1958–59 United States network television schedule

The following is the 1958–59 network television schedule for the four major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1958 through March 1959. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1957–58 season.

According to television historians Castleman and Podrazik (1982), the networks' schedules were thrown "into complete chaos" by the quiz show scandals that erupted during fall 1958. At first only one series, Dotto, was implicated in the game-fixing charges. Ed Hilgemeier, a contestant on the program, filed a complaint with the show's sponsor, Colgate-Palmolive. Colgate withdrew its sponsorship of the Tuesday evening (on NBC) and daytime (on CBS) versions of Dotto, and the show did not appear on either network's fall 1958 schedule.

The $64,000 Challenge (on CBS) similarly did not appear that fall, and by November, The $64,000 Question (CBS) and Twenty-One (NBC) were also removed from the network schedules, amidst accusations of game rigging. NBC's primetime Tic-Tac-Dough lasted through December. According to Castleman and Podrazik, "NBC and CBS were adamant in their own statements of innocence" since they only aired, and did not produce, the rigged series. They also claimed the cancellations were due to low ratings, not because of game-fixing accusations. ABC had few game shows on its 1958–59 schedule, and "eagerly pointed out" its innocence in the quiz show mess. The network affirmed its commitment to Westerns, which could not be rigged.

Western TV series continued to be very popular with audiences, and for the first time, the three highest-rated programs on television, CBS's Gunsmoke and, Have Gun – Will Travel alongside NBC's Wagon Train were all Westerns. ABC's new series, The Rifleman even hit #4, quite a feat for a network which had had no series in the top 30 five years earlier.

Although ABC, CBS, and NBC remained the largest television networks in the United States, they were not the only companies operating television networks during this era. In May 1958, Ely Landau, president of the NTA Film Network, announced an NTA Film Network schedule for the 1958–59 season. The schedule consisted of three and a half hours of programs on Friday nights: Man Without a Gun at 7:30, followed by This is Alice at 8:00, then How to Marry a Millionaire at 8:30, and Premiere Performance, a package of films from the network's minority shareholder 20th Century Fox, from 9:00 to 11:00. Although the NTA Film Network had over 100 affiliate stations, only 17 agreed to air the Friday night schedule "in pattern" (during the scheduled time). Other NTA Network affiliates carried the network's programs whenever they had available slots, and outside of Gun, Alice, Millionaire and Performance, NTA's programs were aired whenever the local stations preferred. National Educational Television (NET), the predecessor to PBS founded in 1952, also allowed its affiliate stations to air programs out of pattern.

New series are highlighted in bold.

All times are U.S. Eastern and Pacific time (except for some live sports or events). Subtract one hour for Central and Mountain times.

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

Legend
Light blue indicates local programming

Light green indicates live sporting events.

Light purple indicates movies.

Red indicates series being burned off and other irregularly scheduled programs, including specials.

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.

Sunday
NOTES: The Canadian-produced anthology series Encounter aired only five episodes on ABC before cancellation.

Deadline for Action on ABC consisted of reruns of episodes that starred Dane Clark of the 1956–1957 series Wire Service.

From February to September 1959, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, starring David Janssen, aired for a third and final season on CBS, on the Sunday schedule at 10 p.m. Eastern. It switched to NBC and returned to the air for a fourth season during the 1959–60 television season.

Monday
Note: The Westinghouse Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show was later rebroadcast and syndicated as The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. In most areas, Douglas Edwards with the News and The Huntley-Brinkley Report aired at 6:45 p.m.

Tuesday
Confession, with host Jack Wyatt, which had begun as a local program in the Dallas, Texas, market in early 1957, premiered as a summer replacement on ABC on June 19, 1958, in advance of the 1958–59 television season. It ended on January 13, 1959, and was succeeded on January 20, 1959, by the paranormal anthology series Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond.

Wednesday
Notes: On CBS, Armstrong Circle Theatre alternated with The United States Steel Hour. Armstrong by Request, which also alternated with The United States Steel Hour and aired in place of Armstrong Circle Theatre from July 8 to September 16, 1959, consisted of reruns of six documentary dramas which originally had aired on Armstrong Circle Theatre during the 1958–1959 season.

On NBC, Milton Berle starring in the Kraft Music Hall formerly was known as The Milton Berle Show.

Thursday

 * The 90-minute series Jazz Party aired from May 8 to December 25, 1958, on WNTA-TV Thursdays at 9pm ET and was offered to NTA Film Network affiliates; a successor to a similar program on the NYC DuMont station WABD, Art Ford's Greenwich Village Party, as the DuMont Network was ceasing operations.

Friday
Notes: On January 9, Phillies Jackpot Bowling premiered in the 10:45-11 p.m. spot on NBC, while on March 13 Tombstone Territory replaced Man with a Camera on the ABC schedule.

On NBC, the summer anthology series Colgate Western Theatre consisted of repeats Western dramas originally aired on other anthology series, primarily General Electric Theatre and Schlitz Playhouse.

Saturday
Note: On NBC, Brains & Brawn was replaced on January 3, 1959, by The D.A.'s Man. On CBS, Markham premiered Saturday, May 2, 1959, at 10:30 pm.

ABC
Returning Series
 * The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
 * The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin
 * Anybody Can Play/Anyone Can Play
 * The Billy Graham Crusade
 * Bold Journey
 * Cheyenne
 * Colt .45
 * Confession
 * Dick Clark's Saturday Night Beach-Nut Show
 * Dr. I.Q.
 * John Daly and the News
 * Jubilee USA
 * Lawrence Welk's Dodge Dancing Party
 * Lawrence Welk's Plymouth Show
 * Leave It to Beaver (moved from CBS)
 * The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp
 * Maverick
 * Pantomime Quiz
 * The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom
 * The Patti Page Oldsmobile Show
 * Polka Go-Round
 * The Real McCoys
 * Sugarfoot
 * Tales of the Texas Rangers
 * This is Music
 * Tombstone Territory
 * Top Pro Golf
 * Traffic Court
 * The Voice of Firestone
 * Walt Disney Presents
 * The Wednesday Night Fights
 * You Asked For It
 * Zorro

New Series
 * 77 Sunset Strip
 * ABC News
 * Accused *
 * Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond *
 * Bronco
 * The Donna Reed Show
 * Encounter
 * The Lawman
 * Man with a Camera
 * Music for a Summer Night *
 * Naked City
 * The Patti Page Oldsmobile Show
 * The Rifleman
 * Rough Riders
 * Sammy Kaye's Music from Manhattan *

Not returning from 1957–58:
 * Adventure at Scott Island
 * The Adventures of Jim Bowie
 * All-American Football Game of the Week
 * American Odyssey
 * The Betty White Show
 * Bowling Stars
 * Broken Arrow
 * Campaign Roundup
 * Circus Boy
 * Cowtown Rodeo
 * Country Music Jubilee
 * Date with the Angels
 * Disneyland
 * Famous Fights
 * The Frank Sinatra Show
 * The Guy Mitchell Show
 * Keep It in the Family
 * Lawrence Welk's Top Tunes and New Talent
 * Love That Jill
 * Make Me Laugh
 * Midwestern Hayride
 * The Mike Wallace Interview
 * Navy Log
 * O.S.S.
 * Open Hearing
 * The Patrice Munsel Show
 * Scotland Yard
 * Telephone Time
 * The Walter Winchell File
 * The West Point Story

CBS
Returning Series
 * The $64,000 Question
 * Alfred Hitchcock Presents
 * Armstrong Circle Theatre
 * Bachelor Father
 * The Danny Thomas Show
 * December Bride
 * Douglas Edwards and the News
 * DuPont Show of the Month
 * The Ed Sullivan Show
 * Father Knows Best (moved from NBC)
 * Frontier Justice
 * The Gale Storm Show
 * General Electric Theatre
 * Gunsmoke
 * Have Gun — Will Travel
 * Keep Talking
 * I've Got a Secret
 * The Invisible Man
 * The Jack Benny Program
 * Lassie
 * The Lineup
 * The Millionaire
 * Name That Tune
 * Perry Mason
 * Person to Person
 * The Phil Silvers Show
 * Playhouse 90
 * The Red Skelton Show
 * Richard Diamond, Private Detective
 * Schlitz Playhouse
 * The Spike Jones Show
 * That's My Boy
 * To Tell the Truth
 * Trackdown
 * The Twentieth Century
 * The United States Steel Hour
 * What's My Line
 * Your Hit Parade (moved from NBC)
 * Zane Grey Theater

New Series
 * The Andy Williams Show
 * The Ann Sothern Show
 * Armstrong by Request *
 * The Arthur Godfrey Show
 * Brenner
 * The Garry Moore Show *
 * The Invisible Man
 * The Jackie Gleason Show
 * Lux Playhouse
 * Markham *
 * Peck's Bad Girl *
 * The Phil Silvers Show
 * Pursuit
 * Rawhide *
 * Stars in Action
 * The Texan
 * Trackdown
 * Wanted Dead or Alive
 * Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
 * Westinghouse Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show
 * Yancy Derringer

Not returning from 1957–58:
 * The $64,000 Challenge
 * The Adventures of Robin Hood
 * Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
 * Assignment: Foreign Legion
 * Bid 'n' Buy
 * The Big Record
 * The Boing Boing Show
 * Climax!
 * Dick and the Duchess
 * The Eve Arden Show
 * The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
 * Leave it to Beaver (moved to ABC)
 * Mr. Adams and Eve
 * Sergeant Preston of the Yukon
 * Shower of Stars
 * Studio One in Hollywood
 * Tales of the Texas Rangers
 * Top Dollar

NBC
Returning Series
 * Alcoa Theatre
 * The Arthur Murray Party
 * Bachelor Father
 * The Bob Cummings Show
 * Buckskin
 * The Californians
 * Colgate Theatre
 * Concentration
 * The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
 * Dragnet
 * The Eddie Fisher Show
 * Fight Beat
 * The Ford Show
 * The George Gobel Show
 * Gillette Cavalcade of Sports
 * Goodyear Television Playhouse
 * The Huntley–Brinkley Report
 * It Could Be You
 * The Jack Benny Program
 * The Loretta Young Show
 * M Squad
 * Masquerade Party
 * Omnibus
 * People Are Funny
 * The Perry Como Show
 * The Price Is Right
 * The Restless Gun
 * Saber of London
 * The Steve Allen Show
 * Tales of Wells Fargo
 * The Thin Man
 * This Is Your Life
 * Tic-Tac-Dough
 * Twenty-One
 * Wagon Train
 * You Bet Your Life

New Series
 * 21 Beacon Street *
 * The Adventures of Ellery Queen
 * The Art Carney Special *
 * Bat Masterson
 * Behind Closed Doors
 * Black Saddle *
 * Brains & Brawn
 * Cimarron City
 * The D.A.'s Man *
 * The David Niven Show *
 * Fight Beat *
 * The George Burns Show
 * Milton Berle starring in the Kraft Music Hall
 * Laugh Line *
 * The Lawless Years *
 * The Music Shop *
 * Northwest Passage
 * Oldsmobile Music Theatre *
 * Pete Kelly's Blues *
 * Peter Gunn
 * Steve Canyon *

Not returning from 1957–58:
 * The Big Game
 * The Bob Crosby Show
 * Colgate Theatre
 * Club Oasis with Spike Jones
 * The Court of Last Resort
 * Decision
 * Dotto
 * Dragnet
 * Father Knows Best (Moved to CBS)
 * The Gisele MacKenzie Show
 * The Investigator
 * It's a Great Life
 * The Jane Wyman Show
 * Kraft Television Theatre
 * The Life of Riley
 * The Lux Show Starring Rosemary Clooney
 * Meet McGraw
 * Music Bingo
 * The Nat King Cole Show
 * No Warning!
 * The Original Amateur Hour
 * The People's Choice
 * Red Barber's Corner
 * The Restless Gun
 * The Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé Show
 * The Subject is Jazz
 * Suspicion
 * Tic-Tac-Dough
 * What's It For?
 * Wide Wide World

NTA
Returning series
 * How to Marry a Millionaire
 * Man Without a Gun
 * Premiere Performance

New series
 * This is Alice

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