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2003 in American television

{{Short description|none}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}

{{USTV year|2003}}

In American television during 2003, notable events included television series debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel initiations.

NCIS (originally referred to as Navy NCIS), a spin-off of JAG, premiered on September 23, 2003 on CBS, becoming the third-longest-running scripted, non-animated American prime-time TV series currently airing, and has later spawned multiple spin-offs and was voted America's favorite television series in 2011.{{Cite web |last=Seidman |first=Robert |date=May 5, 2011 |title=NCIS Voted America's All-Time Favorite TV Show; Two and a Half Men, Bones, House, Several Current Shows Rank |url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/05/05/ncis-voted-americas-all-time-favorite-tv-show-two-and-a-half-men-bones-house-several-current-shows-rank/91686 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110508213936/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/05/05/ncis-voted-americas-all-time-favorite-tv-show-two-and-a-half-men-bones-house-several-current-shows-rank/91686 |archive-date=May 8, 2011 |access-date=May 5, 2011 |work=TV by the Numbers}} Other notable shows that premiered that year included Arrested Development,{{cite web |last=Mahan |first=Colin |date=March 26, 2007 |title=Three times the Arrested Development |url=http://www.tv.com/news/three-times-the-arrested-development-5534/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421161717/http://www.tv.com/news/three-times-the-arrested-development-5534/ |archive-date=April 21, 2019 |access-date=July 29, 2007 |publisher=TV.com}} Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Two and a Half Men,{{cite web |title=The good news about 'Two and a Half Men' |url=http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/television/20150218_The_good_news_about__Two_and_a_Half_Men_.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150424061355/http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/television/20150218_The_good_news_about__Two_and_a_Half_Men_.html |archive-date=April 24, 2015 |access-date=July 7, 2015 |work=philly-archives}} The Venture Bros.,{{cite web |last1=Rosen |first1=Armin |date=May 31, 2013 |title=You Really Should Start Watching The Venture Bros. |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/05/you-really-should-start-watching-i-the-venture-bros-i/276414/ |website=The Atlantic}} One Tree Hill,{{cite news |last=Bellefante |first=Ginia |date=January 29, 2008 |title=They Age So Quickly, at Least in Tree Hill |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/arts/television/29bell.html |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929052452/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/arts/television/29bell.html |archive-date=September 29, 2012}} The O.C.,{{cite news |title=Ryan, Seth, and co. shine in pop culture phenomenon |work=The Observer |url=http://www.ndsmcobserver.com/2.2755/ryan-seth-and-co-shine-in-pop-culture-phenomenon-1.270074#.TyX_x_nhdcc |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103220714/http://www.ndsmcobserver.com/2.2755/ryan-seth-and-co-shine-in-pop-culture-phenomenon-1.270074#.TyX_x_nhdcc |archive-date=November 3, 2013}} Nip/Tuck,{{cite magazine |last=Rice |first=Lynette |date=September 9, 2005 |title="Nip/Tuck" chief tells why he reupped with FX |url=https://ew.com/article/2005/09/09/niptuck-chief-tells-why-he-reupped-fx/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} and Teen Titans.{{cite web |date=January 23, 2009 |title=83, Teen Titans |url=http://www.ign.com/top/animated-tv-series/83.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140515005513/http://www.ign.com/top/animated-tv-series/83.html |archive-date=May 15, 2014 |access-date=January 24, 2009 |website=IGN}}

Later 2010s/2020s TV shows like Better Call Saul (2015–2022) and the television adaptation of The Last of Us (2023–present) are set in 2003.{{Cite web |last=Gay |first=Verne |date=April 7, 2017 |title='Better Call Saul' season 3 review: Possibly better than 'Breaking Bad' |url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/better-call-saul-season-3-review-possibly-better-than-breaking-bad-1.13377010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008033924/http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/better-call-saul-season-3-review-possibly-better-than-breaking-bad-1.13377010 |archive-date=October 8, 2017 |access-date=November 30, 2019 |website=Variety}}{{cite web |last=Keane |first=Sean |date=January 6, 2023 |title='The Last of Us' HBO Adaptation Goes Far Beyond the PlayStation Game |url=https://www.cnet.com/culture/entertainment/the-last-of-us-hbo-adaptation-goes-way-beyond-the-playstation-game/ |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106085302/https://www.cnet.com/culture/entertainment/the-last-of-us-hbo-adaptation-goes-way-beyond-the-playstation-game/ |archivedate=January 6, 2023 |accessdate=January 7, 2023 |work=CNET |publisher=Red Ventures}}

Events

=January=

class="wikitable"
Date

! Event

2

| ABC affiliate WBKP in Calumet, Michigan greatly improves its coverage area in the Upper Peninsula when it signs-on satellite station WBUP in Ishpeming.

20

| KMAY-LP (now KAGS-LD) in Bryan, Texas signs-on as a satellite of Temple-based NBC affiliate KCEN-TV.

26

| The 37th edition of the Super Bowl is broadcast on ABC, making the last ever Super Bowl to be scheduled on January. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers win their first championship, defeating the Oakland Raiders by score of 48–21. John Madden, who provided color commentary alongside Al Michaels, becomes the first person to announce Super Bowls on different networks in consecutive years, having called Super Bowl XXXVI on Fox.

=February=

class="wikitable"

|+

Date

! Event

16

| The 300th episode of the series The Simpsons is broadcast on Fox the same night as the Married... with Children reunion special.

21

| Late Show host David Letterman begins a few weeks' leave from the CBS talk show due to a bout of shingles (during this time, guest hosts will include Bruce Willis, Regis Philbin, Will Ferrell and Elvis Costello).

rowspan="2" |24

|CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather interviews Saddam Hussein on national television, shortly before the Iraq invasion began.

The miniseries Giant Robot Week is broadcast by Cartoon Network, which includes 2 edited episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion. This is the first attempt to broadcast the series by network TV.
26

| On CBS, The Young and the Restless celebrates its 30th anniversary.

27

| Fred Rogers, host of the television series Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood dies of stomach cancer at the age of 74.

=March=

class="wikitable"
Date

! Event

27

| C-SPAN airs a press conference being held in the White House in which President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke about the 2003 Invasion of Iraq which had begun roughly one week prior. The event was one of the most-watched C-SPAN broadcasts of the year according to Nielsen ratings and was simultaneously broadcast on CNN and Fox News. A similar broadcast in April of the following year was similarly widely viewed.{{Cite web|url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?175782-1/summit-iraq|title=Summit on Iraq | C-SPAN.org|website=www.c-span.org}}

29

| K13VC ends operations.

=April=

class="wikitable"
Date

! Event

1

| On ABC, General Hospital celebrates its 40th anniversary.

1

| WRBU was disaffiliated from the Home Shopping Network to become a UPN station.

5

| Everyday Italian debuts on Food Network hosted by Giada De Laurentiis. The show, which De Laurentiis focuses for her viewers on traditional Italian cuisine with an American flair, would result in becoming one of Food Network's most popular daytime cooking shows.

7

| Noggin revises its branding and lineup, introducing new hosts Moose and Zee, and a new slogan, "It's Like Preschool on TV."

12

| All Grown Up!, a spin-off of Rugrats, premieres right after the 2003 Kids' Choice Awards on Nickelodeon.

22

| Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel) kisses Lena Kundera (Olga Sosnovska) on the ABC soap opera All My Children; this is the first lesbian kiss on American daytime television.

22-29

| The two-part backdoor pilot for NCIS airs as part of the CBS series JAG.

=May=

class="wikitable"
Date

! Event

1

| TBS broadcast its last NBA game (not counting alternate broadcasts or simulcasts of the NBA All-Star Game and overflow broadcast of playoff games) to date. Subsequent NBA playoff games on the Turner Sports family of networks were broadcast on either TNT or NBA TV.

rowspan="2"|8

| Nancy Christy becomes the first woman to win $1,000,000 on the syndicated version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

On a special episode of Primetime entitled Major Fraud (which originally aired as an episode of Tonight on ITV on April 21), segments of an unaired 2001 episode of the British version of Millionaire featuring Charles Ingram were broadcast. The program featured additional interviews with witnesses of the criminal trial that happened after Ingram was stripped of the £1,000,000 prize; Ingram had been found guilty of deception at Southwark Crown Court on April 7.
16

| The 30th Daytime Emmy Awards are given, in a ceremony telecast by ABC.

19

| ABC broadcasts a four-hour 50th anniversary special.

20

| America's Next Top Model premieres on UPN. UPN also aired the final episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer after 2 additional seasons and 44 episodes after being picked up by The WB (after being the smash hit on the network in the series's beginnings).

21

| On Fox, Ruben Studdard becomes the winner of American Idol – season two. His debut single "Flying Without Wings" reaches number two in the Billboard Hot 100 in June 2003.

=June=

class="wikitable"
Date

! Event

13

| Liz Cho co-anchors her last World News Now newscast on ABC before heading to the network's flagship station WABC-TV in New York City. She is replaced by Andrea Stassou.

=July=

class="wikitable"
Date

! Event

14

| David Muir is named the new co-anchor of ABC's World News Now, replacing Derek McGinty, who left for WUSA in Washington, D.C.

=August=

class="wikitable"
Date

! Event

=September=

class="wikitable"
Date

! Event

1

| In Casper, Wyoming, Pax TV affiliate KCWY switches its affiliation to NBC, taking that affiliation from KTWO-TV which will join ABC in March 2004. In the interim, KTWO-TV becomes an independent station with select programming from Pax.

8

| Amerie, host of BET's The Center, leaves the show so she could work on her new music.

10

| UPN's series Enterprise begins a season-long story sequence – the first time a full season of a Star Trek series has been devoted to one storyline. (Three episodes into the new season, the series title is changed to Star Trek: Enterprise.)

rowspan=2|11

| John Ritter dies from an undiagnosed aortic dissection at the age of 54 hours after falling ill on the set of his sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter.

Wheel of Fortune incorporates "Prize Puzzle" in one of the first three rounds and awards a trip to the contestant who solve the themed puzzle for this round. The initial incarnation occurs weekly during the first two seasons of appearance, but has changed to a daily format beginning on Season 23 and has used since.
21

| The CBS comedy Everybody Loves Raymond wins its first Outstanding Comedy award and the NBC drama The West Wing wins its fourth straight Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series at the 55th Primetime Emmy Awards. The ceremonies are telecast by Fox.

=October=

class="wikitable"
Date

! Event

1

| James Marsters joins the cast of Angel on The WB, carrying his Buffy the Vampire Slayer character of Spike over from the former series.

4

| Kenan Thompson makes his first appearance as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Thompson would eventually become the longest serving cast member in SNL history.

16

| The New York Yankees win Game 7 of the ALCS over the Boston Red Sox with a walk-off home run by Aaron Boone from pitcher Tim Wakefield.

20

| Rod Roddy makes his final appearance as announcer of The Price Is Right on CBS. Roddy died from colon cancer exactly a week later, on October 27.

25

| Game 6 of the World Series airs on Fox. The Florida Marlins win their second world championship over the New York Yankees. Marlins starter Josh Beckett made the final out by tagging Jorge Posada through first base, making this one of the biggest upsets in baseball history. This was the very last World Series played at the original Yankee Stadium before its demolition in 2008.

=November=

class="wikitable"
Date

! Event

2

| CBS at 75, the special celebrating the network's 75th anniversary, is broadcast by CBS.

10

| The 4,000th episode of Wheel of Fortune (since the 1982 pairing of host and hostess Pat Sajak and Vanna White) is broadcast in syndication, featuring a clip show of Wheel's most memorable moments over the years. The milestone episode would air in syndication on January 23, 2004.

19

| The 2003 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is broadcast on CBS. 9.4 million people tune in.{{cite news|url=https://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:DFPB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0FE856345804ECBB&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420|title=Victoria's Secret Likes Somerset – Local Store Is First To Get New Model Makeup Kit|access-date=March 7, 2009|date=October 30, 2003|work=Detroit Free Press|author=Hanson, Holly}}{{cite news|url=https://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:NYPB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0FED4BE9843C978D&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420|title=Playing Our Thong – Victoria's Celebs Lead Undie Fun Day|access-date=March 7, 2009|date=November 14, 2003|work=New York Post|author=Hoffmann, Bill}}{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390600/|title=The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show (2003)|date=19 November 2003|access-date=March 7, 2009|publisher=Internet Movie Database}}{{cite news|url=https://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=10999793EE6EECEB&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420|title=Victoria's Latex Secret Now on Show|access-date=March 7, 2009|date=November 17, 2003|work=Newsday|author=Kahn, Robert}}{{cite news|url=https://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:BNHB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0FEEFF0C5D424AD5&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420|title=Fashion – Peek experience – Behind the scenes at the Victoria's Secret fashion show |access-date=March 7, 2009|date=November 19, 2003|work=Boston Herald|author=Radsken, Jill}}

=December=

class="wikitable"
Date

! Event

2

| Tamala Edwards is named the new co-anchor of ABC's World News Now, replacing Andrea Stassou.

20

| During a National Football League game between the New England Patriots at New York Jets, former Jets quarterback Joe Namath in a sideline interview with ESPN's Suzy Kolber twice stated that he wanted to kiss her, and "couldn't care less about the team strugg-a-ling." Namath later apologized and blamed the incident on his obvious intoxication. Soon after, Namath entered an outpatient alcoholism treatment program. Namath chronicled the episode, including his battle with alcoholism in his book, Namath ({{ISBN|0-67003-329-4}}).

Programs

=Debuts=

class="wikitable sortable"
Date

! Show

! Network

!Ref.

January 5

|High School Reunion

|The WB

|

rowspan="4" |January 6

|The Berenstain Bears

|PBS Kids

|

Joe Millionaire

|Fox

|

Abby

|UPN

|

Dirty Rotten Cheater

|PAX TV

|

rowspan="2"|January 8

| The Bachelorette

|ABC

|

Storm Stories

|The Weather Channel

|

January 9

| The Surreal Life

|The WB

|

rowspan="2"|January 10

| Mister Sterling

|NBC

|

Queens Supreme

|CBS

|

January 17

|That's So Raven

|Disney Channel

|

January 22

| Chappelle's Show

|Comedy Central

|

rowspan="2" |January 23

|106 & Park: Prime

|BET

|

MythBusters

|Discovery Channel

|

January 24

| Penn & Teller: Bullshit!

|Showtime

|

January 26

| Jimmy Kimmel Live!

|ABC

|

rowspan="3" |January 27

| Ask Rita

|Syndication

|

Miracles

|ABC

|

Veritas: The Quest

|ABC

|

February 2

| Kingpin

|NBC

|

February 2

| Dragnet

|ABC

|

February 4

| A.U.S.A.

|NBC

|

February 8

| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

|Fox Box

|

February 13

| Are You Hot?

|ABC

|

February 15

| Power Rangers Ninja Storm

|ABC Kids

|

February 16

| The Venture Bros.

|Adult Swim

|

February 19

| I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!

|ABC

|

rowspan="3" |February 21

| Da Ali G Show

|HBO

|

Real Time with Bill Maher

|HBO

|

Family Business

|Showtime

|

rowspan="3" |February 24

| My Big Fat Greek Life

|CBS

|

Animal Jam

|TLC/Discovery Kids

|

Hi-5

|TLC/Discovery Kids

|

February 26

|Fraternity Life

|MTV

|

March 1

|Stuart Little

|HBO Family

|

March 2

| The Michael Essany Show

|E!

|

rowspan="3" |March 3

|Live Prayer

|WTOG

|

The Center

|BET

|

Married by America

|Fox

|

March 4

| The Family

|ABC

|

March 9

| Oliver Beene

|Fox

|

March 11

|The Save-Ums!

|TLC/Discovery Kids

|

March 17

|Punk'd

|MTV

|

March 20

| On the Spot

|The WB

|

March 26

| Wanda at Large

|Fox

|

March 28

| America's Most Talented Kid

|NBC

|

rowspan="2" |March 30

| Black Sash

|The WB

|

The Pitts

|Fox

|

March 31

| American Chopper

|Discovery Channel

|

rowspan="2" |April 1

|What Should You Do?

|Lifetime

|

Lost at Home

|ABC

|

April 5

|Everyday Italian

|Food Network

|

rowspan="2" |April 7

|Miffy and Friends

| rowspan="2" |Noggin

|

Tweenies

|

April 12

|All Grown Up!

|Nickelodeon

|

April 13

|MXC

|Spike

|

rowspan="2" |April 14

|Boohbah

|PBS Kids

|

Platinum

|UPN

|

April 21

|Mr. Personality

|Fox

|

May 6

|Jim Rome Is Burning

|ESPN

|

May 12

|Surf Girls

|MTV

|

May 12

|Dinotopia

|ABC

|

May 15

|DaySide with Linda Vester

|Fox News Channel

|

rowspan="2" |May 17

| Adventure Camp

| rowspan="2" |Discovery Kids

|

Trading Spaces: Boys vs. Girls

|

May 20

|America's Next Top Model

|UPN

|

May 22

|The O'Keefes

|The WB

|

May 26

|Unscrewed with Martin Sargent

|TechTV

|

May 28

|Fame

|NBC

|

rowspan="2" |June 1

|Monster House

|Discovery Channel

|

Last Comic Standing

|NBC

|

rowspan="2" |June 2

|For Love or Money

|NBC

|

Totally Pets

|PAX TV

|

rowspan="3" |June 3

|Hey Joel

|VH1

|

Keen Eddie

|Fox

|

American Juniors

|Fox

|

June 13

|The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy

|Cartoon Network

|

June 15

|Charlie Lawrence

|CBS

|

June 18

|Paradise Hotel

|Fox

|

June 18

|Boarding House: North Shore

|The WB

|

rowspan="2" |June 26

|Stripperella

| rowspan="2" |Spike TV

|

Gary the Rat

|

June 27

|Dead Like Me

|Showtime

|

rowspan="3" |July 11

|Evil Con Carne

|Cartoon Network

|

Free for All

|Showtime

|

Spider-Man: The New Animated Series

|MTV

|

July 13

|Dance Fever

|ABC Family

|

July 14

|Who Wants to Marry My Dad?

|NBC

|

July 15

|Queer Eye

|Bravo

|

July 19

|Teen Titans

|Cartoon Network

|

July 20

|The Restaurant

|NBC

|

July 22

|Nip/Tuck

|FX

|

July 23

|Reno 911!

|Comedy Central

|

rowspan="2" |July 30

|Peacemakers

|USA Network

|

Race to the Altar

|NBC

|

August 1

|My Life as a Teenage Robot

|Nickelodeon

|

August 5

|The O.C.

|Fox

|

August 8

|Girls v. Boys

|Noggin (during "The N" block)

|

August 18

|I Love the '70s

|VH1

|

rowspan="2" |August 19

|Wild West Tech

|History

|

Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica

|MTV

|

August 23

|Duck Dodgers

|Cartoon Network

|

August 26

|Playmakers

|ESPN

|

August 29

|Cowboy U

|CMT

|

September 1

|Tactical to Practical

|History

|

September 2

|The Joe Schmo Show

|Paramount Network

|

September 7

|Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks

|PBS Kids

|

rowspan="4" |September 8

|Anderson Cooper 360°

|CNN

|

Connie the Cow

|Noggin

|

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

| rowspan="2" |Syndication

|

Starting Over

|

rowspan="2" |September 9

|Happy Family

| rowspan="2" |NBC

|

Whoopi

|

September 10

|Jake 2.0

| rowspan="2" |UPN

|

rowspan="3" |September 11

|The Mullets

|

Run of the House

| rowspan="3" |The WB

|

Steve Harvey's Big Time Challenge

|

September 12

|All About the Andersons

|

rowspan="2" |September 13

|Romeo!

|Nickelodeon

|

Eye for an Eye

|Syndication

|

rowspan="2" |September 14

|Carnivàle

| rowspan="2" |HBO

|

K Street

|

rowspan="4" |September 15

|Living It Up! with Ali & Jack

| rowspan="2" |Syndication

|

The Sharon Osbourne Show

|

Eve

| rowspan="3" |UPN

|

Rock Me Baby

|

September 16

|All of Us

|

September 18

|Threat Matrix

|ABC

|

rowspan="2" |September 19

|Like Family

|The WB

|

Luis

|Fox

|

rowspan="2" |September 20

|Lilo & Stitch: The Series

|Disney Channel

|

Clifford's Puppy Days

|PBS Kids

|

rowspan="2" | September 22

|Las Vegas

|NBC

|

Two and a Half Men

| rowspan="2" |CBS

|

rowspan="3" | September 23

|NCIS

|

I'm with Her

|ABC

|

One Tree Hill

|The WB

|

September 24

|The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire

|CBS

|

September 25

|Coupling

| rowspan="2" |NBC

|

rowspan="4" | September 26

|Miss Match

|

The Handler

| rowspan="2" |CBS

|

Joan of Arcadia

|

Hope & Faith

|ABC

|

September 27

|Teen Kids News

|Syndication

|

rowspan="4" |September 28

|10-8: Officers on Duty

|ABC

|

Cold Case

|CBS

|

JoJo's Circus

|Playhouse Disney

|

The Lyon's Den

|NBC

|

rowspan="2" |October 1

|It's All Relative

| rowspan="3" |ABC

|

Karen Sisco

|

October 3

|Married to the Kellys

|

October 4

|Battlefield Detectives

|History Channel

|

rowspan="2" |October 5

|Animal Tails

|PAX TV

|

Tarzan

|The WB

|

rowspan="2" |October 6

|The Big Break

|Golf Channel

|

Knock First

|ABC Family

|

October 12

|Shootout

|AMC

|

rowspan="2" |October 13

|King of the Jungle

|Animal Planet

|

Room Raiders

|MTV

|

October 17

|VH1 ILL-ustrated

| rowspan="2" |VH1

|

October 19

|When Ruled the World

|

rowspan="2" |October 20

|Cold Pizza

|ESPN2

|

Skin

|Fox

|

October 22

|Kid Notorious

|Comedy Central

|

rowspan="2" |October 26

|Viva La Bam

| rowspan="3" |MTV

|

Wildboyz

|

October 28

|Rich Girls

|

October 29

|A Minute with Stan Hooper

| rowspan="2" |Fox

|

October 30

|Tru Calling

|

rowspan="3" |November 1

|Kenny the Shark

| rowspan="2" |Discovery Kids

|

Tutenstein

|

Xiaolin Showdown

|Kids' WB

|

November 2

|Arrested Development

|Fox

|

November 3

|Average Joe

|NBC

|

rowspan="2" |November 7

|Dirty Jobs

|Discovery Channel

|

Star Wars: Clone Wars

|Cartoon Network

|

November 10

|Sabrina's Secret Life

|Syndication

|

December 1

|Poko

|TLC

|

rowspan="4"|December 2

|Celebrity Poker Showdown

|Bravo

|

The Simple Life

|Fox

|

The Tracy Morgan Show

|NBC

|

Line of Fire

|rowspan="2"|ABC

|

December 3

|Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

|

December 21

|Ancient Discoveries

|History

|

=Returning this year=

class="wikitable"
"

! Show

ChannelLast airedNew titleNew networkReturning
The Weekenders

|ABC, UPN

|2001

|Same

|Toon Disney

|March 21

The Ren and Stimpy Show

|Nickelodeon, MTV

|1996

|Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"

|Spike

|June 26

=Ending this year=

class="wikitable sortable"

! Date

! Show

! Network

! Debut

! Status

rowspan="2"|January 1

|Cooking Live

|Food Network

|1997

|rowspan="15"|Cancelled

Truth or Scare

|Discovery Kids

|2001

January 3

|Cita's World

|BET

|1999

January 12

|Andy Richter Controls the Universe

|Fox

|rowspan="4"|2002

January 14

|In-Laws

|rowspan="2"|NBC

January 21

|Hidden Hills

January 24

|Presidio Med

|CBS

January 30

|Columbo

|ABC

|1968

January 31

|Win Ben Stein's Money

|Comedy Central

|1997

February 2

|Super Duper Sumos

|Nickelodeon

|2002

February 5

|The Legend of Tarzan

|UPN

|2001

February 7

|3-South

|MTV

|rowspan="4"|2002

February 16

|For the People

|Lifetime

February 17

|Birds of Prey

|The WB

February 22

|The Nick Cannon Show

|Nickelodeon

February 23

|Oz

|HBO

|1997

|Ended

February 25

|Clifford the Big Red Dog (returned in 2019)

|PBS Kids

|2000

|rowspan="16"|Cancelled

March 7

|Talkback Live

|CNN

|1994

March 10

|Veritas: The Quest

|ABC

|2003

March 13

|Family Affair

|The WB

|2002

March 21

|Farscape

|Sci-Fi Channel

|1999

rowspan="2"|April 1

|Friend or Foe?

|rowspan="2"|GSN

|rowspan="3"|2002

WinTuition
April 4

|Liberty's Kids

|PBS Kids

rowspan="2"|April 13

|Clone High

|MTV

|2002

My Big Fat Greek Life

|CBS

|rowspan="2"|2003

April 17

|On the Spot

|The WB

April 21

|Robbery Homicide Division

|CBS

|2002

April 24

|Sabrina the Teenage Witch

|ABC

|1996

rowspan="2"|April 25

|Fastlane

|rowspan="2"|Fox

|rowspan="2"|2002

John Doe
April 26

|Cubix: Robots for Everyone

|Kids' WB

|2001

April 27

|Touched by an Angel

|CBS

|1994

|Ended

May 4

|120 Minutes (returned in 2011)

|MTV

|1986

|rowspan="3"|Cancelled

May 7

|Stargate Infinity

|Fox

|rowspan="2"|2002

May 9

|Greetings from Tucson

|rowspan="2"|The WB

May 14

|Dawson's Creek

|1998

|Ended

May 16

|Cartoon Cartoon Fridays

|Cartoon Network

|1999

|rowspan="3"|Cancelled

May 17

|The Agency

|CBS

|rowspan="2"|2001

rowspan="3"|May 20

|The Weakest Link (returned in 2020)

|NBC

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

|The WB

|1997

|Ended

Watching Ellie

|NBC

|2002

|rowspan="55"|Cancelled

rowspan="5"|May 21

|Change of Heart

|rowspan="5"|Syndication

|1998

The Jenny Jones Show

|1991

The Other Half

|2001

The Caroline Rhea Show

|rowspan="2"|2002

The Twilight Zone
May 23

|Supermarket Sweep (returned in 2020)

|PAX TV

|1965

May 24

|Stuart Little

|HBO Family

|2003

June 1

|Black Sash

|The WB

|2003

June 5

|Cedric the Entertainer Presents

|Fox

|2002

June 7

|The Mummy: The Animated Series

|Kids' WB

|2001

rowspan="2"|June 13

|Even Stevens

|Disney Channel

|2000

Russian Roulette

|GSN

|2002

June 17

|Hey Joel

|VH1

|2003

June 20

|Baby Bob

|CBS

| rowspan="2" |2002

June 26

|30 Seconds to Fame

|Fox

July 1

|Say What? Karaoke

|MTV

|1998

July 3

|Primetime Glick

|Comedy Central

|rowspan="2"|2001

July 5

|Sitting Ducks

|Cartoon Network

July 7

|Surf Girls

|MTV

|2003

July 20

|The Popeye Show

|Cartoon Network

|2001

July 24

|Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"

|TNN/Spike TV

|2003

July 25

|The Living Century

|PBS

|2000

August 3

|Doggy Fizzle Televizzle

|MTV

|2002

August 10

|Futurama (returned in 2008)

|Fox

|1999

rowspan="2"|August 16

|Scaredy Camp

|Nickelodeon

|rowspan="3"|2002

Dinotopia

|ABC

rowspan="2"|August 20

|Beg, Borrow & Deal

|ESPN

Ripley's Believe It or Not! (returned in 2019)

|TBS

|2000

August 22

|I Love the '70s

|VH1

|rowspan="4"|2003

August 24

|Dance Fever

|Freeform

rowspan="2"|September 12

|Free for All

|Showtime

Spider-Man: The New Animated Series

|MTV

September 19

|Oswald

|Nickelodeon

|2001

September 20

|Star Dates

|E!

|2002

September 29

|Temptation Island (returned in 2019)

|Fox

|2001

October 3

|Port Charles

|ABC

|1997

October 6

|Seven Little Monsters

|PBS Kids

|2000

October 8

|Peacemakers

|USA

|2003

October 12

|Secret, Strange & True

|TechTV

|2002

October 23

|Coupling

|NBC

|rowspan="2"|2003

rowspan="2"|October 24

|Luis

|Fox

House of Mouse

|Toon Disney

|2001

October 25

|X-Men: Evolution

|Kids' WB

|2000

October 29

|Street Time

|Showtime

|2002

November 7

|Wanda at Large

|rowspan="2"|Fox

|2003

November 9

|Family Guy (returned in 2005)

|1999

November 11

|Playmakers

|ESPN

|2003

November 14

|Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?

|Cartoon Network

|2002

November 16

|K Street

|HBO

|rowspan="2"|2003

November 19

|The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire

|CBS

November 20

|Dexter's Laboratory

|rowspan="2"|Cartoon Network

|1996

rowspan="2"|November 23

|ToonHeads

|1992

Tarzan

|The WB

|rowspan="2"|2003

November 24

|Joe Millionaire

|Fox

rowspan="2"|November 26

|Just Shoot Me!

|Syndication

|1997

|Ended

Time Squad

|Cartoon Network

|2001

|rowspan="13"|Cancelled

November 30

|The Lyon's Den

|NBC

|2003

December 1

|Conquest

|History Channel

|2002

December 3

|The Jeff Corwin Experience

|Animal Planet

|2000

December 5

|Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck

|GSN

|2002

December 11

|Gary the Rat

|Spike TV

|rowspan="4"|2003

December 12

|A Minute with Stan Hooper

|Fox

December 15

|Miss Match

|NBC

December 17

|Kid Notorious

|Comedy Central

December 18

|Good Morning, Miami

|rowspan="2"|NBC

|rowspan="2"|2002

December 28

|Boomtown

December 30

|Rich Girls

|MTV

|2003

December 31

|The Brak Show

|Adult Swim

|2000

=Entering syndication this year=

class="wikitable"
"

! Show

SeasonsIn ProductionSource
Angel

|4

|rowspan="1"|Yes

|{{citation needed|date=June 2014}}

Becker

|5

| rowspan="1" |No

|[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-2001/BC-2001-12-10.pdf] from Broadcasting & Cable

The King of Queens

|5

|rowspan="1"|Yes

|[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-2002/BC-2002-07-22.pdf] from Broadcasting & Cable

Judging Amy

|4

|rowspan="1"|Yes

|[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-2001/BC-2001-11-05.pdf] from Broadcasting & Cable

The Parkers

|4

|rowspan="1"|Yes

|{{citation needed|date=June 2014}}

=Changes of network affiliation=

class="wikitable sortable"
Show

! Moved from

! Moved to

Da Ali G Show

| Channel 4 (UK)

| HBO

The Ren & Stimpy Show

|Nickelodeon

|Spike

Teamo Supremo

|rowspan="2"|ABC

|rowspan="3"|Toon Disney

Fillmore!
The Weekenders

|ABC/UPN

Grounded for Life

|Fox

|The WB

Totally Spies!

|ABC Family

|Cartoon Network

=Made-for-TV movies=

class="wikitable"
Title || Network || Date of airing
You Wish!

|Disney Channel

|January 10

Maniac Magee

|Nickelodeon

|February 23

Right on Track

|Disney Channel

|March 21

The Even Stevens Movie

|Disney Channel

|June 13

Abra-Catastrophe!

|Nickelodeon

|July 12

The Cheetah Girls

|Disney Channel

|August 15

Red Water

|TBS

|August 17

Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time

|Disney Channel

|November 28

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2

| NBC

| December 20

Networks and services

=Launches=

class="wikitable sortable"

! Network

! Type

! Launch date

! Notes

! Source

Starz! Kids

| Cable television

| Unknown

|

|

HRTV

| Cable and satellite

| January 1

|

|

HDNet Movies

| Cable and satellite

| January 13

|

|

GOL TV

| Cable and satellite

| February 1

|

|

¡Sorpresa!

| Cable television

| March 15

|

|

Sportsman Channel

| Cable and satellite

| April 1

|

|

Tennis Channel

| Cable and satellite

| May 15

|

|

Fuel TV

| Cable television

| July 1

|

|

Bravo HD+

| Cable and satellite

| July 31

|

|

Arirang Radio

| Cable television

| September 1

|

|

NFL Network

| Cable and satellite

| November 4

|

|

=Conversions and rebrandings=

class="wikitable"
Old network name

! New network name

! Type

! Conversion Date

! Notes

! Source

Discovery Civilization Channel

|Discovery Times

|Cable television

|Unknown

|

|

nba.com TV

|NBA TV

|Cable television

|February 11

|

|

National College Sports Network

|College Sports Television

|Cable television

|February 23

|

|

MMUSA

|Fuse

|Cable and satellite

|May 19

|

|

The New TNN

|Spike TV

|Cable and satellite

|August 11

|

|

=Closures=

class="wikitable sortable"

! Network

! Type

! Closure date

! Notes

! Source

American Christian Television System

| Cable and satellite

| Unknown

|

|

Television stations

=Station launches=

class="wikitable sortable"

! Date

! City of License/Market

! Station

! Channel

! Affiliation

! Notes/Ref.

January 2

| Ishpeming/Marquette, Michigan

| WBUP

| 10

| ABC

|

January 20

| Bryan/College Station, Texas

| KMAY-LP

| 23

| NBC

| Semi-satellite of KCEN/Temple

January 30

| Rochelle/Chicago, Illinois

| WCHU-LP

| 33

| Azteca America

|

February 2

| Marquette, Michigan

| WMQF

| 19

| Fox (primary)
UPN (secondary)

|

February 18

| Roswell, New Mexico

| KRWB

| 21

| The WB

| Satellite of KWBQ/Santa Fe

March 3

| Salisbury, Maryland

| WBOC-DT2

| 21.2

| UPN

|

April

| Provo, Utah

| KUTH

| 32

| Independent

|

April 13

| Bangor, Maine

| W22BU

| 22

| Fox

|

April 23

| Medford, Oregon

| K14LG

| 14

| Telemundo

|

May 2

| Butte, Montana

| KBTZ

| 24

| Fox

|

May 7

| Tallahassee, Florida

| WTLF

| 24

| UPN

| Satellite of WFXU/Live Oak

June 11

| Great Falls, Montana

| KLMN

| 26

| Fox

|

July 27

| Longview/Tyler, Texas

| KCEB

| 54

| UPN

|

August 21

| Laughlin, Nevada

| KMCC

| 34

| NBC

| Satellite of KVBC/Las Vegas

September 22

| Rockford, Illinois

| WTVO-DT2

| 17.2

| UPN

|

September 29

| Vicksburg/Jackson, Mississippi

| WLOO

| 35

| Fox \

|

October 1

| Waimanalo, Hawaii

| KMGT

| 14

| Religious independent

|

October 7

| Hanamaulu, Hawaii

| K06NC

| 6

| Independent

|

October 11

| El Dorado, Arkansas
{{small|(Monroe, Louisiana)}}

| KEJB

| 43

| America One

|

October 18

| Pittsburg, Kansas
{{small|(Joplin, Missouri)}}

| KFJX

| 14

| Fox

|

October 24

| Price, Utah

| KUTF

| 3

| TeleFutura

|

rowspan=2| November 4

| rowspan=2| Pago Pago, American Samoa

| K38HX

| 38

| NBC

|

K34HI

| 34

| Fox

|

rowspan=11| Unknown date

| Beaumont, Texas

| KUIL-LP

| 64

| Fox

|

Charleston, South Carolina

| WJEA-LP

| 12

| Telemundo

|

Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands

| WVIF

| 15

| Pax TV

| Independent

Crookston, Minnesota

| KCGE-DT

| 16

| PBS

| Part of the Prairie Public Television network

Denver, Colorado

| KCIN-LP

| 27

| Independent

|

Grand Forks, North Dakota

| KCFM

| 27

| UPN

|

Knoxville, Tennessee

| WVLT-DT2

| 8.2
{{small|(digital)}}

| UPN

|

Norman/Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

| KOCM

| 46

| Daystar

|

Pullman, Washington

| KQUP

| 24

| UPN

|

Salt Lake City, Utah

| K23GP

| 23

| Spanish independent

|

Sun Valley/Twin Falls, Idaho

| KIDA

| 5

| UPN

|

=Network affiliation changes=

class="wikitable sortable"

! Date

! City of License/Market

! Station

! Channel

! Old affiliation

! New affiliation

! Notes/Ref.

April

| Waterville/Portland, Maine

| WPFO

| 23

| Pax TV (as WMPX-TV)

| Fox

|

September 1

| Casper, Wyoming

| KCWY

| 13

| Pax TV

| NBC

|

October 1

| Sioux Falls, South Dakota

| KWSD

| 36

| Pax TV (as KAUN)

| The WB

|

Unknown date

| Louisville, Kentucky

| W24BW

| 24

| MuchUSA

| America One

|

=Station closures=

class="wikitable sortable"

! Date

! City of license/Market

! Station

! Channel

! Affiliation

! Sign-on date

! Notes

October 27

| Marquette, Michigan

| WUPT-CA

| 25

| UPN

| January 8, 1980

|

Births

class="wikitable"
"

! Date

NameNotability
January 4

|Jaeden Martell

|Actor (Masters of Sex)

January 9

|Megan Richie

|Actress (Legendary Dudas, Jake and the Neverland Pirates)

January 21

|Garren Stitt

|Actor (Andi Mack, General Hospital)

January 23

|Ivan Mallon

|Actor (School of Rock)

January 24

|Johnny Orlando

|Canadian actor

rowspan="2"|January 28

|Anton Starkman

|Actor (Warped!)

Whitney Peak

|Actress (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Home Before Dark, Gossip Girl)

February 4

|Kyla Kenedy

|Actress (The Walking Dead, Speechless)

February 7

|Reed Horstmann

|Actor (The Villains of Valley View)

February 20

|Olivia Rodrigo

|Actress (Bizaardvark, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series)

March 1

|Yasmeen Fletcher

|Actress and musician (Ms. Marvel, Andi Mack)

March 3

|Thomas Barbusca

|Actor (The Mick)

March 8

|Montana Jordan

|Actor (Young Sheldon)

March 12

|Malina Weissman

|Actress

April 13

|Olivia Sanabia

|Actress (Coop and Cami Ask the World)

rowspan="2"|April 15

|Julia Antonelli

|Actress (Every Witch Way, WITS Academy)

Sam Ashe Arnold

|Actor (Best.Worst.Weekend.Ever., Are You Afraid of the Dark?)

April 16

|Alina Foley

|Actress (The League, Shimmer and Shine)

rowspan="2"|April 18

|Benjamin Cole Royer

|rowspan="2"|Actor (Best Friends Whenever)

Matthew Lewis Royer
April 19

|Caleel Harris

|Voice actor (Blaze and the Monster Machines, The Loud House)

April 30

|Emily Carey

|Actress

May 1

|Lizzy Greene

|Actress (Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn, A Million Little Things)

May 11

|Dora Dolphin

|Actress

May 16

|Ariana Molkara

|Actress (Warped!)

May 18

|Lukas Rodriguez

|Actor (Malcolm in the Middle)

May 19

|JoJo Siwa

|Actress (Dance Moms) and singer

June 2

|Jeremy Ray Taylor

|Actor (Are You Afraid of the Dark?)

June 11

|Breanna Yde

|Actress (The Haunted Hathaways, School of Rock, The Loud House)

June 15

|Galilea La Salvia

|Actress (Talia in the Kitchen)

June 16

|Anna Cathcart

|Canadian actress (Odd Squad)

July 5

|Terrell Ransom Jr.

|Actor (Days of Our Lives, The Amazing World of Gumball)

July 9

|Marcel Ruiz

|Actor

July 11

|Meg Crosbie

|Actress (WITS Academy)

July 30

|Daniel DiMaggio

|Actor (Clarence, American Housewife)

August 11

|Rachel Gage

|Actress (Walk the Prank)

August 18

|Max Charles

|Actor (The Neighbors, Harvey Beaks, The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show, The Lion Guard, The Strain)

August 20

|Christopher Paul Richards

|Actor (The Kids Are Alright)

August 28

|Quvenzhané Wallis

|Actress

September 3

|Jack Dylan Grazer

|Actor (Me, Myself & I)

rowspan="2"|September 8

|Carmen Blanchard

|Actress

Nicolas Cantu

|Voice actor (The Amazing World of Gumball, Sofia the First)

rowspan="2"|September 18

|Nina Lu

|Actress (Bunk'd)

Aidan Gallagher

|Actor (Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn)

October 7

|Kate Godfrey

|Actress (All That, Warped!)

October 10

|Maggie Elizabeth Jones

|Actress (Ben and Kate)

October 24

|Hudson Yang

|Actor (Fresh Off the Boat)

October 27

|Gavin Lewis

|Actor

November 8

|Meyrick Murphy

|Actress (Legendary Dudas, The Walking Dead)

November 12

|Kamaia Fairburn

|Actress (Star Falls)

November 21

|Elijha Hammill

|Canadian voice actor (Ryder on PAW Patrol)

November 23

|Olivia Keville

|Actress (Splitting Up Together)

December 9

|Jackson A. Dunn

|Actor (Legendary Dudas)

December 12

|Lincoln Melcher

|Actor (Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn, Bunk'd)

Deaths

class="wikitable sortable"
"

! Date

NameAgeclass="unsortable" |Notability
January 12

|Maurice Gibb

|align="center"|53

|Musician/songwriter (Bee Gees)

January 23

|Nell Carter

|align="center"|54

|Actress, singer (Gimme a Break)

February 21

|Julie Mitchum

|align="center"|88

|Actress

February 27

|Fred Rogers

|align="center"|74

|Mister Rogers of (Mister Rogers' Neighborhood)

March 12

| Lynne Thigpen

|align="center"|54

| American television/film/stage actress (Bear in the Big Blue House, The District, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?){{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/14/obituaries/14THIG.html |title=Lynne Thigpen, Actress in CBS's 'District,' Dies at 54 |work=New York Times |date=2003-03-14 |access-date=2014-02-04}}

March 30

| Michael Jeter

|align="center"|50

|Voice actor/stage actor (Sesame Street, Evening Shade, and voice of Nate Horowitz (Eugene's Dad) on Hey Arnold!)

April 30

| Lionel Wilson

|align="center"|79

|Voice actor (The Aldrich Family, Tom Terrific, The Hector Heathcote Show and first voice of Eustace Bagge on Courage the Cowardly Dog)

May 14

|Robert Stack

|align="center"|84

|Actor (Eliot Ness on The Untouchables)

May 15

|June Carter Cash

|align="center"|73

|Singer and actress (The Johnny Cash Show)

June 19

|Laura Sadler

|align="center"|22

|English actress (Grange Hill, Holby City)

June 20

|Raymond Serra

|align="center"|66

|Actor

July 6

|Buddy Ebsen

|align="center"|95

|Actor (The Beverly Hillbillies, Barnaby Jones)

July 27

|Bob Hope

|align="center"|100

|Comedian, host and actor

rowspan="2"|September 8

|Jaclyn Linetsky

|align="center"|17

|Canadian voice actress (Mega Babies, What's with Andy?, Caillou)

Vadim Schneider

|align="center"|17

|French-Canadian actor

September 11

|John Ritter

|align="center"|54

|Actor (Three's Company, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, and voice of Clifford the Big Red Dog)

September 12

|Johnny Cash

|align="center"|71

|Singer and actor (The Johnny Cash Show)

September 30

|Robert Kardashian

|align="center"|59

|Lawyer

October 17

|Janice Rule

|align="center"|72

|Actress (The Fugitive)

October 21

|Fred Berry

|align="center"|52

|Actor (Freddie "Rerun" Stubbs on What's Happening!!)

October 27

|Rod Roddy

|align="center"|66

|Announcer (Press Your Luck, Soap, and most famously, The Price Is Right)

November 9

|Art Carney

|align="center"|85

|Actor (Ed Norton on The Honeymooners)

rowspan="2"|November 12

|Jonathan Brandis

|align="center"|27

|Actor (Lucas Wolenczak on seaQuest DSV)

Penny Singleton

|align="center"|95

|Voice actress (Jane Jetson on The Jetsons)

November 14

|Gene Anthony Ray

|align="center"|41

|Actor (Leroy Johnson on Fame)

December 14

|Jeanne Crain

|align="center"|78

|Actress

December 28

|Helen Kleeb

|align="center"|96

|Actress (Miss Mamie Baldwin on The Waltons)

December 29

|Earl Hindman

|align="center"|61

|Actor (Wilson J. Wilson Jr. on Home Improvement)

Television debuts

{{Years in TV by country|2003}}

{{Years in television}}

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?title_type=tv_series&release_date=2003-01-01,2003-12-31&countries=us&adult=include&sort=num_votes,desc List of 2003 American television series] at IMDb

Category:2000s in American television