1961–62 United States network television schedule

The following is the 1961–62 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1961 through April 1962. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1960–61 season.

The previous season had been excoriated by Federal Communications Commission chairman Newton Minow in May 1961. Minow had criticized poor programs and weak network schedules, calling television a "vast wasteland" and calling on television executives to try harder to develop innovative and interesting television programs.^[1]

Television historians Castleman and Podrazik (1982) believe the 1961–62 season marked a comeback for television, as the networks rearranged their schedules to accommodate the critics. They point out CBS's high-quality legal drama The Defenders, NBC's medical drama Dr. Kildare, CBS's The Dick Van Dyke Show, and ABC's medical drama Ben Casey as bright spots in the new TV schedule. Despite the praise for these four series, the authors also highlight several less worthy series which debuted during the 1961–62 season: Room for One More, Window on Main Street, Hazel ("possibly the dumbest family in TV history"), and the truly terrible The Hathaways ("possibly the worst series ever to air on network TV").^[1]

NBC lured Disney's popular anthology series from ABC; Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color premiered on September 24, 1961. The color programs were a change from the previous ABC programs, which had been seen in black and white.^[1]

NBC also added a movie night to its schedule; the network paid $25 million for the rights to broadcast 50 20th-Century Fox films on Saturday nights. In April 1962, ABC followed suit when it added its own Sunday night movie to its schedule.^[1]

All times are Eastern and Pacific. 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.^[2]

  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.

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	Maverick (started at 6:30)	Follow the Sun		Lawman	Bus Stop		Adventures in Paradise
CBS	Lassie (15/24.0) (Tied with Sing Along with Mitch)	Dennis the Menace (17/23.8)	The Ed Sullivan Show (19/23.5)		General Electric Theater	The Jack Benny Program	Candid Camera (10/25.5)	What's My Line?
NBC	The Bullwinkle Show (Color)	Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color* (23/22.7) (Color)		Car 54, Where Are You? (20/23.2)	Bonanza (2/30.0) (Color)		The Du Pont Show of the Week

* formerly Walt Disney Presents

Note: Mister Ed, previously syndicated, aired on CBS, 6:30-7 p.m.

Monday

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		Expedition!	Cheyenne / Bronco		The Rifleman (27/22.3) (Tied with The Price Is Right)	Surfside 6		Ben Casey (18/23.7)
CBS	Fall	7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News	To Tell the Truth	Pete and Gladys	Window on Main Street	The Danny Thomas Show (8/26.1)	The Andy Griffith Show (7/27.0)	Hennesey	I've Got a Secret
	Winter				Father Knows Best (repeats)
	Spring	7:00 Local / 7:15 Walter Cronkite with the News
	Summer					The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (repeats)
NBC		7:00 Local / 7:15 The Huntley-Brinkley Report*	Local	National Velvet	The Price Is Right (27/22.3) (Tied with The Rifleman) (Color)	87th Precinct		Thriller

* In some areas, Douglas Edwards with the News alongside Walter Cronkite with the News and The Huntley-Brinkley Report aired at 6:45 p.m.(ET).

Tuesday

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	Local	The Bugs Bunny Show	Bachelor Father	Calvin and the Colonel	The New Breed		Alcoa Premiere
	November				The New Breed		Yours for a Song
CBS	Fall	7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News	Marshal Dillon (Gunsmoke repeats)	The Dick Van Dyke Show	The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (21/22.9) (Tied with The Flintstones)	The Red Skelton Show (6/27.1)	Ichabod and Me	The Garry Moore Show (12/24.6)
	Winter			Password
	Spring	7:00 Local / 7:15 Walter Cronkite with the News
NBC		7:00 Local / 7:15 The Huntley-Brinkley Report	Laramie (Color)		Alfred Hitchcock Presents	The Dick Powell Show		Cain's Hundred

Wednesday

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	Local	The Steve Allen Show		Top Cat	Hawaiian Eye		Naked City
	Winter		Howard K. Smith: News and Comment	Straightaway
CBS	Fall	7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News	The Alvin Show	Father Knows Best (repeats)	Checkmate		Mrs. G. Goes to College	Armstrong Circle Theatre / The United States Steel Hour
	Winter			Window on Main Street			The Dick Van Dyke Show
	Spring	7:00 Local / 7:15 Walter Cronkite with the News
NBC		7:00 Local / 7:15 The Huntley-Brinkley Report	Wagon Train (1/32.1)		The Joey Bishop Show (24/22.6)	Kraft Music Hall starring Perry Como (25/22.5) (Color)		The Bob Newhart Show	David Brinkley's Journal

Note: Mrs. G. Goes to College moved to Thursday nights in January as The Gertrude Berg Show, allowing The Dick Van Dyke Show to take its time spot. Several episodes of The Joey Bishop Show and Wagon Train were shown in color.

Thursday

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	Local	The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet	The Donna Reed Show (30/21.9) (Tied with 77 Sunset Strip)	The Real McCoys (14/24.2)	My Three Sons (11/24.7)	Margie	The Untouchables
	Spring						The Law and Mr. Jones
CBS	Fall	7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News	Frontier Circus		The Bob Cummings Show	The Investigators		CBS Reports
	Winter		The New Bob Cummings Show	Frontier Circus		Tell It to Groucho	The Gertrude Berg Show
	Spring	7:00 Local / 7:15 Walter Cronkite with the News	Oh! Those Bells
	Summer		Accent on an American Summer			Brenner
	Follow-up		Frontier Circus		Various
NBC	Fall	7:00 Local / 7:15 The Huntley-Brinkley Report	Outlaws (Color)		Dr. Kildare (9/25.6)		Hazel (4/27.7)	Sing Along with Mitch (15/24.0) (Tied with Lassie) (Color)
	Summer						The Lively Ones

Notes: The Bob Cummings Show was retitled The New Bob Cummings Show on December 28. The Law and Mr. Jones moved to the 9:30-10:00 p.m. time slot on ABC on April 19. Hazel on November 2, 1961 was shown in color. The episodes of Brenner that ran on CBS in the summer of 1962 were reruns of episodes from the summer of 1959.

Friday

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	Local	Straightaway	The Hathaways	The Flintstones (21/22.9) (Tied with The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis)	77 Sunset Strip (30/21.9) (Tied with The Donna Reed Show)		Target: The Corruptors!
	Spring		Margie
CBS	Fall	7:00 Local / 7:15 Douglas Edwards with the News	Rawhide (13/24.5)		Route 66		Father of the Bride	The Twilight Zone	Eyewitness*
	Spring	7:00 Local / 7:15 Walter Cronkite with the News
NBC	Fall	7:00 Local / 7:15 The Huntley-Brinkley Report	International Showtime		The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor		The Bell Telephone Hour / The Dinah Shore Show** (Color)		Here and Now
	Winter								Chet Huntley Reporting

* formerly Eyewitness To History ** formerly The Chevy Show

Saturday

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	Matty's Funday Funnies	The Roaring 20s		Leave It to Beaver	The Lawrence Welk Show		10:00 The Fight of the Week / 10:45 Make That Spare
	Winter	Matty's Funnies With Beany and Cecil	Calvin and the Colonel	Room for One More
CBS		Local	Perry Mason (5/27.3)		The Defenders (26/22.4)		Have Gun – Will Travel (29/22.2)	Gunsmoke (3/28.3)
NBC		Local	Tales of Wells Fargo (Color)		The Tall Man	NBC Saturday Night at the Movies (Color)

Room for One More aired on ABC from January 27 to July 28, 1962, 8-8:30 p.m.

Beginning January 6, Matty's Funday Funnies became Matty's Funnies With Beany & Cecil.

By network

ABC

Returning Series 77 Sunset Strip Adventures in Paradise The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet The Avengers Bachelor Father Bronco The Bugs Bunny Show Cheyenne The Donna Reed Show Expedition! The Fight of the Week The Flintstones Hawaiian Eye The Law and Mr. Jones Lawman The Lawrence Welk Show Leave It to Beaver Make That Spare Matty's Funday Funnies Maverick My Three Sons Naked City The Real McCoys The Rifleman The Roaring 20's Straightaway The Steve Allen Show Surfside 6 The Untouchables

New Series Adventures in Paradise Alcoa Premiere Ben Casey Bus Stop Calvin and the Colonel The Hathaways Howard K. Smith: News and Comment * Margie The New Breed Room for One More * The Steve Allen Show Straightaway Target: The Corruptors! Top Cat Yours for a Song

Not returning from 1960–61: Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond The Asphalt Jungle Guestward, Ho! Harrigan and Son Hong Kong The Islanders The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp Peter Gunn The Rebel Stagecoach West Sugarfoot Take a Good Look Walt Disney Presents (moved to NBC as Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color)

CBS

Returning Series The Alfred Hitchcock Hour The Andy Griffith Show Armstrong Circle Theatre Brenner Candid Camera CBS News Hour CBS Reports Checkmate The Danny Thomas Show Dennis the Menace Douglas Edwards with the News The Ed Sullivan Show Eyewitness The Garry Moore Show General Electric Theatre Gunsmoke Have Gun – Will Travel Hennesey I've Got a Secret The Jack Benny Program Lassie The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis The New Bob Cummings Show Perry Mason Pete and Gladys Rawhide The Red Skelton Show Route 66 Secret Agent To Tell the Truth The Twentieth Century The Twilight Zone The United States Steel Hour What's My Line

New Series Accent on an American Summer The Alvin Show The Defenders The Dick Van Dyke Show Eyewitness to History Father of the Bride Frontier Circus Ichabod and Me The Investigators Mister Ed * Mrs. G. Goes to College/The Gertrude Berg Show The New Bob Cummings Show Oh! Those Bells * Password * Tell It to Groucho * Tell It to the Camera * Walter Cronkite with the News * Window on Main Street

Not returning from 1960–61: Angel The Ann Sothern Show The Aquanauts Bringing Up Buddy Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater The DuPont Show with June Allyson Frontier Justice Glenn Miller Time Gunslinger Have Gun — Will Travel Holiday Lodge Mr. Garlund My Sister Eileen Person to Person The Spike Jones Show Summer Sports Spectacular The Tom Ewell Show Wanted: Dead or Alive 'Way Out The Witness

NBC

Returning Series The Art Linkletter Show The Bell Telephone Hour Bonanza Chet Huntley Reporting The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor The Dinah Shore Show Ford Presents the New Christy Minstrels The Huntley–Brinkley Report The Jack Benny Program Kraft Music Hall starring Perry Como Laramie National Velvet Outlaws Sing Along with Mitch Thriller Wagon Train Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (moved from ABC)

New Series 87th Precinct The Bob Newhart Show The Bullwinkle Show Cain's Hundred Car 54, Where Are You? David Brinkley's Journal The Dick Powell Show Dr. Kildare The DuPont Show of the Week Hazel Here and Now International Showtime * NBC Saturday Night at the Movies Theatre '62

Not returning from 1960–61: Acapulco The Americans The Art Carney Special The Barbara Stanwyck Show Bat Masterson The Campaign and the Candidates The Chevy Mystery Show Concentration Dan Raven Dante The Deputy The Dinah Shore Chevy Show Five Star Jubilee The Ford Show Great Ghost Tales The Groucho Show Happy It Could Be You Jackpot Bowling starring Milton Berle Klondike The Man from Interpol Michael Shayne The Nation's Future Omnibus One Happy Family Peter Loves Mary Riverboat Shirley Temple's Storybook The Tab Hunter Show Tales of Wells Fargo The Tall Man This Is Your Life The Westerner Westinghouse Playhouse Starring Nanette Fabray and Wendell Corey Westinghouse Preview Theatre

Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason.

References

1. Castleman, Harry; Walter J. Podrazik (1982). Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 147–153. ISBN 0-07-010269-4.
2. 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.

• Castleman, H. & Podrazik, W. (1982). Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television. New York: McGraw-Hill. 314 pp.
• McNeil, Alex. Total Television. Fourth edition. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-024916-8.
• Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1984). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-31864-1.