1976 in American television

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List of years in American television:

* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979

* * *

1975–76 United States network television schedule
1976–77 United States network television schedule
List of American television programs currently in production
The arcade game Fonz was released in 1976, the first video game to be based on a television show (Happy Days).

This is a list of American television-related events in 1976.

## Events

[edit]

Date | Event

|

January 1  | NBC officially replaces its snake and peacock logos with a "modern N," composed of blue and red trapezoids—and nearly identical to the logo for Nebraska Educational Telecommunications' TV network, prompting NET to sue NBC for trademark infringement.
January 11–12  | Eleanor and Franklin, a two-part miniseries starring Jane Alexander and Edward Herrmann, airs on ABC.
January 17  | The Blues Brothers make their debut on NBC's Saturday Night Live, singing Slim Harpo's song "I'm a King Bee" in their Killer Bees costumes. Their first appearance as The Blues Brothers proper occurred in 1978.
February 1  | The miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man debuts on ABC, becoming a critical and ratings success over its 12-episode run.
February 2  | Jackie Gleason, Audrey Meadows, and Art Carney reunite in an ABC special, The Honeymooners – The Second Honeymoon.
February 10  | The controversial "Episode 847" of Sesame Street featuring Margaret Hamilton reprising her role as The Wicked Witch of the West from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz is broadcast. The episode was subsequently pulled from broadcast due to a barrage of complaints leveled at the Children's Television Workshop from parents who felt that Hamilton's performance was too traumatizing for their children.
February 16  | ABC airs the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service. The film was broadcast in two parts, totaling in 90 minutes each. The second part would air on February 23. The first part begins with Bond's escape from Piz Gloria on skis, which was actually in the middle portion of the film. Meanwhile, a disembodied voice (who is meant to be Bond, but not performed by George Lazenby) provides narration to explain the backstory. The edit ends at the scene in Piz Gloria, where Bond flirts with Ernst Stavro Blofeld's girls.
February 19  | CBS affiliate KXLY-TV in Spokane, Washington is given a "notice of termination" by the network, stripping KXLY-TV of its affiliation effective August 19. CBS cites business reasons (KXLY-TV had been airing several network programs out of pattern in recent years) as the reason they stripped KXLY-TV. In the end, CBS decides to affiliate with ABC affiliate KREM-TV, while KXLY-TV joins ABC. The move takes effect August 8 at the request of KREM-TV, who wanted to air ABC Sports' entire coverage of the 1976 Summer Olympics.[1][2][3][4][5]
February 29  | The movie The Sound of Music is televised for the first time, on ABC.
CBS affiliates KRSD-TV in Rapid City, South Dakota and KDSJ-TV in Lead both shut down after a 5-year struggle over their unsatisfactory technical operations, which had rendered complaints from viewers, NBC (its former affiliation before 1970), and the Federal Communications Commission. Dakota Broadcasting Company assumes a construction permit for new stations on KRSD-TV's channel 7 and KDSJ-TV's channel 5, which respectively sign-on as KEVN and KIVV-TV on July 11. This in turn will give the Rapid City area its first full-time ABC affiliate (A full-time CBS affiliate will return to Rapid City in 1981 when the network's Sioux Falls affiliate KELO-TV signs-on translator station K15AC (now KCLO-TV)).[6][7][8][9][10]
April 1–2  | Helter Skelter, a two-part adaptation of Vincent Bugliosi's book about the Charles Manson case, airs on CBS, with Steve Railsback portraying Manson.
April 12  | ABC airs its first Monday Night Baseball broadcast, taking over the package from NBC.
April 24  | Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels makes an on-air offer to pay The Beatles $3,000 to reunite on the show. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were apparently watching the show together in New York City and considered walking down to the studio to accept the check. Michaels would raise his offer to $3,200 on SNL's May 22 episode.
June 4  | CBS broadcasts Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns. This triple-overtime contest, which ended in the Celtics defeating the Suns 128-126, has since been heralded as the greatest NBA game ever played.[11][12][13][14]
June 7  | After several years providing commentaries for the show, David Brinkley joins John Chancellor as co-anchor of NBC Nightly News, an attempt by the network to bolster ratings against the CBS Evening News and to harken back to the success it had with The Huntley-Brinkley Report.
June 15  | NBC affiliate in Dayton, WLWD change its call letters to WDTN after Grinnell College bought out the station.[15]
June 21  | Deidre Hall makes her debut as Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives.
June 26  | Japanese pro wrestler Antonio Inoki and American boxer Muhammad Ali fight each other in "The War of the Worlds".
July 1  | The pay TV network Showtime makes its debut, appearing only on a Dublin, California cable system. The network would expand nationally in 1978.
July 4  | U.S. television networks present extensive coverage of nationwide events commemorating the country's bicentennial.
July 11  | KYCU-TV of Cheyenne, Wyoming (and its satellites) drop all NBC programs and switch to a primary ABC affiliation, which will last until 1984.
July 12  | Family Feud premieres on ABC and would become daytime television's number 1 game show within the next few years and beyond.
September 6  | In an experiment, New York City station WOR-TV replaces its normal programming for 5 exclusive nights of British shows from Thames Television.
September 16  | WECA-TV in Tallahassee, Florida begins broadcasting, giving the Tallahassee market its first full-time ABC affiliate.
September 23  | The first of three debates between U.S. presidential candidates Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter air in prime time; they are the first presidential debates ever televised in color, as well as the first debates between major party nominees for U.S. president since 1960.
October 4  | Newly arrived from NBC, Barbara Walters joins Harry Reasoner as co-anchor of the ABC Evening News. The pair have a noticeable lack of on-air chemistry, and by 1978 Reasoner would leave ABC to return to CBS and 60 Minutes.
October 11  | Jane Pauley makes her debut on NBC's Today.
October 15  | The first ever vice presidential debate takes place between senators Bob Dole and Walter Mondale.
October 29  | WGTQ in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan signs-on as a full satellite of ABC affiliate WGTU in Traverse City, bringing the full ABC schedule to the Eastern Upper Peninsula.
November 7–8  | The film Gone with the Wind makes its broadcast television debut on NBC; it would be the highest-rated program ever aired on a single network, only to be surpassed by Roots the following January.
November 9  | The Museum of Broadcasting opens on the first 3 floors of the Paley Foundation building in New York City. The museum would later be renamed The Paley Center for Media.
November 13  | The Carol Burnett Show airs Went with the Wind!, a movie parody of Gone With the Wind, five days after the film's network TV debut. TV Guide ranked the sketch #53 on its list of "Top 100 Episodes of All Time".[16]
December 10  | Rudolph's Shiny New Year premiered on ABC at the time when Christmas is around, with voice casts such as Billie Mae Richards as the voice of Rudolph, with special guest stars like Red Skelton, Morey Amsterdam and more
December 14  | Barbara Walters airs her first interview special for ABC, with guests Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, Barbra Streisand, and Jon Peters.
December 17  | At 1:00 p.m. (ET), Atlanta, Georgia station WTCG-TV begins satellite transmission of its regular programming to four cable systems, thus becoming the first superstation.
December 31  | President Gerald Ford presents the last of the Bicentennial Minutes on CBS; the vignettes had been airing nightly on the network since July 4, 1974.
Also in 1976  | CBS' Match Game is the #1 rated game show on daytime television for the fourth consecutive year.
The Olympics, broadcast from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, draw an estimated one billion viewers worldwide.
Matsushita introduces the VHS home video cassette recorder to compete with Sony's Betamax system.

## Programs

[edit]

^[e] signifies that this show has a related event in the Events section above.

### Debuting this year

[edit]

Date  | Show  | Network

|
|

January 5  | Mobile One | ABC
January 13  | The Adams Chronicles | PBS
January 14  | The Bionic Woman | ABC
January 21  | Dance in America | PBS
January 27  | Laverne & Shirley | ABC
January 28  | The Dumplings | NBC
January 30  | The Practice
February 2  | Jigsaw John
February 13  | Sara | CBS
March 9  | Family | ABC
May 3  | Joe Forrester
May 31  | Viva Valdez
June 14  | The Gong Show | NBC
July 12  | Family Feud | ABC
July 26  | Comedy Theatre | NBC
August 5  | What's Happening!! | ABC
August 14  | Clue Club | CBS
August 30  | New Howdy Doody Show | Syndication
August 31  | Alice | CBS
September 6  | In Search of... | Syndication
September 9  | Delvecchio | CBS
September 11  | Ark II
Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle
Way Out Games
Big John, Little John | NBC
The Kids From C.A.P.E.R.
McDuff, the Talking Dog
Monster Squad
Muggsy
Jabberjaw | ABC
The Krofft Supershow
The Mumbly Cartoon Show
The Scooby-Doo Show
The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour
September 17  | Spencer's Pilots | CBS
September 19  | Cos | ABC
September 20  | All's Fair | CBS
The Muppet Show | Syndication
September 21  | Rich Man, Poor Man Book II | ABC
Baa Baa Black Sheep | NBC
Bronk | CBS
September 22  | The Quest
Ball Four | CBS
Charlie's Angels | ABC
September 23  | The Tony Randall Show
Gemini Man | NBC
September 24  | Serpico
September 25  | Holmes & Yo-Yo | ABC
Mr. T and Tina
September 30  | The Nancy Walker Show
October 3  | Quincy, M.E. | NBC
October 4  | 50 Grand Slam
Stumpers
October 16  | Most Wanted | ABC
November 11  | Gibbsville | NBC
December 1  | C.P.O. Sharkey
The McLean Stevenson Show
Sirota's Court
December 6  | The Feather and Father Gang | ABC
December 13  | Double Dare | CBS

### Ending this year

[edit]

Date | Show | Debut

|
|

January 5  | Mobile One | 1975
January 25  | McCoy | 1975
February 20  | Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (returned in 1979)  | 1968
February 25  | Clyde Frog Show | 1974
March 3  | Cannon | 1971
March 12  | The Magnificent Marble Machine | 1975
March 28  | Bronk | 1975
March 30  | The Rookies | 1972
March 31  | The Dumplings | 1976
April 4  | Ellery Queen | 1975
April 13  | The Adams Chronicles | 1976
April 29  | Harry O | 1974
May 7  | Sara | 1976
June 14  | Jigsaw John | 1976
July 9  | Rhyme and Reason | 1975
July 29  | Marcus Welby, M.D. | 1969
September  | The Letter People | 1974
September 6  | Comedy Theatre (returned in 1979)  | 1976
Medical Center | 1969
Viva Valdez | 1976
October 16  | Shazam! | 1974
October 28  | Gemini Man | 1976
October 30  | Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (returned in 1979)  | 1972
December 4  | Land of the Lost | 1974
December 11  | Clue Club | 1976
December 18  | Ark II | 1976
December 18  | Jabberjaw | 1976
December 30  | Gibbsville
December 31  | Bicentennial Minutes | 1974
December 31  | Somerset | 1970

## Networks and services

[edit]

### Launches

[edit]

Network  | Type  | Launch date  | Notes  | Source

|
|
|
|

Mobil Showcase Network | Cable television  | Unknown  |  |
Showtime | Cable television  | July 1  |  |
WTCG-TV | Cable television  | December 17  |  |

### Conversions and rebrandings

[edit]

There are no conversions and rebrandings for Cable and satellite television channels in this year.

### Closures

[edit]

Network  | Type  | Launch date  | Notes  | Source

|
|
|
|

MGM Family Network  | Cable and satellite  | September 9  |  |

## Television stations

[edit]

### Station launches

[edit]

Date  | City of License/Market | Station | Channel  | Affiliation  | Notes/Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

January 20  | Wausau/Rhinelander, Wisconsin | WHRM-TV | 20  | PBS | Part of Wisconsin Public Television
January 30  | Pierre, South Dakota | KPRY-TV | 4  | PBS | Part of South Dakota Public Broadcasting
March 9  | Lowry, South Dakota | KQSD-TV | 11  | PBS
March 17  | Eau Claire/La Crosse, Wisconsin | WHLA-TV | 31  | PBS  | Part of Wisconsin Public Television
May 31  | Chicago, Illinois | WCFC-TV | 38  | CTN |
July 11  | Lead, South Dakota | KIVV-TV | 5  | ABC  | Satellite of KEVN-TV/Rapid City
Rapid City, South Dakota | KEVN-TV | 7  |
September 4  | San Francisco, California | KTSF-TV | 26  | Multicultural independent  |
September 8  | Monroe, Louisiana | KLTM-TV | 12  | PBS  | Part of Louisiana Public Broadcasting
September 10  | Memphis, Tennessee | WPTY | 24  | Independent  |
September 16  | Tallahassee, Florida | WECA-TV | 27  | ABC  |
September 18  | Fayetteville, Arkansas | KAFT | 13  | PBS | Part of the Arkansas Educational Television Network
October 2  | Arkadelphia, Arkansas | KETG | 9  | PBS
October 3  | Crossville, Tennessee | WCPT-TV | 55  | Independent  | [17]
October 29  | Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | WGTQ | 8  | ABC  | Satellite of WGTU/Traverse City, Michigan
November 25  | Allentown, Pennsylvania | WFMZ-TV | 69  | Independent  |
December 15  | Park Falls/Superior, Wisconsin
(Duluth, Minnesota) | WLEF-TV | 36  | PBS  | Part of Wisconsin Public Television

### Network affiliation changes

[edit]

Date  | City of License/Market | Station | Channel  | Old affiliation  | New affiliation  | Notes/Ref.

|
|
|
|
|
|

February 19  | Spokane, Washington | KREM-TV | 2  | ABC  | CBS  |
KXLY-TV | 4  | CBS  | ABC  |
March 1  | Salem, Oregon | KVDO-TV | 3  | Independent (commercial)  | PBS/OEPBS | Not effective until September 20 because tower was deliberately collapsed
July 11  | Cheyenne, Wyoming | KYCU-TV | 5  | NBC (primary)
ABC (secondary)  | ABC (exclusive)  |

### Station closures

[edit]

Date  | City of License/Market | Station | Channel  | Affiliation  | First air date  | Notes/Ref.

|
|
|
|
|
|

February 29  | Lead, South Dakota | KDSJ-TV | 5  | CBS  | January 1960  | Satellite of KRSD-TV/Rapid City
Rapid City, South Dakota | KRSD-TV | 7  | CBS  | January 21, 1958  | Channels of KRSD-TV and KDSJ-TV reoccupied that July by KEVN and KIVV
June 30  | Columbus, Ohio | WGSF | 31  | PBS | March 18, 1963  |

## Births

[edit]

Date | Name | Notability

|
|

January 1  | Tank | Actor, R&B singer
Dan Kloeffler | Journalist
January 2  | Paz Vega | Actress
January 3  | Nicholas Gonzalez | Actor
January 6  | Danny Pintauro | Actor (Who's the Boss?)
Johnny Yong Bosch | Actor (Bleach, Power Rangers, Three Delivery)
Isha Sesay | British journalist of Sierra Leonean descent
January 7  | Tyron Leitso | Canadian actor (Being Erica)
Alfonso Soriano | Dominican former professional baseball left fielder
January 8  | Jessica Leccia | Actress (Guiding Light, The Bold and the Beautiful)
Jenny Lewis | Actress
Josh Meyers | Actor (Mad TV, That '70s Show)
January 9  | Todd Grisham | Sports broadcaster (DAZN, UFC, WWE)
January 10  | Eduardo Garza | Voice actor
January 13  | Michael Peña | Actor
January 15  | Meredith Bishop | Actress (The Secret World of Alex Mack)
Dorian Missick | Actress (Southland)
January 16  | Carrie Keranen | Voice actress (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kappa Mikey, Ellen's Acres)
Derek Richardson | Actor
January 17  | Anne Stedman | Actress
January 19  | Ken Lawson | Actor and rapper (The Parkers)
Drew Powell | Actor (Gotham)
Marsha Thomason | English actress (Las Vegas, Lost, White Collar)
January 20  | Pedro Bromfman | Brazilian musician
January 23  | Tony Lucca | Actor (Mickey Mouse Club, Malibu Shores)
Nigel McGuinness | English professional wrestling commentator
January 26  | Gilles Marini | French-American actor (Brothers & Sisters, Switched at Birth, Devious Maids)
January 28  | Rick Ross | Rapper
January 30  | Andy Milonakis | Actor (The Andy Milonakis Show, Adventure Time, Future-Worm!) and comedian
January 31  | Paul Scheer | Actor (The League, NTSF:SD:SUV::, Fresh Off the Boat, Apple & Onion)
February 2  | Lori Beth Denberg | Actress (All That, The Steve Harvey Show)
February 3  | Isla Fisher | Australian actress (Arrested Development)
Tim Heidecker | Actor
February 4  | Cam'ron | Rapper, actor
February 7  | Kelly Choi | South Korean-American television host
February 8  | Pooch Hall | Actor (The Game)
February 9  | Charlie Day | Actor (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia)
February 10  | Keeley Hawes | Actress
February 11  | Brice Beckham | Actor (Mr. Belvedere)
February 12  | Jenni Falconer | Television presenter
Aarón Sánchez | Television personality
February 14  | Erica Leerhsen | Actress
February 15  | Brandon Boyd | Singer
February 16  | Janet Varney | Actress (Korra on The Legend of Korra)
Eric Byrnes | Broadcaster
February 19  | Dan Fogelman | Screenwriter
February 20  | Chris Cillizza | Political commentator
February 23  | Kelly Macdonald | Scottish actress (Boardwalk Empire)
February 24  | Crista Flanagan | Comedic actress (Mad TV, Mad Men)
February 25  | Rashida Jones | Actress (Parks and Recreation)
February 28  | Ali Larter | Actress (Heroes, Legends)
February 29  | Ja Rule | Rapper, actor
March 1  | Luke Mably | Actor
March 2  | Jeff Wadlow | Writer
March 5  | Neil Jackson | Actor
Lucian Msamati | Actor
March 8  | Freddie Prinze Jr. | Actor
Hines Ward | Coach
March 11  | Jason Reich | Writer
March 13  | Danny Masterson | Actor (That '70s Show, The Ranch)
March 14  | Merlin Santana | Actor (Romeo Santana on The Steve Harvey Show) (died 2002)
Corey Stoll | Actor
Brian Quinn | Actor
March 15  | Cara Pifko | Actress
March 16  | Nick Spano | Actor (Even Stevens)
Daniel Gillies | Canadian-born New Zealand actor (The Vampire Diaries, Saving Hope, The Originals)
Paul Schneider | Actor
Kyle Newman | Filmmaker
Jason Johnson | Professor
March 17  | Brittany Daniel | Actress
March 18  | Christopher Hanke | Actor
Marnie Stern | Singer
March 19  | Rachel Blanchard | Canadian actress (Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Clueless, 7th Heaven)
Nicholas Stoller | Director
March 21  | Rachael MacFarlane | Voice actress (Fillmore!, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Codename: Kids Next Door, American Dad!)
March 22  | Reese Witherspoon | Actress (Return to Lonesome Dove)
Kellie Shanygne Williams | Actress (Family Matters)
March 23  | Michelle Monaghan | Actress (True Detective)
Keri Russell | Actress (Mickey Mouse Club, Felicity)
Angela Kang | Writer
March 26  | Amy Smart | Actress (Felicity)
March 27  | Craig Wayans | Actor
March 30  | Jessica Cauffiel | Actress
March 31  | Josh Saviano | Actor (The Wonder Years)
April 1  | Troy Baker | Voice actor
April 2  | Adam F. Goldberg | Writer
April 4  | James Roday Rodriguez | Actor (Psych)
April 5  | Sterling K. Brown | Actor (This Is Us)
April 6  | Candace Cameron Bure | Actress (Full House, Fuller House)
April 7  | Kevin Alejandro | Actor
Eric Wareheim | Actor
April 13  | Glenn Howerton | Actor (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia)
Jonathan Brandis | Actor (seaQuest DSV) (d. 2003)
April 16  | David Lyons | Actor (ER, Sea Patrol, Revolution)
Lukas Haas | Actor and musician
April 18  | Melissa Joan Hart | Actress (Clarissa Explains it All, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Sabrina: The Animated Series, Melissa & Joey, The Loud House, The Casagrandes)
Sean Maguire | English actor (Once Upon a Time)
Kevin Rankin | Actor
April 19  | Wyatt Cenac | Actor (The Daily Show, Fanboy & Chum Chum, People of Earth)
April 20  | Joey Lawrence | Actor (Gimme a Break!, Blossom, Brotherly Love, Run of the House, Melissa & Joey)
April 25  | Tim Duncan | NBA basketball player
April 26  | Thurop Van Orman | Voice actor (The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Gravity Falls)
April 28  | Michael Carbonaro | Actor
May 1  | Darius McCrary | Actor (Family Matters)
James Murray | Actor
May 5  | Peter Morén | Singer
May 8  | Luke Burbank | Radio host
May 10  | Rhona Bennett | Singer and actress (Mickey Mouse Club)
May 17  | Rochelle Aytes | Actress (Mistresses)
May 19  | Kevin Garnett | NBA basketball player
May 25  | Ethan Suplee | Actor (Boy Meets World, My Name Is Earl)
Erinn Hayes | Actress
May 26  | Jay Feely | Sportscaster
May 27  | RJD2 | Musician
May 28  | Liam O'Brien | Actor
May 30  | Omri Katz | Actor
May 31  | Colin Farrell | Actor
June 2  | Marek Larwood | Actor
June 3  | Jamie McMurray | Race car driver
June 5  | Marc Worden | Actor (Mickey Mouse Club, Batman Beyond, The Zeta Project)
Joe Gatto | Actor
Aesop Rock | Rapper
June 6  | Emilie-Claire Barlow | Canadian actress (Total Drama)
Jonathan Nolan | Screenwriter
June 7  | David Buckley | Composer
June 8  | Eion Bailey | Actor (Band of Brothers, Once Upon a Time)
June 16  | Tom Lenk | Actor
June 17  | Pedro Miguel Arce | Actor
June 18  | Alana de la Garza | Actress (Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, CSI: Miami)
Blake Shelton | Singer
Christina Pazsitzky | Actress
June 19  | Ryan Hurst | Actor
June 20  | Jarrad Paul | Actor
June 21  | Antonio Cochran | Former football player
Nathan Darrow | Actor
June 22  | Mike O'Brien | Actor, writer and comedian (Saturday Night Live)
June 23  | Emmanuelle Vaugier | Canadian actress (One Tree Hill, CSI: NY, Two and a Half Men) and model
June 26  | Dave Rubin | Conservative political commentator
June 27  | Joseph Sikora | Actor
Wagner Moura | Actor
June 28  | Camille Guaty | Actress (Prison Break, Scorpion)
Jason J. Lewis | Voice actor (Justice League Action)
June 29  | Omar Doom | Actor
July 1  | Thomas Sadoski | TV actor
Haaz Sleiman | TV actor
July 1  | Kristen Welker | TV journalist
July 2  | Erin Burnett | TV anchor (Erin Burnett OutFront, Squawk on the Street)
July 3  | Andrea Barber | Actress (Full House, Fuller House)
July 4  | Rohan Nichol | Actor
July 5  | Jamie Elman | Actor
July 7  | Hamish Linklater | Actor
July 9  | Fred Savage | Actor and director (The Wonder Years, Generator Rex, The Grinder, Friends from College)
Elliot Cowan | Actor
July 10  | Adrian Grenier | Actor
July 12  | Anna Friel | English actress (Pushing Daisies)
Alison Wright | English actress
July 15  | Diane Kruger | Actress (The Bridge)
Gabriel Iglesias | Actor (The Emperor's New School, Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand Up Revolution, Cristela)
Jim Jones | Rapper
Seth Gordon | Screenwriter
July 16  | Bobby Lashley | Wrestler
July 17  | Brian K. Vaughan | Writer
Luke Bryan | Singer
Dagmara Domińczyk | Actress
Eric Winter | Actor
Eddie Shin | Actor
July 19  | Vinessa Shaw | Actress
Benedict Cumberbatch | Actor (Sherlock)
July 20  | Erica Hill | Journalist
July 21  | Jaime Murray | Actress
July 27  | Ryan Michelle Bathe | Actress (Boston Legal, Army Wives)
Seamus Dever | Actor (Castle)
Chad Fischer | Singer
July 28  | Jacoby Shaddix | Actor
July 29  | Peter Alexander | Journalist
July 31  | Eric Winter | Actor
Rod Monroe | Football player (died 2017)
August 2  | Sam Worthington | Actor
August 4  | David Lewis | Actor
August 6  | Melissa George | Actress (Alias)
Josh Schwartz | Screenwriter
Soleil Moon Frye | Actress (Punky Brewster, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Proud Family, Bratz, Planet Sheen)
August 8  | JC Chasez | Actor (Mickey Mouse Club) and singer (*NSYNC)
Drew Lachey | Actor and singer
Tawny Cypress | Actress (Heroes, Unforgettable)
August 9  | Jessica Capshaw | Actress (The Practice, Grey's Anatomy) and stepdaughter of Steven Spielberg
Rhona Mitra | English actress (The Last Ship)
August 11  | Will Friedle | Actor (Boy Meets World, The Random Years, Girl Meets World), voice actor (Batman Beyond, Kim Possible, Justice League Unlimited, The Secret Saturdays, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, The Penguins of Madagascar, ThunderCats, Ultimate Spider-Man, Teen Titans Go!, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Guardians of the Galaxy, Future-Worm!, Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters, DC Super Hero Girls)
August 12  | Antoine Walker | NBA basketball player
August 17  | Scott Halberstadt | Actor (Drake & Josh)
Natalie Gold | Actress
August 19  | M. Wartella | Animator
August 20  | Kristen Miller | Actress (USA High)
August 22  | Matt Oberg | Actor
August 23  | Scott Caan | Actor (Hawaii Five-0) and son of James Caan
August 24  | Alex O'Loughlin | Australian actor (Hawaii Five-0)
August 26  | Mike Colter | Actor
August 27  | Sarah Chalke | Actress (Roseanne, Scrubs, How I Met Your Mother, Rick and Morty)
RonReaco Lee | Actor (Sister, Sister, Let's Stay Together)
August 30  | Sarah-Jane Potts | Actress
August 31  | Shar Jackson | Actress and singer (Moesha)
September 3  | Ashley Jones | Actress
September 5  | Carice van Houten | Dutch actress (Game of Thrones)
September 6  | Robin Atkin Downes | Actor
Rodrigo Amarante | Arranger
Naomie Harris | Actress
September 7  | Oliver Hudson | Actor (Rules of Engagement, Nashville, Scream Queens)
September 9  | Joey Newman | Composer
September 15  | Rob Wiethoff | Actor
September 18  | Sophina Brown | Actress (Shark, Numb3rs)
September 19  | Alison Sweeney | Actress and host (Days of Our Lives, The Biggest Loser)
Carter Oosterhouse | Television personality
September 20  | Enuka Okuma | Canadian actress (Rookie Blue, Steven Universe)
Jon Bernthal | Actor
Ainsley Earhardt | Television personality
September 24  | Reagan Dale Neis | Actress
Stephanie McMahon | Businesswoman and WWE personality
October 1  | Danielle Bisutti | Actress (True Jackson, VP)
October 2  | Mandisa | Singer (American Idol) (died 2024)[citation needed]
October 3  | Seann William Scott | Actor
October 4  | Alicia Silverstone | Actress (Braceface, Miss Match)
October 5  | Matt Hamill | Mixed martial artist and wrestler
October 7  | Taylor Hicks | Singer
October 8  | Peter Stickles | Actor
October 9  | Sam Riegel | Voice actor (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Wander Over Yonder, Pickle and Peanut)
Nick Swardson | Actor
October 11  | Emily Deschanel | Actress (Bones)
Dave Briggs | Journalist
October 15  | Jody Hill | Film producer
October 17  | Adrian Sturges | British-born film producer
October 19  | Desmond Harrington | Actor (Dexter)
Omar Gooding | Actor (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Smart Guy) and rapper
October 20  | Dan Fogler | Actor
October 21  | Jeremy Miller | Actor (Growing Pains)
October 23  | Ryan Reynolds | Actor (Two Guys and a Girl)
Jon Huertas | Actor (Castle)
Cat Deeley | Television host
October 26  | Brad Neely | Writer
Thurop Van Orman | Voice actor
October 29  | Milena Govich | Actress (Law & Order)
October 31  | Piper Perabo | Actress (Covert Affairs)
November 1  | Chad Lindberg | Actor
November 4  | Jonathan Kimmel | Actor
November 5  | Sebastian Arcelus | Actor
November 6  | Sal Vulcano | Actor
November 9  | Josh Kaufman | Singer
November 11  | Lisa Gleave | Actress and model (The Price Is Right)
November 12  | Tevin Campbell | Actor and singer
November 17  | Brandon Call | Actor (Step by Step)
Diane Neal | Actress
November 18  | Dominic Armato | Voice actor (Sputz Ringley on Rocket Power)
Steven Pasquale | Actor
Jessi Alexander | Singer
November 19  | Robin Dunne | Actor
November 20  | Laura Harris | Actress
November 23  | Joe Sumner | Singer
November 26  | Maia Campbell | Actress and model (South Central, In the House)
November 27  | Jaleel White | Actor (Steve Urkel on Family Matters)
November 28  | Geno Segers | Actor (Pair of Kings)
Ryan Kwanten | Australian actor (Home and Away, Summerland, True Blood, The Oath)
November 29  | Anna Faris | Actress (Mom)
Chadwick Boseman | Actor (What If...?, Lincoln Heights) (died 2020)
Ehren McGhehey | Sunt performer (Jackass)
Julian Ovenden | Actor
November 30  | Peter Sullivan | Screenwriter
December 1  | Laura Ling | Writer
December 5  | Amy Acker | Actress (Angel, Alias, Happy Town, Person of Interest, The Gifted)
December 6  | Lindsay Price | Actress and singer (Beverly Hills, 90210, Lipstick Jungle)
December 7  | Mark Duplass | Actor
T. J. Lavin | Host
Georges Laraque | Sports commentator
December 8  | Dominic Monaghan | Actor (Lost, Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan)
December 14  | Tammy Blanchard | Actress
December 16  | Leland Chapman | Bail bondsman and bounty hunter
December 17  | Dan Hageman | Writer
December 26  | Nadia Litz | Actress
December 27  | Aaron Stanford | Actor (Nikita)
December 28  | Brendan Hines | Actor
Joe Manganiello | Actor
December 29  | Danny McBride | Actor (Eastbound & Down, Vice Principals)
December 31  | Chris Terrio | Screenwriter
Clayton Morris | Host

## Deaths

[edit]

Date | Name | Age | Notability

|
|
|

June 25  | Jay Jostyn | 74  | Radio and TV actor[18]
August 28  | Anissa Jones | 18  | Actress (Buffy on Family Affair)
December 12  | Jack Cassidy | 49  | Actor (He & She)

## Television debuts

[edit]

* Rick Moranis – SCTV
* Kim Cattrall – Dead on Target
* Jane Pauley – Today
* Jeffrey Jones – The Adams Chronicles
* Kim Basinger – Gemini Man
* Dave Thomas – SCTV
* Ray Winstone – The Sweeney
* Deidre Hall – Days of Our Lives
* Jonathan Banks – Barnaby Jones
* Harold Ramis – SCTV

## See also

[edit]

* 1976 in the United States
* List of American films of 1976

* v
* t
* e

(1975 <-)  1976 in television (1977 ->)

* Australia
* Belgium
* Brazil
* Canada
* Croatia
* Denmark
* Estonia
* France
* Germany
* Ireland
* Italy
* Japan
* Netherlands
* New Zealand
* Philippines
* South Africa
* Spain
* United Kingdom
* Scotland
* United States

* v
* t
* e

Years in television

* Before 1925
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
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* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
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* 1999
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* 2010
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* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "CBS Plans to Terminate KXLY-TV Affiliation" Spokane Daily Chronicle, March 3, 1976. Retrieved: July 18, 2016.
2. ^ "KREM-TV to Join CBS Chain" Spokane Daily Chronicle, March 29, 1976. Retrieved: July 18, 2016.
3. ^ "On Sunday: TV Stations Switching" Spokane Daily Chronicle, August 6, 1976. Retrieved: July 18, 2016.
4. ^ "Timing decided for TV shift" The Spokesman-Review, March 30, 1976. Retrieved: July 18, 2016.
5. ^ ""Early Summer" – KXLY Set to Join ABC" Spokane Daily Chronicle, May 6, 1976. Retrieved: July 18, 2016.
6. ^ "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 1, 1976. p. 23. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
7. ^ "It was a bad day at Black Hills" (PDF). Broadcasting. November 8, 1971. p. 48. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
8. ^ "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 5, 1975. p. 7. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
9. ^ "ABC-TV adds two" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 28, 1976. p. 50. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
10. ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 31, 1981. p. 53. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
11. ^ "The Greatest Game Ever". Suns.com. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
12. ^ "Greatest Game Ever Played". nba.com. June 4, 1976. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
13. ^ "35 Years Ago: The Celtics and the Suns Play the Greatest NBA Finals Game Ever Played". Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
14. ^ "The Phoenix Suns: The Unluckiest Franchise In Professional Sports". Bleacher Report. November 16, 2008. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
15. ^ "Ch. 2 folks in festive mood: WDTN will be born Tuesday". Dayton Daily News. June 14, 1976.
16. ^ "TV Guide's Top 100 Episodes". Rev/Views. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
17. ^ York, Max (March 13, 1977). "Can You Believe A TV Station In Crossville?". The Tennessean. pp. 1-F, 3-F. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
18. ^ Cox, Jim (2008). This Day in Network Radio: A Daily Calendar of Births, Debuts, Cancellations and Other Events in Broadcasting History. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3848-8.

## External links

[edit]

* List of 1976 American television series at IMDb

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