1971 in television

The year 1971 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1971.

"For the American TV schedule, see: 1971-72 American network television schedule."

Events

*January 1 - The final cigarette advertisements are televised in the United States, with the final one occurring during that evening's broadcast of "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson" on NBC.
*January 3 - BBC Open University broadcasts begin in the UK.
*January 12 - CBS airs the first episode of "All in the Family," with a disclaimer at the beginning of the program warning viewers about potentially offensive content. Within a year, it became television's most popular program, and started a trend toward realism in sitcoms.
*January 27 - Valerie Barlow is electrocuted by a faulty hairdryer, and then perishes in a house fire on "Coronation Street".
*February 23 - "The Selling of the Pentagon" documentary airs on CBS.
*March 2 - On an "All in the Family" episode, Archie and Edith get brand new next-door neighbors, The Jeffersons; Michael and Gloria's best friend, Lionel Jefferson (played by Mike Evans) and his mother, Louise (played by Isabel Sanford) appear this season, George Jefferson (played by Sherman Hemsley) is not depicted until 1973.
*March 11 - ABC cancels "The Lawrence Welk Show" after sixteen years on the network. The show, however, returns to the airwaves in syndication in September, where it would run for another eleven years.
*May - CBS debuts its schedule for the fall 1971 season, and cancels, in the words of Pat Buttram, "every show that had a tree in it." "Green Acres", "The Beverly Hillbillies", "Mayberry R.F.D.", and "Hee Haw" all end production. However, the latter show continued on for two decades in syndication.
*June 7 - The UK children's magazine show "Blue Peter" buries a time capsule in the grounds of BBC Television Centre, due to be opened on the first episode of the year 2000.
*November - Top-rated "As the World Turns" loses the #1 slot in the daytime Nielsens for the first time since 1959.
*Michael Zaslow first appears as Roger Thorpe on "The Guiding Light".
*CBS presents the first U.S. airing of the much-acclaimed 6-hour BBC miniseries "The Six Wives of Henry VIII", starring Keith Michell, over six consecutive Sundays, from August 1 until September 5.
*September 13 - Prime Time shrank as the original Prime Time Access Rule took effect. NBC, unable to take advantage, immediately felt the pinch and failed to win any of the 1971-72 season's first 13 weeks.

Debuts

*January 10 - "Masterpiece Theatre" debuts on PBS (1971-present).
*January 12 - "All in the Family" premieres on CBS (1971-1979).
*April 3 - "Kamen Rider" premieres on MBS in Japan (1971-1973).
*April 10 - "The Two Ronnies" debuts on BBC1 in the UK (1971-1987).
*September 11 - "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" premieres on CBS Saturday Morning (1971-1972).
*September 11 - "The Jackson 5ive" premieres on ABC Saturday Morning (1971-1973).
*September 21 - "The Old Grey Whistle Test" premiered on BBC2 (1971-1987).
*October 2 -"Soul Train", the African-American equivalent to "American Bandstand", premieres (1971-present).
*October 10 - "Upstairs, Downstairs" debuts in the UK on ITV.
*October 25 - "The Electric Company", a skit-based children's program aimed at teaching reading skills, premieres on PBS (1971-1977).
*September 18 - "The New Dick Van Dyke Show" premieres on CBS (1971-1974).
*August 1 - "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour" premieres on CBS (1971-1974).
*"NBC Mystery Movie" premieres (1971-1977) as a wheel show featuring:
**"McCloud" (premiered in 1970);
**"McMillan and Wife" (1971-1977);
**"Columbo" (1971-1978).

Television shows

1940s

*"Meet the Press" (1947-present).
*"Candid Camera" (1948-present).
*"Bozo the Clown" (1949-present).
*"Come Dancing" (UK) (1949-1995).

1950s

*"Truth or Consequences" (1950-1988).
*"Love of Life" (1951-1980).
*"Search for Tomorrow" (1951-1986).
*"Hallmark Hall of Fame" (1951-present).
*"American Bandstand" (1952-1989).
*"The Guiding Light" (1952-present).
*"The Today Show" (1952-present).
*"Panorama" (UK) (1953-present).
*"The Good Old Days" (UK) (1953-1983).
*"Face the Nation" (1954-present).
*"The Secret Storm" (1954-1974).
*"The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (1962-1992).
*"Captain Kangaroo" (1955-1984).
*"Dixon of Dock Green" (UK) (1955-1976).
*"Gunsmoke" (1955-1975).
*"The Lawrence Welk Show" (1955-1982).
*"This Is Your Life" (UK) (1955-2003).
*"As the World Turns" (1956-present).
*"Opportunity Knocks" (UK) (1956-1978).
*"The Edge of Night" (1956-1984).
*"What the Papers Say" (UK) (1956-present).
*"The Sky at Night" (UK) (1957-present).
*"Blue Peter" (UK) (1958-present).
*"Grandstand" (UK) (1958-2007).
*"Bonanza" (1959-1973).

1960s

*"Coronation Street" (UK) (1960-present).
*"My Three Sons" (1960-1972).
*"Four Corners" (Australia) (1961-present).
*"It's Academic" (1961-present).
*"The Mike Douglas Show" (1961-1981).
*"The Late Late Show" (Ireland) (1962-present).
*"Password" (1962-1967, 1971-1975, 1979-1982, 1984-1989, 2008-)
*"Z-Cars" (UK) (1962-1978).
*"Doctor Who" (UK) (1963-1989, 1996, 2005-present).
*"General Hospital" (1963-present).
*"The Doctors" (1963-1982).
*"Another World" (1964-1999).
*"Bewitched" (1964-1972).
*"The Dick Cavett Show" (1969-1974)
*"A Charlie Brown Christmas" (1965-present, aired annually).
*"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1966-present, aired annually).
*"Charlie Brown's All-Stars" (1966-1972, aired annually).
*"Crossroads" (UK) (1964-1988, 2001-2003).
*"Jeopardy!" (1964-1975, 1984-present).
*"Top of the Pops" (UK) (1964-2006).
*"Days of Our Lives" (1965-present).
*"The Dean Martin Show" (1965-1974).
*"Tom and Jerry" (1965-1972, 1975-1977, 1980-1982)
*"World of Sport" (UK) (1965-1985).
*"" (1966-1973).
*"Play School" (1966-present).
*"The Money Programme" (UK) (1966-present).
*"The Newlywed Game" (1966-1974).
*"Ironside" (1967-1975).
*"Love is a Many Splendored Thing" (1967-1973).
*"Mannix" (1967-1975).
*"The Carol Burnett Show" (1967-1978).
*"60 Minutes" (1968-present).
*"Dad's Army" (UK) (1968-1977).
*"Hawaii Five-O" (1968-1980).
*"Here's Lucy" (1968-1974).
*"Laugh-In" (1968-1973).
*"Magpie" (UK) (1968-1980).
*"One Life to Live" (1968-present).
*"The Doris Day Show" (1968-1973).
*"The Mod Squad" (1968-1973).
*"Bright Promise" (1969-1972).
*"Hee Haw" (1969-1993).
*"Love, American Style" (1969-1974).
*"Marcus Welby, M.D." (1969-1976).
*"Monty Python's Flying Circus" (UK) (1969-1974).
*"Room 222" (1969-1974).
*"Sesame Street" (1969-present).
*"The Benny Hill Show" (1969-1989).
*"The Brady Bunch" (1969-1974).
*"The Clangers" (UK) (1969-1972).
*"The Wonderful World of Disney" (1969-1979).
*"What's My Line?" (1968-1975, syndicated version).
*"Where the Heart Is" (1969-1973).

1970s

*"All My Children" (1970-present).
*"Doomwatch" (UK) (1970-1972).
*"Famous Jury Trials" (1971-1972).
*"Mary Tyler Moore" (1970-1977).
*"McCloud" (1970-1977).
*"Monday Night Football" (1970-present).
*"Play for Today" (UK) (1970-1984).
*"The Flip Wilson Show" (1970-1974).
*"The Odd Couple" (1970-1975).
*"The Partridge Family" (1970-1974).

Ending this year

*"Julia" (1968-1971).
*"Family Affair" (1966-1971).
*"That Girl" (1966-1971).
*"The Beverly Hillbillies" (1962-1971).
*"Mayberry R.F.D." (formerly The Andy Griffith Show, 1960-1971).
*April 2 - "Dark Shadows" (1966-1971).
*"Hogan's Heroes" (1965-1971).
*"Green Acres" (1965-1971).
*June 6 - "The Ed Sullivan Show" (1948-1971).
*May 5 - "The Johnny Cash Show" (1969-1971).
*"UFO" (UK) (1970-1971).
*October 22 - "What's New" (1959-1971); this was the show "The Electric Company" replaced on the PBS schedule.

Changes of network affiliation

*"The Lawrence Welk Show" moves from ABC to first-run syndication.
*"Hee Haw", from CBS to first-run syndication.

Births

*January 1 - Suzanne Virdee, British regional TV newscaster.
*January 5 - Jayne Middlemiss, UK television presenter.
*January 6 - Charlie Neil, British regional TV weather reader.
*January 7 - Gillian Lacey-Solymartelevision presenter
*January 13 - Sarah Tansey, UK actress.
*January 14 - Yiolanda Koppel, UK television presenter
*January 15 - Lara Cazalet
**Regina King, American actress.
*January 16 - Julia Ford, English actress
*January 18 - Wendy Elsmore, television presenter.
*January 19 - Shawn Wayans, American actress
*January 20 - Pixie McKenna, Irish television presenter
*January 21 - Amy Lame
*January 22 - Dawn Harper, British television presenter
*January 23 - Lorne Spicer, British television presenter
*February 15 - Alex Borstein, Actress/comedian.
*February 16 - Amanda Holden.
*February 23 - Melinda Messenger, British television presenter and model.
*February 25 - Sean Astin, American actor.
*March 2 - Lisa Lackey, Australian actress
*March 4 - Shavar Ross, American actor.
*March 9 - Emmanuel Lewis, American actor.
*March 11 - Johnny Knoxville, American actor/host.
*April 12 - Shannen Doherty, American actress.
*May 26 - Matt Stone, American writer/animator.
*June 5 - Mark Wahlberg, American actor
*July 9 - Dani Behr, television presenter and actress.
*July 12 - Kristi Yamaguchi, Professional ice skater
*July 30 - Tom Green, comedian.
*August 7 - Melanie Sykes, British television presenter.
**Sydney Penny, American actress
*August 9 - Kate Sanderson
*August 10 - Angie Harmon, American actress.
*September 2 - Lisa Snowdon
*September 8 - Brooke Burke.
*September 9 - Natasha Kaplinsky, British television presenter.
*September 21 - Alfonso Ribeiro, American actor.
*September 25 - Jessie Wallace, British actress.
*September 28 - Liza Walker, British actress.
*September 30 - Jenna Elfman, American actress.
*October 13 - Sacha Baron Cohen, British comedian.
*October 20 - Snoop Dogg, American rapper.
*October 29 - Winona Ryder, American actress.
*November 5 - Corin Nemec, American actor.
*November 25 - Christina Applegate, American actress.
*December 5 - Justine Kerrigan, British actress.

Deaths

*March 11 - Philo Farnsworth, 64, television pioneer.
*March 15 - Bebe Daniels, 70, actress.
*December 12 - David Sarnoff, 80, television pioneer.
*December 30 - Melba Rae, 49, soap opera actress ("Search for Tomorrow").