1963 in television
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See also: 1962 in television, other events of 1963, 1964 in television and the list of 'years in television'.
For the American network television schedule, please see 1963-64 American network television schedule.
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Events
- January 1 - Astroboy (known as Mighty Atom in Japanese), Japan's first animé, was launched.
- May 15 - First television pictures transmitted from a US manned space capsule ("Faith 7"). Due to the poor picture quality, only NBC carries the transmission, and on tape-delay, not live.
- September 2 - CBS Evening News becomes network television's first half-hour weeknight news broadcast, when the show is lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes.
- September 9 - NBC expands its evening network news program to 30 minutes.
- November 22 - All three major U.S. networks start pre-emptions for a week following the news of John F. Kennedy's assassination. The pre-emptions unofficially begin a few minutes after Kennedy was shot; on the top-rated American soap opera As the World Turns, Nancy Hughes (Helen Wagner) was in the middle of a discussion with Grandpa (Santos Ortega) about Bob's (Don Hastings) decision to invite Lisa (Eileen Fulton) to Thanksgiving dinner. Walter Cronkite interrupted Wagner mid-speech to deliver the bulletin. As the World Turns continued for one more scene (at that time, the show was transmitted live) before Cronkite cut in permanently.
- November 23 - That Was The Week That Was broadcasts its famous, non-satirical Kennedy tribute episode on the BBC.
- November 24 - Jack Ruby murders John F. Kennedy's suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald live on television.
- For the first time, most Americans say that they get more of their news from television than newspapers.
- The television remote control is authorized by the FCC.
- German terrestrial channel ZDF (pronounced tseh-deh-ehf) began broadcasting.
Debuts
- April 1 - General Hospital (created by Frank and Doris Hursley) and The Doctors premiere on the same day, the former on ABC and the latter on NBC. (General Hospital: 1963-present; Doctors: 1963-1982).
- September 29 - The Judy Garland Show on CBS (1963-1964).
- November 23 - The first episode of the science fiction series Doctor Who debuts on BBC (1963-1989, 1996, 2005-present).
- Petticoat Junction on CBS (1963-1970).
- Ready Steady Go on ITV (1963-1966).
Television shows
- Meet the Press (1947-present).
- Candid Camera (1948-present).
- The Ed Sullivan Show (1948-1971).
- Bozo the Clown (1949-present).
- Come Dancing (UK) (1949-1995).
- The Jack Benny Show (1950-1965).
- Truth or Consequences (1950-1988).
- What's My Line (1950-1967).
- Love of Life (1951-1980).
- Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986).
- American Bandstand (1952-1989).
- The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-1966).
- The Guiding Light (1952-present).
- The Honeymooners (1952-1970).
- The Today Show (1952-present).
- Panorama (UK) (1953-present).
- The Good Old Days (UK) (1953-1983).
- Face the Nation (1954-present).
- The Milton Berle Show (1954-1967).
- The Secret Storm (1954-1974).
- The Tonight Show (1954-present).
- Zoo Quest (UK) (1954-1964).
- 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).
- Armchair Theatre (1956-1968).
- As the World Turns (1956-present).
- Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956-1978).
- The Edge of Night (1956-1984).
- The Price Is Right (1956-1965).
- What the Papers Say (UK) (1956-present).
- The Sky at Night (UK) (1957-present).
- Blue Peter (UK) (1958-present).
- Grandstand (UK) (1958-present).
- The Donna Reed Show (1958-1966).
- Bonanza (1959-1973).
- Juke Box Jury (1959-1967, 1979, 1989-1990).
- The Bell Telephone Hour (1959-1968).
- The Twilight Zone (1959-1964, 1985-1988, 2002).
- Coronation Street (UK) (1960-present).
- My Three Sons (1960-1972).
- The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968).
- The Flintstones (1960-1966).
- Ben Casey (1961-1966).
- Four Corners (Australia) (1961-present).
- Mister Ed (1961-1966).
- The Avengers (UK) (1961-1969).
- The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966).
- The Fulton Sheen Program (1961-1968).
- The Mike Douglas Show (1961-1981).
- Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1961-1969).
- Match Game (1962-1969, 1973-1984, 1990-1991, 1998-1999).
- The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971).
- The Jetsons (1962-1963, 1984-1985, 1987).
- The Late Late Show (Ireland) (1962-present).
- The Lucy Show (1962-1968).
- The Saint (UK) (1962-1969).
- Z-Cars (UK) (1962-1978).
Ending this year
- May - Empire (1962-1963).
- September - Hawaiian Eye (1959-1963).
- The Voice of Firestone (1949-1963).
- Leave It to Beaver (1957-1963).
Births
- May 8 - Stella Gonet, actress.
- May 28 - Michelle Collins, actress.
- May 29 - Lisa Whelchel, actress.
- June 15 - Helen Hunt, actress.
- July 30 - Lisa Kudrow, actress, Friends.
- November 21 - Nicolette Sheridan, actress.
- November 24 - Lisa Maxwell, actress.