1981–82 United States network television schedule (daytime)

The 1981–82 daytime network television schedule for the three major English-language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers the weekday and weekend daytime hours from September 1981 to August 1982.

Legend
Light yellow indicates talk shows.

Green indicates soap operas.

Pink indicates game shows.

Gold indicates news and public affairs programming.

Light teal indicates sporting events.

White indicates local programming.

Light purple indicates children's programming.

Gray indicates encore programming (e.g., reruns of prime-time programming).


 * New series are highlighted in bold.

Schedule

 * All times correspond to U.S. Eastern and Pacific Time scheduling (except for some live sports or events). Except where affiliates slot certain programs outside their network-dictated timeslots, subtract one hour for Central, Mountain, Alaska, and Hawaii-Aleutian times.
 * Local schedules may differ, as affiliates have the option to pre-empt or delay network programs. Such scheduling may be limited to preemptions caused by local or national breaking news or weather coverage (which may force stations to tape delay certain programs to other timeslots) and any major sports events scheduled to air in a weekday timeslot (mainly during major holidays). Stations may air shows at other times at their preference.

Monday–Friday
Notes
 * Search for Tomorrow was cancelled by CBS in late 1981, and ended its run on CBS on March 26, 1982. It moved to NBC with its first episode the following Monday, March 29. It is the second instance of a daytime soap opera switching networks, with The Edge of Night first doing-so from CBS to ABC in late 1975.
 * ABC had a 6PM (ET)/5PM (CT) feed for World News Tonight, depending on stations' schedule. By Spring 1982 it would be discontinued.

Saturday
In the News aired ten times during CBS' Saturday morning shows.

Ask NBC News aired after the credits of NBC's Saturday morning shows except Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends and The Bullwinkle Show.

ABC
Returning series
 * ABC Weekend Special
 * ABC World News Tonight
 * All My Children
 * American Bandstand
 * Animals, Animals, Animals
 * Family Feud
 * The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang
 * General Hospital
 * Good Morning America
 * Heathcliff
 * Issues and Answers
 * Kids Are People Too
 * The Love Boat (reruns)
 * One Life to Live
 * The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show and Scrappy Too!
 * Ryan's Hope
 * Schoolhouse Rock!
 * Super Friends
 * Thundarr the Barbarian

New series
 * ABC News This Morning
 * Goldie Gold and Action Jack
 * Laverne & Shirley in the Army
 * This Week with David Brinkley

Canceled/Ended
 * The Plasticman/Baby Plas Super Comedy
 * Three's Company (reruns)

CBS
Returning series
 * 30 Minutes
 * Alice (reruns)
 * As the World Turns
 * The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show
 * Captain Kangaroo
 * CBS Children's Film Festival
 * CBS Evening News
 * CBS Morning News
 * CBS News Sunday Morning
 * Drak Pack (reruns)
 * Face the Nation
 * The New Fat Albert Show
 * Guiding Light
 * The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle (reruns)
 * One Day at a Time (reruns)
 * The Popeye and Olive Comedy Show
 * The Price Is Right
 * Search for Tomorrow (moved to NBC)
 * Sunrise Semester
 * The Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour
 * The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show (reruns)
 * The Young and the Restless

New series
 * Blackstar
 * Capitol
 * The Kwicky Koala Show
 * Tattletales
 * Trollkins

Canceled/Ended
 * Jason of Star Command (reruns)
 * The Jeffersons (reruns)
 * The Robonic Stooges (reruns)
 * The Skatebirds (reruns)

NBC
Returning series
 * Another World
 * Blockbusters
 * The Bullwinkle Show (reruns)
 * The Daffy/Speedy Show
 * Days of Our Lives
 * The Doctors
 * The Flintstone Comedy Show
 * Gambit (renamed Las Vegas Gambit)
 * Meet the Press
 * NBC Nightly News
 * Password Plus
 * Search for Tomorrow (moved from CBS)
 * Texas
 * Today
 * Wheel of Fortune

New series
 * Battlestars
 * CHiPs (reruns)
 * Diff'rent Strokes (reruns)
 * The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!
 * The Regis Philbin Show
 * The Smurfs
 * Space Stars
 * Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
 * Sport Billy

Canceled/Ended
 * Batman and the Super 7
 * Card Sharks
 * The Daffy Duck Show
 * Godzilla (reruns)
 * The Godzilla / Dynomutt Hour (reruns)
 * Hong Kong Phooey (reruns)
 * The Jetsons (reruns)
 * Jonny Quest (reruns)