1988–89 United States network television schedule

The 1988–89 network television schedule for the four major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers primetime hours from September 1988 through August 1989. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1987–88 season.

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

New series are highlighted in bold.

All times are U.S. Eastern Time and Pacific Time (except for some live sports or events). Subtract one hour for Central, Mountain, Alaska and Hawaii–Aleutian times.

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

Writers' strike impact

The 1988 Writers Guild of America strike lasted between March 7 and August 7. During the strike, production on scripted television series across all of the major television networks was suspended. The writers' strike forced the networks to postpone the start of the fall 1988 schedule later than usual; rather than the traditional late-September/early-October start, new and returning series had their premieres delayed until late October and into November. In the interim, the networks had to rely on a hodgepodge of programming, including reruns, films, entertainment and news specials, program-length political advertising, and unscripted original series (e.g. CBS' High Risk); NBC and ABC also benefited from sports programming (NBC relied on the Summer Olympics in September and the World Series in October, while ABC had postseason baseball coverage and moved up the start time for the early weeks of Monday Night Football from 9 p.m. ET to 8 p.m. ET to replace MacGyver, which was not yet ready with new episodes at the time). Even though previous strikes of Hollywood employees occurred in 1980 and 1981, those strikes only had a minor effect on the production of television programs that aired in the 1980–81 and 1981–82 seasons. The 1988–89 television season was thus the first of four television seasons to have its start delayed due to issues outside of the control of the major networks; further instances occurred in the 2001–02 season (due to the networks' news coverage of the September 11 attacks), the 2020–21 season (due to the suspension of television productions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic), and the 2023–24 season (due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes).

Legend

{{Plainlist|

{{Color box|#abbfff|border=darkgray}} Light blue indicates local programming.
{{Color box|#C0C0C0|border=darkgray}} Gray indicates encore programming.
{{Color box|#6699CC|border=darkgray}} Blue-gray indicates news programming.
{{Color box|lightgreen|border=darkgray}} Light green indicates sporting events.
{{Color box|#FA8072|border=darkgray}} Red indicates series being burned off and other irregularly scheduled programs, including specials and movies.
{{Color box|light white|border=darkgray|highlight|yellow}} Yellow highlights indicates the top-10 most watched programs of the season.
{{Color box|light white|border=darkgray|highlight|cyan}} Cyan highlights indicates numbers 11-20 most watched programs of the season.
{{Color box|light white|border=darkgray|highlight|magenta}} Magenta highlights indicates numbers 21-30 most watched programs of the season.
{{Color box|light white|border=darkgray|highlight|black}} Highlights indicates that it falls in multiple of the above categories.

}}

Sunday

class="wikitable" style="width:100%;margin-right:0;text-align:center;"
colspan="2" style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"\|Network ! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"\|7:00 p.m. ! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"\|7:30 p.m. ! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"\|8:00 p.m. ! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"\|8:30 p.m. ! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"\|9:00 p.m. ! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"\|9:30 p.m. ! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"\|10:00 p.m. ! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"\|10:30 p.m.
rowspan="5"\|ABC ! Fall \| colspan="2"\|*Incredible Sunday* \| colspan="2"\|*Mission: Impossible* \| rowspan="3" colspan="4" style="background:#FA8072;"\|The ABC Sunday Night Movie
Winter \| colspan="2"\|*Great Circuses of the World* \| colspan="2" style="background:#FA8072;"\|Special programming
Spring \| rowspan="3" colspan="2"\|*Incredible Sunday* \| colspan="2"\|Moonlighting
Summer \| style="background:#C0C0C0;"\|*Have Faith* {{small\|(R)}} \| colspan="5" style="background:#FA8072;"\|The ABC Sunday Night Movie
Late summer \| colspan="2" style="background:#C0C0C0;"\|MacGyver {{small\|(R)}} \| colspan="4" style="background:#FA8072;"\|The ABC Sunday Night Movie
colspan="2"\|CBS \| style="background:#FFFF00;" colspan="2"\|60 Minutes {{small\|(5/21.7)}} \| style="background:#FFFF00;" colspan="2"\|Murder, She Wrote {{small\|(8/19.9)}} \| style="background:#FF00FF;" colspan="4"\|CBS Sunday Movie {{small\|(27/16.1) (Tied with Knots Landing)}}
rowspan="4"\|Fox ! Fall \| colspan="2" rowspan="4"\|21 Jump Street \| rowspan="4"\|America's Most Wanted \| rowspan="3"\|Married... with Children \| rowspan="3"\|It's Garry Shandling's Show \| rowspan="3"\|The Tracey Ullman Show \| rowspan="3"\|Duet \| rowspan="3" style="background:#abbfff;"\|Local programming
Winter
Spring
Summer \| *Totally Hidden Video* \| style="background:#C0C0C0;"\|Married... with Children {{small\|(R)}} \| It's Garry Shandling's Show \| style="background:#C0C0C0;"\|The Tracey Ullman Show {{small\|(R)}} \| style="background:#C0C0C0;"\|Duet {{small\|(R)}}
colspan="2"\|NBC \| colspan="2" style="background:#FA8072;"\|*The Magical World of Disney* \| Family Ties \| Day by Day \| style="background:#FF00FF;" colspan="4"\|NBC Sunday Night Movie {{small\|(22/16.3) (Tied with The Hogan Family and The Wonder Years)}}

class="wikitable" style="width:100%;margin-right:0;text-align:center;"

colspan="2" style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"|Network

! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"|7:00 p.m.

! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"|7:30 p.m.

! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"|8:00 p.m.

! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"|8:30 p.m.

! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"|9:00 p.m.

! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"|9:30 p.m.

! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"|10:00 p.m.

! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"|10:30 p.m.

rowspan="5"|ABC

! Fall

| colspan="2"|Incredible Sunday

| colspan="2"|Mission: Impossible

| rowspan="3" colspan="4" style="background:#FA8072;"|The ABC Sunday Night Movie

Winter

| colspan="2"|Great Circuses of the World

| colspan="2" style="background:#FA8072;"|Special programming

Spring

| rowspan="3" colspan="2"|Incredible Sunday

| colspan="2"|Moonlighting

Summer

| style="background:#C0C0C0;"|Have Faith {{small|(R)}}

| colspan="5" style="background:#FA8072;"|The ABC Sunday Night Movie

Late summer

| colspan="2" style="background:#C0C0C0;"|MacGyver {{small|(R)}}

| colspan="4" style="background:#FA8072;"|The ABC Sunday Night Movie

colspan="2"|CBS

| style="background:#FFFF00;" colspan="2"|60 Minutes {{small|(5/21.7)}}

| style="background:#FFFF00;" colspan="2"|Murder, She Wrote {{small|(8/19.9)}}

| style="background:#FF00FF;" colspan="4"|CBS Sunday Movie {{small|(27/16.1)
(Tied with Knots Landing)}}

rowspan="4"|Fox

! Fall

| colspan="2" rowspan="4"|21 Jump Street

| rowspan="4"|America's Most Wanted

| rowspan="3"|Married... with Children

| rowspan="3"|It's Garry Shandling's Show

| rowspan="3"|The Tracey Ullman Show

| rowspan="3"|Duet

| rowspan="3" style="background:#abbfff;"|Local programming

Winter

Spring

Summer

| Totally Hidden Video

| style="background:#C0C0C0;"|Married... with Children {{small|(R)}}

| It's Garry Shandling's Show

| style="background:#C0C0C0;"|The Tracey Ullman Show {{small|(R)}}

| style="background:#C0C0C0;"|Duet {{small|(R)}}

colspan="2"|NBC

| colspan="2" style="background:#FA8072;"|The Magical World of Disney

| Family Ties

| Day by Day

| style="background:#FF00FF;" colspan="4"|NBC Sunday Night Movie {{small|(22/16.3)
(Tied with The Hogan Family and The Wonder Years)}}

Notes:

Quantum Leap had a two-hour premiere Sunday, March 26, 1989, on NBC.
The Jim Henson Hour briefly replaced The Magical World of Disney on May 14, 1989, and again between July 9-July 30.
On ABC, A Fine Romance was supposed to air 8-9 p.m., but production delays amidst the strike forced the move to Thursdays.{{Cite news |date=May 30, 1988 |title=Fall's first draft |pages=21 |work=Broadcasting |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/88-OCR/BC-1988-05-30-OCR-Page-0021.pdf |access-date=November 12, 2023}}

Monday

class="wikitable" style="width:100%;margin-right:0;text-align:center;"
colspan="2" style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"\|Network ! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"\|8:00 p.m. ! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"\|8:30 p.m. ! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"\|9:00 p.m. ! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"\|9:30 p.m. ! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"\|10:00 p.m. ! style="background-color:#C0C0C0;text-align:center"\|10:30 p.m.
rowspan="6"\|ABC ! Fall \| style="background:#00FFFF;" colspan="6"\|Monday Night Football {{small\|(15/17.5) (Tied with ALF)}}
November \| rowspan="5" colspan="2"\|MacGyver \| style="background:#00FFFF;" colspan="4"\|Monday Night Football {{small\|(15/17.5) (Tied with ALF)}}
Winter \| colspan="4" style="background:#bf8fef;"\|The ABC Monday Night Movie
Mid-winter \| style="background:#FF00FF;" rowspan="3" colspan="4"\|*The ABC Monday Mystery Movie** {{small\|(29/15.4) (Tied with Dallas)}}
Spring
Summer
rowspan="6"\|CBS ! Fall \| rowspan="3"\|Newhart \| The Cavanaughs \| rowspan="2" colspan="4" style="background:#bf8fef;"\|CBS Monday Night Movie
Mid-fall \| Coming of Age
Winter \| Kate & Allie \| rowspan="4"\|*Murphy Brown* \| rowspan="3"\|Designing Women \| colspan="2"\|*Almost Grown*
Spring \| *Live-In* \| rowspan="2" \|*Heartland* \| rowspan="2"\|Newhart \| Kate & Allie
Summer \| style="background:#C0C0C0;"\|Kate & Allie {{small\|(R)}} \| *Doctor Doctor*
Mid-summer \| colspan="2" style="background:#C0C0C0;"\|Kate & Allie {{small\|(R)}} \| colspan="2" style="background:#C0C0C0;"\|Designing Women {{small\|(R)}} \| style="background:#C0C0C0;"\|Newhart {{small\|(R)}}
rowspan="5" \| NBC ! Fall \| style="background:#00FFFF;" rowspan="5"\|ALF {{small\|(15/17.5) (Tied with Monday Night Football)}} \| rowspan="2" style="background:#FF00FF;"\|The Hogan Family {{small\|(22/16.3) (Tied with the NBC Sunday Night Movie and The Wonder Years)}} \| style="background:#FF00FF;" rowspan="5" colspan="4"\|NBC Monday Night at the Movies {{small\|(25/16.2) (Tied with Amen)}}
Winter
Spring \| *Nearly Departed*
Mid-spring \| style="background:#FF00FF;" rowspan="2" \|The Hogan Family {{small\|(22/16.3) (Tied with the NBC Sunday Night Movie and The Wonder Years)}}
Summer