The following is the 1964–65 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1964 through August 1965. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancel after the 1963–64 season.
This is the first full season in which NBC broadcast more than 50% of its schedule in color, a fact which the network emphasized during its September 19–25 premiere week.[1]
CBS and ABC, still mostly in black and white, continued rolling out rural sitcoms; in fall 1964, the networks added Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (CBS) and No Time For Sergeants (ABC) to their respective schedules. According to television historians Castleman and Podrazik (1982), critics objected to CBS's rural sitcom-heavy schedule, particularly the Gomer Pyle character, but the "high ratings earned by the silly gimmicks and simpleton heroes would assure rural sitcoms spots in the network schedules for years".[1]
Castleman and Podrazik also point out the large number of "escapist" programs which debuted during the fall of 1964: Gilligan's Island (CBS), Bewitched (ABC), My Living Doll (CBS), The Addams Family (ABC) and The Munsters (CBS). Only NBC avoided the escapist trend during the season,[1] with the exception of The Man From U.N.C.L.E..
All times are Eastern and Pacific. Premieres are highlighted in bold while endings are highlighted in italics.
Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.[2]
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.
| 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Local | Wagon Train | Broadside | The ABC Sunday Night Movie (Periodically in COLOR) | |||||
| CBS | Fall | Lassie (17/25.1) | My Favorite Martian (24/23.7) | The Ed Sullivan Show (15/25.2) (Tied with Petticoat Junction) | My Living Doll | The Joey Bishop Show | Candid Camera | What's My Line? | |
| Winter | For the People | ||||||||
| Summer | The Twilight Zone (repeats) | ||||||||
| NBC | Fall | Profiles in Courage (began at 6:30) | Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (11/25.7) (In COLOR) | The Bill Dana Show | Bonanza (1/36.3) (In COLOR) | The Rogues | |||
| Winter | Branded (14/25.3) | ||||||||
| Summer | Buckskin (repeats) | ||||||||
On NBC, some episodes of Branded aired in color. Buckskin, which aired on NBC in July and August 1965, consisted of reruns of the 1958–1959 series.
On CBS, Bill & Martha was originally supposed to have aired 9:30 p.m., but it was replaced by The Joey Bishop Show before it ever began.[3] [4]
| Network | 7:30 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea | No Time for Sergeants | Wendy and Me | The Bing Crosby Show | Ben Casey | ||
| Summer | The Farmer's Daughter | |||||||
| CBS | Fall | To Tell the Truth | I've Got a Secret (26/23.0) | The Andy Griffith Show (4/28.3) | The Lucy Show (8/26.6) | Many Happy Returns | Slattery's People | |
| Winter | CBS Reports / CBS News Specials | |||||||
| Spring | The Danny Thomas Show | |||||||
| Summer | Summer Playhouse | Glynis (repeats) | ||||||
| NBC | Fall | 90 Bristol Court (consisting of 3 half-hour sitcoms): Karen (7:30-8:00); Harris Against the World (8:00-8:30); and Tom, Dick, and Mary (8:30-9:00) | The Andy Williams Show (In COLOR) / The Jonathan Winters Show | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | ||||
| Winter | Karen | The Man From U.N.C.L.E. | ||||||
| Network | 7:30 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Combat! (10/26.1) | McHale's Navy (29/22.3) | The Tycoon | Peyton Place (20/24.6) | The Fugitive (5/27.9) | |||
| CBS | Fall | Local | World War One | The Red Skelton Hour (6/27.4) | Petticoat Junction (15/25.2) (Tied with The Ed Sullivan Show) | The Doctors and the Nurses | ||
| Winter | The Joey Bishop Show | |||||||
| Summer | Hollywood Talent Scouts | |||||||
| NBC | Fall | Mr. Novak | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | That Was The Week That Was (In COLOR) | The Bell Telephone Hour (In COLOR) | |||
| Winter | Hullabaloo (In COLOR) | |||||||
| Summer | Moment of Fear | Cloak of Mystery | Hullabaloo (In COLOR) | |||||
| Network | 7:30 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet | The Patty Duke Show (28/22.4) | Shindig! | Mickey | Burke's Law | ABC Scope | ||
| Winter | Shindig! | ||||||||
| CBS | Fall | CBS Reports / CBS News Specials | The Beverly Hillbillies (12/25.6) | The Dick Van Dyke Show (7/27.1) | The Cara Williams Show | The Danny Kaye Show | |||
| Follow-up | Mister Ed | My Living Doll | |||||||
| Summer | Our Private World | The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (repeats) | |||||||
| NBC | The Virginian (22/24.0) (In COLOR) | NBC Wednesday Night at the Movies (Sporadically in COLOR) | |||||||
| Network | 7:30 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | The Flintstones (In COLOR) | The Donna Reed Show | My Three Sons (13/25.5) | Bewitched (2/31.0) | Peyton Place (9/26.4) | The Jimmy Dean Show | ||
| December | Jonny Quest (In COLOR) | ||||||||
| CBS | Fall | The Munsters (18/24.7) (Tied with Gilligan's Island) | Perry Mason | Password | The Baileys of Balboa | The Defenders | |||
| Summer | The Celebrity Game | ||||||||
| NBC | Daniel Boone | Dr. Kildare | Hazel (In COLOR) | Kraft Suspense Theatre (In COLOR) / Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall (once a month) | |||||
| Network | 7:30 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Jonny Quest (In COLOR) | The Farmer's Daughter | The Addams Family (23/23.9) | Valentine's Day | 12 O'Clock High | Local | ||
| December | The Flintstones (In COLOR) | ||||||||
| Winter | F.D.R. | 12 O'Clock High | |||||||
| Summer | F.D.R. | Peyton Place | |||||||
| CBS | Fall | Rawhide | The Entertainers | Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (3/30.7) | The Reporter | ||||
| Winter | On Broadway Tonight | Slattery's People | |||||||
| Spring | The Great Adventure (repeats) | ||||||||
| Summer | The Cara Williams Show | Our Private World | Vacation Playhouse | ||||||
| NBC | International Showtime | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (In COLOR) / Chrysler Presents a Bob Hope Special (once monthly; most Bob Hope specials were in black-and-white) | The Jack Benny Program | The Jack Paar Program (In COLOR) | |||||
| Network | 7:30 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | The Outer Limits | The Lawrence Welk Show (30/22.0) | The Hollywood Palace | Local | |||
| Winter | The King Family Show | |||||||
| CBS | Fall | The Jackie Gleason Show (21/24.4) | Gilligan's Island (18/24.7) (Tied with The Munsters) | Mr. Broadway | Gunsmoke (27/22.6) | |||
| Winter | The Entertainers | |||||||
| Spring | Secret Agent | |||||||
| Summer | Fanfare | |||||||
| NBC | Fall | Flipper (25/23.4) (In COLOR) | The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo (In COLOR) | Kentucky Jones | NBC Saturday Night at the Movies (In COLOR) | |||
| Winter | Kentucky Jones | The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo (In COLOR) | ||||||
Returning Series
New Series
Not returning from 1963–64:
Returning Series
New Series
Not returning from 1963–64:
Returning Series
New Series
Not returning from 1963–64:
Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason.