1987 in American television

none June 2018 1987 In 1987, television in the United States saw a number of significant events, including the debuts, finales, and cancellations of television shows; the launch, closure, and rebranding of channels; changes and additions to network affiliations by stations; controversies, business transactions, and carriage disputes; and the deaths of individuals who had made notable contributions to the medium. Events Date EventJanuary 310After being canceled by CBS at the end of the 1984–85 season, Charles in Charge resurfaces in first-run syndication, where it would run for an additional four seasons.January 5Remington Steele is resumed by NBC after a six-month hiatus. During the hiatus, the series' main actor Pierce Brosnan won the film role of James Bond, only to lose the role when NBC unexpectedly renewed the television series. Remington Steele adopts a TV-movie length format but only runs for a few installments before being canceled permanently.January 17NBC announces purchase of CBS affiliate WTVJ, and stripped off WSVN, thus the switch did not take effect until two years later.January 22R. Budd Dwyer shoots and kills himself at a televised press conference. The decision by some companies to broadcast the footage results in a debate concerning journalistic ethics.January 23After being dropped by CBS following its third season, Airwolf is resurfaces on the USA Network, who funded the fourth season, to be produced in Canada by Atlantis and The Arthur Company (owned by Arthur L. Annecharico) in association with MCA. This was intended to increase the number of episodes to make the show eligible for broadcast syndication. The principal cast is deemed too expensive to hire, so entirely new cast is created. Jan-Michael Vincent (Stringfellow Hawke) however, appears in the first transitional episode. This particular iteration of Airwolf would last for a single, 24 episode long season, concluding on August 7, 1987.January 25CBS' broadcast of Super Bowl XXI becomes the first NFL game to be broadcast in Dolby Surround sound and in stereo.Small-format video technology pictured for 1987 https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1987/BC-1987-01-05.pdf Broadcasting Magazine April 5, 2017 178–180 January 5, 1987 CBS also debuted the theme music (composed by Lloyd Landesman) that would later be used for their college football coverage during this game, as well as its open that was used through 1990.February 2PBS broadcasts the critically acclaimed series Eyes on the Prize.February 7In the very special episode of Valerie titled "Bad Timing", David and a former girlfriend debate whether to have sex.https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/08/nyregion/albany-tv-station-cancels-nbc-show-over-condom-issue.html Albany TV station cancels NBC show over condom issue The New York Times Associated Press February 8, 1987 August 14, 2008Lewin, Tamar https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/08/arts/new-sex-mores-are-chilling-tv-ardor.html New sex mores are chilling TV ardor The New York Times March 8, 1987 August 14, 2008 The episode featured the first use of the word condom on a prime time television program.https://books.google.com/books?id=G7esYC1LNM4C&q=%22hogan+family%22+condom&pg=PT21 Totally Awesome 80s: A Lexicon of the Music, Videos, Movies, TV Shows, Stars, and Trends of that Decadent Decade Matthew Rettenmund October 15, 1996 Macmillan 9780312144364 Google Books Parental advisory warnings were issued in ads for the episode and NBC placed an advisory warning before the episode aired stating that parents may want to watch the episode with their children. Because of the episode's subject matter, some of NBC's affiliates either aired the show outside of prime time or refused to air it at all. The episode was later released to home video, especially for teachers and health educators to use as a tool to promote safe sex.February 14Pee-wee Herman guest stars on the NBC sitcom 227.February 15Amerika, the science-fiction drama miniseries, showing life ten years after the United States is defeated and occupied by the USSR, was broadcast on ABC.February 20David Hartman anchors ABC's Good Morning America for the final time. He would be succeeded by Charles Gibson, who would anchor the program alongside Joan Lunden.February 24James Coco makes his final recurring appearance as Tony Micelli's father–in–law, Nick Milano on the ABC sitcom Who's the Boss? Just one day later, Coco would die of a heart attack at the age of 56. The Season 4 episode "A Farewell to Nick" would later be produced in Coco's honor.February 25On CBS, Frank Sinatra makes a guest appearance on Magnum P.I., in what would be his last credited screen performance.March 9KETK-TV in Jacksonville, Texas signs on the air, giving the Tyler market its first full-time NBC affiliate. (NBC had previously been shared on KLTV with CBS (until KLMG-TV signed on in 1984), and later ABC which KLTV retains as a full-time affiliate.)March 12"A, My Name is Alex", a special hour-long episode of Family Ties is broadcast on NBC. The second half-hour was broadcast without commercials. The episode would win numerous awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Humanitas Prize and a Writers Guild of America Award for writing as well as a DGA Award.March 19Televangelist Jim Bakker resigns as the host of The PTL Club after involvement in a sex scandal.March 23The first ever Soul Train Music Awards is broadcast in syndication.The soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful debuts on CBS.March 27On CBS, The Price Is Right surpasses Concentration as the longest-running daytime game show in history.March 28The forerunner to the Kids' Choice Awards, dubbed 'The Big Ballot', airs on Nickelodeon. The Big Ballot was actually aired over four consecutive weeks (with the movie winners, TV winners, music winners, and finally sports winners being announced for each week) as part of the movie review program Rated K: For Kids by Kids.March 29In front of 93,173 fans Hulk Hogan retains the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 3 at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan defeating his former friend André The Giant.March 30CBS Sports uses the song "One Shining Moment" for the first time during the highlight package at the end of their coverage of NCAA men's basketball tournament final.March 31On ABC's Moonlighting, Maddie and David consummate their relationship after two and a half years of romantic tension.April 5The Fox TV network makes its prime-time debut, marking the first time since 1955 that there were four U.S. networks with prime-time programming. The network debuted two shows, Married... with Children and The Tracey Ullman Show, which are broadcast three times each during the night so that viewers watching other networks can switch over and sample the shows.April 6During an episode of the ABC late-night news program Nightline devoted to the upcoming 40th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut in Major League Baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Al Campanis makes racially insensitive comments when asked about the scarcity of black field or general managers in MLB. Campanis would be fired two days later.April 17Bill Murray announces a Chicago Cubs-Montreal Expos game at Wrigley Field on WGN. Working alongside Steve Stone, Murray was filling in while broadcaster Harry Caray was recovering from a stroke. Caray would eventually return to the booth on May 19.April 19Matt Groening's The Simpsons debuts as a series of short animated segments as part of The Tracey Ullman Show on Fox.April 29Independent station in New York City, WOR-TV changes its call sign to WWOR-TV.May 4Valerie Harper makes her final appearance as Valerie Hogan on what was initially called Valerie. After Harper was fired from the series following contractual disputes, the NBC series was renamed Valerie's Family and finally, The Hogan Family come the fourth season. May 6Mr. Belvedere is canceled after three seasons; however criticism causes ABC executives to rethink the decision and renew the series for a fourth season. (Since the fall programming schedules were already set, Mr. Belvedere would not premiere until late October.)May 7Shelley Long makes her final regular appearance as Diane Chambers on the NBC sitcom Cheers. She would appear once more in the series finale in 1993.May 15Pamela Ewing's car speeds out of control, crashes into a tanker, and explodes on the season finale of the CBS drama Dallas.Joan Rivers makes her final appearance as host of Fox's talk show The Late Show following her recent firing by the network. For the final show, the set is vandalized with toilet paper, slime, and shaving cream. Her guests are Howie Mandel, Pee-Wee Herman, then-fledgling comedian Chris Rock, Wendy O. Williams, and show stage manager Michelle Aller as her alter-ego Mavis Vegas Davis.https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1987-05-17-8702060610-story.html Rivers Says Goodbye Not A Minute Too Soon Chicago Tribune 10 December 2014http://articles.philly.com/1993-01-15/entertainment/25958839_1_dark-ages-black-music-berry-gordy https://web.archive.org/web/20141220160414/http://articles.philly.com/1993-01-15/entertainment/25958839_1_dark-ages-black-music-berry-gordy dead December 20, 2014 Name Is Fake But The Songs Are Her Own Philly.com 10 December 2014 Soon afterward, the program is renamed The Late Show and features rotating guest hosts including Suzanne Somers, Richard Belzer, and Robert Townsend. After firing prospective guest host Frank Zappa, producer John Scura replaces him with Arsenio Hall, who would make his debut as a talk show host. Eventually, Hall is named the permanent replacement host in mid-1987.May 17The Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman, which features Lee Majors and Lindsay Wagner reprising their roles as Steve Austin and Jaime Sommers respectively, airs on NBC. This would be followed by two more television movies, Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman (1989) and Bionic Ever After? (1994).June 4CBS becomes the last American network to cease a chime intonation at the beginning of telecasts; satellite feeds have made the tones obsolete (their function was to signal to the affiliates to start broadcasting the network feed in synchronization with the others).June 30U.S. daytime television was interrupted for the Iran-Contra hearings.July 15Genie Francis, of General Hospital fame, starts a new soap opera role as Diana Colville on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives, which she will play until 1989.July 17The initial pilot for Good Morning, Miss Bliss airs on NBC. One year later, the series proper would air on the Disney Channel, becoming the first program to be produced by a major television network for cable TV. After one season on Disney Channel, Good Morning, Miss Bliss would be retooled into Saved by the Bell, which would air as part of NBC's Saturday morning line-up.July 28Actor Crispin Glover appears on NBC's Late Night with David Letterman to promote River's Edge.https://entertainment.time.com/2009/02/13/top-10-disastrous-letterman-interviews/slide/crispin-glover-goes-back-to-the-crazy/ Crispin Glover Goes Back to the Crazy – Top 10 Disastrous Letterman Interviews February 13, 2009 Time May 29, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20130413194926/http://entertainment.time.com/2009/02/13/top-10-disastrous-letterman-interviews/slide/crispin-glover-goes-back-to-the-crazy/ April 13, 2013 live To the surprise of Letterman and the audience, Glover appears wearing platform shoes and a wig. During the interview, Glover behaves erratically and nearly kicks Letterman in the face, causing Letterman to walk off the set.https://ultimateclassicrock.com/david-letterman-late-night-moments/ David Letterman's Most Memorable Late-Night Moments Reed Ryan 20 May 2021 Ultimate Classic Rock 29 May 2021 Four years later, the film Rubin & Ed premiered, in which Glover has a starring role as titular character Rubin Farr. After the release of Rubin & Ed, some speculated that Glover was acting in-character as Rubin Farr during his appearance on Late Night.Smith Lory 1999 Party in a Box: The Story of the Sundance Film Festival Gibbs Smith 3 978-0879058616 The movie starred Crispin Glover as Rubin - he was actually in the Rubin character the infamous night he nearly karate-kicked off David Letterman's nose.https://deadline.com/2015/01/bill-hader-beaver-trilogy-part-iv-sundance-trent-harris-1201354077/ Bill Hader To Narrate Cult Film Documentary 'Beaver Trilogy Part IV' – Sundance Yamato Jen 20 January 2015 Deadline Hollywood 29 May 2021 July 31Movietime, forerunner to E!, goes on the air.August 1ABC affiliate KRCR-TV in Redding, California launches full-time satellite KAEF-TV in Arcata, California, giving the Eureka market its first full-time ABC affiliate.August 19During the 4 p.m. edition of KNBC's Channel 4 News, a gun-wielding man named Gary Stollman gets into NBC's Burbank Studios as a guest of an employee and takes consumer reporter David Horowitz hostage live on the air. With the gun pressed on his side, Horowitz calmly reads the gunman's statements on camera but unbeknownst to the gunman, the news feed has been taken off the air. The unidentified man reveals at the end of his statement that the gun is an empty BB gun and sets the gun down on the news desk, at which point anchorman John Beard quickly confiscates it. The incident leads Horowitz to start a campaign to ban realistic toy guns.Carter Gregg Lee Guns in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture, and the Law, Volume 3 2012 ABC-CLIO 978-0-313-38670-1 832 2nd https://books.google.com/books?id=QeGJH48PT0kC&q=horowitz Toy GunsAugust 29SIN broadcasts the final of the 10th National OTI-SIN Festival live from Miami.August 31CBS airs the special Michael Jackson: The Magic Returns, which features the broadcast premiere of Jackson's 18 minute long music video "Bad".Columbus independent station WWAT-TV goes in the air.September 5Dick Clark's American Bandstand is broadcast for the 2,751st and last time by ABC, after 30 years on the network. (It continued in syndication, then on cable for 2 more years.)September 7The original series of Disney's well known animated series DuckTales begins airing on ITV in the UK.September 7CBS begins broadcasting its prime time programs with stereo sound dubbed CBS StereoSound.September 11Dan Rather of the CBS Evening News leaves the newscast when a televised tennis match runs two minutes over. He is missing for six minutes.September 12The final episode of Down and Out in Beverly Hills, an adaptation of the 1986 film of the same name, airs on Fox. It has the distinction of being the first ever show to be cancelled by Fox; 5 of the 13 produced episodes did not air."Down and out in Beverly Hills: 13 episodes" https://web.archive.org/web/20070930082806/http://www.tv.com/down-and-out-in-beverly-hills/show/2863/episode_listings.html September 30, 2007 , TV.comSeptember 14Filmation's final animated series BraveStarr has its broadcast premiere in syndication.September 18DuckTales finally begins airing in the U.S. for the first time ever in syndication.September 19NBC debuts a weekday package of sitcoms for its owned-and-operated stations called "Prime Time Begins at 7:30". The shows included are Marblehead Manor (airing Mondays), She's the Sheriff (airing Tuesdays), a series adapted from the George S. Kaufman play You Can't Take It with You (airing Wednesdays), Out of This World (airing Thursdays), and a revival of the short-lived 1983 NBC series We Got It Made closing out the week on Fridays.September 21Following its cancellation by ABC after four seasons, the sitcom Webster is relaunched in first-run syndication, where it would run for two additional seasons.September 22Long-running sitcom Full House created by Jeff Franklin debuts on ABC.September 24Kirstie Alley makes her debut as Rebecca Howe in the sixth-season premiere of Cheers on NBC.September 26The pilot episode for the sitcom Second Chance airs on Fox. In the opening scene, as a throwaway joke, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is shown being judged after his death, with the date given as July 29, 2011. In the year after the Berlin discotheque bombing and the U.S. response, the 1987 pilot was playing off Gaddafi's prominent negative perception by the American public. Twenty-four years later, by coincidence, Gaddafi's death (on October 20, 2011) occurred within three months of the "predicted" date and was from the same cause (multiple gunshot wounds).http://www.aoltv.com/2011/10/20/matthew-perry-sitcom-second-chance-predicted-gaddafi-die-2011/ Matthew Perry Sitcom 'Second Chance' Predicted Gaddafi Would Die in 2011 Alex Moaba October 20, 2011 AOL TV 2011-10-20 bot: unknown https://web.archive.org/web/20141021030432/http://www.aoltv.com/2011/10/20/matthew-perry-sitcom-second-chance-predicted-gaddafi-die-2011/ October 21, 2014 September 28The pilot episode for Star Trek: The Next Generation premieres in syndication.October 3Once a Hero, the show's lowest rated program of the season holds its last aired episode on ABC. The following week, specials replaced it until the debut of Sable in its time period on November 7.October 4On the final day of the Major League Baseball season, the Detroit Tigers clinch the American League East title against their divisional rivals the Toronto Blue Jays. The game was broadcast on Sunday afternoon on ABC with Al Michaels, Jim Palmer and Tim McCarver on the call.October 12Valerie Harper files a lawsuit against NBC and Lorimar for breach of contract after being dismissed from her sitcom Valerie.October 14CNN quickly reports on the story of 18-month-old toddler Jessica McClure falling down a well in Midland, Texas, and the event helped make its name.October 15Bob Barker stops dyeing his hair brown and appears on the CBS game show The Price is Right for the first time with white hair. He is given a minute-long standing ovation by the audience.October 16Max Headroom makes its final airing on its Friday night timeslot on ABC. The previously unaired episodes will later burn off in its Thursday night time slot during the 1988 WGA strike on ABC, replacing Probe. The fourth season opener of Mr. Belvedere and the premiere of Pursuit of Happiness will replace Headroom two weeks later, on October 30 on its Friday night time period.October 24ABC allows Game 6 of the World Series between the Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals to be played at 3 p.m. CT (4 p.m. ET) on Saturday afternoon – the only day game of the series, and the last World Series game to date to be played in the daytime (although as the game was played in the Metrodome, the game took place under artificial illumination all the same).October 26ABC airs a special, secondary edition of Monday Night Football for the Minneapolis and Denver markets. The game between the Vikings and Broncos was moved from Sunday, October 25 to the following Monday night because the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome was being used for Game 7 of the World Series. Gary Bender and Lynn Swann would call this special contest from Minnesota while the rest of the nation sees the Los Angeles Rams face off against the Cleveland Browns.October 30The third season of Punky Brewster begins after the series was off the air for over a year and a half. After NBC cancelled it at the end of the 1985–86 season, the show would continue production throughout the 1986–87 season leading up to its return to the air via first-run syndication. November 8ESPN broadcasts its first ever Sunday night National Football League game, a contest between the New York Giants and New England Patriots. It marked the first time that a cable television outlet broadcast an NFL game.November 9Fox's Salt Lake City affiliate KSTU moves its channel allocation from UHF channel 20 to VHF channel 13.1987-06-29 In Brief Broadcasting https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/87-OCR/BC-1987-06-29-OCR-Page-0080.pdf 2021-12-17November 13Sonny & Cher reunite for a performance on NBC's late-night talk show Late Night with David Letterman.November 15The animated crossover The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones premieres in syndication.November 22During a showing of the Doctor Who story "Horror of Fang Rock", PBS member station WTTW-TV Channel 11 in Chicago is interrupted for 88 seconds by a pirate television transmitter overriding the station's transmission signal to broadcast a video of himself in a Max Headroom mask being spanked. The similar incident (for 15–20 seconds) occurred during WGN-TV's newscast when it showed the mask moving up and downwards.Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back makes its network broadcast television premiere on NBC.November 26The very first Survivor Series professional wrestling event is broadcast on pay-per-view. That same night, the World Wrestling Federation's competitor, Jim Crockett Promotions held their fifth annual Starrcade supercard event. Jim Crockett Promotions had previously aired Starrcade only on closed-circuit television. To compete with Starrcade, the WWF introduced the Survivor Series event, and held it on the same night as Starrcade. The WWF also limited the amount of pay-per-view providers that would carry Starrcade by not allowing providers to carry WrestleMania IV if they did not carry Survivor Series exclusively. Only a small amount of providers carried Starrcade, and it drew a 3.30 buy rate while Survivor Series drew a 7.0 buy rate.December 7Remote Control, MTV's first original non-musical program and first game show makes its debut. December 16San Antonio television station KABB goes on the air.SuperStation WTBS airs the 1983 film A Christmas StoryTonight On Television https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-roanoke-times/161071901/ The Roanoke Times 22 Newspapers.com December 16, 1987 December 17, 2024Wednesday Movies https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-press/161072217/ News-Press 178 Newspapers.com December 13, 1987 December 17, 2024Christmas Specials on Cablevision https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-wichita-eagle/161072281/ The Wichita Eagle 103 Newspapers.com December 13, 1987 December 17, 2024 for the very first time. Turner Broadcasting (as both an independent company and, from 1996 onward, as a subsidiary of the company presently operating as Warner Bros. Discovery) would maintain ownership of the broadcast rights to A Christmas Story. Beginning in the mid-1990s, they would air the film increasingly on both TBS and TNT throughout the holiday season annually.December 27Through a short stint with NBC Sports, Gayle Sierens became the first woman to do play-by-play for an NFL regular season football game when she called a game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs.December 28The first ever Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series premieres in syndication starting off with the first four episodes. Programs Debuting this year Date Title Network January 3 Unsolved Mysteries NBC January 8 Shell GameCBS January 17 Ohara ABC January 22 The Tortellis NBC January 25 Hard Copyhttps://www.newspapers.com/clip/97653809/hard-copy-doesnt-get-the-facts-straig/ 'Hard Copy' doesn't get the facts straight Tom Jicha Cox News Service Dayton Daily News Dayton, Ohio 2-D January 25, 1987 March 14, 2022 newspapers.comCBS January 26 Square One TVPBS February 2 Eyes on the Prize March 4 HarryABC March 9 Rags to Riches NBC March 11 Houston Knights CBSMarch 19 The Bronx Zoo NBC Roomies March 20 The Charmings ABCMarch 23 The Bold and the Beautiful CBS The Popcorn Kid March 31 Max Headroom ABCApril 1 Mariah RoxieCBS Take Five April 2 Nothing in Common NBC April 5 Married... with Children Fox The Tracey Ullman Show April 12 21 Jump Street April 18 Sweet Surrender NBC April 19 Bionic SixSyndication Duet Fox April 20 Hard KnocksShowtime April 26 Down and Out in Beverly Hills Fox May 3 Mr. President May 21 The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd NBC June 1 Adventures of the Little KoalaNickelodeon June 12 CBS Summer PlayhouseCBS June 15 Home Shopping GameSyndication July 11 Good Morning, Miss BlissDisney Channel Werewolf Fox July 18 Karen's Song The New Adventures of Beans Baxter August 8 Animal Crack-Ups ABC August 27 First Impressions CBS August 30 CrossbowCBN Cable Network September Maple Town Syndication September 12 Showtime at the Apollo ABC I'm Telling! NBC The New Archies Popeye and Son CBS September 13 Private EyeNBC September 14 DinosaucersSyndication BraveStarr Maxie's World New Monkees The Wil Shriner Show Frank's Place CBS September 16 The Oldest Rookie Wiseguy September 17 Out of This World Syndication September 18 DuckTales (Original series) September 19 The Kidsongs TV Show Marblehead Manor She's the Sheriff Once a Hero ABC Hello Kitty's Furry Tale TheaterCBS September 20 The HighwaymanNBC My Two Dads Visionaries: Knights of the Magical LightSyndication September 21 Beverly Hills Teens Syndication Spiral Zone September 22 Full House ABC I Married Dora September 23 Hooperman The Slap Maxwell Story September 24 A Different World NBC Tour of Duty CBS September 25 Beauty and the Beast September 26 Jake and the Fatman ALF: The Animated Series NBC J.J. Starbuck Second Chance (aka Boys Will Be Boys) Fox You Can't Take It With YouSyndication September 27 Dolly ABC The Law & Harry McGraw CBS September 28 LingoSyndication Star Trek: The Next Generation September 29 thirtysomething ABC October 3 Everything's Relative CBS Leg Work Friday the 13th: The SeriesSyndication October 11 Women in Prison Fox November 2 Finders Keepers Nickelodeon November 5 Beverly Hills Buntz NBC November 7 Sable ABC November 30 CBS This Morning CBS December 7 Remote Control MTV December 11 The Wilton North Report Fox December 14 Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesSyndication Resuming this year Title Final aired Previous network New title Returning network Date of returnCharles in Charge1985CBSSameSyndicationJanuary 3Blockbusters1982NBCSameJanuary 5Concentration1978SyndicationClassic ConcentrationNBCMay 4We Got it Made1984NBCSameSyndicationSeptember 11Snorks1985SameSeptember 12High Rollers1980SyndicationSeptember 14Truth or Consequences1978SyndicationThe Jetsons1963ABCOctober 19 Ending this year Date Title DebutJanuary 10Heart of the City1986February 6DadsFebruary 9Gung HoFebruary 7Too Close for Comfort1980February 27The Love Boat1977March 1The New Adventures of Jonny Quest1986March 3Silver Spoons1982March 7The Berenstain Bears1985March 8The A-Team1983March 12The Wizard1986March 20Capitol1982March 25Harry1987March 26The Colbys1985March 27Zoobilee Zoo1986March 30You Again?Fraggle Rock1983April 8Roxie1987April 10Amazing Stories1985April 17Remington Steele1982April 24Together We Stand1986April 29Easy StreetMay 1Blockbusters1980May 2Starman1986May 8Stingray1985May 12Gimme a Break!1981The Tortellis1987May 13The New Mike Hammer1984May 15Roomies1987May 18Fame1982May 19Hill Street Blues1981May 28Scarecrow and Mrs. King1983Our World1986May 30OutlawsJune 3Nothing in Common1987June 13Sidekicks1986June 19NightlifeJune 27Gung HoJuly 8Sweet Surrender1987August 7Airwolf1984September 7The Ellen Burstyn Show1986September 11Split Second1972September 12Down and Out in Beverly Hills1987Karen's SongSeptember 14Photon1986September 23My Little Pony1984October 1First Impressions1987October 3Once a HeroOctober 25Maxie's WorldNovember 7Everything's RelativeLeg WorkTeen Wolf1986November 11The Transformers1984November 12The Jetsons1962November 28The New Adventures of Beans Baxter1987December 7New MonkeesDecember 11DinosaucersDecember 12Popeye and SonThe P.T.L. Club1976December 18Beverly Hills Teens1987Spiral ZoneDecember 19My Pet MonsterPound Puppies1986 Changing networks Show Moved from Moved toAirwolf CBSUSA NetworkAlfred Hitchcock PresentsNBCCandid CameraCBSWe Got it MadeSyndicationHigh RollersPunky BrewsterCharles in ChargeCBSWebster ABCAmerican BandstandConcentrationSyndicationNBCInspector GadgetNickelodeon Made-for-TV movies and miniseries Title Network Premiere dateNotesAfter the Promise CBS October 11Amerika ABC February 8Angel in Green CBSSeptember 22Assault and Matrimony NBC September 28Bay Coven NBC October 25Billionaire Boys Club NBC November 8Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding MiniseriesBluffing It ABC September 13Norman Rockwell's Breaking Home Ties ABC November 26Based on Norman Rockwell's paintingChristmas Comes to Willow Creek CBSDecember 20Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8 HBOMay 16Based on the trial of the Chicago EightConspiracy of Love CBSOctober 18Dangerous Affection NBCNovember 1Deep Dark Secrets NBCOctober 26Desperate ABCSeptember 19Downpayment on Murder NBCDecember 6Echoes in the Darkness CBS November 1Eight Is Enough: A Family Reunion NBCOctober 18Reunion film for TV series Eight Is EnoughEye on the Sparrow NBCDecember 7The Facts of Life Down Under CBS October 25Family Sins NBC February 15Fatal Confession: A Father Dowling Mystery NBC November 30The Father Clements Story NBC December 13Foxfire CBSDecember 13Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding Drama or Comedy SpecialKenny Rogers as The Gambler, Part III: The Legend Continues CBSNovember 22Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge CBSSeptember 26Based on the television series GunsmokeA Hobo's Christmas CBSDecember 6If It's Tuesday, It Still Must Be Belgium NBCSeptember 21Remake of If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969)Kids Like These CBSNovember 8LBJ: The Early Years NBCFebruary 1Based on the early years of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson; Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding Drama or Comedy SpecialLena: My 100 Children NBCNovember 23The story of Lena Küchler-SilbermanThe Little Match Girl NBCDecember 21Based on Hans Christian Andersen's 1845 fairy taleThe Long Journey Home CBSNovember 29Mayflower Madam CBSNovember 15Based on Sydney Biddle Barrows' 1986 autobiography Mayflower Madam: The Secret Life of Sydney Biddle BarrowsMistress CBSOctober 4Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story ABCNovember 10Three-part miniseries about Napoleon Bonaparte and Joséphine de BeauharnaisNot Quite Human ABCDecember 20Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love NBCFebruary 23Perry Mason: The Case of the Murdered Madam October 4Perry Mason: The Case of the Scandalous Scoundrel November 15Perry Mason: The Case of the Sinister Spirit May 24Plaza SuiteABC December 3Based on the Neil Simon 1968 playPoor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story NBCNovember 16Proud Men ABCOctober 1The Return of the Shaggy Dog ABCNovember 1Sequel to The Shaggy Dog (1959)Roman Holiday NBCDecember 28Remake of the 1953 filmSadie and Son CBSOctober 21The Secret Garden CBSNovember 30Based on Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1911 novelStrange Voices NBCOctober 19Student Exchange ABCNovember 29The Three Kings ABCDecember 17 Networks and services Launches Network Type Launch date Notes Source The Travel Channel Cable television February 8 Fox Broadcast television April 5 Previously had a "soft launch" on October 9, 1986 Movietime Cable television July 31 Harmony Premiere Network Cable television Unknown Conversions and rebrandings Old network name New network name Type Conversion Date Notes SourceNetSpanTelemundoCable televisionUnknownSpanish International Network (SIN)UnivisionCable and satelliteSeptember 1 SuperStation WTBS SuperStation TBS Cable television Unknown Closures Network Type Closure date Notes Source Home Theater Network Cable television January 31 Operation Prime Time Cable television Unknown Television stations Station launches Date City of License/Market Station Channel Affiliation Notes/Ref. January 11 Bartlesville/Tulsa, Oklahoma KDOR-TV 17 TBN February Hattiesburg/Laurel, Mississippi WHLT 22 CBS Semi-satellite of WJTV/Jackson February 2 Marshalltown/Des Moines, Iowa K39AS 39 February 7 Orlando, Florida WLSY 43 Independent February 9 Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas KDTX-TV 58 TBN (O&O) February 13 Williamsport, Pennsylvania W39BT 39 TBN February 14 Biloxi/Gulfport, Mississippi WXXV-TV 25 Fox February 15 San Juan, Puerto Rico WSJN-TV 24 Independent March 9 Charlotte, North Carolina WJZY 46 Independent Tyler, Texas KETK 56 NBC March 23 Toledo, Ohio W48AP 48 Independent April Redwood Falls, Minnesota KRWF 43 ABC Semi-satellite of KSTP-TV April 7 Mobile, Alabama WFGX 35 Independent April 18 Atlanta, Georgia WNGM-TV 34 Independent May Los Angeles, California KDDE (recalled as KEEF-TV in June) 68 Educational independent May 6 Springfield, Massachusetts W11BT 11 Independent May 13 Buffalo, New York WNEQ-TV 23 PBS May 22 Terre Haute, Indiana W65BK 65 TBN May 25 Cleveland/Chattanooga, Tennessee WFLI-TV 53 Independent May 29 Sioux Falls, South Dakota KTTW 7 Fox June 18 Cocoa/Orlando, Florida WRES 68 Educational independent June 30 Kalamazoo/Battle Creek/Grand Rapids, Michigan WLLA 64 Christian independent July 1 Clairemore/Tulsa, Oklahoma KXON-TV 35 Educational independent July 2 Darien, Connecticut W33BS 33 Audio-only independent Pulse 87 July 4 Frederick, Maryland (Washington, D.C.) WFPT 62 PBS Part of the Maryland Public Television network July 16 Houston, Texas KETH 14 TBN (O&O) August 1 Arcata/Eureka, California KREQ 23 Fox August 5 Baton Rouge, Louisiana W49KG 49 Independent August 10 Rochester, Minnesota (Mason City, Iowa) KXLT-TV 47 Independent Originally a satellite of KXLI/Minneapolis August 14 Merrimack/Manchester, New Hampshire WGOT 60 Independent August 15 Barstow/Los Angeles, California KVVT 64 Independent August 24 Columbus, Ohio WOCB-CD (original callsign unknown) 39 Religious independent August 27 Bloomington, Indiana WCLJ-TV 42 TBN August 28 Cheyenne, Wyoming KKTU 39 NBC August 31 Columbus, Ohio WWAT 53 Independent September Buffalo, New York WNYB-TV 49 Independent September Silver City, New Mexico KOVT 10 ABC Satellite of KOAT-TV/Albuquerque September 1 Bozeman/Butte, Montana KCTZ 7 ABC September 2 Denver, Colorado KUBD 59 Independent September 5 Albuquerque, New Mexico KLUZ 41 Univision September 18 Rosenberg/Houston, Texas KXLN 45 Univision September 21 New Orleans, Louisiana K59DG 59 Daystar September 28 Bridgeport, Connecticut (New York City) WBCT-TV 43 Independent October 12 Albuquerque, New Mexico KAZQ 34 Religious independent October 18 Richland, Washington KTNW 31 PBS Satellite of KWSU-TV/SpokaneOctober 19 Tamuning, Guam KTGM 14 ABC (primary) CBS (secondary) Indianapolis, Indiana WMCC 23 Independent October 28 Chicago, Illinois W54AP 54 Independent W54AP 54 October 29 Tampa, Florida W57BA 57 Channel America November 12 Stockton, California (Sacramento/Modesto, California) KFTL 64 Independent November 15 Gary, Indiana (Chicago, Illinois) WYIN 56 PBS December Steamboat Springs, Colorado KSBS-TV 24 Independent https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=STP19871231-01.2.62&srpos=2&dliv=none&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA-KSBS-------0-Routt----- January 22, 2021 Steamboat Pilot December 31, 1987 Channel 24 TV on the air 7B December 2 South Bend, Indiana W12BK (original) 12 Independent LPTV translator of WCIU-TV/Chicago December 7 Galveston/Houston, Texas KTMD 47 Telemundo December 8 Chicago, Illinois W46AO 46 TBN Lenoir City/Knoxville, Tennessee W38AQ 38 FamilyNet/America One December 14 Albany, New York WOCD 55 Independent December 15 Elkhart/South Bend, Indiana W24AI 24 TBN Hopkinsville, Kentucky (Clarksville, Tennessee) W22CH 22 December 16 San Antonio, Texas KABB 29 Independent Unknown date Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands WAIG 43 Independent WVGI 17 Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands WMEG 15 Religious independent Panama City, Florida W46AN 46 Tourist information Network affiliation changes Date City of License/Market Station Channel Old affiliation New affiliation Notes/Ref. January 19 Boston, Massachusetts WFXT 25 Independent Fox April 5 Davenport, Iowa (Quad Cities) KLJB-TV 18 Evansville, Indiana WEVV-TV 44 Memphis, Tennessee WMKW-TV 30 Nashville, Tennessee WCAY-TV 30 Tri-Cities, Tennessee/Virginia WEMT 38 July 6Columbus, GeorgiaWXTX54June 19, 1987 Trotting With Fox 15 Ledger-EnquirerJackson, MississippiWDBD40Knoxville, TennesseeWKCH-TV43Carter Reon June 25, 1987 WKCH joins fourth network B7 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Knoxville, Tennessee https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89762781/wkch-joins-fourth-network/ live November 29, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211130031301/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89762781/wkch-joins-fourth-network/ November 30, 2021 Newspapers.comSeptember 7Cape Girardeau, Missouri (Paducah, Kentucky/Harrisburg, Illinois)KBSI23August 5, 1987 KBSI to air Fox Network programs A12 The Paducah Sun https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83435272/kbsi-to-air-fox-network-programs/ August 14, 2021Weil Nancy August 16, 1987 KBSI joins Fox; debuts Sept. 7 Television 2 Southern Illinoisan https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-kbsi-joins-fox-debu/129479257/ August 5, 2023 Newspapers.com October 19 Hagatna, Guam KUAM-TV 8 NBC (primary) CBS/ABC/Fox (secondary) NBC (primary) CBS/Fox (secondary) Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands WSZE-TV 10 Satellite of KUAM-TV/Hagtna, GuamDecember 5Huntsville/Decatur/Florence, AlabamaWZDX54IndependentFoxKaylor Mike October 31, 1987 WZDK [sic] to join Fox network in December 2A The Huntsville Times https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/wzdk-join-fox-network-december/jnlvmyesqyumdfsrcostjssnbozbjfdw_wma-gateway018_1677481712794 live February 27, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230227090450/https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/wzdk-join-fox-network-december/jnlvmyesqyumdfsrcostjssnbozbjfdw_wma-gateway018_1677481712794 February 27, 2023December 7, 1987 Briefly Noted 46 Electronic Media https://archive.org/details/sim_televisionweek_1987-12-07_6_49_0/page/n51/mode/2up?q=WZDX Births Date Name NotabilityJanuary 2Lauren StormActress (Flight 29 Down)Shelley HennigActress (Days of Our Lives, The Secret Circle, Teen Wolf)January 5Kristin CavallariActress (Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, The Hills)January 7Lyndsy FonsecaActress (The Young and the Restless, How I Met Your Mother, Nikita, Agent Carter, Turner & Hooch)January 8Freddie StromaActorJanuary 9Pablo SantosMexican actor (Greetings from Tucson) (d. 2006)January 12Naya RiveraActress (The Royal Family, The Bernie Mac Show, Glee) (d. 2020)January 17Joy TaylorAmerican media personalityJanuary 18Zane HoltzCanadian actor (Make It or Break It, From Dusk till Dawn: The Series) and modelJanuary 20Evan PetersActor (Phil of the Future, American Horror Story)Mark WrightTV personalityPete PloszekActor (Teen Wolf)January 24Ruth BradleyIrish actress (Humans)January 27Kylie SparksActress (Squaresville)January 28Misha CrosbyBritish actor (The Lying Game)Chelsea BrummetActress (All That)Katie NolanAmerican sports television hostJanuary 29Alex MurrelActress (Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County)February 1Heather MorrisActress (Glee) and singerRonda RouseyActress and martial artist (Total Divas, UFC, WWE, 9-1-1)Ronda Rousey Actress, Producer, Writer https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3313925/ 2023-12-29 IMDb en-USFebruary 2Martin Spanjers Actor (8 Simple Rules, Good Luck Charlie) February 5 Darren Criss Actor (Glee, A Very Potter Musical, Transformers: Robots in Disguise) and singerAlex Brightman ActorFebruary 9Henry CejudoMartial artistIole Kevin 2018-08-03 How a near-death experience inspired Henry Cejudo to reach for greatness https://sports.yahoo.com/near-death-experience-inspired-henry-cejudo-reach-greatness-172126938.html 2024-07-05 Yahoo Sports en-USRose LeslieScottish actress (Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey)February 11Julio TorresActorFebruary 12Gary LeRoi GrayActor (The Cosby Show, Even Stevens, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Rocket Power, The Fairly OddParents, Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?)February 19Jeffery SelfActorFebruary 20Miles Teller ActorFebruary 21Elliot Page Actor (Pit Pony, hosted Saturday Night Live, 2008)Ashley GreeneActressFebruary 24Ulysses Cuadra Voice actor (Rocket Power, Clifford the Big Red Dog, The Zeta Project) February 25Natalie Dreyfuss Actress (Rita Rocks) February 28Michelle Horn ActressMarch 1KeshaAmerican singerMarch 9 Bow Wow Rapper (host of 106 & Park)March 10Ser'Darius Blain ActorMarch 17Rob KardashianActor (Keeping Up with the Kardashians)Zach VillaActorMarch 19Josie LorenActressMarch 23Jessica Marie GarciaActressMarch 28Mary Kate WilesActress (The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Squaresville) and singerMarch 29Lisandra TenaActressApril 1Mackenzie Davis Actress (Halt and Catch Fire)April 2Briga Heelan ActressApril 3Benjamin StoneBritish actor (The Nine Lives of Chloe King) Rachel BloomActress and singer (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)April 4Sarah GadonCanadian actress (My Dad the Rock Star, Ruby Gloom, Friends and Heroes, Total Drama)April 7Maria MolinaAmerican meteorologistApril 9Jesse McCartneyActor (All My Children, Summerland, Young & Hungry, Young Justice), and singerApril 10Jamie Renée SmithActress (Ask Harriet)Shay MitchellCanadian actress (Pretty Little Liars)April 12Brooklyn DeckerActress (Friends with Better Lives, Grace and Frankie) and modelMike ManningActor (The Real World: D.C.) Brendon UrieSingerIlana GlazerActressApril 15Samira Wiley Actress (Orange is the New Black)April 16Jack Cutmore-Scott ActorApril 17Jacqueline MacInnes WoodActress (The Bold and the Beautiful)April 18Rosie Huntington-WhiteleyEnglish actressEllen WoglomAmerican actressApril 19Courtland MeadActor (Kirk, Nightmare Ned, Recess, Lloyd in Space)April 20John Patrick AmedoriActorApril 26Jessica Lee RoseActress (Lonelygirl15, Sorority Forever, Hooking Up)April 27William MoseleyEnglish actor (The Royals)May 2Pat McAfeeSports commentator (ESPN, WWE)May 7Aidy BryantActress and comedian (Saturday Night Live, Danger & Eggs)Maya ErskineActress and writerMay 10Eileen April BoylanActress (South of Nowhere, Greek)May 12Robbie RogersTelevision producerMay 13Candice KingActress (The Vampire Diaries) and singerMay 15Ersan İlyasovaBaseball playerMay 19Jayne WisenerIrish actress (6Degrees)May 21Ashlie BrillaultActress (Lizzie McGuire) May 23Bray WyattPro wrestler (WWE) (died 2023)May 24Bethany C. MeyersAmerican fitness and lifestyle entrepreneurMay 26Brandi CyrusActress (Hannah Montana, Cyrus vs. Cyrus: Design and Conquer) May 27Bella HeathcoteAustralian actress (Neighbours)May 29Noah ReidCanadian actor (Pippi Longstocking, Franklin, Rolie Polie Olie) Joseph HaroAmerican actorMay 30Javicia LeslieActressMay 31Curtis WilliamsActor (The Parent 'Hood) Shaun FlemingVoice actor (Teacher's Pet, Kim Possible, Fillmore!, Lilo & Stitch: The Series)Meredith HagnerActress (As the World Turns, Men at Work)June 3LalaineActress (Lizzie McGuire)Michelle KeeganActressJune 9Rheagan WallaceActressJune 12Chris GalyaActor (Jessie)June 16Diana DeGarmoActress (The Young and the Restless) Kelly BlatzActor (Aaron Stone, Glory Daze)Abby ElliottActress (Saturday Night Live, Odd Mom Out) and daughter of Chris ElliottJune 17Rebecca BreedsAustralian actress (The Originals)June 18Niels SchneiderFrench-Canadian actorJune 19Chelsea J. WilsonActress (Lizzie McGuire) June 22Joe DempsieEnglish actor (Skins, Game of Thrones)Jerrod CarmichaelComedianJune 23Haley StrodeActress (Wendell & Vinnie) June 27India de BeaufortActressEd WestwickEnglish actor (Gossip Girl)July 3Chris HunterActor (South of Nowhere) July 5Charles RogersActorJuly 6Matt O'LearyActor (Spy Kids) July 7Julianna GuillActress (My Alibi, Glory Daze, Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce)July 11Cristina VeeVoice actress (Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Sailor Moon)July 12Tilian PearsonSingerJuly 14Charly ArnoltSports broadcaster and TV personality (WWE, ESPN, Fox News)Sara CanningCanadian actress (The Vampire Diaries)Dan ReynoldsSingerJuly 16AnnaLynne McCordActress (American Heiress, 90210)Kate BerlantActressJuly 19Jon JonesMixed martial artistJon Jones Biography https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/bio/_/id/2335639/jon-jones 2024-08-23 ESPN enJuly 21Peter DoocyTV journalistJuly 22Bre-ZActressJuly 24Mara WilsonActressJuly 25Michael WelchActorJuly 28Asher GrodmanActorJuly 29Genesis RodriguezActress (Dame Chocolate, Big Hero 6: The Series)July 31Brittany ByrnesAustralian actress (H2O: Just Add Water)August 4Sam UnderwoodActorAugust 8Katie LeungActressJenn ProskeActressAugust 10Ari BoylandNew Zealand actor (Power Rangers RPM)August 11Jemima WestAnglo-American actress (15/Love, Maison Close, Indian Summers)August 14James BuckleyActorAugust 17Manny JacintoActorAugust 18Mika BooremActress (The Tom Show)August 21Cody KaschActor (Desperate Housewives)August 25Blake LivelyActress (Gossip Girl)August 26Nieves ZuberbühlerArgentine journalistAugust 27Tiffany BooneActressAugust 30Johanna BraddyActress (Avatar: The Last Airbender, Greek, Video Game High School, UnREAL, Quantico)September 2Mazin ElsadigActor (Degrassi: The Next Generation, Stoked)September 3Megan AmramWriterSeptember 5Jeremy VuoloPlayerJenny TaftAmerican sports television personalitySeptember 7Evan Rachel WoodActress (Once and Again, Westworld) and singerLily CowlesActressSeptember 8Wiz KhalifaActor and rapperSeptember 9Clayton SnyderActor (Lizzie McGuire)Taylor BagleyActressSeptember 10Alex SaxonActor (The Fosters, Finding Carter, Nancy Drew) September 11Elizabeth HenstridgeActress (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)Tyler HoechlinActor (7th Heaven, Teen Wolf)September 13Erin WayActress (I Heart Vampires, Alphas)September 16Daren KagasoffActor (The Secret Life of the American Teenager)September 17Augustus PrewEnglish actor (Prison Break)September 19Danielle PanabakerActress (Shark, The Flash)September 20Sarah NatochennyVoice actress (Ash Ketchum on Pokémon)September 22Teyonah ParrisActress (Mad Men, WandaVision)September 23Skylar AstinActor (Ground Floor, Graves, Trolls: The Beat Goes On!)September 24Grey DamonActor (Friday Night Lights, The Nine Lives of Chloe King, Twisted, Star-Crossed, Aquarius)Spencer Treat ClarkActor (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Animal Kingdom)September 28 Hilary Duff Actress (Lizzie McGuire, Gossip Girl, Younger, How I Met Your Father) and singerSeptember 29David Del RioActor (The Troop)October 1Matthew DaddarioActor (Shadowhunters)October 2Christopher LarkinActor (The 100)Erika Lauren WasilewskiActress (The Real World: D.C.)October 8Griffin FrazenActor (Grounded for Life)October 9Melissa VillaseñorActress (Saturday Night Live)October 10Carla EsparzaMixed martial artistCarla Esparza (Women's Strawweight) MMA Profile https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/_/id/2559934/carla-esparza 2024-12-13 ESPN enOctober 13Ashley NewbroughActress (Privileged)October 14Jay PharoahActor (Saturday Night Live)October 15Chantal Strand Canadian voice actress (Dragon Tales, Sabrina: The Animated Series, Pucca)October 18 Zac Efron Actor (Summerland, High School Musical, Down to Earth with Zac Efron)October 23Leah Van DalePro wrestler (WWE, Total Divas)Carmella WWE (Corey Graves' Wife) News, Latest Updates & More @ Sportskeeda https://www.sportskeeda.com/player/carmella 2023-11-20 www.sportskeeda.comOctober 29Cleopatra ColemanAustralian actress (The Last Man on Earth)November 5Kevin Jonas Actor (Jonas, Married to Jonas) and singer (Jonas Brothers)November 7Rachele Brooke SmithActressNovember 9Emily TyraActressNovember 10Jessica ToveyAustralian actress (Home and Away)November 11Giles MattheyBritish-Australian actor (True Blood, Once Upon a Time)November 19Jake AbelActorJared AbrahamsonActorNovember 20Amelia Rose BlaireActress (True Blood, Blue Bloods)November 23SnookiAmerican reality television personalityNovember 25Dolla American rapper (d. 2009)November 28Karen GillanScottish actress (Doctor Who)November 30Trinity FatuPro Wrestler (Total Divas)2022-04-04 WWE Profile - Naomi https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/17173369/wwe-profile-page-naomi 2024-11-18 ESPN.com enChristel KhalilActress (The Young and the Restless)Lauren ZimaAmerican television personalityDecember 1Sarah Snook ActressDecember 3Michael Angarano Actor (Cover Me, Will & Grace)Dree Hemingway ActressDecember 4 Orlando Brown Actor (Family Matters, Two of a Kind, That's So Raven, Waynehead, The Proud Family, Fillmore!, Clifford's Puppy Days) and rapperDecember 6Jack DeSena Actor (All That, 100 Things to Do Before High School, Avatar: The Last Airbender)December 7Aaron CarterActor (House of Carters), singer and brother of Nick Carter (died 2022)December 11Alex RussellAustralian actorDecember 12Kate ToddCanadian actressDecember 13Michael Socha English actor (Once Upon a Time)December 16Hallee HirshActress (ER, Flight 29 Down)December 28Taylor Ball Actor (Still Standing)Hannah Tointon English actress (Kerching!, Dream Team, Hollyoaks) and sister of Kara TointonThomas Dekker Actor (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Secret Circle, Backstrom)Adam GregoryActor (90210, Winx Club, The Bold and the Beautiful)December 29Iain De Caestecker Actor (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) Deaths Date Name Age Notability January 1Lloyd Haynes52Actor (Room 222)February 4Liberace67American pianist, singer and actorFebruary 22 David Susskind66Commentator and producer (The David Susskind Show)February 25 James Coco56ActorMarch 3 Danny Kaye76Actor & comedian (The Danny Kaye Show)March 21 Dean Paul Martin35Actor (Misfits of Science) and singer (Dino, Desi & Billy)March 28 Patrick Troughton67Actor (the Second Doctor on Doctor Who from 1966 to 1969)April 17 Dick Shawn63ActorApril 19Milt Kahl78AnimatorMay 4 Cathryn Damon56Actress (Mary on Soap)May 14Rita Hayworth68Actress and singerMay 31 Roy Winsor75Soap opera writer (Search for Tomorrow)June 22Fred Astaire88Actor and singerJune 24 Jackie Gleason71Actor (The Honeymooners, The Jackie Gleason Show)August 11 Clara Peller85Wendy's spokesperson (Where's the Beef? ad campaign)August 19 Hayden Rorke76Actor (Dr. Bellows on I Dream of Jeannie)September 5 Quinn Martin65Executive producer (The Fugitive and many others)September 11 Lorne Greene72Actor (Ben Cartwright on Bonanza)September 22 Dan Rowan65Comedian (co-host of Laugh-In)Carman Maxwell84Voice actor (Bosko on Looney Tunes)September 25Mary Astor81ActressMary Astor - American actress https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Astor Encyclopedia Britannica 12 June 2018 en Television debuts Patricia Arquette – Daddy Billy Crudup – General College Chris Elliott – Miami Vice Juliette Lewis – Home Fires Brad Pitt – Another World Joely Richardson – Kin of the Castle Chris Rock – Miami Vice See also 1987 in the United States List of American films of 1987 References 2 External links List of 1987 American television series at IMDb 1987 Category:1980s in American television