2003 in television

Events

• February 16 - The landmark 300th episode of The Simpsons airs.
• Late February-March - Talk show host David Letterman is forced to take a few weeks off from his Late Show due to a bout of shingles (subsequent Top Ten Lists would occasionally have entries that poked fun at this). A string of celebrities guest host for Letterman while he's away including Bruce Willis, Regis Philbin, Will Ferrell and Elvis Costello.
• September 6 - Sonic X premieres on TV Tokyo, later introduced to the Fox Box in September, several other animés also premiered on TV Tokyo.
• September 14 - Lilo and Stitch premieres on ABC Kids
• October 4 - A live action version of the popular "Sailor Moon" franchise premieres on Japanese television.
• November - premieres on Kids WB
• November 10 - The 4000th episode of Wheel of Fortune since the pairing of host and hostess Pat Sajak and Vanna White airs.
• Gary Coleman, former star of Diff'rent Strokes, is one of many candidates for Governor of California in the gubernatorial recall election. He comes in 8th place. Another Hollywood star comes in first: Arnold Schwarzenegger.
• Coronation Street shows its first gay kiss.
• EastEnders brings Dirty Den back from the supposed dead after a decade.
• The much vaunted TV3 rival to RTÉ's The Late Late Show, Eamon Dunphy's The Dunphy Show bombs, pulling in less than half the Late Late's viewership. The show is axed in December after only 15 shows.
• Longtime broadcaster on the BBC and ITN, and latterly news anchor on Sky News, Bob Friend retires.

Debuts

• All Grown Up!, the Rugrats spinoff
• The Dunphy Show with Eamon Dunphy
• Eve
• Las Vegas
• My Life as a Teenage Robot
• Nip/Tuck
• Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
• Reno 911!
• Two and a Half Men
• Whoopi, with Whoopi Goldberg

Popular Television Shows

• Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2002-present)
• All My Children (1970-present)
• American Idol: The Search For A Superstar (2002-present)
• As Told By Ginger - (2000-present)
• Braceface (2001-present)
• Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000-present)
• Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-present)
• Cops (1989-present)
• Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005)
• The Fairly Oddparents (2001-present)
• Friends (1994-2004)
• General Hospital (1963-present)
• Hey Arnold! (1996-present)
• Jeopardy! (1984-present)
• King of the Hill (1997-present)
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993-present)
• Lilo and Stitch (2003-present)
• The Late Show with David Letterman (1993-present)
• Law & Order (1990-present)
• The O.C. Premiered (2003-present)
• The Osbournes (2002-present)
• The Real World (1992-present)
• Rocket Power (1999-present)
• Rugrats (1991-2004)
• Saturday Night Live (1975-present)
• Sesame Street (1969-present)
• Sex and the City (1998-2004)
• Shocking Behavior: Caught On Tape (1999-present)
• The Simpsons (1989-present)
• The Sopranos (1999-present)
• Spongebob Squarepants (1999-present)
• The Tonight Show (1954-present)
• Wheel of Fortune (1975-present)

Ending this year

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
• Farscape (1999-2003)
• Sabrina (1996-2003)
• Touched by an Angel (1994-2003)
• The Dunphy Show (Sept-Dec 2003)

Births

Deaths

• January 12 - Maurice Gibb, 53, actor/songwriter of the Bee-Gees
• January 23 - Nell Carter, actress, singer, of Gimme a Break
• February 27 - Fred Rogers, TV's "Mister Rogers" of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
• April 2 - Pat Leavy, Hannah Finnegan in Fair City after being taken ill on set.
• August 3 - Neil Gormet
• September 11 - John Ritter, known mostly as Jack Tripper from Three's Company, but at the time was involved in the sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter and the cartoon Clifford the Big Red Dog
• October 4 - James Forlong, dismissed Sky News journalist accused of faking Iraq War report, commits suicide.
• October 27 - Rod Roddy, announcer on Press Your Luck, Soap and (most famously) The Price Is Right
• November 9 - Art Carney

Referenced By