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1978–79 United States network television schedule

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  • Morning: 1976–77
  • 1977–78
  • 1978–79
  • 1979–80
  • 1980–81
  • Overnight: 1976–77
  • 1977–78
  • 1978–79
  • 1979–80
  • 1980–81

This was the television schedule on all three commercial television networks in the United States for the fall season beginning in September 1978. All times are Eastern and Pacific.

New fall series are highlighted in bold. Series ending their original runs are in italics.

Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.[1]

  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.

PBS is not included; member stations have local flexibility over most of their schedules and broadcast times for network shows may vary.

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 The Hardy Boys Mysteries Battlestar Galactica The ABC Sunday Night Movie (15/22.6)
(Tied with Barney Miller)
Winter The Osmond Family Hour
CBS Fall 60 Minutes (6/25.5) Mary All in the Family (9/24.9)
(Tied with Taxi) 		Alice (13/23.2) Kaz
Follow-up All in the Family (9/24.9)
(Tied with Taxi) 		Alice (13/23.2) Kaz Dallas (29/15.4)
Spring One Day at a Time (18/21.6) Alice (13/23.2) Just Friends (26/20.2) The Mary Tyler Moore Hour
Summer The Jeffersons Moses the Lawgiver
Follow-up Kaz
NBC Fall The Wonderful World of Disney The Big Event Lifeline
Winter Weekend

Notes: On CBS, the premiere (and only) episode of Co-Ed Fever aired on February 4 from 10:30 to 11:00 p.m., after which the show was cancelled. Moses the Lawgiver was a rerun of the 1975 miniseries. Mr. Dugan was supposed to premiere March 11, 1979 between All in the Family and Alice but due to black Congressmembers' criticism of it after a preview for them, the show was never broadcast.

Monday

Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Welcome Back, Kotter Operation Petticoat Monday Night Football (28/19.8)
(Tied with What's Happening!!)
Winter Salvage 1 How the West Was Won
Summer Monday Night Baseball
CBS Fall WKRP in Cincinnati People M*A*S*H (7/25.4) One Day at a Time (18/21.6) Lou Grant (30/19.7)
Follow-up The White Shadow
Winter Billy Flatbush WKRP in Cincinnati
Spring The White Shadow
NBC Little House on the Prairie (14/23.1) NBC Monday Night at the Movies (21/20.9)

Tuesday

Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Happy Days (3/28.6)
(Tied with Mork & Mindy) 		Laverne & Shirley (1/30.5) Three's Company (2/30.3) Taxi (9/24.9)
(Tied with All in the Family) 		Starsky & Hutch
Spring The Ropers (8/25.2) 13 Queens Boulevard
Summer Detective School
CBS The Paper Chase The CBS Tuesday Night Movies
NBC Fall Grandpa Goes to Washington The Big Event
Winter Cliffhangers: Stop Susan Williams/The Secret Empire/The Curse of Dracula
Summer The Runaways

Wednesday

Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Eight Is Enough (11/24.8) Charlie's Angels (12/24.4) Vega$ (23/20.6)
CBS Fall The Jeffersons In the Beginning The CBS Wednesday Night Movies
Winter The Incredible Hulk One Day at a Time (18/21.6) The Jeffersons Kaz
Spring Married: The First Year
Follow-up The Jeffersons Miss Winslow and Son Dear Detective
Summer various Good Times The CBS Wednesday Night Movies
Follow-up Dorothy Hanging In
NBC Fall Dick Clark's Live Wednesday NBC Wednesday Night at the Movies
Winter Supertrain NBC Novels for Television: From Here to Eternity/Studs Lonigan/Wheels
Spring Real People
Summer Laugh-In Various

Notes: The Wheels segment of NBC Novels for Television was a rerun of the 1978 television miniseries. Laugh-In consisted of reruns of the 1977 television series.

Thursday

Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Mork & Mindy (3/28.6)
(Tied with Happy Days) 		What's Happening!! (28/19.8)
(Tied with Monday Night Football) 		Barney Miller (15/22.6)
(Tied with The ABC Sunday Night Movie) 		Soap (19/21.3) Family
Winter Angie (5/26.7)
Spring Doctors' Private Lives
Follow-up Family
Summer 20/20
CBS Fall The Waltons Hawaii Five-O Barnaby Jones (24/20.5)
Spring The Chisholms
Follow-up Time Express
Summer The Waltons
NBC Fall Project U.F.O. Quincy, M.E. W.E.B.
Follow-up David Cassidy: Man Undercover
Winter Little Women Mrs. Columbo
Spring Harris and Company
Follow-up Whodunnit? Highcliffe Manor Presenting Susan Anton
Follow-up Hizzonner Whodunnit?
Summer NBC Novels for Television: The Innocent and the Damned

Note: Mork & Mindy had a one-hour premiere on September 14, 1978.

Note: The NBC Novels for Television segment The Innocent and the Damned was a rerun of the 1977 television miniseries Aspen.

Note: Coasttocoast was supposed to air Thursdays 10:00-11:00PM, but NBC's new boss Fred Silverman canceled the show.

Friday

Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Donny & Marie The ABC Friday Night Movie
Winter Makin' It What's Happening!! (28/19.8)
(Tied with Monday Night Football)
Spring Family
Follow-up The Mackenzies of Paradise Cove
Summer Operation Petticoat Welcome Back, Kotter
CBS Fall The New Adventures of Wonder Woman The Incredible Hulk Flying High
Winter The Dukes of Hazzard (20/21.0) Dallas (15/22.6)
Summer The Incredible Hulk
NBC Fall The Waverly Wonders Who's Watching the Kids The Rockford Files The Eddie Capra Mysteries
Follow-up Diff'rent Strokes (27/19.9)
Winter Brothers and Sisters Turnabout Hello, Larry $weepstake$
Follow-up Hello, Larry Brothers and Sisters Turnabout
Spring The Rockford Files The Duke
Summer The Eddie Capra Mysteries

Saturday

Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Carter Country Apple Pie The Love Boat (17/22.1) Fantasy Island (22/20.8)
Follow-up Welcome Back, Kotter Carter Country
Winter Delta House Welcome Back, Kotter
Spring What's Happening!! (28/19.8)
(Tied with Monday Night Football) 		Delta House
Summer Battlestar Galactica
CBS Fall Rhoda Good Times The American Girls Dallas
Winter The White Shadow CBS Movie
Spring The Bad News Bears Billy
NBC Fall CHiPs (25/20.3) Various Sword of Justice
Winter The Rockford Files
Spring Supertrain

By network

ABC

CBS

NBC

References

  1. ^ 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.

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. ISBN 0-14-024916-8.
  • Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1985). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-31864-1.
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