1972–73 United States network television schedule

The following is the 1972–73 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers prime-time hours from September 1972 through August 1973. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1971–72 season. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football.

New fall 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.

The Prime Time Access Rule, intended to increase diversity in programming and enacted abruptly at the beginning of the previous season was slightly modified, with primetime network programming beginning at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time from Monday through Saturday and 7:30 p.m. on Sundays, limited to 21 weekly hours. This scheme would remain in place until 1975.

PBS is not included; member stations have local flexibility over most of their schedules and broadcast times for network shows may vary.

Legend

Sunday

Note: 60 Minutes aired at 6:00-7:00 pm on CBS from January to June 1973.

Monday

Tuesday

<nowiki>*</nowiki> formerly Chronolog

Wednesday

Note: Dan August consisted of reruns of the 1970-1971 ABC series.

Thursday

Friday

Note: Ghost Story was retooled slightly and retitled Circle of Fear (under the same production team) with the episode broadcast January 5, 1973.

Saturday

By network

ABC

Returning Series

• The ABC Monday Night Movie
• ABC NFL Monday Night Football
• The ABC Sunday Night Movie
• ABC Tuesday Movie of the Week
• ABC Wednesday Movie of the Week
• Alias Smith and Jones
• The Brady Bunch
• The Corner Bar
• The F.B.I.
• Love, American Style
• Marcus Welby, M.D.
• The Mod Squad
• The Odd Couple
• Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law
• The Partridge Family
• Room 222
• The Sixth Sense

New Series

• The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour *
• Here We Go Again *
• The Julie Andrews Hour
• Kung Fu
• Love Thy Neighbor *
• The Men: Assignment Vienna / The Delphi Bureau / Jigsaw
• The Paul Lynde Show
• The Rookies
• The Strauss Family *
• The Streets of San Francisco
• Temperatures Rising
• Thicker than Water *
• A Touch of Grace *

Not returning from 1971–72:

• The ABC Comedy Hour
• Bewitched
• The Courtship of Eddie's Father
• Getting Together
• The Ken Berry "Wow" Show
• Longstreet
• The Man and the City
• The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine
• Monday Night Special
• Nanny and the Professor
• The Persuaders!
• Shirley's World
• The Smith Family
• The Super

CBS

Returning Series

• 60 Minutes
• All in the Family
• Cannon
• The Carol Burnett Show
• The Doris Day Show
• Gunsmoke
• Hawaii Five-O
• Here's Lucy
• Mannix
• The Mary Tyler Moore Show
• Medical Center
• '
• The New CBS Tuesday Night Movies
• The New Dick Van Dyke Show
• The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
• CBS Thursday Night Movie

New Series

• Anna and the King
• Barnaby Jones *
• The Bob Newhart Show
• Bridget Loves Bernie
• M*A*S*H
• Maude
• The New Bill Cosby Show
• The Sandy Duncan Show
• The Waltons

Not returning from 1971–72:

• Arnie
• Bearcats!
• Cade's County
• The Chicago Teddy Bears
• The David Steinberg Show
• The Don Rickles Show
• Funny Face
• The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour
• The Jerry Reed When You're Hot You're Hot Hour
• The John Byner Comedy Hour
• The Life of Leonardo da Vinci
• Me and the Chimp
• My Three Sons
• O'Hara, U.S. Treasury
• Suspense Theatre

NBC

Returning Series

• Adam-12
• The Bold Ones
• Bonanza
• Columbo
• The Dean Martin Show
• Emergency!
• First Tuesday
• The Flip Wilson Show
• Ironside
• McCloud
• McMillan & Wife
• Monday Night Baseball
• NBC Action Playhouse
• NBC Monday Night at the Movies
• The NBC Mystery Movie
• NBC Saturday Night at the Movies
• Night Gallery
• Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
• Sanford and Son
• The Wonderful World of Disney

New Series

• Banacek
• Banyon
• The Bobby Darin Show
• Cool Million
• Dean Martin Presents Music Country *
• Escape *
• Ghost Story/Circle of Fear
• Hec Ramsey
• The Helen Reddy Show *
• The Little People/The Brian Keith Show
• Love Thy Neighbor
• Madigan
• The Magician *
• NBC Reports
• Search

Not returning from 1971–72:

• The D.A.
• Dean Martin Presents the Bobby Darin Amusement Co.
• The Funny Side
• The Good Life
• The Jimmy Stewart Show
• NBC Reports
• Nichols
• The Partners
• Sarge

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

References

Additional sources

• Castleman, H. & Podrazik, W. (1982). Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television. New York: McGraw-Hill. 314 pp.
• McNeil, Alex. Total Television. Fourth edition. New York: Penguin Books. .
• Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1985). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. .