Category: Today in TV History
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36 Years Ago Today: Dick Clark Steps Down from American Bandstand After 33 Iconic Years
On March 21, 1989, 36 years ago today,—Dick Clark, the beloved television personality dubbed “America’s Oldest Teenager,” announced he would no longer host American Bandstand, ending a 33-year run that made him a household name and the show a cultural institution. The declaration, delivered during a press conference, marked the close of an era for…
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45 Years Ago Today: J.R. Ewing Shot on Dallas, Igniting TV’s Greatest Cliffhanger
On March 21, 1980,45 years ago today, CBS aired “A House Divided,” the Dallas episode that left America reeling as J.R. Ewing, the oil baron everyone loved to hate, was gunned down in one of television’s most iconic cliffhangers. Broadcast as the third-season finale, the moment when two bullets felled Larry Hagman’s scheming character at…
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36 Years Ago Today: Dallas Hit Its 300th Episode Milestone on CBS
On March 19, 1989, 36 years ago today, CBS aired the 300th episode of Dallas, a landmark moment for the primetime soap opera that defined 1980s television. The episode, titled “The Leopard’s Spots,” from the show’s 12th season, drew millions of viewers into the tangled web of the Ewing family, cementing Dallas as a cultural…
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45 Years Ago: Closed Captioning Debuts on TV with Landmark Broadcasts in 1980
Forty-five years ago today, on March 16, 1980, television history was made as the first closed-captioned series aired across three major U.S. networks, opening a new era of accessibility for millions of deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers. The pioneering broadcasts—The ABC Sunday Night Movie on ABC, The Wonderful World of Disney on NBC, and Masterpiece Theatre…
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48 Years Ago Today: “Three’s Company” Debuts on ABC, Launching a Sitcom Classic
Forty-eight years ago today, on March 15, 1977, ABC-TV aired the premiere episode of Three’s Company, a sitcom that would become a cornerstone of 1970s television and a beloved piece of pop culture history. The show, which introduced viewers to the comedic misadventures of three roommates in a Santa Monica apartment, kicked off with “A…
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57 Years Ago Today: ‘Batman’ Airs Its Final Episode on ABC
Fifty-seven years ago today, on March 14, 1968, the iconic television series Batman aired its final episode on ABC, closing the curtain on a pop culture phenomenon that redefined superhero storytelling. The show, starring Adam West as the Caped Crusader and Burt Ward as Robin, wrapped up its three-season run with “The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra,”…
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MTV Debuts Iconic “Top 20 Video Countdown” 41 Years Ago Today
Forty-one years ago today, on March 13, 1984, MTV revolutionized music television with the premiere of its weekly “Top 20 Video Countdown” show. The program, which quickly became a cultural touchstone of the 1980s, offered viewers a curated ranking of the hottest music videos of the moment, cementing MTV’s role as a tastemaker in the…
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“Adam-12” Hits Milestone with 150th Episode, 51 Years Ago Today
Fifty-one years ago today, on March 13, 1974, NBC aired the 150th episode of the iconic police drama Adam-12, marking a significant milestone for one of television’s most enduring procedural series. The episode, part of the show’s sixth season, solidified its place as a cultural fixture of the 1970s and a pioneering portrayal of law…
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Wonder Woman’s Television Debut: A Heroic Milestone 51 Years Ago Today
Today marks the 51st anniversary of a groundbreaking moment in television history: the premiere of the made-for-TV movie Wonder Woman on ABC-TV, which aired on March 12, 1974. Starring the charismatic Cathy Lee Crosby as the iconic DC Comics heroine, the telefilm introduced audiences to a modern take on Diana Prince, the Amazonian warrior with…
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61 Years Ago Today: Gene Roddenberry Created the Vision That Became Star Trek
Sixty-one years ago, on March 11, 1964, a visionary writer and producer named Gene Roddenberry sat down to craft a 16-page pitch that would forever alter the landscape of television and science fiction. That document, a detailed blueprint for what would become the original Star Trek series, was submitted to studio executives with a bold…