1977–78 United States network television schedule

The following is the 1977–78 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1977 through August 1978. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1976–77 season. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football.

New fall series are highlighted in bold. Series ending their original runs are in italics.

Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.[1]

  Yellow indicates the programs in the top 10 for the season.
  Cyan indicates the programs in the top 20 for the season.
  Magenta indicates the programs in the top 30 for the season.

PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service, was in operation, but the schedule was set by each local station. On ABC, debuting news brief, airs all seven nights at 9:58, pm.

Sunday

[edit]
Network 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries The Six Million Dollar Man The ABC Sunday Night Movie (20/20.8)
(Tied with The Waltons)
Winter How the West Was Won (11/22.5)
CBS Fall 60 Minutes (4/24.4)
(Tied with Charlie's Angels and All in the Family)
Rhoda (25/20.1) On Our Own (29/19.6) All in the Family (4/24.4)
(Tied with 60 Minutes and Charlie's Angels)
Alice (8/23.2)
(Tied with M*A*S*H)
Kojak
December The Carol Burnett Show
Spring Dallas
Summer Switch
NBC Fall The Wonderful World of Disney The Big Event (30/19.4)
Winter The Wonderful World of Disney Project U.F.O. (19/21.2)

NOTE: On NBC, Off the Wall and C.P.O. Sharkey were supposed to air at 8:00-9:00 p.m., but the former was canceled before it aired due to action by Universal Television, the show's producer.[2][3]

Monday

[edit]
Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall The San Pedro Beach Bums ABC NFL Monday Night Football (16/21.5)
Winter Lucan The ABC Monday Night Movie (24/20.3)
Follow-up The Six Million Dollar Man
Spring Sugar Time! Monday Night Baseball
CBS Fall Young Dan'l Boone The Betty White Show Maude Rafferty
Follow-up Logan's Run M*A*S*H (8/23.2)
(Tied with Alice)
One Day at a Time (10/23.0) Switch
Winter Lou Grant
Follow-up Good Times Baby I'm Back
Summer The Jeffersons Good Times
NBC Little House on the Prairie (7/24.1) NBC Monday Night at the Movies (15/21.7)

Tuesday

[edit]
Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Happy Days (2/31.4) Laverne & Shirley (1/31.6) Three's Company (3/28.3) Soap (13/22.0) Family (26/19.9)
(Tied with The Incredible Hulk and Welcome Back, Kotter)
Spring Having Babies
Follow-up The Harvey Korman Show
Summer Carter Country 20/20
CBS Fall The Fitzpatricks M*A*S*H (8/23.2)
(Tied with Alice)
One Day at a Time (10/23.0) Lou Grant
Winter Celebrity Challenge of the Sexes The Shields and Yarnell Show CBS Tuesday Night Movie
Spring Sam
NBC Fall The Richard Pryor Show Man from Atlantis Police Woman
Follow-up Man from Atlantis Mulligan's Stew
Winter Chuck Barris Rah Rah Show Event and miniseries programming
Spring Rollergirls Joe & Valerie

Wednesday

[edit]
Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Eight Is Enough (12/22.2) Charlie's Angels (4/24.4)
(Tied with 60 Minutes and All in the Family)
Baretta
Winter Starsky & Hutch
CBS Fall Good Times Busting Loose The CBS Wednesday Night Movies
Follow-up Szysznyk
Spring The Amazing Spider-Man
NBC Fall The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams The Oregon Trail Big Hawaii
Follow-up The Black Sheep Squadron Police Woman
Summer Headliners With David Frost

Thursday

[edit]
Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Welcome Back, Kotter (26/19.9)
(Tied with The Incredible Hulk and Family)
What's Happening!! Barney Miller (17/21.4)
(Tied with Fantasy Island)
Carter Country The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour
Winter Fish Baretta
Spring A.E.S. Hudson Street
CBS The Waltons (20/20.8)
(Tied with The ABC Sunday Night Movie)
Hawaii Five-O (23/20.4) Barnaby Jones (22/20.6)
NBC Fall CHiPs Man from Atlantis Rosetti and Ryan
November James at 15 What Really Happened to the Class of '65?
February James at 16
March The Black Sheep Squadron
Spring The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour The Runaways Police Woman
May CHiPs James at 16

Friday

[edit]
Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Donny & Marie The ABC Friday Night Movie
CBS Fall The New Adventures of Wonder Woman Logan's Run Switch!
Follow-up The CBS Friday Night Movie
Winter The Incredible Hulk (26/19.9)
(Tied with Family and Welcome Back, Kotter)
Husbands, Wives & Lovers
NBC Fall Sanford Arms Chico and the Man The Rockford Files Quincy, M.E.
October C.P.O. Sharkey
Winter Quark C.P.O. Sharkey
Spring Richie Brockelman, Private Eye
April The Rockford Files
Summer C.P.O. Sharkey Chico and the Man

Saturday

[edit]
Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Fish Operation Petticoat Starsky & Hutch The Love Boat (14/21.9)
November Tabitha
Winter What's Happening!! The Love Boat (14/21.9) Fantasy Island (17/21.4)
(Tied with Barney Miller)
Spring Mel & Susan Together
June Free Country ABC Comedy Special
Summer Family
CBS Fall The Bob Newhart Show We've Got Each Other The Jeffersons The Tony Randall Show The Carol Burnett Show
Winter The Tony Randall Show Maude Kojak
Spring The Jeffersons The Ted Knight Show Another Day
NBC The Bionic Woman NBC Saturday Night at the Movies

By network

[edit]

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

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Fall line-ups now complete; emphasis is on comedy and specials" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 9, 1977. p. 28. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  3. ^ "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 13, 1977. p. 33. Retrieved November 8, 2023.

Additional sources

[edit]
  • Castleman, H. & Podrazik, W. (1982). Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television. New York: McGraw-Hill. 314 pp.
  • McNeil, Alex. Total Television. Fourth edition. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-024916-8.
  • Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1985). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-31864-1.