2012 in American television

In American television in 2012, notable events included television show debuts, finales, and cancellations; channel launches, closures, and rebrandings; stations changing or adding their network affiliations; and information about controversies and carriage disputes.

Debuts
The following is a list of shows that premiered in 2012.

Due to the economic slowdown, there were notably fewer television pilots in 2012 than in the years immediately prior to that, which reduced the number of roles available for actors.

The fall of 2012 also mirrored 1992 in the volume of new daytime talk shows. The new talk roster will include shows hosted by first-timers Katie Couric, Steve Harvey, Jeff Probst, and Bethenny Frankel (Frankel's show had a Summer trial run on six Fox Television Stations after an earlier effort to gain a wider fall clearance failed, and will launch nationwide next fall). New talk shows will also feature Trisha Goddard (who hosted a talk show in her native United Kingdom) and Ricki Lake (whose new show will take a more mature tone compared to her 1993–2004 series).

The first ever television series to be produced in English and Spanish simultaneously, Justice for All with Judge Cristina Pérez, which is being produced by Entertainment Studios, began to air on both English and Spanish language broadcasting outlets starting in September.

Changes of network affiliation
The following shows will air new episodes on a different network than previous first-run episodes:

Returning this year
The following shows will return with new episodes after being canceled previously:

Stations changing network affiliation
The following is a list of television stations that have made or will make noteworthy network affiliation changes in 2012. In addition to the changes listed below, other stations were affected by the move of Universal Sports from an over-the-air to cable/satellite network, with affiliated stations either moving to other services (including some NBC O&O stations, which added the network's Nonstop-branded information channel) or letting the channel go dark.