1997–98 United States network television schedule

This was the United States broadcast television schedule on all six commercial television networks for the fall season beginning in September 1997. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football.

Contents

• Thursday
• Full Season Shows
• References

New series highlighted in bold.

Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.

     Lime indicates the #1 most watched program of the season.      Yellow indicates the programs in the top 10 for the season.      Cyan indicates the programs in the top 20 for the season.      Magenta indicates the programs in the top 30 for the season.      Orange indicates the programs in the top 40 for the season.      Silver indicates the programs in the top 50 for the season.

PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service, was in operation, but the schedule was set by each local station.

From February 7 to 22, 1998, all of CBS' primetime programming was preempted in favor of coverage of the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.

For new series debuting during the season, it would ultimately prove to be one of the weakest in television history, as only seven shows would be picked up for a second season. Of those seven, only Dharma & Greg, Two Guys and a Girl, Dawsons Creek, and Ally McBeal would last beyond three seasons, and would all end their run within five years.

From this season on, the number of viewers will be shown instead of the number of households.