1963 in television

See also: 1962 in television, other events of 1963, 1964 in television and the list of 'years in television'.

For the American network television schedule, please see 1963–64 American network television schedule.

Events

• January 1 – Astroboy (known as Mighty Atom in Japanese), Japan's first animé, was launched.
• May 15 – First television pictures transmitted from a US manned space capsule ("Faith 7"). Due to the poor picture quality, only NBC carries the transmission, and on tape-delay, not live.
• September 2 – CBS Evening News becomes network television's first half-hour weeknight news broadcast, when the show is lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes.
• September 9 – NBC expands its evening network news program to 30 minutes.
• November 22 – All three major U.S. networks start pre-emptions for a week following the news of John F. Kennedy's assassination. The pre-emptions unofficially begin a few minutes after Kennedy was shot; on the top-rated American soap opera As the World Turns, Nancy Hughes (Helen Wagner) was in the middle of a discussion with Grandpa (Santos Ortega) about Bob's (Don Hastings) decision to invite Lisa (Eileen Fulton) to Thanksgiving dinner. Walter Cronkite interrupted Wagner mid-speech to deliver the bulletin. As the World Turns continued for one more scene (at that time, the show was transmitted live) before Cronkite cut in permanently.
• November 23 – That Was The Week That Was broadcasts its famous, non-satirical Kennedy tribute episode on the BBC.
• November 24 – Jack Ruby murders John F. Kennedy's suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald live on television.
• For the first time, most Americans say that they get more of their news from television than newspapers.
• The television remote control is authorized by the FCC.
• German terrestrial channel ZDF (pronounced tseh-deh-ehf) began broadcasting.

Debuts

• April 1 – General Hospital (created by Frank and Doris Hursley) and The Doctors premiere on the same day, the former on ABC and the latter on NBC. (General Hospital: 1963-present; Doctors: 1963-1982).
• November 23 – The first episode of the science fiction series Doctor Who debuts on BBC (1963-1989, 1996, 2005-present).
• Petticoat Junction on CBS (1963-1970).
• Ready Steady Go on ITV (1963-1966).
• The Judy Garland Show on CBS (1963-1964).

Television shows

• Meet the Press (1947-present).
• Candid Camera (1948-present).
• The Ed Sullivan Show (1948-1971).
• Come Dancing (UK) (1949-1995).
• The Jack Benny Show (1950-1965).
• Truth or Consequences (1950-1988).
• What's My Line (1950-1967).
• Love of Life (1951-1980).
• Search for Tomorrow (1951-1986).
• American Bandstand (1952-1989).
• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952–1966).
• The Guiding Light (1952-present).
• The Honeymooners (1952–1970).
• The Today Show (1952-present).
• Panorama (UK) (1953-present).
• The Good Old Days (UK) (1953-1983).
• Face the Nation (1954-present).
• The Milton Berle Show (1954–1967).
• The Secret Storm (1954-1974).
• The Tonight Show (1954-present).
• Zoo Quest (UK) (1954–1964).
• Captain Kangaroo (1955-1984).
• Dixon of Dock Green (UK) (1955-1976).
• Gunsmoke (1955-1975).
• The Lawrence Welk Show (1955–1982).
• This Is Your Life (UK) (1955-2003).
• Armchair Theatre (1956-1968).
• As the World Turns (1956-present).
• Opportunity Knocks (UK) (1956-1978).
• The Edge of Night (1956–1984).
• The Price Is Right (1956–1965).
• What the Papers Say (UK) (1956-present).
• The Sky at Night (UK) (1957-present).
• Blue Peter (UK) (1958-present).
• Grandstand (UK) (1958-present).
• The Donna Reed Show (1958–1966).
• Bonanza (1959-1973).
• Juke Box Jury (1959–1967, 1979, 1989-1990).
• The Bell Telephone Hour (1959–1968).
• The Twilight Zone (1959–1964, 1985-1988, 2002).
• Coronation Street (UK) (1960-present).
• My Three Sons (1960-1972).
• The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968).
• The Flintstones (1960–1966).
• Ben Casey (1961-1966).
• Four Corners (Australia) (1961-present).
• Mister Ed (1961–1966).
• The Avengers (UK) (1961-1969).
• The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966).
• The Fulton Sheen Program (1961–1968).
• The Mike Douglas Show (1961-1981).
• Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (1961–1969).
• Match Game (1962-1969, 1973–1984, 1990-1991, 1998-1999).
• The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971).
• The Jetsons (1962–1963, 1984–1985, 1987).
• The Late Late Show (Ireland) (1962-present).
• The Lucy Show (1962–1968).
• The Saint (UK) (1962–1969).
• Z-Cars (UK) (1962–1978).

Ending this year

• May – Empire (1962–1963).
• September – Hawaiian Eye (1959–1963).
• The Voice of Firestone (1949–1963).
• Leave It to Beaver (1957–1963).

Births

• May 8 – Stella Gonet, actress.
• May 28 – Michelle Collins, actress.
• May 29 – Lisa Whelchel, actress.
• June 15 – Helen Hunt, actress.
• July 30 – Lisa Kudrow, actress, Friends.
• November 21 – Nicolette Sheridan, actress.
• November 24 – Lisa Maxwell, actress.