In American television during 2003, notable events included television series debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel initiations.
NCIS (originally referred to as Navy NCIS), a spin-off of JAG, premiered on September 23, 2003 on CBS, becoming the third-longest-running scripted, non-animated American prime-time TV series currently airing, and has later spawned multiple spin-offs and was voted America's favorite television series in 2011. Other notable shows that premiered that year included Arrested Development, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Two and a Half Men, The Venture Bros., One Tree Hill, The O.C., Nip/Tuck, and Teen Titans.
Later 2010s/2020s TV shows like Better Call Saul (2015–2022) and the television adaptation of The Last of Us (2023–present) are set in 2003.
Events
January
| Date | Event | 2 | 20 | 26 |
|---|
| ABC affiliate WBKP in Calumet, Michigan greatly improves its coverage area in the Upper Peninsula when it signs-on satellite station WBUP in Ishpeming. | | | | |
| KMAY-LP (now KAGS-LD) in Bryan, Texas signs-on as a satellite of Temple-based NBC affiliate KCEN-TV. | | | | |
| The 37th edition of the Super Bowl is broadcast on ABC, making the last ever Super Bowl to be scheduled on January. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers win their first championship, defeating the Oakland Raiders by score of 48–21. John Madden, who provided color commentary alongside Al Michaels, becomes the first person to announce Super Bowls on different networks in consecutive years, having called Super Bowl XXXVI on Fox. | | | | |
February
| Date | Event | 16 | 21 | 24 | 26 | 27 |
|---|
| The 300th episode of the series The Simpsons is broadcast on Fox the same night as the Married... with Children reunion special. | | | | | | |
| Late Show host David Letterman begins a few weeks' leave from the CBS talk show due to a bout of shingles (during this time, guest hosts will include Bruce Willis, Regis Philbin, Will Ferrell and Elvis Costello). | | | | | | |
| CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather interviews Saddam Hussein on national television, shortly before the Iraq invasion began. | | | | | | |
| The miniseries Giant Robot Week is broadcast by Cartoon Network, which includes 2 edited episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion. This is the first attempt to broadcast the series by network TV. | | | | | | |
| On CBS, The Young and the Restless celebrates its 30th anniversary. | | | | | | |
| Fred Rogers, host of the television series Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood dies of stomach cancer at the age of 74. | | | | | | |
March
| Date | Event | 27 | 29 |
|---|
| C-SPAN airs a press conference being held in the White House in which President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke about the 2003 Invasion of Iraq which had begun roughly one week prior. The event was one of the most-watched C-SPAN broadcasts of the year according to Nielsen ratings and was simultaneously broadcast on CNN and Fox News. A similar broadcast in April of the following year was similarly widely viewed. | | | |
| K13VC ends operations. | | | |
April
| Date | Event | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 22 | 22-29 |
|---|
| On ABC, General Hospital celebrates its 40th anniversary. | | | | | | | | |
| WRBU was disaffiliated from the Home Shopping Network to become a UPN station. | | | | | | | | |
| Everyday Italian debuts on Food Network hosted by Giada De Laurentiis. The show, which De Laurentiis focuses for her viewers on traditional Italian cuisine with an American flair, would result in becoming one of Food Network's most popular daytime cooking shows. | | | | | | | | |
| Noggin revises its branding and lineup, introducing new hosts Moose and Zee, and a new slogan, "It's Like Preschool on TV." | | | | | | | | |
| All Grown Up!, a spin-off of Rugrats, premieres right after the 2003 Kids' Choice Awards on Nickelodeon. | | | | | | | | |
| Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel) kisses Lena Kundera (Olga Sosnovska) on the ABC soap opera All My Children; this is the first lesbian kiss on American daytime television. | | | | | | | | |
| The two-part backdoor pilot for NCIS airs as part of the CBS series JAG. | | | | | | | | |
May
| Date | Event | 1 | 8 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
|---|
| TBS broadcast its last NBA game (not counting alternate broadcasts or simulcasts of the NBA All-Star Game and overflow broadcast of playoff games) to date. Subsequent NBA playoff games on the Turner Sports family of networks were broadcast on either TNT or NBA TV. | | | | | | | |
| Nancy Christy becomes the first woman to win $1,000,000 on the syndicated version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. | | | | | | | |
| On a special episode of Primetime entitled Major Fraud (which originally aired as an episode of Tonight on ITV on April 21), segments of an unaired 2001 episode of the British version of Millionaire featuring Charles Ingram were broadcast. The program featured additional interviews with witnesses of the criminal trial that happened after Ingram was stripped of the £1,000,000 prize; Ingram had been found guilty of deception at Southwark Crown Court on April 7. | | | | | | | |
| The 30th Daytime Emmy Awards are given, in a ceremony telecast by ABC. | | | | | | | |
| ABC broadcasts a four-hour 50th anniversary special. | | | | | | | |
| America's Next Top Model premieres on UPN. UPN also aired the final episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer after 2 additional seasons and 44 episodes after being picked up by The WB (after being the smash hit on the network in the series's beginnings). | | | | | | | |
| On Fox, Ruben Studdard becomes the winner of American Idol – season two. His debut single "Flying Without Wings" reaches number two in the Billboard Hot 100 in June 2003. | | | | | | | |
June
| Date | Event | 12 | 13 |
|---|
| The infamous "ring collapse" episode of SmackDown! is aired on UPN. The incident occurred after Brock Lesnar superplexed The Big Show from the top rope during a match for the WWE Championship. | | | |
| Liz Cho co-anchors her last World News Now newscast on ABC before heading to the network's flagship station WABC-TV in New York City. She is replaced by Andrea Stassou. | | | |
July
| Date | Event | 14 |
|---|
| David Muir is named the new co-anchor of ABC's World News Now, replacing Derek McGinty, who left for WUSA in Washington, D.C. | | |
August
September
| Date | Event | 1 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 22 |
|---|
| In Casper, Wyoming, Pax TV affiliate KCWY switches its affiliation to NBC, taking that affiliation from KTWO-TV which will join ABC in March 2004. In the interim, KTWO-TV becomes an independent station with select programming from Pax. | | | | | | | |
| Amerie, host of BET's The Center, leaves the show so she could work on her new music. | | | | | | | |
| UPN's series Enterprise begins a season-long story sequence – the first time a full season of a Star Trek series has been devoted to one storyline. (Three episodes into the new season, the series title is changed to Star Trek: Enterprise.) | | | | | | | |
| John Ritter dies from an undiagnosed aortic dissection at the age of 54 hours after falling ill on the set of his sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. | | | | | | | |
| Wheel of Fortune incorporates "Prize Puzzle" in one of the first three rounds and awards a trip to the contestant who solve the themed puzzle for this round. The initial incarnation occurs weekly during the first two seasons of appearance, but has changed to a daily format beginning on Season 23 and has used since. | | | | | | | |
| The CBS comedy Everybody Loves Raymond wins its first Outstanding Comedy award and the NBC drama The West Wing wins its fourth straight Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series at the 55th Primetime Emmy Awards. The ceremonies are telecast by Fox. | | | | | | | |
| The pilot episode for Two and a Half Men is broadcast on CBS. | | | | | | | |
October
| Date | Event | 1 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 25 |
|---|
| James Marsters joins the cast of Angel on The WB, carrying his Buffy the Vampire Slayer character of Spike over from the former series. | | | | | | |
| Kenan Thompson makes his first appearance as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live. Thompson would eventually become the longest serving cast member in SNL history. | | | | | | |
| On Fox, the New York Yankees win Game 7 of the ALCS over the Boston Red Sox with a walk-off home run by Aaron Boone from pitcher Tim Wakefield. | | | | | | |
| Rod Roddy makes his final appearance as announcer of The Price Is Right on CBS. Roddy died from colon cancer exactly a week later, on October 27. | | | | | | |
| Game 6 of the World Series airs on Fox. The Florida Marlins win their second world championship over the New York Yankees. Marlins starter Josh Beckett made the final out by tagging Jorge Posada through first base, making this one of the biggest upsets in baseball history. This was the very last World Series played at the original Yankee Stadium before its demolition in 2008. | | | | | | |
November
| Date | Event | 2 | 10 | 19 |
|---|
| CBS at 75, the special celebrating the network's 75th anniversary, is broadcast by CBS. | | | | |
| The 4,000th episode of Wheel of Fortune (since the 1982 pairing of host and hostess Pat Sajak and Vanna White) is broadcast in syndication, featuring a clip show of Wheel's most memorable moments over the years. The milestone episode would air in syndication on January 23, 2004. | | | | |
| The 2003 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is broadcast on CBS. 9.4 million people tune in. | | | | |
December
| Date | Event | 2 | 20 |
|---|
| Tamala Edwards is named the new co-anchor of ABC's World News Now, replacing Andrea Stassou. | | | |
| During a National Football League game between the New England Patriots at New York Jets, former Jets quarterback Joe Namath in a sideline interview with ESPN's Suzy Kolber twice stated that he wanted to kiss her, and "couldn't care less about the team strugg-a-ling." Namath later apologized and blamed the incident on his obvious intoxication. Soon after, Namath entered an outpatient alcoholism treatment program. Namath chronicled the episode, including his battle with alcoholism in his book, Namath (). | | | |
Programs
Debuts
| Date | Show | Network | Ref. |
|---|
| January 5 | High School Reunion | The WB | |
| January 6 | The Berenstain Bears | PBS Kids | |
| Joe Millionaire | Fox | | |
| Abby | UPN | | |
| Dirty Rotten Cheater | PAX TV | | |
| January 8 | The Bachelorette | ABC | |
| Storm Stories | The Weather Channel | | |
| January 9 | The Surreal Life | The WB | |
| January 10 | Mister Sterling | NBC | |
| Queens Supreme | CBS | | |
| January 17 | That's So Raven | Disney Channel | |
| January 22 | Chappelle's Show | Comedy Central | |
| January 23 | 106 & Park: Prime | BET | |
| MythBusters | Discovery Channel | | |
| January 24 | Penn & Teller: Bullshit! | Showtime | |
| January 26 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | ABC | |
| January 27 | Ask Rita | Syndication | |
| Miracles | ABC | | |
| Veritas: The Quest | ABC | | |
| February 2 | Kingpin | NBC | |
| February 2 | Dragnet | ABC | |
| February 4 | A.U.S.A. | NBC | |
| February 8 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Fox Box | |
| February 13 | Are You Hot? | ABC | |
| February 15 | Power Rangers Ninja Storm | ABC Kids | |
| February 16 | The Venture Bros. | Adult Swim | |
| February 19 | I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! | ABC | |
| February 21 | Da Ali G Show | HBO | |
| Real Time with Bill Maher | HBO | | |
| Family Business | Showtime | | |
| February 24 | My Big Fat Greek Life | CBS | |
| Animal Jam | TLC/Discovery Kids | | |
| Hi-5 | TLC/Discovery Kids | | |
| February 26 | Fraternity Life | MTV | |
| March 1 | Stuart Little | HBO Family | |
| March 2 | The Michael Essany Show | E! | |
| March 3 | Live Prayer | WTOG | |
| The Center | BET | | |
| Married by America | Fox | | |
| March 4 | The Family | ABC | |
| March 9 | Oliver Beene | Fox | |
| March 11 | The Save-Ums! | TLC/Discovery Kids | |
| March 17 | Punk'd | MTV | |
| March 20 | On the Spot | The WB | |
| March 26 | Wanda at Large | Fox | |
| March 28 | America's Most Talented Kid | NBC | |
| March 30 | Black Sash | The WB | |
| The Pitts | Fox | | |
| March 31 | American Chopper | Discovery Channel | |
| April 1 | What Should You Do? | Lifetime | |
| Lost at Home | ABC | | |
| April 5 | Everyday Italian | Food Network | |
| April 7 | Miffy and Friends | Noggin | |
| Tweenies | | | |
| April 12 | All Grown Up! | Nickelodeon | |
| April 13 | MXC | Spike | |
| April 14 | Boohbah | PBS Kids | |
| Platinum | UPN | | |
| April 21 | Mr. Personality | Fox | |
| May 6 | Jim Rome Is Burning | ESPN | |
| May 12 | Surf Girls | MTV | |
| May 12 | Dinotopia | ABC | |
| May 15 | DaySide with Linda Vester | Fox News Channel | |
| May 17 | Adventure Camp | Discovery Kids | |
| Trading Spaces: Boys vs. Girls | | | |
| May 20 | America's Next Top Model | UPN | |
| May 22 | The O'Keefes | The WB | |
| May 26 | Unscrewed with Martin Sargent | TechTV | |
| May 28 | Fame | NBC | |
| June 1 | Monster House | Discovery Channel | |
| Last Comic Standing | NBC | | |
| June 2 | For Love or Money | NBC | |
| Totally Pets | PAX TV | | |
| June 3 | Hey Joel | VH1 | |
| Keen Eddie | Fox | | |
| American Juniors | Fox | | |
| June 13 | The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy | Cartoon Network | |
| June 15 | Charlie Lawrence | CBS | |
| June 18 | Paradise Hotel | Fox | |
| June 18 | Boarding House: North Shore | The WB | |
| June 26 | Stripperella | Spike TV | |
| Gary the Rat | | | |
| June 27 | Dead Like Me | Showtime | |
| July 11 | Evil Con Carne | Cartoon Network | |
| Free for All | Showtime | | |
| Spider-Man: The New Animated Series | MTV | | |
| July 13 | Dance Fever | ABC Family | |
| July 14 | Who Wants to Marry My Dad? | NBC | |
| July 15 | Queer Eye | Bravo | |
| July 19 | Teen Titans | Cartoon Network | |
| July 20 | The Restaurant | NBC | |
| July 22 | Nip/Tuck | FX | |
| July 23 | Reno 911! | Comedy Central | |
| July 30 | Peacemakers | USA Network | |
| Race to the Altar | NBC | | |
| August 1 | My Life as a Teenage Robot | Nickelodeon | |
| August 5 | The O.C. | Fox | |
| August 8 | Girls v. Boys | Noggin (during "The N" block) | |
| August 18 | I Love the '70s | VH1 | |
| August 19 | Wild West Tech | History | |
| Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica | MTV | | |
| August 23 | Duck Dodgers | Cartoon Network | |
| August 26 | Playmakers | ESPN | |
| August 29 | Cowboy U | CMT | |
| September 1 | Tactical to Practical | History | |
| September 2 | The Joe Schmo Show | Paramount Network | |
| September 7 | Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks | PBS Kids | |
| September 8 | Anderson Cooper 360° | CNN | |
| Connie the Cow | Noggin | | |
| The Ellen DeGeneres Show | Syndication | | |
| Starting Over | | | |
| September 9 | Happy Family | NBC | |
| Whoopi | | | |
| September 10 | Jake 2.0 | UPN | |
| September 11 | The Mullets | | |
| Run of the House | The WB | | |
| Steve Harvey's Big Time Challenge | | | |
| September 12 | All About the Andersons | | |
| September 13 | Romeo! | Nickelodeon | |
| Eye for an Eye | Syndication | | |
| September 14 | Carnivàle | HBO | |
| K Street | | | |
| September 15 | Living It Up! with Ali & Jack | Syndication | |
| The Sharon Osbourne Show | | | |
| Eve | UPN | | |
| Rock Me Baby | | | |
| September 16 | All of Us | | |
| September 18 | Threat Matrix | ABC | |
| September 19 | Like Family | The WB | |
| Luis | Fox | | |
| September 20 | Lilo & Stitch: The Series | Disney Channel | |
| Clifford's Puppy Days | PBS Kids | | |
| September 22 | Las Vegas | NBC | |
| Two and a Half Men | CBS | | |
| September 23 | NCIS | | |
| I'm with Her | ABC | | |
| One Tree Hill | The WB | | |
| September 24 | The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire | CBS | |
| September 25 | Coupling | NBC | |
| September 26 | Miss Match | | |
| The Handler | CBS | | |
| Joan of Arcadia | | | |
| Hope & Faith | ABC | | |
| September 27 | Teen Kids News | Syndication | |
| September 28 | 10-8: Officers on Duty | ABC | |
| Cold Case | CBS | | |
| JoJo's Circus | Playhouse Disney | | |
| The Lyon's Den | NBC | | |
| October 1 | It's All Relative | ABC | |
| Karen Sisco | | | |
| October 3 | Married to the Kellys | | |
| October 4 | Battlefield Detectives | History Channel | |
| October 5 | Animal Tails | PAX TV | |
| Tarzan | The WB | | |
| October 6 | The Big Break | Golf Channel | |
| Knock First | ABC Family | | |
| October 12 | Shootout | AMC | |
| October 13 | King of the Jungle | Animal Planet | |
| Room Raiders | MTV | | |
| October 17 | VH1 ILL-ustrated | VH1 | |
| October 19 | When Ruled the World | | |
| October 20 | Cold Pizza | ESPN2 | |
| Skin | Fox | | |
| October 22 | Kid Notorious | Comedy Central | |
| October 26 | Viva La Bam | MTV | |
| Wildboyz | | | |
| October 28 | Rich Girls | | |
| October 29 | A Minute with Stan Hooper | Fox | |
| October 30 | Tru Calling | | |
| November 1 | Kenny the Shark | Discovery Kids | |
| Tutenstein | | | |
| Xiaolin Showdown | Kids' WB | | |
| November 2 | Arrested Development | Fox | |
| November 3 | Average Joe | NBC | |
| November 7 | Dirty Jobs | Discovery Channel | |
| Star Wars: Clone Wars | Cartoon Network | | |
| November 10 | Sabrina's Secret Life | Syndication | |
| December 1 | Poko | TLC | |
| December 2 | Celebrity Poker Showdown | Bravo | |
| The Simple Life | Fox | | |
| The Tracy Morgan Show | NBC | | |
| Line of Fire | ABC | | |
| December 3 | Extreme Makeover: Home Edition | | |
| December 21 | Ancient Discoveries | History | |
Returning this year
| Show | | Channel | | Last aired | | New title | | New network | | Returning |
|---|
| The Weekenders |
| The Ren and Stimpy Show |
Ending this year
| Date | Show | Network | Debut | Status |
|---|
| January 1 | Cooking Live | Food Network | 1997 | Cancelled |
| Truth or Scare | Discovery Kids | 2001 | | |
| January 3 | Cita's World | BET | 1999 | |
| January 12 | Andy Richter Controls the Universe | Fox | 2002 | |
| January 14 | In-Laws | NBC | | |
| January 21 | Hidden Hills | | | |
| January 24 | Presidio Med | CBS | | |
| January 30 | Columbo | ABC | 1968 | |
| January 31 | Win Ben Stein's Money | Comedy Central | 1997 | |
| February 2 | Super Duper Sumos | Nickelodeon | 2002 | |
| February 5 | The Legend of Tarzan | UPN | 2001 | |
| February 7 | 3-South | MTV | 2002 | |
| February 16 | For the People | Lifetime | | |
| February 17 | Birds of Prey | The WB | | |
| February 22 | The Nick Cannon Show | Nickelodeon | | |
| February 23 | Oz | HBO | 1997 | Ended |
| February 25 | Clifford the Big Red Dog (returned in 2019) | PBS Kids | 2000 | Cancelled |
| March 7 | Talkback Live | CNN | 1994 | |
| March 10 | Veritas: The Quest | ABC | 2003 | |
| March 13 | Family Affair | The WB | 2002 | |
| March 21 | Farscape | Sci-Fi Channel | 1999 | |
| April 1 | Friend or Foe? | GSN | 2002 | |
| WinTuition | | | | |
| April 4 | Liberty's Kids | PBS Kids | | |
| April 13 | Clone High | MTV | 2002 | |
| My Big Fat Greek Life | CBS | 2003 | | |
| April 17 | On the Spot | The WB | | |
| April 21 | Robbery Homicide Division | CBS | 2002 | |
| April 24 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | The WB | 1996 | |
| April 25 | Fastlane | Fox | 2002 | |
| John Doe | | | | |
| April 26 | Cubix: Robots for Everyone | Kids' WB | 2001 | |
| April 27 | Touched by an Angel | CBS | 1994 | Ended |
| May 4 | 120 Minutes (returned in 2011) | MTV | 1986 | Cancelled |
| May 7 | Stargate Infinity | Fox | 2002 | |
| May 9 | Greetings from Tucson | The WB | | |
| May 14 | Dawson's Creek | 1998 | Ended | |
| May 16 | Cartoon Cartoon Fridays | Cartoon Network | 1999 | Cancelled |
| May 17 | The Agency | CBS | 2001 | |
| May 20 | The Weakest Link (returned in 2020) | NBC | | |
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer | UPN | 1997 | Ended | |
| Watching Ellie | NBC | 2002 | Cancelled | |
| May 21 | Change of Heart | Syndication | 1998 | |
| The Jenny Jones Show | 1991 | | | |
| The Other Half | 2001 | | | |
| The Caroline Rhea Show | 2002 | | | |
| The Twilight Zone | | | | |
| May 23 | Supermarket Sweep (returned in 2020) | PAX TV | 1965 | |
| May 24 | Stuart Little | HBO Family | 2003 | |
| June 1 | Black Sash | The WB | 2003 | |
| June 5 | Cedric the Entertainer Presents | Fox | 2002 | |
| June 7 | The Mummy: The Animated Series | Kids' WB | 2001 | |
| June 13 | Even Stevens | Disney Channel | 2000 | |
| Russian Roulette | GSN | 2002 | | |
| June 17 | Hey Joel | VH1 | 2003 | |
| June 20 | Baby Bob | CBS | 2002 | |
| June 26 | 30 Seconds to Fame | Fox | | |
| July 1 | Say What? Karaoke | MTV | 1998 | |
| July 3 | Primetime Glick | Comedy Central | 2001 | |
| July 5 | Sitting Ducks | Cartoon Network | | |
| July 7 | Surf Girls | MTV | 2003 | |
| July 20 | The Popeye Show | Cartoon Network | 2001 | |
| July 24 | Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" | TNN/Spike TV | 2003 | |
| July 25 | The Living Century | PBS | 2000 | |
| August 3 | Doggy Fizzle Televizzle | MTV | 2002 | |
| August 10 | Futurama (returned in 2008) | Fox | 1999 | |
| August 16 | Scaredy Camp | Nickelodeon | 2002 | |
| Dinotopia | ABC | | | |
| August 20 | Beg, Borrow & Deal | ESPN | | |
| Ripley's Believe It or Not! (returned in 2019) | TBS | 2000 | | |
| August 22 | I Love the '70s | VH1 | 2003 | |
| August 24 | Dance Fever | Freeform | | |
| September 12 | Free for All | Showtime | | |
| Spider-Man: The New Animated Series | MTV | | | |
| September 19 | Oswald | Nickelodeon | 2001 | |
| September 20 | Star Dates | E! | 2002 | |
| September 29 | Temptation Island (returned in 2019) | Fox | 2001 | |
| October 3 | Port Charles | ABC | 1997 | |
| October 6 | Seven Little Monsters | PBS Kids | 2000 | |
| October 8 | Peacemakers | USA | 2003 | |
| October 12 | Secret, Strange & True | TechTV | 2002 | |
| October 23 | Coupling | NBC | 2003 | |
| October 24 | Luis | Fox | | |
| House of Mouse | Toon Disney | 2001 | | |
| October 25 | X-Men: Evolution | Kids' WB | 2000 | |
| October 29 | Street Time | Showtime | 2002 | |
| November 7 | Wanda at Large | Fox | 2003 | |
| November 9 | Family Guy (returned in 2005) | 1999 | | |
| November 11 | Playmakers | ESPN | 2003 | |
| November 14 | Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? | Cartoon Network | 2002 | |
| November 16 | K Street | HBO | 2003 | |
| November 19 | The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire | CBS | | |
| November 20 | Dexter's Laboratory | Cartoon Network | 1996 | |
| November 23 | ToonHeads | 1992 | | |
| Tarzan | The WB | 2003 | | |
| November 24 | Joe Millionaire | Fox | | |
| November 26 | Just Shoot Me! | Syndication | 1997 | Ended |
| Time Squad | Cartoon Network | 2001 | Cancelled | |
| November 30 | The Lyon's Den | NBC | 2003 | |
| December 1 | Conquest | History Channel | 2002 | |
| December 3 | The Jeff Corwin Experience | Animal Planet | 2000 | |
| December 5 | Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck | GSN | 2002 | |
| December 11 | Gary the Rat | Spike TV | 2003 | |
| December 12 | A Minute with Stan Hooper | Fox | | |
| December 15 | Miss Match | NBC | | |
| December 17 | Kid Notorious | Comedy Central | | |
| December 18 | Good Morning, Miami | NBC | 2002 | |
| December 28 | Boomtown | | | |
| December 30 | Rich Girls | MTV | 2003 | |
| December 31 | The Brak Show | Adult Swim | 2000 | |
Entering syndication this year
| Show | | Seasons | | In Production | | Source |
|---|
| Angel |
| Becker |
| The King of Queens |
| Judging Amy |
| The Parkers |
Changes of network affiliation
| Show | Moved from | Moved to |
|---|
| Da Ali G Show | Channel 4 (UK) | HBO |
| The Ren & Stimpy Show | Nickelodeon | Spike |
| Teamo Supremo | ABC | Toon Disney |
| Fillmore! | | |
| The Weekenders | ABC/UPN | |
| Grounded for Life | Fox | The WB |
| Totally Spies! | ABC Family | Cartoon Network |
Made-for-TV movies
| Title | | Network | | Date of airing |
|---|
| You Wish! |
| Maniac Magee |
| Right on Track |
| The Even Stevens Movie |
| Abra-Catastrophe! |
| The Cheetah Girls |
| Red Water |
| Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time |
| National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2 |
Networks and services
Launches
| Network | Type | Launch date | Notes | Source |
|---|
| Starz! Kids | Cable television | Unknown | | |
| HRTV | Cable and satellite | January 1 | | |
| HDNet Movies | Cable and satellite | January 13 | | |
| GOL TV | Cable and satellite | February 1 | | |
| ¡Sorpresa! | Cable television | March 15 | | |
| Sportsman Channel | Cable and satellite | April 1 | | |
| Tennis Channel | Cable and satellite | May 15 | | |
| Fuel TV | Cable television | July 1 | | |
| Bravo HD+ | Cable and satellite | July 31 | | |
| Arirang Radio | Cable television | September 1 | | |
| NFL Network | Cable and satellite | November 4 | | |
Conversions and rebrandings
| Old network name | New network name | Type | Conversion Date | Notes | Source |
|---|
| Discovery Civilization Channel | Discovery Times | Cable television | Unknown | | |
| nba.com TV | NBA TV | Cable television | February 11 | | |
| National College Sports Network | College Sports Television | Cable television | February 23 | | |
| MMUSA | Fuse | Cable and satellite | May 19 | | |
| The New TNN | Spike TV | Cable and satellite | August 11 | | |
Closures
| Network | Type | Closure date | Notes | Source |
|---|
| American Christian Television System | Cable and satellite | Unknown | | |
Television stations
Station launches
| Date | City of License/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
|---|
| January 2 | Ishpeming/Marquette, Michigan | WBUP | 10 | ABC | |
| January 20 | Bryan/College Station, Texas | KMAY-LP | 23 | NBC | Semi-satellite of KCEN/Temple |
| January 30 | Rochelle/Chicago, Illinois | WCHU-LP | 33 | Azteca America | |
| February 2 | Marquette, Michigan | WMQF | 19 | Fox (primary) |
| UPN (secondary) | |
| February 18 | Roswell, New Mexico | KRWB | 21 | The WB | Satellite of KWBQ/Santa Fe |
| March 3 | Salisbury, Maryland | WBOC-DT2 | 21.2 | UPN | |
| April | Provo, Utah | KUTH | 32 | Independent | |
| April 13 | Bangor, Maine | W22BU | 22 | Fox | |
| April 23 | Medford, Oregon | K14LG | 14 | Telemundo | |
| May 2 | Butte, Montana | KBTZ | 24 | Fox | |
| May 7 | Tallahassee, Florida | WTLF | 24 | UPN | Satellite of WFXU/Live Oak |
| June 11 | Great Falls, Montana | KLMN | 26 | Fox | |
| July 27 | Longview/Tyler, Texas | KCEB | 54 | UPN | |
| August 21 | Laughlin, Nevada | KMCC | 34 | NBC | Satellite of KVBC/Las Vegas |
| September 22 | Rockford, Illinois | WTVO-DT2 | 17.2 | UPN | |
| September 29 | Vicksburg/Jackson, Mississippi | WLOO | 35 | Fox \ | |
| October 1 | Waimanalo, Hawaii | KMGT | 14 | Religious independent | |
| October 7 | Hanamaulu, Hawaii | K06NC | 6 | Independent | |
| October 11 | El Dorado, Arkansas |
| (Monroe, Louisiana) | KEJB | 43 | America One | |
| October 18 | Pittsburg, Kansas |
| (Joplin, Missouri) | KFJX | 14 | Fox | |
| October 24 | Price, Utah | KUTF | 3 | TeleFutura | |
| November 4 | Pago Pago, American Samoa | K38HX | 38 | NBC | |
| K34HI | 34 | Fox | | | |
| Unknown date | Beaumont, Texas | KUIL-LP | 64 | Fox | |
| Charleston, South Carolina | WJEA-LP | 12 | Telemundo | | |
| Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands | WVIF | 15 | Pax TV | Independent | |
| Crookston, Minnesota | KCGE-DT | 16 | PBS | Part of the Prairie Public Television network | |
| Denver, Colorado | KCIN-LP | 27 | Independent | | |
| Grand Forks, North Dakota | KCFM | 27 | UPN | | |
| Knoxville, Tennessee | WVLT-DT2 | 8.2 |
| (digital) | UPN | | |
| Norman/Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | KOCM | 46 | Daystar | | |
| Pullman, Washington | KQUP | 24 | UPN | | |
| Salt Lake City, Utah | K23GP | 23 | Spanish independent | | |
| Sun Valley/Twin Falls, Idaho | KIDA | 5 | UPN | | |
Network affiliation changes
| Date | City of License/Market | Station | Channel | Old affiliation | New affiliation | Notes/Ref. |
|---|
| April | Waterville/Portland, Maine | WPFO | 23 | Pax TV (as WMPX-TV) | Fox | |
| September 1 | Casper, Wyoming | KCWY | 13 | Pax TV | NBC | |
| October 1 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | KWSD | 36 | Pax TV (as KAUN) | The WB | |
| Unknown date | Louisville, Kentucky | W24BW | 24 | MuchUSA | America One | |
Station closures
| Date | City of license/Market | Station | Channel | Affiliation | Sign-on date | Notes |
|---|
| October 27 | Marquette, Michigan | WUPT-CA | 25 | UPN | January 8, 1980 | |
Births
| Date | | Name | | Notability |
|---|
| January 4 |
| January 9 |
| January 21 |
| January 23 |
| January 24 |
| January 28 |
| Whitney Peak |
| February 4 |
| February 7 |
| February 20 |
| March 1 |
| March 3 |
| March 8 |
| March 12 |
| April 13 |
| April 15 |
| Sam Ashe Arnold |
| April 16 |
| April 18 |
| Matthew Lewis Royer |
| April 19 |
| April 30 |
| May 1 |
| May 11 |
| May 16 |
| May 18 |
| May 19 |
| June 2 |
| June 11 |
| June 15 |
| June 16 |
| July 5 |
| July 9 |
| July 11 |
| July 30 |
| August 11 |
| August 18 |
| August 20 |
| August 28 |
| September 3 |
| September 8 |
| Nicolas Cantu |
| September 18 |
| Aidan Gallagher |
| October 7 |
| October 10 |
| October 24 |
| October 27 |
| November 8 |
| November 12 |
| November 21 |
| November 23 |
| December 9 |
| December 12 |
Deaths
| Date | | Name | | Age | | class="unsortable" | Notability |
|---|
| January 12 |
| January 23 |
| February 21 |
| February 27 |
| March 12 |
| March 30 |
| April 30 |
| May 14 |
| May 15 |
| June 19 |
| June 20 |
| July 6 |
| July 27 |
| September 8 |
| Vadim Schneider |
| September 11 |
| September 12 |
| September 30 |
| October 17 |
| October 21 |
| October 27 |
| November 9 |
| November 12 |
| Penny Singleton |
| November 14 |
| November 28 |
| December 14 |
| December 28 |
| December 29 |
References
- Seidman, Robert. (May 5, 2011). "''NCIS'' Voted America's All-Time Favorite TV Show; ''Two and a Half Men'', ''Bones'', ''House'', Several Current Shows Rank". [[TV by the Numbers]].
- Mahan, Colin. (March 26, 2007). "Three times the Arrested Development". [[TV.com]].
- "The good news about 'Two and a Half Men'". philly-archives.
- (May 31, 2013). "You Really Should Start Watching The Venture Bros.".
- Bellefante, Ginia. (January 29, 2008). "They Age So Quickly, at Least in Tree Hill". The New York Times.
- "Ryan, Seth, and co. shine in pop culture phenomenon". The Observer.
- Rice, Lynette. (September 9, 2005). ""Nip/Tuck" chief tells why he reupped with FX".
- (January 23, 2009). "83, Teen Titans".
- Gay, Verne. (April 7, 2017). "'Better Call Saul' season 3 review: Possibly better than 'Breaking Bad'".
- Keane, Sean. (January 6, 2023). "'The Last of Us' HBO Adaptation Goes Far Beyond the PlayStation Game". [[Red Ventures]].
- "Summit on Iraq | C-SPAN.org".
- Hanson, Holly. (October 30, 2003). "Victoria's Secret Likes Somerset – Local Store Is First To Get New Model Makeup Kit". [[Detroit Free Press]].
- Hoffmann, Bill. (November 14, 2003). "Playing Our Thong – Victoria's Celebs Lead Undie Fun Day". [[New York Post]].
- (19 November 2003). "The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show (2003)". [[Internet Movie Database]].
- Kahn, Robert. (November 17, 2003). "Victoria's Latex Secret Now on Show". [[Newsday]].
- Radsken, Jill. (November 19, 2003). "Fashion – Peek experience – Behind the scenes at the Victoria's Secret fashion show". [[Boston Herald]].
- [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-2001/BC-2001-12-10.pdf] from Broadcasting & Cable
- [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-2002/BC-2002-07-22.pdf] from Broadcasting & Cable
- [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-2001/BC-2001-11-05.pdf] from Broadcasting & Cable
- (2003-03-14). "Lynne Thigpen, Actress in CBS's 'District,' Dies at 54". New York Times.