1980–81 United States network television schedule (Saturday morning)
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The following is the 1980–81 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers
primetime Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
hours from September 1980 through August 1981. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1979–80 season. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as '' Monday Night Football''. New series are highlighted in bold. Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.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. . : 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. ''Note: An actors' strike hindered the ability to start airing shows in a timely manner. The shows in the schedule were the first to air new episodes in their respective time periods as they bowed in between late August and December 31, 1980. Some of the new shows intended for a fall launch did not debut until 1982 or 1983, if at all.


Sunday

Note: On ABC, local and paid political programming aired in the 8-9 p.m. hour from September till November.


Monday

Note: Private Benjamin premiered April 6, 1981, at 8:00-8:30 pm on CBS.
Soap ran for three-and-a-half seasons on ABC in a 30-minute format. It was pulled from the Wednesday night schedule in January 1981 and returned on Mondays from March to April, when the final 12 episodes of the series ran as six 60-minute installments.


Tuesday

Note: On CBS, local and paid political programming aired in the 8-9 p.m. hour between September and November. On NBC, NBC Tuesday Night at the Movies aired 8-10 p.m. from September till November.


Wednesday

Note: '' The Greatest American Hero'' debuted on March 18 at 8:00pm on ABC. Note: NBC's Movie of the Week aired 9-11 p.m. between September and November. Note: '' The Facts of Life'' Season 2 began on November 19 at 9:30 on NBC.


Thursday

Note: CBS Thursday Movie Special aired 9-11 p.m. from September till the end of November. ''Magnum, P.I.'' had a 2-hour premiere on December 11, 1980.


Friday

Note: '' NBC Friday Night at the Movies'' aired 8-10 p.m. during October and November.


Saturday

Note: '' The CBS Saturday Night Movies'' aired 9-11 p.m. through the end of November.


By network


ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

Returning Series *''
20/20 Visual acuity (VA) commonly refers to the clarity of vision, but technically rates an examinee's ability to recognize small details with precision. Visual acuity is dependent on optical and neural factors, i.e. (1) the sharpness of the retinal ...
'' *''
240-Robert ''240-Robert'' is an American drama series that ran on ABC from August 28, 1979, to March 21, 1981. The series title is a reference to the call-sign designation for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department's search and rescue/paramedic teams. The ser ...
'' *''The ABC Friday Night Movie'' *'' The ABC Sunday Night Movie'' *'' Barney Miller'' *''
Benson Benson may refer to: Animals *Benson (fish), largest common carp caught in Britain Places Geography Canada *Rural Municipality of Benson No. 35, Saskatchewan; rural municipality *Benson, Saskatchewan; hamlet United Kingdom * Benson, Oxfordshire ...
'' *''
Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by Aa ...
'' *'' Eight Is Enough'' *'' Fantasy Island'' *'' Happy Days'' *'' Hart to Hart'' *''
Laverne & Shirley ''Laverne & Shirley'' (originally ''Laverne DeFazio & Shirley Feeney'') is an American sitcom television series that played for eight seasons on ABC from January 27, 1976, to May 10, 1983. A spin-off of ''Happy Days'', ''Laverne & Shirley'' star ...
'' *'' The Love Boat'' *'' Monday Night Baseball'' *'' Monday Night Football'' *'' Mork & Mindy'' *'' Soap'' *'' Taxi'' *''
That's Incredible! ''That's Incredible!'' is an American reality television show that aired on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network from 1980 in television, 1980 to 1984 in television, 1984. In the tradition of ''You Asked for It'', ''List of ...
'' *'' Three's Company'' *'' Vega$'' New Series *''ABC Summer Movie'' *''
Aloha Paradise ''Aloha Paradise'' is an American comedy series that aired on ABC on Wednesday night from February 25, 1981, to April 22, 1981. The series stars Debbie Reynolds and was created by Tom Greene. ''Aloha Paradise'' was executive produced by Douglas S ...
'' * *'' American Dream'' * *'' Bosom Buddies'' *'' Breaking Away'' *'' Dynasty'' * *'' Foul Play'' * *'' The Greatest American Hero'' * *''
The Krypton Factor ''The Krypton Factor'' is a British game show produced by Granada Television for broadcast on ITV. The show originally ran from 7 September 1977 to 20 November 1995, and was hosted by Gordon Burns and usually broadcast on the ITV network on ...
'' * *''
I'm a Big Girl Now ''I'm a Big Girl Now'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from October 31, 1980, until May 8, 1981. The series, from ''Soap'' creator Susan Harris and producers Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas, was created and developed as a star vehicle ...
'' *'' Making a Living'' *''
Those Amazing Animals ''That's Incredible!'' is an American reality television show that aired on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network from 1980 in television, 1980 to 1984 in television, 1984. In the tradition of ''You Asked for It'', ''List of ...
'' *'' Too Close for Comfort'' Not returning from 1979–80: *''The ABC Monday Night Movie'' *'' Angie'' *'' The Associates'' *''
B.A.D. Cats ''B.A.D. Cats'' is an American action/police drama that aired on ABC from January until February 1980 on Friday nights at 8 PM Eastern time. The series stars Asher Brauner, Steve Hanks, and Michelle Pfeiffer in one of her first major acting rol ...
'' *''
Detective School ''Detective School'' (a.k.a. ''Detective School – One Flight Up'') is an American television Situation comedy, sitcom that was shown on American Broadcasting Company, ABC for four months in 1979 in television, 1979, for a total of 13 episodes. ...
'' *'' Family'' *''
Galactica 1980 ''Galactica 1980'' is an American science fiction television series and a spin-off from the original '' Battlestar Galactica'' television series. It was first broadcast on ABC in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980, lasting for 10 ...
'' *''
Goodtime Girls ''Goodtime Girls'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from January 22, 1980, until August 29, 1980. It was created by Leonora Thuna, and produced by Thomas L. Miller, Edward K. Milkis and Robert L. Boyett, in association with Garry Marshal ...
'' *''
The Lazarus Syndrome ''The Lazarus Syndrome'' is a 1979 American made-for-television drama thriller film directed by Jerry Thorpe. It was later the basis for a weekly television series of the same name, airing on the ABC network. Cast * Louis Gossett Jr. as Dr. ...
'' *''
A New Kind of Family ''A New Kind of Family'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 1979 to January 1980. The series stars Eileen Brennan, Rob Lowe and Telma Hopkins. It is not to be confused with, nor is it related to, the series ''Family'', which ...
'' *''
Nobody's Perfect ''NoBody's Perfect'' is a 2008 feature documentary produced and directed by Niko von Glasow. The film won the German Film Award for Best Documentary Film at the Deutscher Filmpreis in 2009, and has gone on to receive worldwide acclaim, resulting ...
'' *'' One in a Million'' *''
Out of the Blue Out of the Blue may refer to: Film and television Film * ''Out of the Blue'' (1931 film), a British musical by Gene Gerrard * ''Out of the Blue'' (1947 film), an American comedy directed by Leigh Jason *'' Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley'', a ...
'' *''
The Ropers ''The Ropers'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on ABC from March 13, 1979, to May 22, 1980. It is a spin-off of ''Three's Company'' and loosely based on the British sitcom ''George and Mildred'', which was itself a spin-off of ...
'' *''
Salvage 1 ''Salvage 1'' is an American science fiction series that was broadcast for 16 episodes (of the 20 produced) on ABC during 1979. The pilot film, ''Salvage'', was shown on January 20, 1979, to high ratings. Plot The pilot centers on Harry Broder ...
'' *'' Stone'' *'' Tenspeed and Brown Shoe'' *''
When the Whistle Blows ''When the Whistle Blows'' is an American comedy television series that aired for 10 hour-long episodes on ABC from March 14 to July 20, 1980. The series was produced by Universal Television and starred Dolph Sweet, Doug Barr, Susan Buckner, ...
''


CBS

Returning Series *''
60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...
'' *''
Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...
'' *''
Archie Bunker's Place ''Archie Bunker's Place'' is an American television sitcom produced as a continuation of ''All in the Family''. It aired on CBS from September 23, 1979, to April 4, 1983. While not as popular as its predecessor, the show maintained a large enough ...
'' *'' Dallas'' *'' The Dukes of Hazzard'' *''
Flo ''Flo'' is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of ''Alice'' that aired on CBS from March 24, 1980, to June 30, 1981. The series starred Polly Holliday reprising her role as sassy and street-smart waitress Florence Jean "Flo" Castl ...
'' *'' House Calls'' *'' The Incredible Hulk'' *'' The Jeffersons'' *''
Knots Landing ''Knots Landing'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993. A spin-off of ''Dallas'', it was set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles and initially centered on the lives of ...
'' *'' Lou Grant'' *''
M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. The ...
'' *'' One Day at a Time'' *''
Palmerstown, U.S.A. ''Palmerstown, U.S.A.'' (shortened to ''Palmerstown'' in March 1981) is a Drama (film and television), television drama series that aired on CBS from March 20, 1980 to June 9, 1981. It was created by Norman Lear and Alex Haley, whose childhood was ...
'' *'' Phyl & Mikhy'' *'' That's My Line'' *'' The Tim Conway Show'' *'' Trapper John, M.D.'' *''Walter Cronkite's Universe'' *'' The Waltons'' *'' The White Shadow'' *'' WKRP in Cincinnati'' New Series *'' Checking In'' * *'' Concrete Cowboys'' * *'' Enos'' *'' Freebie and the Bean'' *''
Ladies' Man A ladies' man or lady's man is a man who enjoys spending time socially with women, who strives to please them and that women find attractive. Ladies' man or lady's man may also refer to: Literature * ''Ladies' Man'' (novel), a 1978 novel by R ...
'' *'' Magnum, P.I.'' *'' Nurse'' * *'' Park Place'' * *'' Private Benjamin'' * *'' Riker'' * *''
Secrets of Midland Heights ''Secrets of Midland Heights'' is an American nighttime soap opera produced by Lorimar Productions after the success of ''Dallas''. It ran on CBS from December 6, 1980 to January 24, 1981 for eight episodes, with three episodes left unaired. ...
'' *''
The Two of Us ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...
'' * Not returning from 1979–80: *'' The Bad News Bears'' *'' Barnaby Jones'' *'' Beyond Westworld'' *''
Big Shamus, Little Shamus ''Big Shamus, Little Shamus'' is an American detective drama series that aired on CBS on Saturday nights at 9:00 p.m Eastern Time for two weeks from September 29, 1979 to October 6, 1979. The show performed so poorly in the ratings, it was canceled ...
'' *'' California Fever'' *'' The Chisholms'' *''
Hagen Hagen () is the Largest cities in Germany, 41st-largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany. The municipality is located in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the south eastern edge of the R ...
'' *'' Hawaii Five-O'' *'' The Last Resort'' *'' Paris'' *''
The Stockard Channing Show ''The Stockard Channing Show'' is an American sitcom television series starring Stockard Channing, Ron Silver, Sydney Goldsmith, Max Showalter and Jack Somack. The show first aired on CBS from March 24 to July 12, 1980, with 13 episodes produce ...
'' *'' Struck by Lightning'' *''Universe'' *'' Working Stiffs'' *''
Young Maverick ''Young Maverick'' is a 1979 television series and a sequel to the 1957–1962 series ''Maverick'', which had starred James Garner as roving gambler Bret Maverick. Charles Frank played Ben Maverick, the son of Bret's first cousin Beau Maverick, ma ...
''


NBC

Returning Series *'' B.J. and the Bear'' *''The Big Event'' *'' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' *'' CHiPs'' *'' Diff'rent Strokes'' *''
Disney's Wonderful World The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 to the present. The p ...
'' *'' The Facts of Life'' *'' Little House on the Prairie'' *''
Lobo Lobo may refer to: Places *Lobo, Batangas, a municipality in the Philippines *Lobo, Texas, a ghost town *Lobo, Indonesia *Lobo, Cameroon, a town in Cameroon *Lobo Hill, near Belchite, Aragon, Spain * Lobo, Ontario, near London, Ontario, Canada Pe ...
'' *''
NBC Monday Night at the Movies ''The NBC Monday Movie'' was a television anthology series of films that debuted on February 4, 1963 (in the middle of the 1962-63 season). It was referred to as ''Monday Night at the Movies'' prior to the mid-1980s. Contrary to popular contemp ...
'' *'' Quincy, M.E.'' *'' Real People'' *'' Sanford'' New Series *'' Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters'' *''
The Brady Brides ''The Brady Bunch'' is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family with six children. The show aired for five seasons and, after ...
'' * *'' Comedy Theater'' * *'' Flamingo Road'' * *'' Games People Play'' *''
The Gangster Chronicles ''The Gangster Chronicles'' is a 1981 American crime drama television miniseries starring Michael Nouri, Joe Penny, Jon Polito, Louis Giambalvo, Kathleen Lloyd, Madeleine Stowe, Chad Redding, Markie Post, Allan Arbus, James Andronica, Robert Davi ...
'' * *''
Harper Valley PTA "Harper Valley P.T.A." is a country song written by Tom T. Hall which in 1968 became a major international hit single for country singer Jeannie C. Riley. Riley's record, her debut, sold over six million copies as a single, and it made her the ...
'' * *'' Hill Street Blues'' *'' Marie'' *'' NBC Magazine'' *'' Number 96'' * *'' Nero Wolfe'' * *''The Steve Allen Comedy Hour'' *'' Walking Tall'' Not returning from 1979–80: *'' The Big Show'' *''
Eischied ''Eischied'' (, ) is an American crime drama television series that aired on NBC from September 21, 1979, to July 1, 1980. It was based on the starring character from the 1978 miniseries ''To Kill a Cop'', which was based on the 1976 novel by Ro ...
'' *'' From Here to Eternity'' *''
Good Time Harry ''Good Time Harry'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from July 19, 1980, to September 13, 1980. Premise The series centered on Harry Jenkins, a sportswriter for the ''San Francisco Sentinel'' whose playboy escapades often got in the way of ...
'' *'' Hello, Larry'' *''
Here's Boomer ''Here's Boomer'' is an American adventure/drama television series produced by Paramount Television that premiered on the NBC network on March 14, 1980. A television film called ''A Christmas for Boomer'' aired on December 6, 1979 and served as ...
'' *'' Joe's World'' *'' A Man Called Sloane'' *'' Me and Maxx'' *''
Kate Loves a Mystery ''Mrs. Columbo'' (1979–1980), later called ''Kate Columbo'', ''Kate the Detective'', and ''Kate Loves a Mystery'', is an American crime drama television series, initially based on the wife of Lieutenant Columbo, the title character from the ...
'' *'' Pink Lady'' *'' The Rockford Files'' *''
Skag ''Skag'' is an American drama series that aired on NBC and starred Karl Malden. ''Skag'' originated as a three-hour television movie that aired on January 6, 1980 (as an installment of ''The Big Event''). Over a week later, it then premiered as ...
'' *'' Shirley'' *'' United States'' Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1980-81 United States network television schedule United States primetime network television schedules 1980 in American television 1981 in American television