1986 in television
See also: 1985 in television, other events of 1986, 1987 in television and the list of 'years in television'.
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2 Debuts 3 Popular Television Shows 4 Ending this year 5 Births 6 Deaths |
Events
- January 28 - NASA's Space Shuttle Challenger spacecraft explodes, live on television.
- February 11 - Culture Club lead singer Boy George appears on an episode of The A-Team
- February 14 - Frank Zappa appears on an episode of the popular television series Miami Vice. Zappa portrays a crime boss named "Mr. Frankie".
- February 22 - In honor of the 20th anniversary of The Monkees premiering on television, MTV broadcasts "Pleasant Valley Sunday," a 22-hour marathon of Monkees episodes.
- May 10 - Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe marries actress Heather Locklear.
- May 22 - Cher calls David Letterman an "A**hole" on the air during a taping of Late Night with David Letterman.
- September 8 - A.M. Chicago changes its name to the Oprah Winfrey Show and premieres on national television
- October - The FOX Broadcasting Company becomes the United States' fourth commercial broadcast television network.
Debuts
- ALF (1986-1990)
- Amen (1986-1991)
- Designing Women (1986-1993)
- The Disney Sunday Movie (1986-1990) (revival of 1954-1983 series)
- Matlock (1986-1995)
- Pee-Wee's Playhouse (1986-1991)
Popular Television Shows
- The A-Team (1983-1987)
- All My Children (1970-present)
- Cheers (1982-1993)
- The Cosby Show (1984-1992)
- Dallas (1978-1991)
- Dr Who (1963-1989)
- The Facts of Life (1979-1988)
- Family Ties (1982-1989)
- The Golden Girls (1985-1992)
- Hill Street Blues (1981-1987)
- Jeopardy (1984-present)
- Late Night with David Letterman (1982-1993)
- Miami Vice (1984-1989)
- MTV (1981-present)
- Saturday Night Live (1975-present)
- Sesame Street (1969-present)
- St. Elsewhere (1982-1988)
- The Tonight Show (1954-present)
- Wheel of Fortune (1975-present)
Ending this year
- Benson (1979-1986)
- Diff'rent Strokes (1978-1986)
- The Fall Guy (1981-1986)
- Knight Rider (1982-1986)
- Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986) (soap opera)
- Trapper John, M.D (1979-1986)
Births
- April 2 - Christopher Walberg, voice actor ("Stinky Peterson" from Hey Arnold)
- June 13 - The Olsen twins
Deaths
- January 14 - Donna Reed, actress
- January 24 - Gordon MacRae, actor, singer
- May 28 - Don MacLaughlin, longtime actor on As the World Turns
- July 15 - Florence Halop, actress
- November 2 - Paul Frees, voice actor
- December 2 - Desi Arnaz, actor, musician


