1954 in Television - Debuts

Debuts

  • January 1 – Annie Oakley (1954–1957) premieres.
  • January 4 – The Brighter Day (1954–1962) premieres.
  • January 23 - Stories of the Century (1954-1955) premieres.
  • March 11 - The Public Defender premieres on CBS (1954–1955).
  • April 2 – The Grove Family, generally considered the first British TV soap opera, debuts on BBC Television (1954–1957).
  • April 8 - Justice premieres on NBC (1954–1956).
  • April 18 - The Martha Wright Show debuts on ABC.
  • April 26 - The Tony Martin Show debuts on NBC.
  • August 5 - So You Want to Lead a Band premieres on ABC (1954–1955)
  • August 28 - The Mickey Rooney Show: Hey, Mulligan premieres on NBC (1954–1955).
  • September 7 - Stop the Music premieres for the second time on ABC after a two-year hiatus.
  • September 7 - It's a Great Life premieres on NBC (1954–1956).
  • September 18 - Willy starring June Havoc premieres on CBS (1954–1955).
  • September 12 – Lassie premieres on CBS (1954–1973)
  • September 27 - The Tonight Show begins airing on the NBC network (1954–present).
  • October 2 - The Imogene Coca Show premieres on NBC (1954–1955).
  • October 2 - The Jimmy Durante Show premieres on NBC (1954–1956).
  • October 7 - The Mail Story, subtitled Handle with Care, premieres on ABC (1954).
  • October 14 - Flash Gordon, (1954–1955), starring Steve Holland.
  • October 15 – The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin premieres on ABC (1954–1959)
  • October 21 – The CBS anthology series, Climax! (1954–1958) airs an adaptation of Ian Fleming's novel, Casino Royale, starring Barry Nelson as an Americanized version of spy James Bond. This is the first dramatic adaptation of a Bond novel.
  • October 27 – The Walt Disney anthology series debuts as Disneyland (1954–present; aired as Disneyland 1954–1958).
  • November 13 – Fabian of the Yard, the first British TV police procedural, debuts on BBC Television (1954–1956).
  • December 21 – Zoo Quest begins on BBC Television (1954–1964).
  • Face the Nation premieres on CBS (1954–present).
  • The Jo Stafford Show, a 15-minute prime time variety series, premiered on CBS (1954–1955).
  • The Secret Storm (1954–1974) premieres.
  • The National premieres as The National News on CBC (1954–present).
  • The RCAVictor CT-100 goes on the market as the first color TV to be sold to the public. Other manufacturers follow suit. Sales are dismal. NBC is at the time the only network to offer color programming.
  • That's My Boy premieres on CBS.

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