1971–72 United States network television schedule
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The following is the 1971–72 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1971 through August 1972. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1970–71 season. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football.
This season saw a drastic change in scheduling, as the Prime Time Access Rule was enacted, limiting networks to provide not more than 21 hours of primetime programming a week, also giving the Sunday night 7:00-7:30pm slot and the 7:30-8:00pm slot on Mondays and Wednesdays through Saturdays back to local affiliates.
New fall 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.[1]
The Public Broadcasting Service was in operation, but the schedule was set by each local station.
Legend
- Gray indicates encore programming.
- Blue-gray indicates news programming.
- Light green indicates sporting events.
- Red indicates series being burned off and other regularly scheduled programs, including specials and movies.
- highlight Lime highlights indicates the number-one most watched program of the season.
- highlight Yellow highlights indicates the top-10 most watched programs of the season.
- highlight Cyan highlights indicates numbers 11-20 most watched programs of the season.
- highlight Magenta highlights indicates numbers 21-30 most watched programs of the season.
- highlight Highlights indicates that it falls in multiple of the above categories.
Sunday
| Network | 7:30 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Local programming | The F.B.I. (17/22.4) | The ABC Sunday Night Movie (26/20.8) | |||||
| CBS | Fall | The CBS Sunday Night Movie | Cade's County | Local programming | ||||
| Summer | The Life of Leonardo da Vinci | |||||||
| NBC | The Wonderful World of Disney (19/22.0) | The Jimmy Stewart Show | Bonanza (20/21.9) | The Bold Ones: The New Doctors / The Lawyers | ||||
Note: 60 Minutes aired at 6:00-7:00 pm on CBS from January to June 1972.
Monday
| Network | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Nanny and the Professor | Local programming | ABC NFL Monday Night Football (25/20.9) | |||
| Winter | Monday Night Special | The ABC Monday Night Movie | |||||
| CBS | Fall | Gunsmoke (4/26.0) | Here's Lucy (10/23.7) (Tied with The Mary Tyler Moore Show) |
The Doris Day Show (23/21.2) (Tied with The Carol Burnett Show) |
My Three Sons | Arnie | |
| Winter | The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour (27/20.2) | ||||||
| Summer | Suspense Theatre | ||||||
| Follow-Up | Cade's County | ||||||
| NBC | Fall | Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (22/21.4) | NBC Monday Night at the Movies | ||||
| Summer | The Baseball World of Joe Garagiola (8:00) / Monday Night Baseball (8:15) | ||||||
Tuesday
| Network | 7:30 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | The Mod Squad (21/21.5) | ABC Movie of the Week (5/25.6) | Marcus Welby, M.D. (3/27.8) | |||||
| CBS | Fall | The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour | Hawaii Five-O (12/23.6) | Cannon (28/19.8) (Tied with Room 222) |
Local programming | |||
| Summer | The Jerry Reed When You're Hot You're Hot Hour | |||||||
| Follow-up | The John Byner Comedy Hour | |||||||
| NBC | Fall | Ironside (15/23.0) | Sarge | The Funny Side | ||||
| November | Sarge | The Funny Side | James Garner as Nichols | |||||
| Winter | Local programming | |||||||
| Summer | Ponderosa (R) | NBC Action Playhouse (R) | ||||||
Note: The NBC 1972 summer series Ponderosa consisted of reruns of Bonanza episodes from the 1967-1970 period. More recent reruns of Bonanza also aired that summer under the show's original name in its regular Sunday evening time slot. NBC Action Playhouse consisted of reruns from Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, with new introductions by Peter Marshall.
Wednesday
| Network | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Bewitched | The Courtship of Eddie's Father | The Smith Family | Shirley's World | The Man and the City | |
| Winter | The Courtship of Eddie's Father | The ABC Comedy Hour | The Persuaders! | Local programming | |||
| Spring | The Smith Family | The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine | |||||
| Summer | The Super | The Corner Bar | ABC Comedy Hour Presents the Kopykats (R) | ||||
| CBS | Fall | The Carol Burnett Show (23/21.2) (Tied with The Doris Day Show) |
Medical Center (13/23.5) | Mannix (7/24.8) | |||
| Summer | The David Steinberg Show | ||||||
| NBC | Adam-12 (8/23.9) (Tied with Funny Face) |
The NBC Mystery Movie: Columbo / McCloud / McMillan & Wife (14/23.2) | Night Gallery | ||||
Note: The ABC 1972 summer series ABC Comedy Hour Presents the Kopykats consisted of reruns of ABC Comedy Hour from earlier in the year.
Thursday
| Network | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Alias Smith and Jones | Longstreet | Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law | ||||
| CBS | Fall | Bearcats! | CBS Thursday Night Movie | ||||
| Winter | Me and the Chimp | My Three Sons | |||||
| Summer | My World and Welcome to It (R) | ||||||
| NBC | Fall | The Flip Wilson Show (2/28.2) | Nichols | The Dean Martin Show | |||
| November | Ironside (15/23.0) | ||||||
| Summer | Dean Martin Presents the Bobby Darin Amusement Co. | ||||||
Note: My World and Welcome to It consisted of reruns of NBC's 1969-70 sitcom.
Friday
| Network | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | The Brady Bunch | The Partridge Family (16/22.6) | Room 222 (28/19.8) (Tied with Cannon) |
The Odd Couple | Love, American Style | ||
| CBS | Fall | The Chicago Teddy Bears | O'Hara, U.S. Treasury | The New CBS Friday Night Movie (30/19.5) | |||
| Winter | O'Hara, U.S. Treasury | The New CBS Friday Night Movie (30/19.5) | The Don Rickles Show | ||||
| Summer | The Governor & J.J. | ||||||
| NBC | Fall | The D.A. | World Premiere Movie / Chronolog* (once a month) | Local programming | |||
| Winter | Sanford and Son (6/25.2) | ||||||
| Summer | The Partners | ||||||
* formerly First Tuesday[2]
Saturday
| Network | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Getting Together | Movie of the Weekend | The Persuaders! | |||
| Winter | Bewitched | The Sixth Sense | |||||
| Summer | The Ken Berry "Wow" Show | ||||||
| CBS | Fall | All in the Family (1/34.0) | Funny Face (8/23.9) (Tied with Adam-12) |
The New Dick Van Dyke Show (18/22.2) | The Mary Tyler Moore Show (10/23.7) (Tied with Here's Lucy) |
Mission: Impossible | |
| Winter | The Mary Tyler Moore Show (10/23.7) (Tied with Here's Lucy) |
Arnie | |||||
| NBC | Fall | The Partners | The Good Life | NBC Saturday Night at the Movies | |||
| Winter | Emergency! | ||||||
By network
ABC
|
Returning Series
|
New Series |
Not returning from 1970–71:
|
CBS
|
Returning Series |
New Series |
Not returning from 1970–71:
|
NBC
|
Returning Series |
New Series |
Not returning from 1970–71:
|
Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason.