1996–97 United States network television schedule

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The 1996–1997 United States network television schedule is for the United States broadcast television on all six commercial television networks for the fall season beginning in September 1996 and ending in August 1997. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football.

New series highlighted in bold.

Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.[1]

  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.

Other Legend

  •   Light blue indicates local programming.
  •   Gray indicates encore programming.
  •   Blue-gray indicates news programming.
  •   Light green indicates sporting events.
  •   Light Purple indicates movies.
  •   Red indicates series being burned off and other regularly scheduled programs, include

PBS is not included; member stations have local flexibility over most of their schedules and broadcast times for network shows may vary.

Sunday[]

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 Fall America's Funniest Home Videos America's Funniest Home Videos Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman The ABC Sunday Night Movie
Winter Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman America's Funniest Home Videos America's Funniest Home Videos
Spring America's Funniest Home Videos America's Funniest Home Videos Second Noah
Summer Second Noah America's Funniest Home Videos America's Funniest Home Videos
CBS 60 Minutes (#11/13.3) Touched by an Angel (#10/13.6) CBS Sunday Movie (#14/12.1)
Fox Fall Big Deal Fox Sunday Movie / MLB Playoffs and World Series
Late Fall Married... with Children Married... with Children The Simpsons Ned & Stacey The X-Files (#21/11.4)
(Tied with Cosby)
Local Programming
Winter Various Specials King of the Hill
Summer Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction
NBC Fall Dateline NBC 3rd Rock from the Sun (#27/10.8)
(Tied with Law & Order)
Boston Common NBC Sunday Night Movie (#18/11.5)
(Tied with The Drew Carey Show)
Summer NewsRadio
The WB Fall Kirk Brotherly Love The Parent 'Hood The Steve Harvey Show Unhappily Ever After Life with Roger Local Programming
Follow Up Brotherly Love
Winter Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher
June Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher The Parent 'Hood The Steve Harvey Show The Wayans Bros.
July Buffy the Vampire Slayer
August The Jamie Foxx Show The Jamie Foxx Show

Monday[]

Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Dangerous Minds Monday Night Football (#7/16.0)
Winter The ABC Monday Night Movie
Spring Spy Game
Follow Up Relativity
May Various Specials
Summer World of Discovery
August Preseason NFL Football
CBS Fall Cosby (#21/11.2)
(Tied with The X-Files)
Pearl Murphy Brown Cybill (#30/10.5)
(Tied with Chicago Hope and Dateline NBC)
Chicago Hope (#30/10.5)
(Tied with Dateline NBC and Cybill)
Follow Up Ink
Spring Everybody Loves Raymond Cybill (#30/10.5)
(Tied with Chicago Hope and Dateline NBC)
Ink
May Murphy Brown
Summer Everybody Loves Raymond Murphy Brown
Fox Fall Melrose Place Party Girl Lush Life Local Programming
Winter Ned and Stacey Married... with Children
Follow Up Married... with Children
Spring Pauly
May Married... with Children
Summer MAD TV Primetime The Ruby Wax Show
Mid-Summer Various Specials Roar
NBC Fall The Jeff Foxworthy Show Mr. Rhodes The NBC Monday Movie (#23/11.0)
(Tied with Walker, Texas Ranger, Mad About You and Caroline in the City)
Spring Boston Common
Summer The NBC Monday Movie (#23/11.0)
(Tied with Walker, Texas Ranger, Mad About You and Caroline in the City)
Dateline NBC
Follow Up Suddenly Susan Fired Up Caroline in the City (#23/11.0)
(Tied with Walker, Texas Ranger Mad About You and The NBC Monday Movie)
Wings
UPN Fall In the House Malcolm & Eddie Goode Behavior Sparks Local Programming
Winter Sparks Goode Behavior
The WB Fall 7th Heaven Savannah
Spring Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Note: On CBS, the debut of Ink was delayed by a month due to production problems, resulting in another new sitcom, Pearl, which aired temporarily in its slot before moving to its own originally designated Wednesday time period in late October.

Tuesday[]

Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Roseanne Life's Work Home Improvement (#9/14.0) Spin City (#17/11.7) NYPD Blue (#13/12.5)
Winter Ellen (Repeats)
Spring Home Improvement (Repeats) Soul Man The Practice
Summer Roseanne Life's Work NYPD Blue (#13/12.5)
August Grace Under Fire
CBS Promised Land CBS Tuesday Movie
Fox Fox Tuesday Night Movie Local Programming
NBC Fall Mad About You (#23/11.0)
(Tied with Walker, Texas Ranger, Caroline in the City and The NBC Monday Movie)
Something So Right Frasier (#16/11.8) Caroline in the City (#23/11.0)
(Tied with Walker, Texas Ranger Mad About You and The NBC Monday Movie)
Dateline Tuesday (#20/11.4)
July The Naked Truth
August NewsRadio Just Shoot Me!
UPN Fall Moesha Homeboys in Outer Space The Burning Zone Local Programming
Spring Social Studies
Follow Up Homeboys in Outer Space
Mid-Summer Social Studies Malcolm & Eddie In the House

Wednesday[]

Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Ellen (#29/10.6) Townies Grace Under Fire The Drew Carey Show (#18/11.5)
(Tied with The NBC Sunday Night Movie)
Primetime Live (#15/11.9)
Winter Grace Under Fire Coach The Drew Carey Show (#18/11.5)
(Tied with The NBC Sunday Night Movie)
Ellen (#29/10.6)
Spring Arsenio
Follow Up Ellen (#29/10.6)
CBS Fall The Nanny Almost Perfect CBS Wednesday Movie
Late October Pearl Almost Perfect Public Morals EZ Streets
Follow Up CBS Wednesday Movie
Winter Coast to Coast Orleans
Spring Temporarily Yours Feds EZ Streets
Follow Up Dave's World CBS Wednesday Movie
Summer Pearl
Mid-Summer Murphy Brown Coast to Coast 48 Hours
Fox Fall Beverly Hills, 90210 Party of Five Local Programming
Spring Pacific Palisades
Summer Various Specials
NBC Fall Wings The John Larroquette Show NewsRadio Men Behaving Badly Law & Order (#27/10.8)
(Tied with 3rd Rock from the Sun)
Follow Up 3rd Rock from the Sun (Repeats)
Winter Chicago Sons
Spring NewsRadio Wings Just Shoot Me! Prince Street
Follow Up The Single Guy Men Behaving Badly Law & Order (#27/10.8)
(Tied with 3rd Rock from the Sun)
Summer Wings Chicago Sons
Mid-Summer NBC Wednesday Night Movie
UPN The Sentinel Star Trek: Voyager Local Programming
The WB Fall Sister, Sister Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher The Wayans Bros. The Jamie Foxx Show
Spring Smart Guy The Jamie Foxx Show The Wayans Bros.
Summer The Parent 'Hood
Mid-Summer The Steve Harvey Show
Follow Up Smart Guy The Wayans Bros. The Steve Harvey Show

Note: On CBS, due to the effect of the debut delay of Ink on Monday, the first month of the new season on this night aired Almost Perfect at 8:30 p.m., followed by CBS Wednesday Movies at 9 p.m. The originally planned fall Wednesday lineup took shape at the end of October with Pearl taking over at 8:30 p.m., Almost Perfect moving to 9 p.m., Public Morals debuting at 9:30 p.m., and EZ Streets debuting at 10 p.m. This lasted for only one week in late October. CBS cancelled Public Morals after it aired the 1st, and only, episode. This meant Almost Perfect would soon be cancelled. EZ Streets would be given a 2nd chance in the spring.

Thursday[]

Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall High Incident Murder One Turning Point
Winter The ABC Thursday Night Movie
Spring Vital Signs Turning Point
Mid-Summer Turning Point Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher
Follow Up Various ABC News Specials
CBS Fall Diagnosis: Murder Moloney 48 Hours
Mid-Summer Promised Land Diagnosis: Murder
Fox Martin Living Single New York Undercover Local Programming
NBC Fall Friends (#4/16.8)
(Tied with The Naked Truth)
The Single Guy (#8/14.1) Seinfeld (#2/20.5) Suddenly Susan (#3/17.0) ER (#1/21.2)
Winter The Naked Truth (#4/16.8)
(Tied with Friends)
Spring Suddenly Susan (#3/17.0) Law & Order (#27/10.8)
(Tied with 3rd Rock from the Sun)
Follow Up Fired Up (#6/16.5) ER (#1/21.2)
Summer Men Behaving Badly Suddenly Susan (#3/17.0)
August 3rd Rock from the Sun

Friday[]

Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Family Matters Sabrina the Teenage Witch Clueless Boy Meets World 20/20 (#12/12.8)
Follow Up Boy Meets World Sabrina the Teenage Witch Clueless
Spring Step by Step
Summer Step by Step Clueless
August Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
CBS Fall Dave's World Everybody Loves Raymond Mr. & Mrs. Smith Nash Bridges
December Various Specials
January JAG
Spring JAG Orleans
Summer Dave's World Life... and Stuff JAG
Mid-Summer Ordinary Extraordinary
Fox Fall Sliders The X-Files Local Programming
Late Fall Millennium
NBC Fall Unsolved Mysteries Dateline NBC (#30/10.5)
(Tied with Chicago Hope and Cybill)
Homicide: Life on the Street
Follow Up Crisis Center
Spring Homicide: Life on the Street
Summer Profiler
Mid-Summer Homicide: Life on the Street

Saturday[]

Network 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Second Noah Coach Common Law Relativity
Winter The ABC Saturday Night Movie
Spring Dangerous Minds The ABC Saturday Night Movie
April Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Leaving L.A. Gun
Summer Family Matters Hangin' with Mr. Cooper Dangerous Minds Spy Game
Mid-Summer Various Specials The Practice
CBS Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Early Edition Walker, Texas Ranger (#23/11.0)
(Tied with Mad About You, Caroline in the City and The NBC Monday Movie)
Fox Fall COPS COPS Married... with Children Love and Marriage Local Programming
Winter America's Most Wanted
Spring America's Most Wanted Lawless
Late Spring COPS America's Most Wanted
NBC Fall Dark Skies The Pretender Profiler
Late Spring Various Specials
Summer The Pretender NBC Saturday Night Movie

Note: America's Most Wanted would debut in November at 9:00 on Fox. Married... with Children moved to Sundays at 7-8pm in November, Mondays at 9:30 in January, and Mondays at 9pm in February. Lawless was canceled after one episode.

By network[]

ABC[]

CBS[]

Fox[]

NBC[]

UPN[]

The WB[]

References[]

  1. ^ 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. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
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