The 2020–21 daytime network television schedule for the five major English-language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers the weekday and weekend daytime hours from September 2020 to August 2021. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series; no new series, but only one series is canceled after the 2019–20 season are included at present, as the daytime schedules of the four major networks that offer morning and/or afternoon programming is expected to remain consistent with the prior television season.
Affiliates fill time periods not occupied by network programs with local or syndicated programming. PBS – which offers daytime programming through a children's program block, PBS Kids – is not included, as its member television stations have local flexibility over most of their schedules and broadcast times for network shows may vary. Also not included are MyNetworkTV (as the programming service also does not offer daytime programs of any kind), and Ion Television (as its schedule is composed mainly of syndicated reruns). Fox does not air network programming on weekdays. This is the last season in which The CW (which does not carry programming on Sunday mornings or afternoons) would program a daytime hour on weekdays.
Legend
Light yellow indicates talk shows.
Green indicates soap operas.
Pink indicates game shows.
Gold indicates news and public affairs programming.
Gray indicates encore programming (e.g., reruns of prime-time programming).
Light blue indicates programs not applicable to the above categorizations.
Schedule
New series are highlighted in bold.
All times correspond to U.S. Eastern and Pacific Time scheduling (except for some live sports or events). Except where affiliates slot certain programs outside their network-dictated timeslots, subtract one hour for Central, Mountain, Alaska, and Hawaii-Aleutian times.
Local schedules may differ, as affiliates have the option to pre-empt or delay network programs.[1] Such scheduling may be limited to preemptions caused by local or national breaking news or weather coverage (which may force stations to tape delay certain programs in overnight timeslots or defer them to a co-operated station or digital subchannel in their regular timeslot) and any major sports events scheduled to air in a weekday timeslot (mainly during major holidays). Stations may air shows at other times at their preference.
All sporting events airs live in all time zones in U.S. Eastern time, with local programming by affiliates in western time zones after game completion.
ABC, CBS and NBC offer their early morning newscasts via a looping feed (usually running as late as 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time) to accommodate local scheduling in the westernmost contiguous time zones or for use a filler programming for stations that do not offer a local morning newscast; some stations without a morning newscast may air syndicated or time-lease programs instead of the full newscast loop.
ABC stations have the option of airing General Hospital at 2:00 or 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, depending on the station's choice of feed.
Depending on their choice of feed, CBS stations have the option of airing Let's Make a Deal at either 10:00 a.m. or 3:00 p.m. Eastern (airtime adjusted by time zone), and/or The Young and the Restless at 11:00 or 11:30 a.m. local time (in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones).
NBC stations have the option of airing Days of Our Lives at varying airtimes (usually between Noon and 2:00 p.m. local time), depending on the station's preference and choice of feed. Days was pre-empted from July 26–August 6, 2021 due to the network's live coverage of the 2021 Summer Olympics from Tokyo, Japan.[2]
On May 13, 2021, The CW announced it would return the 3:00 p.m. slot to its affiliates effective September 6, in exchange for allowing the network to occupy the Saturday 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT timeslot.[3]
(‡) ABC and Fox do not handle programming responsibilities for their programming blocks, but offers syndicated blocks of E/I-compliant programming that are intended for exclusive distribution to their stations. Litton's Weekend Adventure is offered to ABC stations by arrangement with Litton Entertainment and Xploration Station is offered to Fox stations by arrangement with Steve Rotfeld Productions.
NBC may occasionally aired NBC Nightly News: Kids Edition on certain Saturdays; depending on the local station's scheduling at their discretion to fulfill the FCC educational programming requirements, and the program is not part of the network's The More You Know block.
To comply with FCC educational programming regulations, stations may defer certain programs featured in their respective network's E/I program blocks to determined weekend late morning or afternoon time periods if a sporting event is not scheduled in the timeslot or in place of paid programming that would otherwise be scheduled.
Airtimes of sporting events may vary depending on the offerings scheduled for that weekend (in which Fox or NBC could possibly air in the mornings on select weekends in which preempt E/I programming).
To comply with FCC educational programming regulations, stations may defer certain programs featured in their respective network's E/I program blocks to determined weekend late morning or afternoon time periods if a sporting event is not scheduled in the timeslot or in place of paid programming that would otherwise be scheduled.
Airtimes of sporting events may vary depending on the offerings scheduled for that weekend.
NHL on ESPN—It was announced on March 10, 2021, that its sister network ESPN will regain the rights to the National Hockey League games (including 25 games slated to air on ESPN and ABC) for seven years through the 2027–28 season.[4]
Fox
XFL on Fox—Renewed through the 2022 season on May 6, 2019.[5] The league announced it would not play a 2021 season on October 1, 2020, but would return for the 2022 season.[6]
NBC
Days of Our Lives—Renewed for a 57th and 58th season (running through September 2023) on May 11, 2021.[7]
Cancellations
The CW
The Jerry Springer Show—The network daytime run was meant to run for three seasons only. It concluded on September 17, 2021.
NBC
NHL on NBC—On April 26, 2021, it was announced that NBC had backed out of negotiations for the partial contractual rights of the remainder of the National Hockey League games (including the New Year's DayWinter Classic) and awarded the rights to Turner Sports beginning with the 2021–22 season and lasted through 2027–28 season.[8]
Notes
^The series was previously aired on Litton's Weekend Adventure from 2014–17 and will air repeats throughout this season.
^The series was previously aired on Litton's Weekend Adventure from 2012–18 and will air repeats throughout this season.
^The series was previously aired on CBS Dream Team from 2013–15 and will air repeats throughout this season.
^The series was previously aired on CBS Dream Team in 2019.
^The series was previously aired on The More You Know from last season and will aired repeats throughout this season.
See also
2020–21 United States network television schedule (prime-time)
2020–21 United States network television schedule (late night)
2020-21 United States network television schedule (morning)
2020-21 United States network television schedule (overnight)