2000 in television
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "2000_in_television".

The year 2000 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events in 2000.

For the American TV schedule, see: 2000-01 United States network television schedule.

Events

• January 3 - The highest rated UK programme of the year is recorded, an episode of Coronation Street that gets 18.96 million. [1]
• January 7 - The long-running BBC children's programme Blue Peter reunites two former presenting teams to dig up the time capsules they buried for the year 2000 in 1971 and 1984.
• January 17 - Robin Givens replaces Mother Love as host of the talk show Forgive or Forget.
• January - Talk show host David Letterman undergoes quintuple heart bypass surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, following an angiogram that revealed that one of his arteries was seriously constricted.
• February 15 - Rick Rockwell marries stranger Darva Conger in front of 22 million viewers on the FOX reality show Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire? While he and Darva are honeymooning, word surfaces that Rockwell—who is sometimes a comedian—had a restraining order against a former girlfiend, and he was not really a multi-millionaire. As a result, FOX cancels a rerun scheduled the following week, and does not air any new installments. In addition the couple break up shortly after the show's taping.
• February 21 - David Letterman returns to television following his quintuple heart bypass surgery in January. Letterman brings all of the doctors that had performed the operation out on stage with him, including Dr. O. Wayne Isom and Physician Louis J. Aronne, who makes frequent appearances on the show. In an unusual show of emotion, Letterman is nearly in tears as he thanked the doctors. The episode earned an Emmy nomination. Letterman's father died of a heart attack while still in his 50s.
• March - Japan's national broadcaster NHK gains approval from the International Telecommunications Union for the 1,125 scanning lines and 16:9 aspect ratio wide-screen standard HDTV format. NHK also broadcasts all-digital programming as of this year.[2]
• April 30- Arabian Nights is shown on ABC in the United States and BBC One in the United Kingdom.
• June 4 - 13-year-old Coronation Street character Sarah Platt gives birth to a baby daughter called Bethany.
• July 1 - C-Day in the United Kingdom. From today, most commercial broadcasters begin broadcasting commercials, promotions, and idents in 16:9 widescreen ratio.
• July 5 - Big Brother premieres in the United States. The series is considered a major failure and is retooled and renewed for the next season.
• August 21 - 'ZDTV is renamed to TechTV
• September 29 - Eddie McGee is crowned the winner of the first American season of Big Brother and wins $500,000. Runners-Up are Josh Souza, winner of $100,000, and Curtis Kin, winner of $50,000. Toon Disney and Playhouse Disney launches in the United Kingdom.
• October 23 - 15-year-old Sonia Jackson, a character in EastEnders, unexpectedly gives birth to a baby girl called Chloe.
• November 25 - Indonesian first 24-hours news channel, Metro TV bigin broadcasting.
• December - The character of Bianca Montgomery, played by Eden Riegel on the soap opera All My Children, comes out as a lesbian to her mother, Erica Kane (played by Susan Lucci).
• December 18 - Actor Hank Azaria and actress Helen Hunt file for divorce.
• ANT1 Satellite and Pacific extends its programing to 24 hour broadcasting.
• Greek broadcasting networks Alter Channel and Tempo TV began broadcasting.
• The British Film Institute publishes its list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes of the 20th century. Compiled by a poll of industry professionals, Fawlty Towers tops the list, followed by Cathy Come Home and Doctor Who.

Debuts

Miniseries

• Drop the Beat (Canada)
• The Strangerers (UK)
• The 10th Kingdom
• Sailor Moon S (Japan)
• Sailor Moon SuperS (Japan)
• Ads Infinitum (UK)

Television shows

See also 2000-01 United States network television schedule

1940s

• Meet the Press (1947-present).
• Candid Camera (1948-present).

1950s

• Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951-present).
• Guiding Light (1952-present).
• The Today Show (1952-present).
• Panorama (UK) (1953-present).
• Face the Nation (1954-present).
• The Tonight Show (1954-present).
• This Is Your Life (UK) (1955-2003).
• As the World Turns (1956-present).
• What the Papers Say (UK) (1956-present).
• The Sky at Night (UK) (1957-present).
• Blue Peter (UK) (1958-present).
• Grandstand (UK) (1958-2007).

1960s

• Coronation Street (UK) (1960-present).
• Four Corners (Australia) (1961-present).
• It's Academic (1961-present).
• The Late Late Show (Ireland) (1962-present).
• General Hospital (1963-present).
• Top of the Pops (UK) (1964-2006).
• Days of our Lives (1965-present).
• Play School (1966-present).
• Shoten (Japan) (1966-present).
• The Money Programme (UK) (1966-present).
• 60 Minutes (1968-present).
• One Life to Live (1968-present).
• Sesame Street (1969-present)
• Atom Ant (1960-present)
• Pixie & Dixie and Mr. Jinks (1961)

1970s

• All My Children (1970-present).
• Monday Night Football (1970-present).
• Masterpiece Theatre (1971-present).
• Soul Train (1971-present).
• Emmerdale (UK) (1972-present).
• Newsround (UK) (1972-present).
• The Price Is Right (1972-present).
• Last of the Summer Wine (UK) (1973-present).
• The Young and the Restless (1973-present).
• Wish You Were Here...? (UK) (1974-present).
• Arena (UK) (1975-present).
• Good Morning America (1975-present).
• Saturday Night Live (1975-present).
• the fifth estate (Canada) (1975-present).
• Wheel of Fortune (1975-present).
• 20/20 (1978-present).
• Grange Hill (UK) (1978-2008).
• Antiques Roadshow (UK) (1979-present).
• Nightline (1979-present).
• This Old House (1979-present).
• Kuppi (1976-present).
• Keroppi (1994-2004)
• Hello Kitty (1994-2001)

1980s

• Entertainment Tonight (1981-present).
• What Now (1982-present)
• Timewatch (UK) (1982-present)
• Jeopardy! (1964-1975, 1978-1979, 1984-present).
• The Bill (UK) (1984-present).
• EastEnders (UK) (1985-present).
• Neighbours (Australia) (1985-present).
• Sally (1985-2002).
• The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986-present).
• Comic Relief (UK) (1986-present).
• Casualty (UK) (1986-present).
• ChuckleVision (UK) (1987-present).
• The Bold and the Beautiful (1987-present).
• America's Most Wanted (1988-present).
• The American Experience (1988-present).
• Fair City (1988-present).
• Home and Away (1988-present).
• This Morning (1988-present).
• Electric Circus (Canada) (1988-2003).
• Baywatch (1989-2001).
• Cops (1989-present).
• The Simpsons (1989-present).

1990s

• Law & Order (1990-present).
• America's Funniest Home Videos (1990-present).
• Rugrats (1991-2004).
• The Jerry Springer Show (1991-present).
• The Red Green Show (1991-2005).
• Barney & Friends (1992-present).
• Dateline NBC (1992-present).
• The Real World (1992-present).
• Frasier (1993-2004).
• Ricki Lake (1993-2004).
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993-present).
• NYPD Blue (1993-2005).
• The Late Show with David Letterman (1993-present).
• The X-Files (1993-2002).
• WWF RAW Is War/WWF War Zone (1993-present).
• ER (1994-present).
• Friends (1994-2004).
• Time Team (UK) (1994-present).
• Touched by an Angel (1994-2003).
• JAG (1995-present).
• Sesame Park (Canada) (1995-2002).
• Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001).
• The Drew Carey Show (1995-present).
• 7th Heaven (1996-2006).
• Dexter's Laboratory (1996-2003).
• Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005).
• Hey Arnold! (1996-2004).
• Judge Judy (1996-present).
• Nash Bridges (1996-2001).
• Spin City (1996-2002).
• The Daily Show (1996-present).
• Rescue 77 (1997-1997)
• 100% (game show) (UK) (1997-2001).
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003).
• Daria (1997-2001).
• Dharma & Greg (1997-2002).
• Disney's One Saturday Morning (1997-2001).
• Family Affairs (UK) (1997-2005).
• Johnny Bravo (1997-2004).
• Just Shoot Me! (1997-2003).
• King of the Hill (1997-present).
• La Femme Nikita (1997-2001).
• South Park (1997-present).
• Stargate SG-1 (1997-present).
• The Practice (1997-2004).
• Teletubbies (UK) (1997-2001).
• The Wonderful World of Disney (1997-present).
• Becker (1998-2004).
• CatDog (1998-2001).
• Call For Help (1998-2004).
• Charmed (1998-present).
• Dawson's Creek (1998-2003).
• Oh Yeah! Cartoons (1998-2001).
• Sex and the City (1998-2004).
• SMTV Live (UK) (1998-2003).
• That '70s Show (1998-2006).
• The King of Queens (1998-2007).
• The Powerpuff Girls (1998-2005).
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (UK) (1998-present).
• Will & Grace (1998-2006).
• Once and Again (1999-2002).
• Ed, Edd n Eddy (1999-present).
• Angel (1999-2004).
• Family Feud (1976-1985, 1988-1995, 1999-present).
• Family Guy (1999-2002, 2005-present).
• Farscape (1999-2003).
• The New Woody Woodpecker Show (1999-2003)
• Futurama (1999-2003).
• Judge Mathis (1999-present).
• Judging Amy (1999-present).
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999-present).
• Passions (1999-present).
• Rocket Power (1999-present).
• Sailor Moon (1995-2002)
• Shocking Behavior: Caught on Tape (1999-present).
• SpongeBob SquarePants (1999-present).
• Tenacious D (1999-present).
• The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (1999-2004).
• The Sopranos (1999-present).
• The West Wing (1999-present).
• Third Watch (1999-2005).
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (US) (1999-present).
• 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996-2001).

Ending this year

Changes of Network Affiliation

Note 1: After Home and Away stopped airing on ITV it took a year break and debuted on Channel 5 in early 2001

Deaths

• January 15 - Fran Ryan, character actress (Doris Ziffle #2 on Green Acres), sister of Irene Ryan.
• February 10 - Jim Varney, 50, actor and comedian who created the character Ernest P. Worrell.
• February 12 - Charles M. Schulz, 77, cartoonist, creator of Peanuts.
• March 25 - Helen Martin, 90, veteran African American character actress (Pearl on 227).
• April 10 - Larry Linville, 60, actor (Frank Burns on the TV version of M*A*S*H).
• July 14 - Meredith MacRae, 56, actress on Petticoat Junction.
• August 12 - Loretta Young, 87, actress.
• September 14 - Beah Richards, 80, actress.
• September 26 - Richard Mulligan, 67, actor (Burt on Soap and Harry on Empty Nest).
• October 18 - Julie London, 74, singer, actress (Emergency!.
• October 30 - Steve Allen, 78, comedian, composer, talk show host, author.
• December 6 - Werner Klemperer, 80, actor (Col. Wilhelm Klink on Hogan's Heroes).
• December 26 - Jason Robards, 78, actor.