1984 in American television

This article is a list of television-related events during 1984.

Further information: 1984-85 United States network television schedule

Events

Date	Event
January 9	Wendy's "Fluffy Bun" advertisement is first broadcast, which gains Clara Peller and her "Where's the beef?" catchphrase national fame.
	Something About Amelia, a story concerning incest, is broadcast by ABC. Glenn Close, Ted Danson, and Roxana Zal are the main actors.
January 22	During CBS's broadcast of Super Bowl XVIII, Apple Computer Company heralds the introduction of its Apple Macintosh personal computer with the famous advertisement "1984", the only time it is broadcast on national television.
January 23	Professional wrestler Hulk Hogan defeats The Iron Sheik to win his first World Wrestling Federation championship at Madison Square Garden; the match is televised by the MSG Network.
January 27	Michael Jackson's hair catches fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial.
February 1	Arts & Entertainment Network launches from the merger of ARTS and RCA's The Entertainment Channel. It was originally appeared after kids' channel Nickelodeon signed off.
	Lifetime is launched from the merger of Hearst/ABC's Daytime and Viacom's Cable Health Network.
February 28	At the 26th Grammy Awards telecast by CBS, Michael Jackson wins a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards.
May 18	Character Bobby Ewing finds himself in the crossfire as a rival tries to gun down his brother J.R. on the season finale of the series Dallas.
May 19	CBS tapes the Michael Larson episodes of Press Your Luck in which Larson wins $110,237 cash and prizes. (The episodes, which are split into two parts, would air on June 8 and 11.)
July 14	In what became known as Black Saturday, Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation takes over Superstation WTBS' Saturday evening time period once occupied by Georgia Championship Wrestling.
September 10	The game show Jeopardy! returns to television by daily syndication with new host Alex Trebek.
September 14	Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler host the first MTV Video Music Awards at New York City's Radio City Music Hall, an event which included Madonna's performance of the song "Like a Virgin".
September 24	The game show Super Password premieres on NBC at 12:00 noon EST. The new version of the classic game show is one of the few shows to survive at a time period that normally broadcasts news on any of the three major networks, running for 4 1/2 years.
October 1	Montana, the last state in the Union without its own Public Broadcasting Service station, gains one when Montana PBS launches.
	American Movie Classics is initiated.
October 8	NBC broadcasts The Burning Bed, which features Farrah Fawcett as a woman who kills her abusive husband. The fact-based film is the highest-rated entertainment event of the 1984–1985 season.
October 27	Turner Broadcasting System initiates the Cable Music Channel in the U.S., only to end it one month later.
November 12	Theresa Saldana appears as herself in the NBC movie Victims for Victims: The Theresa Saldana Story, a retelling of her 1982 stabbing incident and its aftermath.
December 17	George C. Scott plays Ebenezer Scrooge in a new version of the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, broadcast by CBS.
	One Life to Live changes its opening sequence and theme song, which lasted until 1991.
	ABC purchases a majority stake of ESPN from Getty Oil Corp.
December 28	The Edge of Night ends after twenty-eight years on ABC daytime.

Debuts

Date	Show	Network
January 4	Night Court	NBC
January 6	Blue Thunder	ABC
January 20	The Master	NBC
January 22	Airwolf	CBS
January 28	Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer
March 6	a.k.a. Pablo	ABC
March 19	Kate and Allie	CBS
March 20	Shaping Up	ABC
March 31	Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous	Syndication
April	Video Music Box	WNYC-TV
April 4	Double Trouble	NBC
April 12	The Duck Factory
April 14	My Little Pony	Syndication
June 2	Leo the Lion	CBN
July 2	Scrabble	NBC
July 13	Brothers	Showtime
July 30	Santa Barbara	NBC
August 13	Call to Glory	ABC
September 5	Heathcliff	Syndication
September 7	Kids Incorporated
September 8	Dragon's Lair	ABC
	Mighty Orbots
	Pink Panther and Sons	NBC
September 10	Voltron: Defender of the Universe	Syndication
September 15	Snorks	NBC
	The Get Along Gang	CBS
	Jim Henson's Muppet Babies
	Pole Position
	Pryor's Place
September 16	E/R
	Punky Brewster	NBC
September 17	The Transformers	Syndication
September 18	Hunter	NBC
September 19	Highway to Heaven
September 20	The Cosby Show
	Who's the Boss?	ABC
September 22	Cover Up	CBS
September 23	Paper Dolls	ABC
September 25	Three's a Crowd
September 26	It's Your Move	NBC
September 27	Partners in Crime
September 28	Miami Vice
September 30	Tales from the Darkside	Syndication
	Murder, She Wrote	CBS
October 3	Charles in Charge
October 8	Trivia Trap	ABC
October 10	Dreams	CBS
October 26	V	NBC
December 30	Crazy Like a Fox	CBS

Made-for-TV movies and miniseries

Title
Celebrity
Fatal Vision
V: The Final Battle
Bodyline
Waterfront
Eureka Stockade
The Last Bastion

Television shows

1940s

• Meet the Press (1947–present)
• Candid Camera (1948–2004)

1950s

• Truth or Consequences (1950–1988)
• Search for Tomorrow (1951–1986)
• Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951–present)
• American Bandstand (1952–1989)
• Guiding Light (1952–2009)
• The Today Show (1952–present)
• Face the Nation (1954–present)
• As the World Turns (1956–2010)
• The Edge of Night (1956–1984)

1960s

• ABC's Wide World of Sports (1961–1998)
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992)
• Professional Bowlers Tour (1962–1997)
• General Hospital (1963–present)
• Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom (1963–1988, 2002–present)
• Another World (1964–1999)
• Days of Our Lives (1965–present)
• 60 Minutes (1968–present)
• One Life to Live (1968–2012, 2013)
• Hee Haw (1969–1992)
• Sesame Street (1969–present)

1970s

1970-1973

• All My Children (1970–present)
• Monday Night Football (1970–present)
• Masterpiece Theatre (1971–present)
• Soul Train (1971–2006)
• The Price Is Right (1972–present)
• Match Game—Hollywood Squares Hour (1962–1969, 1973–1984, 1990–1991, 1998–1999)
• Schoolhouse Rock! (1973–1986)
• The Young and the Restless (1973–present)

1974-1976

• Derrick (1974–1998)
• Happy Days (1974–1984)
• Good Morning America (1975–present)
• Ryan's Hope (1975–1989)
• Saturday Night Live (1975–present)
• The Jeffersons (1975–1985)
• Wheel of Fortune (1975–present)
• Alice (1976–1985)
• Family Feud (1976–1985, 1988–1995, 1999–present)
• The P.T.L. Club (1976–1987)

1977-1979

• The Love Boat (1977–1986)
• This Week in Baseball (1977–1998, 2000–present)
• Three's Company (1977–1984)
• 20/20 (1978–present)
• Battle of the Planets (1978–1985)
• Dallas (1978–1991)
• Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986)
• Benson (1979–1986)
• Knots Landing (1979–1993)
• The Dukes of Hazzard (1979–1985)
• The Facts of Life (1979–1988)
• Trapper John, M.D. (1979–1986)
• Hart to Hart (1979–1984)
• Nightline (1979–present)
• SportsCenter (1979–present)
• This Old House (1979–present)

1980s

1980

• Dangermouse (1980–1992)
• Magnum, P.I. (1980–1988)
• Moneyline (1980–present)
• Solid Gold (1980–1988)
• That's Incredible! (1980–1984)
• Too Close for Comfort (1980–1986)

1981

• Dynasty (1981–1989)
• Falcon Crest (1981–1990)
• Gimme a Break! (1981–1987)
• Hill Street Blues (1981–1987)
• Simon & Simon (1981–1988)
• The Fall Guy (1981–1986)

1982

• Cagney & Lacey (1982–1988)
• Capitol (1982–1987)
• Cheers (1982–1993)
• Fame (1982–1987)
• Family Ties (1982–1989)
• Knight Rider (1982–1986)
• Late Night with David Letterman (1982–1993)
• Newhart (1982–1990)
• Remington Steele (1982–1987)
• Silver Spoons (1982–1987)
• St. Elsewhere (1982–1988)

1983

• Fraggle Rock (1983–1988)
• Inspector Gadget (1983–1986)
• Loving (1983–1995)
• Mama's Family (1983–1985, 1986–1990)
• Press Your Luck (1983–1986)
• Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983–1987)
• Star Search (1983-1995, 2003)
• The A-Team (1983–1987)
• Webster (1983–1989)

Returning this year

Show	Last Aired	Previous Network	Retitled as/Same	New/Returning/Same Network	Returning
People are Funny	1960	NBC	Same	Same	March 24
Jeopardy!	1979			Syndication	September 10
Let's Make a Deal	1981	Syndication	The All-New Let's Make a Deal	Same	September 17
Password Plus	1982	NBC	Super Password		September 24
Showoffs	1975	ABC	Body Language	CBS	June 4

Ending this year

Date	Show	Debut
March 10	We Got It Made	1983
April 2	Automan
April 10	a.k.a. Pablo	1984
April 16	Blue Thunder
April 27	Masquerade	1983
April 30	That's Incredible!	1980
May 15	Oh Madeline	1983
May 19	Fantasy Island	1978
May 22	Hart to Hart	1979
May 28	One Day at a Time	1975
June 1	Tattletales	1982
June 2	Whiz Kids	1983
June 14	Lottery!
July 4	Real People	1979
July 11	The Duck Factory	1984
July 12	Happy Days	1974
August 11	Boone	1983
September 5	Jennifer Slept Here
September 8	The Flintstone Funnies	1982
September 18	Three's Company	1977
December 1	Dean Martin Celebrity Roast	1973
	The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show	1983
December 8	Captain Kangaroo	1955
December 11	AfterMASH	1983
December 28	The Edge of Night	1956

Births

Date	Name	Cinematic Notability
January 2	Kristen Hager	Canadian actress (Valemont, Being Human)
January 6	Kate McKinnon	Actress and singer (The Big Gay Sketch Show, Saturday Night Live)
January 17	Kristy Hill	Welsh actress and model
January 24	Ashley C. Williams	Actress
January 26	Layla Kayleigh	English-American television host
February 1	Lee Thompson Young	Actor (The Famous Jett Jackson), (d. 2013)
February 18	Chelsea Hobbs	Canadian actress (Make It or Break It)
March 10	Olivia Wilde	Actress (House, M.D.)
March 12	Jaimie Alexander	Actress (Watch Over Me, Kyle XY)
March 20	Christy Carlson Romano	Actress (Even Stevens), voice actress (Kim Possible) and singer
March 25	Katharine McPhee	Actress and singer (American Idol, Smash, Scorpion)
March 30	Helena Mattsson	Swedish-American actress (666 Park Avenue)
April 2	Ashley Peldon	Actress (The Mommies) and sister of Courtney Peldon
April 8	Taran Noah Smith	Actor (Home Improvement)
	Kirsten Storms	Actress (Days of our Lives, General Hospital)
April 10	Mandy Moore	Actress and singer (TRON: Uprising, Sheriff Callie's Wild West, High School USA!)
April 11	Kelli Garner	Actress (Pan Am)
April 22	Michelle Ryan	British actress (EastEnders)
April 29	Taylor Cole	Actress (Summerland)
May 12	Clare Bowen	Australian actress and singer (Nashville)
May 24	Sarah Hagan	Actress (Freaks and Geeks)
May 29	Carmelo Anthony	American basketball player
June 4	Jillian Murray	Actress
June 13	Phillip Van Dyke	Voice actor ("Arnold" from Hey Arnold! in 1997–1999)
June 26	Aubrey Plaza	Actress (Parks and Recreation)
June 30	Julie Engelbrecht	French-American actress
July 8	Alexis Dziena	Actress (Invasion, Entourage)
July 11	Rachael Taylor	Australian actress (Headland, 666 Park Avenue, Crisis, Jessica Jones)
July 27	Taylor Schilling	Actress (Mercy, Orange is the New Black)
August 3	Emily Baldoni	Swedish-American actress
August 28	Sarah Roemer	Actress (The Event, Chosen)
September 14	Adam Lamberg	Actor (Lizzie McGuire)
September 22	Laura Vandervoort	Canadian actress (Instant Star, V, Smallville, Bitten)
September 23	Anneliese van der Pol	Actress (That's So Raven) and singer
September 27	Avril Lavinge	Canadian singer and actress
October 3	Ashlee Simpson	Actress, singer (7th Heaven, The Ashlee Simpson Show) and sister of Jessica Simpson
October 11	Martha MacIsaac	Canadian actress (Emily of New Moon, Di-Gata Defenders, 1600 Penn, The Pinkertons)
October 27	Emilie Ullerup	Danish-American actress (Sanctuary, Arctic Air)
October 28	Finn Wittrock	Actor
November 16	Kimberly J. Brown	Actress (Vampire Princess Miyu, Guiding Light)
November 20	Ira David Wood IV	Actor (Once and Again) and older brother of Evan Rachel Wood
November 21	Lindsey Haun	Actress and singer
	Jena Malone	Actress
November 22	Scarlett Johansson	American actress
November 28	Mary Elizabeth Winstead	Actress (Wolf Lake, The Returned)
December 6	Kelly Frye	Actress
December 17	Shannon Woodward	Actress (The Riches, Raising Hope)

Deaths

Date	Name	Age	Notability
March 1	Jackie Coogan	69	actor (Uncle Fester on The Addams Family)
March 24	Sam Jaffe	93	actor (Dr. Zorba on Ben Casey)
May 2	Jack Barry	66	game show host/producer (The Joker's Wild)
May 16	Andy Kaufman	35	comedian (Latka Gravas on Taxi)
June 15	Ned Glass	78	actor
August 8	Richard Deacon	63	actor (Fred Rutherford on Leave It to Beaver and Mel Cooley on The Dick Van Dyke Show)
October 18	Jon-Erik Hexum	26	actor (gunshot wound from accident on set of TV series Cover Up)