# 1967–68 United States network television schedule

The **1967–68 United States network television schedule** covers prime time and daytime programming on the major American networks from fall 1967 through September 1968. The season opened with an aging top ten that included *The Red Skelton Hour*, *The Ed Sullivan Show*, *Bonanza*, *Gunsmoke*, and *The Beverly Hillbillies*, most on the air for over a decade.<sup>[3](https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.13792680.6)</sup> It began immediately after the final episode of *The Fugitive* aired on August 29, 1967, watched by nearly three quarters of Americans viewing television that night.<sup>[4](https://time.com/5587447/game-of-thrones-finale-tv-history/)</sup> ABC premiered its new season on Tuesday, September 5, 1967, with new shows including *N.Y.P.D.*, *The Flying Nun*, and *Judd, for the Defense*, and promoted a new Saturday lineup under the slogan "A Very Special Season."<sup>[1](https://www.tvobscurities.com/2010/12/abc-1967-1968-a-very-special-season-saturday/)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Established hits | The fall 1967 top ten included Red Skelton, Ed Sullivan, Jackie Gleason, Lucille Ball, Andy Griffith, *Bonanza*, *Gunsmoke*, and *The Beverly Hillbillies*<sup>[3](https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.13792680.6)</sup> |
| ABC Saturday lineup | *The Dating Game*, *The Newlywed Game*, *The Lawrence Welk Show*, *The Iron Horse*, and *ABC Scope* at 10:30–11 PM<sup>[1](https://www.tvobscurities.com/2010/12/abc-1967-1968-a-very-special-season-saturday/)</sup> |
| Signature event | The *Fugitive* finale on August 29, 1967 drew nearly three quarters of Americans watching television that night<sup>[4](https://time.com/5587447/game-of-thrones-finale-tv-history/)</sup> |

## The programming context

The season opened against a backdrop of aging hits. In the fall of 1967, TV's top ten list included such long-running programs as *The Red Skelton Hour*, *The Ed Sullivan Show*, *The Jackie Gleason Show*, *Here's Lucy* star [Lucille Ball](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucille-ball)'s programs, *The Andy Griffith Show*, *Bonanza*, *Gunsmoke*, and *The Beverly Hillbillies*; most had been on the air for over a decade, some nearly twenty years.<sup>[3](https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.13792680.6)</sup> Programmers had trouble producing durable replacements, and the only bona fide hits to emerge from the previous season's new shows were the traditional *Family Affair*, a revival of *Dragnet*, and the youth-oriented *Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour*.<sup>[3](https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.13792680.6)</sup>

The season also began immediately after one of television's landmark events. The final episode of *The Fugitive* aired on August 29, 1967, and nearly three quarters of the Americans watching TV that night were watching it, breaking existing ratings records.<sup>[4](https://time.com/5587447/game-of-thrones-finale-tv-history/)</sup> ABC's vice president of programming, Leonard Goldberg, had pushed for a conclusive ending, telling network executives that viewers had become deeply invested in the story.<sup>[4](https://time.com/5587447/game-of-thrones-finale-tv-history/)</sup>

## Prime time lineups

Surviving schedule grids show the shape of the week. On NBC's Sunday lineup, *Tarzan*, *Star Trek*, *Accidental Family*, and *The Bell Telephone Hour* (alternating with specials and [NBC News](https://www.edgepedia.org/nbc-news) reports) filled the evening, while ABC countered with *The ABC Sunday Night Movie*.<sup>[2](https://www.classic-tv.com/features/schedules/1967-1968-tv-schedule)</sup> NBC's week also included *Daniel Boone*, *Ironside*, *Dragnet 1968*, and *The Dean Martin Show*.<sup>[2](https://www.classic-tv.com/features/schedules/1967-1968-tv-schedule)</sup>

Mid-season changes were routine. CBS decided in September to replace *Dundee and the Culhane* in December with a [Jonathan Winters](https://www.edgepedia.org/jonathan-winters) program.<sup>[2](https://www.classic-tv.com/features/schedules/1967-1968-tv-schedule)</sup> On ABC, *Judd, for the Defense*, a courtroom drama built around a character modeled on attorney [F. Lee Bailey](https://www.edgepedia.org/f-lee-bailey), did so poorly in the Nielsen ratings that ABC decided not to bother replacing it, temporarily returning its time period to affiliates.<sup>[5](https://levantado.ddns.net/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/1967%E2%80%9368_United_States_network_television_schedule.html)</sup>

## ABC's Saturday night

ABC promoted its new Saturday lineup under the slogan "A Very Special Season," with kaleidoscopic imagery in its promotional spots.<sup>[1](https://www.tvobscurities.com/2010/12/abc-1967-1968-a-very-special-season-saturday/)</sup> The evening ran, in Eastern time, from *The Dating Game* at 7:30 and *The Newlywed Game* at 8:00, through *The Lawrence Welk Show* at 8:30 and *The Iron Horse* at 9:30, to the documentary series *ABC Scope* at 10:30.<sup>[1](https://www.tvobscurities.com/2010/12/abc-1967-1968-a-very-special-season-saturday/)</sup> The two game shows survived opposite CBS's *Jackie Gleason Show* because they already had loyal weekday-afternoon followings.<sup>[1](https://www.tvobscurities.com/2010/12/abc-1967-1968-a-very-special-season-saturday/)</sup>

New ABC programs that season included *N.Y.P.D.*, *Cowboy in Africa*, *Good Company*, *The Flying Nun*, *Off to See the Wizard*, and *Judd, for the Defense*. Because of Labor Day, ABC kicked off its premiere week on Tuesday, September 5, 1967.<sup>[1](https://www.tvobscurities.com/2010/12/abc-1967-1968-a-very-special-season-saturday/)</sup> *ABC Scope*, then focusing on the [Vietnam War](https://www.edgepedia.org/vietnam-war), had weak clearance: in New York the educational station WNDT carried it by delayed broadcast while the network's own flagship WABC-TV did not carry it at its scheduled time.<sup>[1](https://www.tvobscurities.com/2010/12/abc-1967-1968-a-very-special-season-saturday/)</sup>

## Daytime and the end of the quarter-hour soap

The daytime schedule followed the familiar pattern of game shows, soap operas, and reruns. Its defining change came at the end of the season: on Monday, September 9, 1968, CBS's *Search for Tomorrow* and *Guiding Light* both expanded from 15 to 30 minutes.

## References

1. [ABC 1967-1968, A Very Special Season: Saturday, Television Obscurities](https://www.tvobscurities.com/2010/12/abc-1967-1968-a-very-special-season-saturday/)
2. [1967 - 1968 TV Schedule, Classic TV Database](https://www.classic-tv.com/features/schedules/1967-1968-tv-schedule)
3. [Harry Castleman and Walter J. Podrazik, Watching TV: American Television Season by Season, 4th ed., Syracuse University Press](https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.13792680.6)
4. [What Came Before Game of Thrones: The 3 Classic Episodes That Made TV Finales Matter, TIME](https://time.com/5587447/game-of-thrones-finale-tv-history/)
5. [1967–68 United States network television schedule (mirror copy)](https://levantado.ddns.net/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/1967%E2%80%9368_United_States_network_television_schedule.html)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

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