2000 in American television
The following is a list of events affecting American television in 2000. Events listed include television series debuts, finales, cancellations, and channel initiations, closures and rebrandings, as well as information about controversies and disputes.
Events
January
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 5 | All My Children celebrates its 30th anniversary on ABC. |
| 10 | Bret Hart wrestles in what turns out to be the final match of his career, when he defends the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Kevin Nash on WCW Monday Nitro. |
| 15 | David Letterman undergoes quintuple heart bypass surgery in New York-Presbyterian Hospital, following an angiogram that revealed that one of his arteries was constricted seriously. |
| 17 | Robin Givens replaces Mother Love as host of the talk show series Forgive or Forget. |
| 20 | SoapNet, a channel dedicated to daytime/primetime soap operas, debuts. |
February
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2 | Oxygen debuts. |
| 15 | Rick Rockwell marries stranger Darva Conger watched by 22 million viewers on the Fox reality show Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire? While he and Darva are honeymooning, it becomes apparent that Rockwell—who is sometimes a comedian—had a restraining order against a former girlfriend, and he was not really a multi-millionaire. As a result, Fox cancels a rerun scheduled the next week, and does not broadcast any new installments. In addition the couple end their relationship soon after the show's taping. |
| David Legler won a combined $1,765,000 from the six episodes he participated in a game show, Twenty One, surpassing Curtis Warren's total of $1,546,988 as then the largest winner in game show winnings totals set four days ago (Warren won $1,410,000 in the program of Greed after successfully answering the Million Dollar Moment question correctly). | |
| 21 | David Letterman resumes hosting Late Show with David Letterman on CBS following his quintuple heart bypass surgery in January. On the show, Letterman (whose father died of heart failure in his 50s) brings all of the doctors that had performed the operation out on stage with him, including Dr. O. Wayne Isom and physician Louis Aronne, who makes frequent appearances on the show. In an unusual show of emotion, Letterman is nearly in tears as he thanks the doctors. The episode will earn an Emmy Award nomination. |
| 24 | On CBS's The Price Is Right contestant that Legendary Yodeling Walter playing the Cliff Hangers. |
| 25 | Kids' WB premieres its first computer-generated TV series, Max Steel. |
March
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1 | The final regional SportsChannel in the Florida market ends operations under that branding, converting to Fox Sports Florida. |
| 15 | The SpongeBob SquarePants episode Rock Bottom, airs on Nickelodeon. |
April
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1 | Boomerang, a secondary digital Cartoon Network channel, debuts. |
| 8 | The "More Cowbell" sketch airs on Saturday Night Live. |
May
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1 | CBS Evening News rebrands for the first time. |
| 5 | Boy Meets World ends its seven-season run with its series finale on ABC. |
| 8 | VH1 Classic, a spinoff of the cable music channel VH1, debuts. |
| 14 | After four years (since KEVN-TV left the network to join Fox in 1996), NBC returns to the Black Hills area of South Dakota when KNBN signs-on from Rapid City. |
| 17 | 16.8 million American viewers watched the 2-hour final episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 on FOX. |
| 19 | The 27th Daytime Emmy Awards presentation is broadcast by ABC. |
| 24 | The WB broadcasts the third-season finale of Dawson's Creek, entitled "True Love". The episode features the first male gay kiss on U.S. primetime television, which has been called "a milestone in the timeline of gay representation in pop culture".[1] |
| 31 | The first season of CBS's long-running reality competition of Survivor, titled Survivor: Borneo, based on Swedish's game show Expedition Robinson, premieres its first episode. |
July
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 3 | KNTV (channel 11) in San Jose, California drops its ABC affiliation for the Monterey Bay area and begins carrying minimal programming from The WB. (At that time, The WB affiliate for the Bay Area was KBWB channel 20). |
| 5 | The first season of CBS's long-running reality competition of Big Brother, based on the Dutch series of the same name, premieres its first episode. It was the only televised American season to use the traditional format to eliminate contestants via televoting, however, as the season received negative reception. |
| 15 | CBS broadcasts its final NASCAR event, the Chevy Silverado 200. |
| 28 | Kathie Lee Gifford made her final appearance as co-host on Live!, after 17 years (eleven and a half years for national syndication). Regis Philbin will continue to serve the only host until Kelly Ripa introduced as new co-host the following year. |
August
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 3 | KBEJ Channel 2, (now KCWX) commences programming in Fredericksburg, Texas, taking the Austin market's UPN affiliation from low-powered station KVC 13 and returning full-time UPN service to San Antonio (between KRRT (now KMYS)'s switch to The WB in 1998 and KBEJ's sign-on, NBC affiliate KMOL-TV aired UPN programming on a secondary basis). |
| 14 | Dora the Explorer premieres on Nick Jr. with the episode "The Legend of the Big Red Chicken." |
| 21 | ZDTV is renamed TechTV. |
| 23 | In CBS, corporate trainer Richard Hatch was declared the inaugural "Sole Survivor" in Survivor and won the $1,000,000 grand prize; Kelly Wiglesworth was named the runner-up. |
September
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 4 | Caillou and Clifford the Big Red Dog premiere on PBS Kids in the United States. On the same day, the Dora the Explorer episode "Three Little Piggies", airs on Nick Jr. |
| 10 | The 52nd Primetime Emmy Awards presentation is broadcast on ABC. |
| 15 | The 2000 Summer Olympics are televised by NBC. Opening ceremonies are watched by 27 and a half million viewers. |
| 16 | After the completion of Viacom's $37 billion merger with the CBS Corporation, CBS Kidshow ended its run and replaces it with Nick Jr. on CBS, programmed by new corporate sister Nickelodeon. |
| 21 | ABC Sports celebrates the 30th anniversary of Monday Night Football on this night. |
| 25 | TNN is rebranded as The National Network, known as The New TNN. |
| 26 | NBC declines to renew its broadcast agreement with Major League Baseball. After fifty seasons — 1947–1989 and 1994–2000 — Game 6 of the 2000 American League Championship Series is the last Major League Baseball game that NBC has televised to date. In Houston, due to the coverage of the 2000 Presidential Debate, KPRC-TV elected to carry NBC News' coverage of the debate while KNWS-TV carried NBC's final baseball game. |
| 29 | Eddie McGee wins the first American season of Big Brother and won the $500,000 grand prize. It is the only season at the time the final vote was determined by public viewers instead of a Jury vote. |
| 30 | PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch debuts. The block is programmed for PBS by Canada-based Nelvana, which had programmed the CBS Kidshow until the block was cancelled by CBS on September 16.[2] |
October
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2 | Triple Play is played for the first time on CBS's The Price Is Right, and was the first pricing game in history to offer three cars. |
| 26 | The Game 5 of the World Series airs on Fox. The New York Yankees win their third consecutive title (and first since the Oakland Athletics from 1972 to 1974) and 26th in franchise history, defeating their crosstown opponent the New York Mets. |
| 30 | Lancaster, Pennsylvania's college student Brad Rutter made his historical first appearance in the Jeopardy! game show, and he would went on set a record for its largest J! career winnings as of 2005 ($4,788,440), and as of 2020, becoming one of the largest winners in American game show history with winnings accumulating over $5,000,000, including $100,000 he won from Million Dollar Mind Game in 2014. |
November
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2 | Wheel of Fortune airs a Halloween-themed episode for celebrities on charity. The celebrities in Halloween costumes were Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, fitness instructor Richard Simmons and American figure skater Tara Lipinski. |
| 17 | Sheep in the Big City premieres on Cartoon Network. |
| 18 | The final episode of All That's first-run airs on Nickelodeon. After 13 episodes the show was put on hiatus. To keep the show running, the producers compiled a series called Best of All That. Eventually, Nickelodeon canceled All That, due to crew disputes and a general desire to move on. However, All That still had a strong following and was one of the most popular shows on the network. Nickelodeon planned to relaunch the show, starting from scratch. |
December
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 6 | The SpongeBob SquarePants special episode Christmas Who?, airs on Nickelodeon. |
| 14 | Barker's Beauties Janice Pennington and Kathleen Bradley both quit CBS's series The Price Is Right. (On her broadcast run, Pennington has been on the series since its premiere during 1972.) Starting the following day, auditions to find new Barker's Beauties are held for several months. In the end, Claudia Jordan and Heather Kozar are selected as permanent models. |
| 22 | Bianca Montgomery, played by Eden Riegel for the soap opera All My Children, reveals herself as a lesbian to her mother, Erica Kane (played by Susan Lucci). |
| 31 | ABC broadcasts "Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve" at 10 p.m. ET for the first time ever, followed by local news or programming and then the main "New Year's Rockin' Eve". |
Programs
Debuts
Returning this year
| Show | Last aired | Previous network | New title | New network | Returning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twenty One | 1958 | CBS | Same | NBC | January 9 |
| Ripley's Believe It or Not! | 1986 | ABC | TBS | January 12 | |
| Double Dare | 1993 | Nickelodeon, Fox | Double Dare 2000 | Same | January 24 |
| Grapevine | 1992 | CBS | Same | Same | February 28 |
| Supermarket Sweep | 1995 | Lifetime | Same | PAX TV | April 3 |
| Shop 'til You Drop | 1998 | The Family Channel | |||
| The What A Cartoon! Show | 1999 | Cartoon Network | The Cartoon Cartoon Show | Same | June 9 |
| Sailor Moon | 1998 | Toonami | Same | Same | June 12 |
| This Week in Baseball | Syndication | Same | Fox | July 12 | |
| To Tell the Truth | 1991 | NBC | Same | Syndication | September 18 |
| The Critic | 1995 | Fox | Same | Comedy Central | November |
Ending this year
Entering syndication this year
| Show | Seasons | In Production | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7th Heaven | 4 | Yes | [3] |
| Cosby | 4 | No | [4] |
| Early Edition | 4 | No | [5] |
| Moesha | 5 | Yes | [6] |
| Nash Bridges | 5 | Yes | [7] |
| The Pretender | 4 | No | [8] |
| Sabrina the Teenage Witch | 4 | Yes | [9] |
| Spin City | 4 | Yes | [10] |
| Suddenly Susan | 4 | No | [11] |
Changes of network affiliation
| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
|---|---|---|
| Rupert | CBS Kidshow | Playhouse Disney |
| Forensic Files | TLC | Court TV |
| Budgie the Little Helicopter | Fox Kids | Fox Family Channel |
| The Hughleys | ABC | UPN |
| Recess | ||
| Ripley's Believe It or Not! | TBS | |
| Sabrina the Teenage Witch | The WB | |
| The PJs | Fox | |
| This Week in Baseball | Syndication | Fox |
| Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular | NBC | |
| Twenty One | CBS | |
| Candid Camera | Pax TV | |
| Supermarket Sweep | Lifetime | |
| Shop 'til You Drop | The Family Channel | |
| WWE Raw | USA Network | Spike TV |
| WWF LiveWire | ||
| WWF Superstars of Wrestling | ||
| WWF Sunday Night Heat | MTV | |
| To Tell the Truth | NBC | Syndication |
| The What A Cartoon Show | TBS | Cartoon Network |
| Shining Time Station | Fox Family Channel | Nick Jr. |
| The Critic | Fox | Comedy Central |
Miniseries
| Title | Channel | Premiere |
|---|---|---|
| The 10th Kingdom | NBC | February 27 |
| The Corner | HBO | April 16 |
| Arabian Nights | ABC | April 30 |
| Jesus | CBS | May 14 |
Television stations
Station launches
Births
Deaths
| Date | Name | Age | Notability |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 15 | Fran Ryan | 83 | American character actress (Doris Ziffle #2 on Green Acres) |
| January 16 | By Saam | 85 | American sportscaster |
| January 18 | Nancy Coleman | 87 | American film, stage, television and radio actress |
| Jester Hairston | 98 | American composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor, and actor (Amen) | |
| February 10 | Jim Varney | 50 | American actor; creator of the Ernest P. Worrell character (Hey Vern, It's Ernest!) |
| February 12 | Charles M. Schulz | 77 | American cartoonist, creator of Peanuts |
| March 11 | Alex Dreier | 83 | American news reporter |
| March 15 | Durward Kirby | 88 | American television host and announcer |
| March 25 | Helen Martin | 90 | American character actress (Pearl Shay on 227) |
| April 10 | Larry Linville | 60 | American actor (Major Frank Burns on M*A*S*H) |
| April 12 | Christopher Pettiet | 24 | American television and film actor (The Young Riders) |
| May 7 | Douglas Fairbanks Jr. | 90 | American actor and producer (Douglas Fairbanks Presents), son of Douglas Fairbanks |
| May 10 | Craig Stevens | 81 | American film and television actor (Peter Gunn) |
| June 18 | Nancy Marchand | 71 | American actress (Livia Soprano on The Sopranos, Mrs. Pynchon on Lou Grant) |
| July 1 | Walter Matthau | 79 | American actor and comedian |
| July 14 | Meredith MacRae | 56 | American actress and singer (Billie Jo Bradley #3 on Petticoat Junction) |
| July 28 | Jaime Cardriche | 32 | American actor (Malcolm & Eddie) |
| August 12 | Loretta Young | 87 | American actress (The Loretta Young Show) |
| September 14 | Beah Richards | 80 | American stage, screen, and television actress |
| September 26 | Richard Mulligan | 67 | American television and film actor (Burt Campbell on Soap, Dr. Harry Weston on Empty Nest) |
| October 6 | Richard Farnsworth | 80 | American actor and stuntman |
| October 9 | David Dukes | 55 | American actor |
| October 16 | Rick Jason | 77 | American actor (Lt. Gil Hanley on Combat!) |
| October 18 | Julie London | 74 | American singer and actress (Nurse Dixie McCall on Emergency!) |
| October 30 | Steve Allen | 78 | American comedian, composer (original The Tonight Show host) |
| December 2 | Gail Fisher | 65 | American actress (Peggy Fair on Mannix) |
| December 6 | Werner Klemperer | 80 | German-American actor (Colonel Wilhelm Klink on Hogan's Heroes) |
| December 12 | George Montgomery | 84 | American actor, director, producer, writer and stuntman |
| December 23 | Victor Borge | 91 | Danish comedian and pianist |
| December 26 | Jason Robards | 78 | American stage, film and television actor (The Day After) |
References
- Duca, Lauren (April 9, 2015). "Fifteen Years Ago, 'Dawson's Creek' Gave Us TV's First 'Passionate' Gay Kiss. How Far Have We Come?". The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
- http://current.org/wp-content/uploads/archive-site/ch/ch014bkworm.html
- from Broadcasting & Cable
- from Broadcasting & Cable
- from Broadcasting & Cable
- from Broadcasting & Cable
- from Broadcasting & Cable
- from Broadcasting & Cable
- from Broadcasting & Cable
- from Broadcasting & Cable
- from Broadcasting & Cable
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