# List of programs broadcast by USA Network
[USA Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/usa-network), an American basic cable channel launched on April 9, 1980 from the reorganized MSG Sports Network, has broadcast a mix of acquired series, theatrical films, original scripted dramas, reality shows, and live sports across five decades.[1](https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2005/06/usa-network-25-years-nets-clim/) Its programming has moved through distinct phases: off-network acquisitions and made-for-cable movies in the 1980s and 1990s, the character-driven "Characters Welcome" drama era of the 2000s, a reality-and-sports lineup after 2021, and a return to scripted originals beginning in 2025.[1](https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2005/06/usa-network-25-years-nets-clim/) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/7e4ece60e84e0d230f2e83a802223d21)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Launch | MSG Sports Network reorganized as USA Network on April 9, 1980, under joint ownership of Madison Square Garden Network and UA-Columbia Cablevision[1](https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2005/06/usa-network-25-years-nets-clim/) |
| Original-programming push | May 1988: $250 million committed to exclusive original programming, plus a single-season slate of 24 world premiere movies, described as the largest original production commitment in cable history at the time[1](https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2005/06/usa-network-25-years-nets-clim/) |
| Signature 2000s debuts | The Dead Zone (June 2002, 4.7 rating, 6.4 million viewers), Monk (July 2002, 3.5 rating, 4.8 million), The 4400 (July 2004, 5.7 rating, 7.4 million)[1](https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2005/06/usa-network-25-years-nets-clim/) |
| Brand era | "Characters Welcome" tagline introduced in 2005; original programming made up about 25 to 30 percent of the schedule around 2011[3](https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2005/06/usa-network-25-years-forging-a/) • [4](https://worldscreen.com/exclusive-interview-usa-networka%C2%80%C2%99s-jeff-wachtel/) |
| 2021–2025 gap | From 2021 the lineup consisted of reality shows and sports, with no original scripted programming, until The Rainmaker premiered in 2025[2](https://apnews.com/article/7e4ece60e84e0d230f2e83a802223d21) |
| Sports expansion | After NBCSN shut down at the end of 2021, NHL playoff games and NASCAR races moved to USA Network; WWE Friday Night SmackDown joined from Fox in 2024 under a five-year deal[5](https://www.axios.com/2021/01/22/nbcuniversal-shut-down-nbcsn-usa-nhl-nascar) • [6](https://apnews.com/article/0035feebb3d8bdf4c25e82526b042a03) |
| Current scripted originals | The Rainmaker (2025), Anna Pigeon (premiered August 7, 2026, renewed for a second season), and the greenlit medical drama Diplomatic Immunity[2](https://apnews.com/article/7e4ece60e84e0d230f2e83a802223d21) • [7](https://pressroom.versantmedia.com/usa/press-releases) |
## Early years: acquisitions and cable movies (1980–1999)
The channel's 1980s schedule relied heavily on acquired series and movies. Programs airing on USA in that decade included the sitcom **Room 222** (1985–1988), the supermarket sitcom **Check it Out!** (October 2, 1985 to February 14, 1988, a co-production with CTV), **Sanchez of Bel Air** (1986), the action series **Airwolf** (January to August 1987, previously on CBS), **Alfred Hitchcock Presents** (1987–1989), and **The Ray Bradbury Theater** (1988–1992, previously on HBO for its first season).[8](https://usa-network-ba.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Shows)
**Off-network deals and original movies.** In November 1987 USA acquired exclusive off-network rights to 92 hours of *Miami Vice*, and in February 1988 it took pre-syndication rights to 111 hours of *Murder, She Wrote*.[1](https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2005/06/usa-network-25-years-nets-clim/) The May 1988 commitment of $250 million for original programming, with another $50 million for marketing, produced a slate of 24 world premiere movies for the 1988–89 season and a further 24 the next year; *The China Lake Murders* (January 1990) drew an 8.4 rating and 13.5 share, then the highest ever for a world premiere original movie on cable.[1](https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2005/06/usa-network-25-years-nets-clim/)
Through the 1990s the network's original output centered on drama and adventure series. Hour-long originals included *The Big Easy* (1996–1997), *Pacific Blue* (1996–2000), and *Silk Stalkings* (1993–1999), and from January 1997 these aired within the Sunday Night Heat block alongside *La Femme Nikita*.[9](https://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/39951/1/56.pdf.pdf) • [1](https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2005/06/usa-network-25-years-nets-clim/) [Professional wrestling](https://www.edgepedia.org/professional-wrestling) became a fixture in January 1993, when WWF Monday Night Raw began airing on the channel.[10](https://populartimelines.com/timeline/USA-Network/full)
## The "Characters Welcome" era (2002–2015)
**Character-based dramas.** *[The Dead Zone](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-dead-zone-tv-series)* and *[Monk](https://www.edgepedia.org/monk-tv-series)* debuted in summer 2002 and established the template: light-toned, character-driven series with case-of-the-week structures. *The 4400* followed in July 2004 with a 5.7 household rating and 7.4 million viewers, a record for basic cable entertainment programming at the time.[1](https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2005/06/usa-network-25-years-nets-clim/) In June 2005 the network introduced the "Characters Welcome" brand, with a new logo and a campaign that used the shows' stars as marketing tools.[3](https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2005/06/usa-network-25-years-forging-a/) Later series in this style included *Psych*, *Burn Notice*, *Royal Pains*, *[White Collar](https://www.edgepedia.org/white-collar-tv-series)*, *Covert Affairs*, and *Suits*, many of which now stream on Peacock.[11](https://www.usanetwork.com/usa-insider/usa-network-shows-watch-stream-peacock)
Jeff Wachtel, then president of original programming at USA Network, described the strategy in 2011: about 25 to 30 percent of the schedule was original programming, including wrestling and reruns of the network's own shows, built around an upbeat, aspirational "blue-sky" identity rather than grim and gritty fare.[4](https://worldscreen.com/exclusive-interview-usa-networka%C2%80%C2%99s-jeff-wachtel/) One exception to the house style was *Law & Order: Criminal Intent*, which USA shared with NBC from 2007 and aired through early 2011.[12](https://etd.ohiolink.edu/acprod/odb_etd/ws/send_file/send%3Faccession%3Dbgsu1332972861%26disposition%3Dinline) A sharper departure came with *Mr. Robot* (2015), a dark hacker drama that critics read as a clear change in USA's scripted strategy, part of a broader cable-industry pivot toward millennial audiences.[13](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1527476418789896)
**Acquired reruns.** Off-network series have been a scheduling mainstay throughout. *NCIS* aired on USA from 2008 to 2023 (seasons 1 through 10),[8](https://usa-network-ba.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Shows) and current schedules are built around marathons of *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit*, *Bones*, *NCIS: Los Angeles*, and similar procedurals.[14](https://www.ontvschedule.com/tv-schedule/usa-network/)
## Reality and sports (2021–2025)
From 2021 USA stacked its lineup with reality shows and sports, entirely forgoing original scripted programming.[2](https://apnews.com/article/7e4ece60e84e0d230f2e83a802223d21) The sports expansion began when [NBCUniversal](https://www.edgepedia.org/nbcuniversal) shut down NBCSN at the end of 2021 and moved premium properties, including NHL playoff games and NASCAR races, to USA Network.[5](https://www.axios.com/2021/01/22/nbcuniversal-shut-down-nbcsn-usa-nhl-nascar) WWE's *Friday Night SmackDown* moved from Fox to USA in 2024 under a five-year NBCUniversal rights deal, joining *WWE Raw*, which the network had carried since the WWF era.[6](https://apnews.com/article/0035feebb3d8bdf4c25e82526b042a03) The audience context was difficult: USA's nightly audience fell 69 percent in the decade to 2024, before the announcement that *Raw* would move to Netflix.[15](https://apnews.com/article/01780bd6be10a4a7e85b795000d6db4e)
## Return to scripted originals and the current slate (2025–present)
**The Rainmaker** returned scripted television to USA in August 2025, a legal thriller adapted from [John Grisham](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-grisham)'s 1995 novel, with [Milo Callaghan](https://www.edgepedia.org/milo-callaghan) as Rudy Baylor and [John Slattery](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-slattery) and Lana Parrilla in supporting roles.[2](https://apnews.com/article/7e4ece60e84e0d230f2e83a802223d21) The network followed with **Anna Pigeon**, a ten-episode drama starring Tracy Spiridakos, directed by Lea Thompson, which premiered on August 7, 2026 and was renewed for a second season in October 2026.[7](https://pressroom.versantmedia.com/usa/press-releases) Unscripted originals include **Everything on the Menu with Braun Strowman**, renewed for a second season, and the three-part NASCAR docuseries **NASCAR Americana**, executive produced by Peyton Manning.[7](https://pressroom.versantmedia.com/usa/press-releases)
Sports now anchor much of the schedule. The network's [USA Sports](https://www.edgepedia.org/usa-sports-2025-present) umbrella includes Friday-night WWE SmackDown, WNBA basketball with the Finals, Premier League and [Bundesliga](https://www.edgepedia.org/bundesliga) soccer, [NASCAR Cup Series](https://www.edgepedia.org/nascar-cup-series) racing, and Pac-12 and Atlantic 10 college athletics; in 2026, USA Sports will deliver over 10,000 hours of events, studio shows, and original sports content spanning USA Network, Golf Channel, and CNBC.[16](https://pressroom.versantmedia.com/versant-media/press-releases/versant-expands-programming-slate-new-and-returning-scripted) • [17](https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/versant-consolidates-sports-operations-under-usa-sports-brand) Reruns of *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit*, *Bones*, *NCIS: Los Angeles*, and *Chicago Fire* fill much of the remaining schedule.[14](https://www.ontvschedule.com/tv-schedule/usa-network/)
## References
1. [USA Network: 25 Years: Net's Climb Up Ladder of Television Success, TVWeek (2005)](https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2005/06/usa-network-25-years-nets-clim/)
2. [USA Network is bringing back scripted TV. First up? John Grisham's 'The Rainmaker', Associated Press (2025)](https://apnews.com/article/7e4ece60e84e0d230f2e83a802223d21)
3. [USA Network: 25 Years: Forging a Better Bond, TVWeek (2005)](https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2005/06/usa-network-25-years-forging-a/)
4. [Exclusive Interview: USA Network's Jeff Wachtel, World Screen (2011)](https://worldscreen.com/exclusive-interview-usa-networka%C2%80%C2%99s-jeff-wachtel/)
5. [NBCUniversal to shut down its sports cable network, Axios (2021)](https://www.axios.com/2021/01/22/nbcuniversal-shut-down-nbcsn-usa-nhl-nascar)
6. [WWE's 'Smackdown' moving from Fox to USA Network in new rights deal with NBCUniversal, Associated Press (2023)](https://apnews.com/article/0035feebb3d8bdf4c25e82526b042a03)
7. [USA Network Press Releases, Versant Media](https://pressroom.versantmedia.com/usa/press-releases)
8. [List of Shows, USA Network Broadcast Archives Wiki](https://usa-network-ba.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Shows)
9. [The Rise of Cable Programming in the United States: Revolution or Evolution?](https://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/39951/1/56.pdf.pdf)
10. [Full History of USA Network in Timeline From 1977, Popular Timelines](https://populartimelines.com/timeline/USA-Network/full)
11. [Stream These Older USA Network TV Shows Now, USA Network Insider (2023)](https://www.usanetwork.com/usa-insider/usa-network-shows-watch-stream-peacock)
12. [Genre Welcome?: Formula, Genre and Branding in USA Network's Programming and Promotional Content, Bowling Green State University thesis](https://etd.ohiolink.edu/acprod/odb_etd/ws/send_file/send%3Faccession%3Dbgsu1332972861%26disposition%3Dinline)
13. [Pursuing "Generation Snowflake": Mr. Robot and the USA Network's Mission for Millennials, Television & New Media (2019)](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1527476418789896)
14. [USA Network On TV Schedule & Guide, On TV Schedule](https://www.ontvschedule.com/tv-schedule/usa-network/)
15. [They are TV's ghosts — networks that somehow survive with little reason to watch them anymore, Associated Press (2024)](https://apnews.com/article/01780bd6be10a4a7e85b795000d6db4e)
16. [VERSANT EXPANDS PROGRAMMING SLATE WITH NEW AND RETURNING SCRIPTED, UNSCRIPTED, AND LIVE SPORTS AND EVENTS FOR 2026-27 SEASON, Versant Media (2026)](https://pressroom.versantmedia.com/versant-media/press-releases/versant-expands-programming-slate-new-and-returning-scripted)
17. [Versant Consolidates Sports Operations Under 'USA Sports' Brand, TV Technology](https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/versant-consolidates-sports-operations-under-usa-sports-brand)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Broadcasting and journalism › Broadcast organizations and stations › Broadcast networks and channel brands › Programs broadcast by network (lists) › US cable and satellite channel programming lists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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