1972 in Television - Debuts

Debuts

• January 4 – Des chiffres et des lettres premieres on ORTF 2ème Chaîne in France (1972–present).
• January 14 – Sanford and Son premieres on NBC (1972–1977).
• January 15 – Emergency! premieres on NBC (1972–1977).
• March 13 – Number 96 premieres on Australia's 0–10 Network (1972–1977)
• April 4 – John Craven's Newsround premieres (1972–present, now titled Newsround) on BBC1.
• April 7 – Ultraman Ace premieres on TBS in Japan (1972–1973).
• June 22 – The first Tattslotto draw on HSV-7 Melbourne
• July 8 – Android Kikaider premieres on TV Asahi (formerly NET) (1972–1973)
• September 4 – The (New) Price Is Right (1972–present), The Joker's Wild (1972–1975, 1977–1986), and Gambit (1972–1976) all premiere on CBS. Any Number, Bonus Game, and Double Prices were the three games played on the first episode of The (New) Price Is Right, which would become television's longest running game show in history.
• September 8 – Are You Being Served? premieres (1972–1985) on BBC1.
• September 9 – Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids premieres on CBS (1972–1984).
  • Runaround premieres on NBC (1972–1973).
• September 11 – Mastermind (1972–97, 2002–present) premieres on BBC1. The Rookies (1972-1976), premieres on ABC.
• September 12 – Maude, a spinoff of All in the Family premieres on CBS (1972–1978), Temperatures Rising premieres on ABC (1972-1974).
• September 14 – The Waltons premieres on CBS (1972–1981).
• September 15 - Ghost Story premieres on NBC (1972–1973).
• September 16 – The Bob Newhart Show (1972–1978) and Bridget Loves Bernie (1972–1973) premiere on CBS.
  • The Streets of San Francisco premieres on ABC (1972–1977).
• September 17 M*A*S*H premieres on CBS (1972–1983). Also The Adventures of Black Beauty (1972–74) debuts on ITV.
• October 3 – 4 Country Reporter premieres on then-CBS affiliate KDFW Channel 4 (now a Fox O&O station); in 1986, the show moves into first-run syndication under the new name Texas Country Reporter, eventually airing nationally on the RFD-TV satellite/cable channel. As of October 2007, the show will mark 35 years on television.
• October 14 – Kung Fu premieres on ABC (1972–1975).
• October 16 – Emmerdale Farm starts transmissions in the daytime on ITV (1972–present).
• October 19 – Prisoner-of-war drama Colditz debuts on BBC1.
  • The Beachcombers premieres on CBC (1972–1989).
  • This Is the Law premieres on CBC (1972–1976).
  • Canada AM premieres on CTV (1972–present).
• November 4 - Great Performances premieres on PBS (1972–present).