1988 in television

Table of contents

1 Events
2 Debuts
3 Popular Television Shows
4 Ending this year
5 Births
6 Deaths

Events

October 4 - Following in Cher's footsteps , Actress Shirley MacLaine calls David Letterman an "A**hole", on the air during a taping of Late Night
The song "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" experiences a surge in popularity sparked by television commercials featuring claymation raisin figures. The California Raisins version of the song peaks at No. 84 on Billboard's Hot 100.
Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart is the focus of a sex scandal, and later admits to being with prostitutes and steps down from his television ministry.

''The Facts of Life (1979-1988)
''Highway to Heaven (1984-1988)
''Magnum, P.I (1980-1988)
Punky Brewster (1984-1986, 1987-1988)
Simon and Simon (1981-1988)
Solid Gold (1980-1988)
St. Elsewhere (1982-1988)
What's Happening Now (1985-1988)

February 1 - Heather O'Rourke, actress, age 12
March 10 - Andy Gibb, 30, actor/songwriter of the Bee-Gees
May 8 - Daws Butler, prolific voice actor
July 31 - Trinidad Silva, actor on Hill Street Blues, in a car accident
October 31 - John Houseman, actor
December 12 - Dick Clair, television comedy writer, who asked to be cryogenically frozen
December 20 - Max Robinson, ABC News correspondent, from AIDS
December 27 - Jess Oppenheimer, comedy writer credited as having created I Love Lucy