2004 in American television

Television-related events in the US during 2004

List of years in American television:

* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007

* * *

2003–04 United States network television schedule
2004–05 United States network television schedule
List of American television programs currently in production

In American television during 2004 notable events included television series debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel initiations.

## Events

[edit]

### January

[edit]

Date | Event

|

7  | The Apprentice, a reality show franchise produced by Mark Burnett involving a test of skill to be 'hired' into a company, which was hosted by businessman Donald Trump (who would later become the nation's president in 2016), premieres its first episode. David Gould would be the first person fired.
19  | British children's television series Boohbah (made by Ragdoll Productions who also made Teletubbies) premieres in the US on PBS Kids.[1]
22  | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire aired a spin-off of Who Wants to Be a Super Millionaire which offered its biggest cash prize in a game show history of $10,000,000. Only one contestant, Robert Essig, won at least $1,000,000 during the run, and no contestants won the top prize of $10,000,000.

### February

[edit]

Date | Event

|

1  | Super Bowl XXXVIII airs on CBS, featuring the halftime show controversy occurring during a performance "Rock Your Body" by Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake over indecency. The incident went viral and gave way to the rise of the term, "wardrobe malfunction"; in the wake of the incident, the Federal Communications Commission strengthened its rules concerning certain types of indecency, while Jackson was temporarily blacklisted from Viacom, CBS' parent company, along with other music websites, as well as having her invitation revoked for the then-upcoming Grammy Awards ceremony.
After 23 years, TBS quits using the superstation moniker.
11  | The True Hollywood Stories sketch featuring Rick James and Charlie Murphy first airs on Chappelle's Show.
14  | Jetix was introduced on Toon Disney and ABC Family, making it the first trade-name to be introduced as an anime-based block.
22  | Sex and the City broadcasts its last episode on HBO, "An American Girl in Paris, Part Deux."

### March

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

1  | On CBS, The Price Is Right broadcasts its 6,000th episode.
PBS launched the HD network for the purpose of offering high definition and widescreen content 24 hours per day, seven days per week onto most PBS stations.[2]
4  | Rich Fields debuts as the new announcer for The Price is Right, a role he would hold until the end of Season 38.
8  | Tiffany is named the new host of BET's The Center. Young Sir, who has been filling in since Amerie left last fall, takes over as the new host of BET.com Countdown.
In Casper, Wyoming, independent station/Pax TV affiliate KTWO-TV (having lost NBC to KCWY in September of last year) finally becomes an ABC affiliate after ABC's outgoing affiliate KFNB reaches an agreement with KTWO-TV ending its affiliation three months earlier than scheduled. KFNB then becomes a Fox affiliate, while sister station K26ES (now KWYF-LD) elevates its secondary UPN affiliation to full-time status.
15  | Game Show Network began making the switch to their new rebranding, GSN.
18  | The 57th episode of The Powerpuff Girls "See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey" airs in Canada on YTV, having been banned in the United States due to religious controversy.

### April

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

1  | Nickelodeon celebrates its 25th anniversary.
4  | The Sesame Street primetime special "The Street We Live On" premieres on PBS.
5  | The Australian soap Neighbours returns to U.S. television for the first time since 1991, on Oxygen.
12  | KLSB-TV in Nacogdoches, Texas, a satellite station of NBC affiliate KETK-TV, separates from its parent station to become a CBS affiliate, returning CBS to the Tyler-Longview market for the first time since KLMG-TV became Fox affiliate KFXK-TV in April 1991. The next day, the Federal Communications Commission approves KLSB-TV's call letter change to the current KYTX.
16  | C-SPAN aired a press conference being held in the White House Rose Garden in which President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke about the war in Iraq and other issues. The event was far more watched than almost any other C-SPAN broadcast of the year, getting "shockingly high" Nielsen ratings. A similar broadcast on March 27 of the previous year was similarly widely viewed.[3]

### May

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

6  | Friends ends its run after 10 years, broadcasting the last episode, "The Last One", on NBC. A spinoff, Joey, debuts on NBC the following season.
9  | In CBS, season two contestant Amber Brkish proposed to season four contestant Rob Mariano before naming the former the "Sole Survivor" in the inaugural All-Stars season. Four days later, season seven contestant Rupert Boneham was also awarded the $1 million prize after voted for the most popular contestant in the America's Tribal Council special aired four days later.
11  | NBCUniversal is founded by General Electric and Vivendi Universal.
13  | Frasier broadcasts its last episode on NBC, "Goodnight, Seattle".
15  | Jimmy Fallon makes his last appearance as a cast member of NBC's Saturday Night Live, for its season finale. The episode was hosted by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen with a musical performance of J-Kwon.
26  | Fantasia Barrino wins the third season of Fox's American Idol. This series also marked the first time it topped viewerships in the television ratings of this season.
27  | Fox announced the cancellation of television special Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay, which was intended to air on June 7, 2004. The cancellation followed intense media backlash, such as from GLAAD, over the special's portrayal of gay men; the network attributed the cancellation to "creative reasons".[4]
28  | TechTV merges with G4 to form G4techTV, one of the most controversial mergers of television history as less than a year later, the merged network becomes G4 once again.

### June

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

2  | Ken Jennings of Salt Lake City, Utah, begins a long run as Jeopardy! champion.
7  | ABC broadcasts its final NHL game for 17 years, which also turns out to be the last one before the lockout that canceled the league's 2004–05 season. Through ESPN, the network resumes airing NHL games in the 2021-22 season.
10  | TBS reintroduces its Very Funny campaign.
11  | Major networks cover the state funeral of Ronald Reagan.[5]
The Wild Thornberrys ends with the episode "Eliza Unplugged".
14  | Cartoon Network unveils a new logo for the first time in 11 years and a new branding that involve various animated characters living around a realistic CGI-themed city. The new branding known as "CN City", replaced the previous Powerhouse branding which had been in use for the past 7 years.
18  | Rodney Dangerfield (who appeared more than seventy times as a guest on The Tonight Show) makes his final appearance as a talk show guest on CBS' The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. He died on October 5.

### July

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

22  | Documentary miniseries The Staircase is premiered in an abbreviated version as a special two-hour presentation of ABC's Primetime Thursday.[6]
24  | The infamous fight between Jason Varitek and Alex Rodriguez occurs during a Red Sox-Yankees game on Fox. That same night, the Red Sox came back with a two-run walk-off homer by Bill Mueller against closer Mariano Rivera.
27  | During the Democratic National Convention, Illinois Senate candidate (and future president) Barack Obama delivers the keynote address. The speech is widely praised and is credited for his victory four years later.[7][8]
30  | Rocket Power ends with its two-part finale "The Big Day"

### August

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

1  | Rugrats aired its last episode titled "Hurricane Alice".
9  | David Muir resigns as co-anchor of World News Now on ABC and is replaced by Ron Corning.
13  | The animated comedy series Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends premieres on Cartoon Network starring Grey DeLisle as the voice of Frankie Foster, Keith Ferguson as the voice of Bloo and others.
15  | In Charlottesville, Virginia, NBC affiliate WVIR-TV, long the only commercial station in its market, receives competition for the first time ever when WCAV signs-on as a CBS affiliate. Shortly thereafter, WCAV adds WVAW-LP as an ABC affiliate.
27  | Craig Kilborn ends his five-year run as host of The Late Late Show.
28  | PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch ended.
30  | ABC affiliate WDTN in Dayton, Ohio swaps affiliations with NBC affiliate WKEF, reversing a swap that took place in 1980.

### September

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

4  | A series premiere promo for the Canadian animated series Atomic Betty, which is set to premiere on sister cable network Cartoon Network on September 17, accidentally airs on Kids' WB during the split screen credits of the Pokémon: Advanced episode "A Poké-Block Party".
5  | British preschooler's program Thomas & Friends comes to PBS Kids as a stand-alone program with Michael Brandon taking over as the narrator.
11  | Higglytown Heroes, created by George Evelyn, Holly Huckins, Denis Morella, Kent Redeker, and Jeff Ulin, airs on Playhouse Disney.
12  | In Chicago, independent station WCIU drops Kids' WB. The city's WB affiliate WGN-TV, which had previously declined the block in favor of newscasts and sitcoms, picks up the block, and thus clears the entire WB schedule for the first time.
19  | The 56th Primetime Emmy Awards are given out on ABC.
21  | Drew Daniel is the winner of the U.S. version of Big Brother 5 on CBS. Runner-Up Michael "Cowboy" Ellis wins $50,000.
22  | The pilot episode of Lost airs on ABC.
24  | Kathleen Herles announces her retirement as voice of Dora on Dora the Explorer. Her final episode, "Dora Saves the Mermaids", would not air until November 2007.
28  | Longtime veteran Marcy Walker makes her final appearance on the ABC soap opera All My Children after two decades of being affiliated with the program.
30  | President Bush and Senator John Kerry participate in the first of the 2004 presidential debates moderated by Jim Lehrer.[9]

### October

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

2  | Amy Poehler succeeds Jimmy Fallon as Tina Fey's co-anchor of NBC's Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update skit, making the first Weekend Update female duos.
Nickelodeon and its affiliated channels begin debuting special educational programming, Worldwide Day of Play, after the Let's Just Play campaign.
5  | Gwen Ifill moderates the 2004 Vice Presidential debate between Vice President Cheney and Senator John Edwards at Case Western Reserve University.[10]
8  | Charles Gibson moderates the second presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis.[11]
11  | PBS Kids debuts a programming block targeted at children aged 6–10 entitled PBS Kids Go!, with new shows Maya & Miguel and an Arthur spinoff, Postcards from Buster premiering.
13  | Bob Schieffer of CBS News moderates the final presidential debate at Arizona State University.[12]
15  | Comedian Jon Stewart makes an appearance on Crossfire with Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala and calls the show out for "partisan hackery".
20  | Game 7 of the ALCS is broadcast on Fox. The Boston Red Sox reverse-sweep the New York Yankees and become the first and (to date) only team in MLB history to come back from being down 3-0 in a playoff series.
27  | The Boston Red Sox win the World Series title for the first time since 1918, with a total of 86 years. They swept the 105-win St. Louis Cardinals in four games. Sox closer Keith Foulke made the final out for underhanding the ball to Doug Mientkiewicz at first base after a grounder by Edgar Rentería (who coincidentally wore Babe Ruth's number 3). This officially marked the end of the Curse of the Bambino.
29  | The fifth and final aired episode of Dr. Vegas aired on CBS. This marked the last time that Amy Adams appeared as a regular cast member on a television series, before returning many years later with Sharp Objects.

### November

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

1  | The Young and the Restless broadcasts its 8,000th episode on CBS.
7  | Dallas airs a third TV movie, Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork, on CBS.
8  | Young Sir resigns as host of BET.com Countdown and is replaced by recording artist Ray J.
9  | Tiffany resigns as host of BET's The Center and is replaced by Julissa.
10  | Sesame Street celebrates its 35th anniversary.
19  | Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi premieres on Cartoon Network with Janice Kawaye starring as Ami Onuki and Grey DeLisle, previously voicing Frankie Foster in Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends as Yumi Yoshimura.
23  | Longtime CBS News anchor and manager editor Dan Rather announces he will step down in March.
30  | After seventy-four consecutive wins, Ken Jennings finally loses on Jeopardy!, to competitor Nancy Zerg. Jennings' final cash winnings total is $2,522,700 making him the richest winner of American television history.

### December

[edit]

Date  | Event

|

2  | Tom Brokaw resigns as anchorman of NBC Nightly News and is replaced by Brian Williams.
15  | CNN's financial news channel, CNNfn, is ended.
16  | All My Children broadcasts its 9,000th episode.
29  | Rogers Media buys remaining 20% ownership of Rogers Sportsnet from Fox.
General Electric, owner of NBC, purchases Universal Studios from Vivendi, leaving all six U.S. broadcast networks part of a company which also owns a movie studio.
For the first time in its history, Nielsen Media Research, the official American television ratings service, began counting original shows on pay television premium channels in its prime-time ratings.[13] At the time, most of these were broadcast by competitors HBO and Showtime, but Starz has since begun producing original shows.

## Programs

[edit]

### Debuts

[edit]

Date  | Debut  | Network

|
|

January 7  | The Apprentice | NBC
January 11  | Drake & Josh | Nickelodeon
January 14  | Seven Little Monsters | PBS Kids
January 18  | Whoopi's Littleburg | Nick Jr.
The L Word | Showtime
January 19  | Boohbah | PBS Kids
My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance | Fox
January 21  | 'Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen and Dave | MTV
January 23  | Dave the Barbarian | Disney Channel
January 26  | The Koala Brothers | Playhouse Disney
January 28  | College Hill | BET
February 14  | Power Rangers Dino Thunder | ABC Family
March 1  | Forever Eden | Fox
March 3  | Kingdom Hospital | ABC
March 4  | Pimp My Ride | MTV
March 5  | The Help | The WB
March 7  | Nickelodeon Splat! | Nickelodeon
March 9  | Cracking Up | Fox
March 10  | Game Over | UPN
March 12  | Touching Evil | USA
Playing It Straight | Fox
Wonderfalls
March 16  | Century City | CBS
March 17  | The Stones
March 19  | The D.A. | ABC
March 21  | Deadwood | HBO
Animal Face-Off | Discovery Channel
April 2  | The Big House | ABC
April 3  | Danny Phantom | Nickelodeon
April 7  | The Swan | Fox
April 12  | Peep and the Big Wide World | Discovery Kids
April 13  | Showbiz Moms & Dads | Bravo
April 28  | Shorties Watchin' Shorties | Comedy Central
May 1  | Megas XLR | Cartoon Network
May 17  | Superstar USA | The WB
On the Cover | PAX TV
Colonial House | PBS
May 27  | Pepsi Smash | The WB
June 1  | Summerland | The WB
Wanna Come In? | MTV
June 2  | BBQ with Bobby Flay | Food Network
June 3  | Come to Papa | NBC
June 4  | TNA iMPACT! | Fox Sports Net
June 8  | The Jury | Fox
Blow Out | Bravo
June 14  | North Shore | Fox
The Casino
Next Action Star | NBC
June 16  | Quintuplets | Fox
Method & Red
The Ashlee Simpson Show | MTV
June 18  | Phil of the Future | Disney Channel
June 20  | Fatherhood | Nick at Nite
July 1  | Trading Spouses | Fox
July 6  | Seconds From Disaster | National Geographic Channel
July 12  | I Love the '90s | VH1
July 16  | Stargate Atlantis | Sci Fi
July 18  | Entourage | HBO
July 21  | Rescue Me | FX
July 22  | Studio 7 | The WB
July 28  | Amish in the City | UPN
July 29  | Blue Collar TV | The WB
July 30  | O'Grady | The N
July 31  | Justice League Unlimited | Cartoon Network
August 1  | Stroker and Hoop | Adult Swim
August 2  | Balderdash | PAX TV
August 4  | The Player | UPN
August 10  | Blue's Room | Nick Jr.
August 13  | Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends | Cartoon Network
August 21  | Brandy & Mr. Whiskers | Disney Channel
August 30  | The Jane Pauley Show | Syndication
August 31  | Curious Buddies | Nick Jr.
Father of the Pride | NBC
September 1  | Hawaii
September 7  | Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends | Nick Jr.
September 9  | Joey | NBC
Medical Investigation
September 11  | The Batman | Kids' WB
Da Boom Crew
September 12  | Jack & Bobby | The WB
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide | Nickelodeon
Unfabulous
September 13  | A Place of Our Own | PBS
Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan | National Geographic Channel
The Insider | Syndication
The Tony Danza Show
The Benefactor | ABC
LAX | NBC
Higglytown Heroes | Playhouse Disney
September 16  | Video Mods | MTV
September 17  | Atomic Betty | Cartoon Network
September 18  | Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! | Jetix
September 20  | Listen Up | CBS
Second Time Around | UPN
September 21  | Rodney | ABC
September 22  | CSI: NY | CBS
The Mountain | The WB
Veronica Mars | UPN
Lost | ABC
September 24  | Complete Savages
Dr. Vegas | CBS
September 26  | Clubhouse
Wife Swap | ABC
September 28  | Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County | MTV
September 29  | Kevin Hill | UPN
October 2  | Darcy's Wild Life | Discovery Kids
Austin Stevens: Snakemaster | Animal Planet
Faith Under Fire | PAX TV
October 3  | Boston Legal | ABC
Desperate Housewives
Cold Turkey | PAX TV
October 4  | Model Citizens
October 5  | BET Style | BET
Wanda Does It | Comedy Central
Second Verdict | PAX TV
October 6  | Ghost Hunters | Sci Fi
Proof Positive
World Cup Comedy | PAX TV
October 7  | Drew Carey's Green Screen Show | The WB
Life as We Know It | ABC
October 11  | The Backyardigans | Nick Jr.
Maya & Miguel | PBS Kids Go!
Postcards From Buster
October 18  | Battlestar Galactica | Sci Fi
October 19  | The Biggest Loser | NBC
He's a Lady | TBS
October 24  | You've Got a Friend | MTV
October 25  | Battle for Ozzfest
October 27  | Center of the Universe | CBS
Drawn Together | Comedy Central
November 3  | Nanny 911 | Fox
November 5  | Cartoon Alley | TCM
November 7  | Perfect Hair Forever | Adult Swim
Huff | Showtime
My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss | Fox
November 8  | ToddWorld | Ready Set Learn! on TLC and Discovery Kids
November 8  | $25 Million Dollar Hoax | NBC
November 9  | The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best | Fox
November 14  | Tom Goes to the Mayor | Adult Swim
November 15  | Date My Mom | MTV
November 16  | House | Fox
November 19  | Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi | Cartoon Network
November 29  | Family Face Off: Hollywood | Nick at Nite
December 1  | Project Runway | Bravo
December 15  | Big Man on Campus | The WB
December 18  | W.I.T.C.H. | Jetix

### Returning this year

[edit]

Show | Last aired | Previous network | New/Same network | Returning

|
|
|
|

House of Mouse | 2003  | Toon Disney | Disney Channel | August 11
Thomas & Friends | 2000  | Nick Jr | PBS Kids | September 5
Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat | 2002  | PBS Kids | Same  | September 26
Teletubbies | 2001  | October 30
Little Bear | 2003  | Nick Jr. Channel | November 16

### Ending this year

[edit]

Date  | Show  | Channel  | Debut  | Status

|
|
|
|

January 16  | He-Man and the Masters of the Universe | Cartoon Network  | 2002  | Cancelled
January 23  | Fillmore! | Toon Disney
January 25  | 10-8: Officers on Duty | ABC  | 2003
January 28  | Becker | CBS  | 1998
January 29  | Threat Matrix | ABC  | 2003
January 30  | Boston Public | Fox  | 2000
The Handler | CBS  | 2003
February 3  | Sabrina's Secret Life | DIC Kids Network  | 2003
February 6  | Jake 2.0 | UPN
Ed | NBC  | 2000
Little Bill | Nickelodeon  | 1999
February 7  | Scout's Safari | Discovery Kids  | 2002
February 12  | All About the Andersons | The WB  | 2003
February 14  | Lizzie McGuire | Disney Channel  | 2001
February 22  | Sex and the City (returned in 2021 as And Just Like That...)  | HBO  | 1998  | Ended
February 27  | Lloyd in Space | Toon Disney  | 2001  | Cancelled
February 29  | The Weekenders | 2000
March 3  | 'Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen and Dave | MTV  | 2004
March 13  | Hack | CBS  | 2002
March 17  | The Mullets | UPN  | 2003
March 20  | The Tracy Morgan Show | NBC
March 25  | The Chris Isaak Show | Showtime  | 2001
April 1  | Stripperella | Spike  | 2003
April 2  | Game Over | UPN  | 2004
April 4  | Home Movies | Adult Swim  | 2001
April 6  | It's All Relative | ABC  | 2003
April 9  | The D.A. | 2004
Life with Bonnie | 2002
April 12  | Space Ghost Coast to Coast (returned in 2006)  | Cartoon Network  | 1994
April 14  | Karen Sisco | ABC  | 2003
April 16  | The Help | The WB  | 2004
April 20  | Happy Family | NBC  | 2003
Whoopi | NBC
April 22  | Like Family | The WB
April 23  | Married to the Kellys | ABC
April 24  | WWE Confidential | TNN/Spike TV  | 2002
April 27  | I'm with Her | ABC  | 2003
April 28  | Rolie Polie Olie | Playhouse Disney  | 1998
April 29  | The Jamie Kennedy Experiment | The WB  | 2002
April 30  | Living It Up! with Ali & Jack | Syndication  | 2003
May 1  | The District | CBS  | 2000
May 4  | The Guardian | 2001
May 6  | Friends (returned in 2021 as Friends: The Reunion)  | NBC  | 1994  | Ended
May 7  | Run of the House | The WB  | 2003  | Cancelled
May 10  | The Parkers | UPN  | 1999
May 13  | Frasier (returned in 2023)  | NBC  | 1993  | Ended
May 14  | The News with Brian Williams | CNBC  | 1996  | Cancelled
May 16  | The Practice | ABC  | 1997
May 17  | Mutant X | Syndication  | 2001
She Spies | NBC  | 2002
May 19  | Angel | The WB  | 1999
Showbiz Moms & Dads | Bravo  | 2004
May 21  | Ricki Lake | Syndication  | 1993
The 5th Wheel | 2001
The Wayne Brady Show
May 22  | Static Shock | Kids' WB  | 2000
May 25  | Rock Me Baby | UPN  | 2003
Colonial House | PBS  | 2004
May 26  | Soul Food | Showtime  | 2000
May 28  | The Sharon Osbourne Show | Syndication  | 2003
May 29  | Justice League | Cartoon Network  | 2001
May 30  | Line of Fire | Syndication  | 2003
June 4  | Hollywood Squares (returning in 2025)  | 1966  | Ended
June 5  | The Restaurant | NBC  | 2003  | Cancelled
June 7  | Whoopi's Littleburg | Nickelodeon  | 2004
June 8  | Hey Arnold! | 1996
June 11  | The Wild Thornberrys | 1998
June 19  | The Man Show | Comedy Central  | 1999
June 25  | VH1 ILL-ustrated | VH1  | 2003
June 28  | The Division | Lifetime  | 2001
July 2  | Slime Time Live | Nickelodeon  | 2000
July 5  | Ozzy & Drix | Kids' WB  | 2002
July 16  | I Love the '90s | VH1  | 2004
July 27  | King of the Jungle | Animal Planet  | 2003
July 29  | 106 & Park: Prime | BET
July 30  | Rocket Power | Nickelodeon  | 1999
August 1  | Rugrats | 1991
August 2  | Who Wants to Marry My Dad? | NBC  | 2003
August 8  | The Brothers García | Nickelodeon  | 2000
August 9  | For Love or Money | NBC  | 2003
August 10  | The Joe Schmo Show (returned in 2013)  | Spike
August 17  | Teamo Supremo | Toon Disney  | 2002
Nickelodeon Splat! | Nickelodeon  | 2004
August 27  | Johnny Bravo | Cartoon Network  | 1997
September 1  | It's a Miracle | PAX TV  | 1998
September 8  | The Drew Carey Show | ABC  | 1995  | Ended
September 10  | Pyramid (returned in 2012)  | Syndication  | 1973  | Cancelled
The Berenstain Bears | Treehouse TV  | 2003  | Cancelled
September 12  | Oliver Beene | Fox
Animal Face-Off | Animal Planet  | 2004
September 24  | Jeremiah | Showtime  | 2002
September 25  | Samurai Jack (returned in 2017)  | Cartoon Network  | 2001
September 27  | Out of the Box | Playhouse Disney  | 1998
October 1  | Knock First | ABC Family
October 6  | Hawaii | NBC  | 2004
October 11  | SpongeBob SquarePants (returned in 2005)  | Nickelodeon  | 1999
October 22  | Evil Con Carne | Cartoon Network  | 2003
October 25  | The Benefactor | ABC  | 2004
October 29  | Dr. Vegas | CBS
October 31  | The New Detectives | Discovery Channel  | 1996
Dead Like Me | Showtime  | 2003
November 11  | Unscrewed with Martin Sargent | TechTV
Insomniac with Dave Attell | Comedy Central  | 2001
November 14  | He's a Lady | TBS  | 2004
November 16  | Wanda Does It | Comedy Central
November 26  | Stanley | Playhouse Disney  | 2001
November 28  | Doc | PAX TV
December 8  | Proof Positive | Sci Fi Channel  | 2004
December 10  | Players | G4  | 2002
December 12  | My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss | Fox  | 2004
You've Got a Friend
December 15  | Wonderfalls
December 16  | Shorties Watchin' Shorties | Comedy Central

### Made-for-TV movies

[edit]

Title  | Channel  | Date of airing

|
|

Pixel Perfect | Disney Channel | January 16
12 Days of Terror | Discovery Channel | May 1
Zenon: Z3 | Disney Channel  | June 11
Stuck in the Suburbs | July 16
Tiger Cruise | Disney Channel  | August 6
House of Bloo's | Cartoon Network | August 13
Halloweentown High | Disney Channel  | October 8

### Entering syndication this year

[edit]

Show | Seasons | In Production | Source

|
|
|

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | 4 | Yes | [14]
Fear Factor | 4 | Yes |
Gilmore Girls | 4 | Yes |
Girlfriends | 4 | Yes | [citation needed]
Malcolm in the Middle | 4 | Yes | [15]
Yes, Dear | 4 | Yes | [citation needed]

### Shows changing networks

[edit]

Show  | Moved from  | Moved to

|
|

Arthur | PBS Kids | PBS Kids Go!
Cyberchase
As Told by Ginger | Nickelodeon | Nicktoons
Fillmore! | ABC Kids | Toon Disney
Timothy Goes To School | PBS Kids | TLC
The Surreal Life | The WB | VH1
National Geographic Explorer | MSNBC | National Geographic Channel
Project Greenlight | HBO | Bravo
America's Most Talented Kid | NBC  | PAX TV

## Networks and services

[edit]

### Launches

[edit]

Network  | Type  | Launch date  | Notes  | Source

|
|
|
|

ESPN Deportes | Cable television  | January 7  |  |
TV One | Cable television  | January 19  |  |
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries | Cable television  | January 20  |  |
MTVU | Cable television  | January 20  |  |
Si TV | Cable television  | February 25  |  |
Cinema One | Cable television  | May  |  |
World Channel | Cable television  | May 4  |  |
The Pentagon Channel | Cable television  | May 14  |  |
Wealth TV | Cable television  | June 1  |  |
IndiePlex | Cable television  | June 8  |  |
History Channel en Espanol | Cable television  | June 24  |  |
ImaginAsian | Cable television  | August 30  |  |
TCM  | Cable television  | September 1  |  |
Altitude Sports and Entertainment | Cable and satellite  | September 4  |  |
Hustler TV | Cable television  | October 1  |  |
Maverick Television | Cable television  | October 1  |  |
Gospel Music Channel | Cable television  | October 30  |  |
NBC Weather Plus | Cable television  | November 15  |  |

### Conversions and rebrandings

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|

Discovery Home & Leisure Channel  | Discovery Home Channel | Cable television  | March 29  |  |
TechTV | G4TechTV | Cable television  | May 28  |  |

### Closures

[edit]

Network  | Type  | Closure date  | Notes  | Source

|
|
|
|

CNNfn | Cable television  | December 15  |  |

## Television stations

[edit]

### Station launches

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|

March 1  | Idaho Falls, Idaho | KPIF | 15  | America One
The WB |
May 5  | Rehoboth Beach/Dover, Delaware
(Salisbury, Maryland) | W59DZ | 59  | UATV |
July 31  | Knoxville, Tennessee | WMAK | 7  | Independent |
August 5  | Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands | WZVI | 43  | ABC |
August 15  | Charlottesville, Virginia | WCAV | 19  | CBS |
West Palm Beach, Florida | WBWP-LP | 57  | Independent |
August 25  | Juneau, Alaska | K17HC | 17  | UPN |
November  | Cheyenne, Wyoming | KWYP-TV | 6
(now on 8) | PBS | Part of Wyoming PBS
November 1  | Youngstown, Ohio | WFMJ-DT2 | 21.2  | The WB |
November 15  | Peoria/Bloomington, Illinois | WEEK-DT2 | 25.2  | NBC Weather Plus |
San Juan, Puerto Rico | W25DN | 25  | Independent  |
December 3  | Durango, Colorado | KRMU | 20  | PBS | Part of Rocky Mountain PBS
December 17  | Dededo/Hagåtña, Guam (Agana)  | KEQI-LP | 22  | Independent |
Unknown date  | Albuquerque, New Mexico | KNMD-TV | 9  | PBS |
Borger/Amarillo, Texas | KEYU | 31  | Univision |
Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands  | WVGN-LP | 19  | NBC |
Columbia, Missouri | KZOU-LP | 22  | UPN |
Flint, Michigan | WBSF | 46  | The WB |
Kailua/Honolulu, Hawaii | KKAI-TV | 50  | Faith TV |
Lafayette, Indiana | W65EH  | 65  | Independent  |
Nacogdoches, Texas | KLSB-LP | 53  | NBC | Translator of KETK-TV/Jacksonville, Texas
Victoria, Texas | K17FS | 17  | NBC |

### Network affiliation changes

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|

Unknown date  | Bellingham, Washington
(Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) | KBCB | 34  | Jewelry Television | ImaginAsian |
Sun Valley/Twin Falls, Idaho | KIDA | 5  | UPN | Independent |

## Births

[edit]

Date | Name | Notability

|
|

January 4  | Peyton Kennedy | Canadian actress (Odd Squad, Everything Sucks!)
January 7  | Sofia Wylie | Actress (Andi Mack, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series)
January 8  | Berkley Silverman  | Canadian voice actress (PAW Patrol)
January 9  | Tyree Brown  | Actor (Parenthood)
January 24  | Brandon Rossel  | Actor (Fast Layne, Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion)
January 26  | Addison Riecke  | Actress (The Thundermans)
February 19  | Millie Bobby Brown | English actress (Stranger Things) and model
March 4  | Donielle T. Hansley Jr.  | Voice actor (Darwin on The Amazing World of Gumball (2017–18))
March 1  | Izabella Alvarez | Actress (Walk the Prank, The Loud House, The Casagrandes)
March 10  | Mace Coronel  | Actor (Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn)
March 21  | Forrest Wheeler | Actor (Fresh Off the Boat)
April 5  | Christopher Martinez  | Actor (Warped!)
April 6  | Casey Simpson  |
April 17  | Kyla Drew Simmons
April 19  | Caleel Harris | Voice actor (Blaze and the Monster Machines, The Loud House)
May 22  | Peyton Elizabeth Lee | Actress (Andi Mack)
June 4  | Mackenzie Ziegler | Actress (Dance Moms)
June 7  | Saara Chaudry | Canadian actress (Max & Shred)
June 8  | Francesca Capaldi | Actress (Dog with a Blog)
June 15  | Sissy Sheridan  | Actress
June 16  | Charlie Bushnell  | Actor (Diary of a Future President)
June 22  | Laya DeLeon Hayes  | Actress
July 4  | Dylan Kingwell | Actor
July 28  | Lauren Lindsey Donzis  | Actress (Liv and Maddie)
August 5  | Albert Tsai | Actor (Trophy Wife, Dr. Ken, Coop and Cami Ask the World)
August 14  | Marsai Martin | Actress (Black-ish)
August 19  | Siena Agudong | Actress (Star Falls)
August 26  | Hannah Nordberg  | Actress (Fancy Nancy)
September 1  | Iam Tongi | Singer (American Idol)[16]
September 10  | Emmy Perry | Actress
October 3  | Noah Schnapp | Actor (Stranger Things)
October 9  | Tomaso Sanelli  | Actor (Star Falls)
October 30  | Elisha Henig | Actor
November 1  | Jayden Bartels | Actress (Side Hustle)
November 11  | Oakes Fegley | Actor
November 17  | Andre Robinson  | Voice actor (Clyde McBride on The Loud House (Episode 101 onwards))
November 27  | Jet Jurgensmeyer | Actor
December 3  | Ruby Jay  | Actress (Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, Fancy Nancy)
December 4  | Sophie Pollono  | Actress (Fast Layne)
December 5  | Jules LeBlanc | Actress (Side Hustle)
December 12  | Sky Katz | Actress (Raven's Home)
December 14  | Timothy Colombos  | Actor (WITS Academy)
December 17  | Dakota Lotus  | Actor (Coop and Cami Ask the World)
December 18  | Isabella Cramp | Actress (Shimmer and Shine, Colony, Vampirina)
December 22  | Bryce Gheisar | Actor (Walk the Prank, The Astronauts, Are You Afraid of the Dark?)
December 28  | Miles Brown  | Actor (Black-ish)
December 30  | Lyliana Wray  | Actress (Are You Afraid of the Dark?)

## Deaths

[edit]

Date | Name | Age | Notability

|
|
|

January 17  | Noble Willingham | 72  | Actor (C.D. Parker on Walker, Texas Ranger)
January 19  | Jerry Nachman | 57  | MSNBC editor-in-chief
January 23  | Bob Keeshan | 76  | Children's show host (Captain Kangaroo)
January 27  | Jack Paar | 85  | Host of (The Tonight Show)
January 29  | Mary-Ellis Bunim | 57  | Producer and co-creator of The Real World
February 15  | Jan Miner | 86  | Actress (Madge the Manicurist)
February 23  | Carl Anderson | 58  | Actor (Another World)
February 24  | John Randolph | 88  | Actor (Grand)
March 7  | Paul Winfield | 64  | Actor (King, 227)
March 8  | Robert Pastorelli | 49  | Actor (Murphy Brown)
March 17  | J. J. Jackson | 64  | MTV VJ
March 26  | Jan Sterling | 82  | Actress
March 27  | Art James | 74  | Game show host and announcer
April 1  | Carrie Snodgress | 58  | Actress
April 13  | Caron Keating | 41  | British TV presenter
May 9  | Alan King | 76  | Comedian and actor
May 14  | Anna Lee | 91  | Actor (Lila Morgan Quartermaine on General Hospital from 1978 to 2003)
May 17  | Tony Randall | 84  | Actor (Felix on The Odd Couple)
May 21  | Gene Wood | 78  | Announcer of (Family Feud and other game shows)
May 22  | Richard Biggs | 44  | Actor
June 5  | Ronald Reagan | 93  | Actor and U.S. president; host of General Electric Theater and Death Valley Days
July 6  | Eric Douglas | 46  | Actor
July 9  | Isabel Sanford | 86  | Actress (Louise "Weezie" Mills Jefferson on The Jeffersons)
July 28  | Eugene Roche | 75  | Actor (Soap, Webster, more)
August 13  | Julia Child | 91  | Host of The French Chef on PBS
September 4  | Michael Louden | 40  | Actor (As the World Turns)
September 15  | Johnny Ramone | 55  | Singer-songwriter (Ramones)
October 5  | Rodney Dangerfield | 82  | Actor and comedian (The Dean Martin Show, frequent Tonight Show guest)
October 10  | Christopher Reeve | 52  | Actor
November 7  | Howard Keel | 85  | Actor, singer (Clayton Farlow on Dallas)
December 28  | Jerry Orbach | 69  | Actor (Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order)

## See also

[edit]

* 2004 in the United States
* List of American films of 2004

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Oei, Lily (June 11, 2003). "PBS loads up on 'Boohbah'". Variety. Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
2. ^ "PBS to Launch 'PBS HD Channel' March 1, 2004 Featuring State-of-the-Art, Award-Winning Programming in High Definition & Widescreen". PBS. February 25, 2004. Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
3. ^ "U.S.-U.K. Relations | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org.
4. ^ "Fox cancels gay-themed reality show". Today. May 27, 2004. Archived from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
5. ^ "The presidents Bush differ in Reagan eulogies". NBC News. June 12, 2004. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
6. ^ "The Stair Case". ABC News. Archived from the original on August 3, 2004. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
7. ^ "The day America met Barack Obama - CNN.com". www.cnn.com. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
8. ^ "Ten years ago: Obama makes national debut". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
9. ^ Nagourney, Adam (October 1, 2004). "Bush and Kerry Clash Over Iraq in Debate". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
10. ^ Archibold, David Stoutand Randal C. (October 5, 2004). "From the Start, Forceful Arguments From Both Sides". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
11. ^ "Bush, Kerry go toe-to-toe in quarrelsome debate". NBC News. October 8, 2004. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
12. ^ Nagourney, Adam; Toner, Robin (October 14, 2004). "In Last Debate, Bush and Kerry Clash on Taxes and Health". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
13. ^ Reynolds, Mike. "Multichannel News 12/16/2008: Dexter's Third Season Finale's A Killer – Series Delivers Best Original Series Viewership Since 2004". Archived from the original on October 6, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
14. ^ [1] from Broadcasting & Cable
15. ^ [2] from Broadcasting & Cable
16. ^ "Iam Tongi | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Retrieved February 19, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* List of 2004 American television series at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

(2003 <-)  2004 in television (2005 ->)

* Australia
* Belgium
* Brazil
* Canada
* Croatia
* Denmark
* Estonia
* France
* Germany
* Ireland
* Italy
* Japan
* Mexico
* Netherlands
* New Zealand
* Norway
* Philippines
* Poland
* Portugal
* Spain
* Sweden
* Turkey
* United Kingdom
* Scotland
* United States

* v
* t
* e

Years in television

* 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
* 2026

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template