1977–78 United States network television schedule

The following is the 1977–78 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1977 through August 1978. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1976–77 season. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football.

New fall series are highlighted in bold. Series ending their original runs are in italics.

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


 * 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.

PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service, was in operation, but the schedule was set by each local station. On ABC, debuting news brief, airs all seven nights at 9:58, pm.

Sunday
NOTE: On NBC, Off the Wall and C.P.O. Sharkey were supposed to air 8:00-9:00 p.m., but the former show was cancelled due to action by Universal Television, the show's producer before it ever begin.

ABC
Returning Series
 * The ABC Friday Night Movie
 * The ABC Monday Night Movie
 * ABC NFL Monday Night Football
 * The ABC Sunday Night Movie
 * Baretta
 * Barney Miller
 * Charlie's Angels
 * Donny & Marie
 * Eight Is Enough
 * Family
 * Fish
 * Happy Days
 * The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
 * How the West Was Won
 * Laverne & Shirley
 * Monday Night Baseball
 * The Six Million Dollar Man
 * Starsky & Hutch
 * Sugar Time!
 * Three's Company
 * Welcome Back, Kotter
 * What's Happening!!

New Series
 * 20/20
 * A.E.S. Hudson Street *
 * Carter Country
 * Fantasy Island *
 * Free Country *
 * The Harvey Korman Show *
 * Having Babies *
 * The Love Boat
 * Lucan
 * Mel & Susan Together *
 * Operation Petticoat
 * The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour *
 * The San Pedro Beach Bums
 * Soap
 * Tabitha

Not returning from 1976–77:
 * The ABC Tuesday Night Movie
 * The Bionic Woman (moved to NBC)
 * Blansky's Beauties
 * The Brady Bunch Variety Hour
 * The Captain and Tennille
 * Cos
 * Dog and Cat
 * The Feather and Father Gang
 * Holmes & Yoyo
 * Mr. T and Tina
 * Most Wanted
 * The Nancy Walker Show
 * Rich Man, Poor Man Book II
 * The Streets of San Francisco
 * The Tony Randall Show (moved to CBS)
 * Westside Medical
 * Wonder Woman (moved to CBS)

CBS
Returning Series
 * 60 Minutes
 * Alice
 * All in the Family
 * Barnaby Jones
 * The Bob Newhart Show
 * Busting Loose
 * The Carol Burnett Show
 * Good Times
 * Hawaii Five-O
 * The Jeffersons
 * Kojak
 * M*A*S*H
 * Maude
 * The New Adventures of Wonder Woman (moved from ABC)
 * One Day at a Time
 * Rhoda
 * The Shields and Yarnell Show
 * Switch
 * Szysznyk
 * The Tony Randall Show (moved from ABC)
 * The Waltons

New Series
 * The Amazing Spider-Man
 * Another Day *
 * Baby, I'm Back *
 * The Betty White Show
 * Celebrity Challenge of the Sexes *
 * Dallas *
 * The Fitzpatricks
 * Husbands, Wives & Lovers *
 * The Incredible Hulk *
 * 'Logan's Run''
 * Lou Grant
 * On Our Own
 * Rafferty
 * Sam *
 * The Ted Knight Show *
 * We've Got Each Other
 * Young Dan'l Boone

Not returning from 1976–77:
 * All's Fair
 * The Andros Targets
 * Ball Four
 * The Blue Knight
 * Code R
 * Delvecchio
 * The Diahann Carroll Show
 * Doc
 * Executive Suite
 * Hunter
 * The Jacksons
 * The Keane Brothers Show
 * Loves Me, Loves Me Not
 * The Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. Show
 * The Mary Tyler Moore Show
 * Nashville 99
 * Phyllis
 * Spencer's Pilots
 * The Sonny and Cher Show
 * Starland Vocal Band Show
 * The Tony Orlando and Dawn Rainbow Hour
 * Who's Who
 * A Year at the Top

NBC
Returning Series
 * The Black Sheep Squadron
 * The Big Event
 * The Bionic Woman (moved from ABC)
 * C.P.O. Sharkey
 * Chico and the Man
 * Columbo
 * Headliners With David Frost
 * The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams
 * Little House on the Prairie
 * NBC Monday Night at the Movies
 * NBC Saturday Night at the Movies
 * Police Woman
 * Quincy, M.E.
 * The Rockford Files
 * The Wonderful World of Disney

New Series
 * Big Hawaii
 * CHiPs
 * Chuck Barris Rah Rah Show *
 * The Hanna-Barbera Happy Hour *
 * James at 15
 * Joe & Valerie *
 * Man from Atlantis
 * Mulligan's Stew *
 * The Oregon Trail
 * Project U.F.O. *
 * Quark
 * The Richard Pryor Show
 * Richie Brockelman, Private Eye *
 * Rollergirls *
 * Rosetti and Ryan
 * The Runaways *
 * Sanford Arms
 * What Really Happened to the Class of '65? *

Not returning from 1976–77:
 * 3 Girls 3
 * Comedy Time
 * Emergency!
 * The Fantastic Journey
 * Gemini Man
 * Gibbsville
 * The Kallikaks
 * Kingston: Confidential
 * Lanigan's Rabbi
 * McCloud
 * The McLean Stevenson Show
 * McMillan & Wife
 * NBC's Best Sellers
 * The NBC Sunday Mystery Movie
 * Police Story
 * The Practice
 * The Quest
 * Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected
 * Sanford and Son
 * Serpico
 * Sirota's Court
 * Van Dyke and Company

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

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. ISBN 0-14-024916-8.
 * Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1985). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-31864-1.