The year 1978 in television involved some significant events.
Below is a list of television-related events in 1978.
For the American TV schedule, see: 1978-79 American network television schedule.
Events
- January 21 - Steve Martin performs the original "King Tut" on Saturday Night Live. The song is later released as a single and becomes a hit for the comedian.
- January 28 - The Doobie Brothers make a guest appearance on ABC\'s What\'s Happening!!.
- February 22 - The Police appear in a television commercial for Wrigley\'s chewing gum.
- March 7–April 11 - Dennis Potter\'s groundbreaking drama serial Pennies From Heaven airs on BBC1.
- April 16–April 19 - Holocaust, starring James Woods and Meryl Streep first aired on NBC.
- April 22 - The Blues Brothers make their first appearance on Saturday Night Live. The duo of Jake & Elwood Blues (John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd) was introduced by Paul Shaffer (as Don Kirshner) and performed "Hey Bartender".
- April 24 - The television game show Card Sharks, hosted by Jim Perry, first aired on NBC.
- April 26 - Ringo Starr\'s, Ringo, a musical version of The Prince and the Pauper airs on NBC. Starr\'s fellow former Beatle George Harrison provides the narration.
- May 1 - Beijing Television is renamed China Central Television.
- May 24 - The iconic skateboarding duck item first airs on BBC TV\'s Nationwide.
- July 10 - The ABC Evening News is renamed ABC World News Tonight with Frank Reynolds as anchor.
- September - The soap opera As the World Turns is #1 in the daytime Nielsen ratings for the 20th and final consecutive year; no other serial has been at the top of the ratings for such an unbeaten yearly streak.
- November 17 - The Star Wars Holiday Special airs on CBS. The special gives fans their first glimpse of Boba Fett, a character from the upcoming Star Wars sequel.
- March 22 - The Beatles spoof, The Rutles - All You Need Is Cash airs on NBC.
- Abarembo Shogun premieres on the Asahi television network in Japan (1978-2003).
- Fred Silverman, who successfully programmed both CBS and ABC, moves to NBC to attempt to reverse their ratings decline.
- Knowlton Nash replaces Peter Kent as anchor of The National on CBC.
- Replacing Zara Cully and Damon Evans, Jay Hammer joins the cast of The Jeffersons, for a short period of time.
- US television game show program Match Game is rated in the Top 3 of all game shows for the sixth year in a row.
- January 15 - The Super Bowl is played - and telecast - at night for the first time, on CBS.
- January 23 - "Roots - One Year Later", a special examining the impact and influence of the miniseries, airs on ABC.
- August 1 - Harry Reasoner returns to CBS after taking advantage of an oral escape-clause in his contract with ABC.
- September 17 - The ceremony formalizing the success of the peace talks between Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat - the Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt - is televised live from the White House East Room.
- September 19 - The chairs on which Archie and Edith Bunker sat through 8 seasons of All in the Family are presented to the Smithsonian Institution.
Debuts
Miniseries
Television shows
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
Ending this year
Births
- January 3 - Daryn Jones, entertainment personality in Canada.
- February 7 - Ashton Kutcher, US actor.
- April 13 - Kyle Howard, US actor.
- April 22 - Manu Intiraymi, US actor.
- June 2 - Nikki Cox, US actor.
- June 10 - Shane West, US actor.
- June 13 - Ethan Embry, US actor.
- June 27 - Anna Kumble, British television presenter.
- July 1 - Hillary Tuck, US actor.
- July 9 - Linda Park, US actor (born in Korea).
- July 19 - Topher Grace, US actor.
- August 7 - Cirroc Lofton, US actor.
- October 9 - Randy Spelling, US actor.
- December 18 - Katie Holmes, US actor.
Deaths
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