1958–59 United States network television schedule
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The following is the 1958–59 network television schedule for the four major English language commercial
According to television historians Castleman and Podrazik (1982), the networks' schedules were thrown "into complete chaos" by the
Western TV series continued to be very popular with audiences, and for the first time, the three highest-rated programs on television, CBS's Gunsmoke and, Have Gun – Will Travel alongside NBC's Wagon Train were all Westerns. ABC's new series, The Rifleman even hit #4, quite a feat for a network which had had no series in the top 30 five years earlier.[2]
Although ABC, CBS, and NBC remained the largest television networks in the United States, they were not the only companies operating television networks during this era. In May 1958,
New series are highlighted in bold.
All times are U.S. Eastern and Pacific time (except for some live sports or events). Subtract one hour for Central and Mountain times.
Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.[2]
Legend
- Light blue indicates local programming
- Light green indicates live sporting events.
- Light purple indicates movies.
- Red indicates series being burned off and other irregularly scheduled programs, including specials.
- 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.
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 | |
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ABC | Fall | You Asked For It
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Maverick (6/30.4) | The Lawman (27/26.0) | Colt .45 | Encounter
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Local | ||
November | Local | ||||||||
Winter | Deadline for Action* | Local | |||||||
CBS | Fall | Lassie | Bachelor Father
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The Ed Sullivan Show | General Electric Theater (25/26.7) (Tied with Name That Tune) |
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (24/26.8) | The $64,000 Question | What's My Line? | |
November | Keep Talking
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February | Richard Diamond, Private Detective | ||||||||
June | That's My Boy (reruns)
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NBC | Fall | Saber of London
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Northwest Passage (In COLOR) | The Steve Allen Show (In COLOR) | The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (In COLOR) | The Loretta Young Show
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Local | ||
Winter | The Music Shop (In COLOR) | ||||||||
Follow-up | The Steve Allen Show (In COLOR) | Pete Kelly's Blues | |||||||
Summer | Dragnet | ||||||||
NTA | Local |
NOTES: The Canadian-produced anthology series Encounter aired only five episodes on ABC before cancellation.
Deadline for Action on ABC consisted of reruns of episodes that starred Dane Clark of the 1956–1957 series Wire Service.
From February to September 1959, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, starring David Janssen, aired for a third and final season on CBS, on the Sunday schedule at 10 p.m. Eastern. It switched to NBC and returned to the air for a fourth season during the 1959–60 television season.
Monday
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 | ||
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ABC | Fall | 7:00 Local / 7:15 ABC News | Polka Go-Round | Bold Journey | The Voice of Firestone | Anybody Can Play | This is Music | 10:30 John Daly and the News / 10:45 Local | ||
Follow-up | Tales of the Texas Rangers | Polka Go-Round | The Patti Page Oldsmobile Show | |||||||
Winter | Dr. I.Q. | |||||||||
Spring | This is Music | |||||||||
Summer | Polka Go-Round | Pantomime Quiz | Top Pro Golf | |||||||
CBS | 7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News | Name That Tune (25/26.7) (Tied with General Electric Theater) |
The Texan (15/28.2) | Zane Grey Theater )
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The Danny Thomas Show (5/32.8) | The Perry Como Show )
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Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse / The Westinghouse Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show (once a month) | |||
NBC | Fall | 7:00 Local / 7:15 Huntley-Brinkley Report
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Tic-Tac-Dough (In COLOR) | The Restless Gun | Tales of Wells Fargo (7/30.2) | Wanted: Dead or Alive )
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Alcoa Theatre / Goodyear Television Playhouse | The Arthur Murray Party (In COLOR) | Local | |
Winter | Buckskin | |||||||||
NTA | Local |
Note:
Tuesday
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 | ||
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ABC | Fall | 7:00 Local / 7:15 ABC News | The Perry Como Show) / Bronco
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The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (10/29.1) | The Rifleman (4/33.1) | Naked City | Confession | 10:30 John Daly and the News / 10:45 Local | ||
Winter | Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond
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CBS | Fall | 7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News | Stars in Action (repeats) | Keep Talking
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To Tell the Truth | The Arthur Godfrey Show | The Red Skelton Show (In COLOR) (12/28.5) | The Garry Moore Show | ||
Follow-up | The Invisible Man | |||||||||
Summer | Peck's Bad Girl | The Andy Williams Show | ||||||||
NBC | Fall | 7:00 Local / 7:15 Huntley-Brinkley Report
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Dragnet
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(In COLOR) | Colgate Theatre | The Bob Cummings Show | The Californians | Local | ||
Late October | The George Burns Show | |||||||||
NTA | Local |
Wednesday
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 | |
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ABC | Fall | 7:00 Local / 7:15 ABC News | Lawrence Welk's Plymouth Show | The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet | The Donna Reed Show | The Patti Page Oldsmobile Show | The Wednesday Night Fights | ||
Follow-up | Accused | ||||||||
Summer | Music For a Summer Night | ||||||||
CBS | Fall | 7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News | Twilight Theater (repeats) | Pursuit | The Millionaire (30/25.6) | I've Got a Secret (9/29.8) | Armstrong Circle Theatre/ The United States Steel Hour | ||
Summer | Armstrong by Request/The United States Steel Hour
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NBC | 7:00 Local / 7:15 Huntley-Brinkley Report
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Wagon Train (2/36.1) | The Price is Right (In COLOR) (11/28.6)
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Milton Berle starring in the Kraft Music Hall (In COLOR) | Bat Masterson | This Is Your Life (29/25.8) | Local | ||
NTA | Local |
Notes: On CBS, Armstrong Circle Theatre alternated with The United States Steel Hour. Armstrong by Request, which also alternated with The United States Steel Hour and aired in place of Armstrong Circle Theatre from July 8 to September 16, 1959, consisted of reruns of six documentary dramas which originally had aired on Armstrong Circle Theatre during the 1958–1959 season.
On NBC, Milton Berle starring in the Kraft Music Hall formerly was known as The Milton Berle Show.
Thursday
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 | |
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ABC | 7:00 Local / 7:15 ABC News | Leave It to Beaver | Zorro | The Real McCoys (8/30.1) | The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom | The Rough Riders | Traffic Court | 10:30 John Daly and the News / 10:45 Local | |
CBS | Fall | 7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News | I Love Lucy (repeats) | December Bride | Yancy Derringer | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (13/28.3) (Tied with Father Knows Best) |
Playhouse 90 | ||
Summer | The Invisible Man | ||||||||
NBC | Fall | 7:00 Local / 7:15 Huntley-Brinkley Report
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Jefferson Drum | The Ed Wynn Show | Twenty-One | Behind Closed Doors | The Ford Show (20/27.2) (In COLOR) | You Bet Your Life | Masquerade Party (In COLOR) |
October | Concentration | ||||||||
November | It Could Be You | ||||||||
Winter | Steve Canyon | ||||||||
Spring | The Lawless Years | Oldsmobile Music Theatre | Laugh Line | ||||||
Summer | Too Young to Go Steady
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21 Beacon Street | |||||||
NTA | Local* |
- The 90-minute series DuMont Networkwas ceasing operations.
Friday
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 | |
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ABC | Fall | 7:00 Local / 7:15 ABC News | The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin
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Walt Disney Presents
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Man with a Camera | 77 Sunset Strip | 10:30 John Daly and the News / 10:45 Local | ||
March | Tombstone Territory | ||||||||
CBS | Fall | 7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News | Your Hit Parade | Trackdown | The Jackie Gleason Show | The Phil Silvers Show | Schlitz Playhouse/Lux Playhouse | The Lineup | Person to Person |
Winter | Rawhide (28/25.9) | ||||||||
NBC | Fall | 7:00 Local / 7:15 Huntley-Brinkley Report
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Buckskin | The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen (In COLOR)
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M Squad | The Thin Man | 10:00 Gillette Cavalcade of Sports / 10:45 Fight Beat | ||
Winter | Northwest Passage (In COLOR) | 10:00 Gillette Cavalcade of Sports / 10:45 Phillies Jackpot Bowling | |||||||
NTA | Local | Man Without a Gun | This is Alice
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How to Marry a Millionaire | Premiere Performance |
Note: On January 9, Phillies Jackpot Bowling premiered in the 10:45-11 p.m. spot on NBC, while on March 13 Tombstone Territory replaced Man with a Camera on the ABC schedule.
Saturday
Network | 7:30 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
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ABC | Fall | The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show | The Billy Graham Crusade | Lawrence Welk's Dodge Dancing Party | Sammy Kaye's Music from Manhattan | Local | ||
November | Jubilee USA | |||||||
Winter | The Billy Graham Crusade | |||||||
CBS | Fall | Perry Mason (19/27.5) | Wanted Dead or Alive (16/28.0) (Tied with Peter Gunn) |
The Gale Storm Show | Have Gun – Will Travel (3/34.3) | Gunsmoke (1/39.6) | Local | |
Summer | Brenner | Markham | ||||||
NBC | Fall | People are Funny
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) (In COLOR) | Steve Canyon | Cimarron City | Brains & Brawn | ||
Winter | Black Saddle | The D.A.'s Man | ||||||
NTA | Local |
Note: On NBC, Brains & Brawn was replaced on January 3, 1959, by The D.A.'s Man. On CBS, Markham premiered Saturday, May 2, 1959, at 10:30 pm.
By network
ABC
CBS
NBC
NTA
Returning series
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New series
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Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason.
References
- ^ ISBN 0-07-010269-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
- ^ Kleiner, Dick (1958-05-03). "Thin Man Mystery Show May Add Baby to Cast". The Lima News. p. 19.
- McNeil, Alex. Total Television. Fourth edition. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-024916-8.
- Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1964). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-31864-1.