1987 in Australian television

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Events

• January – Alan Bond, the owner of QTQ-9 & STW-9, also purchases TCN-9 & GTV-9 from Kerry Packer for $1.055 billion. The expanded Nine Network becomes the first coast-to-coast network.
• January – Long-running ABC music program Countdown launches as Countdown Pirate TV or CDP-TV.
• 5 January – British soap opera series EastEnders debuts on ABC.
• 10 January – Final episode of Australian soap opera Prime Time is being shown on Nine Network as the series was not a popular success.
• February – Fairfax, owners of ATN-7 & BTQ-7 purchase HSV-7 from The Herald and Weekly Times for $320 million. The move sees the replacement of most Melbourne-produced programming with networked programming from Sydney, including long-running shows such as World of Sport & sees Mal Walden sacked as newsreader. The revamped news service, read by former STW-9 newsreader Greg Pearce plunges to as low as zero in the ratings.
• 2 February – Canadian children's series The Kids of Degrassi Street, the first in the Degrassi trilogy series premieres on the ABC.
• 8 February – American sitcom ALF debuts on Seven Network.
• 11 February – Australian comedy series Hey Dad..! debuts on Seven Network.
• 12 February – Australian drama series Rafferty's Rules screens on Seven Network.
• 15 February – Network Ten premieres a brand new Australian music video program called Video Hits.
• 16 February – British children's animated series Henry's Cat makes its debut on the ABC at 3:55 pm.
• 16 February – ABC debuts a brand new weekday afternoon magazine series called The Afternoon Show presented by former Models saxophonist James Valentine. The show begins by airing three programmes per day. One show (The Mysterious Cities of Gold) airs weekdays at 5:00 pm, one (The Return of the Antelope) airs for only two days and the other three (which includes Behind the News, Educating Marmalade and Earthwatch) will be airing on one different day of the week for the 5:30 pm timeslot. The third programme (which is the continuing episodes of The Kids of Degrassi Street) for this show also airs at 6:00 pm on weeknights.
• 26 March – Prime Minister Bob Hawke calls off the proposed amalgamation of the ABC and SBS.
• 27 March - Mal Walden was sacked by new management after HSV-7 was taken over by the Fairfax group. He was told of his dismissal only minutes before going on air to present what became his final news bulletin for the station.
• 5 April – The infamous Grim Reaper advertisement debuts on television.
• 6 April – British children's television series Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends (later Thomas & Friends) debuts on ABC at 3:55 pm.
• 6 April – ABC debuts a brand new comedy series called The Dingo Principle.
• 13 April – ABC weekday afternoon magazine series The Afternoon Show updates its schedule by airing four different programmes on five different days of the week. One show (a brand new Canadian-Scottish drama series called The Campbells) airs from Monday to Thursdays, the other (which is an Australian children's environmental series called Earthwatch now presented by David Smith) now airs only on Fridays, the next programme, a brand new sketch comedy series from Canada titled You Can't Do That on Television airs weekdays at 5:30 pm and the last one includes reruns of the French-American-Canadian animated series Inspector Gadget being shown weeknights at 6:00 pm.
• 17 April – The ABC launches its overnight music video block Rage.
• 20 April – ABC comedy series The Dingo Principle broadcasts a mock interview with the Ayatollah Khomeini, which results in diplomatic tensions with Iran, including the expulsion of two Australian diplomats. Two weeks later, the ABC receives a letter of complaint from the Soviet embassy regarding a skit lampooning Russian figures Mikhail Gorbachev and Vladimir Lenin.
• 4 May – Australian children's weekday and weekend morning series The Cartoon Connection airs on Seven Network in Victoria for the first time starting off with The Herculoids (replacing The Bugs Bunny Show for Mondays to Wednesdays, The Road Runner Show for Thursdays and The Porky Pig Show for Fridays because all three of these shows aired on Seven only in Sydney), The Flintstones, Tom and Jerry and The Partridge Family on weekdays, Yogi's Treasure Hunt, Paw Paws, Galtar and the Golden Lance (replacing ThunderCats, this show first aired in Sydney in 1986, it didn't air in Melbourne until 1989) and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? on Saturdays and The Smurfs, The Challenge of the GoBots, It's Punky Brewster and Defenders of the Earth on Sundays.
• 8 June – ABC comedy series The Dingo Principle airs its 10th and final episode.
• 25 June – After the ill-fated attempt of the Pirate TV format, the axing of the ABC's long-running music program, Countdown was announced, according to the network's then-managing director David Hill, who has said that the damage was done.
• 1 July – Neighbours screens the wedding of Scott Robinson and Charlene Mitchell, which later in November 1988 saw the most-watched all time episodes in the UK.
• 6 July – Reruns of the British children's television series Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends air on the ABC for the first time. This was also the second time the series had been broadcast.
• 6 July – Debut of British sitcom Executive Stress on ABC.
• July – Westfield buys Network Ten from Rupert Murdoch's News Limited for $842 million.
• 19 July – Countdown broadcasts for the very last time ever with the final Countdown Music and Video Awards from the Sydney Entertainment Centre. In the closing, Molly Meldrum took off his trademark cowboy hat to reveal a bald head, signing off and John Farnham performed "You're the Voice". The last one-hour show was presented by Neighbours stars Guy Pearce, Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan.
• 31 July – American sitcom The Golden Girls debuts on Seven Network.
• August – New cross-media ownership rules force the sale of the Seven Network. Fairfax sells its stations to Christopher Skase's Qintex company for $780 million.
• 17 August – The ABC broadcasts a lineup of children's morning programmes for the 7:00 am to 10:00 am timeslot for the first time.
• 12 September – Australian gardening and lifestyle programme Burke's Backyard, endorsed by gardener Don Burke, premieres on Nine Network. It was also one of the first of the long line of prime-time "infotainment" and lifestyle programs on commercial television.
• 26 October – A new Australian children's television series called Kaboodle debuts on ABC.
• 23 November – American soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful makes it debut on Network Ten at 1:00 pm.
• 24 November – American action adventure series MacGyver makes its debut on Seven Network at 7:30 pm.
• 2 December – American sitcom Perfect Strangers premieres on Seven Network.
• 27 December – When the new year approaches, Kerry Stokes's ownership of ADS-7 (while owning Network Ten outlets in Perth and Canberra) and TVW-7's ownership of SAS-10, result in the stations deciding to cease broadcasting under swapped callsigns and affiliations. ADS-7 becomes ADS-10 and aligns to the Ten Network and SAS-10 becomes SAS-7 and aligns to the Seven Network.
• Network Ten loses the Winfield Cup rights to the Nine Network after 5 years.

The following quote came from Seven National News reporter Alan Murrell on the 27 December 1987 edition regarding the move:

"Tonight will mark the end of the callsigns ADS-7 and SAS-10. Tomorrow, they be rebranded as ADS-10 and SAS-7. It's the first time such a change has been made. The switch follows a media shake-up earlier this year, which left ADS in the hands of the owners of the Ten Network. Already, the cosmetic changes are being made at Strangways Terrace and Gilberton. But viewers will notice little difference. They'll still turn the knob to Ten for Channel Ten programs, and to Seven for Seven programs.

"The only difference will be that the local personalities will be seen on different channels. So if you want to watch Steve Whitham and Caroline Ainslie reading the news tomorrow night, you simply turn the dial three positions, from Seven-to ADS-10. And it's as easy as that."

Debuts

Program	Network	Debut date
For Love or Money	ABC TV	3 February
Hey Dad...!	Seven Network	11 February
Rafferty's Rules	Seven Network	12 February
Video Hits	Network Ten	15 February
The Afternoon Show	ABC TV	16 February
Willing and Abel	Nine Network	18 February
Pot Luck	Network Ten	23 February
Vietnam	Network Ten	23 February
Camera Script	ABC TV	6 April
The Dingo Principle	ABC TV	6 April
Rage	ABC TV	17 April
Night Shift	Network Ten	April
MTV	Nine Network	April
Fields of Fire	Nine Network	14 June
Relative Merits	ABC TV	15 June
Pals	ABC TV	13 July
University Challenge	ABC TV	1 September
Poor Man's Orange	Network Ten	6 September
Ridgey Didge	Network Ten	7 September
Burke's Backyard	Nine Network	12 September
The Factory	ABC TV	19 September
Kaboodle	ABC TV	26 October
Nancy Wake	Seven Network	4 November
Crossfire	Nine Network	7 December
Rubbish	Nine Network	19 December

New international programming

Program	Network	Debut date
Legends of the World	SBS TV	2 January
EastEnders	ABC TV	5 January
In Sickness and in Health	ABC TV	5 January
Oxbridge Blues	ABC TV	7 January
The Last Sailors	SBS TV	11 January
Howards' Way	ABC TV	16 January
C.A.T.S. Eyes	Network Ten	20 January
Jesus: The Evidence	SBS TV	26 January
The Great Oak	SBS TV	27 January
Brookside	SBS TV	27 January
Paradise Postponed	ABC TV	1 February
The Wijntak Family	SBS TV	1 February
Aubrey	ABC TV	2 February
The Kids of Degrassi Street	ABC TV	2 February
Crime, Inc.	ABC TV	4 February
Who Dares Wins	ABC TV	5 February
Dempsey and Makepeace	Seven Network	5 February
ALF	Seven Network	8 February
Valerie	Seven Network	8 February
Oddie in Paradise	ABC TV	11 February
My Sister Sam	Nine Network	12 February
Head of the Class	Nine Network	12 February
Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling	Network Ten	14 February
Today's Special	ABC TV	16 February
If Tomorrow Comes	Nine Network	16 February
Henry's Cat	ABC TV	16 February
/ The Mysterious Cities of Gold	ABC TV	16 February
Sins	Network Ten	16 February
Return of the Antelope	ABC TV	16 February
Let's Go Maths	ABC TV	16 February
Mandara	SBS TV	18 February
Easy Street	Nine Network	23 February
Dress Gray	Nine Network	23 February
Yogi's Treasure Hunt	Seven Network	28 February
Fragile Earth	ABC TV	28 February
The Second Sex	SBS TV	2 March
Barriers	ABC TV	9 March
George Burns Comedy Week	Seven Network	10 March
L.A. Law	Network Ten	12 March
Fluppy Dogs	Seven Network	15 March
Alias the Jester	ABC TV	23 March
/ The Little Vampire	Network Ten	31 March
The Redd Foxx Show	Seven Network	1 April
Heimat	SBS TV	5 April
Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends	ABC TV	6 April
The Raggy Dolls	ABC TV	9 April
/ The Campbells	ABC TV	13 April
You Can't Do That on Television	ABC TV	13 April
Vidal in Venice	SBS TV	13 April
The Insiders	Network Ten	15 April
Blam!	SBS TV	16 April
Jim Henson Presents The World of Puppetry	ABC TV	16 April
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes	Seven Network	21 April
Defenders of the Earth	Seven Network	26 April
The Monocled Mutineer	ABC TV	29 April
Filthy, Rich and Catflap	ABC TV	30 April
The Real Ghostbusters	Network Ten	2 May
Pound Puppies (1986)	Seven Network	2 May
Shaka Zulu	Nine Network	6 May
Understanding the Under 12s	ABC TV	8 May
Jimbo and the Jet-Set	ABC TV	11 May
There Comes a Time	Seven Network	14 May
The Life and Loves of a She-Devil	Seven Network	19 May
Langley Bottom	ABC TV	27 May
Matlock	Nine Network	27 May
Donald Duck's 50th Birthday	Network Ten (Sydney)	30 May
Cities	SBS TV	3 June
The Krypton Factor	ABC TV	18 June
Designing Women	Nine Network	22 June
Cyprus: Britain's Grim Legacy	SBS TV	29 June
Silverhawks	Seven Network	4 July
Kissyfur	Seven Network	5 July
Executive Stress	ABC TV	6 July
Once Upon a Time... Space	SBS TV	6 July
Teacher Haze	ABC TV	6 July
Lovejoy	ABC TV	7 July
Lytton's Diary	ABC TV	8 July
The Troubles	SBS TV	20 July
The Return of Sherlock Holmes	Seven Network	21 July
Peter the Great	Nine Network	26 July
The Golden Girls	Seven Network	31 July
Cockleshell Bay	Network Ten	1 August
The Great Space Coaster	Network Ten	11 August
Mysterious Island	SBS TV	14 August
Popples	Nine Network	15 August
The Family Ness	ABC TV	17 August
Robo Story	ABC TV	17 August
Out on a Limb	Nine Network	17 August
Hold the Dream	ABC TV	19 August
First Among Equals	Network Ten	19 August
All in Good Faith	ABC TV	24 August
Three Up, Two Down	ABC TV	31 August
Hang in There, Floki	SBS TV	1 September
The First Eden	ABC TV	6 September
/ The Wonderful Wizard of Oz	ABC TV	17 September
/ The Berenstain Bears	ABC TV	21 September
Colette	SBS TV	26 September
The Flintstone Kids	Seven Network	26 September
Paddington's Birthday Bonanza	ABC TV	28 September
Chocky's Challenge	ABC TV	5 October
Ghostbusters	ABC TV	5 October
Connie	Nine Network	7 October
The Land and the Mill	SBS TV	8 October
DuckTales	Seven Network	11 October
Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna	Seven Network	14 October
The House	SBS TV	18 October
Mr. Palfrey of Westminster	ABC TV	21 October
Bulman	Nine Network	27 October
Monte Carlo	Network Ten	2 November
Lorne Greene's New Wilderness	ABC TV	7 November
Better Days	Seven Network	9 November
Slinger's Day	ABC TV	16 November
Sidekicks	Seven Network	22 November
The Bold and the Beautiful	Network Ten	23 November
Bread	ABC TV	23 November
Santa Barbara	Network Ten	23 November
Spies	Seven Network	24 November
MacGyver	Seven Network	24 November
High and Dry	Seven Network	25 November
Codename	Nine Network	26 November
Life with Lucy	Nine Network	27 November
Misfits of Science	Seven Network	27 November
Fortune Dane	Seven Network	28 November
Shadow Chasers	Nine Network	2 December
Perfect Strangers	Seven Network	2 December
Crime Story	Network Ten	6 December
The Refuge	Seven Network	7 December
Comedy Break	ABC TV	8 December
Belle and Sebastian	ABC TV	8 December
The Singing Detective	ABC TV	13 December
Puddle Lane	ABC TV	14 December
Baby and Co.	ABC TV	14 December
Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest	ABC TV	14 December
Gems	ABC TV	14 December
Mapp and Lucia	Seven Network	14 December
Tucker's Luck	ABC TV	14 December
Murder of a Moderate Man	ABC TV	15 December
The Pee-wee Herman Show	ABC TV	18 December
Carlton Your Doorman	Nine Network	19 December
/ Babar and Father Christmas	ABC TV	25 December
The Cavanaughs	ABC TV	28 December
The Ellen Burstyn Show	Seven Network	28 December
Supergran	Nine Network	1987
Our House	Seven Network	1987

Changes to network affiliation

This is a list of programs which made their premiere on an Australian television network that had previously premiered on another Australian television network. The networks involved in the switch of allegiances are predominantly both free-to-air networks or both subscription television networks. Programs that have their free-to-air/subscription television premiere, after previously premiering on the opposite platform (free-to air to subscription/subscription to free-to air) are not included. In some cases, programs may still air on the original television network. This occurs predominantly with programs shared between subscription television networks.

Domestic

Program	New network(s)	Previous network(s)	Date
Mother and Son	Network Ten	ABC TV	February
Butterfly Island	Seven Network	ABC TV	20 April

International

Program	New network(s)	Previous network(s)	Date
The New Scooby-Doo Movies	Seven Network	Nine Network	7 February
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?	Seven Network	Nine Network	18 April
Donald Duck's 50th Birthday	Seven Network (Melbourne)	Network Ten	19 July
Finder of Lost Loves	Seven Network	Network Ten	23 September
Scooby and Scrappy-Doo	Seven Network	Nine Network	26 September

Television shows

1950s

• Mr. Squiggle (1959–1999)

1960s

• Four Corners (1961–present)

1970s

• Hey Hey It's Saturday (1971–1999, 2009–2010)
• Young Talent Time (1971–1989)
• Countdown (1974–1987)
• 60 Minutes (1979–present)

1980s

• Wheel of Fortune (1981–2008)
• Sunday (1981–2008)
• Today (1982–present)
• Perfect Match (1984–present)
• Neighbours (1985–present)
• The Flying Doctors (1986–1993)
• Rage (1987–present)

Ending this year

Date	Show	Channel	Debut
22 March	World of Sport	Seven Melbourne	1959
10 January	Prime Time	Nine Network	1986
10 April 1987	Camera Script	ABC	6 April 1987
8 June 1987	The Dingo Principle	ABC	6 April 1987
18 June	The Girl from Steel City	SBS	1986
19 July	Countdown	ABC	1974
17 August	Relative Merits	ABC	15 June 1987
19 August	Sons and Daughters	Channel Seven	1982
29 August	The Henderson Kids	Channel Ten	1985
11 September	It's a Knockout	Channel Ten	1985
18 September	The New Adventures of Blinky Bill	ABC	1984
5 November	Nancy Wake	Channel Seven	4 November 1987
29 December	The Fast Lane	ABC	1985

See also

• 1987 in Australia
• List of Australian films of 1987