1981 in American television

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|

List of years in American television:

* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984

* * *

1980–81 United States network television schedule
1981–82 United States network television schedule
List of American television programs currently in production

The year 1981 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1981.

## Events

[edit]

Date | Event

|

January 20  | Former actor and governor Ronald Reagan is sworn in as President of the United States. It is the most watched presidential inauguration in American history.[1][2]
February 6  | The cast of The Brady Bunch reunited for the TV movie The Brady Girls Get Married. Although scheduled to be shown in its original full-length movie format, NBC at the last minute divided it into half-hour segments. NBC showed one part per week for three weeks, and the fourth week debuted a spin-off sitcom titled The Brady Brides. This proved to be the only time the entire cast worked together on a single project following the cancellation of the original series.
February 14  | Funky 4 + 1 performed "That's the Joint" on NBC's Saturday Night Live. This made them the first hip hop act to perform on primetime (late night) television. Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry hosted (and performed on) this episode, shortly after the release of "Rapture", which later hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart as the first number-one song to feature rap vocals.
February 20  | Comedian Andy Kaufman disrupted sketches and started a brawl while broadcasting during ABC's sketch series Fridays, an occurrence that was later disclosed to have been entirely staged.[3]
February 21  | During an improvised segment at the end of a Saturday Night Live telecast on NBC hosted by Charlene Tilton, Charles Rocket used the word "fuck". As a result of the ensuing controversy, he was fired, along with producer Jean Doumanian and most of his fellow cast members, bringing an early end to a season that had been heavily criticized and sunk in the ratings.[4]
February 27  | The made-for-television film The Munsters' Revenge was broadcast on NBC. Based on 1964–1966 sitcom The Munsters, the film reunited original cast members Fred Gwynne, Yvonne De Carlo, and Al Lewis. This was the last production to be made with most of the original actors from the 1960s TV series.
March 1  | Miracle on Ice, a hastily made docudrama about the United States men's national ice hockey team's improbable gold medal victory in the Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York from the year prior aired on ABC. The film starred Karl Malden as head coach Herb Brooks, Steve Guttenberg as goaltender Jim Craig, and Andrew Stevens as captain Mike Eruzione. This was not the last time that the event known as the "Miracle on Ice" would be depicted in a film, as 23 years later, Disney released Miracle, which was this time starring Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks.
March 6  | After a 19-year run, Walter Cronkite resigned as main anchorman of The CBS Evening News and was succeeded the next Monday by Dan Rather.
March 17  | Norman Fell and Audra Lindley made their final appearances as Stanley and Helen Roper on Three's Company.
March 18  | Independent television station KGCT-TV signed on the air in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
March 20  | The iconic 1950s sitcom Dennis the Menace began its first transmission in Ireland when the series went on the air on RTÉ Television.
March 30  | An assassination attempt against President Ronald Reagan in Washington, DC, in which the President and several other people were wounded, interrupted programming on the three major networks and CNN at 2:42 pm. Millions of viewers worldwide witnessed footage of the shooting and the chaos that followed. ABC News was flooded with unconfirmed reports, which pestered the chief anchor Frank Reynolds, one of which falsely stated that the President's press secretary James Brady had died in the shooting. This was also reported by CBS News and ABC News. Coverage of the assassination attempt continued for hours on the big three networks, and for two days on CNN. As a result, the Academy Awards were postponed for a day.
NBC broadcast its final NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game, having done so since 1969. The tournament moved to CBS the following year. Dick Enberg, Billy Packer, and Al McGuire called the game for NBC.
April 1  | Berlinda Tolbert and Michael Jonas Evans made their final appearances as Lionel and Jenny Willis Jefferson on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons as series regulars.
April 11  | Van Halen's lead guitarist Eddie Van Halen married actress Valerie Bertinelli, who appeared on the CBS sitcom One Day at a Time.
April 12  | The Alpha Repertory Television Service (also known as ARTS) launched right after the Nickelodeon time period.
April 21  | "Weird Al" Yankovic made his first television appearance on NBC's The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder.
May 1  | The season-four finale of Dallas, entitled "Ewing-Gate", aired on CBS.
May 5–14  | The NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets was broadcast on CBS. This was the last NBA Finals to be broadcast on tape-delay, with weeknight games airing after the late local news in most cities. Games 3 and 4 were played back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday, May 9 and 10, to give CBS two live Finals games. Game 3 was the last Finals contest played on a Saturday until Game 5 in 2021. Game 4 tipped off at noon Central (1 pm Eastern/10 am Pacific) for CBS to telecast golf following the game. Had Game 7 been played, it would have tipped off at 1 pm Eastern. All in all, the Finals drew a 6.7 rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. Consequently, this was the lowest-rated NBA Finals in history prior to 2003.
May 15  | The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island, the third and final made-for-television film that reunited the cast of the 1964–1967 sitcom Gilligan's Island, aired on NBC.
June 2  | On ABC's 20/20, Barbara Walters famously asked Katharine Hepburn, "If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?"
June 24  | The series finale of Charlie's Angels aired on ABC.
June 30  | Fred Silverman was dismissed as president of NBC after failing to improve that network's third-place rating, and was replaced by Grant Tinker.
July 4  | Showtime ended its part-time status and inaugurated a 24/7 schedule.
July 10  | The final episode of Sanford was broadcast on NBC. A sequel to the original 1972–1977 sitcom Sanford and Son, this officially marked the end of Redd Foxx's run as Fred G. Sanford.
August 1  | The MTV network debuted on cable television, playing music videos 24 hours a day. "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles was the first video broadcast on the network.
August 9  | Following a two-month-long players strike, Major League Baseball resumed with the All-Star Game from Cleveland on NBC. During the strike (which began on June 12 and lasted through July 31),[5] NBC used its Saturday Game of the Week time-slot to show a 20-minute strike update, followed by a sports anthology series hosted by Caitlyn Jenner (then Bruce)[6] called NBC Sports: The Summer Season.[7][8]
August 30  | In Baltimore, Maryland, CBS affiliate WMAR-TV swapped affiliations with NBC affiliate WBAL-TV, marking the first affiliation switch in that city. CBS cited weak ratings for WMAR-TV's newscasts and heavy pre-emptions of network programming for programs of local interest as the reason they chose to switch affiliations. (However, the NBC affiliation would return to WBAL-TV on January 2, 1995, with WMAR-TV switching to ABC, and WJZ-TV, which had been the city's only ABC affiliate at this point, switching to CBS.)
September 7  | During the course of the year, several soap operas produced by Procter & Gamble changed title sequences and theme songs. On this day, new title sequences debuted for Another World on NBC and Guiding Light and Search for Tomorrow, both on CBS.
September 26  | Elvira's Movie Macabre, hosted by Cassandra Peterson, aired for the first time on KHJ-TV in Los Angeles.
September 28  | WRGB in Schenectady, New York, NBC's first television affiliate, ended its 42-year relationship with the network (dating back to its days as experimental station W2XB) and swapped affiliations with CBS affiliate WAST, which changed its call letters to the current WNYT to mark the new affiliation.
September 29  | Spectrum is initiated.
October 6  | Priscilla Barnes made her first appearance as Terri Alden on Three's Company. Alden was brought in as the full-time replacement for Chrissy Snow following the abrupt and controversial departure of Suzanne Somers. Barnes stayed on Three's Company through the end of its run in 1984.
CBS broadcast Return of the Beverly Hillbillies, which reunited most of the surviving cast members of the 1962–1971 sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies.
October 12  | CBS Cable was initiated.
October 19  | WPBT's news program Nightly Business Report became nationwide, launching on over 125 public television stations.[9]
October 30  | John Carpenter's 1978 horror film Halloween made its broadcast network television premiere on NBC (the same day that its first sequel was released in theaters and the day before star Donald Pleasence guest-hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live). To fill the two-hour time slot, Carpenter filmed 12 minutes of additional material during the production of Halloween II. The newly filmed scenes[10] include Dr. Loomis at a hospital board review of Michael Myers and Dr. Loomis talking to a then-6-year-old Michael at Smith's Grove, telling him, "You've fooled them, haven't you, Michael? But not me." Another extra scene featured Dr. Loomis at Smith's Grove examining Michael's abandoned cell after his escape and seeing the word "Sister" scratched into the door. Finally, a scene was added in which Lynda comes over to Laurie's house to borrow a silk blouse before Laurie leaves to babysit, just as Annie telephones asking to borrow the same blouse. The new scene had Laurie's hair hidden by a towel, since Jamie Lee Curtis was by then wearing a much shorter hairstyle than she had worn in 1978.
October 31  | The punk rock band Fear's appearance on Saturday Night Live included a group of slamdancers, among them John Belushi, Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat (and later Fugazi), Tesco Vee of the Meatmen, Harley Flanagan and John Joseph of the Cro-Mags, and John Brannon of Negative Approach. The show's director originally wanted to prevent the dancers from participating, so Belushi offered to be in the episode if the dancers were allowed to stay. The result was the shortening of Fear's appearance on TV. Fear played "I Don't Care About You", "Beef Bologna", and "New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones", and started to play "Let's Have a War" when the telecast faded into commercial. The slamdancers left ripe pumpkin remains on the set. Cameras, a piano, and other property were damaged.
November 1  | The NBC soap opera The Doctors broadcast its 5,000th episode.
November 2  | The CBS soap opera As the World Turns debuted a new opening sequence and theme song for the first time in its 25-year history.
November 8  | ESPN televised its first live flag-to-flag NASCAR race, the Atlanta Journal 500, which was won by Neil Bonnett.
November 9  | The cast and crew of The Incredible Hulk were delivered a surprise; despite maintaining good ratings, The Incredible Hulk was cancelled immediately, despite executive producer Kenneth Johnson's attempts to convince CBS to buy six additional episodes to fill season five.
November 11  | Joan Collins made her first appearance as Alexis Carrington Colby on Dynasty.
November 16–17  | Luke and Laura's wedding on the ABC soap opera General Hospital became one of the most-watched weddings in American television history, second only to the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer.
November 30  | Financial News Network went on the air.
December 6  | NBC affiliate KARD in West Monroe, Louisiana, and ABC affiliate KTVE in El Dorado, Arkansas swapped affiliations.[11]
December 10  | KJAA in Lubbock, Texas, signed on the air as an independent station. It adopted its current call letters KJTV in 1985 and became a charter Fox affiliate the next year.
December 14  | WFTS-TV in Tampa Bay, Florida, signed on the air as an independent station. It eventually became a Fox station in 1988, and an ABC affiliate via an agreement with Scripps-Howard in 1994.
December 18  | KVEO-TV in Brownsville, Texas, signed on the air, returning primary NBC service to the Rio Grande Valley market for the first time since KRGV-TV in Weslaco left the network in 1976 to become a full-time ABC affiliate.
December 18  | Raleigh's first independent station WLFL-TV went on the air. It became a Fox affiliate in 1986, moving to The WB in 1998, and finally with The CW in 2006.
December 24  | HBO began broadcasting 24 hours a day.
December 25  | Chuck Woolery hosted his last episode of the NBC game show Wheel of Fortune, quitting after a salary dispute with series producer and creator Merv Griffin. The next Monday, December 28, Pat Sajak began hosting.

## Programs

[edit]

### Debuting this year

[edit]

Date  | Show  | Network

|
|

January 12  | Dynasty | ABC
January 15  | Hill Street Blues | NBC
January 16  | Harper Valley PTA
Nero Wolfe
January 31  | Walking Tall | CBS
February 2  | The Gangster Chronicles | NBC
February 6  | The Brady Brides
March 18  | The Greatest American Hero | ABC
April 6  | Private Benjamin | CBS
April 9  | Checking In
May 16  | SCTV Network 90 | NBC
July 17  | Comedy Theater
August 7  | The Krypton Factor | ABC
August 21  | Rosie | CBS
September 10  | Best of the West | ABC
September 12  | Goldie Gold and Action Jack
The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! | NBC
The Smurfs
Space Stars
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
The Kwicky Koala Show | CBS
Trollkins
Spider-Man | Syndication
September 14  | Entertainment Tonight
October 7  | Mr. Merlin | CBS
October 9  | Behind the Screen
October 10  | Laverne & Shirley in the Army | ABC
October 24  | Fitz and Bones | NBC
October 25  | Today's F.B.I. | ABC
October 26  | Battlestars | NBC
October 28  | Love, Sidney
October 29  | Gimme a Break
Lewis & Clark
November 1  | Code Red | ABC
November 3  | Father Murphy | NBC
November 4  | The Fall Guy | ABC
November 11  | Shannon | CBS
November 13  | Strike Force | ABC
November 15  | This Week
November 20  | McClain's Law | NBC
November 24  | Simon & Simon | CBS
November 27  | Darkroom | ABC
November 28  | Open All Night
December 1  | Bret Maverick | NBC
December 4  | Falcon Crest | CBS
You Can't Do That on Television | Nickelodeon

### Ending this year

[edit]

Date  | Show  | Debut

|
|

March 7  | The Tim Conway Show | 1980
April 10  | Hollywood Squares (returned in 1983)  | 1966
April 16  | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century | 1979
April 20  | Soap | 1977
May 23  | Eight Is Enough
June 10  | The Muppet Show | 1976
July 10  | Sanford | 1980
July 21  | Flo | 1980
August 19  | Charlie's Angels | 1976
August 20  | The Waltons | 1972
August 28  | Comedy Theater | 1981
August 29  | Eight is Enough | 1977
September 1  | CBN Satellite Service
September 11  | Peanuts (cancellation not announced by CBS until July 12 1983; returned in 2023)  | 1969
October 23  | Card Sharks (returned in 1986)  | 1978
October 24  | Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (returned in 1984)  | 1972
October 31  | Super Friends (returned in 1983)  | 1973
November 30  | The Mike Douglas Show | 1961
December 5  | Heathcliff | 1980
December 17  | The Tomorrow Show | 1973

### Changing networks

[edit]

Show  | Moved from  | Moved to

|
|

Walt Disney anthology series | NBC | CBS
SCTV | Syndication | NBC

### Made-for-TV movies and miniseries

[edit]

Title | Network | Date(s) of airing

|
|

Dark Night of the Scarecrow | CBS  | October 24
Fallen Angel | February 24
Miracle on Ice | ABC  | March 1
Masada | April 5–8
The Adventures of Nellie Bly | NBC  | June 11
The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island | NBC  | May 5
The Five of Me | CBS  | May 12
Return of the Beverly Hillbillies | CBS  | October 6
Family Reunion | NBC  | October 11 & 12
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy | ABC  | October 14
Skokie | CBS  | November 17
Bill | December 22

## Networks and services

[edit]

### Launches

[edit]

Network  | Type  | Launch date  | Notes  | Source

|
|
|
|

Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network | Cable television  | Unknown  |  |
Star | Satellite television  | Unknown  |  |
Take 2  | Cable television | January 31  |  |
Alpha Repertory Television Service | Cable television  | April 12  |  |
Spotlight | Cable television  | May 28  |  |
MTV | Cable television  | August 1  |  |
EWTN | Cable television  | August 15  |  |
ASPN | Cable television  | October 1  |  |
CBS Cable | Cable television  | October 12  |  |
PRISM Sports New England | Cable television  | November 6  |  |
Financial News Network | Cable television  | November 30  |  |

### Conversions and rebrandings

[edit]

Old network name  | New network name  | Type  | Conversion Date  | Notes  | Source

|
|
|
|
|

CBN Satellite Network  | CBN Cable Network | Cable television  | September 1  |  |

### Closures

[edit]

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

## Television stations

[edit]

### Station launches

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|

January 13  | Cleveland, Ohio | WCLQ-TV | 61  | Independent |
Detroit, Michigan | WRHT | 31  |
January 26  | Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas | KTWS-TV | 27  |
February 8  | Clarksburg, West Virginia | WLYJ | 46  | Religious independent  |
February 15  | Jacksonville, Florida | WAWS-TV | 30  | Independent  |
March 6  | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | KTBO-TV | 14  | TBN |
March 18  | Tulsa, Oklahoma | KGCT-TV | 41  | Independent  |
April  | Santa Rosa, California | KFTY | 50  | Currently licensed to Fremont, California
April 6  | Poughkeepsie/New York City, New York | WFTI-TV | 51  | Now licensed in Jersey City, New Jersey
Washington, D.C. | WCQR | 50  |
May 5  | Lake Charles, Louisiana | KLTL-TV | 18  | PBS | Part of Louisiana Public Broadcasting
May 8  | Albuquerque/Santa Fe, New Mexico | KGSW-TV | 14  | Independent  |
May 9  | Greensboro, North Carolina | WGGT-TV | 33  |
May 13  | Lafayette, Louisiana | KLPB-TV | 24  | PBS | Part of Louisiana Public Broadcasting
May 29  | Princeton/Atlantic City, New Jersey | WWAC-TV | 44  | Independent  |
May 31  | San Jose, California
(San Francisco/Oakland, California) | KSTS | 48  |
June 1  | Fayetteville/Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina | WKFT | 40  |
June 15  | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | WWSG-TV | 57  |
July 13  | WRBV | 65  |
August 16  | Marion, Illinois | WDDD-TV | 27  |
August 22  | Atlanta, Georgia | WVEU | 69  |
September 1  | Columbia, South Carolina | WCCT-TV | 57  |
September 18  | Chicago, Illinois | WFBN | 66  |
October 11  | Reno, Nevada | KAME-TV | 21  |
October 18  | Boise, Idaho | KTRV | 12  |
November 1  | Salinas/Monterey, California | KCBA | 35  | SIN |
November 20  | San Jose, California  | K42DT | 42  | TBN |
November 21  | KECH | 22  | Independent  |
December 4  | Seaford/Dover, Delaware
(Salisbury, Maryland) | WDPB | 64  | PBS | Satellite of WHYY-TV/Wilmington, Delaware
December 7  | North Pole/Fairbanks, Alaska | KJNP-TV | 4  | Religious Independent  |
December 10  | Lubbock, Texas | KJAA | 34  | Independent
December 14  | Tampa, Florida | WFTS-TV | 28  |
December 18  | Brownsville, Texas
(McAllen/Harlingen, Texas) | KVEO-TV | 23  | NBC |
Raleigh, North Carolina | WLFL | 22  | Independent  |

### Network affiliation changes

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|

August 30  | Baltimore, Maryland | WMAR-TV | 2  | CBS  | NBC  |
WBAL-TV | 11  | NBC  | CBS  |
September 28  | Albany, New York | WRGB | 6  | NBC  | CBS  |
WNYT | 13  | CBS  | NBC  |
December 6  | El Dorado, Arkansas
(Monroe, Louisiana) | KTVE | 10  | ABC  | NBC  |
West Monroe/Monroe, Louisiana
(El Dorado, Arkansas) | KLAA | 14  | NBC  | ABC  |
Unknown date  | Cheyenne, Wyoming | KGWN-TV | 5  | ABC  | CBS  |
Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico
(Brownsville/Harlingen/McAllen, Texas) | XHRIO-TV | 2  | English independent  | Spanish independent  |
Scottsbluff, Nebraska | KSTF | 10  | ABC  | CBS  |

### Station closures

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|

Unknown date  | Berlin, New Hampshire | WEDB-TV | 40  | PBS | April 30, 1969  | Part of the New Hampshire Public Television network

## Births

[edit]

Date | Name | Notability

|
|

January 1  | Eden Riegel | Actress (All My Children, The Young and the Restless), voice actress (Stitch!, The Lion Guard)
January 5  | Brooklyn Sudano | Actress (My Wife and Kids)
January 8  | Genevieve Cortese | Actress (Wildfire)
January 13  | Shad Gaspard | Actor and pro wrestler (d. 2020)
Diana Perez | American television reporter
Ginger Zee | TV personality
January 15  | Pitbull | Singer and actor
Howie Day | Singer
January 17  | Ray J | Singer and actor (Moesha)
January 19  | Bitsie Tulloch | Actress (lonelygirl15, Grimm)
January 20  | Daniel Cudmore | Actor
January 22  | Beverley Mitchell | Actress (7th Heaven)
January 23  | Julia Jones | Actress
January 24  | Carrie Coon | Actress (The Leftovers, Fargo)
January 25  | Alicia Keys | Singer, songwriter and actress (The Voice)
Charlie Bewley | Actor
January 26  | Colin O'Donoghue | Irish actor (Once Upon a Time)
January 28  | Elijah Wood | Actor (Wilfred, Tron: Uprising, Over the Garden Wall)
January 29  | Tenoch Huerta | Actor
January 31  | Justin Timberlake | Singer (NSYNC) and actor (The Mickey Mouse Club, frequent Saturday Night Live host)
February 1  | John Gemberling | Actor
Conor Knighton | Actor
February 2  | Emily Rose | Actress (Haven)
February 3  | Alisa Reyes | Actress (All That, The Proud Family)
February 5  | Sara Foster | Actress (90210)
February 6  | Alison Haislip | Actress and TV personality (Attack of the Show!, The Morning After, Battleground)
February 8  | Jim Parrack | Actor
February 10  | Uzo Aduba | Actress (Orange Is the New Black, Steven Universe)
Stephanie Beatriz | Argentine-born American actress (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
Holly Willoughby | Television presenter who cameoed with Phillip Schofield, in Ted Lasso in Season 2
February 11  | Kelly Rowland | Singer (Destiny's Child) and actress
February 17  | Joseph Gordon-Levitt | Actor (Tommy Solomon on 3rd Rock from the Sun)
Paris Hilton | Actress and TV personality (The Simple Life)
February 20  | Majandra Delfino | Actress and singer (Roswell)
Jocko Sims | Actor
Stephanie Wittels Wachs | Actress
February 23  | Josh Gad | Actor (1600 Penn)
February 27  | Josh Groban | Actor
March 1  | Adam LaVorgna | Actor (7th Heaven)
March 2  | Bryce Dallas Howard | Actress (HitRecord on TV) and daughter of Ron Howard
March 6  | Ellen Muth | Actress (Dead Like Me)
March 7  | Jason Latimer | American illusionist
March 8  | Vinita Nair | American journalist
March 10  | Michael Pitt | American actor
March 11  | David Anders | Actor (Alias, Heroes, The Vampire Diaries, Once Upon a Time, iZombie)
LeToya Luckett | Singer (Destiny's Child) and actress
March 14  | Ryan Cartwright | Actor
March 18  | Chris Geere | Actor
March 19  | Dan Levy | Actor
March 22  | Tiffany Dupont | Actress (Greek)
March 23  | Jenn Brown | American sports broadcaster and television host
March 24  | Philip Winchester | Actor (Law and Order: SVU)
Neil Grayston | Actor
March 27  | Ashley Bank | Actress
March 28  | Julia Stiles | Actress (Dexter)
March 29  | Megan Hilty | Actress
March 30  | Katy Mixon | Actress (Eastbound & Down, American Housewife)
March 31  | Ryan Bingham | Actor
April 2  | Bethany Joy Lenz | Actress (Guiding Light, One Tree Hill) and singer
April 6  | Eliza Coupe | Actress (Scrubs, Happy Endings, Benched)
April 8  | Taylor Kitsch | Actor (Friday Night Lights)
April 11  | Laura Bell Bundy | Actress
April 12  | Tulsi Gabbard | Politician and Commentator (Fox News)
April 13  | Courtney Peldon | Actress (Harry and the Hendersons, Boston Public)
April 19  | Hayden Christensen | Actor
April 19  | Catalina Sandino Moreno | Actress
April 28  | Jessica Alba | Actress (Dark Angel)
April 28  | Catherine Reitman | Actress
April 30  | Kunal Nayyar | British-Indian actor (The Big Bang Theory, Sanjay and Craig)
Rose Rollins | Actress
May 2  | Robert Buckley | Actor (One Tree Hill)
May 3  | Farrah Franklin | Singer (Destiny's Child) and actress
May 5  | Danielle Fishel | Actress (Boy Meets World, Girl Meets World)
Zach McGowan | Actor (Black Sails, The 100)
Soren Thompson | American épée fencer
May 8  | Stephen Amell | Canadian actor (Arrow)
May 11  | JP Karliak | Actor, voice actor and comedian (The Boss Baby: Back in Business, Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz)
May 15  | Jamie-Lynn Sigler | Actress (The Sopranos)
May 16  | Joseph Morgan | English actor (The Vampire Diaries)
Athena Karkanis | Actress
May 22  | Bryan Danielson | Pro wrestler[12]
May 23  | Tim Robinson | Actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live)
May 29  | Chris Violette  | Canadian actor (Power Rangers S.P.D.)
Justin Chon | Actor (Just Jordan)
Anders Holm | Actor
June 1  | Amy Schumer | Actress and comedian (Inside Amy Schumer)
Johnny Pemberton | Actor (Pickle and Peanut, Superstore, Son of Zorn)
June 2  | Velvet Sky | Wrestler
June 4  | T.J. Miller | Actor (Gravity Falls, Silicon Valley)
Zhubin Parang | Writer
June 6  | Johnny Pacar | Actor (Flight 29 Down)
June 7  | Larisa Oleynik | Actress (The Secret World of Alex Mack, Winx Club)
June 9  | Natalie Portman | Actress (Saturday Night Live host in 2006)
June 15  | Jordi Vilasuso | Actor
Marie Harf | American political commentator
June 18  | Scooter Braun | American media proprietor, record executive, and investor
June 19  | Robin McLeavy | Actress
June 20  | Alisan Porter | Actress
June 21  | Nicola Correia-Damude | Actress
June 22  | Porsha Williams | Actress
June 24  | Vanessa Ray | Actress (As the World Turns, Blue Bloods)
June 26  | Adrianna Costa | American television personality
July 1  | Kym Jackson | Actress
Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave | American television personality
July 5  | Ryan Hansen | Actor (Veronica Mars)
July 8  | Lance Gross | Actor
July 9  | Michelle Collins | Comedian and talk show host
July 13  | Michael Mando | Actor
July 15  | Taylor Kinney | Actor (Chicago Fire)
July 16  | Michelle Morgan | Canadian actress (Heartland)
July 18  | Michiel Huisman | Actor
July 21  | Blake Lewis | Singer (American Idol)[13]
Chrishell Stause | Actress (All My Children, Days of Our Lives, Youthful Daze)
July 22  | Clive Standen | Actor
July 24  | Summer Glau | Actress (Firefly, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Sequestered)
July 28  | Billy Aaron Brown | Actor (8 Simple Rules)
Neil Casey | Actor
July 29  | Dyana Liu | Actress (Tower Prep), voice actress (Fanboy & Chum Chum, Pig Goat Banana Cricket)
July 30  | Lisa Goldstein | Actress (One Tree Hill)
Lisa Wilhoit | Actress (My So-Called Life, Family Guy)
July 31  | Alexander Torrenegra | Investor
Eric Lively | Actor
August 2  | Dylan Dreyer | American television meteorologist
August 4  | Amanda Congdon | Actress and video blogger (Rocketboom)
Meghan Markle | Actress (Suits)
Abigail Spencer | Actress (All My Children, Burning Love, Rectify)
August 5  | Jesse Williams | Actor (Grey's Anatomy)
August 6  | Leslie Odom Jr. | Actor
August 7  | Randy Wayne | Actor
August 8  | Meagan Good | Actress (Cousin Skeeter)
August 14  | Kofi Kingston | Pro wrestler[14]
August 15  | Brooke Anderson | Television actress
August 17  | Kristin Adams | Television personality
August 19  | Nate Burleson | Host
August 21  | Erin Kelly | Actress (Beyond the Break)
August 22  | Ross Marquand | Actor
August 23  | Jaime Lee Kirchner | Actress
August 24  | Chad Michael Murray | Actor (Gilmore Girls, Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill, Chosen, Agent Carter)
August 25  | Rachel Bilson | Actress (The O.C., Hart of Dixie)
Andrew Chambliss | Writer
August 27  | Karla Mosley | Actress
Patrick J. Adams | Actor
August 29  | Jay Ryan | Australian actor (Beauty & the Beast)
August 31  | Joshua Close | Actor
September 1  | Boyd Holbrook | Actor
September 4  | Beyoncé | Singer (Destiny's Child) and actress
September 5  | Aaron Bay-Schuck | American music industry executive
September 7  | Athena Karkanis | Actress
September 8  | Jonathan Taylor Thomas | Actor (Home Improvement)
September 9  | Julie Gonzalo | Argentine-American actress (Veronica Mars, Eli Stone, Dallas)
September 10  | Ben Aaron | New York City-based media personality
September 12  | Hosea Chanchez | Actor (The Game)
Jennifer Hudson | Singer (American Idol, The Jennifer Hudson Show, The Voice US)
September 15  | Ben Schwartz | Actor (Parks and Recreation, House of Lies, Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja, DuckTales, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Pinky Malinky)
September 16  | Alexis Bledel | Actress (Gilmore Girls)
September 18  | Jennifer Tisdale | Actress and sister of Ashley Tisdale
Arie Luyendyk Jr. | Television personality
September 20  | Mandy Bruno  | Actress (Guiding Light)
September 21  | Nicole Richie | Actress and TV personality (The Simple Life)
September 22  | Ashley Eckstein | Actress (That's So Raven, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Sofia the First, Ultimate Spider-Man, Star Wars Rebels)
September 24  | Fernanda Urrejola | Actress
September 25  | Lee Norris | Actor (Boy Meets World, One Tree Hill, Girl Meets World)
Dan Mintz | Voice actor (Bob's Burgers)
Victor Blackwell | News anchor
September 26  | Christina Milian | Actress (Grandfathered)
September 28  | Melissa Claire Egan | Actress (All My Children, The Young and the Restless)
Jerrika Hinton | Actress (Grey's Anatomy)
Rebecca Jarvis | American journalist
September 29  | Kelly McCreary | Actress (Grey's Anatomy)
October 3  | Seth Gabel | Actor (Fringe, Salem)
October 8  | Ben Lyons | Sportcaster
October 9  | Zachery Ty Bryan | Actor (Home Improvement)
Rupert Friend | Actor
October 12  | Brian J. Smith | Actor (Stargate Universe)
Dan Oster | Comedic actor (Mad TV)
October 16  | Brea Grant | Actress (Heroes)
Caterina Scorsone | Actress (Missing, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice)
October 18  | Gabrielle Dennis | Actress (The Game, Blue Mountain State, Rosewood)
October 22  | Michael Fishman | Actor (Roseanne)
John Boyd | Actor (24, Bones)
October 30  | Shaun Sipos | Actor (Complete Savages)
Fiona Dourif | Actress
October 31  | Ivanka Trump | TV personality
November 1  | Matt Jones | Actor (Breaking Bad, Mom), voice actor (Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil, Sanjay and Craig, Pig Goat Banana Cricket)
LaTavia Roberson | Singer (Destiny's Child)
November 8  | Azura Skye | Actress (Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane)
November 9  | Scottie Thompson | Actress (NCIS, Trauma)
November 11  | Susan Kelechi Watson | Actress (Louie, This Is Us)
Alex Sim-Wise | TV presenter
November 14  | Vanessa Bayer | Actress (Saturday Night Live)
November 15  | Daniel Casey | Screenwriter
November 16  | Zerlina Maxwell | TV host
November 18  | Allison Tolman | Actress (Fargo)
Christina Vidal | Actress (Taina)
Nasim Pedrad | Actress and comedian (Saturday Night Live, Scream Queens)
November 24  | Krystal Ball | American political commentator
November 25  | Jenna Bush Hager | American news personality
Amy Seimetz | American actress
November 26  | Natasha Bedingfield | Singer
November 29  | Kimberly Cullum | Actress
John Milhiser | Actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live)
November 30  | Billy Lush | Actor
December 2  | Britney Spears | Singer (The Mickey Mouse Club)
December 3  | Brian Bonsall | Actor (Family Ties, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Liza Lapira | Actress
Elliott Kalan | Writer
December 11  | Jason Kennedy | Entertainment journalist
December 13  | Chelsea Hertford  | Actress (Major Dad)
December 15  | Michelle Dockery | English actress (Downton Abbey, Good Behavior)
December 16  | Krysten Ritter | Actress (Don't Trust the B
- in Apartment 23, Jessica Jones)
December 27  | Jay Ellis | Actor (The Game, Insecure)
Emilie de Ravin | Actress (Roswell, Lost, Once Upon a Time)
December 28  | Sienna Miller | Actress
December 31  | Ricky Whittle | English actor (The 100)

## Deaths

[edit]

Date | Name | Age | Notability

|
|
|

January 25  | Adele Astaire | 84  | Actress
April 26  | Jim Davis | 71  | Actor (Jock Ewing on Dallas)
June 9  | Allen Ludden | 63  | Game show host (Password)
July 3  | Ross Martin | 61  | Polish-born actor (Artemus Gordon on The Wild Wild West)
August 1  | Paddy Chayefsky | 58  | Writer (Marty)
September 27  | Robert Montgomery | 77  | Actor, host (Robert Montgomery Presents)
November 25  | Jack Albertson | 74  | Actor (Chico and the Man)
November 29  | Natalie Wood | 43  | Actress (The Pride of the Family, The Public Defender)

## See also

[edit]

* 1981 in the United States
* List of American films of 1981

* v
* t
* e

(1980 <-)  1981 in television (1982 ->)

* Australia
* Belgium
* Brazil
* Canada
* Croatia
* Denmark
* Estonia
* France
* Germany
* Ireland
* Italy
* Japan
* Netherlands
* Philippines
* 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
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 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
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Biden oath second only to Reagan and Obama with TV viewers". AP NEWS. 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
2. ^ Gordon, Brian. "Fact check: Joe Biden's inauguration didn't have the lowest-ever TV ratings". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
3. ^ LaBrecque, Jeff (August 5, 2013). "'Fridays': What really happened the night Andy Kaufman melted down on live TV". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
4. ^ "How Bad Can It Be? Case File #23: Saturday Night Live's aborted 1980-81 season". A.V. Club. September 5, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
5. ^ "BASEBALL STRIKE FORCES TV TO IMPROVISE". The New York Times. June 27, 1981.
6. ^ Leibovitz, Annie (June 1, 2015). "Introducing Caitlyn Jenner". Vanity Fair. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
7. ^ "Networks bracing for baseball strike". Gainesville Sun. July 30, 1994.
8. ^ Hadley, Mitchell (August 2, 2014). "This week in TV Guide: August 1, 1981". It's About TV!.
9. ^ "Going national" (PDF). Broadcasting Magazine. 1981-10-19. p. 64. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
10. ^ NBC Commercials/Extra Scenes - Halloween (Oct. 30, 1981) on YouTube
11. ^ Network Switch Effective, Monroe News-Star-World, December 6, 1981
12. ^ Pullar III, Sid (2024-09-26). "Bryan Danielson: Bio, News, Videos, Socials & More". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
13. ^ "Blake Lewis on Apple Music". Apple Music - Web Player. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
14. ^ "WWE Profile - Kofi Kingston". ESPN.com. 2019-09-16. Retrieved 2024-11-05.

## External links

[edit]

* List of 1981 American television series at IMDb

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