1977 in American television
1977 advertisement for a 50-inch (130 cm) Sega-Vision television.
This is a list of American television -related events in 1977.
Events
Date
Event
January 3
Holly Hallstrom becomes the third model on the CBS game show The Price Is Right along with Janice Pennington and Dian Parkinson . This lineup would remain unchanged for the next thirteen years until Kathleen Bradley joined in 1990.
January 15
Bill Murray joins the cast of NBC 's Saturday Night Live , replacing Chevy Chase who left the previous year.
January 30
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries , based on The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew book series, premieres on ABC; Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy star as Frank and Joe Hardy , and Pamela Sue Martin stars as Nancy Drew. The series at first alternated between the two characters, with The Brady Bunch Hour airing sporadically.
February 4
American Bandstand celebrates its 25th anniversary on television with a special hosted by Dick Clark and telecast by ABC . An "all-star band" made up of Chuck Berry , Seals & Crofts , Gregg Allman , Junior Walker , Johnny Rivers , the Pointer Sisters , Charlie Daniels , Doc Severinsen , Les McCann , Donald Byrd , Chuck Mangione and three members of Booker T and the MGs perform "Roll Over Beethoven ."
February 27
Fed up with excessive violence and distorted images of sex on TV, the Reverend Donald Wildmon declares "Turn the Television Off Week." He is largely ignored.
March 1
The CBS game show Match Game is named the #1 rated game show on television for the fifth year in a row.
March 4
Freddie Prinze makes his final appearance on the NBC sitcom Chico and the Man . Prinze had actually taped the episode in question a mere hours before he fatally shot himself on January 28, 1977.
March 7
Second Chance , the forerunner to Press Your Luck , premieres on ABC .
March 11
Sesame Street broadcasts its 1,000th episode.
March 15
Renata Scotto and Luciano Pavarotti are seen in "La bohème " on PBS and heard in stereo on local (mostly NPR) stations in the first live "simulcast" from the Met.
March 19
The series finale of The Mary Tyler Moore Show is broadcast on CBS .
March 27
In Milwaukee , Wisconsin , ABC affiliate WITI and CBS affiliate WISN-TV swap affiliations, reversing a swap that took place in 1961.[ 1] [ 2]
March 30
Esther Rolle departs the CBS sitcom Good Times shortly after the conclusion of the two-part fourth-season finale, "Love Has a Spot On Its Lung." due to the dismissal of John Amos (who portrayed her on-screen husband James Evans) and the stereotypical behavior of its de facto star Jimmie Walker (who portrayed her son J.J. Evans). Rolle does not return until the sixth and final season in September 1978.
April 22
Cleveland 's CBS station WJW-TV changes its name to WJKW-TV.
June 6
Lisa Peluso makes her first appearance on the CBS soap opera Search for Tomorrow as Wendy Wilkins, a role she would play until December 1985.
June 27
In San Diego, California , ABC , angered over the forced loss of their affiliation from XETV in nearby Tijuana, Mexico in 1973, moves from the station which forced the change, KCST-TV , to NBC affiliate KGTV . KCST-TV assumes KGTV's former NBC affiliation and is now KNSD , an NBC O&O .
August 14
NBC affiliate WRDU-TV changes its call sign to WPTF-TV, following Durham Life's purchase of the station.
August 16
Television stations nationwide interrupt regular programming following news of the death of Elvis Presley . As a result, Elvis in Concert airs on CBS on October 3 that year to bad reviews.
September 5
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana , ABC affiliate WRBT (now WVLA-TV ) and NBC affiliate WBRZ-TV swap affiliations. WBRZ-TV makes its move in search for stronger programming (ABC is, at the time, the nation's #1 rated television network, while NBC is in last place). The move is a precursor to similar events that will take place in the course of the next few years.
September 14
A tube top-clad woman named Yolanda Bowsley is called into Contestants' Row on the CBS game show The Price Is Right , and while running down her breasts pop out of her shirt. The incident was censored with a large blue bar but it is still remembered today.
Cheryl Ladd is introduced as Kris Munroe , the younger sister of former Angel Jill Munroe (Farrah Fawcett-Majors ) in the second season premiere of Charlie's Angels .
September 20
The third part of the three-part fifth season premiere of Happy Days airs on ABC . The episode is highlighted by a scene in which Fonzie literally jumps over a shark while on water-skis.
September 21
Eleven-year old Janet Jackson joins the cast of the CBS sitcom Good Times for its final two seasons as Penny Gordon, an upstairs neighbor who is abused by her biological mother (Chip Fields ), later adopted by Willona (Ja'Net DuBois ), in the four-part season opener "The Evans Get Involved". Comedian Johnny Brown , who recurred as the building superintendent Bookman from Seasons 2 to 4, also joins the main cast.
September 24
Marla Gibbs joins the cast of the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons as a series regular in the fourth season as fan-favorite Florence Johnston. Zara Cully , who portrayed Mother Jefferson, appears in only three episodes that season, prior to her death at age 86 in February 1978.
October 23
CBS affiliates WTEN in Albany, New York and WCDC in Adams, Massachusetts swap affiliations with ABC affiliate WAST after WTEN/WCDC's incoming owners Knight-Ridder sign an affiliation deal for the station with ABC.
October 24
A new Peanuts special, It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown , airs on CBS . It shows and names "Heather", the Little Red-Haired Girl , thereupon ending the 'mystery'.
November 6
KTVZ in Bend, Oregon signs-on as an NBC affiliate. Bend is technically still part of the Portland DMA at the time, but in 1981, it becomes its own television market.
November 30
CBS commentator Eric Sevareid bade farewell in his final two-minute segment on The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite , after 48 years at CBS News .
December 2
Billy Crystal sets a winner's circle record by getting the contestant to the top of the pyramid in 26 seconds on ABC 's The $20,000 Pyramid . The record still stands today.
December 11
In Huntsville, Alabama , NBC affiliate WAAY-TV swaps affiliations with ABC affiliate WYUR in search for stronger programming (at the time, NBC is in last place among the three major networks, and ABC is in first place).
December 17
Miskel Spillman , guest hosts an episode of NBC 's Saturday Night Live . Spillman, who is at the time, an 80-year-old German immigrant and grandmother from New Orleans , won the only "Anyone Can Host" contest. She is to date, the only non-celebrity to host an episode of SNL . She was also, the oldest host in SNL 's history until 88-year-old Betty White hosted on May 8, 2010. It is also in this episode that musical guest Elvis Costello halted his band the Attractions seven seconds into their scheduled performance of the song "Less Than Zero " in favor of "Radio Radio ", which was a then unreleased song that was critical of mainstream broadcasting.
Programs
Debuting this year
Resuming this year
Title
Final aired
Previous network
New title
Returning network
Date of return
The Mickey Mouse Club
1959
ABC
The New Mickey Mouse Club
Syndication
January 17
Ending this year
Changing networks
Made-for-TV movies
Miniseries
Networks and services
Launches
Conversions and rebrandings
There are no conversions and rebrandings for Cable and satellite television channels in this year.
Closures
There are no closures for Cable and satellite television channels in this year.
Television stations
Sign-ons
Date
City of License /Market
Station
Channel
Affiliation
Notes/Ref.
January 17
Medford, Oregon
KSYS
8
PBS
March 6
Plattsburgh, New York
WCFE-TV
57
April
Corpus Christi, Texas
KORO
28
Spanish International Network
Now a Univision affiliate
April 10
Fresno, California
KMTF
18
PBS
May 1
Mason City, Iowa
KYIN
24
Part of Iowa Public Television
June 30
Long Beach /Los Angeles , California
KSCI
18
Independent
September 10
South Bend, Indiana
WHME
46
October 17
Boston, Massachusetts
WXNE-TV
25
October 21
Rock Springs, Wyoming
KTUX
13
CBS
November 6
Bend, Oregon
KTVZ
21
NBC
December 1
New Haven, Connecticut
WEDY
65
PBS
Part of Connecticut Public Television
December 8
Fayetteville, Arkansas
KTVP
29
CBS
December 15
Park Falls /Superior, Wisconsin (Duluth, Minnesota )
WLEF-TV
36
PBS
Part of Wisconsin Public Television
December 21
Fort Wayne, Indiana
WFFT-TV
55
Independent
December 28
Sheridan, Wyoming
KSGW-TV
12
NBC (primary) CBS (secondary)
Satellite of KOTA-TV /Rapid City, South Dakota
Unknown
New York City
W60AI
60
Independent
Signed on as a translator of WWHT
Network affiliation changes
Date
City of License /Market
Station
Channel
Old affiliation
New affiliation
Notes/Ref.
March 27
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
WISN-TV
12
CBS
ABC
WITI
6
ABC
CBS
June 27
San Diego, California
KCST-TV
39
ABC
NBC
These affiliation changes were part of ABC's retaliation for KCST-TV previously forcing the ABC affiliation to move to that station from XETV in nearby Tijuana , Baja California , Mexico , four years earlier.
KGTV
10
NBC
ABC
September 5
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
WBRZ-TV
2
NBC
ABC
WRBT
33
ABC
NBC
October 23
Adams, Massachusetts
WCDC-TV
19
ABC
CBS
WCDC-TV is a satellite of WTEN/Albany, New York
Albany, New York
WTEN
10
December 11
Huntsville, Alabama
WAAY-TV
31
NBC
ABC
WYUR
48
ABC
NBC
Station closures
Births
Date
Name
Notability
January 7
Dustin Diamond
Actor (Saved by the Bell ) (died 2021)
Daniela Sea
Actor
Cecilia Vega
American journalist
January 8
Amber Benson
Actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer ) and singer
January 18
Lloyd Ahlquist
American internet personality
January 19
Benjamin Ayres
Canadian actor (Saving Hope )
January 21
Jerry Trainor
Actor (Drake & Josh , iCarly , Wendell & Vinnie , T.U.F.F. Puppy , Bunsen Is a Beast )
January 26
Vince Carter
NBA basketball player
January 28
Joey Fatone
Singer and actor
January 29
Justin Hartley
Actor (Passions , Smallville , The Young and the Restless , This Is Us )
Sam Jaeger
Actor (Parenthood )
January 31
Bobby Moynihan
Actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live , We Bare Bears , DuckTales , Me, Myself & I )
Kerry Washington
Actress (Scandal )
February 2
Michael Koman
Writer
Shakira
Colombian singer (Dancing with Myself , The Voice )[ 4]
February 3
Maitland Ward
Actress (The Bold and the Beautiful , Boy Meets World )
February 6
Josh Stewart
Actor
February 9
A. J. Buckley
Irish-born Canadian actor (CSI: NY )
February 14
Jim Jefferies
Actor and comedian
February 16
Paul Brittain
Actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live )
February 18
Ike Barinholtz
Actor (Mad TV , The Mindy Project )
Kristoffer Polaha
Actor
February 20
Stephon Marbury
NBA basketball player
February 21
Steve Francis
NBA basketball player
February 26
Greg Rikaart
Actor (The Young and the Restless )
March 3
Buddy Valastro
Baker
March 7
Mark Taylor
Actor
Heather McComb
Actress
March 8
Alison Becker
Actress (Mayne Street , Parks and Recreation )
James Van Der Beek
Actor (Dawson's Creek )
Tom Brady
Film director
March 9
Rupert Evans
Actor
March 10
Jeff Branson
Actor (The Young and the Restless , All My Children , Guiding Light )
Bree Turner
Actress (Undressed , Grimm )
March 15
Brian Tee
Actor (Chicago Med )
March 17
Jorma Taccone
Actor
March 23
Joanna Page
Welsh actress (Gavin & Stacey , Poppy Cat , Q Pootle 5 )
March 24
Jessica Chastain
Actress
March 26
Bianca Kajlich
Actress (Rules of Engagement , Undateable )
March 27
Malia Jones
Model
March 28
Annie Wersching
Actress (General Hospital , 24 , Bosch , The Vampire Diaries ) (died 2023)
March 31
Erica Tazel
Actress
April 1
Jon Gosselin
American former television personality
April 6
Teddy Sears
Actor (Raising the Bar , American Horror Story , Masters of Sex , The Flash )
April 10
Stephanie Sheh
Voice actress (Three Delivery , Peter Rabbit , The Legend of Korra )
April 12
Jordana Spiro
Actress (The Huntress , My Boys , The Mob Doctor )
Sarah Jane Morris
Actress (Brothers & Sisters )
April 14
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Actress (Swans Crossing , Buffy the Vampire Slayer , Ringer , The Crazy Ones )
Rob McElhenney
Actor (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia )
April 18
Adam Sinclair
Actor
April 23
Eric Edelstein
Actor (Shameless , Monsters vs. Aliens , Clarence , We Bare Bears )
Kal Penn
Actor (House , Designated Survivor )
John Oliver
Actor
John Cena
Professional wrestler and actor
April 24
Eric Balfour
Actor (24 , Haven ) and singer
Rebecca Mader
Actress (Justice , Lost , Once Upon a Time )
April 25
Manolo Cardona
Actor
April 26
Jason Earles
Actor (Hannah Montana , Kickin' It , Hotel Du Loone )
McKenzie Westmore
Actress (Passions , All My Children )
Tom Welling
Actor (Smallville )
Leonard Earl Howze
Actor
April 28
Zeb Wells
Writer
April 29
Brandon McMillan
American television personality
April 30
Alexandra Holden
Actress
May 2
Jenna von Oÿ
Actress (Blossom )
May 3
Jeffrey Garcia
Voice actor (The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius , Back at the Barnyard , Planet Sheen )
May 10
Todd Lowe
Actor (Gilmore Girls , True Blood )
May 12
Rebecca Herbst
Actress (Days of Our Lives , General Hospital )
Rachel Wilson
Canadian actress (Heather on Total Drama )
May 13
Neil Hopkins
Actor (Lost )
Brian Thomas Smith
Actor
Samantha Morton
Actress
May 16
Adam MacDonald
Actor
Lynn Collins
Actress
May 20
Matt Czuchry
Actor (Gilmore Girls , The Good Wife )
May 23
Heather Wahlquist
Actress
Lisa Joy
Screenwriter
Richard Ayoade
English actor (Gadget Man , Strange Hill High , Apple & Onion )
May 25
Alberto Del Rio
Pro wrestler[ 5]
May 27
Shanola Hampton
Actress
May 28
Elisabeth Hasselbeck
Talk show host
Brian Friedman
Dancer
May 29
Rory Albanese
Writer
May 31
Eric Christian Olsen
Actor (NCIS: Los Angeles , Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil )
June 1
Sarah Wayne Callies
Actress (Prison Break , The Walking Dead , Colony )
Danielle Harris
Actress (The Wild Thornberrys , That's Life , Father of the Pride )
June 2
Zachary Quinto
Actor (Heroes , American Horror Story )
AJ Styles
Pro wrestler
June 5
Navi Rawat
Actress (The O.C. , Numb3rs )
Liza Weil
Actress (Gilmore Girls , How to Get Away with Murder )
June 6
Amber Nash
American actress
June 8
Kanye West
American rapper
June 11
Ryan Dunn
American stunt performer (Jackass , Viva La Bam ) (died 2011)
June 14
Sullivan Stapleton
Australian actor (Blindspot )
June 17
Lauren Pritchard
Comic actress (Mad TV )
June 20
Amos Lee
Singer
June 28
Bob Smiley
Writer
Hua Hsu
Writer
June 29
Zuleikha Robinson
British actress (Lost , Rome ) and singer
June 30
Colton Dunn
Comedian, actor and writer (Superstore )
July 1
Liv Tyler
Actress (The Leftovers )
July 2
John Paesano
Composer
July 4
Stephen Rannazzisi
Actor
July 7
Jessica Chobot
Host
July 8
Milo Ventimiglia
Actor (Gilmore Girls , Heroes , This Is Us )
July 12
Steve Howey
Actor (Reba , Shameless )
Brock Lesnar
Wrestler and mixed martial artist[ 6]
July 13
Ashley Scott
Actress (Dark Angel , Birds of Prey , Jericho )
Kari Wahlgren
Voice actress (Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! , Naruto , Ben 10 , Legion of Super Heroes , The Fairly OddParents )
July 15
Lana Parrilla
Actress (Spin City , Boomtown , Windfall , Swingtown , Miami Medical , Once Upon a Time )
July 16
Raney Shockne
Composer
July 18
Kelly Reilly
British actress (Black Box , True Detective , Under Suspicion )
Luis Moncada
Actor
July 19
Gennifer Hutchison
Writer
Erin Cummings
Actress
July 23
Shane McRae
Actor
July 26
Tony Sampson
Canadian voice actor (Eddy on Ed, Edd n Eddy )
July 27
Jason Zimbler
Actor (Clarissa Explains It All )
Rich Blomquist
Actor
Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Actor
July 29
Rodney Jerkins
Rapper
July 30
Jaime Pressly
Actress (My Name Is Earl , I Hate My Teenage Daughter , Mom )
Mike Seal
Actor
August 2
Edward Furlong
Actor (CSI: NY )
Artemis Pebdani
Actress
August 3
Tom Brady
Quarterback in the NFL
August 6
Joe DeRosa
Actor
August 8
Lindsay Sloane
Actress (Sabrina the Teenage Witch )
Michael Chernus
Actor
August 11
Toby Chu
American film composer
August 15
Nicole Paggi
Actress (Hope & Faith )
August 17
Emily Schulman
Actress (Small Wonder )
August 19
Callum Blue
English actor (Smallville , Dead Like Me , The Tudors )
Brooke Mueller
Actress
T. J. Holmes
American journalist
August 25
Jonathan Togo
Actor (CSI: Miami )
August 28
Adam Rayner
English actor
August 30
Michael Gladis
Actor
September 1
Adrienne Wilkinson
Actress (Venice: The Series , Suspense )
September 2
Jimmy Smith
Fighter
September 7
Steve Borst
Writer
September 8
Nate Corddry
Actor
September 11
Jackie Buscarino
Voice actress (The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack , Adventure Time , Gravity Falls , Steven Universe )
Ludacris
Rapper and actor
Todd Williams
Actor
September 15
Kenny Blank
Actor (The Parent 'Hood , As Told by Ginger ) and singer
Marisa Ramirez
Actress
September 17
Jim Conroy
Voice Actor (Celebrity Deathmatch , Kenny the Shark , Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman , Jellystone! , The Cuphead Show! )
September 18
Barrett Foa
Actor (NCIS: Los Angeles )
Sara Haines
American television host
September 19
Erica Ash
Actress (Mad TV , The Big Gay Sketch Show )
September 24
Elizabeth Bogush
Actress (Titans , The Mountain )
Alexis DeJoria
Racer
September 25
Dave Jeser
Writer (Drawn Together )
Clea DuVall
Actress
September 26
Sirena Irwin
Voice actress (SpongeBob SquarePants , Stripperella , Batman: The Brave and the Bold , Pig Goat Banana Cricket )
September 27
Mike Maronna
Actor (The Adventures of Pete & Pete )
October 11
Matt Bomer
Actor (Guiding Light , Tru Calling , Chuck , White Collar )
Rhett McLaughlin
TV host
October 13
Paul Pierce
NBA basketball player
Kiele Sanchez
Actress (Married to the Kellys , Lost , Related , The Glades , Kingdom )
October 14
Agata Gotova
Actress
October 17
Alimi Ballard
Actor (Numb3rs , The Catch )
Jason Reitman
Actor
October 20
Jennifer Hall
Actress (Up All Night )
Sam Witwer
Actor (Smallville , Battlestar Galactica , Being Human )
October 26
Jon Heder
Voice actor (Star vs. the Forces of Evil , Pickle and Peanut , Home: Adventures with Tip and Oh )
Chaz Lamar Shepherd
Actor (7th Heaven , The Game )
October 27
Mat Lucas
Voice actor (Star Wars: Clone Wars )
October 29
Brendan Fehr
Canadian actor (Roswell , CSI: Miami )
November 2
Gabriella Pession
Actress
Jason Cerbone
Actor
November 4
Liz Cackowski
Actress
Lindsay Czarniak
American sports anchor and reporter
November 10
Brittany Murphy
Actress (Drexell's Class , King of the Hill ) (d. 2009 )
Lea Moreno Young
Actress (Legacy , Brutally Normal , DAG )
November 14
Brian Dietzen
Actors (NCIS )
November 15
Sean Murray
November 16
Gigi Edgley
Australian actress (Farscape , The Secret Life of Us , Rescue Special Ops )
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Actress, singer and sister of Jake Gyllenhaal
November 17
Scoot McNairy
Actor
Mike Cernovich
TV host
November 18
Miranda Raison
British actress (MI-5 , Spotless )
November 19
Reid Scott
Actor (It's All Relative , My Boys , Motorcity , Veep )
Sanaa Hamri
Director
November 20
Josh Turner
Actor
November 24
Colin Hanks
Actor
November 25
Jill Flint
Actress (Royal Pains , The Night Shift )
November 27
Alex Wagner
American journalist
November 30
Nelsan Ellis
Actor (True Blood ) (d. 2017 )
December 1
Nate Torrence
Actor (Motorcity , Hello Ladies , Star vs. the Forces of Evil )
Akiva Schaffer
Actor
December 3
David Iserson
Screenwriter
December 5
Matt Gutman
American reporter
December 6
Lindsey Alley
Actress (The Mickey Mouse Club , On the Patio )
December 7
Big Jay Oakerson
Actor
December 10
Netfa Perry
Actress (The Steve Harvey Show )
December 12
Colin White
Canadian former professional ice hockey player
December 15
Geoff Stults
Actor (7th Heaven )
December 17
Katheryn Winnick
Canadian actress (Vikings )
December 24
Michael Raymond-James
Actor (True Blood , Terriers , Once Upon a Time )
December 28
Michael Spears
Actor
December 29
Katherine Moennig
Actress (The L Word , Three Rivers , Ray Donovan )
December 30
Lucy Punch
Actress (The Class , Ben and Kate )
December 31
Donald Trump Jr.
Television presenter
Deaths
Television debuts
See also
References
External links