1988–89 United States network television schedule
This was the television schedule on all four networks for the fall season beginning in September 1988. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football.
Note: A writers' strike and the Seoul Olympics hindered the ability to start airing shows in a timely manner. New shows intended for a regular fall launch saw their debuts spread out between September and December. The debut month for each new series is noted as to when it actually premiered.
PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service, was in operation but the schedule was set by each local station.
New series are highlighted in bold.
All times given are in U.S. Eastern Time and Pacific Time (except for some live events or specials). Subtract one hour for Central and Mountain times.
Each of the 50 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.[1]
- Lime indicates the #1 most watched program of 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.
- Orange indicates the programs in the top 40 for the season.
- Silver indicates the programs in the top 50 for the season.
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 | Incredible Sunday | Mission: Impossible | The ABC Sunday Night Movie (#37/14.7) | |||||
Mid-season | Studio 5-B | Specials | |||||||
Follow-up | Great Circuses of the World | ||||||||
Spring | Incredible Sunday | Moonlighting (#49/12.9) | |||||||
Summer | Have Faith | The ABC Sunday Night Movie (#37/14.7) | |||||||
Follow-up | MacGyver (#46/13.5) | The ABC Sunday Night Movie (#37/14.7) | |||||||
CBS | 60 Minutes (#5/21.7) | Murder, She Wrote (#8/19.9) | CBS Sunday Movie (#28/16.1) | ||||||
Fox | 21 Jump Street | America's Most Wanted | Married... with Children (#58/10.4) | The Tracy Ullman Show | It's Garry Shandling's Show | Duet | Local Programming | ||
NBC | The Magical World of Disney | Family Ties (#40/14.3) | Day by Day | NBC Sunday Night Movie (#23/16.3) |
Monday
Network | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | Fall | MacGyver (#46/13.5) | Monday Night Football (#16/17.5) | ||||
Winter | The ABC Monday Night Movie | ||||||
Mid-season | The ABC Monday Mystery Movie: B.L. Stryker, Columbo, Gideon Oliver (#30/15.4) | ||||||
CBS | Fall | Newhart (#50/12.8) | Coming of Age (Oct.) | Local and Paid Political Programming | |||
Follow-up | Kate & Allie (Dec.) (#48/13.1) | Murphy Brown (#36/14.9) | Designing Women (#33/15.2) | Almost Grown | |||
Spring | Live-In | Heartland | Newhart (#50/12.8) | Kate & Allie (#48/13.1) | |||
Summer | Kate & Allie (#48/13.1) | Doctor Doctor | |||||
Follow-up | Various | Various | Newhart (#50/12.8) | ||||
NBC | Fall | ALF (#13/17.7) | The Hogan Family (#23/16.3) | NBC Monday Night at the Movies (#23/16.3) | |||
Spring | Nearly Departed | ||||||
Follow-up | The Hogan Family |
Tuesday
Network | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | Fall | Who's the Boss? (#7/20.8) | Roseanne (#2/23.8) | Moonlighting (#49/12.9) | thirtysomething (#45/13.8) | ||||
Winter | The Wonder Years (#22/16.4) | Roseanne (#2/23.8) | Anything But Love (#10/19.0) | ||||||
Spring | Have Faith | ||||||||
CBS | Preliminary | Local and Paid Political Programming | CBS Tuesday Movie | ||||||
Official | TV 101 | ||||||||
Mid-Season | Tour of Duty | ||||||||
NBC | Preliminary | Matlock (#13/17.7) | NBC Tuesday Night at the Movies | ||||||
Official | In the Heat of the Night (#19/17.3) | Midnight Caller (#41/14.1) |
Wednesday
Network | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | Fall | Growing Pains (#12/18.1) | Head of the Class (#20/17.1) | The Wonder Years (#22/16.4) | Hooperman | China Beach | |
Spring | Coach | ||||||
Follow-up | The Robert Guillaume Show | ||||||
Summer | Hooperman | ||||||
CBS | Preliminary | Live! Dick Clark Presents | The Equalizer | Wiseguy | |||
Official | The Van Dyke Show | Annie McGuire | |||||
Mid-Season | TV 101 | ||||||
Follow-up | Hard Time on Planet Earth | Jake and the Fatman (#33/15.2) | |||||
NBC | Preliminary | Unsolved Mysteries (#17/17.4) | Night Court (#21/16.7) | Specials | Tattingers | ||
Official | Baby Boom | ||||||
Mid-season | Nick & Hillary | Nightingales |
Thursday
Network | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | Preliminary | Local and Paid Political Programming | The ABC Thursday Night Movie | ||||
Official | Knightwatch | Dynasty | W5 | ||||
Mid-Season | A Fine Romance | HeartBeat | |||||
Summer | Thursday Night Baseball | ||||||
CBS | Preliminary | 48 Hours | Local and Paid Political Programming | ||||
Official | Paradise | Knots Landing (#28/16.1) | |||||
Mid-Season | The Equalizer | ||||||
NBC | The Cosby Show (#1/25.6) | A Different World (#3/23.0) | Cheers (#4/22.5) | Dear John (#11/18.5) | L.A. Law (#15/17.6) |
Friday
Network | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | Fall | Perfect Strangers (#41/14.2) | Full House (#32/15.3) | Mr. Belvedere (#47/13.4) | Just the Ten of Us | 20/20 (#43/14.0) | |
Summer | Full House (#32/15.3) | Mr. Belvedere (#47/13.4) | Perfect Strangers (#41/14.2) | ||||
CBS | Beauty and the Beast | Dallas (#30/15.4) | Falcon Crest | ||||
NBC | Fall | Sonny Spoon | Something Is Out There | Miami Vice | |||
Winter | Father Dowling Mysteries | Miami Vice | Unsub | ||||
Spring | The Jim Henson Hour | Quantum Leap | |||||
Follow-up | Miami Vice | Dream Street |
Saturday
Network | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | Fall | Murphy's Law | Police Story | ||||
Mid-season | Mission: Impossible | A Man Called Hawk | Murphy's Law | ||||
Follow-up | Men | ||||||
CBS | Preliminary | Local and Paid Political Programming | Simon & Simon | West 57th | |||
Follow-up | Live! Dick Clark Presents | ||||||
Official | Dirty Dancing | Raising Miranda (102/6.0) | |||||
Mid-season | Dolphin Cove | The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour | |||||
Follow-up | TV 101 | ||||||
Follow-up | Paradise | CBS Saturday Movie | |||||
Follow-up | Jesse Hawkes | West 57th | |||||
Fox | The Reporters | Beyond Tomorrow | Local Programming | ||||
NBC | Fall | 227 (#38/14.6) | Amen (#26/16.2) | The Golden Girls (#6/21.4) | Empty Nest (#9/19.2) | Hunter (#17/17.4) | |
Summer | 13 East |
References
- ↑ 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. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.