1959 in television

The year 1959 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events in 1959:

For the American TV schedule, see: 1959-60 American network television schedule.

Events

• January 15 – Tyne Tees Television, the ITV franchise for North East England, goes on air.
• May 28 – Launch of Lebanon's first television station, Télé Liban.
• July 13–17 – The Hate That Hate Produced introduces the Nation of Islam to white Americans
• July 24 – The Kitchen Debate takes place in Moscow, captured on color videotape.
• October 27 – Anglia Television, the ITV franchise for Eastern England, goes on air.
• October 31 – Ulster Television, the ITV franchise for Northern Ireland, goes on air.
• November 29-The Grammy Awards are first televised as part of NBC's Sunday Showcase.

Debuts

• January 9 – Rawhide, CBS (1959–1966)
• January 12 - The Bell Telephone Hour premieres on NBC (1959–1968).
• February 4 - Face to Face debuts on BBC Television (1959–1962).
• May 2 - Markham, starring Ray Milland, premieres on CBS (1959–1960).
• June 1 - Juke Box Jury premieres on BBC Television (1959–1967, 1979, 1989–1990).
• September 12 – Bonanza premieres on NBC, the first weekly television series broadcast completely in color (1959–1973).
• September 20 - NBC Sunday Showcase premieres on NBC (1959–1960).
• September 30 - Men Into Space on CBS Original run September 30, 1959 to September 7, 1960.
• October 2 – Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone debuts on CBS (1959–1964, 1985–1988, 2002).
• October 4 - Dennis the Menace premieres on CBS (1959–1963).
• October 4 - The Rebel on ABC Original run October 4, 1959 – June 18, 1961.
• October 5 - Bourbon Street Beat on ABC Original run October 5 - July 4, 1960.
• October 7 – Hawaiian Eye premieres on ABC (1959–1963).
• October 15 - The Untouchables premieres on ABC (1959–1963).
• Tales of the Riverbank premieres (1959–1963).

Television shows

• Men Into Space (1959–1960).
• Man with a Camera (1959–1960).
• Perry Mason (1957–1966).
• Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (1946–1960).
• Howdy Doody (1947–1960).
• Meet the Press (1947–present).
• Candid Camera (1948–present).
• The Ed Sullivan Show (1948–1971).
• Bozo the Clown (1949–2001).
• Come Dancing (UK) (1949–1995).
• The Voice of Firestone (1949–1963).
• The Jack Benny Show (1950–1965).
• Truth or Consequences (1950–1988).
• What's My Line (1950–1967).
• Love of Life (1951–1980).
• Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1958–1960)
• Search for Tomorrow (1951–1986).
• Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951–present).
• I Love Lucy (1951–1960)
• American Bandstand (1952–1989).
• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952–1966).
• The Guiding Light (1952–2009).
• The Today Show (1952–present).
• This Is Your Life (US) (1952–1961).
• Panorama (UK) (1953–present).
• The Good Old Days (UK) (1953–1983).
• Face the Nation (1954–present).
• The Brighter Day (1954–1962).
• The Milton Berle Show (1954–1967).
• The Secret Storm (1954–1974).
• The Tonight Show (1954–present).
• Zoo Quest (UK) (1954–1964).
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–1962).
• Captain Kangaroo (1955–1984).
• Cheyenne (1955–1962).
• Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955–1976).
• Gunsmoke (1955–1975).
• Jubilee USA (1955–1960).
• The Lawrence Welk Show (1955–1982).
• This Is Your Life (UK) (1955–2003).
• Armchair Theatre (UK) (1956–1968).
• As the World Turns (1956–2010).
• Hancock's Half Hour (1956–1962).
• Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956–1978).
• The Edge of Night (1956–1984).
• The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford (1956–1961).
• The Gale Storm Show, Oh! Susanna (1956–1960).
• The Price Is Right (1956–1965).
• The Steve Allen Show (1956–1960).
• What the Papers Say (UK) (1956–2008).
• The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom (1957–1960).
• Leave It to Beaver (1957–1963).
• The Real McCoys (1957–1963).
• The Army Game (UK) (1957–1961).
• The Sky at Night (UK) (1957–present).
• Blue Peter (UK) (1958–present).
• General Motors Presents (Can) (1953–1956, 1958–1961)
• Grandstand (UK) (1958–2007).
• Peter Gunn (1958–1961).
• The Texan (1958–1960).
• The Donna Reed Show (1958–1966).
• The Huckleberry Hound Show (1958–1962).
• Walt Disney Presents (1958–1961).
• KPIX Dance Party (1959–1963).

Ending this year

• January 13 - Jack Wyatt's Confession (1958–1959)
• January 26 – The science-fiction serial Quatermass and the Pit concludes with 11 million viewers for the final episode, a recent BBC record (1958–1959).
• April 24 – Your Hit Parade, which had been on the air since 1935 in its earlier radio form (1950–1959).
• Dragnet (1951–1959).
• Mickey Mouse Club (1955–1959).
• The Restless Gun (1957–1959).

Births

• February 22 – Kyle MacLachlan, American actor
• March 6 – Tom Arnold, American actor & comedian
• April 3 - David Hyde Pierce, actor, (Frasier)
• April 17 – Sean Bean, English actor
• May 3 – Ben Elton, English comedian & writer (Blackadder)
• May 29 – Rupert Everett, English actor
• June 11 – Hugh Laurie, English actor & comedian
• June 30 – Vincent D'Onofrio, actor
• August 13 – Danny Bonaduce, actor
• August 14 – Marcia Gay Harden, actress
• August 16 – Laura Innes, actress
• September 14 - Mary Crosby, actress (Dallas)
• September 21 – Dave Coulier, actor
• September 23 – Jason Alexander, actor
  • Rosalind Chao, actress
• October 3 - Jack Wagner, actor
• October 13 – Marie Osmond, singer & entertainer
• October 23 – "Weird Al" Yankovic, music parodist
• October 25 – Nancy Cartwright, voice actress ("Bart Simpson").
• November 10 - Mackenzie Phillips, actress (One Day at a Time)
• November 19 - Allison Janney, actress, (The West Wing)
• November 28 - Judd Nelson, actor
• December 16 – Alison LaPlaca, actress
• December 30 – Tracey Ullman, English actress & comedienne
• December 31 - Val Kilmer, American actor of film and television