The year 1994 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events in 1994. For the American TV schedule, see: 1994-95 United States network television schedule. [edit] Events - January 23 - CBS, which had broadcast National Football League games since 1956, airs its final telecast, with the Dallas Cowboys defeating the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, 38-21. CBS lost their NFL broadcasting rights to the fledgling Fox Network. CBS however, would regain NFL rights (taking over the AFC package from NBC) in 1998.
- February 4 - The Days of our Lives nighttime special Winter Heat airs on NBC.
- February 19 - In the opening monologue of Saturday Night Live, host Martin Lawrence made sexually explicit jokes about female genitalia and feminine hygiene. In repeats of the episode, the offending section of the monologue is replaced by a title card read by an off-screen player, saying that although Saturday Night Live takes a neutral stand on the issues raised by Lawrence, network policy prevents his remarks from being re-broadcast, and that the incident almost cost the entire cast of SNL their jobs. Lawrence is banned from NBC for one year and is also banned from appearing on the show for life.
- March 31 - Madonna appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman and makes headlines for going on a profanity-laden tirade. Robin Williams later describes the segment as a "battle of wits with an unarmed woman." This episode is the most censored in American network television talk-show history, and resulted in some of the highest ratings of Letterman's late-night career.
- April 16 - BBC2 celebrates its 30th birthday (four days early) with an evening of programmes selected and introduced by former controller David Attenborough. Among them are episodes of Elizabeth R and The Barry Humphries Show, a 1967 documentary about politics in India and a new episode of Call My Bluff.
- May 23 - Star Trek: The Next Generation concludes its seven-year run with the series finale, All Good Things... The two-hour finale was aired at 6 p.m. on most affiliates, rather than as part of the prime time lineup.
- June 1 - The US cable channel, FX is launched.
- June 11 - World Wrestling Federation superstar Hulk Hogan signs a deal with World Championship Wrestling on a live broadcast of WCW Saturday Night.
- June 17 - NFL star O.J. Simpson and his friend Al Cowlings flee from police in his white Ford Bronco. The low-speed chase, which unfolds live on U.S. television, ends up at Simpson's mansion in Brentwood, California, where he then surrenders to police.
- June 17 - In Jackson, Mississippi, DirecTV a DBS service launches.
- August 12 - The soap opera All My Children airs a memorial episode for original cast member Frances Heflin, who died in June. The memorial is in the form of a funeral service for Heflin's character, Mona Kane Tyler.
- August 16 - A new channel, Sky Sports 2, launches.
- September 12 - Original Family Feud host Richard Dawson returns to the show after 9 years, replacing his successor, Ray Combs.
- October 3 - Two more channels, Sky Soap and Sky Real Lives, then known as Sky Travel, launch.
- October 19 - The Goodnight Kiwi airs in New Zealand for the last time until 2007 as TV2 moves to 24-hour television 7 days a week.
- October 31 - FX spinoff, Fox Movie Channel, premiering movies 24 hours a day, launches. formerly known as fXM: Movies from Fox.
- December 1 - The Game Show Network, a network devoted to broadcasting classic game shows, is launched in the United States.
[edit] Debuts [edit] Miniseries [edit] Television shows - Moneyline (1980–present)
- Entertainment Tonight (1981–present)
- What Now, New Zealand (1982–present)
- Timewatch (UK) (1982-present)
- Taggart, UK (1983-present)
- Loving (1983-1995).
- The Bill (UK) (1984-present).
- Jeopardy! (1964–1975, 1984–present)
- Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996)
- SportsDesk, Canada (1984–present)
- EastEnders (UK) (1985-present).
- Neighbours (Australia) (1985-present).
- Sally (1985-2002).
- Casualty (UK) (1986-present).
- Comic Relief (UK) (1986-present).
- Matlock (1986–1996)
- The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986-present).
- Beadle's About (UK) (1987-1996).
- The Bold and the Beautiful (1987-present).
- ChuckleVision (UK) (1987-present).
- Full House (1987–1995)
- Inspector Morse (1987-2000).
- Married... with Children (1987-1997).
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987-1996).
- Unsolved Mysteries (1987-1998, 2001-2002, 2008-present).
- America's Most Wanted (1988-present).
- The American Experience (1988-present).
- Fair City (1988-present).
- Les Guignols de l'info, France (1988–present)
- Home and Away, Australia (1988–present)
- This Morning (1988-present).
- Red Dwarf, UK (1988-1999).
- Children's Ward, UK (1988-2000).
- Electric Circus, Canada (1988-2003).
- Empty Nest (1988-1995).
- Family Feud (1976-1985, 1988-1995, 1999-present).
- Garfield and Friends (1988-1995).
- Murphy Brown (1988-1998).
- Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988-1999).
- Roseanne (1988-1997).
- Baywatch (1989-2001).
- COPS (1989-present).
- Family Matters (1989-1998).
- Seinfeld (1989-1998).
- The Simpsons (1989-present).
- Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994).
- Tales from the Crypt (1989-1996).
[edit] Changes of network affiliation [edit] Ending this year [edit] Births [edit] Deaths - January 1 - Cesar Romero, actor (The Joker on Batman)
- January 8 - Pat Buttram, actor (Mr. Haney on Green Acres)
- January 22 - Telly Savalas, actor (Theo Kojak on Kojak)
- January 28 - Hal Smith, actor (Otis on The Andy Griffith Show)
- February 11 - William Conrad, actor (Cannon, Jake and the Fatman).
- February 11 - Sorrell Booke, actor (Boss Hogg on The Dukes of Hazzard).
- February 24 - Dinah Shore, singer and talk show hostess.
- March 4 - John Candy, comedian and actor (SCTV).
- March 21 - Dack Rambo, actor (Jack Ewing on Dallas, from AIDS).
- March 22 - Walter Lantz, cartoonist, creator of Woody Woodpecker.
- April 2 - Betty Furness, consumer advocate and spokesperson.
- April 5 - Kurt Cobain, singer, songwriter, musician.
- April 18 - Don Fedderson, producer.
- April 22 - Richard M. Nixon, 37th President of the United States
- May 8 - George Peppard, actor (Banacek, Hannibal on The A-Team).
- May 22 - Jane Dulo, character actress (Get Smart, Gimme a Break!).
- June 1 - Frances Heflin, soap opera actress.
- June 7 - Dennis Potter, scriptwriter.
- June 7 - Rudolph Cartier, director.
- June 14 - Henry Mancini, composer
- July 8 - Dick Sargent, actor (Darren Stephens #2 on Bewitched)
- July 26 - Terry Scott, actor
- August 21 - Danitra Vance, comedian, the first African-American woman regular on Saturday Night Live, from breast cancer.
- September 3 - James T. Aubrey, former head of programming at CBS.
- October 2 - Harriet Nelson, singer and actress (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet)
- October 25 - Mildred Natwick, actress
- November 8 - Michael O'Donoghue, comedy writer (Saturday Night Live)
- November 9 - Priscilla Morrill, character actress (Mrs. Vanderkellen on Newhart).
- November 11 - Pedro Zamora, HIV-positive participant of The Real World
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