Debuts
| Date | Show |
|---|---|
| January 2 | High Mountain Rangers on CBS. |
| January 31 | The Wonder Years on ABC |
| January 17 | The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh on Disney Channel |
| January 19 | 48 Hours on CBS. |
| February 7 | America's Most Wanted on Fox |
| February 29 | Day by Day on NBC |
| March 6 | In the Heat of the Night on NBC |
| Supercarrier on ABC. | |
| March 7 | Probe on ABC. |
| March 9 | Aaron's Way on NBC. |
| March 14 | Eisenhower and Lutz on CBS. |
| March 15 | Coming of Age on CBS |
| Trial and Error on CBS | |
| April 1 | Denver, the Last Dinosaur in Syndication |
| April 6 | Just in Time on ABC. |
| April 26 | China Beach on ABC |
| Just the Ten of Us on ABC | |
| August 6 | Yo! MTV Raps on MTV |
| September 5 | Fun House in Syndication |
| Relatively Speaking in Syndication | |
| September 10 | A Pup Named Scooby Doo on ABC |
| Alf Tales on NBC | |
| Baby Boom on NBC | |
| The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley on NBC | |
| Police Academy in Syndication | |
| September 12 | Wipeout in Syndication |
| September 17 | Garfield and Friends on CBS |
| Hey Vern, It's Ernest! on CBS | |
| Superman on CBS | |
| September 19 | C.O.P.S. in Syndication |
| Dirk Niblick of the Math Brigade from Square One TV on PBS | |
| October 4 | The American Experience on PBS |
| October 8 | The Adventures of Superboy in Syndication |
| Empty Nest on NBC | |
| October 9 | Tattingers on NBC. |
| October 18 | Roseanne on ABC |
| October 21 | Something Is Out There on NBC |
| October 23 | Mission: Impossible on ABC |
| October 25 | Midnight Caller on NBC |
| October 27 | Paradise on CBS |
| October 29 | Dirty Dancing on CBS |
| November 2 | Murphy's Law on ABC |
| November 11 | Knightwatch on ABC |
| November 14 | Murphy Brown on CBS |
| November 23 | Raising Miranda on CBS |
| November 24 | Mystery Science Theater 3000 on KTMA-TV |
| November 29 | TV 101 on CBS |
Read more about this topic: 1988 In American Television