The following is the 1972–73 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers prime-time hours from September 1972 through August 1973. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1971–72 season. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football.
New fall series are highlighted in bold.
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. .
The Prime Time Access Rule, intended to increase diversity in programming and enacted abruptly at the beginning of the previous season was slightly modified, with primetime network programming beginning at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time from Monday through Saturday and 7:30 p.m. on Sundays, limited to 21 weekly hours. This scheme would remain in place until 1975.
PBS is not included; member stations have local flexibility over most of their schedules and broadcast times for network shows may vary.
Legend
Sunday Network7:30 PM8:00 PM8:30 PM9:00 PM9:30 PM10:00 PM10:30 PM ABC Local programming The F.B.I. (29/19.2)(Tied with The ABC Monday Movie and Kung Fu) CBS Fall Anna and the King M*A*S*H The Sandy Duncan Show The New Dick Van Dyke Show Mannix Local programming Winter The New Dick Van Dyke Show Mannix Barnaby Jones (25/19.9)(Tied with The Little People and The ABC Wednesday Movie of the Week) NBC Fall The Wonderful World of Disney (9/23.5) Night Gallery Spring Escape April Night Gallery
Note: 60 Minutes aired at 6:00-7:00 pm on CBS from January to June 1973.
Monday Network8:00 PM8:30 PM9:00 PM9:30 PM10:00 PM10:30 PM ABC Fall The Rookies (23/20.0)(Tied with The ABC Sunday Night Movie) Winter CBSFall Gunsmoke (7/23.6)(Tied with The Mary Tyler Moore Show) Here's Lucy (15/21.9) The Doris Day Show The New Bill Cosby Show SpringMedical Center NBC Fall Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Summer The Baseball World of Joe Garagiola (8:00) / Monday Night Baseball (8:15)
Tuesday Network8:00 PM8:30 PM9:00 PM9:30 PM10:00 PM10:30 PM ABC Temperatures Rising Marcus Welby, M.D. (13/22.9) CBS Maude (4/24.7) Hawaii Five-O (3/25.2) The New CBS Tuesday Night Movie NBC Fall Bonanza The Bold Ones: The New Doctors NBC Reports / First Tuesday* / NBC White Paper / America: A Personal History of the United States WinterNBC Tuesday Night at the Movies * formerly Chronolog
Wednesday Network8:00 PM8:30 PM9:00 PM9:30 PM10:00 PM10:30 PM ABC Fall The Paul Lynde Show The Julie Andrews Hour Winter Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law Summer Thicker than Water August Love Thy Neighbor CBS Fall The Carol Burnett Show (22/20.3) Medical Center (19/20.6)(Tied with The Partridge Family and The Waltons) Cannon (14/22.4) Winter The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour Spring Dan August (R) NBC Adam-12 (11/23.3) NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie: Madigan / Cool Million / Banacek Search Note: Dan August consisted of reruns of the 1970-1971 ABC series.
Thursday Network8:00 PM8:30 PM9:00 PM9:30 PM10:00 PM10:30 PM ABC Fall The Mod Squad The Men: Assignment Vienna / The Delphi Bureau / Jigsaw Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law Winter Kung Fu (29/19.2)(Tied with The ABC Monday Movie and The F.B.I.) The Streets of San Francisco CBS The Waltons (19/20.6)(Tied with The Partridge Family and Medical Center) CBS Thursday Night Movie NBC Fall The Flip Wilson Show (12/23.1) Ironside (10/23.4) The Dean Martin Show Summer The Helen Reddy Show Dean Martin Presents Music Country
Friday Network8:00 PM8:30 PM9:00 PM9:30 PM10:00 PM10:30 PM ABC Fall The Brady Bunch The Partridge Family (19/20.6)(Tied with The Waltons and Medical Center) Room 222 The Odd Couple Love, American Style Summer The Odd Couple Love Thy Neighbor Follow-up The Corner Bar CBS Fall The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour The CBS Friday Night Movie December Mission: Impossible Summer 60 Minutes NBC Fall Sanford and Son (2/27.6) The Little People (25/19.9)(Tied with Barnaby Jones and The ABC Wednesday Movie of the Week) Ghost Story Banyon Winter Circle of Fear The Bobby Darin Show Note: Ghost Story was retooled slightly and retitled Circle of Fear (under the same production team) with the episode broadcast January 5, 1973.
Saturday Network8:00 PM8:30 PM9:00 PM9:30 PM10:00 PM10:30 PM ABC Fall Alias Smith and Jones The Streets of San Francisco The Sixth Sense Winter Here We Go Again A Touch of Grace The Julie Andrews Hour The Men: Assignment Vienna / The Delphi Bureau / Jigsaw May The Paul Lynde Show The Strauss Family Summer The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour CBS Fall All in the Family (1/33.3) Bridget Loves Bernie (5/24.2)(Tied with The NBC Sunday Mystery Movie) The Mary Tyler Moore Show (7/23.6)(Tied with Gunsmoke) The Bob Newhart Show (16/21.8) Mission: Impossible December The Carol Burnett Show (22/20.3) Summer Mission: Impossible NBC Emergency! NBC Saturday Night at the Movies
By network
ABC
Returning Series The ABC Monday Night Movie ABC NFL Monday Night Football The ABC Sunday Night Movie ABC Tuesday Movie of the Week ABC Wednesday Movie of the Week Alias Smith and Jones The Brady Bunch The Corner Bar The F.B.I. Love, American Style Marcus Welby, M.D. The Mod Squad The Odd Couple Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law The Partridge Family Room 222 The Sixth Sense
New Series The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour * Here We Go Again * The Julie Andrews Hour Kung Fu Love Thy Neighbor * The Men: Assignment Vienna / The Delphi Bureau / Jigsaw The Paul Lynde Show The Rookies The Strauss Family * The Streets of San Francisco Temperatures Rising Thicker than Water * A Touch of Grace *
Not returning from 1971–72: The ABC Comedy Hour Bewitched The Courtship of Eddie's Father Getting Together The Ken Berry "Wow" Show Longstreet The Man and the City The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine Monday Night Special Nanny and the Professor The Persuaders! Shirley's World The Smith Family The Super
CBS
Returning Series 60 Minutes All in the Family Cannon The Carol Burnett Show The Doris Day Show Gunsmoke Hawaii Five-O Here's Lucy Mannix The Mary Tyler Moore Show Medical Center Mission: Impossible The New CBS Tuesday Night Movies The New Dick Van Dyke Show The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour CBS Thursday Night Movie
New Series Anna and the King Barnaby Jones * The Bob Newhart Show Bridget Loves Bernie M*A*S*H Maude The New Bill Cosby Show The Sandy Duncan Show The Waltons
Not returning from 1971–72: Arnie Bearcats! Cade's County The Chicago Teddy Bears The David Steinberg Show The Don Rickles Show Funny Face The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour The Jerry Reed When You're Hot You're Hot Hour The John Byner Comedy Hour The Life of Leonardo da Vinci Me and the Chimp My Three Sons O'Hara, U.S. Treasury Suspense Theatre
NBC
Returning Series Adam-12 The Bold Ones Bonanza Columbo The Dean Martin Show Emergency! First Tuesday The Flip Wilson Show Ironside McCloud McMillan & Wife Monday Night Baseball NBC Action Playhouse NBC Monday Night at the Movies The NBC Mystery Movie NBC Saturday Night at the Movies Night Gallery Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Sanford and Son The Wonderful World of Disney
New Series Banacek Banyon The Bobby Darin Show Cool Million Dean Martin Presents Music Country * Escape * Ghost Story/Circle of Fear Hec Ramsey The Helen Reddy Show * The Little People (retitled The Brian Keith Show in 1973–74) Love Thy Neighbor Madigan The Magician * NBC Reports Search
Not returning from 1971–72: The D.A. Dean Martin Presents the Bobby Darin Amusement Co. The Funny Side The Good Life The Jimmy Stewart Show NBC Reports Nichols The Partners Sarge
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. . Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1985). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. .