The following is the 1979–80 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1979 through August 1980. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1978–79 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. .
Lime indicates the number-one watched program for the season. Yellow indicates the programs in the top 10 for the season. Cyan indicates the programs in the top 20 for the season. Magenta indicates the programs in the top 30 for the season.
Other Legend Light blue indicates local programming. Gray indicates shows repeats or encore programming. Blue-gray indicates news programming. Light green indicates sporting events. Red indicates series being burned off and other irregularly scheduled programs, including specials and movies.
PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service, was in operation but the schedule was set by each local station.
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 ABC Fall Out of the Blue A New Kind of Family Mork & Mindy The Associates Mid-fallSalvage 1 Winter Galactica 1980 Tenspeed and Brown Shoe Spring SummerWhen the Whistle Blows CBS Archie Bunker's Place* One Day at a Time Alice The Jeffersons Trapper John, M.D. NBCFall The Wonderful World of Disney The Big Event Prime Time SundayWinterSpringSummerCHiPs The Big Event
(*) Served as a continuation/spin-off of All in the Family.
Monday Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM ABC Fall 240-Robert Monday Night Football Winter The ABC Monday Night Movie Mid-winterLaverne & ShirleyAngieStoneFamily Spring That's Incredible! Family Stone Summer One in a Million Monday Night Baseball CBS Fall The White Shadow M*A*S*H WKRP in Cincinnati Lou Grant WinterHouse Calls Mid-winterWKRP in Cincinnati The Last Resort Spring The Stockard Channing Show Flo Summer Phyl & MikhyHouse Calls NBC Little House on the Prairie NBC Monday Night at the Movies
Tuesday Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM ABC Fall Happy Days Angie Three's Company Taxi The Lazarus Syndrome Mid-fall Hart to Hart WinterOne in a Million Mid-winterGoodtime Girls SpringLaverne & Shirley Summer CBS Fall California Fever The CBS Tuesday Night Movie Mid-fallHawaii Five-OParis WinterThe White Shadow Mid-winterThe CBS Tuesday Night Movie Spring Summer NBC Fall The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo NBC Tuesday Night at the Movies Winter Spring The Big Show United States Summer
Wednesday Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM ABC Fall Eight Is Enough Charlie's Angels Vega$ Winter Spring SummerFamily Mid-summer 20/20 CBS Fall The Last Resort Struck by Lightning The CBS Wednesday Night Movie Mid-fall The Bad News Bears Late fallYoung Maverick Winter SpringBeyond Westworld Summer NBCFall Real People Diff'rent Strokes Hello, Larry The Best of Saturday Night Live WinterSpringFrom Here to EternitySummer The Facts of LifeQuincy, M.E.
Thursday Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM ABC FallLaverne & Shirley Benson Barney Miller Soap 20/20 Winter Mork & Mindy Spring The Associates Mid-spring The Ropers Summer Angie Nobody's Perfect CBS Fall The Waltons Hawaii Five-O Barnaby Jones Winter Barnaby Jones Knots Landing Spring Palmerstown, U.S.A. The Contender Summer The Waltons NBC Fall Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Quincy, M.E. Kate Loves a Mystery*WinterSkag SpringThe Rockford Files SummerNBC Thursday Night at the MoviesMid-summerGames People Play
(*) Formerly known as Mrs. Columbo
Friday Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM ABCFall Fantasy Island The ABC Friday Night MovieWinterB.A.D. CatsSpringWhen the Whistle BlowsSummerThe ABC Friday Night MovieTenspeed and Brown Shoe Mid-summerBenson Goodtime GirlsThe ABC Friday Night Movie CBS The Incredible Hulk The Dukes of Hazzard Dallas NBC Fall Shirley The Rockford Files Eischied WinterNBC Friday Night at the Movies Mid-winter Spring Here's Boomer The Facts of Life Pink Lady Summer Me and Maxx The Rockford Files Late summer Speak Up America
Saturday Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM ABC Fall The Ropers Detective School The Love Boat Hart to Hart Mid-fall Fantasy Island Late fallA New Kind of Family WinterOne in a MillionThe Ropers SpringAngieGoodtime Girls SummerWhen the Whistle Blows Mid-summer Fantasy Island CBS Fall Working Stiffs The Bad News Bears Big Shamus, Little Shamus Paris Follow-upCBS Saturday Movie Winter The Chisholms Spring The Tim Conway Show Hawaii Five-O Hagen Mid-springCBS Saturday Movie Summer The Bad News Bears The Stockard Channing Show Mid-summer One Day at a Time The Bad News Bears Late summer Universe NBC Fall CHiPs B. J. and the Bear A Man Called Sloane Winter Prime Time Saturday Spring B. J. and the Bear Sanford Me and Maxx Mid-spring Joe's World Summer Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Joe's World Good Time Harry
Note: In November 1979, CBS took Paris off their Saturday night lineup before scheduling it in the 10:00-11:00 pm time slot on Tuesdays beginning December 4.
By network
ABC
Returning Series 20/20 The ABC Friday Night Movie The ABC Monday Night Movie ABC NFL Monday Night Football The ABC Sunday Night Movie Angie Barney Miller Charlie's Angels Eight Is Enough Family Fantasy Island Happy Days Laverne & Shirley The Love Boat Monday Night Baseball Mork & Mindy The Ropers Salvage 1 Soap Taxi Three's Company Vega$
New Series 240-Robert The Associates B.A.D. Cats * Benson Detective School Galactica 1980 * Goodtime Girls * Hart to Hart The Lazarus Syndrome A New Kind of Family Nobody's Perfect * One in a Million * Out of the Blue * Stone * Tenspeed and Brown Shoe * That's Incredible! * When the Whistle Blows *
Not returning from 1978–79: 13 Queens Boulevard Apple Pie Battlestar Galactica Carol Burnett & Company Carter Country Delta House Doctors' Private Lives Donny & Marie Friends The Hardy Boys Mysteries How the West Was Won Lucan The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove Makin' It Operation Petticoat Starsky & Hutch Welcome Back, Kotter What's Happening!!
CBS
Returning Series 60 Minutes Alice The Bad News Bears Barnaby Jones The Chisholms Dallas The Dukes of Hazzard Hawaii Five-O The Incredible Hulk The Jeffersons Lou Grant M*A*S*H One Day at a Time The Waltons The White Shadow WKRP in Cincinnati
New Series Archie Bunker's Place Beyond Westworld * Big Shamus, Little Shamus California Fever The Contender * Flo * Hagen * House Calls * Knots Landing The Last Resort Palmerstown, U.S.A. * Paris Phyl & Mikhy * The Stockard Channing Show * Struck by Lightning That's My Line * The Tim Conway Show * Trapper John, M.D. Universe * Walter Cronkite's Universe * Working Stiffs Young Maverick
Not returning from 1978–79: All in the Family The Amazing Spider-Man The American Girls Billy Dorothy Flatbush Flying High Good Times Hanging In In the Beginning Just Friends Kaz Married: The First Year Mary The Mary Tyler Moore Hour Miss Winslow and Son Moses the Lawgiver The New Adventures of Wonder Woman The Paper Chase Rhoda Time Express
NBC
Returning Series B.J. and the Bear The Big Event CHiPs Diff'rent Strokes Disney's Wonderful World Hello, Larry Kate Loves a Mystery Little House on the Prairie NBC Monday Night at the Movies Quincy, M.E. Real People The Rockford Files
New Series The Big Show * Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Eischied The Facts of Life * From Here to Eternity * Good Time Harry * Here's Boomer * Joe's World * A Man Called Sloane Me and Maxx * The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo Pink Lady Sanford * The Six O'Clock Follies * Skag * Shirley United States *
Not returning from 1978–79: Brothers and Sisters Cliffhangers Comedy Theatre David Cassidy: Man Undercover Dick Clark's Live Wednesday The Eddie Capra Mysteries Grandpa Goes to Washington Harris and Company Highcliffe Manor Hizzonner Joe & Valerie Laugh-In Lifeline Presenting Susan Anton Project U.F.O. The Runaways Supertrain $weepstake$ Sword of Justice Turnabout W.E.B. The Waverly Wonders Weekend Who's Watching the Kids Whodunnit? The Wonderful World of Disney
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. .