1988–89 United States network television schedule

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Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:USTV The 1988–89 network television schedule for the four major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers primetime hours from September 1988 through August 1989. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1987–88 season.

PBS is not included; member stations have local flexibility over most of their schedules and broadcast times for network shows may vary.

New series are highlighted in bold.

All times are U.S. Eastern Time and Pacific Time (except for some live sports or events). Subtract one hour for Central, Mountain, Alaska and Hawaii–Aleutian times.

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. Template:ISBN.</ref>

Writers' strike impact

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The 1988 Writers Guild of America strike lasted between March 7 and August 7. During the strike, production on scripted television series across all of the major television networks was suspended. The writers' strike forced the networks to postpone the start of the fall 1988 schedule later than usual; rather than the traditional late-September/early-October start, new and returning series had their premieres delayed until late October and into November. In the interim, the networks had to rely on a hodgepodge of programming, including reruns, films, entertainment and news specials, program-length political advertising, and unscripted original series (e.g. CBS' High Risk); NBC and ABC also benefited from sports programming (NBC relied on the Summer Olympics in September and the World Series in October, while ABC had postseason baseball coverage and moved up the start time for the early weeks of Monday Night Football from 9 p.m. ET to 8 p.m. ET to replace MacGyver, which was not yet ready with new episodes at the time). Even though previous strikes of Hollywood employees occurred in 1980 and 1981, those strikes only had a minor effect on the production of television programs that aired in the 1980–81 and 1981–82 seasons. The 1988–89 television season was thus the first of four television seasons to have its start delayed due to issues outside of the control of the major networks; further instances occurred in the 2001–02 season (due to the networks' news coverage of the September 11 attacks), the 2020–21 season (due to the suspension of television productions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic), and the 2023–24 season (due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes).

Legend

Template:Plainlist

Sunday

Network 7:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 10:30 p.m.
ABC Fall Incredible Sunday Mission: Impossible The ABC Sunday Night Movie
Winter Great Circuses of the World Template:Small
Spring Incredible Sunday Moonlighting
Summer Have Faith Template:Small The ABC Sunday Night Movie
Late summer MacGyver Template:Small The ABC Sunday Night Movie
CBS Template:Highlight Murder, She Wrote Template:Small Template:Highlight
Fox Fall 21 Jump Street America's Most Wanted Married... with Children It's Garry Shandling's Show The Tracey Ullman Show Duet Template:Small
Winter
Spring
Summer Totally Hidden Video Married... with Children Template:Small It's Garry Shandling's Show The Tracey Ullman Show Template:Small Duet Template:Small
NBC Fall The Magical World of Disney Family Ties Day by Day Template:Highlight
Winter
Spring
Summer The Jim Henson Hour The Magical World of Disney
Late summer The Magical World of Disney Family Ties My Two Dads Template:Small

Notes:

  • Quantum Leap had a two-hour premiere Sunday, March 26, 1989, on NBC.
  • On ABC, A Fine Romance was supposed to air 8-9 p.m., but production delays amidst the strike forced the move to Thursdays.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref>

Monday

Network 8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 10:30 p.m.
ABC Fall Template:Highlight
Mid-fall MacGyver Template:Highlight
Winter The ABC Monday Night Movie
Mid-winter Template:Highlight
Spring
Summer
CBS Fall Newhart The Cavanaughs CBS Monday Night Movie
Mid-fall Coming of Age Murphy Brown Designing Women Template:Small
Winter Kate & Allie Almost Grown
Spring Live-In Heartland Newhart Kate & Allie
Summer Kate & Allie Doctor Doctor
Mid-summer Designing Women Template:Small Murphy Brown Template:Small Newhart
NBC Fall ALF Template:Small The Hogan Family Template:Small Template:Highlight
Winter
Spring Nearly Departed
Mid-spring The Hogan Family Template:Small
Summer

(*) B.L. Stryker, Columbo, Gideon Oliver

Tuesday

Network 8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 10:30 p.m.
ABC Fall Who's the Boss? Template:Small Roseanne Template:Small Moonlighting Thirtysomething
Winter The Wonder Years Template:Small Roseanne Template:Small Anything but Love Template:Small
Spring Have Faith
Summer Coach Template:Small
CBS Fall High Risk CBS Tuesday Movie
Late fall TV 101
Winter Tour of Duty
Spring
Summer CBS Summer Playhouse
NBC Fall Matlock Template:Small NBC Tuesday Night at the Movies
Mid-fall In the Heat of the Night Template:Small Midnight Caller
Winter
Spring
Summer

Wednesday

Network 8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 10:30 p.m.
ABC Fall Growing Pains Template:Small Head of the Class Template:Small The ABC Wednesday Night Movie
Late Fall The Wonder Years Template:Small Hooperman China Beach
Winter Coach
Spring The Robert Guillaume Show
Summer Hooperman
Late summer Coach
CBS Early fall Live! Dick Clark Presents The Equalizer Wiseguy
Fall The Van Dyke Show Annie McGuire
Winter TV 101
Mid-winter Hard Time on Planet Earth Jake and the Fatman
Spring
Summer
Late summer The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
NBC Fall Unsolved Mysteries Template:Small Night Court Template:Small Baby Boom Tattingers
Mid-fall My Two Dads
Winter Nightingales
Spring
Mid-spring Quantum Leap
Summer Miami Vice
Mid-summer Knight & Daye
Late summer FM Template:Small
  • Notes: Seinfeld premiered July 5, 1989 at 9:30 p.m. on NBC. On Fox, Fox Night at the Movies premiered on May 17, 1989 with The Fly.

Thursday

Network 8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 10:30 p.m.
ABC Fall Template:Small
Mid-fall Knightwatch Dynasty Template:Small
Winter A Fine Romance HeartBeat
Spring Template:Small ABC News Specials
Summer Thursday Night Baseball
Late summer A Man Called Hawk Template:Small Mission: Impossible Template:Small Primetime Live
CBS Fall 48 Hours CBS Thursday Night Movie
Mid-fall Paradise Knots Landing Template:Small
Winter
Spring The Equalizer
Summer The Cavanaughs Coming of Age The Equalizer
Mid-summer The Equalizer Knots Landing Template:Small
NBC The Cosby Show Template:Small A Different World Template:Small Cheers Template:Small Dear John Template:Small L.A. Law Template:Small

Friday

Network 8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 10:30 p.m.
ABC Fall Perfect Strangers Full House Mr. Belvedere Just the Ten of Us 20/20
Winter
Spring
Summer
Mid-summer Template:Small
Late summer Full House Template:Small Mr. Belvedere Template:Small Perfect Strangers Template:Small Just the Ten of Us Template:Small
CBS Fall Beauty and the Beast Dallas Template:Small Falcon Crest
Winter
Spring
Summer CBS Friday Movie
NBC Fall Sonny Spoon Something Is Out There Miami Vice
Winter Father Dowling Mysteries Miami Vice Unsub
Spring The Jim Henson Hour Quantum Leap
Mid-spring Miami Vice Dream Street
Summer Highway to Heaven NBC Friday Night at the Movies

Saturday

Network 8:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 10:00 p.m. 10:30 p.m.
ABC Fall Murphy's Law ABC Saturday Night Movie
Mid-fall ABC Saturday Night Movie Murphy's Law
Winter Mission: Impossible A Man Called Hawk
Spring Men
Mid-spring A Man Called Hawk ABC Saturday Night Movie
Summer
CBS Early fall First Impressions Frank's Place Template:Small Template:Small West 57th
Fall Dirty Dancing Raising Miranda Simon & Simon
Mid-fall Live! Dick Clark Presents
Winter Dolphin Cove Dirty Dancing Raising Miranda
Mid-winter The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Late winter TV 101
Spring Paradise Jesse Hawkes
Summer Tour of Duty
Fox Fall The Reporters Beyond Tomorrow Template:Small
Winter COPS Beyond Tomorrow
Spring COPS The Reporters
Summer
NBC Fall 227 Amen Template:Small The Golden Girls Template:Small Empty Nest Template:Small Hunter Template:Small
Winter
Spring One of the Boys
Mid-spring 227 One of the Boys
Summer Amen Template:Small
Mid-summer My Two Dads Template:Small
Late summer Amen Template:Small 13 East

Note: On CBS, Frank's Place consisted of reruns of the 1987-88 sitcom. On ABC, ABC Saturday Mystery Movie was supposed to air 9-11 p.m., but production delays amidst the strike force the move to Mondays.<ref name=":0" />

By network

ABC

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-3 Returning Series

Template:Col-3 New Series

Template:Col-3 Not returning from 1987–88:

Template:Col-end

CBS

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-3 Returning Series

Template:Col-3 New Series

Template:Col-3 Not returning from 1987–88:

Template:Col-end

Fox

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-3 Returning Series

Template:Col-3 New Series

Template:Col-3 Not returning from 1987–88:

Template:Col-end

NBC

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-3 Returning Series

Template:Col-3 New Series

Template:Col-3 Not returning from 1987–88:

Template:Col-end

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

+ These shows returned as "backup" programming in midseason.

@ Formerly known as Valerie's Family.

References

Template:Reflist

Template:US TV schedule

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