1989 in American television

none May 2017 1989 In 1989, 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. Notable events Date EventJanuary 1A complicated, six-station network affiliation swap takes place in two South Florida markets. In Miami, WTVJ moves to NBC from CBS, WCIX (now WFOR-TV) moves to CBS from Fox, and WSVN moves to Fox from NBC. Meanwhile, in West Palm Beach, WPEC switches from ABC to CBS, WTVX leaves CBS to become an independent, and ABC station WPBF signs on this day. The swaps result from NBC's acquisition of WTVJ in 1987, and CBS's acquisition of WCIX in August 1988. The switches in West Palm Beach are accomplished due to WCIX's weak signal in Broward County.NBC To Buy Miami's Channel 4, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, January 17, 1987.https://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/09/business/the-media-business-cbs-to-buy-tv-station-in-miami.html The New York Times THE MEDIA BUSINESS; CBS to Buy TV Station In Miami August 9, 1988The NBC affiliate in Tampa, WXFL changes its callsign back to WFLA-TV.The Karen Carpenter Story, a made-for-television biographical film about singer Karen Carpenter and the brother-and-sister pop music duo of which she was a part, The Carpenters is broadcast on CBS. The movie was popular in the ratings; it was the highest-rated two-hour TV movie of the year and the third highest rated such program on any network during the 1980s.January 3The Arsenio Hall Show premieres in first-run syndication. Brooke Shields, Luther Vandross, and Leslie Nielsen appear as guests.January 7The television version of the 1983 film Scarface premieres on ABC.http://www.tvtango.com/listings/1989/01/07 TV Listings for – January 7, 1989 TV Tango January 7, 1989 November 11, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20131105212717/http://www.tvtango.com/listings/1989/01/07 November 5, 2013 live 32 minutes of violence, profanity and sex were edited out, and much of the dialogue was muted or replaced with less offensive alternatives.Scarface Trailers from Hell http://trailersfromhell.com/scarface trailersfromhell.com June 8, 2014 September 19, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140919022735/http://trailersfromhell.com/scarface/ liveJanuary 8Universal Pictures releases a cut of the 1985 film Brazil for airing on their syndicated film package, the Debut Network. Running 93 minutes (as opposed to the 142 minute-long theatrical cut), it was a heavily modified version that remained true to Universal's then-COO Sid Sheinberg's preferred cut of the film (which modified the dark sci-fi satire into an uplifting romance, complete with a happy ending), and was subsequently given the nickname "The Love Conquers All Cut." How this version managed to get released remains a mystery; director Terry Gilliam said that Universal asked him to make an edited-for-television cut of the film and he refused. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Gilliam sarcastically complimented Sheinberg for "[getting] a chance to break into TV," but was angry that Universal didn't take his name off the TV cut and also criticized advertisements for the Debut Network premiere of Brazil which used the same critical praise that was given to his version.1989-01-08 Lobotomized 'Brazil'? https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-01-08-ca-117-story.html live 2021-06-24 Los Angeles Times en-US https://web.archive.org/web/20201127023827/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-01-08-ca-117-story.html 2020-11-27 In an interview with Jack Matthews in an updated version of his book The Battle of Brazil, Sheinberg claimed he had no idea how his cut leaked out, and said that he wasn't the one who ordered that cut to be released.January 9Pat Sajak quits the daytime version of the series Wheel of Fortune for a CBS late night talk show while remaining host of the nighttime version. His daytime hosting role will be assumed by Rolf Benirschke,Brass Kevin B n rschk (Buy a Vowel) to Host ‘Wheel of Fortune’ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-12-13-ca-168-story.html Los Angeles Times December 13, 1988 en then by Bob Goen when Wheel switches networks from NBC to CBS that July.MacMinn Aleene TV & VIDEO https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-07-07-ca-3342-story.html Los Angeles Times July 7, 1989 September 22, 2025 enJanuary 15Fox airs an episode of Married... with Children called "Her Cups Runneth Over", which would soon become the main source of Terry Rakolta's moral boycott campaign against the show.January 21Mike Myers joins the cast of the NBC series Saturday Night Live.January 22Super Bowl XXIII from Miami's Joe Robbie Stadium is broadcast on NBC. This would be the last outdoor Super Bowl to start earlier than 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, as it started just after 5 p.m. The halftime show was titled "Be Bop Bamboozled in 3-D" and featured Elvis Presto, played by then-Solid Gold dancer Alex Cole, and hundreds of South Florida-area dancers and performers.https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/74902/oral-history-strangest-super-bowl-halftime-show-ever Oral History: The Strangest Super Bowl Halftime Show Ever Rossen Jake February 4, 2018 Mental Floss February 6, 2020 Ironically, not one actual Elvis Presley song was performed.Andrews Travis February 2, 2018 From Elvis Presto to Michael Jackson: How the Super Bowl halftime show found its groove https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/02/02/from-elvis-presto-to-michael-jackson-how-the-super-bowl-halftime-show-found-its-groove/ The Washington Post Washington, D.C. January 30, 2020 Several scenes included computer-generated 3D images. Prior to the game, Coca-Cola distributed 3D glasses at retailers for viewers to use. At the onset of the halftime show, primary sponsor Diet Coke aired the first commercial in 3D. Coca-Cola had originally planned to use the 3D Diet Coke commercial as part of the Moonlighting season finale, which was also aired in 3D, but withdrew plans due to the 1988 Writers Guild of America Strike.February 5On the NBC sitcom Day by Day, six cast members from The Brady Bunch (Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, Ann B. Davis, Maureen McCormick, Christopher Knight, and Mike Lookinland) reunite.The first part of the four part Western miniseries Lonesome Dove airs on CBS, drawing a huge viewing audience, earning numerous awards, and reviving both the television Western and the miniseries.February 9The second edition of the World Wrestling Federation's prime-time series The Main Event airs on NBC. This particular episode is most notable for Randy Savage turning on his tag team partner, Hulk Hogan and thus, setting up their match for Savage's WWF World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania V on April 2. The live broadcast of The Main Event would draw an 11.6 rating and 19.9 million viewers.February 8, 1989 Nielsen ratings USA Today 3D 306179902February 18The first ever "Wayne's World" sketch featuring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar respectively, appears on NBC's Saturday Night Live.February 20Jane Wyman, an actress on the CBS drama series Falcon Crest, is rushed to the hospital, after suffering from diabetes and a liver ailment.Charlie O'Donnell returned to Wheel of Fortune as the announcer, following a nine-year absence.February 26ABC broadcasts the made-for-television film Get Smart, Again!, which features Don Adams and Barbara Feldon reprising their characters of Maxwell Smart and Agent 99 from the 1965–1970 NBC/CBS sitcom Get Smart. The relative success of the film prompted the development of a short-lived (only seven episodes) 1995 weekly series on Fox, also titled Get Smart, with Adams and Feldon again reprising their characters.February 27CBS airs a pilot for a proposed series called What's Alan Watching?, starring Corin Nemec as the titular Alan, a 17-year-old couch potato who views life, and his family, as if they were on television. The pilot was produced by Eddie Murphy, who also cameos in it as not only a protester decrying James Brown's incarceration, but Brown himself. While CBS ultimately passes on making it a regular series, What's Alan Watching? did win the Television Critics Association's TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials.March 2Pepsi's controversial advertisement with Madonna and her song "Like a Prayer" airs during NBC's showing of The Cosby Show. The same ad was run on ITV in the UK, 12 minutes into The Bill.March 10The series finale of Webster has the eponymous character being transported to the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Michael Dorn guest stars as Lt. Worf.March 13The weekday version of Yo! MTV Raps, hosted by Ed Lover and Doctor Dré debuts.March 19Return of the Jedi makes its network broadcast television premiere on NBC.The Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 is broadcast on ABC. The broadcast is notable because Dr. Jerry Punch, who was reporting from the pit stall of Richard Petty when a fire broke out, proceeded to treat on the spot, two injured crew members. Following the incident, in which several items of Punch's clothing were singed or melted, ESPN mandated that its pit reporters wear fire-retardant suits. Other networks have since adopted the practice.Hall Andy Punch's near miss led to safety gear for ESPN's NASCAR pit reporters http://www.espnfrontrow.com/2012/04/punchs-near-miss-led-to-safety-gear-for-espns-nascar-pit-reporters/ November 8, 2016 ESPN Front Row April 10, 2012March 24For the first time since 1973, NBC reruns the 1960 telecast of Peter Pan, with Mary Martin in the title role. Earlier that day, two of the network's game shows, Sale of the Century and Super Password, aired their final episodes. The following Monday, NBC will return the noon time slot to its affiliates.March 25Elvis Costello appears as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. It's the first time that Costello appeared on SNL in 12 years. Costello had been temporarily banned from appearing on SNL in 1977 after he had abruptly switched songs live against the wishes of his record company and SNL. In 1977, he had originally been scheduled to perform his debut single "Less Than Zero", instead of "Radio Radio", which criticized the commercialization of broadcasting.March 29The 61st Academy Awards ceremony is broadcast on ABC. Despite the best Nielsen ratings in five years, it proved to be a career disaster for producer Allan Carr, culminating in the infamous pairing of Snow White (played by Eileen Bowman) and Rob Lowe singing a parody of "Proud Mary." The telecast also included a production number featuring what was introduced as "The Stars of Tomorrow" doing a number entitled "I Wanna Be An Oscar Winner" with all the participants being actors and actresses ranging from the age group of late teens to mid-20s. Due largely to the show's opening number, and despite the show's stellar Nielsen ratings, the show became a laughing-stock and went down in history as one of the worst moments in awards show and television history. The telecast was also remembered for being the final public appearance of actress and comedian Lucille Ball, where she and co-presenter Bob Hope were given a standing ovation.Comedian Lucille Ball suffers a heart attack https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19890419&id=hLsyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zu8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6799,3215179 October 5, 2013 The Spokesman-Review April 19, 1989 mdy-all On April 26, almost a month after the ceremony, she died from a dissecting aortic aneurysm at age 77.Flint Peter B. Lucille Ball, Spirited Doyenne of TV Comedies, Dies at 77 https://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/27/obituaries/lucille-ball-spirited-doyenne-of-tv-comedies-dies-at-77.html October 5, 2013 The New York Times April 27, 1989 live https://web.archive.org/web/20131006062842/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/27/obituaries/lucille-ball-spirited-doyenne-of-tv-comedies-dies-at-77.html October 6, 2013 mdy-allApril 1Nickelodeon celebrates its 10th anniversary with the debut of its new Sunday morning variety show Total Panic.April 8After a ten-month hiatus,http://www.tv.com/shows/american-bandstand/ab-moves-to-usa-network-244515/ https://web.archive.org/web/20110916195224/http://www.tv.com/shows/american-bandstand/ab-moves-to-usa-network-244515/ dead September 16, 2011 AB moves to USA network TV.com 28 October 2013 American Bandstand reemerges on the USA Network. David Hirsch took over hosting duties from Dick Clark (who remained on as executive producer) and Bandstand moved outdoors to Universal Studios Hollywood. After 26 weeks on USA, Bandstand signed off for good on October 7, 1989, with The Cover Girls as the final musical guests.April 30Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman, the second made-for-television reunion film that featured Lee Majors as Steve Austin and Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Sommers is broadcast on NBC. It is also notably the first television appearance of actress Sandra Bullock and the first film which strongly featured her. May 7The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, the second film to be based on the 1978–1982 television series, airs on NBC. As was the case with The Incredible Hulk Returns and Thor, this television movie also acted as a backdoor television pilot for a series, in this case, for Daredevil (which was also not produced). Superheroes' Battleground: Prime Time New York Times 1988-10-11 https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/11/arts/superheroes-battleground-prime-time.html?scp=15&sq=Incredible%20Hulk%20bill%20bixby&st=cse 2010-08-12 Aljean Harmetz F.O.O.M. (Flashbacks of Ol' Marvel) #16: "I'm Free Now – The Incredible Hulk (1988-1990)" Comic Bulletin http://www.comicsbulletin.com/foom/128355284240689.htm 2010-09-09 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20131029184156/http://www.comicsbulletin.com/foom/128355284240689.htm 2013-10-29May 8Top Gun makes its broadcast network television debut on NBC.May 11In the series finale of the ABC drama Dynasty, Blake Carrington, Alexis Colby, Dex Dexter, and Fallon Carrington Colby are stuck in mortal peril.NBC airs a pilot for a proposed spin-off of 227 centered on Jackée Harry's character Sandra Clark. The pilot however, was not picked up for a series and Jackée subsequently left 227. She would however, later guest star in seven of the final season's episodes.May 14NBC broadcasts the series finale of Family Ties followed by the network television premiere of Ferris Bueller's Day Off.May 14–25SportsChannel America airs the first of four consecutive Stanley Cup Finals.May 18Donna Mills makes her final regular appearance as villainess Abby Cunningham on the CBS drama Knots Landing.May 20Original Saturday Night Live cast member Gilda Radner succumbs to ovarian cancer at the age of 42. News of Radner's death broke as Steve Martin was rehearsing to act as the guest host for that night's season finale of SNL. Martin's planned opening monologue was scrapped; in its place a visibly upset Martin introduced a video clip of a 1978 sketch in which he and Radner had parodied Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse in a well-known dance routine from The Band Wagon (1953).http://vimeo.com/82820975 Martin, Steve Radner, Gilda Saturday Night Live 1978 Vimeo video March 20, 2015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20141129085851/http://vimeo.com/82820975 November 29, 2014 mdy-all After the clip, Martin said it reminded him of "how great she was and of how young I looked. Gilda, we miss you."May 21The two-hour long series finale of Miami Vice airs on NBC. There would however be three "lost episodes" that would be broadcast on NBC over the course of June 1989. A fourth and final "lost episode" entitled "Too Much, Too Late" was instead first broadcast on the USA Network in January 1990, due to its graphic content and a plot vividly involving child molestation. June 3Vin Scully does the play-by-play for the NBC Game of the Week in St. Louis, where the Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs in 10 innings. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers are playing a series in Houston, where Scully flies to be on hand to call the Sunday game of the series. However, the Saturday night game between the teams is going into extra innings when Scully arrives in town, so he goes to the Astrodome instead of his hotel. He picks up the play-by-play, helping to relieve the other Dodger announcers, who are doing both television and radio, and broadcasts the final 13 innings (after already calling 10 innings in St. Louis), as the game went 22 innings. He broadcast 23 innings in one day in two different cities.June 5For the start of 1989 NBA Finals,Introduction to Game 4 of the 1989 NBA Finals XAKuPes_uRY CBS completely revamps their opening montage for their NBA broadcasts. The computer-generated imagery (once again set in and around a virtual arena) was made to look more realistic (live-action footage was incorporated in the backdrops). Also, the familiar theme music (an uptempo series of four notes and three bars composed by Allyson Bellink since the 1983 NBA Finals) each was rearrangedhttp://bloguin.com/crossoverchronicles/2015-articles/nba-finals-music-division-nbc-is-great-but-cbs-is-better.html NBA Finals, Music Division: NBC is great, but CBS is better Zemek Matt June 1, 2015 Crossover Chronicles January 30, 2021 July 16, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150716192541/http://bloguin.com/crossoverchronicles/2015-articles/nba-finals-music-division-nbc-is-great-but-cbs-is-better.html dead to sound more intricate and to have a more emotional impact, along the lines of the network's later World Series coverage. Between the 1989 NBA Finals and the 1990 NBA Finals' intros, the theme music was slightly revised; the 1989 Finals intro incorporated more of a guitar riff, while the 1990 Finals intro featured a little more usage of trumpets.June 8After broadcasting Major League Baseball games on Monday nights since 1976, ABC launches eight weeks worth of games on Thursday nights, beginning with coverage of the New York Mets against the Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres against the Houston Astros.July 1In Rochester, New York, NBC affiliate WROC-TV and CBS affiliate WHEC-TV swap affiliations. NBC cites WROC-TV's struggling news ratings as the reason for the switch."In brief." Broadcasting, April 10, 1989, pg. 96.July 4CBS airs the pilot for a proposed adaptation of the 1988 film Coming to America as an installment for the Summer Showcase anthology series.July 5The pilot episode of Seinfeld airs on NBC.July 7CBS airs an unsold pilot for a proposed sitcom based on the 1987 film Adventures in Babysitting.July 11Former President of the United States Ronald Reagan joins NBC's Vin Scully on commentary for the 1st inning of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.July 17"Shades of Gray", which is the second season finale for Star Trek: The Next Generation, is broadcast in syndication. The episode is notable for being the only time that the series produced what constituted a clip show. This was done as a means of meeting a budget shortfall at season's end due to prior episodes that had cost overruns. The episode also marked the final appearance of the character Dr. Katherine Pulaski (portrayed by Diana Muldaur) and the original Type A TNG Starfleet uniforms, which were introduced in Season 1.July 18My Sister Sam star Rebecca Schaeffer is shot and killed by Robert John Bardo, an obsessed fan who had been stalking her. August 14Cliff and Nina Warner marry one another for the fourth (and seemingly final) time on the ABC soap opera All My Children, a record that has not been matched for soap operas.August 23One year after acquiring the rights to broadcast the 1992 Winter Olympics from Albertville, France, CBS also wins the rights to broadcast the 1994 Winter Olympics from Lillehammer, Norway after bidding $300 million.August 24In a press conference that is carried live on CNN and ESPN, Major League Baseball commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti states that to preserve the integrity of the game of baseball, Pete Rose is banned from the game for life for gambling on baseball. One week after the announcement, Giamatti would die of a massive heart attack at the age of 51.August 27The television film L.A. Takedown airs on NBC. Originally filmed as an unsuccessful pilot for a television series, producer and screenwriter Michael Mann would later use L.A. Takedown as the basis for the 1995 film Heat.September 1WUTV in Buffalo officially dropped its Fox affiliation, and moved its Fox affiliation over to WNYB-TV. This was because it was disappointed with the network's weak prime time programming offerings.FOX NETWORK, CH. 29 SPLIT; CH. 49 IS THE NEW SUITOR https://buffalonews.com/news/fox-network-ch-29-split-ch-49-is-the-new-suitor/article_ae2bb259-61e4-543a-83d2-97679492a1b5.html 2021-12-12 The Buffalo News 2 May 1989 enSeptember 4The Family Channel debuts its children programming block Fun Town.September 16A pilot for a proposed X-Men animated series is first broadcast in syndication. It would take another three years before an X-Men series would be fully realized.September 22ABC debuts TGIF from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., a new programming block for Friday nights with four shows (Full House, Family Matters, Perfect Strangers, and Just the Ten of Us), it also includes interstitial hosts. This block would become a ratings hit throughout the 1990s, lasting until 2000.September 24NBC broadcasts Saturday Night Lives 15th anniversary special.September 28Univision broadcasts the final of the 12th National OTI Festival live from the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts in Miami.September 30NBC broadcasts its final Major League Baseball Game of the Week (before the program is transferred to CBS). NBC had broadcast the Game of the Week since 1957 and exclusively since 1966. Bob Costas and Tony Kubek called the action from Toronto's SkyDome, as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Baltimore Orioles to clinch the American League East Division title.October 1NBC affiliate KPOM-TV (now KFTA-TV) in Fort Smith, Arkansas signs-on full-time satellite KFAA-TV (now KNWA-TV) in Rogers to solve transmission problems resulting from its status as an UHF station in a mountainous area. (KFTA-TV will disaffiliate from NBC and join Fox in 2006.)Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom makes its network broadcast television debut on ABC.October 6Jane Wyman's medical leave due to her diabetes and liver ailment is written into the CBS drama Falcon Crest, when her character, Angela Channing, is put in a coma. October 9The San Francisco Giants defeat the Chicago Cubs in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series to go to the World Series for the first time since 1962. This was also NBC's final Major League Baseball telecast (with Vin Scully and Tom Seaver on the call), having broadcast the sport in some shape or form since 1947. As previously mentioned, the primary network TV package was moving to CBS beginning in 1990. NBC wouldn't broadcast baseball again until the 1994 All-Star Game.October 17Four minutes into ABC's broadcast of Game 3 of the World Series, the Lome Prieta earthquake occurred, forcing a ten-day delay of the series. Due to their coverage of the game, ESPN is the first network to broadcast footage from the impacted area. As a consequence of the Loma Prieta earthquake, ABC aired repeat episodes of Roseanne and The Wonder Years amid the initial uncertainty as to whether Game 3 would take place as scheduled; an extended ABC News Special Report – anchored by Ted Koppel from the news division's Washington, D.C. bureau, with Al Michaels (who served as the play-by-play commentator for ABC's World Series coverage that year alongside Jim Palmer and Tim McCarver) acting as a de facto reporter – on the earthquake's immediate aftermath followed those two programs.October 19–23Contestant Diane Landry won an accumulated $129,370 cash & prizes over three episodes of air in Wheel of Fortune, which at the time set an all-time winnings record for the show. At the time, the backdrop chyron displays in only five digits due to a game show winnings cap, and host Pat Sajak taped a "$1" cardboard next to the display to accommodate the new total. This scene has been featured in various clip shows videos.October 26WSNR-TV, an independent station launches on the air in Syracuse, New York.October 27Jane Pauley announces that she will be stepping down as co-anchor of NBC's Today (after 13 years on the air) at the end of the year (with Pauley's last day being on December 29). Todays news reader Deborah Norville is immediately announced as Pauley's successor. October 28The World Series finally concludes with the Oakland Athletics sweeping the San Francisco Giants in four games. This would be ABC's final baseball telecast, having covered the sport consecutively since 1976. Like NBC, ABC would lose their baseball package completely to CBS beginning in 1990. ABC would next broadcast Major League Baseball in 1994, when they formed a joint-venture with Major League Baseball and NBC called The Baseball Network.November 4The NBA on TNT debuts.November 7An episode of the ABC drama Thirtysomething generates a great deal of controversy because it depicts two men in bed together after having had sex. Even though the actors were forbidden to touch each other while in bed together, the controversy proves too much for a number of advertisers, who pull their commercials from the episode. ABC ultimately withdraws the episode from rotation for rebroadcast.November 9The National Basketball AssociationNovember 9, 1989: The NBA signs a lucrative 4-year television deal with NBC http://sportsmediawatch.blogspot.com/2009/11/this-day-in-history.html Sports Media Watch November 29, 20119 November 1989 NBA Flips Channel, Decides to Play Ball With NBC in 1990 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-09-sp-1713-story.html Los Angeles Times and NBChttp://www.nbcsports.com/our-history#decade_6 NBC acquires NBA broadcast rights NBC Sports History Page 2017-08-29 2017-08-06 https://web.archive.org/web/20170806140431/http://www.nbcsports.com/our-history#decade_6 dead reaches an agreement on a four-year, US$600 million contractThe Ball's In A New Court: NBC took the NBA away from CBS for a cool $600 million https://vault.si.com/vault/1989/11/20/the-balls-in-a-new-court/ https://web.archive.org/web/20081007050237/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1069139/index.htm dead October 7, 2008 John Steinbreder Sports Illustrated November 20, 1989 November 29, 2011 (beginning in the 1990–1991 season), ending CBS' tenure with the NBA after 17 years.November 16Michael Jackson makes a surprise appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show during Hall's interview with Eddie Murphy.November 18Univision stages the 18th OTI Festival at the theater of the James L. Knight Center in Miami, which is broadcast live throughout Ibero-America.December 2Disney purchases Los Angeles independent station KHJ-TV from RKO General, and renames it to KCAL-TV.December 15Jaleel White makes his first appearance as Steve Urkel on the ABC sitcom Family Matters.December 17Fox broadcasts the series premiere of The Simpsons, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", which also acts as a Christmas special. The new series is a spin-off of a series of animated sketches that had previously aired on The Tracey Ullman Show. The series proves to be an early hit for Fox, scoring the network's first Nielsen top 30 entry.http://www.simpsonsworld.com/#/recaps/season-1_episode-1 Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire Simpsons World.com September 19, 2011December 18A seldom-seen 1956 Christmas special episode of I Love Lucy is re-broadcast by CBS.December 29On The Disney Channel, Stacy Ferguson makes her final appearance on Kids Incorporated. Ferguson is not only the last remaining original cast member, but she is also the longest serving cast member in the series' history. This is also the final episode of Kids Incorporated before it would go on a lengthy hiatus. New episodes wouldn't be broadcast again until November 4, 1991. Programs Debuting this year The following is a list of shows that premiered in 1989. Date Title Network January 3 The Arsenio Hall ShowSyndication January 7BordertownCBN Family ChannelUSA Up All NightUSA Network January 9 Inside EditionSyndication The Pat Sajak Show CBS January 18 A Fine Romance ABC January 20 Father Dowling MysteriesNBCJanuary 21 Dolphin CoveCBS Nightingales NBC January 23 Couch PotatoesSyndication January 24 Studio 5-BABCJanuary 28 A Man Called Hawk Long Ago and Far AwayPBS January 29 Shining Time Station February 3 UnsubNBC February 28 CoachABC March 1 Hard Time on Planet EarthCBS March 7 Anything but Love ABC March 11 COPS Fox March 20 Heartland CBS Live-In March 25 Men ABC March 26 Quantum LeapNBC March 27 Generations April 2 Total PanicNickelodeon April 3 Top CardTNN April 5 The Robert Guillaume ShowABC April 10 Nearly Departed NBC April 13 Dream Street April 14 The Jim Henson Hour April 18 Rescue 911 CBS Have FaithABC April 22 Jesse Hawkes CBS May 1 Think Fast!Nickelodeon June 4 McGee and Me!Syndication Shannon's DealNBC June 10 Tales from the Crypt HBO July 5 Seinfeld NBC July 10 Knight & Daye July 14 Hey Dude Nickelodeon August 3 Primetime Live ABC August 12 Comic Strip Live Fox August 17 FMNBC August 20 Saved by the Bell August 28 Open House Fox September 2 G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Syndication September 4 Eureeka's Castle Nick Jr. The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!Syndication September 5 The Joan Rivers Show September 9 American Gladiators Captain N: The Game Master NBC The Karate Kid Beetlejuice ABC The Byron Allen Show Syndication September 11 3rd Degree September 12 Chicken Soup ABC Life Goes On September 13 Wolf CBS September 16 The California Raisin Show Dink, the Little Dinosaur Island Son Rude Dog & the Dweebs Teen SummitBET Ring RaidersSyndication Camp Candy NBC September 17 Sister Kate Major Dad CBS September 18 Alien Nation Fox Everyday with Joan LundenSyndication Hard Copy The Famous Teddy Z CBS The People Next Door September 20 Top of the Hill A Peaceable Kingdom Doogie Howser, M.D. ABC The Young Riders The Nutt House NBC September 22 Baywatch Hardball Family Matters ABC Free Spirit Snoops CBS September 23 Saturday Night with Connie Chung September 24 Booker Fox Homeroom ABC October 2 Make the GradeNickelodeon October 13 Mancuso, F.B.I. NBC November 26 America's Funniest Home Videos ABC November 30 Ann JillianNBC December 3 True Blue December 17 The Simpsons Fox December 18 First BusinessSyndication Resuming this year Title Last aired Previous network New title Returning network Date of returnThe Mickey Mouse Club1979SyndicationThe All-New Mickey Mouse ClubDisney ChannelApril 24You Can't Do That on Television1987NickelodeonSameSameMay 8 Ending this year Date Title DebutJanuary 7ALF: The Animated Series1987January 13Ryan's Hope1975January 14Snorks1984January 19Knightwatch1988January 21Dirty DancingSimon & Simon1981February 20Almost Grown1988March 2A Fine Romance1989March 9Webster1983March 10Finders Keepers1987March 11Dolphin Cove1989March 18Good Morning, Miss Bliss1988Murphy's LawMarch 24Sale of the Century1969Super Password1984March 25TV 1011988March 31Card Sharks (returned in 2001)1978April 1She's the Sheriff1987April 8It's a Living1980April 14Unsub1989April 26NightingalesMay 5Brothers1984May 7Duet1989May 11Dynasty1981May 13A Man Called Hawk1989May 14Family Ties1982Moonlighting1985May 19The Gong Show (returned in 2017)1976May 20Small Wonder1985May 21Miami Vice1984May 22Kate & AllieJune 9Wipeout1988Couch Potatoes1989June 16Hollywood Squares (returned in 1998)1966June 21Hard Time on Planet Earth1989June 23Relatively Speaking1988June 25Day by DayJuly 14Now You See It1974July 27The Cavanaughs1986July 30The Jim Henson Hour1989August 4Highway to Heaven1984August 22CBS Summer Playhouse1987August 24The Equalizer1985September 2Police Academy1988September 8The Dating Game (returned in 1996)1965September 9West 57th1985September 29ThunderCatsOctober 7American Bandstand1952October 9Major League Baseball on NBC (returned in 1994)1947October 16The People Next Door1989October 25The Nutt HouseOctober 28Major League Baseball on ABC (returned in 1994)1976November 7Chicken Soup1989November 15A Peaceable KingdomNovember 30The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!Top of the HillDecember 1The Legend of ZeldaDecember 2The Smurfs1981December 9The California Raisin Show1989 December 16The Karate KidRude Dog & the DweebsDecember 17Homeroom1989 Entering syndication Show Seasons In production Notes Sources Day by Day 2 No Cable syndication on Lifetime. The Equalizer 4 No Cable syndication on USA Network. HeartBeat 2 No Cable syndication on Lifetime. Highway to Heaven 5 No Hollywood Squares 3 No Cable syndication on USA Network. Jim Henson's Muppet Babies 5 Yes Mr. Belvedere 5 Yes Wipeout 1 No Cable syndication on USA Network. Changing networks Show Moved from Moved to Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers The Disney Channel SyndicationThe Mickey Mouse ClubSyndicationThe Disney ChannelAmerican BandstandUSA NetworkThe HitchhikerHBOMystery Science Theater 3000KTMAThe Comedy Channel Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears NBC ABC Wheel of Fortune CBS Remote Control MTV Syndication/MTV Made-for-TV movies and miniseries Title Network Date of airingThe Karen Carpenter Story CBS January 1The Brotherhood of the Rose NBC January 22 & 23Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All CBS May 21 Networks and services Launches Network Type Launch date Notes Source SportsChannel Ohio Cable television February 9 Midwest Sports Channel Cable television March 1 SportsChannel Los Angeles Cable television June 30 Prime Sports Midwest Cable television November Prime Sports Network Utah Cable television November The Comedy Channel Cable television November 15 All News Channel Satellite television November 30 Conversions and rebrandings Old network name New network name Type Conversion Date Notes SourceHome Shopping Club Overnight ServiceHome Shopping SPREEBroadcast and cable televisionUnknownSuperStation WTBSTBS SuperstationCable televisionUnknown Tempo TelevisionCNBCCable televisionApril 17 Closures Network Type Closure date Notes Source Kraft Golden Showcase Network Syndicated programming block Unknown Television stations Station launches Date Market Station Channel Affiliation January 1 West Palm Beach, Florida WPBF 25 ABC January 4 Columbus, Ohio W23AZ 23 TBN Detroit, Michigan W05BN 5 The Box Hilo, Hawaii K45CT 45 CBS (LPTV translator of KGMB, Honolulu) Louisville, Kentucky W13BZ 13 The Box Lubbock, Texas K22BG 22 Independent January 15 Bowling Green, Kentucky WKYU-TV 24 PBS January 21 Milwaukee, Wisconsin WJJA 49 HSN January 23 Cookeville, Tennessee WMTT 28 Independent January 26 Lima, Ohio W67CA 67 Fox January 27 Klamath Falls/Medford, Oregon KFTS 22 PBS January 31 Twin Falls, Idaho KKVI 35 ABC February 2 Chicago, Illinois W54BE 54 Community Independent February 6 Charlotte, North Carolina W23AP 23 Independent (primary) America One (secondary) February 10 Bellingham, Washington, USA (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) KEGA 24 America's Collectables Network February 12 Tallahassee, Florida WTLH 49 Fox February 28 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania W59BT 59 Independent (primary) All News Channel (secondary) March 7 Indianapolis, Indiana W53AV 53 America One March 19 New Orleans, Louisiana WCCL 49 Independent March 30 Baton Rouge, Louisiana K65EF 65 Independent April 2 St. Louis, Missouri K64DT 64 Daystar April 3 Wilmington, North Carolina W10BZ 10 Independent April 12 La Grange, Georgia W33AT 33 April 13 Gainesville, Florida W31AT 31 The Box April 14 Salt Lake City, Utah KXIV 14 Independent April 15 El Paso, Texas KSCE 38 Religious independent April 20 Paradise/Las Vegas, Nevada KBLR 39 Independent April 30 Kingsport/Bristol/Johnson City, Tennessee W30AP 30 May 3 Bloomington, Indiana W15AY 15 America One May 8 Portland, Oregon KUTF 32 Independent May 17 Bellevue/Seattle, Washington KWPX-TV 33 ValueVision May 22 Cordele/Macon, Georgia WSST-TV 34 Independent Waco, Texas KCTF 34 PBS May 29 Detroit, Michigan WADL 38 Independent Norfolk, Virginia WJCB 49 Religious independent May 31 Tucson, Arizona K14HR 14 Independent Monterey, California K67EU 67 Univision San Francisco, California K22DD 22 TBN June 16 Houston, Texas KTFH 49 Independent July 9 San Antonio, Texas KHCE 23 Trinity Broadcasting Network (O&O) July 13 Buffalo, New York W58AV 58 TLC July 30 Las Vegas, Nevada KFBT 33 IndependentJuly 31 Iron Mountain/Marquette, Michigan WIIM-TV 8 TBN Milwaukee, Wisconsin W46AR 63 Univision August 7 Toledo, Ohio WT05 5 (cable-only) Independent August 21 Greenville, South Carolina W58BQ 58 TBN Lubbock, Texas K46CS 46 Telemundo August 22 Wailuku, Hawaii KOGG 13 Fox (satellite of KHNL, Honolulu) August 23 Odessa/Midland, Texas K60EE 60 Telemundo Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania W29AV 29 The Box August 28 Kansas City, Missouri K29CF 29 ValueVision August 31 Detroit, Michigan W68CH 68 The Box September 11 East St. Louis, Illinois (St. Louis, Missouri) WHSL-TV 46 HSN September 27 Chicago, Illinois W04CK 4 The Box October 1 Anchorage, Alaska KDMD 33 Independent Fayetteville, Arkansas KFAA-TV 51 NBC Hilo, Hawaii KWHH 14 Independent Yakima, Washington K53CY 53 Fox (as a semi-satellite of KAYU-TV, Spokane) October 2 Key West, Florida WEYS 22 Independent October 6 Traverse City, Michigan WFQX 33 Fox October 26 Marion, Indiana W51BT 51 LeSEA/World Harvest Television Milwaukee, Wisconsin W20AG 20 TBN Syracuse, New York WSNR-TV 43 Independent October 27 Klamath Falls/Medford, Oregon KDKF 31 ABC (satellite of KDRV) November 1 Morehead City, North Carolina (Greenville/New Bern/Washington, NC) WFXI 8 Fox November 3 Flagstaff, Arizona K23FZ 23 3ABN November 16 Toledo, Ohio W68CD 68 Daystar November 27 Gainesville, Florida W10BR 10 The Box November 30 Salinas, California K33DJ 33 Independent Wailuku, Hawaii K26CX 26 CBS (LPTV translator of KGMB) December 5 Portland, Oregon KTDZ-TV 24 TBN December 8 New York City W38CL 38 The Box December 18 Bowling Green, Kentucky WQQB 40 Independent December 23 Marion, Indiana W25BN 25 Religious independent Unknown date Bayamón, Puerto Rico W21AR 21 3ABN Latino Hazleton, Pennsylvania W35AT 35 Independent Oklahoma City, Oklahoma K69EK 69 Independent South Bend, Indiana W25BM 25 3ABN Stations changing network affiliation Market Date Station Channel Prior affiliation New affiliation Houston, Texas November KTFH 49 Independent GalavisionMiami/Fort Lauderdale, Florida January 1 WTVJ 4 CBS NBC (O&O) WCIX 6 Fox CBS (O&O) WSVN 7 NBC Fox Raleigh, North Carolina December 10 WKFT 40 Independent CBSRochester, New York July 1 WROC-TV 8 NBC CBS WHEC-TV 10 CBS NBCBuffalo, New YorkSeptember 1WUTV29FoxIndependentWNYB49IndependentFoxWest Palm Beach, Florida January 1 WPEC 12 ABC CBS WTVX 34 CBS Independent Station closures Date Market Station Channel Affiliation March 31 Concord, New Hampshire WNHT 21 CBS June 30 Lexington, Kentucky WLKT-TV 62 Independent August 31 Anderson, South Carolina WAXA 40 Independent September 17 Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands WBNB-TV 10 CBS October 17 Tucson, Arizona KPOL 40 Independent Unknown date Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands WAIG 43 Independent Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands WMEG 15 Religious Independent WTFM-TV 27 Independent Births Date Name NotabilityJanuary 1Adèle HaenelFrench actressJanuary 3 Alex D. LinzActor (The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald, Providence, Hey Arnold!)January 8Karan SoniActorJanuary 9Nina DobrevBulgarian-Canadian actress (Degrassi: The Next Generation, The Vampire Diaries)January 10Emily MeadeActress (The Leftovers)January 13Beau MirchoffActorAndy AlloActressJanuary 16Yvonne ZimaActress (ER, The Young and the Restless)January 19Dustin PoirierMixed martial artist2024-06-13 Dustin Poirier https://www.thesportster.com/tag/dustin-poirier/ 2024-07-05 TheSportster enJanuary 27Brooke ButlerActressJanuary 30Kylie BunburyActressFebruary 1Margo PigossiBrazilian actor (Watercolors of Love, Tangled Hearts, Boogie Oogie, Rules of the Game)February 2Ingrid NilsenYouTube personalityFebruary 3Ryne SanbornActor (High School Musical)February 5Jeremy SumpterActor (Clubhouse, Friday Night Lights)February 11Jesse RathCanadian actor (Supergirl, Defiance, No Tomorrow)February 13Katie VoldingActress (Teen Angel)February 15Bonnie DennisonActress (Third Watch, Guiding Light)February 16Elizabeth OlsenActress (The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley)February 17Chord OverstreetActor and singer (Private, Glee)February 19Griffin NewmanActorFebruary 20Jack FalaheeActor (How to Get Away with Murder, Mercy Street)February 21Corbin BleuActor (Flight 29 Down, High School Musical)Kristin HerreraActress (Zoey 101)Scout Taylor-ComptonActress (Charmed)February 24Trace CyrusAmerican musician and son of Billy Ray CyrusFebruary 25Abby WildeActress (Zoey 101)February 27Mike CastleActorMarch 1Daniella MonetActress (Listen Up, Victorious, Fred: The Show, AwesomenessTV, Baby Daddy, Paradise Run)March 3Hayley Marie NormanActressMarch 5Sterling KnightActor (Sonny with a Chance, So Random!)March 11Anton YelchinRussian actor (Huff) (d. 2016)March 15Caitlin WachsActress (Profiler, Family Affair, Commander in Chief)March 17Mason MussoAmerican musician and singerMarch 18Lily CollinsActress and daughter of Phil CollinsMarch 19Craig Lamar TraylorActor (Malcolm in the Middle)March 25 Aly MichalkaActress (Phil of the Future, Hellcats)April 5Lily JamesEnglish actress (Downton Abbey)Freddie FoxActorApril 8Gabriella WildeEnglish actressApril 9Bianca BelairPro wrestlerPerez Roberth 2024-05-05 Bianca Belair: Age, Husband, Height & More To Know https://www.thesportster.com/bianca-belair-age-husband-height-facts-wwe/ 2024-11-18 TheSportster enApril 11Eka DarvilleAustralian actor (Power Rangers R.P.M.)April 15Andre KinneyActor (NYPD Blue, Hannah Montana) April 18 Alia ShawkatActress (Arrested Development)April 19Simu LiuCanadian actorApril 20Carlos ValdesColombian-American actor (The Flash) and singerAlex BlackAmerican actorApril 23Anastasia BaranovaRussian-American actress (Scout's Safari, Z Nation) April 27Emily RiosActressApril 30Milo CawthorneNew Zealand actor (Power Rangers R.P.M.)May 5Chris BrownSinger, actorMay 8Nora ArnezederFrench actress (Zoo)Nyle DiMarcoActorMay 10Lindsey ShawActress (Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Pretty Little Liars)May 11Jadyn WongActressMay 14Alexandra ParkAustralian actress (The Elephant Princess, Home and Away, The Royals)May 17Olivia LuccardiActress (Orange is the New Black)May 19Gaelan ConnellActor (Level Up)May 23Alberto FrezzaActor (Dead to Summer, Station 19)May 24G-EazyRapperMay 25Lisseth ChavezActressMay 29Brandon Mychal SmithActor (Phil of the Future, Hannah Montana, Sonny with a Chance, So Random!, You're the Worst, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)Riley KeoughActress (The Girlfriend Experience) and granddaughter of Elvis PresleyMay 30Kevin CovaisActorMay 31Justine LupeActressJune 3Imogen PootsEnglish actress and singer (Roadies)June 5Ana VillafañeActressJune 7Bryn McAuleyActressJune 9Logan BrowningActress (Meet the Browns, Pair of Kings)June 13Lisa TuckerActress (Zoey 101) and singerJune 14Lucy HaleActress (Pretty Little Liars, Life Sentence)June 15Alyssa Farah GriffinCommentator (The View, CNN)BayleyPro wrestler2024-01-29 WWE Profile - Bayley https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/17171892/wwe-profile-page-bayley 2024-11-18 ESPN.com enJune 18 Renee OlsteadActress (Still Standing, The Secret Life of the American Teenager)June 19Giacomo GianniottiItalian-Canadian actor (Grey's Anatomy)Will PayneActorJune 20Eve HarlowActress (The Guard, Heroes Reborn, The 100)Christopher Mintz-PlasseActorJune 25Chris BrochuActor (The Vampire Diaries)June 27Matthew LewisActorKimiko GlennActressKelley JakleActressJuly 1Hannah MurrayBritish actress (Game of Thrones) and singerJuly 11David HenrieActor (That's So Raven, How I Met Your Mother, Wizards of Waverly Place)July 12Phoebe TonkinAustralian actress (The Secret Circle, The Originals)July 14Sean FlynnActor (Zoey 101)July 21Juno TempleEnglish actress (Vinyl)Rory CulkinActorJuly 22Keegan AllenActor (Pretty Little Liars)July 23Daniel RadcliffeActorJuly 25Andrew CaldwellVoice actor (Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja)Noel CallahanActor (Romeo!)July 29Jake SmollettActor (On Our Own)July 31Alexis KnappActress (Ground Floor)Jessica WilliamsActress (Just for Kicks, The Daily Show)Marshall WilliamsCanadian actorZelda WilliamsActress and daughter of Robin WilliamsJoey RichterActorAugust 8Ken BaumannActor (The Secret Life of the American Teenager)August 9Meredith DeaneActress (Once and Again)Paige SparaActress (Kevin from Work, The Good Doctor)August 10Brenton ThwaitesAustralian actor (Home and Away, Titans)August 15 Carlos PenaVegaActor (Big Time Rush, Life Sentence, The Loud House) and singerJoe Jonas Actor (Jonas) and singer (Jonas Brothers)Denise OliverCanadian voice actress (Wayside, Sidekick, Grojband) August 18Anna AkanaActressAugust 19 Romeo MillerActor (Romeo!) and rapperAugust 21 Hayden PanettiereActress (Heroes, Nashville) and singer (d. 2026)August 22Langley FoxActressAugust 23Breanna ConradActress (Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County)August 28Cassadee PopeAmerican pop and country singerSeptember 5Kat GrahamSwiss-born American actress (The Vampire Diaries, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)September 7Jonathan MajorsActorSeptember 14Jessica Brown FindlayEnglish actress (Downton Abbey)Logan HendersonActor (Big Time Rush) and singerSeptember 18Lexie ContursiActress (Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County)September 19Lorenza IzzoActressSeptember 21Jason DeruloSingerSeptember 25Jordan GavarisCanadian actor (Unnatural History, Orphan Black) September 26Emma RigbyEnglish actress (Once Upon a Time in Wonderland)September 27Ava Deluca-VerleyActressSeptember 29Adore DelanoSinger and drag queen (American Idol, RuPaul's Drag Race)Adore Delano on Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/artist/adore-delano/798826938 2024-02-24 Apple Music - Web Player en-USOctober 1 Brie LarsonActress (United States of Tara)October 4Dakota JohnsonActress (Ben and Kate) and daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie GriffithOctober 10Aimee TeegardenActress (Friday Night Lights, Aim High, Star-Crossed)October 13Skyler PageVoice actor (Clarence)October 14Mia WasikowskaAustralian actress (In Treatment)October 16Jack Salvatore Jr.Actor (Zoey 101, 10 Things I Hate About You)October 24Eliza TaylorAustralian actress (The 100)Shenae GrimesCanadian actress (90210)October 28Robert Bailey Jr.ActorNovember 2Katelyn TarverActress (Big Time Rush, No Ordinary Family)November 6Aaron HernandezFootball player2018-01-18 The evolution of Aaron Hernandez https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the-evolution-of-aaron-hernandez/2/ 2024-09-17 www.cbsnews.com en-US (d. 2017)November 7Charlie SaxtonActorNovember 10Taron EgertonBritish actor and singer (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Moominvalley)November 14Stella MaeveActressNovember 16Iamsu!SingerNovember 19TygaRapperNovember 20Cody LinleyActor (Hannah Montana)November 22Alden EhrenreichActorCandice GloverSinger (American Idol)Candice Glover on Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/artist/candice-glover/619525850 2024-02-19 Apple Music - Web Player en-USCandice Glover Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/candice_glover 2024-02-19 www.rottentomatoes.com enJon RudnitskyActor (Saturday Night Live)November 30Adelaide ClemensAustralian actress (Rectify)December 7Nicholas HoultEnglish actor (Skins) and singerCaleb Landry JonesActorDecember 10Symone Sanders-TownsendPolitical commentator (CNN, MSNBC)December 13Taylor SwiftSinger and actress (Saturday Night Live)December 15Nichole BloomActress (Shameless, Superstore, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes)December 18Ashley BensonActress (Pretty Little Liars)December 22 Jordin SparksSinger (American Idol) and actressDecember 28Mackenzie RosmanActress (7th Heaven)December 29Jane LevyActress (Suburgatory)December 30Ryan ShecklerActor (Life of Ryan) Deaths Date Name Age Notability February 5 Joe Raposo51Composer (Sesame Street, The Electric Company, Three's Company theme song)February 11George O'Hanlon76Voice actor (voice of George Jetson on The Jetsons)April 26Lucille Ball 77Actress, comedian (of the Lucy shows I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy)April 30Guy Williams65Actor (Zorro, Lost in Space)May 1Douglass Watson 68Soap opera actor (Mac on Another World)May 20 Gilda Radner42Actress, comedian (Saturday Night Live)June 15Victor French54Actor, director (Little House on the Prairie, Carter Country, Highway to Heaven)July 3 Jim Backus76Actor (Thurston Howell III on Gilligan's Island and voice of Mr. Magoo)July 4 Vic Perrin73Voice actor (original Control Voice on The Outer Limits, Hanna-Barbera cartoons)July 10 Mel Blanc 81 Voice actor (as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and countless other characters)July 18 Rebecca Schaeffer 21 Actress (My Sister Sam)August 16Amanda Blake60Actress (Miss Kitty Russell on Gunsmoke)September 17 Jay Stewart 71 Announcer (Let's Make a Deal, Sale of the Century, Scrabble)October 6 Bette Davis81Film and television actress November 27Bob Quigley77Game show producer (The Hollywood Squares, High Rollers, Gambit)December 6Frances Bavier86Actress (Aunt Bee on The Andy Griffith Show) Television debuts Daniel Baldwin – Family Ties William Baldwin – The Preppie Murder Sandra Bullock – Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman Michael Chiklis – Miami Vice Faizon Love – L.A. Friday Tim Blake Nelson – The Unnaturals Robert Patrick – The New Lassie Stephen Root – Cross of Fire Isabella Rossellini – The Tracey Ullman Show Tom Sizemore – Gideon Oliver Lea Thompson – Nightbreaker See also 1989 in the United States List of American films of 1989 References External links List of 1989 American television series at IMDb 1989 Category:1980s in American television