30 Iconic Shows That Premiered in the Month of September

From 'Star Trek' to 'Friends,' here is a sampling of famous shows that hit the airwaves in Septembers of years past.

September is a huge month for television as networks come back from summer break and the fall TV slate gets underway. Predictably, a lot of iconic shows first aired in September, and we’re showcasing 30 of our favorites - one for each day of the month.

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• The Wild Thornberrys - September 1, 1998: not too many shows have premiered in the first few days of September, presumably to avoid the long Labor Day weekend. Regardless, the cult classic The Wild Thornberrys first aired on Nickelodeon on this date in 1998. The kids show was very successful, with five seasons and two feature-length movies produced between 1998 and 2004.
• 90210 - September 2, 2008: the fourth series in the Beverly Hills 90210 franchise went live on The CW on September 2, 2008. Although cast members from the original Beverly Hills 90210 show were intended to have larger roles, most were written-off and forgotten by the time the second season came around. The series gradually grew into its own, but never reached the fame that the original Beverly Hills gang achieved in the early ‘90s.
• Sons of Anarchy - September 3, 2008: nicknamed “Hamlet on Harley’s,” Sons of Anarchy consistently scored high ratings and favorable reviews during its seven seasons on FX. A spinoff, Mayans M.C., is currently airing on the same network and has been renewed for a fifth season.
• The Price is Right - September 4, 1972: airing over 9,000 episodes since its debut, the current version of The Price is Right premiered on Monday, September 4, 1972 at 10:30am ET with Bob Barker as host. Incredibly, Barker fronted the show for an additional 35 years, only missing 4 episodes along the way. Comedian Drew Carey took over as host beginning in 2007 and has remained ever since. Remember - help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.
• The Muppet Show - September 5, 1976: the sketch show starring Jim Henson’s puppets lasted five seasons and 120 episodes on ABC into the early ‘80s. If you’re in the need of some light reading, check out the list of celebrities who guest-starred on the show; if you were a popular TV or movie actor at the time, you probably made an appearance.

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• Atlanta - September 6, 2016: The FX favorite aired its first two seasons 18 months apart…and then went dark for nearly 4 years, owing to the rising stars’ chaotic filming schedules and the need to shoot the third season in Europe while COVID-19 infection rates were high. The fourth and final season premiered on September 15th, just months after the Season 3 finale in May. *Watch live Thursday nights on FX with Sling Blue.*
• SportsCenter - September 7, 1979: ESPN launched on the morning of Friday, September 4, 1979 with the very first edition of SportsCenter. 43 years and more than 60,000 episodes later, the sports-highlight program doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. *Watch ESPN with Sling Orange.*
• Star Trek - September 8, 1966: Although iconic now, the original Star Trek wasn’t initially successful, and NBC canceled it after 3 seasons in 1969. Once it hit syndication, however, the show went where no sci-fi program had gone before… *Select episodes available to watch on Heroes & Icons.*
• Fringe - September 9, 2008: Despite initial lukewarm reception and low ratings, the fantasy/procedural drama hybrid managed to last five seasons on FOX, including its last three in the Friday night death-slot. Still, the show has developed a cult following since its finale, with generally favorable reviews of the series overall.
• The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - September 10, 1990: No, not the reboot from 2021. The NBC sitcom featuring a fictionalized version of Will Smith was a big ratings success and is now considered a watershed moment for hip-hop and black television. Cue Carlton’s "It’s Not Unusual" dance. *Select episodes available to watch on VH1.*

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• The Carol Burnett Show - September 11, 1967: Consistently ranked as one of the best (and funniest) TV shows of all-time, The Carol Burnett Show ran for 11 years and 279 episodes on CBS before Burnett grew tired of the weekly commitments. Looking to reminisce? The show has its own Sling Free channel with a 24-hour loop of the best moments.
• Taxi - September 12, 1978: A sitcom...about cab drivers? It’s far more interesting than you think. Judd Hirsch, Danny DeVito, and Christopher Lloyd consistently stole the show during its five years on ABC and a sixth one on NBC. Despite its humor, Taxi often dealt with serious life issues such as addiction, homosexuality, racism, animal abuse, and sexual harassment.
• Everybody Loves Raymond - September 13, 1996: Ray Romano and Phil Rosenthal’s CBS sitcom about trying to make it work with your loving wife, rowdy children, and your overbearing parents living across the street may have struck too close to home for some viewers, but the hijinks and hilarity that followed were second to none. Fun fact: the show changed its theme song four times over nine seasons. *Select episodes available to watch on TV Land.*
• The Golden Girls - September 14, 1985: Despite being 35 years old, The Golden Girls remains a timeless staple of American pop culture. The show spawned three spinoffs, the least successful of which was The Golden Palace, which featured the main cast minus Bea Arthur and introduced a young Don Cheadle to the world. Who knew Dorothy was the glue that held everyone together? Regardless, Thank You For Being a Friend. *Select episodes available to watch on Hallmark Channel, TV Land, and CMT.*
• CHiPs - September 15, 1977: The light-hearted police comedy/drama featuring heartthrobs Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox ran for six seasons on NBC. Reportedly, the leads did not get along behind the scenes, which resulted in Wilcox leaving before the final season. Most of the cast reunited for the made-for-TV movie, CHiPS ‘99, in 1998, and fortunately, both Ponch and Jon donned their iconic blue helmets one last time. *Select episodes available to watch on CHARGE!.*

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• Frasier - September 16, 1993: Cheers was one of the most successful TV shows of all-time, so a spinoff featuring the uptight Frasier Crane living with his dad in Seattle? Not the wildest premise, but Frasier was incredibly successful during its eleven seasons on NBC. The show featured numerous guest appearances from Cheers cast members, not that Frasier (Kelsey Grammer), Niles (David Hyde Pierce), and Daphne (Jane Leeves) needed any help making us laugh. *Select episodes available to watch on Hallmark Channel.*
• M*A*S*H* - September 17, 1972: The CBS dramatic-comedy turned comedic-drama is legendary for not only its eleven juggernaut seasons in primetime, but also its poignant series finale that is still the most watched episode of a scripted series, with more than 60% of all televisions in the U.S. tuning in to say goodbye to 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital on February 28, 1983. *Select episodes available to watch on TV Land.*
• WKRP in Cincinnati - September 18, 1978: The everyday lives of the staff at a struggling fictional radio station in Ohio was an unexpected success at CBS, and the Thanksgiving-themed episode “Turkeys Away” is still heralded as one of the funniest moments in television history. CBS kept moving the show’s timeslot around, and it only lasted four seasons before being cancelled and later revived as The New WKRP in Cincinnati from 1991 to 1993. Unfortunately, the show’s liberal use of trendy music in episodes has made it difficult to syndicate, and therefore WKRP has almost no presence on any TV or streaming service.
• How I Met Your Mother - September 19, 2005: Known for its universally-panned finale, HIMYM premiered with a lot of promise on CBS in 2005, but critical reception turned less favorable as the series went on. Still, the sitcom perfectly balanced comedic plotlines (the long-running “Slap-Bet” arc) with heartbreaking surprises (Season 6’s “Bad News,” to be specific). While the last season has tainted the show’s aura in recent years, it’s still a fun rewatch. *Select episodes available to watch on Laff.*
• Hawaii Five-O - September 20, 1966 & September 20, 2010: Coincidentally, both the CBS original Hawaii Five-O and the reboot Hawaii Five-0 (yes, they're spelled different) premiered on the same date, September 20th, 44 years apart. The original series aired for 12 seasons and ended in 1980, while the 2010 reboot ended its 10 season run in 2020. The shows were important to Hawaii’s economy, as fans of the series have been inspired to visit the Hawaiian Islands after watching the shows. *Select episodes of the 1966 show available to watch on Heroes & Icons.*

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• Will & Grace - September 21, 1998: In 2012, then-Vice President Joe Biden said that Will & Grace “probably did more to educate the American public” on LGBT issues “than almost anything anybody has ever done so far,” and that’s not an exaggeration. The NBC sitcom was one of the first shows to feature gay principal characters and paved the way for future gay-themed television programs such as Queer as Folk and Queer Eye. After concluding in 2006, the show was revived for three more seasons from 2017-2019 with the main cast returning. *Select episodes available to watch on Logo.*
• Friends - September 22, 1994: six young adults learn about life and love in mid-90s New York City. Need we say more? Amazingly, Friends never dipped below eighth in Nielsen ratings during the ten years it aired on NBC - it was a smash hit from start to finish. But there's still a question that looms - were Rachel and Ross on a break? *Select episodes available to watch on TBS.*
• Modern Family - September 23, 2009: Modern Family capitalized on the mockumentary format popularized by The Office and ran with it, airing for 11 seasons on ABC and scoring more than 70 Emmy nominations. Similar to Will & Grace above, the Ed O’Neill-lead sitcom received praise for introducing and educating viewers on different types of families in the modern United States. A spinoff featuring Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Cam and Mitch characters is reportedly in the works. *Select episodes available to watch on E!*
• The Big Bang Theory - September 24, 2007: You really love TBBT or you really loathe it - there’s no in-between. Regardless, Chuck Lorre’s CBS sitcom about a group of nerdy scientists interacting with their attractive, ditzy neighbor across the apartment hall in Pasadena, California was a ratings blast, with the final seven seasons placing in the top-3 in Nielsen viewership. The main cast members were reportedly making close to $1 million an episode when the series wrapped up after 12 seasons in 2019. *Select episodes available to watch on TBS.*
• Young Sheldon - September 25, 2017: Again, you really love Young Sheldon or you despise it. A spinoff from the aforementioned Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon explores Sheldon Cooper’s childhood in Texas as he moves through adolescence as an unpopular, awkward nerd. Adult Sheldon Jim Parsons not only narrates the show but also serves as an executive producer. A sixth season premiered on September 29, 2022, and it’s already been renewed for a seventh. But at what point is Sheldon no longer “young” and simply just “Sheldon”? *Select episodes available to watch on TBS.*

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• Gilligan’s Island - September 26, 1962: the classic CBS sitcom with one of the catchiest theme songs of all-time only lasted three seasons before quietly being canceled right before Season 4 was scheduled to begin production. However, the show was a major success in syndication and became firmly ingrained in American culture in the following decades. Question: do you believe the common fan theory that the castaways represented the seven deadly sins? *Select episodes available to watch on IFC.*
• The Tonight Show - September 27, 1954: Before Johnny Carson became the king of late-night television and Jay Leno feuded with both David Letterman and Conan O’Brien over the rightful heir to the 11:35pm throne, The Tonight Show debuted on NBC with Steve Allen as host in 1954. It’s the world’s longest running talk show and current host Jimmy Fallon is under contract through the 2024-2025 TV calendar. Fun fact: even though Johnny Carson was behind the desk from 1962-1992, Jay Leno’s 22-year tenure holds the record for most number of Tonight Shows produced; Leno used fewer guest hosts and recorded five new shows a week, compared to Carson’s usual Monday-Thursday schedule with the summers off. *Select episodes of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson are available to watch on Shout! Factory TV and Johnny Carson TV.*
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - September 28, 1987: Before there was the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Star Trek was front-and-center with new series and movies almost yearly thanks to the success of The Next Generation in the late '80s and early '90s. The Patrick Stewart-lead sci-fi drama ran for seven seasons in first-run syndication and was followed up by four theatrical releases. Star Trek continuity was rebooted shortly after the last film was released in 2002, and Paramount now has five series in production, so it’s safe to say Trekkies will have plenty to watch in the coming years. We’re going to stay out of the Original Series/Next Generation debate of which show is better (but William Shatner clearly had the better hair). *Select episodes available to watch on Heroes & Icons.*
• MacGyver - September 29, 1986: MacGyver never set the world on fire with stellar ratings during its seven years on ABC, but the show had a loyal audience and settled comfortably into its 8pm Monday night timeslot. As with any classic 80s show, it received a needless reboot in 2016 on CBS which, again, wasn’t anything special. SNL’s MacGruber parody skit (later turned into a theatrical movie and a streaming show) was very welcome though. *Select episodes available to watch on Heroes & Icons.*
• Cheers - September 30, 1982: Everybody knows its name. Rounding out a September of premieres is Cheers, one of the most acclaimed and revered shows of all-time. The series finale in May 1993 was the most watched single episode of the entire ‘90s. If you’re ever in need of a feelgood sitcom, Cheers is your bread and butter…and beer. *Select episodes available to watch on Hallmark Channel.*

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