The
1961–62 United States network television schedule was for the period that began in September
1961 and ran through April
1962.
The previous season had been excoriated by FCC chairman
Newton Minow in May 1961. Minow had criticized poor programs and weak network schedules, calling television a "
vast wasteland" and calling on television executives to try harder to develop innovative and interesting television programs.
Television historians Castleman and Podrazik (1982) believe the 1961-1962 season marked a comeback for television, as the networks rearranged their schedules to accommodate the critics. They point out
CBS's high-quality legal drama
The Defenders,
NBC's medical drama
Dr. Kildare, CBS's
The Dick Van Dyke Show, and
ABC's medical drama
Ben Casey as bright spots in the new TV schedule. Despite the praise for these four series, the authors also highlight several less worthy series which debuted during the 1961-1962 season:
Room for One More,
Window on Main Street,
Hazel ("possibly the dumbest family in TV history"), and the truly terrible
The Hathaways ("possibly the worst series ever to air on network TV").
NBC lured Disney's popular anthology series from ABC;
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color premiered on September 24, 1961. The color programs were a change from the previous ABC programs, which had been seen in black and white.<ref...
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