1974 in television

The year 1974 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events in 1974.

For the American TV schedule, see: 1974-75 American network television schedule.

Events

• January 6 – CKGN-TV begins broadcasting in Brantford, Ontario.
• January 31 – CBS airs a multi-Emmy-winning adaptation of Ernest J. Gaines' novel The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, which follows the 110-year life of a former slave from the Civil War to the civil rights movement. Cicely Tyson portrays the title role.
• February 8 – After 20 years, The Secret Storm airs its 5195th and final episode on CBS Daytime. The show is replaced ten days later by Tattletales, a game show hosted by Bert Convy.
• March 11 – The children's special Free to Be... You and Me, produced by comedic actress Marlo Thomas, airs on ABC.
• March 13 – The Execution of Private Slovik airs on NBC. A made for television film, it told the story of Pvt. Eddie Slovik, the only American soldier to be executed for desertion since the American Civil War.
• April 6 – "Waterloo" wins the Eurovision Song Contest for Sweden and launches ABBA on their stellar global career.
• May 4 – Steve Frame (George Reinholt) marries Alice Matthews (Jacqueline Courtney) for the second time on a special hour-long broadcast of Another World, coinciding with the show's tenth anniversary.
• June 8 – Jon Pertwee makes his final regular appearance as the Third Doctor in the concluding moments of Part Six of the Doctor Who serial Planet of the Spiders. Tom Baker briefly appears as the Fourth Doctor at the conclusion of this serial.
• August 5 – For the first time on a pre-school children's programme, the UK show Inigo Pipkin covers the death of the main character, Inigo, as the actor who played him (George Woodbridge) had died. The show is renamed Pipkins.
• August 8 – US President Richard Nixon resigns live on television.
• September 10 – The controversial TV movie Born Innocent, starring Linda Blair, airs on NBC. The film, which involved a fourteen-year-old being sent to what the television preview deemed a women's prison (when in reality it was a reform school), drew heavy criticism due to an all-female rape scene, the first ever seen on American television. The scene was deleted in subsequent re-airings after a group of girls assaulted an eight-year-old with a pop bottle, influenced by the scene in the film.
• December 28 – Tom Baker makes his first full appearance as the Fourth Doctor in the Doctor Who serial Robot.
• Monty Python's Flying Circus, the popular British sketch comedy which aired its final episode this year, is first shown in the US on KERA-TV in Dallas, Texas.
• Meg Dale (Tudi Wiggins) calls her son Ben (Christopher Reeve) a "bastard" on the soap opera Love of Life, the first time a profanity was spoken on American daytime television.
• US television game show program Match Game is the #1 rated program and #1 rated game show for the second year in a row.

Debuts

• January 5 – Tiswas starts as a local programme in the Midlands (ATV) in the UK, but the television show wasn't fully automatically networked through ITV until 1979 (1974–1982).
• January 7 – How to Survive a Marriage debuts in a 90-minute special on NBC daytime. The episode shows the first nudity (which was merely simulated and not visible) on American daytime television. Jackpot! (1974–1975), a game show, premiered earlier in the day on NBC.
• January 15 – Happy Days premieres on ABC (1974–1984). It spawns a record eight spin-off series (five live-action, three animated).
• February 1 – Good Times, a spinoff of Maude (which itself was a spinoff of All in the Family,) premieres on CBS (1974–1979).
• February 18 – Tattletales, hosted by Bert Convy, premieres on CBS daytime (1974–1978, 1982–1984).
• April 12 – Ultraman Leo premieres on TBS in Japan (1974–1975).
• May 6 – The $10,000 Pyramid moves to ABC with Dick Clark as host.
• July 1 – High Rollers premieres on NBC (1974–1976; 1978–1980).
• September 7 – Land of the Lost premieres on NBC (1974–1977).
• September 7 – Valley of the Dinosaurs premieres on CBS (1974–1976).
• September 7 – Shazam! premieres on CBS (1974–1977).
• September 7 – Hong Kong Phooey premieres on ABC (1974).
• September 9 – Rhoda premieres on CBS (1974–1978).
• September 9 – The $25,000 Pyramid premieres in syndication with host Bill Cullen; basically The $10,000 Pyramid with larger prizes.
• Dinah! premieres (syndicated 1974–1980), succeeding Dinah Shore's cancelled NBC daytime show Dinah's Place.
• September 11 – Little House on the Prairie starring Michael Landon, premieres on NBC (1974–1983). It spawns two spin-off series.
• September 13 – Chico and the Man (1974–1978),The Rockford Files (1974–1980), and Police Woman (1974–1978) all premiere on NBC .
• Countdown premieres on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1974–1987).
• Derrick, German Krimi written by Herbert Reinecker, starring Horst Tappert, premieres on ZDF (1974–1988).
• Definition (TV series) premieres on CTV daytime (1974–1989).
• Dr. Zonk and the Zunkins premieres on CBC (1974–1975).
• House of Pride premieres on CBC (1974–1976).
• Wish You Were Here...? premieres on ITV (1974–2003, 2007–).
• July 4 – CBS airs its first Bicentennial Minute. They will continue until the end of 1976.
• March 3 – Nova premieres on PBS (1974–present).
• Name That Tune premieres on NBC daytime with Dennis James hosting, and in nighttime syndication with Tom Kennedy hosting.

Television shows

1940s

• Meet the Press (1947–present).
• Candid Camera (1948–present).
• Bozo the Clown (1949–present).
• Come Dancing (UK) (1949–1995)

1950s

• Truth or Consequences (1950–1988).
• Love of Life (1951–1980).
• Search for Tomorrow (1951–1986).
• Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951–present).
• American Bandstand (1952–1989).
• The Guiding Light (1952–2009).
• The Today Show (1952–present).
• Panorama (UK) (1953–present).
• The Good Old Days (UK) (1953–1983).
• Face the Nation (1954–present).
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992).
• Captain Kangaroo (1955–1984).
• Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955–1976).
• Gunsmoke (1955–1975).
• The Lawrence Welk Show (1955–1982).
• This Is Your Life (UK) (1955–2003).
• As the World Turns (1956–2010).
• Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956–1978).
• The Edge of Night (1956–1984).
• What the Papers Say (UK) (1956–present).
• The Sky at Night (UK) (1957–present).
• Blue Peter (UK) (1958–present).
• Grandstand (UK) (1958–2007).

1960s

• Coronation Street (UK) (1960–present).
• co (Australia) (1961–present).
• It's Academic (1961–present).
• The Mike Douglas Show (1961–1981).
• The Late Late Show (Ireland) (1962–present).
• Z-Cars (UK) (1962–1978).
• Doctor Who (UK) (1963–1989, 1996, 2005–present).
• General Hospital (1963–present).
• The Doctors (1963–1982).
• Another World (1964–1999).
• Crossroads (UK) (1964–1988, 2001–2003).
• Jeopardy! (1964–1975, 1984–present).
• Top of the Pops (UK) (1964–2006).
• Days of our Lives (1965–present).
• World of Sport (UK) (1965–1985).
• Play School (Australia) (1966–present).
• The Money Programme (UK) (1966–present).
• Ironside (1967–1975).
• Mannix (1967–1975).
• The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1978).
• 60 Minutes (1968–present).
• Dad's Army (UK) (1968–1977).
• Hawaii Five-O (1968–1980).
• Magpie (UK) (1968–1980).
• One Life to Live (1968–present).
• Hee Haw (1969–1993).
• Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969–1976).
• Sesame Street (1969–present).
• The Benny Hill Show (UK) (1969–1989).
• The Wonderful World of Disney (1969–1979).

1970s

• All My Children (1970–present).
• Mary Tyler Moore (1970–1977).
• McCloud (1970–1977).
• Monday Night Football (1970–present).
• Play for Today (UK) (1970–1984).
• The Odd Couple (1970–1975).
• All in the Family (1971–1979).
• Columbo (1971–1978).
• Masterpiece Theatre (1971–present).
• McMillan & Wife (1971–1977).
• Old Grey Whistle Test (UK) (1971–1987).
• Soul Train (1971–present).
• Are You Being Served? (UK) (1972–1985).
• Emergency! (1972–1977).
• Emmerdale Farm (UK) (1972–present).
• Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972–1984).
• John Craven's Newsround (UK) (1972–present).
• Kung Fu (1972–1975).
• Maude (1972–1978).
• M*A*S*H (1972–1983).
• Sanford and Son (1972–1977).
• The Bob Newhart Show (1972–1978).
• The Price Is Right (1972–present).
• The Waltons (1972–1981).
• Barnaby Jones (1973–1980).
• Kojak (1973–1978, 2005–present).
• Last of the Summer Wine (UK) (1973–present).
• Match Game '74 (1962–1969, 1973–1984, 1990–1991, 1998–1999).
• Schoolhouse Rock! (1973–1986).
• The Six Million Dollar Man (1973–1978).
• Superstars (UK) (1973–1985, 2003–2005).
• The Tomorrow Show (1973–1982).
• The Young and the Restless (1973–present).
• Cutey Honey (Japan) (1973–1974)
• Majokko Megu-chan (Japan) (1974–1975)
• Space Battleship Yamato (Japan) (1974–1975)

Ending this year

• January 11 – Love, American Style (1969–1974), Room 222 (1969–1974).
• February 8 – The Secret Storm (1954–1974).
• March 8 – The Brady Bunch (1969–1974).
• March 11 – The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971–1974).
• March 18 – Here's Lucy (1968–1974), leaving Lucille Ball without a regular, weekly TV show for the first time in 12 years.
• March 23 – The Partridge Family (1970–1974).
• March 24 – The Dean Martin Show (1965–1974).
• April 1 – Colditz (UK) (1972–1974).
• April 5 – Ultraman Taro (Japan) (1973–1974).
• May 29 – The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour (1971–1974).
• June – Audubon Wildlife Theatre (1968–1974).
• June 27 – The Flip Wilson Show (1970–1974).
• September 8 – The F.B.I. (1965–1974)
• October 12 – Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973–1974).
• December 5 – Monty Python's Flying Circus (UK) (1969–1974).
• December 20 – The Newlywed Game (1966–1974).

Births

• January 2 – Ursula Holden-Gill, British actress.
• January 12 – Melanie Chisholm, British singer. Spice Girls
• January 30 – Christian Bale, Welsh actor.
• February 17 – Jerry O'Connell, actor
• March 1 – Mark-Paul Gosselaar, actor
• March 24 – Alyson Hannigan, actress.
• March 31 – Angela Dotchin, actress.
• April 11 – Tricia Helfer, Canadian actress and model.
• April 17 – Victoria Beckham, English singer. Spice Girls
• April 23 – Barry Watson, actor. 7th Heaven
• May 27 – Denise van Outen, British actress and singer.
• June 26 – Derek Jeter, baseball player, New York Yankees
• July 26 – Genevieve Gorder.
• August 15 – Natasha Henstridge, Canadian actress and model.
• October 7 – Allison Munn, American actress
• November 11 – Leonardo DiCaprio, actor.
• November 28 – Kristian Schmid, Australian actor
• December 13 – Sara Cox, radio and television presenter.
• December 17 – Giovanni Ribisi and Marissa Ribisi, actor and actress

Deaths

• March 20 – Chet Huntley, journalist, co-anchor of the NBC nightly newscast.
• April 17 – Frank McGee, journalist, NBC news.
• April 30 – Agnes Moorehead, actress (Endora on Bewitched).
• July 15 – Christine Chubbuck, news reporter on WXLT in Sarasota, Florida, suicide by gunshot on the air.
• October 13 – Ed Sullivan, host of the Ed Sullivan Show.
• November 5 – Stafford Repp, actor (Chief O'hara on Batman).
• December 26 – Jack Benny, American comedian (born 1894)