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'{{unreferenced|date=February 2013}} {{USTV year|1996}}<!--no space 1996--> The following is a list of events affecting '''American television during 1996'''. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and channel initiations, closures and rebrandings, as well as information about controversies and disputes of ''[[All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series]]'', ''[[Arthur (TV series)|Arthur]]'', ''[[Big Deal (game show)|Big Deal]]'', ''[[Blue's Clues]]'', ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'', ''[[Kenan & Kel]]'', ''[[Hey Arnold]]'', ''[[KaBlam!]]'', ''[[The Mighty Ducks]]'', ''[[Power Lunch]]'', ''[[Quack Pack]]'', ''[[Sabrina the Teenage Witch]]'', ''[[Savannah (TV series)|Savannah]]'',. ==Events== {| class="wikitable" |- " ! Date || Event |- |January 1 |''[[Speed (TV network)|Speedvision]]'', a cable channel devoted to motor sports, commences programming. The network would be rechristened ''Speed Channel'' in 2002, then ''Speed'' in 2005. It would be replaced by [[Fox Sports 1]] in 2013. |- |January 20 |[[Fox Sports (United States)|Fox]] introduces its [[FoxTrax]] "glowing puck" during its telecast of the [[46th National Hockey League All-Star Game]]. |- |January 28 |[[Chris Isaak]] and [[Brooke Shields]] make guest appearances on a post-[[Super Bowl XXX|Super Bowl]] episode of ''[[Friends]]'' on [[NBC]]. |- |March 1 |More than 1 billion households worldwide now own television sets. |- |March 4 |[[DISH Network]], a Direct Broadcast Satellite service, begins as a service of [[EchoStar]]. |- |April 29 |[[TV Land]], an offshoot of [[Nickelodeon]]'s late-night block, [[Nick at Nite]], debuts. The channel is devoted to round-the-clock broadcasts of classic television shows. |- |May 16 |More than 12 million Americans watch the final episode of ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'' on [[CBS]], "Death By Demographics". Through its 12-year run, the series had become the longest-running American Murder Mystery Drama. |- |May 19 |[[Sundance Channel (United States)|Sundance Channel]] debuts. |- |June 1 |[[Major League Baseball]] broadcasts debut on [[Major League Baseball on Fox|Fox]]. |- |June 3 |[[Zenith Electronics Corporation|Zenith]] introduces the first [[High-definition television|HDTV]]-compatible front projection TV in the U.S. |- |June 19 |[[CBS]] affiliate [[WRAL-TV]] in [[Raleigh, NC]] is awarded the first [[experiment]]al [[high-definition television]] license in the United States. |- |June 30 |New York [[PBS]] member station [[WPXN-TV|WNYC-TV]] shuts off the air. The next day, it is replaced with a commercially operated sports TV station known as WBIS. |- |rowspan="2"|July 6 |When it becomes evident that [[Anna Stuart]] will be next to die in a serial killer storyline on the [[NBC]] soap opera ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]'', many fans start letter-writing campaigns to save the [[actress]]; the NBC studios in New York City also report a great number of switchboard telephone calls regarding Stuart's imminent demise. Executive producer [[Jill Farren Phelps]] decides that actress [[Alice Barrett]] will be killed off the show instead. |- |[[New World Pictures#New World Communications|New World Communications]] sells its 2 remaining non-[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliates, [[KNSD-TV]] (channel 39) in [[San Diego, California]] and [[WVTM-TV]] (channel 13) in [[Birmingham, Alabama]], both of whom are affiliated with [[NBC]], to the [[NBC Owned Television Stations|NBC Television Stations Division]]. Upon the finalization of the deal on August 14, both stations become NBC [[owned-and-operated station]]s (WVTM would eventually be sold to [[Media General]] in 2006; [[Hearst Television]] would acquire WVTM in 2015). |- |July 15 |Talk-oriented [[America's Talking]] ceases broadcasting and is replaced by [[MSNBC]], an all-news joint venture between [[NBC]] (AT's owner) and [[Microsoft]]. |- |August 2 |[[MTV]]'s secondary channel, [[MTV2|M2]] (now known as MTV2), debuts. |- |August 23 |''[[The Price Is Right (U.S. game show)|The Price Is Right]]'' celebrates its 25th Anniversary Special on [[CBS]]. |- |rowspan="2"|September 8 |The [[48th Primetime Emmy Awards]] are presented on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. |- |The [[1994 United States broadcast TV realignment]] continues when longtime ABC affiliate [[WBRC-TV]] (channel 6) in [[Birmingham, Alabama]] finally becomes a [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] owned-and-operated station, a year after Fox had acquired it (and [[WGHP-TV]] in High Point, North Carolina) from a trust that had been formed by [[New World Communications]]. ABC eventually affiliates with a trimulcast of [[WBMA-LD|WBMA-LP/WCFT/WJSU]] (channels 58, 33 and 40), which is owned by [[Allbritton Communications]] (owners of [[WJLA-TV]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], one of ABC's strongest affiliates). Former Fox affiliate [[WTTO-TV]] (channel 21) becomes an independent station before affiliating with [[The WB]] the next year, while another former Fox affiliate, [[WPXH|WNAL]] in [[Gadsden, Alabama]], aligns with [[CBS]]. |- |rowspan="2"|September 13 |The dubbed version of the Japanese series ''[[Dragon Ball Z]]'' premieres in U.S. syndication. |- |[[The Phil Donahue Show]] ends after twenty-nine years on the air. |- |September 15 |[[USA Cartoon Express]] airs for the last time on [[USA Network]]. |- |September 16 |The Jackpot wedge debuts on [[Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)|Wheel of Fortune]]. |- |September 17 |The [[O. J. Simpson]] civil trial begins. |- |October 1 |[[Animal Planet]] and [[Investigation Discovery|Discovery Civilization]] launched. |- |October 2 |Seven newscasters were dismissed by [[WCBS-TV]] (channel 2) in New York. |- |October 4 |[[Science Channel|Discovery Science]] debuts. |- |October 7 |[[News Corporation]] gets into the cable news fray with the debut of the [[Fox News Channel]]. |- |November 1 |[[ESPNNEWS]], a sports news channel from [[ESPN]], debuts. |- |November 2 |The [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)|original cartoon series]] of ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' broadcasts its final episode, [[Divide and Conquer (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episode)|"Divide and Conquer"]], on [[CBS]]. |- |November 11 |[[Discovery Kids]] debuts. |- |December 1 |The [[25 Days of Christmas]] Special begins on [[Television networks preceding ABC Family|The Family Channel]], starting one of the longest running Christmas Specials. |- |December 12 |[[Sports Illustrated]] and [[CNN]] debut [[CNN Sports Illustrated|CNN/SI]], a 24-hour sporting news channel. |- |December 15 |Five years after its series finale, a movie version of ''[[Dallas (1978 TV series)|Dallas]]'', entitled ''[[Dallas: J.R. Returns]]'', is broadcast by [[CBS]]. |- |December 17 |6 years after dropping the title, [[TBS (U.S. TV channel)|TBS]] resumes using the term ''Superstation''. |- |December 31 |[[WVPX-TV|WAKR-TV]] in [[Akron, Ohio]] disaffiliates from [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] and becomes an infomercial-based station before becoming a charter [[Owned-and-operated station|O&O]] of station owner [[Ion Media Networks|Paxson Communications]]' new [[Ion Television|Pax TV]] network in 1998. |} ==Television programs== ===Debuts=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Date ! Show ! Network |- |January 6 | ''[[Campus Cops]]'' |[[USA Network]] |- |January 9 | ''[[3rd Rock from the Sun]]'' |[[NBC]] |- |January 21 | ''[[Savannah (TV series)|Savannah]]'' |[[The WB]] |- |January 22 | ''[[Bzzz!]]'' |[[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]] |- |January 23 | ''[[Moesha]]'' |[[UPN]] |- |January 24 | ''[[Tracey Takes On...]]'' |[[HBO]] |- |January 28 | ''[[Katie and Orbie]]'' |[[PBS]], [[Broadcast syndication|syndicated]] through [[American Public Television|APT]] |- |rowspan="2"|February 6 | ''[[Street Signs (TV series)|Street Signs]]'' |[[CNBC]] |- | ''[[C Bear and Jamal]]'' |[[Fox Kids]] |- |February 20 | ''[[VH1 Storytellers]]'' |[[VH1]] |- |February 24 |''[[The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper]]'' |[[Fox Kids]] |- |March 1 | ''[[Gold Fever (TV series)|Gold Fever]]'' |[[Outdoor Channel]] |- |rowspan="2"|March 2 | ''[[Pacific Blue (TV series)|Pacific Blue]]'' |[[USA Network]] |- | ''[[Space Cases]]'' |[[Nickelodeon]] |- |March 8 | ''[[Muppets Tonight]]'' |[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- |March 16 | ''[[The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo]]'' |[[Nickelodeon]] |- |March 20 | ''[[The Sentinel (TV series)|The Sentinel]]'' |[[UPN]] |- |March 29 | ''[[Nash Bridges]]'' |[[CBS]] |- |April 5 | ''[[Bananas in Pyjamas]]'' |[[Nick Jr.]] |- |April 8 | ''[[Profit (TV series)|Profit]]'' |[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |- |April 20 | ''[[Power Rangers Zeo]]'' |[[Fox Kids]] |- |rowspan="2"|April 21 | ''[[Forensic Files]]'' |[[TLC (TV channel)|TLC]] |- | ''[[Poltergeist: The Legacy]]'' |[[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] |- |rowspan="2"|April 28 | ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'' |[[Cartoon Network]] |- | ''[[Fox News Sunday]]'' |[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |- |April 29 | ''[[TV Land]]'' |[[Nick at Nite|Nick @ Nite]] |- |May 13 | ''[[Buzzkill (TV series)|Buzzkill]]'' |[[MTV]] |- |June 1 | ''[[The American Athlete]]'' |[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- |June 2 | ''[[Big Bag]]'' |[[Cartoon Network]] |- |rowspan="2"|June 3 | ''[[Debt (game show)|Debt]]'' |[[Lifetime (TV network)|Lifetime]] |- | ''[[Kratts' Creatures]]'' |[[PBS]] |- |rowspan="3"|June 10 |''[[Caryl & Marilyn: Real Friends]]'' |[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- |''[[The Rosie O'Donnell Show]]'' |[[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]] |- |''A Wedding Story'' |[[TLC (TV channel)|TLC]] |- |rowspan="4"|July 15 | ''[[Kenan & Kel]]'' |[[Nickelodeon]] |- | ''[[The News with Brian Williams]]'' |rowspan="3"|[[MSNBC]] |- | ''[[The Site]]'' |- | ''[[Time and Again (TV series)|Time and Again]]'' |- |July 22 | ''[[The Daily Show]]'' |[[Comedy Central]] |- |August 10 | ''[[Arliss]]'' |[[HBO]] |- |August 11 | ''[[The Big Easy (TV series)|The Big Easy]]'' |[[USA Network]] |- |August 12 | ''[[Tom Bergeron|Fox After Breakfast]]'' |[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |- |August 25 | ''[[The Steve Harvey Show]]'' |rowspan="2"|[[The WB]] |- |rowspan="5"|August 26 | ''[[7th Heaven (TV series)|7th Heaven]]'' |- | ''[[Goode Behavior]]'' |rowspan="5"|[[UPN]] |- | ''[[In The House (TV series)|In The House]]'' |- | ''[[Malcolm & Eddie]]'' |- | ''[[Sparks (TV series)|Sparks]]'' |- |August 27 | ''[[Homeboys in Outer Space]]'' |- |rowspan="2"|August 28 | ''[[The Jamie Foxx Show]]'' |rowspan="2"|[[The WB]] |- | ''[[Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher]]'' |- |August 31 | ''[[Women: Stories of Passion]]'' |[[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] |- |rowspan="2"|September 1 | ''[[Power Lunch]]'' |[[CNBC]] |- | ''[[Big Deal (game show)|Big Deal]]'' |[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |- |rowspan="2"|September 3 | ''[[The Burning Zone]]'' |[[UPN]] |- | ''[[Imus in the Morning]]'' |[[MSNBC]] |- |rowspan="4"|September 6 | ''[[Quack Pack]]'' |[[Disney Channel|The Disney Channel]] |- | ''[[Dragon Flyz]]'' |[[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]] |- | ''[[Mighty Ducks (TV series)|The Mighty Ducks]]'' |[[Disney Channel|The Disney Channel]] and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- | ''[[Superman: The Animated Series]]'' |rowspan="2"|[[Kids' WB]] |- |rowspan="2"|September 7 | ''[[Road Rovers]]'' |- | ''[[Big Bad Beetleborgs]]'' |[[Fox Kids]] |- |rowspan="5"|September 8 | ''[[Blue's Clues]]'' |[[Nick Jr.]] |- | ''[[Bureau of Alien Detectors]]'' |rowspan="4"|[[UPN Kids]] |- | ''[[The Incredible Hulk (1996 TV series)|The Incredible Hulk]]'' |- | ''[[Jumanji (TV series)|Jumanji]]'' |- | ''[[The Mouse and the Monster]]'' |- |rowspan="9"|September 9 | ''[[Lush Life (TV series)|Lush Life]]'' |rowspan="2"|[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |- | ''[[Party Girl (TV series)|Party Girl]]'' |- | ''[[Grill Me]]'' |[[USA Network]] |- | ''[[Access Hollywood]]'' |rowspan="7"|[[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]] |- | ''[[The Cape (1996 TV series)|The Cape]]'' |- | ''[[F/X: The Series]]'' |- | ''[[In Person (1996 TV series)|In Person with Maureen O'Boyle]]'' |- | ''[[Real TV]]'' |- | ''[[Sam Rubin|Scoop with Sam & Dorothy]]'' |- |rowspan="2"|September 12 | ''[[Two (TV series)|Two]]'' |- | ''[[Everybody Loves Raymond]]'' |rowspan="4"|[[CBS]] |- |rowspan="3"|September 14 | ''[[Bailey Kipper's P.O.V.]]'' |- | ''[[Project G.e.e.K.e.R.]]'' |- | ''[[Secrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House]]'' |- |rowspan="5"|September 16 | ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers]]'' |[[UPN Kids]] |- | ''[[Judge Judy]]'' |rowspan="2"|[[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]] |- | ''[[Pat Bullard|The Pat Bullard Show]]'' |- | ''[[Cosby]]'' |rowspan="3"|[[CBS]] |- | ''[[Pearl (TV series)|Pearl]]'' |- |rowspan="2"|September 17 | ''[[Promised Land (TV series)|Promised Land]]'' |- | ''[[Spin City]]'' |rowspan="2"|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- |rowspan="2"|September 18 | ''[[Townies]]'' |- | ''[[Men Behaving Badly (U.S. TV series)|Men Behaving Badly]]'' |rowspan="3"|[[NBC]] |- |rowspan="3"|September 19 | ''[[The Pretender (TV series)|The Pretender]]'' |- | ''[[Suddenly Susan]]'' |- | ''[[Moloney (TV series)|Moloney]]'' |rowspan="2"|[[CBS]] |- |rowspan="2"|September 20 | ''[[Mr. & Mrs. Smith (TV series)|Mr. & Mrs. Smith]]'' |- | ''[[Clueless (TV series)|Clueless]]'' |[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- |rowspan="3"|September 21 | ''[[All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series]]'' |[[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]] |- | ''[[Dark Skies]]'' |[[NBC]] |- | ''[[WWF LiveWire]]'' |[[USA Network]] |- |September 24 | ''[[Relativity (TV series)|Relativity]]'' |rowspan="2"|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- |September 27 | ''[[Sabrina the Teenage Witch (TV series)|Sabrina the Teenage Witch]]'' |- |rowspan="3"|September 28 | ''[[Early Edition]]'' |[[CBS]] |- | ''[[The Adventures of Sinbad]]'' |rowspan="2"|[[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]] |- | ''[[Psi Factor]]'' |- |September 29 | ''[[Profiler (TV series)|Profiler]]'' |[[NBC]] |- |rowspan="5"|September 30 | ''[[Pappyland]]'' |[[TLC (TV channel)|TLC]] |- | ''[[Shopping Spree]]'' |rowspan="3"|[[Freeform (TV channel)|The Family Channel]] |- | ''[[Small Talk (US game show)|Small Talk]]'' |- | ''[[Wait 'til You Have Kids]]'' |- | ''[[Dangerous Minds (TV series)|Dangerous Minds]]'' |rowspan=2|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- |October 5 | ''[[Jungle Cubs]]'' |- |rowspan="10"|October 7 | ''[[Fox News]]'' |[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |- | ''[[Fox News Live|Fox News Now]]'' |rowspan="4"|[[Fox News Channel]] |- | ''[[Hannity & Colmes]]'' |- | ''[[The O'Reilly Factor]]'' |- | ''[[Your World with Neil Cavuto]]'' |- | ''[[Arthur (TV series)|Arthur]]'' |rowspan="4"|[[PBS]] |- | ''[[Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)|Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?]]'' |- |''[[Theodore Tugboat]]'' |- | ''[[Tots TV]] |- | ''[[Hey Arnold!]]'' |rowspan="2"|[[Nickelodeon]] |- |October 11 | ''[[KaBlam!]]'' |- |October 12 | ''[[The RuPaul Show]]'' |[[VH1]] |- |October 13 | ''[[The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss]]'' |[[Nickelodeon]] |- |October 19 | ''[[Waynehead]]'' |[[Kids' WB]] |- |October 21 | ''[[Ink (TV series)|Ink]]'' |[[CBS]] |- |rowspan="2"|October 25 | ''[[Millennium (TV series)|Millennium]]'' |Fox |- | ''[[Remember This?]]'' |[[MSNBC]] |- |rowspan="2"|October 27 | ''[[Pop-Up Video]]'' |[[VH1]] |- | ''[[EZ Streets]]'' |rowspan="2"|[[CBS]] |- |October 30 | ''[[Public Morals (1996 TV series)|Public Morals]]'' |- |December 9 | ''[[Idiot Savants (game show)|Idiot Savants]]'' |[[MTV]] |- |December 24 | ''[[Edgewise]]'' |[[MSNBC]] |- |rowspan="4"|December 28 | ''[[E! True Hollywood Story]]'' |[[E!]] |- | ''[[For Your Home]]'' |[[PBS]] |- | ''[[Gardening by the Yard]]'' |[[HGTV]] |- | ''[[Naughty Amateur Home Videos]]'' |[[Playboy TV]] |} ===Resuming this year=== {| class="wikitable" |- " ! Show || Last Aired || Previous Network || Retitled as || New Network || Returned |- |''[[Doug (TV series)|Doug]]'' |1994 |[[Nickelodeon]] |Disney's Doug |rowspan="2"|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |rowspan="2"|September 7 |- |''[[Gargoyles]]'' |1995 |[[Disney Channel]] |Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles |- |''[[The Dating Game]]'' |rowspan="2"|1989 |rowspan="2"|[[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]] |rowspan="2"|Same |rowspan="2"|Same |rowspan="2"|September 9 |- |''[[The Newlywed Game]]'' |- |''[[Shop 'til You Drop]]'' |1994 |[[Lifetime (TV network)|Lifetime]] |The New Shop 'til You Drop |[[ABC Family|The Family Channel]] |September 30 |- |''[[What A Cartoon!|World Premiere Toons]]'' |rowspan="2"|1996 |rowspan="2"|[[TBS (U.S. TV channel)|TBS]]/[[TNT (U.S. TV network)|TNT]] |The What A Cartoon! Show |Same |October 9 |- |''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'' |Same |[[Cartoon Network]]'' |November 20 |} ===Ending this year=== {| class="wikitable" |- style="background:#ccc;" ! Date ! Show ! Debut |- | January 9 |''[[Live Shot]]'' | 1995 |- | January 11 |''[[The Commish]]'' |1991 |- |January 14 |''[[Nickelodeon Guts|Global Guts]]'' |1992 |- |rowspan="2"| February 3 |''[[Are You Afraid of the Dark?]]'' (returned in 1999) |1991 |- |''[[Dumb and Dumber (TV series)|Dumb and Dumber]]'' |rowspan="2"|1995 |- |rowspan="2"|February 17 |''[[Maybe This Time]]'' |- |''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'' |1993 |- | February 21 |''[[VR Troopers]]'' |1994 |- |rowspan="2"| February 23 |''[[Carnie!]]'' |rowspan="2"|1995 |- |''[[Strange Luck]]'' |- |rowspan="2"| February 24 |''[[Biker Mice From Mars]]'' |1993 |- |''[[Iron Man (TV series)|Iron Man]]'' |1994 |- | February 26 |''[[High Society (1995 TV series)|High Society]]'' |1995 |- | March 1 |''[[The Head]]'' |1994 |- | March 7 |''[[The Mickey Mouse Club]]'' |1955 |- | March 17 |''[[What A Cartoon!|World Premiere Toons]]'' |1995 |- | March 27 |''[[Dream On (TV series)|Dream On]]'' |1990 |- |rowspan="2"| March 29 |''[[The Pink Panther (1993 TV series)|The Pink Panther]]'' |1993 |- |''[[George & Alana]]'' |rowspan="2"|1995 |- | April 1 |''[[Partners (1995 TV series)|Partners]]'' |- | May 1 |''[[Allegra's Window]]'' |1994 |- | May 4 |''[[Sisters (TV series)|Sisters]]'' |1991 |- | May 11 |''[[Captain Planet and the Planeteers]]'' |1990 |- | May 19 |''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'' |1984 |- |rowspan="2"| May 20 |''[[The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air]]'' |1990 |- |''[[Nowhere Man (TV series)|Nowhere Man]]'' |rowspan="2"|1995 |- | June 2 |''[[Space: Above and Beyond]]'' |- | June 9 |''[[seaQuest DSV]]'' |1993 |- | June 19 |''[[Hudson Street (TV series)|Hudson Street]]'' |1995 |- | June 26 |''[[Picket Fences]]'' |1992 |- | June 28 |''[[Central Park West (TV series)|Central Park West]]'' |rowspan="2"|1995 |- | July 11 |''[[American Gothic (1995 TV series)|American Gothic]]'' |- |July 14 |''[[Muppets Tonight]]'' (returned in 1997) |1996 |- | July 19 |''[[Tales from the Crypt (TV series)|Tales from the Crypt]]'' (returned in 2017) |1989 |- | August 8 |''[[Kratts' Creatures]]'' |1996 |- | August 16 |''[[The Client (TV series)|The Client]]'' |1995 |- | August 25 |''[[Big Bag]]'' (returned in 1998) |1996 |- | August 27 |''[[Rescue 911]]'' |1989 |- | September 13 |''[[The Phil Donahue Show]]'' |1967 |- | September 15 |''[[USA Cartoon Express]]'' |1982 |- |rowspan="2"| September 30 |''[[Lush Life (TV series)|Lush Life]]'' |rowspan="4"|1996 |- |''[[Party Girl (TV series)|Party Girl]]'' |- | October 6 |''[[Big Deal (game show)|Big Deal]]'' |- |rowspan="2"| October 30 |''[[Public Morals (1996 TV series)|Public Morals]]'' |- |''[[The John Larroquette Show]]'' |1993 |- | November 2 |''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' |1987 |- |rowspan="2"|November 24 |''[[Rocko's Modern Life]]'' |1993 |- |''[[The Tick (1994 TV series)|The Tick]] |1994 |- | November 25 |''[[Timon & Pumbaa (TV series)|Timon & Pumbaa]]'' (returned in 1999) |1995 |- | November 27 |''[[Power Rangers Zeo]]'' |rowspan="4"|1996 |- | November 28 |''[[Quack Pack]]'' |- | December 4 |''[[Townies]]'' |- | December 6 |''[[Mr. & Mrs. Smith (TV series)|Mr. & Mrs. Smith]]'' |- | December 13 |''[[Earthworm Jim (TV series)|Earthworm Jim]]'' |1995 |- | December 14 |''[[California Dreams]]'' |rowspan="2"|1992 |- | December 24 |''[[Roundhouse (TV series)|Roundhouse]]'' |- |December 25 |''[[Space Ghost Coast to Coast]]'' (returned in 1997) |1994 |- | December 28 |''[[The Adventures of Pete & Pete]]'' |1993 |} ===Made for TV movies and miniseries=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Premiere Date ! Title ! Channel |- | February 24 | ''[[The Late Shift (film)|The Late Shift]]'' (miniseries) | [[HBO]] |- | April 9 | ''[[Face of Evil]]'' | [[CBS]] |- | April 28 | ''[[The Beast (1996 film)|The Beast]]'' | [[NBC]] |- | May 14 | ''[[Doctor Who (1996 film)|Doctor Who]]'' | [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |- | September 24 | ''[[After Jimmy]]'' |rowspan="3"| [[CBS]] |- | November 15 | ''[[Dallas: J.R. Returns]]'' |- | November 17 | ''[[Titanic (1996 TV miniseries)|Titanic]]'' |} ===Entering syndication this year=== {|class="wikitable" |- " ! Show || Seasons || In Production || Source |- |''[[Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman]]'' |4 |rowspan="1"|Yes |<ref>[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1995/BC-1995-03-20.pdf] from Broadcasting & Cable</ref> |- |''[[Hangin' with Mr. Cooper]]'' |4 |rowspan="1"|Yes |<ref>[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1995/BC-1995-09-25.pdf] from Broadcasting & Cable</ref> |- |''[[Mad About You]]'' |4 |rowspan="1"|Yes |<ref>[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1995/BC-1995-12-18.pdf] from Broadcasting & Cable</ref> |- |''[[Martin (TV series)|Martin]]'' |4 | rowspan="1" |Yes |<ref>[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1995/BC-1995-10-09.pdf] from Broadcasting & Cable</ref> |} ===Changes of network affiliation=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Show ! Moved from ! Moved to |- |''[[Masked Rider]]'' |[[Fox Kids]] |[[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]] |- | ''[[Brotherly Love (1995 TV series)|Brotherly Love]]'' |rowspan="2"| [[NBC]] | [[WB Television Network|The WB]] |- | ''[[In the House (TV series)|In the House]]'' | [[UPN]] |- |''[[Candid Camera]] |rowspan="2"| [[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]] | [[CBS]] |- | ''[[Gargoyles (TV series)|Gargoyles]]'' |rowspan="2"| ABC |- | ''[[Doug (TV series)|Doug]]'' | [[Nickelodeon]] |- |''[[TekWar]]'' | [[USA Network]] | Sci-Fi Channel |- |''[[Major League Baseball Game of the Week]] | [[CBS]] | [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |- |''[[Shop 'til You Drop]]'' | [[Lifetime (TV network)|Lifetime]] | [[The Family Channel (United States)|The Family Channel]] |- |''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'' |rowspan="2"|[[TBS (U.S. TV channel)|TBS]]/[[TNT (U.S. TV network)|TNT]] |rowspan="2"|[[Cartoon Network]] |- |''[[The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest]] |} ==Television stations== ===Station launches=== {|class="wikitable" |- ! Date || Market || Station || Channel || Affiliation |- | January 1 || [[Reno, Nevada]] || [[KRXI-TV]] || 11 || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |- | March 1 || [[West Milford, New Jersey]] || [[WNYJ-TV|WFME-TV]] || 66 || [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]] |- | May 5 || [[Grand Junction, Colorado]] || [[KKCO]] || 11 || [[NBC]] |- | September 1 || [[Hagerstown, Maryland]] || [[WWPX-TV|WSHE-TV]] || 60 || inTV |- | October 31 || [[Bozeman, Montana]] || [[KXLF-TV|KCTZ]] || 7 || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |- | December 23 || [[Berrien Springs, Michigan]] || [[WYGN-LD|W12BK]] || 12 || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- | December 24 || [[Bluefield, West Virginia]] || [[WVNS-TV|WVSX]] || 59 || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |} ===Stations changing network affiliation=== {|class="wikitable" |- ! Market || Date || Station || Channel || Prior affiliation || New affiliation |- | [[Akron, Ohio|Akron]]/[[Cleveland, Ohio]] || December 31 || [[WVPX-TV|WAKC-TV]] || 23 || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] || inTV |- | rowspan="2"|[[Bakersfield, California]] || rowspan="2"|March 1 || [[KERO-TV]] || 23 || [[CBS]] || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- | [[KBAK-TV]] || 29 || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] || [[CBS]] |- | [[Binghamton, New York]] || April 4 || [[WICZ-TV]] || 40 || [[NBC]] || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |- | rowspan="5"|[[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]]/[[Tuscaloosa, Alabama]] || rowspan="5"|September 1 || [[WBRC]] || 6 || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |- | [[WTTO|WDBB/WTTO]] || 17/21 || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] || [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]] |- | [[WSES|WCFT-TV]]<br>[[WGWW|WJSU-TV]] || 33<br>40 || [[CBS]] || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- | [[WPXH-TV|WNAL-TV]] || 44 || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] || [[CBS]] |- | [[WBMA-LD|W58CK]] || 58 || [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]] || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- | rowspan="2"|[[Charleston, South Carolina]] || rowspan="2"|August 19 || [[WCBD-TV]] || 2 || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] || [[NBC]] |- | [[WGWG|WCIV]] || 4 || [[NBC]] || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- | rowspan="2"|[[Cincinnati, Ohio]] || rowspan="2"|June 3 || [[WCPO-TV]] || 9 || [[CBS]] || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- | [[WKRC-TV]] || 12 || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] || [[CBS]] |- | [[Fairbanks, Alaska]] || April 1 || [[KTVF]] || 11 || [[CBS]] || [[NBC]] |- | rowspan="2"|[[Greensboro, North Carolina]] || March 14 || [[WCWG|WBFX]] || 20 || [[Christian Television Network|CTN]] || [[The WB]] |- | June 19 || [[WMYV|WGGT-TV]] || 48 || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] || [[UPN]] |- | rowspan="2"|[[Honolulu, Hawaii]] || rowspan="2"|January 1 || [[KHON-TV]] || 2 || [[NBC]] || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |- | [[KHNL]] || 13 || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] || [[NBC]] |- | rowspan="2"|[[Idaho Falls, Idaho|Idaho Falls]]/[[Pocatello, Idaho]] || rowspan="2"|January 1 || [[KPVI-DT|KPVI]] || 6 || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] || [[NBC]] |- | [[KIFI-TV]] || 8 || [[NBC]] || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- | [[Lincoln, Nebraska]] || September 1 || [[KSNB-TV]] || 4 || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |- | rowspan="2"|[[Macon, Georgia]] || rowspan="2"|January 1 || [[WGXA]] || 24 || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |- | [[WPGA-TV]] || 58 || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- | rowspan="3"|[[Mobile, Alabama]]/[[Pensacola, Florida]] || rowspan="2"|January 1 || [[WALA-TV]] || 10 || [[NBC]] || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |- | [[WPMI]] || 15 || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] || [[NBC]] |- | September 29 || [[WFGX]] || 35 || [[Independent station (North America)|Independent]] || [[The WB]] |- | rowspan="3"|[[New Orleans, Louisiana]] || rowspan="3"|January 1 || [[WVUE-DT|WVUE-TV]] || 8 || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |- | [[WGNO]] || 26 || '''[[The WB]]''' || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- | [[WNOL-TV]] || 38 || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] || [[The WB]] |- | [[Reno, Nevada]] || January 1 || [[KAME-TV]] || 21 || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] || [[UPN]] |- | [[Twin Falls, Idaho]] || January 1 || [[KXTF|KKVI]] || 35 || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |} ===Station closures=== {|class="wikitable" |- ! Date || Market || Station || Channel || Affiliation |- | May 5 || [[Bluefield, West Virginia]] || [[WVNS-TV|WVGV-TV]] || 59 || [[The WB]] |- |} ==Births== {| class="wikitable" |- " ! Date || Name || Cinematic Notability |- |January 9 |[[Oana Gregory]] |Actress (''[[Crash and Bernstein]]'') |- |January 14 |Gabrielle Elyse |Actress (''[[Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn]]'') |- |January 15 |[[Dove Cameron]] |Actress (''[[Liv and Maddie]]'', ''[[Descendants: Wicked World]]'') and singer |- |January 17 |[[Caitlin Sanchez]] |Voice actress (Dora on ''[[Dora the Explorer]]'' (2008–12)) |- |January 18 |[[Sarah Gilman]] |Actress (''[[I Didn't Do It (TV series)|I Didn't Do It]]'') |- |January 27 |[[Braeden Lemasters]] |Actor (''[[Men of a Certain Age]]'', ''[[Betrayal (TV series)|Betrayal]]'') |- |February 1 |Rahart Adams |Actor (''[[Every Witch Way]]'') |- |February 7 |[[David Castro (actor)|David Castro]] |Actor (''[[Shadowhunters]]'') |- |rowspan="2"|February 9 |[[Jimmy Bennett]] |Actor (''[[No Ordinary Family]]'') |- |[[Kelli Berglund]] |Actress (''[[Lab Rats (U.S. TV series)|Lab Rats]]'', ''[[Lab Rats: Elite Force]]'') |- |February 17 |[[Sasha Pieterse]] |Actress (''[[Pretty Little Liars (TV series)|Pretty Little Liars]]'') and singer |- |February 19 |Allen Alvarado |Actor (''[[Flight 29 Down]]'') |- |February 21 |[[Sophie Turner]] |English actress (''[[Game of Thrones]]'') |- |February 28 |[[Bobb'e J. Thompson]] |Actor (''[[That's So Raven]]'', ''[[Tyler Perry's House of Payne]]'') |- |March 22 |[[Gig Morton]] |Canadian actor (''[[Mr. Young]]'') |- |April 3 |[[Sarah Jeffery]] |Canadian actress (''[[Descendants: Wicked World]]'') |- |April 4 |[[Austin Mahone]] |American singer |- |April 6 |Miranda May |Actress (''[[Bunk'd]]'') |- |April 10 |[[Audrey Whitby]] |Actress (''[[The Thundermans]]'') |- |April 14 |[[Abigail Breslin]] |Actress (''[[Scream Queens (2015 TV series)|Scream Queens]]'') |- |April 17 |[[Dee Dee Davis]] |Actress (''[[The Bernie Mac Show]]'') |- |April 25 |[[Allisyn Ashley Arm]] |Actress (''[[Sonny with a Chance]]'', ''[[So Random!]]'') |- |May 3 |[[Noah Munck]] |Actor (''[[iCarly]]'', ''[[The Goldbergs (2013 TV series)|The Goldbergs]]'') |- |May 8 |[[Noah Centineo]] |Actor (''[[The Fosters (2013 TV series)|The Fosters]]'') |- |May 17 |[[Ryan Ochoa]] |Actor (''[[iCarly]]'', ''[[Pair of Kings]]'') |- |May 24 |[[Frank Dolce]] |Actor (''[[Sons of Tucson]]'') |- |June 16 |Cody Lohan |Actor (''[[Living Lohan]]'') |- |July 16 |[[Nicky Jones (actor)|Nicky Jones]] |Voice actor (''[[Chowder (TV series)|Chowder]]'') |- |July 21 |[[Joey Bragg]] |Actor (''[[Liv and Maddie]]'') |- |July 30 |[[Austin North]] |Actor (''[[I Didn't Do It (TV series)|I Didn't Do It]]'') |- |July 31 |[[Blake Michael]] |Actor (''[[Dog With a Blog]]'') |- |August 1 |[[Cymphonique Miller]] |Actress (''[[How to Rock]]'') and singer |- |August 12 |[[Torri Webster]] |Canadian actress (''[[Life with Boys]]'') |- |August 21 |[[Jamia Simone Nash]] |Actress (''[[The Backyardigans]]'', ''[[The Young and the Restless]]'') |- |August 22 |[[Mickey Graue]] |Actor (''[[Lost (TV series)|Lost]]'') |- |August 25 |[[Naelee Rae]] |Actress (''[[The Backyardigans]]'', ''[[The Guiding Light]]'') |- |September 1 |[[Zendaya]] |Actress (''[[Shake It Up (U.S. TV series)|Shake It Up]]'', ''[[K.C. Undercover]]'') and singer |- |September 4 |[[Victoria Moroles]] |Actress (''[[Liv and Maddie]]'', ''[[Teen Wolf (2011 TV series)|Teen Wolf]]'') |- |September 6 |Alex Christian Jones |Actor (''[[Kickin' It]]'') |- |September 10 |Kamil McFadden |Actor (''[[K.C. Undercover]]'') |- |September 12 |[[Colin Ford]] |Actor (''[[Under the Dome (TV series)|Under the Dome]]'', Jake on ''[[Jake and the Never Land Pirates]]'') |- |September 13 |[[Lili Reinhart]] |Actress (''[[Riverdale (2017 TV series)|Riverdale]]'') |- |October 9 |[[Bella Hadid]] |American model and sister of [[Gigi Hadid]] |- |October 10 |Sarah Carpenter |Actress (''[[Girl Meets World]]'') |- |rowspan="2"|November 22 |[[Hailey Baldwin]] |American fashion model and daughter of [[Stephen Baldwin]] |- |[[Mackenzie Lintz]] |Actress (''[[Under the Dome (TV series)|Under the Dome]]'') |- |December 6 |[[Stefanie Scott]] |Actress (''[[A.N.T. Farm]]'') |- |December 8 |[[Teala Dunn]] |Actress (''[[Wonder Pets]]'', ''[[Are We There Yet? (TV series)|Are We There Yet?]]'') |- |rowspan="2"|December 11 |[[Hailee Steinfeld]] |Actress and singer |- |[[Jack Griffo]] |Actor (''[[The Thundermans]]'') and singer |- |December 20 |Timothy McCartney |Actor |- |December 21 |[[Kaitlyn Dever]] |Actress (''[[Justified (TV series)|Justified]]'', ''[[Last Man Standing (U.S. TV series)|Last Man Standing]]'') |- |December 29 |[[Dylan Minnette]] |Actor (''[[Lost (TV series)|Lost]]'', ''[[Awake (TV series)|Awake]]'', ''[[13 Reasons Why]]'') |- |December 30 |Raymond Cham |Actor (''[[Mech-X4]]'') |} ==Deaths== {| class="wikitable" |- " ! Date || Name || Age || Cinematic Credibility |- |February 3 |[[Audrey Meadows]] |align="center"|73 |actress (Alice Kramden on ''[[The Honeymooners]]'') |- |February 13 |[[Martin Balsam]] |align="center"|76 |actor (Murray on ''[[Archie Bunker's Place]]'') |- |rowspan="2"| February 15 |[[McLean Stevenson]] |align="center"|68 |actor (Lt. Col. Henry Blake on ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]'') |- |[[Tommy Rettig]] |align="center"|54 |child actor (Jeff on ''[[Lassie (1954 TV series)|Lassie]]'') |- |March 4 |[[Minnie Pearl]] |align="center"|83 |comedian |- |March 5 |[[Whit Bissell]] |align="center"|86 |character actor |- |March 9 |[[George Burns]] |align="center"|100 |comedian (''[[The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show]]'') |- |March 11 |[[Vince Edwards]] |align="center"|67 |actor (''[[Ben Casey]]'') |- |April 21 |[[Jimmy Snyder (sports commentator)|Jimmy Snyder]] |align="center"|77 |sports commentator (''[[The NFL Today]]'') |- | May 20 |[[Jon Pertwee]] |align="center"|76 | actor (''[[Third Doctor]]'') (''[[Doctor Who]]'') |- |June 2 |[[Ray Combs]] |align="center"|40 |former host of ''[[Family Feud]]'', ([[suicide]]) |- |June 5 |[[Vito Scotti]] |align="center"|78 |character actor, ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'' |- |June 16 |[[Mel Allen]] |align="center"|83 |sports commentator |- |July 21 |[[Herb Edelman]] |align="center"|62 |actor (Stanley Zbornak on ''[[The Golden Girls]]'') |- |August 27 |[[Greg Morris]] |align="center"|62 |actor (''[[Mission: Impossible]]'') |- |September 13 |[[Tupac Shakur]] |align="center"|25 |actor and songwriter |- |October 6 |[[Ted Bessell]] |align="center"|61 |actor and director (Donald on ''[[That Girl]]'') |- |October 28 |[[Morey Amsterdam]] |align="center"|87 |actor and comedian (Buddy on ''[[The Dick Van Dyke Show]]'') |- |October 31 |[[Arthur Peterson Jr.]] |align="center"|83 |actor (''[[Soap (TV series)|Soap]]'') |- |November 13 |[[Alma Kitchell]] |align="center"|103 |hostess (''[[In the Kelvinator Kitchen]]'') |- |December 8 |[[Howard Rollins]] |align="center"|46 |actor (Tibbs on ''[[In the Heat of the Night (TV series)|In the Heat of the Night]]'') |- |December 12 |[[Larry Gates]] |align="center"|81 |soap opera actor (''[[Guiding Light]]'') |- |December 14 |Edward K. Milkis |align="center"|65 |producer |} {{Years in TV by country|1996}} {{Years in television}} ==See also== * [[1996 in the United States]] * [[List of American films of 1996]] ==References== {{Reflist}} [[Category:1996 in television| ]] [[Category:1996 in American television| ]] [[Category:1990s in American television]]'