This was the television schedule on all three networks for the fall season beginning in September 1965. All times are Eastern and Pacific.
New fall series are highlighted in bold.
The highest-rated show for the year is colored in lime. The top ten highest-rated shows are colored in yellow. The top 20 highest-rated shows are colored in cyan. The top 30 highest-rated shows are colored in magenta.
Note: This is the first season in which a majority of prime time programs were broadcast in color. The TV shows that were in color are italicized.
Sunday[]
| PM | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea | The F.B.I. | The ABC Sunday Night Movie | |||||
| CBS | Lassie #27 21.8 rating | My Favorite Martian | The Ed Sullivan Show #18 23.2 rating | Perry Mason | Candid Camera | What's My Line? | ||
| NBC | 6:30 The Bell Telephone Hour / Actuality Specials | Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color #17 23.2 rating | Branded | Bonanza #1 31.8 rating | The Wackiest Ship in the Army | |||
Monday[]
| PM | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Twelve O'Clock High | The Legend of Jesse James | A Man Called Shenandoah | The Farmer's Daughter | Ben Casey | ||
| CBS | To Tell the Truth | I've Got a Secret #20 22.4 rating | The Lucy Show #3 27.7 rating | The Andy Griffith Show #6 26.9 rating | Hazel | The Steve Lawrence Show | |
| NBC | Hullabaloo | The John Forsythe Show | Dr. Kildare | The Andy Williams Show / Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall (once a month) | Run for Your Life | ||
Note: Art Linkletter's Hollywood Talent Scouts replaced The Steve Lawrence Show in December. The Avengers replaced Ben Casey in March.
Tuesday[]
| PM | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Combat! | McHale's Navy | F Troop | Peyton Place | The Fugitive | ||
| CBS | Rawhide | The Red Skelton Hour #4 27.6 rating | Petticoat Junction #21 22.3 rating | CBS News Hour / CBS Reports | |||
| NBC | My Mother the Car | Please Don't Eat the Daisies | Dr. Kildare | NBC Tuesday Night at the Movies | |||
Note: Daktari #14 (23.9 rating) premiered on CBS on Jan. 11, 1966 (7:30-8:30 p.m.)
Wednesday[]
| PM | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet | The Patty Duke Show | Gidget | The Big Valley | Amos Burke — Secret Agent* | ||
| CBS | Lost in Space | The Beverly Hillbillies #8 25.9 rating | Green Acres #11 24.6 rating | The Dick Van Dyke Show #16 23.6 rating | The Danny Kaye Show | ||
| NBC | The Virginian #25 22.0 rating | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre / Chrysler Presents a Bob Hope Special | I Spy | ||||
Note: Batman (1st of 2 parts per week) premiered on ABC January 12, 1966, taking The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet time slot
- formerly Burke's Law
Thursday[]
| PM | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Shindig! | The Donna Reed Show (moved to same time Saturday at mid-season) | O.K. Crackerby! | Bewitched #7 25.9 rating | Peyton Place | The Long Hot Summer | |
| CBS | The Munsters | Gilligan's Island #22 22.1 rating | My Three Sons #15 23.8 rating | The CBS Thursday Night Movies | |||
| NBC | Daniel Boone #26 21.9 rating | Laredo | Mona McCluskey | The Dean Martin Show | |||
Note: Batman (2nd of 2 parts per week) premiered on ABC January 13, 1966, taking Shindig! time slot
Friday[]
| PM | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | The Flintstones | Tammy | The Addams Family | Honey West | Peyton Place | The Jimmy Dean Show | |
| CBS | The Wild Wild West #23 22.0 rating | Hogan's Heroes #9 24.9 rating | Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. #2 27.8 rating | The Smothers Brothers Show | Slattery's People | ||
| NBC | Camp Runamuck | Hank | Convoy | Mister Roberts | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. #13 24.0 rating | ||
Note: The Farmer's Daughter took over the 9:30–10 time period on ABC, effective November 5, because many viewers were not home to watch Peyton Place on Fridays. Starting November 1, Peyton Place was seen Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.
Saturday[]
| PM | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Shindig! | The King Family Show | The Lawrence Welk Show #19 22.4 rating | The Hollywood Palace | ABC Scope | ||
| CBS | Jackie Gleason and his American Scene Magazine #24 22.0 rating | The Trials of O'Brien | The Loner | Gunsmoke #30 21.3 rating | |||
| NBC | Flipper #29 21.6 rating | I Dream of Jeannie #28 21.8 rating | Get Smart #12 24.5 rating | NBC Saturday Night at the Movies | |||
Note: Even though ABC Scope was scheduled at 10:30 p.m., not one major affiliate (including WABC-TV New York, the network's flagship station) carried it in that time period, preferring to schedule local or syndicated programming in its place. Most affiliates aired it in "fringe time" during the weekend.
References[]
- Castleman, H. & Podrazik, W. (1982). Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television. New York: McGraw-Hill. 314 pp.
- McNeil, Alex. Total Television. Fourth edition. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-024916-8.
- Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-31864-1.
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