| Jan 8 | Shell Game | CBS | 1 | 6 | Comedy-drama |
| Jan 17 | Ohara | ABC | 2 | 30 | Detective |
| Jan 20 | Unsolved Mysteries | NBC | 14 | 553 | Crime |
| Jan 21 | Eyes on the Prize | PBS | 2 | 14 | Documentary |
| Jan 22 | The Tortellis | NBC | 1 | 13 | Sitcom |
| Jan 26 | Mathnet | PBS | 5 | 30 | Police procedural |
| Jan 26 | Square One Television | PBS | — | 230 | — |
| Feb 7 | Cash Explosion | Syndication | — | 1,433 | Game show |
| Feb 8 | The Two Mrs. GrenvillesMiniseries | NBC | — | — | — |
| Feb 15 | AmerikaMiniseries | ABC | 1 | 4 | Science fiction |
| Mar 1 | I'll Take ManhattanMiniseries | CBS | — | 2 | — |
| Mar 2 | Spies | CBS | 1 | 6 | — |
| Mar 9 | Rags to Riches | NBC | 2 | 20 | Comedy-drama |
| Mar 11 | Houston Knights | CBS | 2 | 30 | Drama |
| Mar 19 | Roomies | NBC | 1 | 8 | Sitcom |
| Mar 19 | The Bronx Zoo | NBC | 2 | 21 | — |
| Mar 20 | The Charmings | ABC | 2 | 21 | Fantasy |
| Mar 23 | The Bold and the Beautiful | CBS | 40 | 9,898 | Soap opera |
| Mar 23 | The Popcorn Kid | CBS | 1 | 6 | Sitcom |
| Mar 31 | Max Headroom | ABC | 2 | 14 | Cyberpunk |
| Apr 1 | Biography | CBS | — | — | Historical |
| Apr 1 | Roxie | CBS | 1 | 6 | Sitcom |
| Apr 2 | Nothing in Common | NBC | 1 | 7 | Sitcom |
| Apr 5 | Married... with Children | Fox | 11 | 259 | Sitcom |
| Apr 5 | The Tracey Ullman Show | Fox | 4 | 81 | Comedy |
| Apr 11 | D.C. Follies | | 2 | 33 | Sitcom |
| Apr 12 | 21 Jump Street | Fox | 5 | 103 | Police procedural |
| Apr 18 | Headbangers Ball | MTV, MTV2 | — | 410 | Music |
| Apr 18 | Sweet Surrender | NBC | 1 | 6 | Sitcom |
| Apr 19 | Duet | Fox | 3 | 54 | Sitcom |
| Apr 20 | Hard Knocks | Showtime | 1 | 13 | Sitcom |
| Apr 24 | NHL on Global | Global Television Network | 2 | — | — |
| Apr 26 | Down and Out in Beverly Hills | Fox | 1 | 13 | Sitcom |
| May 3 | Mr. President | Fox | 2 | 24 | Sitcom |
| May 10 | QueenieMiniseries | ABC | — | 2 | Romance |
| May 21 | The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd | NBC | 5 | 65 | Comedy-drama |
| Jun 12 | CBS Summer Playhouse | CBS | 3 | 47 | Anthology |
| Jun 15 | Home Shopping Game | Syndication | 1 | 65 | — |
| Jul 6 | Bargain Hunters | ABC | 1 | 45 | — |
| Jul 11 | Werewolf | Fox | 1 | 29 | Horror |
| Jul 18 | Karen's Song | Fox | 1 | 13 | Sitcom |
| Jul 18 | The New Adventures of Beans Baxter | Fox | 1 | 17 | — |
| Aug 15 | Summer Breeze | NBC | — | 1 | — |
| Aug 30 | Crossbow | Christian Broadcasting Network | 3 | 72 | Drama |
| Aug 31 | Learn to Read | PBS | 1 | 30 | — |
| Sep 1 | Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future | Syndication | 1 | 22 | Science fiction |
| Sep 5 | Beauty and the Beast | CBS | 3 | 56 | Drama |
| Sep 12 | Fraggle RockAnimated series | NBC | 1 | 13 | Comedy |
| Sep 12 | My Pet MonsterAnimated series | ABC | 1 | 13 | Family |
| Sep 12 | Popeye and SonAnimated series | CBS | 1 | 13 | Children's |
| Sep 12 | Showtime at the Apollo | Fox, Syndication | 21 | 1,093 | — |
| Sep 12 | The New Archies | NBC | 1 | 14 | Animated sitcom |
| Sep 13 | Private Eye | NBC | 1 | 12 | Detective |
| Sep 14 | BravestarrAnimated series | Syndication | 1 | 65 | Space western |
| Sep 14 | DinosaucersAnimated series | Syndication | 1 | 65 | Children's |
| Sep 14 | Frank's Place | CBS | 1 | 22 | Comedy-drama |
| Sep 14 | Maxie's WorldAnimated series | Syndication | 1 | 32 | Children's |
| Sep 16 | A Year in the LifeMiniseries | NBC | 1 | 22 | Drama |
| Sep 16 | The Oldest Rookie | CBS | 1 | 14 | Detective |
| Sep 16 | Wiseguy | CBS | 4 | 75 | Police procedural |
| Sep 17 | Out of This World | Syndication | 4 | 96 | Fantasy |
| Sep 18 | DuckTalesAnimated series | ABC, Disney Channel | 4 | 100 | Comedy |
| Sep 18 | Sylvanian FamiliesAnimated series | Syndication | 1 | 13 | Fantasy |
| Sep 19 | Bustin' Loose | Syndication | 1 | 26 | Sitcom |
| Sep 19 | Mama's Boy | NBC | 1 | 7 | Sitcom |
| Sep 19 | Marblehead Manor | Syndication | 1 | 24 | Sitcom |
| Sep 19 | Mighty Mouse: The New AdventuresAnimated series | CBS | 2 | 19 | — |
| Sep 19 | Once a Hero | ABC | 1 | 7 | Science fiction |
| Sep 19 | She's the Sheriff | Syndication | 2 | 44 | Sitcom |
| Sep 19 | You Can't Take It with You | Syndication | 1 | 24 | Sitcom |
| Sep 20 | My Two Dads | NBC | 3 | 60 | Sitcom |
| Sep 20 | StarcomAnimated series | Syndication | 1 | 13 | Science fiction |
| Sep 20 | The Highwayman | NBC | 1 | 10 | Science fiction |
| Sep 20 | Visionaries: Knights of the Magical LightAnimated series | Syndication | 1 | 13 | — |
| Sep 20 | Weekend Today | NBC | — | — | — |
| Sep 21 | Beverly Hills TeensAnimated series | Syndication | 3 | 65 | Children's |
| Sep 21 | Spiral ZoneAnimated series | Syndication | 1 | 65 | Science fiction |
| Sep 22 | Full House | ABC | 8 | 192 | Drama |
| Sep 22 | I Married Dora | ABC | 1 | 13 | Sitcom |
| Sep 23 | Hooperman | ABC | 2 | 42 | Comedy-drama |
| Sep 23 | The Slap Maxwell Story | ABC | 1 | 22 | Sitcom |
| Sep 24 | A Different World | NBC | 6 | 144 | Comedy |
| Sep 24 | Tour of Duty | CBS | 3 | 58 | War |
| Sep 26 | ALF: The Animated SeriesAnimated series | NBC | 2 | 26 | Comedy |
| Sep 26 | J.J. Starbuck | NBC | 1 | 16 | Drama |
| Sep 26 | Jake and the Fatman | CBS | 5 | 106 | Crime |
| Sep 26 | Second Chance | Fox | 1 | 21 | Sitcom |
| Sep 26 | The Little Clowns of HappytownAnimated series | ABC | 1 | 18 | Comedy |
| Sep 26 | The Little WizardsAnimated series | ABC | 1 | 13 | Children's |
| Sep 27 | Buck James | ABC | 1 | 19 | Drama |
| Sep 27 | Dolly | ABC | 1 | 22 | Variety show |
| Sep 27 | The Law & Harry McGraw | CBS | 1 | 16 | — |
| Sep 28 | Lingo | CBS, Game Show Network | — | — | Game show |
| Sep 28 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Syndication | 7 | 178 | Adventure |
| Sep 29 | Thirtysomething | ABC | 4 | 85 | Drama |
| Oct 3 | Everything's Relative | CBS | 1 | 10 | Sitcom |
| Oct 3 | Leg Work | CBS | 1 | 10 | Drama |
| Oct 11 | Women in Prison | Fox | 1 | 13 | Sitcom |
| Oct 19 | The Morton Downey Jr. Show | WWOR-TV | — | — | — |
| Oct 30 | Pursuit of Happiness | ABC | 1 | 10 | Sitcom |
| Nov 2 | Finders Keepers | Nickelodeon | 3 | 195 | — |
| Nov 5 | Beverly Hills Buntz | NBC | 1 | 13 | Comedy-drama |
| Nov 7 | Sable | ABC | 1 | 7 | — |
| Nov 10 | Napoleon and Josephine: A Love StoryMiniseries | ABC | — | 3 | Biographical |
| Nov 16 | Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton StoryMiniseries | NBC | — | — | Biographical |
| Nov 18 | HBO Storybook MusicalsAnimated series | HBO | — | 18 | — |
| Nov 30 | CBS This MorningNews program | CBS | — | 3,100 | News |
| Nov 30 | Father Dowling Mysteries | ABC, NBC | 3 | 45 | Crime |
| Dec 1 | Quigley's Village | Tri-State Christian Television | — | 23 | Children's |
| Dec 7 | Remote Control | MTV | 5 | 19 | Game show |
| Dec 11 | The Wilton North ReportNews program | Fox | 1 | 21 | — |
| Dec 14 | Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesAnimated series | CBS | 10 | 193 | Children's |
| — | Anne of AvonleaMiniseries | Canadian Broadcasting Corporation | — | 4 | Drama |
| — | At Mother's RequestMiniseries | CBS | — | — | — |
| — | French in Action | PBS, WGBH-TV | — | 52 | — |
| — | Hello Kitty's Furry Tale TheaterAnimated series | CBS, Cartoon Network | 1 | 26 | Children's |
| — | Penn & Teller's Invisible Thread | Showtime | — | — | — |
| — | Sky Commanders | Syndication | — | 13 | — |
| — | Stevie and ZoyaAnimated web series | | — | — | Action |
| — | Super Dave | Showtime | 5 | 95 | Sketch comedy |
| — | Take Five | CBS | 1 | 6 | Sitcom |
| — | The Wil Shriner Show | Syndication | 1 | 162 | Talk show |
| — | TigerSharksAnimated series | Syndication | 1 | 26 | Children's |
| — | Trying Times | PBS | — | — | Comedy |
| — | Videopolis | Disney Channel | — | — | Children's |
| — | Win, Lose or Draw | NBC, Disney Channel | 7 | 598 | Panel game |