2005 in American television
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The year 2005 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events in 2005.
For the American TV schedule, see: 2005-06 United States network television schedule.
Events
- January 1 - The U.S. channel package PT East, originally created by the New York, New York, company PrimeTime 24, and used by satellite TV viewers where over-the-air TV is unavailable, changes its ABC station from WKRN-TV (Nashville, Tennessee) to WABC-TV (New York, New York).
- DirecTV drops the Trio channel from its lineup. The network loses two-thirds of its 20 million viewers, putting in doubt the future of the NBC Universal channel.
- January 5 - The 35th anniversary episode of All My Children airs on ABC. The special episode, which brought back former characters Mark Dalton (Mark LaMura) and Nick Davis (Larry Keith), was also unique in that it was the last appearance of ailing actress Ruth Warrick. She died less than two weeks after the episode aired.
- January 8 - CBS airs the first episode of The Will, a reality series. Ratings for the show are so low, it becomes one of only a handful of series in American TV history to be cancelled after only one episode. Later in 2005, FOX also cancels Who's Your Daddy, another reality series, after a single episode.
- Jerry Springer The Opera airs on BBC Two, despite protests from Christian Voice and other groups.
- January 22 - The Fox Box, FOX's Saturday morning programming owned by 4Kids Entertainment, is rebranded to 4Kids TV.
- February 2 - Paramount Television and UPN announce the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise. Soon after, fan efforts begin in order to save the show, climaxing in a campaign that raises more than $3 million (US) towards funding further production, an offer Paramount ultimately rejects.
- February 6 - American Dad! pilot episode airs on FOX following a new episode of The Simpsons after Super Bowl XXXIX
- February 8 - Teachers' TV, run by the Department for Education and Skills, launched on Sky Digital (channel 686) and Freeview.
- February 19 - EastEnders celebrates its twentieth anniversary on the air, airing a special episode in which Dirty Den Watts is killed by his new wife Chrissie. 14.34 million watch, the UK's second highest rated programme of 2005 (the first was an episode of Coronation Street three days later).
- February 23 - UKTV Style Gardens, a channel dedicated to gardening programmes, launched.
- February 26 - Sound TV, known pre-launch as The Great British Television Channel, launched on Sky Digital (588). It closed in the Autumn.
- March 7 - ABC Australia launches its second TV station, available only to digital viewers, ABC2.
- March 9 - On the 24th anniversary of his debut at the anchor desk, Dan Rather retires as head anchor of the CBS Evening News and is succeeded by Bob Schieffer on an interim basis.
- March 18 - G4 airs the final episode of the former TechTV series The Screen Savers, the show is rebranded and debuts as Attack of the Show the next week.
- March 26 - Nine years after its last new episode and sixteen years since its last regular run, Doctor Who returns to BBC1 for a new season, the twenty-seventh in total since 1963. Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper star. An average 10.81 million viewers, over 40% of the watching audience, tune in, winning its timeslot and making it No. 3 BBC show and No. 7 across all channels for the week. The episode went on to become the UK's 6th highest rated programme of 2005. Within weeks of the broadcast of the first episode, the BBC commissions two further seasons of the series, while at the same time is forced to contend with a public relations issue when another branch of the BBC prematurely announces that Eccleston is leaving the program at the end of the current season.
- April 1 - ABC news anchor Peter Jennings anchors what will turn out to be his final World News Tonight telecast.
- April 2 - Digital channel BBC Four broadcasts a live re-make of the famous 1953 science-fiction drama The Quatermass Experiment. The production is the first live drama broadcast by the BBC for over twenty years, and draws BBC Four's second highest audience to date, with an average of 482,000 viewers.
- April 5 - The North American premiere of the new Doctor Who series occurs on the CBC in Canada, the first channel outside of BBC One in the UK to air the new show.
- April 5- Peter Jennings informs viewers of World News Tonight, via a taped segment that he has been diagnosed with lung cancer and is beginning chemotherapy. He dies in August 2005.
- April 7 -Selena ¡VIVE! was held on April 7, 2005 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. Selena ¡VIVE! was a tribute concert held in honor of the 10th Anniversary of the Tejano Star, Selena's death which occurred on March 31, 1995.
- April 8 - 12.9 million viewers watched Ken Barlow tie the knot with Deirdre Rachid on Coronation Street, one day before Prince Charles's wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles (8.7 million viewers watched). The scheduling move echoed Ken and Deirdre's first marriage, which occurred two days before Charles's nuptials to Diana, Princess of Wales, and which also beat the Royal wedding in the television ratings (see 1981 in television).
- April 12 - Canadian LGBT channel PrideVision is rebranded as OUTtv and launches a new adult channel called HARD on PrideVision.
- April 8 - Live broadcast of the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
- May 1 - Family Guy returns on FOX after three years off the schedule. This return was brought about after the unexpected popularity of the series' cable reruns and DVD releases.
- May 2 - Hunter Tylo returns to The Bold and the Beautiful (arguably the most-watched television series in the world) after her character, Dr. Taylor Forrester, was "killed off" three years ago. The revelation that she was alive shocked many viewers and publications as it had not been hinted by any other sources, print or online.
- May 13 - The controversial final episode of Star Trek: Enterprise airs in the United States, bringing to a close an 18-year, uninterrupted run of four consecutive or concurrent Star Trek series dating back to 1987.
- June 18 - Christopher Eccleston's final episode of the Ninth Doctor in Doctor Who, 'The Parting of the Ways', is broadcast on BBC One. David Tennant becomes the Tenth Doctor in the same episode.
- June 23 - Live Roulette TV, an interactive gaming show, launches on Sky digital in the United Kingdom.
- June 25 - The Girl in the Café, a comedy-drama by Richard Curtis made as part of the global Make Poverty History campaign, is shown by both BBC One in the United Kingdom and HBO in the United States on the same day.
- June 26 - Former Countdown presenter Richard Whiteley, dies from pneumonia, at the age of 61.
- June 30:
- LOGO, a TV channel aimed at lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender adults, is launched in the United States.
- MTV Canada and MTV2 cease to broadcast in Canada; owner CHUM Limited rebrands them as Razer and PunchMuch.
- July 1 - The PAX network rebrands itself as i.
- July 17 - After forty-one years broadcasting on BBC One, music show Top of the Pops is switched to the less mainstream BBC Two channel due to declining audiences. This is not enough to save it, and it is axed the following year.
- July 27 - Neighbours celebrates its twentieth anniversary on air with a special episode featuring video messages from a variety of departed characters.
- August 1 - Current TV, a 24-hour youth-oriented news channel owned by the former U.S. vice president Al Gore, is launched.
- August 7 - ABC's acclaimed newsanchor Peter Jennings dies of lung cancer. He is succeeded by Bob Woodruff and Elizabeth Vargas on World News Tonight.
- August 29 and after - Hurricane Katrina strikes the Greater New Orleans area, causing major disruption of the region's television broadcasts. Local television news programs relocate to other cities in order to cover the story, though most are knocked off the air by the storm; some continue to broadcast reports over the Internet.
- September 2 - While presenting on the NBC Concert for Hurricane Relief, music producer and rapper Kanye West strayed from his script and addressed what he perceived as the racism of both the government and of the media, stating: "George Bush doesn't care about black people", and called for the media to stop labelling African-American families as "looters" while white families were depicted as "looking for food."
- September 8 - Faze TV, a British digital channel aimed at gay men, cancels its launch after failing to secure sufficient funding to deliver "sufficient quality." [1]
- September 18 - The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were handed out at the Shrine Auditorium on CBS.
- September 20 - Maggie Ausburn is crowned the winner of the American version of Big Brother 6, and wins the $500,000 prize. Runner-Up Ivette Corredero wins $50,000.
- September 26 & 27 - No Direction Home, Martin Scorsese's documentary on Bob Dylan, receives its broadcast premiere on BBC Two in the UK, under the Arena banner.
- September - ITV celebrates its 50th anniversary with a collection of special programmmes, under the name ITV50.
- October 1 - NBC's Saturday Night Live begins broadcasting in HDTV.
- October 10 - More4, a digital channel from Channel 4 offering factual content, launches.
- October 20 - Neon Genesis Evangelion debuts for the first time on US network TV on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block.
- October 22 - Tina Fey returns from maternity leave to resume her duties on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update skit.
- October 24 - Sky News moves to new studios, with a new schedule and on-air look.
- October 25 - The relaunched Doctor Who is the major winner at the annual National Television Awards in the UK, taking the Most Popular Drama award, with its stars Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper winning Most Popular Actor and Most Popular actress.
- October 30 - A S$7 million co-production movie between Germany and Singapore, House of Harmony, a lavish period drama based on a Barbara Wood novel, premiered on Germany's ZDF channel. Starring Singapore's Fann Wong, Hong Kong's Maggie Q and Germany's Philippe Brenninkmeyer and Daniel Morgenroth, the telemovie was telecast on primetime to a viewership of more than seven million.
- October 31 - Sky Three is launched on British digital terrestrial and satellite platforms. On the same day Sky Mix is rebranded as Sky Two. On the same day, Sky Travel ceases transmission on Freeview.
- November 1 - ITV4, a digital channel aimed at men, is launched in the UK. It is launched on Sky Digital Channel 120 on November 7.
- November 7-November 28 - BBC One broadcasts ShakespeaRe-Told, a series of four adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays based in 21st century Britain. The plays in order are Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
- November 8 - Days of Our Lives celebrates its fortieth anniversary on the air.
- November 18 - BBC One broadcasts this year's annual Children in Need appeal. It contains several highlights, including Catherine Tate in Eastenders, the BBC Newsreaders performing "Bohemian Rhapsody", and a brand new Doctor Who adventure. The first to fully star David Tennant as the Doctor, the 7 minute episode directly follows on from "The Parting of the Ways" and leads into "The Christmas Invasion".
- November 22 - Ted Koppel steps down as host of ABC's Nightline after 25 years.
- December 1 - Oprah Winfrey appears on the Late Show with David Letterman, joining host David Letterman for the first time in sixteen years.
- December 2 - Knots Landing airs its special nondescript show entitled, Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again.
- December 7-December 16 - Space Cadets is shown on Channel 4, a hoax reality TV show where the contestants believe they are in a space shuttle orbiting Earth, when in fact they are in a set in a disused aircraft hangar in Suffolk.
- December 15 - Sir Trevor McDonald makes his final ITN news broadcast after over 25 years. As a tribute, the closing theme tune for the News at Ten Thirty that night is replaced with the News at Ten theme used from 1992 to 1999, McDonald having presented the show during that time.
- December 16 - NBC Universal Global Networks launches Sci Fi Channel (France).
- December 23 - ITV News Channel closed. [2]
- December 25 - BBC One airs the Doctor Who Christmas special, "The Christmas Invasion".
Debuts
- January 3 - Medium on NBC (2005-present).
- January 4 - Committed on NBC (2005).
- January 6 - Wickedly Perfect on CBS (2005).
- January 8 - Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide on Nickelodeon (UK).(2005-present)
- January 9 - Zoey 101 on Nickelodeon (2005-present)
- January 13 - Tilt on ESPN (2005).
- January 21 - American Dragon: Jake Long a Disney Channel original animated series.
- January 14 - Battlestar Galactica on SciFi in the US (2005-present).
- January 23 - NUMB3RS on CBS (2005-present).
- February 14 - Kudlow & Company on CNBC (2005-present)
- February 16 - The Apprentice on BBC Two (2005-2006), moved to BBC One in 2007.
- February 19 - Mew Mew Power (Tokyo Mew Mew in Japan and the manga version) debuts on 4Kids TV in the US (2005-July 22, 2006). The series stopped after 26 episodes and no word of it coming back.
- February 21 - Avatar: The Last Airbender starts airing on Nickelodeon.
- March 3 - Law & Order: Trial by Jury on NBC (2005).
- March 7 - Fat Actress premieres on Showtime.
- March 11 - Wonder Showzen premieres on MTV2.
- March 14 - Mad Money on CNBC (2005-present)
- March 18 - The Suite Life of Zack and Cody on Disney Channel
- March 24 - The Office (US version) premieres on NBC (2005-present).
- March 27 - Grey's Anatomy premieres on ABC (2005-present).
- April 1 - The Eyes of Nye
- May 1 - American Dad! on FOX (2005-present).
- May- Kept, Game Show Moments Gone Bananas, BSTV, and Strip Search on VH1
- May 17 - Britney & Kevin: Chaotic premieres on UPN.
- May 28 - Attack of the Show! on G4
- May 30 - The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, a series from cartoonist/former Real Worlder Judd Winick, premieres on Cartoon Network (2005-present)
- June - Weeds on Showtime.
- June 2- Beauty and the Geek premieres on The WB.
- June 5 - The Comeback premieres on HBO.
- June 20-Wildfire premieres on ABC Family (2005-present)
- July 6 - Mind of Mencia premiers on Comedy Central
- July 7 - Big Brother 6 on CBS
- July 8 - Camp Lazlo starts airing on Cartoon Network (2005-Present)
- July 9 - Catscratch starts airing on Nickelodeon USA.
- July 20 So You Think You Can Dance premieres on Fox
- August 8 - Roobarb and Custard Too on Five.
- September 10 G.I. Joe Sigma 6 starts airing on 4Kids TV
- September 13 - Supernatural premieres on the WB (2005-present, now on the CW).
- September 17 Johnny Test starts airing on Kids WB
- September 19 How I Met Your Mother premieres on CBS (2005-present)
- September 20 - Naruto, (a popular anime series from Japan), makes its North American debut on Cartoon Network's Toonami block.
- September 20 - Tittybangbang pilot premieres on BBC THREE.
- My Name Is Earl premieres on NBC (2005-present).
- September 22 - Everybody Hates Chris premieres on UPN (2005-present).
- September 24 - Afterlife premieres on ITV1 in the UK. However, despite being a British series, it had actually had its world premiere some weeks earlier on Australia's ABC network.
- September 27 - Commander in Chief premieres on ABC (2005-2006).
- October 10 - Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, a spin-off to Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, debuts on Cartoon Network
- October 17 - The Colbert Report, a spin-off from The Daily Show, debuts on Comedy Central.
- October 18 - Da Vinci's City Hall, a sequel to Da Vinci's Inquest, premieres on CBC
- October 27 - Bleak House (UK), a 15-episode adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel of the same name designed to capture a soap opera-style audience by using Dickens's original serial structure in half-hour episodes, debuts on BBC One. It ends on December 16.
- October 30 - House of Harmony, also known as Das Haus Der Harmonie (German), debuted on Germany's ZDF channel to a primetime viewership of over seven million viewers. It starred Singaporean actress Fann Wong (of Shanghai Knights fame) and Germany-based English actor Philippe Brenninkmeyer.
- October 31 - The UK version of Deal or No Deal premieres on Channel 4, relaunching the career of Noel Edmonds and bringing the channel a surprise daytime hit (2005-present).
- November 5 - IGPX, the first Toonami original series, debuts on Cartoon Network (US).
- November 6 - The Boondocks, based on the popular yet controversial American comic strip, debuts on Cartoon Network (US).
- November 25 - The X's, started airing on Nickelodeon
- December 19 - The U.S. version of Deal or No Deal debuts on NBC as a week-long event. It returned for another week on February 27, 2006 before running a weekly shift that currently runs 3 nights a week.
Television shows
1940s
- Meet the Press (1947-present).
- Candid Camera (1948-present).
1950s
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951-present).
- Guiding Light (1952-present).
- The Today Show (1952-present).
- Panorama (UK) (1953-present).
- Face the Nation (1954-present).
- The Tonight Show (1954-present).
- As the World Turns (1956-present).
- What the Papers Say (UK) (1956-present).
- The Sky at Night (UK) (1957-present).
- Blue Peter (UK) (1958-present).
- Grandstand (UK) (1958-2007).
1960s
- Coronation Street (UK) (1960-present).
- Four Corners (Australia) (1961-present).
- It's Academic (1961-present).
- The Late Late Show (Ireland) (1962-present).
- Doctor Who (1963-present).
- General Hospital (1963-present).
- Top of the Pops (UK) (1964-2006).
- Days of Our Lives (1965-present).
- Play School (1966-present).
- The Money Programme (UK) (1966-present).
- 60 Minutes (1968-present).
- One Life to Live (1968-present).
- Sesame Street (1969-present).
1970s
- All My Children (1970-present).
- Monday Night Football (1970-present).
- Masterpiece Theatre (1971-present).
- Soul Train (1971-present).
- Emmerdale (UK) (1972-present).
- Newsround (UK) (1972-present).
- The Price Is Right (1972-present).
- Last of the Summer Wine (UK) (1973-present).
- The Young and the Restless (1973-present).
- Wish You Were Here...? (UK) (1974-present).
- Arena (UK) (1975-present).
- Good Morning America (1975-present).
- Saturday Night Live (1975-present).
- the fifth estate (Canada) (1975-present).
- Wheel of Fortune (1975-present).
- 20/20 (1978-present).
- Grange Hill (UK) (1978-present).
- Antiques Roadshow (UK) (1979-present).
- Nightline (1979-present).
- This Old House (1979-present).
1980s
- Entertainment Tonight (1981-present).
- What Now (1982-present)
- Timewatch (UK) (1982-present)
- Jeopardy! (1964-1975, 1978-1979, 1984-present).
- The Bill (UK) (1984-present).
- EastEnders (UK) (1985-present).
- Neighbours (Australia) (1985-present).
- The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986-present).
- Comic Relief (UK) (1986-present).
- Casualty (UK) (1986-present).
- ChuckleVision (UK) (1987-present).
- The Bold and the Beautiful (1987-present).
- America's Most Wanted (1988-present).
- The American Experience (1988-present).
- Fair City (1988-present).
- Home and Away (1988-present).
- This Morning (1988-present).
- Cops (1989-present).
- Inside Edition (1989-present).
- The Simpsons (1989-present).
1990s
1990-1993
- Law & Order (1990-present).
- America's Funniest Home Videos (1990-present).
- The Jerry Springer Show (1991-present).
- The Red Green Show (Canada) (1991-present).
- Dateline NBC (1992-present).
- The Real World (1992-present).
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993-present).
- NYPD Blue (1993-2005).
- The Late Show with David Letterman (1993-present).
- WWE Monday Night RAW (1993-present).
1994-1996
- ER (1994-present).
- Time Team (UK) (1994-present).
- 7th Heaven (1996-present).
- Judge Judy (1996-present).
- The Daily Show (1996-present).
1997-1999
- King of the Hill (1997-2006).
- South Park (1997-present).
- Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007).
- The Wonderful World of Disney (1997-present).
- Charmed (1998-present).
- That '70s Show (1998-2006).
- The King of Queens (1998-present).
- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (UK) (1998-present).
- Will & Grace (1998-2006).
- Family Feud (1976-1985, 1988-1995, 1999-present).
- Ed, Edd n Eddy (1999-present).
- Judge Mathis (1999-present).
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999-present).
- Passions (1999-present).
- Rocket Power (1999-present).
- SpongeBob SquarePants (1999-present).
- The Sopranos (1999-present).
- The West Wing (1999-2006).
- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (US) (1999-present).
2000s
2000
- As Told by Ginger (2000-2004).
- Big Brother (2000-present).
- Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000-present).
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000-present).
- Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-present).
- Malcolm in the Middle (2000-2006).
- Survivor (2000-present).
- The Weakest Link (UK) (2000-present).
- Yes, Dear (2000-present).
2001
- 24 (2001-present).
- According to Jim (2001-present).
- Adult Swim (2001-present).
- Alias (2001-2006).
- Braceface (2001-2005).
- Fear Factor (2001-present).
- Home Movies (1999, 2001-present).
- JR Digs (Canada) (2001-present).
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001-present).
- My Wife and Kids (2001-present).
- Pop Idol (UK) (2001-present).
- Smallville (2001-present).
- The Amazing Race (2001-present).
- The Bernie Mac Show (2001-present).
- The Fairly OddParents (2001-present).
- The Saturday Show (UK) (2001-present).
2002
- Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2002-present).
- American Idol: The Search for a Superstar (2002-present).
- Codename: Kids Next Door (2002-present).
- CSI: Miami (2002-present).
- Dick and Dom in da Bungalow (2002-2006).
- Harry Hill's TV Burp (UK) (2002-present).
- I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! (UK) (2002-present).
- Kim Possible (2002-present).
- Less Than Perfect (2002-present).
- Spooks (UK) (2002-present).
- Cutting It (UK) (2002-2005)
- That's So Raven (2002-2007). (still reruns on the Disney Channel)
- The Bachelor (2002-present).
- The George Lopez Show (2002-present).
- Without a Trace (2002-present).
2003
- All Grown Up! (2003-2006).
- Arrested Development (2003-present).
- Battlestar Galactica (2003-present).
- Cold Case (2003-present).
- Eve (2003-present).
- Hope and Faith (2003-present).
- Las Vegas (2003-present).
- Lilo & Stitch: The Series (2003-2006).
- My Life as a Teenage Robot (2003-present).
- NCIS (2003-present).
- Nip/Tuck (2003-present).
- One Tree Hill (2003-present).
- Penn & Teller: Bullshit! (2003-present).
- Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (2003-present).
- Reno 911! (2003-present).
- Romeo! (2003-present).
- The O.C. (2003-present).
- Two and a Half Men (2003-present).
- Xiaolin Showdown (2003-present).
2004
- Astro Boy (2004-present).
- Blue Collar TV (2004-present).
- Boston Legal (2004-present).
- Call for Help 2.0 (Canada) (2004-present).
- Cartoon Alley (2004-present).
- Corner Gas (Canada) (2004-present).
- CSI: New York (2004-present).
- Danny Phantom (2004-present).
- Desperate Housewives (2004-present).
- Deadwood (2004-present)
- Drake & Josh (2004-present).
- Entourage (2004-present)
- Green Wing (UK) (2004-present).
- Instant Star (The-N) (2005-present).
- Joey (2004-present).
- Lost (2004-present).
- Miguzi (2004-present).
- Phil of the Future (2004-present).
- Postman Pat (UK) (1981, 1996, 2004-present).
- Sea of Souls (UK) (2004-present}.
- Shameless (UK) (2004-present).
- Stargate Atlantis (2004-present).
- The Apprentice (2004-present).
- The Batman (2004-present).
- The X Factor (UK) (2004-present).
- Zoey 101 (2004-present).
Returning in 2005
- Family Guy (1999-2002, 2005-present).
- Doctor Who (UK) (1963-1989, 1996, 2005-present).
- Kojak (1973-1978, 2005-present).
Ending this year
Changes of Network Affiliation
Deaths
Movies
- Twitches
- Scary Godmother 2
- Haunted Pumpkin of Sleepy Hollow
- October 22 - The Batman Vs. Dracula premieres on Toonami
- October 29 - Alien Racers premieres on Cartoon Network
- Dragons: Fire and Ice
- Once Upon a Mattress
- The Proud Family Movie
- Kim Possible: So the Drama
- Breaking Point
- January 22 - Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys premieres on Kids' WB!