1981–82 United States network television schedule

The following is the 1981–82 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1981 through August 1982. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1980–81 season. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football.

New series are highlighted in bold.

Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.^[1]

  Yellow indicates the programs in the top 10 for the season.

  Cyan indicates the programs in the top 20 for the season.

  Magenta indicates the programs in the top 30 for the season.

Note: A Writers Guild of America strike hindered the ability to start airing shows in a timely manner. The shows in the schedule were the first to air new episodes in their respective time periods as they premiered between September and early December. The debut month for each new series that had been intended for a fall premiere is noted as to when it actually appeared.

PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service, was in operation but the schedule was set by each local station.

Sunday

Network		7:00 PM	7:30 PM	8:00 PM	8:30 PM	9:00 PM	9:30 PM	10:00 PM	10:30 PM
ABC		Code Red (Nov.)		Today's FBI (Nov.)		The ABC Sunday Night Movie (22/19.5)
CBS		60 Minutes (2/27.7)		Archie Bunker's Place (12/21.6)	One Day at a Time (10/22.0)	Alice (5/22.7)	The Jeffersons (3/23.4)	Trapper John, M.D. (15/21.1) (Tied with Hart to Hart)
NBC	Fall	Local		CHiPs		NBC Sunday Night Movie (Oct.)
	Winter
	Spring	Father Murphy
	Summer

Note : On NBC, The Powers of Matthew Star was supposed to have aired 7-8 p.m., starting December 6, but production difficulties forced its delay into the next season.

Monday

Network		8:00 PM	8:30 PM	9:00 PM	9:30 PM	10:00 PM	10:30 PM
ABC	Fall	That's Incredible! (28/18.4) (Tied with T.J. Hooker)		Monday Night Football (11/21.8)
	Winter			ABC Monday Night Movie (8/22.5)
	Spring
	Summer	Best of the West	Monday Night Baseball
CBS	Fall	Private Benjamin	The Two of Us	M*A*S*H (9/22.3)	House Calls (23/19.2)	Lou Grant
	Winter	Mr. Merlin	Private Benjamin
	Spring	Private Benjamin	Report to Murphy		Making the Grade
	Summer		WKRP in Cincinnati		House Calls
	Follow-up				Filthy Rich
NBC		Little House on the Prairie (24/19.1) (Tied with The Facts of Life)		NBC Monday Night at the Movies

Tuesday

Network		8:00 PM	8:30 PM	9:00 PM	9:30 PM	10:00 PM	10:30 PM
ABC	Fall	Happy Days (18/20.6)	Laverne & Shirley (20/19.9)	Three's Company (4/23.3)	Too Close for Comfort (6/22.6)	Hart to Hart (15/21.1) (Tied with Trapper John, M.D.)
	Winter
	Spring		Joanie Loves Chachi
	Summer
CBS	Preliminary	Local		The CBS Tuesday Night Movies
	Fall	Simon & Simon (Nov.)
	Winter
	Spring	Q.E.D.
	Summer
NBC	Preliminary	NBC Tuesday Night at the Movies				Local
	Fall	Father Murphy (Nov.)		Bret Maverick (Dec.)		Flamingo Road
	Winter
	Spring	Bret Maverick		Flamingo Road		Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters
	March					The Shape of Things
	Follow-up					Various
	Summer			Cassie & Co.		Flamingo Road
	Follow-up	Father Murphy		Bret Maverick		McClain's Law

Note: On ABC, Joanie Loves Chachi premiered March 23, 1982, at 8:30 pm, in place of Laverne & Shirley. On CBS, Q.E.D. ran for 6 weeks at 8pm, from March 23 to April 27.^[2]

Wednesday

Network		8:00 PM	8:30 PM	9:00 PM	9:30 PM	10:00 PM	10:30 PM
ABC	Preliminary	The Greatest American Hero		Specials		Dynasty (19/20.2)
	Fall			The Fall Guy (Nov.) (26/19.0)
	Winter
	Spring
	Summer
CBS	Preliminary	Mr. Merlin (Oct.)	WKRP in Cincinnati	The CBS Wednesday Night Movies
	Fall			Nurse		Shannon (Nov.)
	Winter	WKRP in Cincinnati	The Two of Us	The CBS Wednesday Night Movies
	Spring	Herbie, the Love Bug		WKRP in Cincinnati	Baker's Dozen	Shannon
NBC	Fall	Real People (21/19.7)		The Facts of Life (24/19.1) (Tied with Little House on the Prairie)	Love, Sidney (Oct.)	Quincy, M.E.
	Winter
	Spring				Teachers Only
	Summer

NOTE: The only episode of the sitcom Cass Malloy aired on CBS from 8:30 to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time on July 21, 1982. Although not picked up as a regular series, it served as the pilot for the 1987–1989 syndicated sitcom She's the Sheriff.

Thursday

Network		8:00 PM	8:30 PM	9:00 PM	9:30 PM	10:00 PM	10:30 PM
ABC	Fall	Mork & Mindy	Best of the West	Bosom Buddies	Taxi	20/20
	November			Barney Miller
	Winter
	Spring	Police Squad!	Bosom Buddies	9 to 5
	Follow-up	No Soap, Radio	Mork & Mindy	Barney Miller
	Summer	Darkroom
CBS	Fall	Magnum, P.I. (17/20.9)		Nurse		Knots Landing
	November			Knots Landing		Jessica Novak
	Winter
	Spring			Cagney & Lacey		Knots Landing
	Summer
NBC	Fall	Harper Valley	Lewis & Clark (Oct.)	Diff'rent Strokes	Gimme a Break! (Oct.)	Hill Street Blues (27/18.6)
	Winter	Fame
	Spring
	Summer

Note: On CBS, Nurse aired at 9-10 p.m. and Knots Landing at 10-11 p.m., both in September and October. On ABC, Bosom Buddies aired at 9-9:30 p.m. in October.

Friday

Network		8:00 PM	8:30 PM	9:00 PM	9:30 PM	10:00 PM	10:30 PM
ABC	Fall	Benson	Bosom Buddies	Darkroom (Nov.)		Strike Force (Nov.)
	Winter		Barney Miller	Best of the West	Making a Living
	Spring			The Phoenix
	Follow-up		Maggie	The ABC Friday Night Movie
CBS	Fall	The Incredible Hulk		The Dukes of Hazzard (6/22.6) (Tied with Too Close for Comfort)		Dallas (1/28.4)
	Winter	The Dukes of Hazzard (6/22.6) (Tied with Too Close for Comfort)		Dallas (1/28.4)		Falcon Crest (13/21.4)
	Spring
	Summer					Nurse
NBC	Fall	NBC Magazine		McClain's Law (Nov.)		Local
	Winter					Cassie & Co.
	Follow-up			NBC Friday Night at the Movies
	Spring	Jokebook	Chicago Story			McClain's Law
	Summer	Lewis & Clark				Cassie & Co.

Saturday

Network		8:00 PM	8:30 PM	9:00 PM	9:30 PM	10:00 PM	10:30 PM
ABC	Fall	Maggie (Oct.)	Making a Living*	The Love Boat (14/21.2)		Fantasy Island (30/18.3)
	November	Open All Night
	January	King's Crossing
	Spring	T.J. Hooker (28/18.4) (Tied with That's Incredible!)
CBS		Walt Disney		The CBS Saturday Night Movies
NBC	Fall	Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters		Nashville Palace		Fitz and Bones
	Follow-up			Harper Valley PTA	Lewis & Clark	Billy Crystal Comedy Hour
	Winter	One of the Boys	Harper Valley PTA	Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters		Television: Inside and Out
	Follow-up		Chicago Story			McClain's Law
	Spring	Harper Valley PTA	One of the Boys	Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters		NBC Magazine
	Summer	Here's Boomer	Harper Valley PTA	NBC Saturday Night at the Movies

(*) Also known as It's a Living.

Note: On ABC, Maggie was replaced by Open All Night, effective November 28; King's Crossing, which was supposed to have aired 8-9 p.m., was delayed until January, 1982, as an indirect result of the Writers Guild of America strike. On NBC, The Devlin Connection was supposed to have aired at 10:00 p.m., but Rock Hudson's heart surgery forced the delay into next season.^[3]

By network

ABC

Returning Series 20/20 The ABC Friday Night Movie ABC Monday Night Movie The ABC Sunday Night Movie Barney Miller Benson Bosom Buddies Dynasty Fantasy Island The Greatest American Hero Happy Days Hart to Hart Making a Living Laverne & Shirley The Love Boat Monday Night Baseball Monday Night Football Mork & Mindy Taxi That's Incredible! Three's Company Too Close for Comfort

New Series 9 to 5 * Best of the West Code Red * Darkroom The Fall Guy Joanie Loves Chachi * King's Crossing * Maggie No Soap, Radio * Open All Night * The Phoenix * Police Squad! * Strike Force T.J. Hooker * Today's FBI

Not returning from 1980–81: 240-Robert ABC Summer Movie Aloha Paradise Breaking Away Charlie's Angels Eight is Enough Foul Play I'm a Big Girl Now The Krypton Factor Soap Those Amazing Animals Vega$

CBS

Returning Series 60 Minutes Alice Archie Bunker's Place Dallas The Dukes of Hazzard House Calls The Incredible Hulk The Jeffersons Knots Landing Lou Grant M*A*S*H Magnum, P.I. Nurse One Day at a Time Private Benjamin Trapper John, M.D. The Two of Us Walt Disney (moved from NBC) WKRP in Cincinnati

New Series Baker's Dozen * Cagney & Lacey Falcon Crest Filthy Rich * Herbie, the Love Bug * Jessica Novak Making the Grade * Mr. Merlin Q.E.D. * Report to Murphy * Shannon Simon & Simon

Not returning from 1980–81: Checking In Enos Flo Freebie and the Bean Ladies' Man Palmerstown, U.S.A. Park Place Riker Secrets of Midland Heights That's My Line The Tim Conway Show Walter Cronkite's Universe The Waltons The White Shadow

NBC

Returning Series Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters CHiPs Diff'rent Strokes The Facts of Life Flamingo Road Harper Valley Hill Street Blues Little House on the Prairie NBC Magazine NBC Sunday Night Movie NBC Monday Night at the Movies Quincy, M.E. Real People

New Series The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour * Bret Maverick * Cassie & Co. * Chicago Story * Fame * Father Murphy Fitz and Bones Gimme a Break! Jokebook * Lewis & Clark * Love, Sidney McClain's Law Nashville Palace One of the Boys * The Shape of Things * Teachers Only * Television: Inside and Out *

Not returning from 1980–81: B.J. and the Bear The Big Event The Brady Brides Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Comedy Theater Disney's Wonderful World (moved to CBS) Games People Play Lobo Marie Nero Wolfe Number 96 The Steve Allen Comedy Hour Walking Tall

Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason.