December 31
|[[Ricky Whittle]]
|English actor (''[[The 100 (TV series)|The 100]]'')
|}

==Deaths==
{| class="wikitable"
! Date || Name || Age || Notability 
|-
|January 25
|[[Adele Astaire]] 
|align="center"|84
|Actress
|-
|April 26 
|[[Jim Davis (actor)|Jim Davis]] 
|align="center"|71
|Actor (Jock Ewing on ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'')
|-
|June 9 
|[[Allen Ludden]] 
|align="center"|63
|Game show host (''[[Password (American game show)|Password]]'')
|-
|July 3
|[[Ross Martin]]
|align="center"|61
|Polish-born actor (Artemus Gordon on ''[[The Wild Wild West]]'')
|-
|August 1 
|[[Paddy Chayefsky]] 
|align="center"|58
|Writer (''[[Marty (film)|Marty]]'')
|-
|September 27 
|[[Robert Montgomery (actor)|Robert Montgomery]]  
|align="center"|77
|Actor, host (''[[Robert Montgomery Presents]]'')
|-
|November 25 
|[[Jack Albertson]] 
|align="center"|74
|Actor (''[[Chico and the Man]]'')
|-
|November 29
|[[Natalie Wood]]
|align="center"|43
|Actress (''[[The Pride of the Family]]'', ''[[The Public Defender (TV series)|The Public Defender]]'')
|}

==See also==
* [[1981 in the United States]]
* [[List of American films of 1981]]

{{Years in TV by country|1981}}
{{Years in television}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?title_type=tv_series&release_date=1981-01-01,1981-12-31&countries=us&adult=include&sort=num_votes,desc List of 1981 American television series] at [[IMDb]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:1981 In Television}}
[[Category:1981 in American television| ]]
[[Category:1980s in American television| ]]