This was the United States broadcast television schedule on all six commercial television networks for the fall season beginning in September 1998. All times are Eastern and Pacific.
New series highlighted in bold.
The highest-rated show for the year is highlighted in lime. The top ten rated programs are highlighted in yellow. The top 20 rated programs are highlighted in cyan. The top 30 rated programs are highlighted in magenta. The top 40 rated programs are highlighted in orange. The top 50 rated programs are highlighted in silver. Rankings determined by Nielsen Media Research.[1]
PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service, was in operation but the schedule was set by each local station.
Sunday[]
| PM | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | The Wonderful World of Disney #45 11.9 million | 20/20 Sunday #46 11.8 million | The Practice #34 12.7 million | |||||
| CBS | 60 Minutes #8 18.7 million | Touched by an Angel #6 19.5 million | CBS Sunday Movies #9 17.3 million | |||||
| Fox | The World's Funniest! #107 (tied) 7.2 million | Holding the Baby #122 (tied) 4.9 million | The Simpsons #25 13.5 million | That '70s Show #49 11.7 million | The X-Files #12 15.3 million | Local | ||
| NBC | Dateline Sunday #81 9.5 million (tied) | NBC Sunday Night Movie #23 (tied) 13.6 million | ||||||
| UPN | Local | |||||||
| WB | Destroy to Build | Sister, Sister #133 3.6 million | Smart Guy #127 (tied) 4.0 million | Unhappily Ever After #137 (tied) 3.3 million | The Army Show #142 2.7 million | Local | ||
Note: On Fox, Family Guy premiered after The Simpsons on April 11, 1999, and The PJ's premiered at 7:00 p.m. on January 11, 1999.
Monday[]
| PM | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Monday Night Football #5 19.6 million | |||||
| CBS | Cosby #35 (tied) 12.5 million | The King of Queens #35 (tied) 12.5 million | Everybody Loves Raymond #14 | The Brian Benben Show #77 (tied) 9.6 million | L.A. Doctors #71 (tied) 10.0 million | |
| Fox | Melrose Place #95 (tied) 8.4 million | Ally McBeal #20 (tied) 13.8 million | Local | |||
| NBC | Suddenly Susan #81 (tied) 9.5 million | Conrad Bloom #97 (tied) 8.3 million | Caroline in the City #91 8.8 million | Will & Grace #40 12.3 million | Dateline Monday #30 (tied) 13.0 million | |
| UPN | Guys Like Us #148 (tied) 2.3 million | DiResta #154 1.9 million | The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer #155 1.8 million | Malcolm & Eddie #148 (tied) 2.3 million | Local | |
| WB | 7th Heaven #106 7.6 million | Hyperion Bay #140 2.9 million | Local | |||
Note: On CBS, the sitcom Becker premiered at 9:30 (replacing the short-lived The Brian Benben Show) on November 2, 1998.[2]
Tuesday[]
| PM | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Home Improvement #10 | The Hughleys #37 (tied) 12.4 million | Spin City #28 (tied) 13.1 million | Sports Night #65 10.5 million | NYPD Blue #15 (tied) 14.4 million | |
| CBS | JAG #17 14.2 million | CBS Tuesday Movies #27 13.4 million | ||||
| Fox | King of the Hill #104 (tied) 7.9 million | Costello #116 (tied) 5.6 million | Brimstone #85 (tied) 9.1 million | Local | ||
| NBC | Mad About You #85 (tied) 9.1 million | Encore! Encore! #99 (tied) 8.1 million | Just Shoot Me! #37 (tied) 12.4 million | Working #81 (tied) 9.5 million | Dateline Tuesday #30 (tied) 13.0 million | |
| UPN | Moesha #137 (tied) 3.3 million | Clueless #141 2.8 million | Mercy Point #151 2.1 million | Local | ||
| WB | Buffy the Vampire Slayer #120 5.3 million | Felicity #124 4.4 million | Local | |||
Wednesday[]
| PM | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Dharma & Greg #25 13.5 million | Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place #44 12.0 million | The Drew Carey Show #13 14.9 million | The Secret Lives of Men #51 11.5 million | 20/20 Wednesday #11 15.4 million | |
| CBS | The Nanny #84 9.3 million | Maggie Winters #92 8.6 million | To Have & to Hold #104 7.9 million | Chicago Hope #73 9.9 million | ||
| Fox | Beverly Hills, 90210 #75 9.7 million | Party of Five #70 10.1 million | Local | |||
| NBC | Dateline Wednesday #41 12.2 million | 3rd Rock from the Sun #77 (tied) 9.6 million | NewsRadio #77 (tied) 9.6 million | Law & Order #20 (tied) 13.1 million | ||
| UPN | Seven Days #135 (tied) 3.4 million | Star Trek: Voyager #122 (tied) 4.9 million | Local | |||
| WB | Dawson's Creek #118 (tied) 5.4 million | Charmed #118 (tied) 5.4 million | Local | |||
Note: The Norm Show premiered March 24, 1999 on ABC at 9:30
Thursday[]
| PM | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Vengeance Unlimited #109 (tied) 7.1 million | ABC Thursday Night Movie #93 (tied) 8.5 million | ||||
| CBS | Promised Land #51 (tied) 11.5 million | Diagnosis: Murder #32 12.9 million | 48 Hours #62 (tied) 10.7 million | |||
| Fox | World's Wildest Police Videos #77 9.6 million | Hollyweird #103 8.0 million | Local | |||
| NBC | Friends #2 23.5 million | Jesse #4 20.1 million | Frasier #3 22.5 million | Veronica's Closet #7 19.3 million | ER #1 25.4 million | |
| UPN | UPN Thursday Night at the Movies #145 2.5 million | Local | ||||
| WB | The Wayans Bros. #134 3.5 million | The Jamie Foxx Show #129 (tied) 3.8 million | The Steve Harvey Show #125 (tied) 4.1 million | For Your Love #131 (tied) 3.7 million | Local | |
Friday[]
| PM | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Two of a Kind #60 (tied) 10.8 million | Boy Meets World #58 (tied) 10.9 million | Sabrina, the Teenage Witch #41 (tied) 12.2 million | Brother's Keeper #62 (tied) 10.7 million | 20/20 Friday #22 13.7 million | |
| CBS | Kids Say the Darndest Things #55 (tied) 11.1 million | Candid Camera #53 (tied) 11.2 million | Buddy Faro #97 (tied) 8.3 million | Nash Bridges #37 (tied) 12.4 million | ||
| Fox | Living in Captivity #127 (tied) 4.0 million | Getting Personal #129 (tied) 3.8 million | Millennium #111 6.5 million | Local | ||
| NBC | Dateline Friday #23 (tied) 13.6 million | Trinity #99 (tied) 8.1 million | Homicide: Life on the Street #66 (tied) 10.3 million | |||
| UPN | Legacy #155 (tied) 1.8 million | Love Boat: The Next Wave #152 (tied) 2.0 million | Local | |||
| WB | Local | |||||
Saturday[]
| PM | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | America's Funniest Home Videos #109 (tied) 7.1 million | Fantasy Island #113 6.0 million | Cupid #114 (tied) 5.8 million | |||
| CBS | Early Edition #69 10.2 million | Martial Law #57 11.0 million | Walker, Texas Ranger #15 (tied) 14.4 million | |||
| Fox | COPS #93 (tied) 8.5 million | Dave & John | America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back #85 (tied) 9.1 million | Local | ||
| NBC | Wind on Water #114 (tied) 5.8 million | The Pretender #71 (tied) 10.0 million | Profiler #89 (tied) 8.9 million | |||
| UPN | Local | |||||
| WB | Local | |||||
Pickups and Shows[]
Full Season Shows[]
ABC
- 20/20
- America's Funniest Home Videos
- Boy Meets World
- Brother's Keeper
- Cupid
- Dharma & Greg
- The Drew Carey Show
- Fantasy Island
- Home Improvement
- The Hughleys
- Monday Night Football
- The Norm Show
- NYPD Blue
- The Practice
- Primetime
- Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
- The Secret Lives Of Men
- Spin City
- Sports Night
- Strange World
- Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place
- Two of a Kind
- Vengeance Unlimited
- Whose Line Is It, Anyway?
- The Wonderful World of Disney
CBS
- 48 Hours
- 60 Minutes
- 60 Minutes II
- Becker
- The Brian Benben Show
- Buddy Faro
- Candid Camera
- Chicago Hope
- Cosby
- Diagnosis: Murder
- Early Edition
- Everybody Loves Raymond
- Kids Say the Darndest Things
- The King of Queens
- L.A. Doctors
- Maggie Winters
- Martial Law
- Nash Bridges
- The Nanny
- Promised Land
- To Have & to Hold
- Touched by an Angel
- Walker, Texas, Ranger
Fox
- Ally McBeal
- America's Most Wanted
- Beverly Hills 90210
- Beyond Belief: Fact Or Fiction
- Brimstone
- COPS
- Costello
- Family Guy
- Fox Files
- Futurama
- Getting Personal
- Guinness World Records Primetime
- Holding the Baby
- King of the Hill
- Living in Captivity
- Melrose Place
- Millennium
- Party of Five
- The PJ's
- Significant Others
- The Simpsons
- Thats '70s Show
- The World's Funniest!
- World's Wildest Police Videos
- The X-Files
NBC
- 3rd Rock From The Sun
- Caroline in the City
- Conrad Bloom
- Dateline NBC
- Encore! Encore!
- ER
- Frasier
- Friends
- Homicide: Life on the Street
- Jesse
- Just Shoot Me
- Law and Order
- Mad About You
- NewsRadio
- The Pretender
- Profiler
- Providence
- Suddenly Susan
- Trinity
- Veronica's Closet
- Will & Grace
- Wind on Water
- Working
UPN
- America's Greatest Pets
- Between Brothers
- Clueless
- DiResta
- Guys Like Us
- In The House
- Legacy
- Lost Souls
- Love and Boat: The Next Wave
- Malcolm & Eddie
- Mercy Point
- Moesha
- Power Play
- The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer
- The Sentinel
- Seven Days
- Star Trek: Voyager
The WB
- 7th Heaven
- The Army Show
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Charmed
- Dawson's Creek
- Felicity
- For Your Love
- Hyperion Bay
- The Jamie Foxx Show
- The Parent 'Hood
- Sister, Sister
- Smart Guy
- The Steve Harvey Show
- Unhappily Ever After
- The Wayans Bros.
References[]
- ↑ "1998-1999 Television Season Top Rated Shows". Archived from the original on 2006-10-31. http://web.archive.org/web/20061031060351/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/ratings/1998_1999.htm. Retrieved 2006-11-19.
- ↑ The Brian Benben Show (an Episode Guide)
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