- April 1
- Fox airs the 100th episode of TV show King of the Hill. [457]
- April 10
- Kevin Olmstead of Ann Arbor, Michigan, wins US$2,180,000 on Who Wants to Be A Millionaire TV show, largest prize ever given out on a TV game show. [457]
- April 26
- NBC airs the 100th episode of Just Shoot Me TV show. [457]
- May 5
- CBS airs the 200th episode of Walker, Texas Ranger TV show. [457]
- May 6
- ABC airs the 100th episode of The Practice TV show. [457]
- May 22
- NBC airs the final episode of TV show 3rd Rock from the Sun. [457]
- May 23
- The final episode of US TV show Star Trek: Voyager airs. [457]
- June 11
- NBC airs the first episode of TV show Fear Factor. [457]
- June 22
- The final episode of US TV show Xena: Warrior Princess airs. [457]
- October 16
- The WB network debuts TV series Smallville. [457]
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- November 6
- FOX begins airing episodes of the TV show 24. [457]
- November 13
- NBC airs the 200th episode of the TV show Frasier. [457]
2002
- January 21
- FOX airs the 100th episode of Ally McBeal TV show. [457]
- January 27
- ABC-TV begins airing Stephen King's three-part, six-hour miniseries Rose Red. [457]
- February 11
- The six stars on NBC's Friends TV show sign a deal for US$24 million each for the ninth and final season of the series. [457]
- February 27
- CBS live telecasts the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presentation of the 44th Annual Grammy Awards. Some winners:
- Record of the Year: U2 for "Walk On";
- Best Female Pop Vocal Performance: Nelly Furtado for "I'm Like A Bird";
- Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: James Taylor for "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight";
- Best Dance Recording: Janet Jackson for "All For You";
- Best Female Rock Vocal Performance: Lucinda Williams for "Get Right With God";
- Best Male Rock Vocal Performance: Lenny Kravitz for "Dig In";
- Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: U2 for "Elevation".
[457] [1365]
- March 5
- MTV begins airing The Osbournes reality television show followed the daily activities of rock musician Ozzy Osbourne and his family. [457]
- April 14
- ABC airs the last episode of TV show Once and Again. [457]
- May 12
- FOX airs the 200th episode of TV show X-Files. [457]
- May 22
- Rosie O'Donnell hosts the last of her syndicated saytime talk shows, after a six-year run. [457]
- June 19
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling makes its debut on Pay-Per-View (the first weekly wrestling show on PPV). [23]
- July 12
- The USA cable network premiers the Monk TV show. [457]
- September 14
- The ABC TV network begins airing the show Fillmore on ABC Kids. [6]
- September 23
- CBS begins airing the TV show CSI: Miami. [457]
- September 29
- Discovery Channel airs the first pilot episode of American Chopper. [457]
- October 30
- British digital terrestrial television (DTT) service Freeview starts transmitting throughout parts of the United Kingdom. [5]
2003
- January 6
- FOX begin airing the reality show Joe Millionaire. [457]
- February 23
- CBS live telecasts the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presentation of the 45th Annual Grammy Awards. Some winners:
- Record of the Year: Norah Jones for "Don't Know Why";
- Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: John Mayer for "Your Body Is A Wonderland";
- Best Female Rock Vocal Performance: Sheryl Crow for "Steve McQueen";
- Best Male Rock Vocal Performance: Bruce Springsteen for "The Rising";
- Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Coldplay for "In My Place".
[1366]
- April 7
- The National Association of Broadcasters holds a luncheon honoring the Disney franchise. Company chairman Michael Eisner announces Disney will begin testing a new video-on-demand service called Movie Beam later in the year. A television set-top box will download new film releases over regular television broadcast signal to a local storage device for later playback. [6]
- June 16
- The first episode of US TV show The Dead Zone airs. [457]
- August 26
- ESPN debuts the Playmakers television show. [6]
- September 23
- CBS debuts TV series NCIS. [457]
- September 29
- Disney subsidiary Buena Vista Datacasting introduces the video-on-demand service MovieBeam in three cities in the United States: Spokane, Washington, Jacksonville, Florida, and Salt Lake City, Utah. The service lets users download and store films for up to 24 hours on a television set-top device. Rental of the device costs US$6.99 per month, with film costs of US$1.99-3.99 per title. [6]
- November 3
- Belgium issues five postage stamps marking the 50th anniversary of Belgian Television. [700.856]
2004
- February 8
- CBS live telecasts the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presentation of the 46th Annual Grammy Awards.
- Record of the Year: Coldplay for "Clocks";
- Best Female Pop Vocal Performance: Christina Aguilera for "Beautiful";
- Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: Justin Timberlake for "Cry Me A River";
- Best Female Rock Vocal Performance: Pink for "Trouble";
- Best Male Rock Vocal Performance: Dave Matthews for "Gravedigger";
- Best Short Form Music Video: Johnny Cash for "Hurt"
[1592]
- February 22
- Home Box Office airs the final episode of TV show Sex and the City in the US after its six-season run. [457]
- March 8
- CBS and UPN take the Martha Stewart Living TV show off the air, following Martha Stewart being found guilty of lying about the reason for selling 3,298 shares of ImClone Systems stock. [457]
- April 28
- Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse in Iraq is revealed on the US television show 60 Minutes II. [25]
- May 6
- NBC airs the last episode of Friends. [457]
- May 13
- NBC airs the final episode of TV show Frasier. [457]
- July 13
- Ken Jennings crosses the $1 million mark in his 30-game winning streak on the TV show Jeapardy. [457]
- September 8
- In the "Rathergate" affair, the first Internet posts appear pointing out that documents claimed by CBS News to be typewritten memos from the early 1970s appear instead to have been produced using modern word processing systems. [25]
- September 9
- NBC debuts the TV series Joey, a spinoff of the show Friends. [457]
- September 22
- In the USA, ABC airs the premiere of the TV series Lost. [50.90] [457]
- CBS-owned television stations are fined a total of $550,000 by the FCC for showing Janet Jackson's exposed right breast during the football Super Bowl halftime show. [457]
- CBS airs the first episode of TV show CSI: New York. [457]
- October 3
- ABC airs the first episode of TV show Desperate Housewives. [457]
- November 30
- Longtime Jeopardy! (TV show) champion Ken Jennings finally loses after 74 wins, leaving him with $2,520,700, television's all-time biggest game show haul. [5] [457]
2005
- January 10
- CBS fires four executives following the release of an independent investigation into a "60 Minutes Wednesday" story about U.S. President George W. Bush's military service. The investigation said a "myopic zeal" led to the story being aired that was neither fair nor accurate. Forged documents had been used for proof in the story. [457]
- April 10
- MTV airs the final episode of The Osbournes in the UK, after a three-year run. [457]
- April 29
- JAG ends its ten-season run on CBS TV with a flip of a coin, frozen in mid air, leaving viewers wondering if it was Harm, or was it Mac (Sara), who gave up their career in order for the couple to be together. [457]
- May 13
- The syndicated Star Trek: Enterprise TV show broadcasts its final episode in North America. [457]
- May 16
- CBS airs the final episode of TV show Everybody Loves Raymond. [457]
- September 2
- Kanye West criticizes President George Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina during a televised benefit concert in New York, telling the audience: "George Bush doesn't care about black people." [457]
- October 12
- In San Jose, California, Disney Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger announces the availability of Disney- and ABC-owned TV show episodes through Apple Computer's online iTunes store. Certain TV shows will be available for download for US$1.99 one day after initial airing on broadcast TV. [6]
- November 22
- Ted Koppel steps down as host of TV show Nightline after 25 years with the program. [26]
- December 26
- ABC-TV airs the last Monday Night Football after 36 years. [457]
2006
- January 24
- CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. announce they would merge the struggling UPN and The WB TV networks into a new entity called The CW. [457]
- May 14
- NBC airs the final episode of The West Wing TV show. [457]
- May 24
- Taylor Hicks wins the fifth season of American Idol US TV show. [457]
- July 30
- The world's longest running music show, Top of the Pops, broadcasts for the last time on BBC Two. [27]
- September 20
- In the USA, the CW Television Network (a merger of The WB and UPN) officially begins operations. [27]
2007
- January 9
- CBC TV debuts comedy TV show Little Mosque on the Prairie in Canada. [457]
- January 15
- NBC-TV airs the 64th Golden Globe Awards ceremony. Some winners:
- Best Dramatic Film: Babel;
- Best Dramatic TV Series: Grey's Anatomy;
- Best TV Musical or Comedy Series: Ugly Betty.
[457]
- January 31
- The Mooninite scare occurs in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, when devices used in a guerrilla marketing campaign for the animated television series Aqua Teen Hunger Force are mistaken for improvised explosive devices. [38]
- May 12
- The Walt Disney Company debuts a new kids' TV show, My Friends Tigger & Pooh. The show introduces a new character, Darby, a six-year-old girl. [6]
- May 27
- Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV) is taken off the air after the government of Venezuela refuses to renew its license. This action results in protests. (On July 16, RCTV resumes broadcasting via cable and satellite.) [38]
- June 11
- Home Box Office airs the final episode of TV show The Sopranos in the US. [457]
- June 15
- CBS TV airs the final appearance of 83-year-old Bob Barker as emcee of The Price Is Right. Barker had hosted the game show for 35 years. [38] [457]
- August 17
- Disney film High School Musical 2 is shown on TV in the USA, becoming the single most-watched basic cable telecast, with about 17.2 million viewers. [6]
- September 1
- Finland switches off all of its analogue terrestrial television signals as part of the digital switchover. [38]
- September 23
- PBS begins airing the 7-part, 15-hour TV series The War. [457]
- October 15
- Fox Television Stations Group launches the Fox Business Network television cable channel in the USA, to focus on financial markets and global economy news. [189.70] [457]
- Drew Carey takes over as host for CBS TV's The Price Is Right replacing Bob Barker, who hosted the show for more than 35 years. [457]
- October 17
- Whitehaven, England becomes the first place in the United Kingdom to have one of its analog terrestrial television signals switched off as part of digital switchover. [38]
- December 3
- Premiere of Ace In The House TV show on the GSN network, about an amateur home poker game with one professional player, playing for big money. [312.59]
- December 25
- Queen Elizabeth II broadcasts her 50th televised Royal Christmas Message to the Commonwealth. [38]
2008
- January 13
- In the USA, Fox airs the debut of the TV show Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. [48.29]
- January 25
- In the USA, Spike TV debuts the GameTrailers TV series, airing trailers, industry news, interviews, and more. [49.60]
- February 3
- In Glendale, Arizona, the NFL's Super Bowl XLII is played. The New York Giants beat the previously undefeated New England Patriots with a 17-14 victory. Most Valuable Player is Giants' Quarterback Eli Manning. The telecast is viewed by 97.4 million Americans, a record for the Super Bowl and making it the second-largest TV audience, behind the MASH finale in 1983. [35] [457]
- February 12
- In Los Angeles and New York, film and television writers vote to lift their 100-day-old strike against major studios and return to work. Writers Guild of America members voted 92.5 percent in favor of ending the strike, with a new three-year contract approved in principle. [35]
- February 29
- American TV show The Young and the Restless becomes the number one rated daytime drama for 1000 consecutive weeks in the US, since December 1988. [156.13]
- March 8
- Debut of The Spectacular Spider-Man on TV in the US and Canada. [155.23]
- April 20
- In London, England, the British Academy Television Awards ceremony is held. Some winners:
- Best actor: Andrew Garfield for Boy A,
- Best actress: Eileen Atkins for Cranford,
- Best entertainment performance: Harry Hill for Harry Hill's TV Burp,
- Best comedy performance: James Corden for Gavin and Stacey,
- Best single drama: The Mark Of Cain,
- Best drama serial: Britz,
- Best entertainment programme: Harry Hill's TV Burp,
- Best situation comedy: Peep Show,
- Best feature: Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.
[57]
- September 3
- The CW network in the USA debuts the new 90210 TV Show. [35] [293.43]
- September 24
- TV series Knight Rider debuts in the US. [294.70]
- October 5
- Animated TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars debuts in the USA. [296.31]
- December 7
- In Canada, the final episode of Trailer Park Boys airs, after seven seasons. [297.4]
2009
- January 7
- 35th Annual People's Choice Awards in the USA:
- Favorite TV drama: House
- Favorite TV comedy: Two and a Half Men
- Favorite new TV drama: The Mentalist
- Favorite new TV comedy: Gary Unmarried
- Favorite male TV star: Hugh Laurie in House
- Favorite female TV star: Christina Applegate in Samantha Who?
- Favorite TV talk show host: Ellen DeGeneres
- Favorite competition or reality TV show: Dancing With the Stars.
[35]
- April 26
- In London, England, the British Academy Television Awards ceremony is held.
- Best actor: Stephen Dillane for The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall;
- Best actress: Anna Maxwell Martin for Poppy Shakespeare;
- Best entertainment performance: Harry Hill for Harry Hill's TV Burp;
- Best comedy performance: David Mitchell for Peep Show;
- Best single drama: White Girl;
- Best drama serial: Criminal Justice;
- Best drama series: Wallander;
- Best continuing drama: The Bill;
- Best factual series: Amazon with Bruce Parry;
- Best entertainment programme: The X Factor;
- Best situation comedy: The IT Crowd;
- Best comedy programme: Harry and Paul;
- Best single documentary: Chosen;
- Best feature: The Choir: Boys Don't Sing;
- Best international show: Mad Men;
- Best specialist factual: Life in Cold Blood;
- Best current affairs: Saving Africa's Witch Children - Dispatches;
- Best news coverage: News at Ten - Chinese Earthquake;
- Best sport: ITV1 F1: Brazilian Grand Prix;
- Best interactivity: Embarrassing Bodies Online;
- Audience award: Skins;
- Special Award: Jane Tranter;
- Bafta Fellowship: French and Saunders.
[57]
- May 29
- Jay Leno ends 17 years hosting NBC's The Tonight Show. [35]
- July 23
- Fox airs the 100th episode of So You Think You Can Dance TV show. [457]
- August 11
- The US Postal Service issues a set of 20 44-cent postage stamps commemorating early American television progrsms: Texaco Star Theater, I Love Lucy, Red Skelton, Howdy Doody, Dragnet, Lassie, Hopalong Cassidy, You Bet Your Life, Dinah Shore Show, Ed Sullivan Show, Kukla, Fran and Ollie, Phil Silvers Show, Lone Ranger, Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Tonight Show, Twilight Zone, The Honeymooners. [612.40] [799.21]
2010
- January 20
- The National TV Awards are presented in London, England.
- Best Drama: Doctor Who;
- Outstanding Drama Performance: David Tennant in Doctor Who;
- Best Entertainment Presenter: Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly;
- Special Recognition Award: Stephen Fry;
- Best Serial: Coronation Street;
- Most Popular TV Talent Show: X Factor;
- Best Entertainment Programme: Saturday Night Takeaway;
- Best Documentary: Stephen Fry: In America;
- Most Popular Comedy programme: Gavin and Stacey;
- Best Serial Drama Performance: Lacey Turner in EastEnders;
- Best Newcomer: Craig Gazey in Coronation Street;
- Most Popular Factual Programme: Loose Women. [57]
- January 22
- Conan O'Brien signs a US$45 million "exit" deal with NBC to cease hosting The Tonight Show after only seven months, allowing Jay Leno to return as regular host. [35]
- February 2
- The final season of TV's Lost series begins. [537.52]
- February 7
- The NFL Super Bowl is watched by more than 106 million people in the U.S., surpassing the 1983 finale of M*A*S*H to become the most-watched program in U.S. television history, according to the Neilsen Company. [105]
- May 23
- The ABC network airs the 2.5 hour final episode of the six-season TV mystery adverture series Lost, with about 13.5 million Americans watching. [35]
- May 25
- Pussycat Dolls' singer Nicole Scherzinger wins the final episode of the 10th season of US TV show Dancing With the Stars. Second is Olympic gold medalist skater Evan Lysacek, and third is sports reporter Erin Andrews. [35]
- May 26
- The finale of the 9th season for the US TV show American Idol is watched by an estimated 24.2 million viewers, as Lee DeWyze beats Crystal Bowersox. The show also marks the last regular appearance of British judge Simon Cowell. [35]
- June 6
- The 2010 British Academy Television Awards (Bafta) are presented in London, England.
- Best actor: Kenneth Branagh - Wallander;
- Best actress: Julie Walters - Mo;
- Best supporting actor: Matthew Macfadyen - Criminal Justice;
- Best supporting actress: Rebecca Hall - Red Riding;
- Best entertainment performance: Ant and Dec - I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!;
- Best male comedy performance: Peter Capaldi - The Thick of It;
- Best female comedy performance: Rebecca Front - The Thick of It;
- Best single drama: The Unloved;
- Best drama serial: Occupation;
- Best drama series: Misfits;
- Best continuing drama: EastEnders;
- Best factual series: One Born Every Minute;
- Best entertainment programme: Britain's Got Talent;
- Best situation comedy: The Thick of It;
- Best comedy programme: The Armstrong & Miller Show;
- Audience award: The Inbetweeners;
- Best single documentary: Wounded;
- Best feature: Masterchef: The Professionals;
- Best international show: Mad Men;
- Best specialist factual: Inside Nature's Giants;
- Best current affairs: Terror in Mumbai - Dispatches;
- Best news coverage: The Haiti Earthquake;
- Best sport: World Athletics Championships;
- New Media: Virtual Revolution;
- Special Award: Simon Cowell;
- Bafta Fellowship: Melvyn Bragg.
- July 1
- China's state news agency Xinhua launches the CNC World 24-hour global news television channel in English. [57]
- August 2
- Netherlands Antilles issues three postage stamps marking the 50th anniversary of TeleCuraçao television broadcasting. [631.75]
- August 20
- Norway issues four postage stamps marking the 50th anniversary of television in Norway. [613.71]
- (month unknown)
- Amos Hobby Publishing releases the 2009 Linn's U.S. Stamp Yearbook with front cover showing frame of TV show The Lone Ranger. [610.3]
2011
- May 11
- Uruguary issues a 12-peso postage stamps marking the 50th anniversary of Monte Carlo TV Channel 4. [1023.72]
- September 18
- The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presents the 2011 Primetime Emmy Awards.
- Best Drama Series: Mad Men,
- Actor in a Drama Series: Kyle Chandler in Friday Night Lights,
- Actress in a Drama Series: Julianna Margulies in The Good Wife,
- Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Peter Dinklage in Game of Thrones,
- Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Margo Martindale in Justified,
- Directing for a Drama Series: Martin Scorsese for Boardwalk Empire,
- Writing for a Drama Series: Jason Katims for Friday Night Lights,
- Best Comedy Series: Modern Family,
- Actor in a Comedy Series: Jim Parsons in The Big Bang Theory,
- Actress in a Comedy Series: Melissa McCarthy in Mike & Molly,
- Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Ty Burrell in Modern Family,
- Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Julie Bowen in Modern Family,
- Directing for a Comedy Series: Michael Spiller for Modern Family,
- Writing for a Comedy Series: Steve Levitan and Jeffrey Richman for Modern Family,
- Best Miniseries or TV Movie: Downton Abbey,
- Actor in a Miniseries or Movie: Barry Pepper in The Kennedys,
- Actress in a Miniseries of Movie: Kate Winslet in Mildred Pierce,
- Supporting Actor in a Miniseries of Movie: Guy Pearce in Mildred Pierce,
- Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie: Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey,
- Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special: Brian Percival for Downton Abbey,
- Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special: Julian Fellowes for Downton Abbey,
- Best Reality Competition Program: The Amazing Race,
- Best Variety, Music or Comedy Series: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,
- Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series: Don Roy King for Saturday Night Live,
- Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series: Steve Bodow, Tim Carvell, Rory Albanese, Kevin Bleyer, Rich Blomquist, Wyatt Cenac, Hallie Haglund, JR Havlan, Elliott Kalan, Josh Lieb, Sam Means, Jo Miller, John Oliver, Daniel Radosh, Jason Ross, Jon Stewart for: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.
2019
- July 4
- Premiere of season three of Stranger Things TV show in the USA. [1554.31]
- November 1
- Apple launches Apple TV+ video streaming service. [1547.60]
- November 12
- Disney launches the Disney+ video streaming service in the US, Canada, and the Netherlands. Cost is $6.99 per month. (10 million people sign up on first day.) [1547.60]
2020
- July 15
- NBC Universal launches the Peacock video streaming service in the USA. [1491.52]
2021
- June 10
- E! airs the final episode of the show Keeping Up With the Kardashians, ending the 20th season. [1408.22]
2022
- February 21
- After 25 seasons on PBS, animated children's TV show Arthur ends. [1531.23]
- May 26
- Final episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show TV show airs, after 19 seasons. [1512.23] [1581.8]
- May 27
- Premiere of season four of Stranger Things TV show in the USA. [1554.31]
- December 4
- In Washington, D.C., the 45th annual Kennedy Center Honors event is held. Those recognized for their achievements in the performing arts: Amy Grant, Gladys Knight, George Clooney, Tania León, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr., the Edge, Bono. [1727.7]
2023
- April 25
- James Corden makes his final TV appearance as host of the CBS The Late Late Show TV show, after nearly 1200 episodes. [1784.50]
- May 2
- About 11,500 film and television writers of the Writers Guild of America go on strike in the USA; previous strike was 15 years ago. [1788.12]
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