1978–79 United States network television schedule

none March 2025 1978 The following is the 1978–79 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1978 through August 1979. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1977–78 season. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football. New fall series are highlighted in bold. Series ending their original runs are in italics. Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1979/BC-1979-06-18.pdf Rounding up the ratings for `the season' Broadcasting 1979-06-18 56 2025-03-09 lime darkgray Lime indicates the number-one watched program for the season. yellow darkgray Yellow indicates the programs in the top 10 for the season. cyan darkgray Cyan indicates the programs in the top 20 for the season. FF22FF darkgray Magenta indicates the programs in the top 30 for the season. Other Legend #abbfff darkgray Light blue indicates local programming. #C0C0C0 darkgray Gray indicates shows repeats or encore programming. #77AACC 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. PBS is not included; member stations have local flexibility over most of their schedules and broadcast times for network shows may vary. Sunday Network 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM ABCFall The Hardy Boys Battlestar GalacticaThe ABC Sunday Night Movie (16/22.7) #00FFFFWinterThe Osmond Family HourSpringFriendsMid-spring The Osmond Family HourSummer Salvage 1 (R) CBS Fall60 Minutes (8/25.4) #FFFF00 Mary All in the Family (9/25.2) Alice (13/23.8) Kaz Mid-fall All in the Family (9/25.2) Alice (13/23.8) Kaz Dallas WinterCBS Sunday Night Movie (23/20.7)(Tied with Vega$ and Just Friends) #FF77FF Spring One Day at a Time (18/21.6)(Tied with Soap) Alice (13/23.8) Just Friends (23/20.7)(Tied with Vega$ and the CBS Sunday Night Movie) The Mary Tyler Moore Hour Summer The Jeffersons (R) Moses the Lawgiver (R) Mid-summer Kaz NBC Fall The Wonderful World of Disney The Big Event Lifeline Winter Weekend Spring Summer Notes: On CBS, the premiere (and only) episode of Co-Ed Fever aired on February 4 from 10:30 to 11:00 p.m., after which the show was cancelled. Moses the Lawgiver was a rerun of the 1975 miniseries. Mr. Dugan was supposed to premiere March 11, 1979 between All in the Family and Alice but due to black Congressmembers' criticism of it after a preview for them, the show was never broadcast. On NBC, the Centennial miniseries aired as part of The Big Event; the show itself reached #28 at the end of the season, with 20.3 rating. Monday Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM ABC Fall Welcome Back, Kotter Operation Petticoat Monday Night Football Mid-fall Lucan Winter Salvage 1 How the West Was Won Spring Summer Monday Night Baseball CBS Fall WKRP in Cincinnati People M*A*S*H (7/25.4) One Day at a Time (18/21.6)(Tied with Soap) Lou Grant Mid-fall The White Shadow Winter Billy Flatbush WKRP in Cincinnati Spring The White Shadow Summer NBC Little House on the Prairie (14/23.3)NBC Monday Night at the Movies (21/21.0) #FF77FF Tuesday Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM ABC Fall Happy Days (3/29.1) Laverne & Shirley (1/30.6) Three's Company (2/30.2) Taxi (11/24.9)(Tied with Eight is Enough) Starsky & Hutch Winter Spring The Ropers (6/25.6) 13 Queens Boulevard (26/20.5)(Tied with Barnaby Jones) Summer Detective School CBS The Paper Chase CBS Tuesday Night Movie NBC Fall Grandpa Goes to Washington The Big Event Winter Cliffhangers Spring SummerThe Runaways Wednesday Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM ABC Eight Is Enough (11/24.9)(Tied with Taxi) Charlie's Angels (10/25.0) Vega$ (23/20.7)(Tied with Just Friends and the CBS Sunday Night Movie) CBS Fall The Jeffersons In the Beginning CBS Wednesday Night Movie Mid-fall Good Times Winter The Incredible Hulk One Day at a Time (18/21.6)(Tied with Soap) The Jeffersons Kaz Mid-winter The Amazing Spider-Man Spring Married: The First Year Mid-spring The Jeffersons Miss Winslow and Son Dear Detective SummerAll in the Family (R)Good TimesCBS Wednesday Night Movie Mid-summer Dorothy Hanging In NBC Fall Dick Clark's Live Wednesday NBC Wednesday Night at the Movies Winter Supertrain NBC Novels for Television Spring Real People Summer Laugh-In (R) Various programming Mid-summer Real People Notes: The Wheels segment of NBC Novels for Television was a rerun of the 1978 miniseries. Laugh-In consisted of reruns of the 1977 television series. Thursday Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM ABC Fall Mork & Mindy (4/28.5) What's Happening!! (29/20.1)(Tied with CHiPs) Barney Miller (15/22.8) Soap (18/21.6)(Tied with One Day at a Time) Family Winter Angie (5/27.1) SpringDoctors' Private Lives Mid-springFamily Summer20/20 CBS Fall The Waltons Hawaii Five-O Barnaby Jones (26/20.5)(Tied with 13 Queens Boulevard) Winter Spring The Chisholms Mid-springTime Express SummerThe Waltons NBC Fall Project U.F.O. Quincy, M.E. W.E.B. Mid-fall David Cassidy: Man Undercover Winter Little Women Mrs. Columbo Late winter Harris and Company Spring Whodunnit? Highcliffe Manor Presenting Susan Anton Mid-spring Hizzonner Whodunnit? Summer Comedy Theatre NBC Novels for Television Mid-summer Project U.F.O. David Cassidy: Man Undercover Notes: Mork & Mindy had a one-hour premiere on September 14, 1978. Comedy Theatre, an anthology series of unsold television pilots for situation comedies last seen in the summer of 1976, returned for its second and last season. The NBC Novels for Television segment The Innocent and the Damned was a rerun of the 1977 television miniseries Aspen. Coasttocoast was supposed to air Thursdays 10:00-11:00PM, but NBC's new boss, Fred Silverman, canceled the show. Friday Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM ABCFall Donny & Marie The ABC Friday Night MovieWinterMakin' It What's Happening!! (29/20.1)(Tied with CHiPs)SpringFamilyMid-springThe MacKenzies of Paradise CoveSummerOperation Petticoat (R)Welcome Back, Kotter (R) CBS Fall The New Adventures of Wonder Woman The Incredible Hulk Flying High Winter The Dukes of Hazzard (20/21.1) Dallas Spring SummerThe Incredible Hulk NBC Fall The Waverly Wonders Who's Watching the Kids? The Rockford Files The Eddie Capra Mysteries Mid-fall Diff'rent Strokes Winter Joe & Valerie Mid-winter Brothers and Sisters Turnabout Hello, Larry $weepstake$ Late winter Hello, Larry Brothers and Sisters Turnabout Spring The Rockford Files The Duke Summer The Eddie Capra Mysteries Late summer Hello, Larry The Facts of Life Various programming Saturday Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM ABC Fall Carter Country Apple Pie The Love Boat (17/22.1) Fantasy Island (22/20.8) Mid-fall Welcome Back, Kotter Carter Country Winter Delta House Welcome Back, Kotter Spring What's Happening!! (29/20.1)(Tied with CHiPs) Delta House Summer Battlestar Galactica (R) Late summer Carol Burnett & Company CBS Fall Rhoda Good Times The American Girls Dallas Winter The White Shadow CBS Saturday Movie Spring The Bad News Bears Billy Summer NBC Fall CHiPs (29/20.1)(Tied with What's Happening!!) Various programming Sword of Justice Winter B. J. and the Bear The Rockford Files Spring Supertrain Summer By network ABC Returning Series 20/20 The ABC Friday Night Movie The ABC Sunday Night Movie Barney Miller Carter Country Charlie's Angels Donny & Marie Eight Is Enough Family Fantasy Island Happy Days The Hardy Boys How the West Was Won Laverne & Shirley Lucan The Love Boat Monday Night Baseball Monday Night Football Operation Petticoat Soap Starsky & Hutch Three's Company Welcome Back, Kotter What's Happening!! New Series 13 Queens Boulevard * Angie * Apple Pie Battlestar Galactica Carol Burnett & Company * Delta House * Detective School * Doctors' Private Lives * Friends * The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove * Makin' It * Mork & Mindy The Ropers * Salvage 1 * Taxi Vega$ Not returning from 1977–78: The ABC Monday Night Movie Baretta Fish Free Country The Harvey Korman Show A.E.S. Hudson Street Having Babies Mel & Susan Together The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour The San Pedro Beach Bums The Six Million Dollar Man Sugar Time! Tabitha CBS Returning Series 60 Minutes Alice All in the Family The Amazing Spider-Man Barnaby Jones Dallas Good Times Hawaii Five-O The Incredible Hulk The Jeffersons Lou Grant M*A*S*H One Day at a Time The New Adventures of Wonder Woman Rhoda The Waltons New Series The American Girls The Bad News Bears * Billy * The Chisholms * Dear Detective * Dorothy * The Dukes of Hazzard * Flatbush * Flying High Hanging In * In the Beginning Just Friends * Kaz Married: The First Year Mary The Mary Tyler Moore Hour * Miss Winslow and Son * The Paper Chase Time Express * The White Shadow WKRP in Cincinnati Not returning from 1977–78: Another Day Baby I'm Back The Betty White Show The Bob Newhart Show Busting Loose The Carol Burnett Show Celebrity Challenge of the Sexes The Fitzpatricks Husbands, Wives & Lovers Kojak Logan's Run Maude On Our Own Rafferty Sam The Shields and Yarnell Show Switch Szysznyk The Ted Knight Show The Tony Randall Show We've Got Each Other Young Dan'l Boone NBC Returning Series The Big Event CHiPs Comedy Theatre (returning from 1976) Joe & Valerie Laugh-In Little House on the Prairie NBC Monday Night at the Movies Project U.F.O. Quincy, M.E. The Rockford Files The Runaways Weekend The Wonderful World of Disney New Series B. J. and the Bear * Brothers and Sisters * Cliffhangers * David Cassidy: Man Undercover Dick Clark's Live Wednesday Diff'rent Strokes The Duke * The Eddie Capra Mysteries Grandpa Goes to Washington Harris and Company * Hello, Larry * Highcliffe Manor * Hizzonner * Lifeline Kate Loves a Mystery * Presenting Susan Anton * Real People * Supertrain * $weepstake$ * Sword of Justice Turnabout * W.E.B. The Waverly Wonders Who's Watching the Kids Whodunnit? * Not returning from 1977–78: Black Sheep Squadron Big Hawaii The Bionic Woman Chico and the Man Chuck Barris Rah Rah Show Columbo C.P.O. Sharkey The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour James at 15 The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams Man from Atlantis Mulligan's Stew The Oregon Trail Police Woman Quark The Richard Pryor Show Richie Brockelman, Private Eye Rollergirls Rosetti and Ryan Sanford Arms What Really Happened to the Class of '65? Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason. References Additional sources Castleman, H. & Podrazik, W. (1982). Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television. New York: McGraw-Hill. 314 pp. McNeil, Alex. Total Television. Fourth edition. New York: Penguin Books. 0-14-024916-8. Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1985). 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 Category:1978 in American television Category:1979 in American television