This was the television schedule on all three United States television networks for the fall season beginning in September 1972 . All times are Eastern and Pacific, with a few exceptions, such as Monday Night Football .
New fall series are highlighted in bold . Series ending this season are highlighted in italics .
The highest-rated show for the year is colored in lime yellow cyan magenta
Note: This was the first full season in which all networks, on every day of the week except for Sunday, started airing programs at 8:00 instead of 7:30, as dictated by the FCC under its Prime Time Access Rule , intended to increase diversity in programming.
PBS , the Public Broadcasting Service , was in operation, but the schedule was set by each local station.
Fall Schedule [ ] Sunday [ ]
Network
7:30 PM
8:00 PM
8:30 PM
9:00 PM
9:30 PM
10:00 PM
10:30 PM
ABC
Local Programming
The F.B.I. #30 19.2 rating
The ABC Sunday Night Movie #23 20.0 rating
CBS
Anna and the King M*A*S*H The Sandy Duncan Show The New Dick Van Dyke Show
Mannix
Local Programming
NBC
The Wonderful World of Disney #9 23.5 rating
NBC Sunday Mystery Movie :Columbo / McCloud / McMillan & Wife / Hec Ramsey Night Gallery Local Programming
Monday [ ]
Network
8:00 PM
8:30 PM
9:00 PM
9:30 PM
10:00 PM
10:30 PM
ABC
The Rookies ABC NFL Monday Night Football #18 21.0 rating
CBS
Gunsmoke #8 23.6 rating
Here's Lucy #15 21.9 rating
The Doris Day Show The New Bill Cosby Show
NBC
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In NBC Monday Night at the Movies #28 19.3 rating
Tuesday [ ]
Network
8:00 PM
8:30 PM
9:00 PM
9:30 PM
10:00 PM
10:30 PM
ABC
Temperatures Rising ABC Tuesday Movie of the Week #17 21.5 rating
Marcus Welby, M.D. #13 22.9 rating
CBS
Maude Hawaii Five-O #3 25.2 rating
The New CBS Tuesday Night Movies
NBC
Bonanza The Bold Ones The New Doctors NBC Reports
Wednesday [ ]
Network
8:00 PM
8:30 PM
9:00 PM
9:30 PM
10:00 PM
10:30 PM
ABC
The Paul Lynde Show ABC Wednesday Movie of the Week #27 19.9 rating
The Julie Andrews Hour
CBS
The Carol Burnett Show #22 20.3 rating
Medical Center #21 20.6 rating
Cannon #14 22.4 rating
NBC
Adam-12 #11 23.3 rating
NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie Madigan Cool Million Banacek Search
Thursday [ ]
Network
8:00 PM
8:30 PM
9:00 PM
9:30 PM
10:00 PM
10:30 PM
ABC
The Mod Squad The Men Assignment Vienna The Delphi Bureau Jigsaw Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
CBS
The Waltons The CBS Thursday Night Movies
NBC
The Flip Wilson Show #12 23.1 rating
Ironside #10 23.4 rating
The Dean Martin Show
Friday [ ]
Network
8:00 PM
8:30 PM
9:00 PM
9:30 PM
10:00 PM
10:30 PM
ABC
The Brady Bunch
The Partridge Family #19 20.6 rating
Room 222
The Odd Couple
Love, American Style
CBS
The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour
The CBS Friday Night Movies
NBC
Sanford and Son #2 27.6 rating
The Little People Ghost Story Banyon
Note: Ghost Story became Circle Of Fear in January.
Saturday [ ]
Network
8:00 PM
8:30 PM
9:00 PM
9:30 PM
10:00 PM
10:30 PM
ABC
Alias Smith and Jones The Streets of San Francisco The Sixth Sense
CBS
All in the Family #1 33.3 rating
Bridget Loves Bernie The Mary Tyler Moore Show #7 23.6 rating
The Bob Newhart Show Mission: Impossible
NBC
Emergency!
NBC Saturday Night at the Movies
Mid-season Schedule [ ] Summer Schedule [ ] Pickups and Cancellations [ ] 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 (1985). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-31864-1 . 