View source for 1959–60 United States network television schedule

{{Short description|none}}
{{USTV|1959}}
The following is the '''1959–60 network television schedule''' for the three major English language commercial [[List of United States over-the-air television networks|broadcast networks in the United States]]. The schedule covers [[primetime]] hours from September 1959 through March 1960. The schedule is followed by a [[#By network|list per network]] of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the [[1958-59 United States network television schedule|1958–59 season]].

By the end of the 1950s, the three major U.S. television networks had basically given up direct control of their TV programs. According to TV historians Castleman and Podrazik (1982), [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] allowed [[Warner Brothers]] studios to fill 30% of its fall 1959 schedule. The networks "acted as mere conduits", with Warner, [[Talent Associates]], [[Revue Studios]], [[Ziv Television Programs|Ziv]], [[Screen Gems]], [[20th Century-Fox]], [[Goodson-Todman]], and [[Desilu Studios]] producing nearly everything on the networks; with rare exceptions, only network news and sports were still produced in-house.<ref name="CP1982">{{cite book| last = Castleman| first = Harry|author2= Walter J. Podrazik| title = Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television| url = https://archive.org/details/watchingtvfourde00cast| url-access = registration| publisher = McGraw-Hill| year = 1982| location = New York| pages = [https://archive.org/details/watchingtvfourde00cast/page/129 129–138]| isbn = 0-07-010269-4}}</ref>

By fall 1959 what the Hollywood studios were producing were mostly Westerns. According to Castleman and Podrazik (1984), "the rush to Westerns had become a virtual stampede so that, by the fall of 1959, viewers had their choice from a staggering twenty-eight different Western-based prime time series."<ref name="CP1984">Castleman, H. and Podrazik, W. (1984) ''The TV Schedule Book: Four Decades of Network Programming from Sign-on to Sign-off''. McGraw-Hill. pg 79-85. {{ISBN|0-07-010277-5}}</ref> Westerns were popular with audiences, but critics lamented the loss of other program formats, which had quietly vanished from the three networks' schedules. The addition of Westerns and game shows came at the direct expense of the live dramatic anthology series seen during the [[Golden Age of Television]].<ref name="Heldenfels">Heldenfels, R. D. (1994) ''Television's Greatest Year: 1954''. New York: Continuum, pg 210. {{ISBN|0-8264-0675-0}}</ref>

All times are Eastern and Pacific. New fall series are highlighted in '''bold'''.

The official schedule was set by each network before the start of the official fall season. The fall season is from September to November in the U.S.. The mid-season schedule is listed under the official fall season lineup of each network. The mid-season schedule is from December 1959 to May 1960.

Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by [[Nielsen Media Research]].<ref name="BM2">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}}.</ref>

:{{Color box|yellow|border=darkgray}} Yellow indicates the programs in the top 10 for the season.
:{{Color box|cyan|border=darkgray}} Cyan indicates the programs in the top 20 for the season.
:{{Color box|FF22FF|border=darkgray}} Magenta indicates the programs in the top 30 for the season.

== Sunday ==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;margin-right:0;text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| Network
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 7:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 7:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 8:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 8:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 9:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 9:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 10:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 10:30 PM
|-
! rowspan="3" | [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
! Fall
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | ''[[Colt .45 (TV series)|Colt .45]]''
| bgcolor="#00FFFF" colspan="2" rowspan="3" | ''[[Maverick (TV series)|Maverick]]'' (19/25.2)
| bgcolor="#00FFFF" rowspan="3" | ''[[Lawman (TV series)|Lawman]]'' (15/26.2)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="3" | '''''[[The Rebel (American TV series)|The Rebel]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" rowspan="3" | '''''[[The Alaskans]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''[[Dick Clark's World of Talent]]'''''
|-
! Winter
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[21 Beacon Street]]''
|-
! Spring
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[Broken Arrow (TV series)|Broken Arrow]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''[[Johnny Staccato]]'''''
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[CBS]]
! Fall
| bgcolor="#FF22FF" rowspan="2" | ''[[Lassie (1954 TV series)|Lassie]]'' (29/23.1)<br/><small>(Tied with ''[[The Perry Como Show]]'')</small>
| bgcolor="#00FFFF" rowspan="2" | '''''[[Dennis the Menace (1959 TV series)|Dennis the Menace]]''''' (16/26.0)
| bgcolor="#00FFFF" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' (12/28.0)
| bgcolor="#FF22FF" rowspan="2" | ''[[General Electric Theater]]'' (21/24.4)<br/><small>(Tied with ''[[Mr. Lucky (TV series)|Mr. Lucky]]'' and ''[[Zane Grey Theater]]'')</small>
| bgcolor="#FF22FF" rowspan="2" | ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' (25/24.1)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[The Jack Benny Program]]'' / ''[[George Gobel|The George Gobel Show]]''
| bgcolor="#FF22FF" rowspan="2" | ''[[What's My Line?]]'' (27/23.9)
|-
! Summer
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''[[Lucy in Connecticut]]'''''
|-
! rowspan="3" | [[NBC]]
! Fall
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | '''''[[Riverboat (TV series)|Riverboat]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | '''''[[NBC Sunday Showcase]]''''' (In <span style="color:red;">C</span><span style="color:orange;">O</span><span style="color:gold;">L</span><span style="color:green;">O</span><span style="color:blue;">R</span>)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | ''[[The Dinah Shore Chevy Show]]'' (In <span style="color:red;">C</span><span style="color:orange;">O</span><span style="color:gold;">L</span><span style="color:green;">O</span><span style="color:blue;">R</span>)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="3" | ''[[Letter to Loretta|The Loretta Young Show]]''
| bgcolor="#ABBFFF" rowspan="3" | Local Programming
|-
! February
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | '''''[[Overland Trail (TV series)|Overland Trail]]'''''
|-
! Summer
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | '''''Music on Ice''''' (In <span style="color:red;">C</span><span style="color:orange;">O</span><span style="color:gold;">L</span><span style="color:green;">O</span><span style="color:blue;">R</span>)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | '''''[[The Chevy Mystery Show]]''''' (In <span style="color:red;">C</span><span style="color:orange;">O</span><span style="color:gold;">L</span><span style="color:green;">O</span><span style="color:blue;">R</span>)
|}
'''Notes:''' The [[CBS]] 1960 summer series ''Lucy in Connecticut'' consisted of reruns of ''[[I Love Lucy]]'' from the final 13 episodes of the 1956-57 season when the Lucy and Ricky Ricardo characters made their home in [[Westport, Connecticut|Westport]], [[Connecticut]]. On [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], the 1959-60 winter series ''[[21 Beacon Street]]'' consisted of reruns of [[NBC]]'s 1959 summer series.

== Monday ==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;margin-right:0;text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| Network
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 7:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 7:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 8:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 8:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 9:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 9:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 10:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 10:30 PM
|-
! colspan="2" | [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
| bgcolor="#ABBFFF" | Local Programming
| bgcolor="#00FFFF" colspan="2" | ''[[Cheyenne (1955 TV series)|Cheyenne]]'' (17/25.9)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | '''''[[Bourbon Street Beat]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | '''''[[Adventures in Paradise (TV series)|Adventures in Paradise]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[Man with a Camera]]''
|-
! rowspan="3" | [[CBS]]
! Fall
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="3" | 7:00 Local Programming / 7:15 ''[[CBS Evening News|Douglas Edwards with the News]]''* 
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[Masquerade Party]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="3" | ''[[The Texan (TV series)|The Texan]]''
| bgcolor="#FFFF00" rowspan="3" | ''[[Father Knows Best]]'' (6/29.7)<br/><small>(Tied with ''[[77 Sunset Strip]]'')</small>
| bgcolor="#FFFF00" rowspan="3" | ''[[The Danny Thomas Show]]'' (4/31.1)
| bgcolor="#FF22FF" rowspan="3" | ''[[The Ann Sothern Show]]'' (24/24.2)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | '''''[[Hennesey]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="3" | '''''[[The DuPont Show with June Allyson]]'''''
|-
! Winter
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0"  rowspan="2" | '''''[[Kate Smith|The Kate Smith Show]]'''''
|-
! Summer
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''[[New Comedy Showcase]]'''''
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[NBC]]
! Fall
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | 7:00 Local Programming / 7:15 ''[[The Huntley-Brinkley Report]]''*
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[Richard Diamond, Private Detective]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''[[Love and Marriage (1959 TV series)|Love and Marriage]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | ''[[Tales of Wells Fargo]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | ''[[Peter Gunn]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | ''[[Alcoa Theatre]]'' / ''[[Goodyear Television Playhouse]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | ''[[The Steve Allen Show|The Steve Allen Plymouth Show]]''** (In <span style="color:red;">C</span><span style="color:orange;">O</span><span style="color:gold;">L</span><span style="color:green;">O</span><span style="color:blue;">R</span>)
|-
! February
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | '''''[[Riverboat (TV series)|Riverboat]]'''''
|}

(*) In some areas, ''[[CBS News|Douglas Edwards with the News]]'' and ''[[NBC News|The Huntley-Brinkley Report]]'' aired at 6:45 p.m.
(**) Formerly known as ''The Steve Allen Show''

New episodes of ''[[Richard Diamond, Private Detective]]'', starring [[David Janssen]], during the season were split, with some airing on [[NBC]] from October 1959 to January 1960 on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, and the remainder on NBC on Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. Eastern from June to September 1960.

On CBS, the summer series ''[[New Comedy Showcase]]'' was an [[anthology series]] composed on unsold [[television pilot]]]s.

== Tuesday ==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;margin-right:0;text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| Network
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 7:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 7:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 8:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 8:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 9:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 9:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 10:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 10:30 PM
|-
! colspan="2" | [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
| bgcolor="#ABBFFF" | Local Programming
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | ''[[Sugarfoot]]'' / ''[[Bronco (TV series)|Bronco]]''
| bgcolor="#00FFFF" | ''[[The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp]]'' (20/25.0)
| bgcolor="#00FFFF" | ''[[The Rifleman]]'' (13/27.5)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''[[Philip Marlowe]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[Keep Talking (TV series)|Keep Talking]]''
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[CBS]]
! Fall
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | 7:00 Local Programming / 7:15 ''[[CBS Evening News|Douglas Edwards with the News]]''
| bgcolor="#ABBFFF" rowspan="2" | Local Programming
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''[[The Dennis O'Keefe Show]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | '''''[[The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | '''''[[Tightrope (TV series)|Tightrope!]]'''''
| bgcolor="#FFFF00" | ''[[The Red Skelton Show]]'' (Sporadically in <span style="color:red;">C</span><span style="color:orange;">O</span><span style="color:gold;">L</span><span style="color:green;">O</span><span style="color:blue;">R</span>) (5/30.8)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | ''[[The Garry Moore Show]]''
|-
! Summer
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[Peck's Bad Girl]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''[[The Comedy Spot]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" |'''''[[Diagnosis: Unknown]]'''''
|-
! rowspan="3" | [[NBC]]
! Fall
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="3" |7:00 Local Programming / 7:15 ''[[The Huntley-Brinkley Report]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" rowspan="3" | '''''[[Laramie (TV series)|Laramie]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''[[Fibber McGee and Molly]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[The Arthur Murray Party]]'' (In <span style="color:red;">C</span><span style="color:orange;">O</span><span style="color:gold;">L</span><span style="color:green;">O</span><span style="color:blue;">R</span>)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | '''''[[Startime (1959 TV series)|Startime]]''''' (In <span style="color:red;">C</span><span style="color:orange;">O</span><span style="color:gold;">L</span><span style="color:green;">O</span><span style="color:blue;">R</span>)
| bgcolor="#ABBFFF" rowspan="3" | Local Programming
|-
!Spring
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | '''''[[Startime (1959 TV series)|Startime]]''''' (In <span style="color:red;">C</span><span style="color:orange;">O</span><span style="color:gold;">L</span><span style="color:green;">O</span><span style="color:blue;">R</span>)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | ''[[The Arthur Murray Party]]'' (In <span style="color:red;">C</span><span style="color:orange;">O</span><span style="color:gold;">L</span><span style="color:green;">O</span><span style="color:blue;">R</span>)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | ''[[M Squad]]''
|-
! Summer
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''Gas Company Playhouse'''''/<br/>'''''NBC Playhouse''''' (alternating)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[Richard Diamond, Private Detective]]''
|}
'''Notes:''' On [[CBS]], the summer [[anthology series]] ''[[The Comedy Spot]]'' consisted of broadcasts of unsold [[television pilot]]s and reruns of episodes of ''[[General Electric Theater]]'' and [[NBC]]'s ''[[Colgate Theatre (1958 TV series)|Colgate Theater]]''.

On NBC, ''Gas Company Playhouse'' and ''NBC Playhouse'' alternated weekly. ''Gas Company Playhouse'', hosted by [[Julia Meade]], consisted of reruns of episodes of ''[[Goodyear Television Playhouse]]'', ''[[The David Niven Show]]'', ''[[Colgate Theatre (1958 TV series)|Colgate Theater]]'', and ''[[Alcoa Theatre]]''. ''NBC Playhouse'', hosted by [[Jeanne Bal]], consisted of reruns of episodes of ''[[The Loretta Young Show]]'' in which [[Loretta Young]] had not starred.

New episodes of ''[[Richard Diamond, Private Detective]]'', starring [[David Janssen]], were split during the 1959–1960 season, with some airing on [[NBC]] from October 1959 to January 1960 on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, and the remainder on NBC on Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. Eastern from June to September 1960.

== Wednesday ==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;margin-right:0;text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| Network
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 7:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 7:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 8:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 8:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 9:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 9:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 10:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 10:30 PM
|-
! rowspan="3" | [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
! Fall
| bgcolor="#ABBFFF" rowspan="3" | Local Programming
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[The Court of Last Resort]]'' (repeats) 
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | '''''[[Charley Weaver's Hobby Lobby]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="3" | ''[[The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" rowspan="3" | '''''[[Hawaiian Eye]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" rowspan="3" | ''The Wednesday Night Fights''
|-
! Winter
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[Music For a Summer Night|Music For a Spring Night]]''
|-
! Spring
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | ''[[Music For a Summer Night|Music For a Spring Night]]'' / ''[[Music For a Summer Night]]''
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[CBS]]
! Fall
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | 7:00 Local Programming / 7:15 ''[[CBS Evening News|Douglas Edwards with the News]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | ''[[The Lineup (TV series)|The Lineup]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | '''''[[Men into Space]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | ''[[The Millionaire (TV series)|The Millionaire]]''
| bgcolor="#FF00FF" rowspan="2" | ''[[I've Got a Secret]]'' (28/23.5)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | ''[[Armstrong Circle Theatre]]'' / ''[[The United States Steel Hour]]''
|-
! Winter
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | '''''Be Our Guest'''''
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[NBC]]
! Fall
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | 7:00 Local Programming / 7:15 ''[[The Huntley-Brinkley Report]]''
| bgcolor="#FFFF00" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | ''[[Wagon Train]]'' (2/38.4)
| bgcolor="#FFFF00" rowspan="2" | ''[[The Price Is Right (1956 U.S. game show)|The Price Is Right]]'' (In <span style="color:red;">C</span><span style="color:orange;">O</span><span style="color:gold;">L</span><span style="color:green;">O</span><span style="color:blue;">R</span>) (8/29.2)
| bgcolor="#FF00FF"  colspan="2" | ''[[The Perry Como Show]]'' (29/23.1)<br/><small>(Tied with ''[[Lassie (1954 TV series)|Lassie]]'')</small> (In <span style="color:red;">C</span><span style="color:orange;">O</span><span style="color:gold;">L</span><span style="color:green;">O</span><span style="color:blue;">R</span>)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | ''[[This Is Your Life (American franchise)|This Is Your Life]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | '''''[[Wichita Town]]'''''
|-
! Summer
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''[[Happy (1960 TV series)|Happy]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''[[Tate (TV series)|Tate]]'''''
|}
'''Note:''' On [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], ''Music For a Spring Night'' was the summer 1959 series ''[[Music For a Summer Night]]'' renamed. It reverted to the name ''Music For a Summer Night'' in May 1960.

== Thursday ==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;margin-right:0;text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| Network
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 7:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 7:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 8:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 8:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 9:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 9:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 10:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 10:30 PM
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
! Fall
| bgcolor="#ABBFFF" rowspan="2" | Local Programming
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | ''[[The Gale Storm Show]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | ''[[The Donna Reed Show]]''
| bgcolor="#00FFFF" rowspan="2" | ''[[The Real McCoys]]'' (11/28.2)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | '''''[[The Untouchables (1959 TV series)|The Untouchables]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | '''''[[Take a Good Look (TV series)|Take a Good Look]]'''''
|-
! Summer
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[Hey, Jeannie!|The Jeannie Carson Show]]''
|-
! rowspan="3" | [[CBS]]
! Fall
| rowspan="3" bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | 7:00 Local Programming / 7:15 ''[[CBS Evening News|Douglas Edwards with the News]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | ''[[To Tell the Truth]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="3" | '''''[[The Betty Hutton Show]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="3" | '''''[[Johnny Ringo (TV series)|Johnny Ringo]]'''''
| bgcolor="#FF00FF" rowspan="3" | ''[[Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre]]'' (21/24.4)<br/><small>(Tied with ''[[Mr. Lucky (TV series)|Mr. Lucky]]'' and ''[[General Electric Theater]]'')</small>
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="3" | ''[[Playhouse 90]]'' / '''''The Big Party'''''
|-
! Winter
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | ''[[Markham (TV series)|Markham]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | '''''The Revlon Revue'''''
|-
! Summer
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[The Invisible Man (1958 TV series)|The Invisible Man]]''
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[NBC]]
! Fall
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | 7:00 Local Programming / 7:15 ''[[The Huntley-Brinkley Report]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | '''''[[Law of the Plainsman]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | ''[[Bat Masterson (TV series)|Bat Masterson]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | '''''[[Johnny Staccato]]''''' (later moved to ABC)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | ''[[Bachelor Father (U.S. TV series)|Bachelor Father]]''
| bgcolor="#00FFFF" | ''[[The Ford Show]]'' (14/27.4) (In <span style="color:red;">C</span><span style="color:orange;">O</span><span style="color:gold;">L</span><span style="color:green;">O</span><span style="color:blue;">R</span>)
| bgcolor="#FF00FF" rowspan="2" | ''[[You Bet Your Life]]'' (26/24.0)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | ''[[The Lawless Years]]''
|-
! Summer
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''[[Wrangler (TV series)|Wrangler]]'''''
|}
'''Note;''' The ABC 1960 summer series ''The Jeannie Carson Show'' consisted of reruns of the 1956-1957 CBS situation comedy ''[[Hey, Jeannie!]]''

== Friday ==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;margin-right:0;text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| Network
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 7:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 7:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 8:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 8:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 9:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 9:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 10:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 10:30 PM
|-
! colspan="2" |[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
| bgcolor="#ABBFFF" | Local Programming
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | ''[[Walt Disney anthology television series|Walt Disney Presents]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''[[The Man From Blackhawk]]'''''
| bgcolor="#FFFF00" colspan="2" | ''[[77 Sunset Strip]]'' (6/29.7)<br/><small>(Tied with ''[[Father Knows Best]]'')</small>
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''[[The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[Black Saddle]]''
|-
! colspan="2" |[[CBS]]
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | 7:00 Local Programming / 7:15 ''[[CBS Evening News|Douglas Edwards with the News]]'' 
| bgcolor="#00FFFF" colspan="2" | ''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]'' (18/25.8)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''[[Hotel de Paree]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | ''[[Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse]]'' / ''[[The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour|The Westinghouse Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show]]'' (once a month)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[Person to Person]]''
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[NBC]]
! Fall
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0"  rowspan="2" | 7:00 Local Programming / 7:15 ''[[The Huntley-Brinkley Report]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0"  rowspan="2" | ''[[People Are Funny]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0"  rowspan="2" | '''''[[The Troubleshooters (1959 TV series)|The Troubleshooters]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2"  rowspan="2" | ''[[The Bell Telephone Hour]]'' (In <span style="color:red;">C</span><span style="color:orange;">O</span><span style="color:gold;">L</span><span style="color:green;">O</span><span style="color:blue;">R</span>) / '''''NBC Friday Night Special Presentation''''' (In <span style="color:red;">C</span><span style="color:orange;">O</span><span style="color:gold;">L</span><span style="color:green;">O</span><span style="color:blue;">R</span>, alternating once per month)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[M Squad]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2"  rowspan="2" | 10:00 ''[[Gillette Cavalcade of Sports]]'' / 10:45 ''[[Jackpot Bowling|Phillies Jackpot Bowling]]''
|-
! Winter
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[Masquerade Party]]''
|}

== Saturday ==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;margin-right:0;text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| Network
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 7:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 8:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 8:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 9:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 9:30 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 10:00 PM
! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"| 10:30 PM
|-
! colspan="2" | [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[The Dick Clark Show|Dick Clark's Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''[[John Gunther's High Road]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[Leave It to Beaver]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | ''[[The Lawrence Welk Show]]''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | ''[[Ozark Jubilee|Jubilee USA]]''
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[CBS]]
! Fall
| bgcolor="#FFFF00" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' (10/28.3)
| bgcolor="#FFFF00" rowspan="2" | ''[[Wanted Dead or Alive (TV series)|Wanted Dead or Alive]]'' (9/28.7)
| bgcolor="#FF00FF" rowspan="2" | '''''[[Mr. Lucky (TV series)|Mr. Lucky]]''''' (21/24.4)<br/><small>(Tied with ''[[Zane Grey Theater]]'' and ''[[General Electric Theater]]'')</small>
| bgcolor="#FFFF00" rowspan="2" | ''[[Have Gun – Will Travel]]'' (3/34.7)
| bgcolor="#FFFF00" rowspan="2" | ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' (1/40.3)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[Markham (TV series)|Markham]]''
|-
! Winter
| bgcolor="#ABBFFF" | Local Programming
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[NBC]]
! Fall
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | '''''[[Bonanza]]''''' (In <span style="color:red;">C</span><span style="color:orange;">O</span><span style="color:gold;">L</span><span style="color:green;">O</span><span style="color:blue;">R</span>)
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | '''''[[The Man and the Challenge]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" rowspan="2" | '''''[[The Deputy (TV series)|The Deputy]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | '''''[[Five Fingers (American TV series)|Five Fingers]]'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | ''[[It Could Be You (US game show)|It Could Be You]]''
|-
! Winter
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" colspan="2" | '''''World Wide '60'''''
| bgcolor="#F0F0F0" | '''''[[Man from Interpol]]'''''
|}

==By network==

===[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-3}}
'''Returning Series'''
*''[[77 Sunset Strip]]''
*''[[The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet]]''
*''[[Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond]]''
*''[[Black Saddle]]''
*''[[Broken Arrow (TV series)|Broken Arrow]]''
*''[[Bronco (TV series)|Bronco]]''
*''[[Cheyenne (TV series)|Cheyenne]]''
*''[[Colt .45 (TV series)|Colt .45]]''
*''[[The Dick Clark Show|Dick Clark's Saturday Night Beach-Nut Show]]''
*''[[The Donna Reed Show]]''
*''[[The Gale Storm Show]]''
*''[[The Jeannie Carson Show]]''
*''[[Johnny Staccato]]'' (moved from [[NBC]] later this season)
*''[[Ozark Jubilee|Jubilee USA]]''
*''[[Keep Talking (game show)|Keep Talking]]''
*''[[Lawman (TV series)|Lawman]]''
*''[[The Lawrence Welk Show]]''
*''[[Leave It to Beaver]]''
*''[[The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp]]''
*''[[Man with a Camera]]''
*''[[Maverick (TV series)|Maverick]]''
*''Music for a Spring Night''
*''Music for a Summer Night''
*''[[The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom]]''
*''[[The Rifleman]]''
*''[[Sugarfoot]]''
*''[[Walt Disney Presents]]''
*''The Wednesday Night Fights''

{{col-3}}
'''New Series'''
*'''''[[The Alaskans]]'''''
*'''''[[Black Saddle]]''''' *
*'''''[[Bourbon Street Beat]]'''''
*'''''[[Charley Weaver's Hobby Lobby]]'''''
*'''''[[The Detectives (1959 TV series)|The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor]]'''''
*'''''[[Dick Clark's World of Talent]]'''''
*'''''[[Hawaiian Eye]]'''''
*'''''[[John Gunther|John Gunther's High Road]]'''''
*'''''[[The Man from Blackhawk]]'''''
*'''''[[Matty's Funday Funnies]]'''''
*'''''[[Philip Marlowe]]'''''
*'''''[[Playhouse 90]]'''''
*'''''[[The Rebel (American TV series)|The Rebel]]'''''
*'''''[[Take a Good Look (TV series)|Take a Good Look]]'''''
*'''''[[The United States Steel Hour]]'''''
*'''''[[The Untouchables (1959 TV series)|The Untouchables]]'''''
*'''''[[CBS News|Walter Cronkite with the News]]'''''
*'''''[[Wanted: Dead or Alive (TV series)| Wanted: Dead or Alive]]'''''

{{col-3}}
'''Not returning from [[1958–59 United States network television schedule|1958–59]]:'''
*''[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]''
*''[[Accused (1958 TV series)|Accused]]''
*''[[George Fenneman|Anybody Can Play]]''/''Anyone Can Play''
*''The Billy Graham Crusade''
*''[[Bold Journey]]''
*''[[Confession (American TV series)|Confession]]''
*''[[Deadline for Action]]''
*''Dr. I.Q.''
*''[[Encounter (1958 TV series)|Encounter]]''
*''[[ABC World News Tonight|John Daly and the News]]''
*''[[Lawrence Welk|Lawrence Welk's Dodge Dancing Party]]''
*''[[Lawrence Welk|Lawrence Welk's Plymouth Show]]''
*''[[Patti Page|The Patti Page Oldsmobile Show]]''
*''[[Polka Go-Round]]''
*''[[The Rough Riders (TV series)|Rough Riders]]''
*''[[Sammy Kaye|Sammy Kaye's Music from Manhattan]]''
*''[[Tales of the Texas Rangers]]''
*''This is Music''
*''Traffic Court''
*''[[The Voice of Firestone]]''
*''[[Walt Disney Presents]]''
*''[[You Asked For It]]''
*''[[Zorro (1957 TV series)|Zorro]]''

{{col-end}}

===[[CBS]]===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-3}}
'''Returning Series'''
*''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]''
*''[[Armstrong Circle Theatre]]''
*''[[The Ann Sothern Show]]''
*''[[Brenner (TV series)|Brenner]]''
*''[[The Danny Thomas Show]]''
*''[[Dick Powell|Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater]]''
*''[[Douglas Edwards with the News]]''
*''[[DuPont Show of the Month]]''
*''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]''
*''[[Father Knows Best]]''
*''[[The Garry Moore Show]]''
*''[[General Electric Theater]]''
*''[[The George Gobel Show]]'' (moved from [[NBC]])
*''[[Gunsmoke]]''
*''[[Have Gun — Will Travel]]''
*''[[The Invisible Man (1958 TV series)|The Invisible Man]]''
*''[[I've Got a Secret]]''
*''[[The Jack Benny Program]]''
*''[[Lassie (1954 TV series)|Lassie]]''
*''[[Leave It to Beaver]]''
*''[[The Lineup (TV series)|The Lineup]]''
*''[[Markham (TV series)|Markham]]''
*''[[Masquerade Party]]''
*''[[The Millionaire (TV series)|The Millionaire]]''
*''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]''
*''[[Peck's Bad Girl]]''
*''[[Person to Person]]''
*''[[Playhouse 90]]''
*''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]''
*''[[The Red Skelton Show]]''
*''[[The Spike Jones Show (series)|The Spike Jones Show]]''
*''[[The Texan (TV series)|The Texan]]''
*''[[To Tell the Truth]]''
*''[[The Twentieth Century]]''
*''[[The United States Steel Hour]]''
*''[[Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse]]''
*''[[The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour|The Westinghouse Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Show]]''
*''[[Wanted Dead or Alive (TV series)|Wanted Dead or Alive]]''
*''[[What's My Line]]''

{{col-3}}
'''New Series'''
*'''''Be Our Guest''''' *
*'''''[[The Betty Hutton Show]]'''''
*'''''The Big Party'''''
*'''''[[Buick-Electra Playhouse]]'''''
*'''''[[The Comedy Spot]]''''' *
*'''''[[The Dennis O'Keefe Show]]'''''
*'''''[[Dennis the Menace (1959 TV series)|Dennis the Menace]]'''''
*'''''[[The Deputy (TV series)|The Deputy]]'''''
*'''''[[Diagnosis: Unknown]]''''' *
*'''''[[The DuPont Show with June Allyson]]'''''
*'''''[[Hennesey]]'''''
*'''''[[Hotel de Paree]]'''''
*'''''[[Johnny Ringo (TV series)|Johnny Ringo]]'''''
*'''''[[Kate Smith|The Kate Smith Show]]''''' *
*'''''[[The Lineup (TV series)|The Lineup]]'''''
*'''''[[Lucy in Connecticut]]'''''
*'''''[[The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis]]'''''
*'''''[[Men into Space]]'''''
*'''''[[Mr. Lucky (TV series)|Mr. Lucky]]'''''
*'''''[[New Comedy Showcase]]''''' *
*'''''The Revlon Revue''''' *
*'''''[[The Robert Herridge Theatre]]'''''
*'''''[[Tightrope!]]'''''
*'''''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'''''

{{col-3}}
'''Not returning from [[1958–59 United States network television schedule|1958–59]]:'''
*''[[The $64,000 Question]]''
*''[[Armstrong Circle Theatre|Armstrong by Request]]''
*''[[Arthur Godfrey|The Arthur Godfrey Show]]''
*''[[December Bride]]''
*''[[Lux Playhouse]]''
*''[[Name That Tune]]''
*''[[The Phil Silvers Show]]''
*''[[Pursuit (TV series)|Pursuit]]''
*''[[Schlitz Playhouse of Stars|Schlitz Playhouse]]''
*''Stars in Action''
*''[[That's My Boy (1954 TV series)|That's My Boy]]''
*''[[Trackdown (TV series)|Trackdown]]''
*''[[Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse]]''
*''[[The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour|Westinghouse Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show]]''
*''[[Yancy Derringer]]''
*''[[Your Hit Parade]]''
{{col-end}}

===[[NBC]]===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-3}}
'''Returning Series'''
*''[[21 Beacon Street]]''
*''[[Alcoa Theatre]]''
*''[[The Art Carney Special]]''
*''[[The Arthur Murray Party]]''
*''[[Bachelor Father (American TV series)|Bachelor Father]]'' (moved from [[CBS]])
*''[[Bat Masterson (TV series)|Bat Masterson]]''
*''[[The Bell Telephone Hour]]''
*''[[The Dinah Shore Chevy Show]]''
*''[[The Ford Show]]''
*''[[Gillette Cavalcade of Sports]]''
*''[[Goodyear Television Playhouse]]''
*''[[The Huntley–Brinkley Report]]''
*''[[It Could Be You]]''
*''[[The Lawless Years]]''
*''[[The Loretta Young Show]]''
*''[[M Squad]]''
*''[[Masquerade Party]]''
*''[[NBC News|NBC News Specials]]''
*''[[Omnibus (American TV program)|Omnibus]]''
*''[[People Are Funny]]''
*''[[The Perry Como Show]]''
*''[[Peter Gunn]]''
*''[[Jackpot Bowling|Phillies Jackpot Bowling]]''
*''[[The Price Is Right (1956 U.S. game show)|The Price Is Right]]''
*''[[Richard Diamond, Private Detective]]'' (moved from [[CBS]])
*''[[Startime (1959 TV series)|Startime]]''
*''[[The Steve Allen Plymouth Show]]''
*''[[Tales of Wells Fargo]]''
*''[[This Is Your Life (American franchise)|This Is Your Life]]''
*''[[Wagon Train]]''
*''[[You Bet Your Life]]''

{{col-3}}
'''New Series'''
*'''''[[Bonanza]]'''''
*'''''[[The Chevy Mystery Show]]'''''
*'''''[[The Deputy (TV series)|The Deputy]]'''''
*'''''[[Fibber McGee and Molly]]'''''
*'''''[[Five Fingers (American TV series)|Five Fingers]]'''''
*'''''Gas Company Playhouse'''''
*'''''[[Happy (1960 TV series)|Happy]]'''''
*'''''[[Johnny Staccato]]'''''
*'''''[[Laramie (TV series)|Laramie]]'''''
*'''''[[Law of the Plainsman]]'''''
*'''''[[Love and Marriage (1959 TV series)|Love and Marriage]]'''''
*'''''[[The Man and the Challenge]]'''''
*'''''[[Man from Interpol]]''''' *
*'''''[[Moment of Fear]]''''' *
*'''''Music on Ice''''' *
*'''''NBC Playhouse''''' *
*'''''[[NBC Sunday Showcase]]'''''
*'''''[[Overland Trail (TV series)|Overland Trail]]''''' *
*'''''[[Startime (1959 TV series)|Startime]]'''''
*'''''[[The Steve Allen Show|The Steve Allen Plymouth Show]]'''''
*'''''[[Tate (TV series)|Tate]]'''''
*'''''[[The Troubleshooters (1959 TV series)|The Troubleshooters]]'''''
*'''''[[Wichita Town]]'''''
*'''''World Wide '60''''' *
*'''''[[Wrangler (TV series)|Wrangler]]''''' *

{{col-3}}
'''Not returning from [[1958–59 United States network television schedule|1958–59]]:'''
*''[[The Adventures of Ellery Queen]]''
*''[[Behind Closed Doors (1958 TV series)|Behind Closed Doors]]''
*''[[Brains & Brawn]]''
*''[[Chet Huntley|Chet Huntley Reporting]]''
*''[[Cimarron City (TV series)|Cimarron City]]''
*''[[The D.A.'s Man]]''
*''[[The David Niven Show]]''
*''[[The Ed Wynn Show]]''
*''Fight Beat''
*''[[The George Burns Show]]''
*''[[Jefferson Drum]]''
*''[[The Music Shop (TV program)|The Music Shop]]''
*''[[Northwest Passage (TV series)|Northwest Passage]]''
*''[[Pete Kelly's Blues (TV series)|Pete Kelly's Blues]]''
*''[[Steve Canyon#Television|Steve Canyon]]''
*''[[The Thin Man (TV series)|The Thin Man]]''

{{col-end}}

===[[NTA Film Network|NTA]]===
'''Not returning from [[1958–59 United States network television schedule|1958–59]]:'''
*''[[How to Marry a Millionaire (TV series)|How to Marry a Millionaire]]''
*''[[Man Without a Gun]]''
*''Premiere Performance''
*''[[This is Alice]]''

Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* McNeil, Alex. ''Total Television''. Fourth edition. New York: Penguin Books. {{ISBN|0-14-024916-8}}.
* Castleman, Harry & Podrazik, Wally (1984). ''The TV Schedule Book''. New York: McGraw-Hill Paperbacks.
* Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows'' (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine. {{ISBN|0-345-31864-1}}.

{{US TV schedule}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1959-60 United States network television schedule}}
[[Category:United States primetime network television schedules]]
[[Category:1959 in American television]]
[[Category:1960 in American television]]