1958–59 United States network television schedule

none March 2025 1958 The following is the 1958–59 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1958 through March 1959. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1957–58 season. According to television historians Castleman and Podrazik (1982), the networks' schedules were thrown "into complete chaos" by the quiz show scandals that erupted during the later months of 1958. At first only one series, Dotto, was implicated in the game-fixing charges. Ed Hilgemeier, a contestant on the program, filed a complaint with the show's sponsor, Colgate-Palmolive. Colgate withdrew its sponsorship of the Tuesday evening (on NBC) and daytime (on CBS) versions of Dotto halfway through the summer, and the show did not appear on either network's fall 1958 schedule. Castleman Harry Walter J. Podrazik Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television McGraw-Hill 1982 New York 124–129 https://archive.org/details/watchingtvfourde00cast registration 0-07-010269-4 The $64,000 Challenge (on CBS) similarly did not appear that fall, and by November, The $64,000 Question (also CBS) and Twenty-One (NBC) were also removed from the network schedules, amidst accusations of game rigging. NBC's primetime Tic-Tac-Dough lasted through December. According to Castleman and Podrazik, "NBC and CBS were adamant in their own statements of innocence" since they only aired, and did not produce, the rigged series. They also claimed the cancellations were due to low ratings, not because of game-fixing accusations. ABC had few game shows on its 1958–59 schedule, and "eagerly pointed out" its innocence in the quiz show mess. The network affirmed its commitment to Westerns, which could not be rigged. Western TV series continued to be popular with audiences, and for the first time, the three highest-rated programs on television, CBS's Gunsmoke and, Have Gun – Will Travel alongside NBC's Wagon Train were all Westerns. ABC's new series, The Rifleman even hit #4, quite a feat for a network which had had no series in the top 30 five years earlier. Although ABC, CBS, and NBC remained the largest television networks in the United States, they were not the only companies operating television networks during this era. In May 1958, Ely Landau, president of the NTA Film Network, announced an NTA Film Network schedule for the 1958–59 season. The schedule consisted of three and a half hours of programs on Friday nights: Man Without a Gun at 7:30, followed by This is Alice at 8:00, then How to Marry a Millionaire at 8:30, and Premiere Performance, a package of films from the network's minority shareholder 20th Century Fox, from 9:00 to 11:00. Although the NTA Film Network had over 100 affiliate stations, only 17 agreed to air the Friday night schedule "in pattern" (during the scheduled time). Kleiner Dick Thin Man Mystery Show May Add Baby to Cast The Lima News 19 1958-05-03 Other NTA Network affiliates carried the network's programs whenever they had available slots, and outside of Gun, Alice, Millionaire and Performance, NTA's programs were aired whenever the local stations preferred. National Educational Television (NET), the predecessor to PBS founded in 1952, also allowed its affiliate stations to air programs out of pattern. Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.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. 978-0-345-49773-4. Legend #abbfff darkgray Light blue indicates local programming. #C0C0C0 darkgray Gray indicates encore programming. #6699CC darkgray Blue-gray indicates news programming. lightgreen darkgray Light green indicates sporting events. #FA8072 darkgray Red indicates series being burned off and other irregularly scheduled programs, including specials and movies. #FFE082 darkgray Light gold indicates programming produced outside of the United States. light white darkgray highlight lime Lime highlights indicates the number-one most watched program of the season. light white darkgray highlight yellow Yellow highlights indicates the top-10 most watched programs of the season. light white darkgray highlight cyan Cyan highlights indicates numbers 11-20 most watched programs of the season. light white darkgray highlight magenta Magenta highlights indicates numbers 21-30 most watched programs of the season. light white darkgray highlight black Highlights indicates that it falls in multiple of the above categories. Schedule New series are highlighted in bold. All times are U.S. Eastern and Pacific time (except for some live sports or events). Subtract one hour for Central and Mountain times. Sunday Network7:00 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. ABCFall You Asked For It Maverick (6/30.4) The Lawman (27/26.0) Colt .45 Encounter Local programmingNovemberLocal programmingWinter Deadline for Action (R) Local programming CBS Fall Lassie The Jack Benny Program / Bachelor FatherBiweekly series Both programs aired on alternating weeks The Ed Sullivan Show General Electric Theater (25/26.7)(Tied with Name That Tune) Alfred Hitchcock Presents (24/26.8) The $64,000 Question What's My Line?November Keep TalkingFebruary Richard Diamond, Private Detective June That's My Boy (R) NBC Fall Saber of London Northwest Passage (In COLOR) The Steve Allen Show (In COLOR) The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (In COLOR) The Loretta Young Show Local programming Winter The Music Shop (In COLOR) Mid-springThe Steve Allen Show (In COLOR) Pete Kelly's BluesSummer Midwestern Hayride (In COLOR) Suspicion (R) Dragnet The Chevy Show (In COLOR) Notes: The Canadian-produced anthology series Encounter aired only five episodes on ABC before cancellation. Deadline for Action on ABC consisted of reruns of episodes that starred Dane Clark of the 1956–1957 series Wire Service. From February to September 1959, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, starring David Janssen, aired for a third and final season on CBS, on the Sunday schedule at 10 p.m. Eastern. It switched to NBC and returned to the air for a fourth season during the 1959–60 television season. Monday Network7:00 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 Local programming (7:00) / ABC News (7:15) #6699CCNewscasts Aired in some markets at 6:45 p.m. Polka Go-Round Bold Journey The Voice of Firestone Anybody Can Play This is Music John Daly and the News (10:30) #6699CC / Local programming (10:45) December Tales of the Texas Rangers Polka Go-Round The Patti Page Oldsmobile Show Late winter Dr. I.Q. Spring This is Music Summer Polka Go-Round Pantomime QuizTop Pro Golf CBSFall Local programming (7:00) / Douglas Edwards with the News (7:15) #6699CCNewscasts Name That Tune (25/26.7)(Tied with General Electric Theater) The Texan (15/28.2) Father Knows Best (13/28.3)(Tied with Zane Grey Theater) The Danny Thomas Show (5/32.8) The Ann Sothern Show (21/27.0)(Tied with Sugarfoot and The Perry Como Show) Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse Summer Frontier Justice The Joseph Cotten Show (R) NBCFall Local programming (7:00) / Huntley-Brinkley Report (7:15) #6699CCNewscasts Tic-Tac-Dough (In COLOR) The Restless Gun Tales of Wells Fargo (7/30.2) Peter Gunn (16/28.0)(Tied with Wanted: Dead or Alive) Alcoa Theatre / Goodyear Television PlayhouseBiweekly series The Arthur Murray Party (In COLOR) Local programmingWinter Buckskin Note: The Westinghouse Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show aired once a month at 10–11 p.m. Summer reruns aired as The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. Tuesday Network7:00 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 Local programming (7:00) / ABC News (7:15) #6699CC The Cheyenne Show: Bronco (18/27.9) / Sugarfoot (21/27.0)(Tied with The Ann Sothern Show and The Perry Como Show)Biweekly series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (10/29.1) The Rifleman (4/33.1) Naked City Confession John Daly and the News (10:30) #6699CC / Local programming (10:45) Winter Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond CBS Fall Local programming (7:00) / Douglas Edwards with the News (7:15) #6699CC Stars in Action (R) Keep Talking To Tell the Truth The Arthur Godfrey Show The Red Skelton Show (In COLOR) (12/28.5) The Garry Moore Show Mid-fall The Invisible Man Summer Mystery Playhouse Peck's Bad Girl The Andy Williams Show NBC Fall Local programming (7:00) / Huntley-Brinkley Report (7:15) #6699CC Dragnet The George Gobel Show (In COLOR) / The Eddie Fisher Show (In COLOR)Biweekly series Colgate Theatre The Bob Cummings Show The Californians Local programming Late fall The George Burns ShowSummer Northwest Passage (R) (In COLOR) Steve Canyon (R) The Jimmie Rodgers Show (In COLOR) Fanfare The David Niven Show Notes: Bronco was a replacement for Cheyenne, which had temporarily ceased production as Clint Walker walked out of the series. Confession, with host Jack Wyatt, which had begun as a local program in the Dallas, Texas, market in early 1957, premiered as a summer replacement on ABC on June 19, 1958, in advance of the 1958–59 television season. It ended on January 13, 1959, and was succeeded on January 20, 1959, by the paranormal anthology series Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond. Stars in Action consisted of repeats of assorted anthology series. Number Please was supposed to premiere on CBS on September 30, 1958, but it was pulled at the last minute.July 28, 1958 How network TV looks from here https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/58-OCR/1958-07-28-BC-OCR-Page-0033.pdf May 4, 2026 Broadcasting 33 Wednesday Network7:00 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 Local programming (7:00) / ABC News (7:15) #6699CC Lawrence Welk's Plymouth Show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet The Donna Reed Show The Patti Page Oldsmobile Show The Wednesday Night Fights December Accused Summer Music For a Summer Night CBS Fall Local programming (7:00) / Douglas Edwards with the News (7:15) #6699CC Twilight Theater (R) Pursuit The Millionaire (30/25.6) I've Got a Secret (9/29.8) Armstrong Circle Theatre / The United States Steel HourBiweekly series Summer Keep Talking Trackdown Armstrong by Request (R) #C0C0C0 / The United States Steel HourBiweekly series NBCFall Local programming (7:00) / Huntley-Brinkley Report (7:15) #6699CC Wagon Train (2/36.1) The Price is Right (In COLOR) (11/28.6) Milton Berle starring in the Kraft Music Hall (In COLOR) Berle/Kraft Formerly known as The Milton Berle Show Bat Masterson This Is Your Life (29/25.8) Local programming Summer The Dave King Show (In COLOR) Notes: Twilight Theater consisted of reruns of assorted anthology series. On CBS, Armstrong by Request aired in place of Armstrong Circle Theatre from July 8 to September 16, 1959, alternating with United States Steel Hour, consisting of reruns of six documentary dramas which originally had aired on Armstrong Circle Theatre during the 1958–1959 season. Thursday Network7:00 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. ABCFall Local programming (7:00) / ABC News (7:15) #6699CC Leave It to Beaver Zorro The Real McCoys (8/30.1) The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom The Rough Riders Traffic Court John Daly and the News (10:30) #6699CC / Local programming (10:45)Summer Local programming Leave It to Beaver (R) Local programming CBS Fall Local programming (7:00) / Douglas Edwards with the News (7:15) #6699CC I Love Lucy (R) December Bride Yancy Derringer Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (13/28.3)(Tied with Father Knows Best) Playhouse 90 Summer The Invisible Man NBC Fall Local programming (7:00) / Huntley-Brinkley Report (7:15) #6699CC Jefferson Drum The Ed Wynn Show Twenty-One Behind Closed Doors The Ford Show (20/27.2) (In COLOR) You Bet Your Life Masquerade Party (In COLOR) October Concentration November It Could Be YouWinter Steve Canyon Spring The Lawless Years Oldsmobile Music Theatre Laugh Line Summer Too Young to Go Steady 21 Beacon Street NTA Local programming Jazz Party Local programming The 90-minute series Jazz Party aired from May 8 to December 25, 1958, on WNTA-TV Thursdays at 9pm ET and was offered to NTA Film Network affiliates during the 1958 fall season. It was a successor to a similar program on the NYC DuMont station WABD, Art Ford's Greenwich Village Party, as the DuMont Network was ceasing operations. Friday Network7:00 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 Local programming (7:00) / ABC News (7:15) #6699CC The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Walt Disney Presents Man with a Camera 77 Sunset Strip John Daly and the News (10:30) #6699CC / Local programming (10:45) MarchTombstone Territory CBS Fall Local programming (7:00) / Douglas Edwards with the News (7:15) #6699CC Your Hit Parade Trackdown The Jackie Gleason Show The Phil Silvers Show Schlitz Playhouse / Lux Playhouse Biweekly series The Lineup Person to Person Winter Rawhide (28/25.9)Summer Rawhide (R) I Love Lucy (R) The Original Amateur Hour NBCFall Local programming (7:00) / Huntley-Brinkley Report (7:15) #6699CC Buckskin The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen (In COLOR) M Squad The Thin Man Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (10:00) / Fight Beat (10:45)Winter Northwest Passage (In COLOR) Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (10:00) / Phillies Jackpot Bowling (10:45)Summer Pete Kelly's Blues (R) Colgate Western Theatre (R) NTA Local programming Man Without a Gun This is Alice How to Marry a Millionaire Premiere Performance Notes: On January 9, Phillies Jackpot Bowling premiered in the 10:45-11 p.m. spot on NBC. On March 13 Tombstone Territory replaced Man with a Camera on the ABC schedule. On NBC, the summer anthology series Colgate Western Theatre consisted of repeats of Western dramas originally aired on other anthology series, primarily General Electric Theatre and Schlitz Playhouse. Saturday Network7:30 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 The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show The Billy Graham Crusade Lawrence Welk's Dodge Dancing Party Sammy Kaye's Music from Manhattan Local programming November Jubilee USA Winter The Billy Graham CrusadeSummer Local programming CBS Fall Perry Mason (19/27.5) Wanted Dead or Alive (16/28.0)(Tied with Peter Gunn) The Gale Storm Show Have Gun – Will Travel (3/34.3) Gunsmoke (1/39.6) Local programming Late spring Markham Summer Reckoning Brenner NBCFall People are Funny The Perry Como Show (21/27.0)(Tied with Sugarfoot and The Ann Sothern Show) (In COLOR) Steve Canyon Cimarron City Brains & BrawnWinter Black Saddle The D.A.'s ManSummer Perry Como Presents (In COLOR) Notes: On NBC, Brains & Brawn was replaced on January 3, 1959, by The D.A.'s Man. On CBS, Markham premiered Saturday, May 2, 1959, at 10:30 pm. By network ABC Returning Series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Anybody Can Play/Anyone Can Play The Billy Graham Crusade Bold Journey Cheyenne Colt .45 Confession Dick Clark's Saturday Night Beach-Nut Show Dr. I.Q. John Daly and the News Jubilee USA Lawrence Welk's Dodge Dancing Party Lawrence Welk's Plymouth Show Leave It to Beaver (moved from CBS) The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp Maverick Pantomime Quiz The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom The Patti Page Oldsmobile Show Polka Go-Round The Real McCoys Sugarfoot Tales of the Texas Rangers This is Music Tombstone Territory Top Pro Golf Traffic Court The Voice of Firestone Walt Disney Presents The Wednesday Night Fights You Asked For It Zorro New Series 77 Sunset Strip ABC News Accused * Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond * Bronco The Donna Reed Show Encounter The Lawman Man with a Camera Music for a Summer Night * Naked City The Patti Page Oldsmobile Show The Rifleman Rough Riders Sammy Kaye's Music from Manhattan * Not returning from 1957–58: Adventure at Scott Island The Adventures of Jim Bowie All-American Football Game of the Week American Odyssey The Betty White Show Bowling Stars Broken Arrow Campaign Roundup Circus Boy Cowtown Rodeo Country Music Jubilee Date with the Angels Disneyland Famous Fights The Frank Sinatra Show The Guy Mitchell Show Keep It in the Family Lawrence Welk's Top Tunes and New Talent Love That Jill Make Me Laugh Midwestern Hayride The Mike Wallace Interview Navy Log O.S.S. Open Hearing The Patrice Munsel Show Scotland Yard Telephone Time The Walter Winchell File The West Point Story CBS Returning Series The $64,000 Question Alfred Hitchcock Presents Armstrong Circle Theatre Bachelor Father The Danny Thomas Show December Bride Douglas Edwards and the News DuPont Show of the Month The Ed Sullivan Show Father Knows Best (moved from NBC) Frontier Justice The Gale Storm Show General Electric Theatre Gunsmoke Have Gun — Will Travel Keep Talking I've Got a Secret The Invisible Man The Jack Benny Program Lassie The Lineup The Millionaire Name That Tune Perry Mason Person to Person The Phil Silvers Show Playhouse 90 The Red Skelton Show Richard Diamond, Private Detective Schlitz Playhouse The Spike Jones Show That's My Boy To Tell the Truth Trackdown The Twentieth Century The United States Steel Hour What's My Line Your Hit Parade (moved from NBC) Zane Grey Theater New Series The Andy Williams Show The Ann Sothern Show Armstrong by Request * The Arthur Godfrey Show Brenner The Garry Moore Show * The Invisible Man The Jackie Gleason Show Lux Playhouse Markham * Peck's Bad Girl * Pursuit Rawhide * Stars in Action The Texan Trackdown Wanted Dead or Alive Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse Westinghouse Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show Yancy Derringer Not returning from 1957–58: The $64,000 Challenge The Adventures of Robin Hood Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts Assignment: Foreign Legion Bid 'n' Buy The Big Record The Boing Boing Show Climax! Dick and the Duchess The Eve Arden Show The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show Leave it to Beaver (moved to ABC) Mr. Adams and Eve Sergeant Preston of the Yukon Shower of Stars Studio One in Hollywood Tales of the Texas Rangers Top Dollar NBC Returning Series Alcoa Theatre The Arthur Murray Party Bachelor Father The Bob Cummings Show Buckskin The Californians Colgate Theatre Concentration The Dinah Shore Chevy Show Dragnet The Eddie Fisher Show Fight Beat The Ford Show The George Gobel Show Gillette Cavalcade of Sports Goodyear Television Playhouse The Huntley–Brinkley Report It Could Be You The Jack Benny Program The Loretta Young Show M Squad Masquerade Party Omnibus People Are Funny The Perry Como Show The Price Is Right The Restless Gun Saber of London The Steve Allen Show Tales of Wells Fargo The Thin Man This Is Your Life Tic-Tac-Dough Twenty-One Wagon Train You Bet Your Life New Series 21 Beacon Street * The Adventures of Ellery Queen The Art Carney Special * Bat Masterson Behind Closed Doors Black Saddle * Brains & Brawn Cimarron City The D.A.'s Man * The David Niven Show * Fight Beat * The George Burns Show Milton Berle starring in the Kraft Music Hall Laugh Line * The Lawless Years * The Music Shop * Northwest Passage Oldsmobile Music Theatre * Pete Kelly's Blues * Peter Gunn Steve Canyon Not returning from 1957–58: The Big Game The Bob Crosby Show Colgate Theatre Club Oasis with Spike Jones The Court of Last Resort Decision Dotto Dragnet Father Knows Best (Moved to CBS) The Gisele MacKenzie Show The Investigator It's a Great Life The Jane Wyman Show Kraft Television Theatre The Life of Riley The Lux Show Starring Rosemary Clooney Meet McGraw Music Bingo The Nat King Cole Show No Warning! The Original Amateur Hour The People's Choice Red Barber's Corner The Restless Gun The Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé Show The Subject is Jazz Suspicion Tic-Tac-Dough What's It For? Wide Wide World NTA Returning series How to Marry a Millionaire Man Without a Gun Premiere Performance New series This is Alice Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason. See also 1958–59 United States network television schedule (daytime) 1958–59 United States network television schedule (late night) Notes References McNeil, Alex. Total Television. Fourth edition. New York: Penguin Books. 0-14-024916-8. Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1964). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. 0-345-31864-1. Category:United States primetime network television schedules United States network television schedule United States network television schedule