2002 In Television

Events

• February 3 - Super Commercials: A Mental Engineering Special airs on PBS stations reaching 85% of the U.S. after Super Bowl XXXVI; reportedly the best coverage yet achieved by a former public access television program.
• March 2 - BBC Four launches in the UK.
• April 17 - General Hospital airs its milestone 10,000th episode.
• May - One Life to Live airs a full week of episodes broadcast live from the ABC New York studios.
• July 6 - Totally Spies premieres on TV Tokyo.
• September 5 - The flagship couple on soap opera The Young and the Restless, Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) and Nikki Reed (Melody Thomas Scott), marry for the third time.
• October 30 - Warren Zevon is featured on the Late Show with David Letterman as the only guest for the entire hour. Zevon performs several songs and talks in length about being diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer.
• October - Longtime castmember Hunter Tylo's character, Dr. Taylor Hamilton Forrester, is killed off the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, which is seen worldwide.
• December - Talk show host David Letterman, Paul Shaffer and a stage hand from the Late Show with David Letterman, Biff Henderson, spend Christmas in Afghanistan with the United States and international military forces stationed in the country.
• Discovery Kids introduces to NBC.
• Fox News Channel overtakes CNN as the #1 cable TV news service in the US.
• Fox Kids leaves Fox and Fox Box, now known as 4Kids TV, comes on Fox.
• Alter and Tempo, the Greek speaking channels switches much of family/children's programming.
• Kirby: Right Back at Ya, Ultimate M.U.S.C.L.E., and Ultraman Tiga debut on Fox Box.

Debuts

• January - The Jamie Kennedy Experiment premieres (2002-2004).
• June 18 - American Idol: The Search for a Superstar premieres. The show is based on the 2001 British ITV program, Pop Idol.
• June - Kim Possible premieres (2002-present).
• August - premieres on Nickelodeon (2002-present).
• September 15 - ABC Kids debuts as a replacement of Disney's One Saturday Morning (2002-present).
• September 15 - premieres on the Fox Box (2002-2003).
• September 29 - American Dreams premieres (2002-present).
• September - Hack premieres on CBS (2002-2004).
• September - Life with Bonnie premieres (2002-2004).
• September - Without a Trace premieres (2002-present).
• October - Less Than Perfect premieres on ABC (2002-present).
• December 6 - premieres on Cartoon Network (2002-present).
• 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter premieres (2002-present).
• premieres (2002-present).
• I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! premieres in the UK (2002-present).
• Spy drama Spooks, a Kudos production for the BBC, debuts on BBC1 (2002-present).
• The Bachelor premieres (2002-present).
• The George Lopez Show (2002-present).
• The Osbournes reality show premieres on cable television (2002-present).

Television shows

• Meet the Press (1947-present).
• Candid Camera (1948-present).
• Guiding Light (1952-present).
• The Today Show (1952-present).
• Panorama (UK) (1953-present).
• Face the Nation (1954-present).
• The Tonight Show (1954-present).
• This Is Your Life (UK) (1955-2003).
• As the World Turns (1956-present).
• What the Papers Say (UK) (1956-present).
• The Sky at Night (UK) (1957-present).
• Blue Peter (UK) (1958-present).
• Grandstand (UK) (1958-present).
• Coronation Street (UK) (1960-present).
• Four Corners (Australia) (1961-present).
• The Late Late Show (Ireland) (1962-present).
• General Hospital (1963-present).
• Top of the Pops (UK) (1964-present).
• Days of Our Lives (1965-present).
• Play School (1966-present).
• The Money Programme (UK) (1966-present).
• 60 Minutes (1968-present).
• One Life to Live (1968-present).
• Sesame Street (1969-present).
• All My Children (1970-present).
• Monday Night Football (1970-present).
• Masterpiece Theatre (1971-present).
• Soul Train (1971-present).
• Emmerdale (UK) (1972-present).
• Newsround (UK) (1972-present).
• The Price Is Right (1972-present).
• Last of the Summer Wine (UK) (1973-present).
• The Young and the Restless (1973-present).
• Wish You Were Here...? (UK) (1974-present).
• Good Morning America (1975-present).
• Saturday Night Live (1975-present).
• the fifth estate (Canada) (1975-present).
• Wheel of Fortune (1975-present).
• 20/20 (1978-present).
• Grange Hill (UK) (1978-present).
• Entertainment Tonight (1981-present).
• Jeopardy! (1964-1975, 1984-present).
• The Bill (UK) (1984-present).
• EastEnders (UK) (1985-present).
• Neighbours (Australia) (1985-present).
• The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986-present).
• The Bold and the Beautiful (1987-present).
• Cops (1989-present).
• The Simpsons (1989-present).
• Law & Order (1990-present).
• Rugrats (1991-2004).
• The Jerry Springer Show (1991-present).
• Dateline NBC (1992-present).
• The Real World (1992-present).
• Frasier (1993-2004).
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993-present).
• NYPD Blue (1993-present).
• The Late Show with David Letterman (1993-present).
• WWE RAW/WWE RAW Zone (1993-present).
• ER (1994-present).
• Friends (1994-2004).
• Touched by an Angel (1994-2003).
• JAG (1995-present).
• The Drew Carey Show (1995-2004).
• 7th Heaven (1996-present).
• Dexter's Laboratory (1996-present).
• Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005).
• Hey Arnold! (1996-2004).
• Judge Judy (1996-present).
• The Daily Show (1996-present).
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003).
• Johnny Bravo (1997-present).
• Just Shoot Me (1997-2003).
• King of the Hill (1997-present).
• South Park (1997-present).
• Stargate SG-1 (1997-present).
• The Practice (1997-2004).
• The Wonderful World of Disney (1997-present).
• Becker (1998-2004).
• Call For Help (1998-2004).
• Charmed (1998-present).
• Dawson's Creek (1998-2003).
• Sex and the City (1998-2004).
• That '70s Show (1998-present).
• The King of Queens (1998-present).
• The Powerpuff Girls (1998-2004).
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (UK) (1998-present).
• Will & Grace (1998-present).
• Angel (1999-2004).
• Family Feud (1976-1985, 1988-1995, 1999-present).
• Family Guy (1999-2002, 2005-present).
• Farscape (1999-2003).
• Futurama (1999-2003).
• Judging Amy (1999-present).
• (1999-present).
• Passions (1999-present).
• Rocket Power (1999-present).
• (1999-present).
• SpongeBob SquarePants (1999-present).
• Tenacious D (1999-present).
• The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (1999-2004).
• The Sopranos (1999-present).
• The West Wing (1999-present).
• Third Watch (1999-present).
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (US) (1999-present).
• As Told by Ginger (2000-present).
• Boston Public (2000-2004).
• Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000-present).
• (2000-present).
• Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-present).
• Ed (2000-2004).
• Malcolm in the Middle (2000-present).
• Survivor (2000-present).
• The District (2000-2004).
• The Weakest Link (UK) (2000-present).
• Yes, Dear (2000-present).
• 24 (2001-present).
• Absolutely Fabulous (UK) (1992-1996, 2001-2003).
• According to Jim (2001-present).
• Adult Swim (2001-present).
• Alias (2001-present).
• Braceface (2001-present).
• Crossroads (UK) (1964-1988, 2001-2003).
• Enterprise (2001-2005).
• Fear Factor (2001-present).
• Home Movies (1999, 2001-present).
• JR Digs (Canada) (2001-present).
• (2001-present).
• Lizzie McGuire (2001-2004).
• Mutant X (2001-2004).
• My Wife and Kids (2001-present).
• Only Fools and Horses (UK) (1981-1983, 1985-1993, 1996-1997, 2001-2003) (the only episode aired this year was the Christmas special Strangers on the Shore).
• Pop Idol (UK) (2001-present).
• Scrubs (2001-present).
• Six Feet Under (2001-present).
• Smallville (2001-present).
• The Amazing Race (2001-present).
• The Bernie Mac Show (2001-present).
• The Fairly OddParents (2001-present).
• The Guardian (2001-2004).

Ending this year

• The Twilight Zone (1959-1964, 1985-1988, 2002).
• Sally (1985-2002).
• Barney & Friends (1992-2002).
• The X-Files (1993-2002).
• Sesame Park, a Canadian spin-off of the American show Sesame Street, is cancelled due to low ratings, after more than three decades of airing on the CBC (1995-2002, the show was run as Sesame Street prior to 1995).
• Spin City (1996-2002).
• Dharma & Greg (1997-2002).
• The Gavin Crawford Show (2000-2002).
• Let's Bowl (1998, 2001-2002).

Changes of network affiliation

• moves to ABC Kids from Fox Kids.

Deaths

• January 13 - Ted Demme, 37, film and television director.(Blow, Beautiful Girls).
• February 22 - Chuck Jones, animator.
• February 24 - Mel Stewart, character actor whose TV roles included All in the Family and Scarecrow and Mrs. King.
• February 27 - Spike Milligan, comedian.
• February 28 - Mary Stuart, soap opera actress who starred as Jo in the entire 35-year run of Search for Tomorrow.
• March 15 - Sylvester (Pat) Weaver, longtime president of NBC, credited with creating The Today Show and The Tonight Show.
• March 27 - Milton Berle, comedian, actor.
• March 27 - Dudley Moore, comedian, actor.
• April 2 - Jack Kruschen, character actor who had a recurring role on Webster.
• April 16 - Robert Urich, actor.
• May 24 - Susie Garrett, acress (Betty Johnson) on Punky Brewster, sister of Marla Gibbs.
• June 5 - Dee Dee Ramone, 49, actor/songwriter of the Ramones.
• September 14 - LaWanda Page, comedian, actress (Aunt Esther) on Sanford & Son.
• September 28 - Whitney Blake, actress on Hazel, co-creator of One Day at a Time, and mother of Meredith Baxter.
• October 3 - Bruce Paltrow, producer.
• October 13 - Keene Curtis, actor who had a recurring role on Cheers.
• October 20 - Barbara Berjer, most known for her roles as Claire Cassen Shea on As the World Turns, Barbara Norris Thorpe on Guiding Light, and Bridget Connell on Another World.
• December 5 - Roone Arledge, sports producer.

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