Daytime television in the United States


Daytime television is the general term for television shows produced for airing during the daytime hours on weekdays. The hours and days for daytime television in the United States usually run from 6:00am to 8:00pm ET, Monday through Friday; although it may vary depending on time zone, region, networks and local stations. This article is only about American daytime television; for information about international daytime television, see Daytime television.

Types of daytime programming

There are several different genres or formats of daytime programming that are produced. Most of these shows can be produced on a low budget, as these shows have to be able to make at least five new episodes per week for most of the year. Most daytime shows are syndicated, meaning local stations buy the rights to air them. Commercials aired during daytime programming mostly advertise food & drink, household goods and feminine products geared toward housewives and stay-at-home moms, who of course make up the largest portion of the daytime viewing audience. Additionally, commercials tend to target retired persons through advertisement of such products as timeshares and retirement insurance, such as those available through AARP. During the 1980s, an entire series of diabetes testing supply commercials were produced for daytime television by Liberty Medical, which became well known due to their spokesman Wilfred Brimley and his often direct and gruff nature when addressing the audience.

Court shows

There are currently many different court shows produced in United States daytime television. Most of these shows usually deal with one, sometimes two small-claims cases per episode. Other shows deal with family law or reenactments of more serious cases. The cases are typically a form of binding arbitration between two litigating parties who agree to drop their conventional lawsuit to appear on television; they are not scripted, the participants are not actors, and decisions are handed down by real judges or attorneys. All of the following court shows are syndicated. Court shows usually occupy the morning and late-afternoon time slots.

Current American daytime court shows

ShowPresiding Judge
America's Court with Judge RossKevin A. Ross
Caught in ProvidenceFrank Caprio
Couples Court with the CutlersKeith and Dana Cutler
Divorce CourtLynn Toler
Hot BenchPatricia DiMango, Tanya Acker and Michael Corriero
Judge JerryJerry Springer
Judge JudyJudith Sheindlin
Judge MathisGreg Mathis
Justice with Judge MableanMablean Ephriam
Lauren Lake's Paternity CourtLauren Lake
The People's CourtMarilyn Milian
Personal Injury CourtGino Brogdon
Protection CourtCarroll Kelly
Supreme Justice with Judge KarenKaren Mills-Francis
Verdict with Judge Hatchett''Glenda Hatchett

Daytime serials/[soap opera]s

A staple of daytime television since the 1950s, serials continue to be among the most popular programs among daytime audiences. They are dramatic serials that tell ongoing stories of the day-to-day lives of large casts of characters, each still having its own identity. The term "soap opera" is somewhat of a misnomer, dating to the early days of radio and television when purveyors of detergents and soaps such as Procter & Gamble, Colgate Palmolive and Lever Bros. generally sponsored, financed and produced these shows individually. Soap operas usually occupy the afternoon time slots in daytime programming.

Current American daytime serials

s, another long-time mainstay of daytime television, involve real people playing a game, or a series of games, as contestants like the title suggests, with the ultimate goal of winning a prize.
The period from 1972 to 1985 could be considered the golden age of game shows, as all three of the major broadcast networks carried several game shows during their daytime lineups, usually occupying the mid/late-morning and late-afternoon time slots. ABC Daytime ended their block in 1985 followed by NBC Daytime in 1991 and CBS Daytime in 1993. CBS still carries two daytime game shows, the long-running The Price Is Right and a revival of Let's Make a Deal. CBS currently allows both daytime game shows to be arranged as a two-hour block by affiliates if preferred instead of bookending the schedule.
Of the current daytime game shows, The Price Is Right began as part of CBS's daytime game show block in 1972 and is the only show to have aired continuously on daytime network television since the end of that era. Family Feud, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune have all transitioned from network daytime shows to syndication, while Millionaire was a network prime time program that transitioned to syndication. Both current CBS Daytime game shows began as 30-minute game shows that transitioned into one-hour formats.

Current daytime game shows

Network television
Syndicated
Classic reruns of retired game shows from the 1970s and 1980s are currently airing on Game Show Network in its daytime slot, and 24/7 on the digital multicast network Buzzr. In addition, Buzzr launched "daytime buzz" featuring classic game shows.

Daytime game shows revived for primetime

These network news programs provide more in-depth coverage of news and current events that are broadcast on the evening news. These programs may also cover life-improvement tips; such as healthy dieting and exercise, do-it-yourself household projects, and other advice and tips to enhance one's well-being. They may also include celebrity guests and concert performances by popular music acts. Most morning shows follow a particular format with hard news and interviews with newsmakers and correspondents in the first half-hour, true crime stories in the second, and lighter fare such as celebrity and lifestyle stories in the second hour. Morning news programs usually occupy the 6:00am to 8:00am or the 7:00 am to 9:00 am time slot.

Current morning news programs

Some local stations also air their own versions of local morning news programs followed by their network morning news program.

Tabloid news

Half-hour newsmagazines generally focus on sensationalist tabloid-style news and entertainment coverage. Originally, the tone was light in nature, focusing on notable events involving celebrities. But market forces and ratings concerns eventually forced programs into a tabloid format, covering such topics as celebrity scandals and major crime events that make national headlines. These programs usually air during the late-afternoon or pre-prime time hours.

Current tabloid television news shows

Retired newsmagazine shows include PM Magazine, Hard Copy and A Current Affair, and The Insider. A Current Affair attempted a comeback in the mid-2000s, but was later canceled due to low ratings.

Sunday morning news programs

During the week, daytime television is generally devoid of or lacking news programming. However, on Sundays, most networks devote at least part of their Sunday morning schedule to serious news programming, as the viewers who would normally be at work during the daytime on weekdays are generally at home on Sunday mornings. These programs review news events that occurred in the prior week and cover events expected to make national headlines in the coming week.

Current Sunday morning news and public affairs programs

In the early years NBC and ABC added daytime talk shows during late mornings and afternoon hours. In the years that followed with daytime soap operas fill the daytime slots, talk shows become limited and some of which has since moved into syndication during the 1970s. In recent years, CBS added talk shows for the first time as a replacement for cancelled soap operas, most notably As the World Turns. This makes ABC the only network to air 2 talk shows having air continuously since the 1950s. Talk shows typically last one hour, and are more often than not hosted by celebrities. Talk shows deal with a variety of topics, like educational or self-help related subjects; to variety shows featuring celebrity interviews, comedic monologues, and stage performances; to tabloid talk shows. Talk shows usually occupy the morning and late-afternoon hours. Syndicated talk shows on the other hand have made a comeback in recent years to 12 talk shows, however it might will decrease to 11 if any new talk shows will be added.

Current American daytime talk shows

Network television
Syndicated'
Donahue was one of the first major hit daytime talk shows and dominated the format up until the mid-1980s, when it was surpassed by The Oprah Winfrey Show, which in turn was the highest-rated talk show on television for most of its run, except for a period in the late 1990s when The Jerry Springer Show surpassed Oprah.
A number of daytime talk shows that followed a format more closely resembling the late-night talk show have aired over the course of history, including The Mike Douglas Show and Dinah! in the 1970s, and shows such as The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Howie Mandel Show and The Martin Short Show in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Off-network syndicated programming

is the practice of selling rights to the presentation of television programs, especially to more than one customer such as a television station, a cable channel, or a programming service such as a national broadcasting system. The syndication of television programs is a fundamental financial component of television industries. Long a crucial factor in the economics of the U.S. industry, syndication is now a worldwide activity involving the sales of programming produced in many countries. While most of the series currently in syndication are either still in production or have only recently ended their runs, the most popular series can command syndication runs lasting decades beyond the end of their production. Off-network syndicated series also normally occupy the mid/late morning and late-afternoon time slots.
Networks have also been known to rerun scripted programming in daytime, though much less so with the proliferation of syndication, cable television and direct broadcast satellites in the 1980s and 1990s. The last time a network is known to have done this is when CBS aired reruns of Designing Women from 1991-1992. However, it wasn't until 14 years later in 2006 When Daytime WB aired reruns of Reba along with previous shows such as "ER" since 2009 no major TV networks has aired any reruns on the daytime slot.
Note that the series listed below are not necessarily restricted to daytime and can air in any open time slot.

Off-network series currently in syndication

Long before Nickelodeon and other youth-oriented cable channels launched, children's programs were also part of network and syndicated television's daytime programming lineup. These programs specialized in entertainment and education for preschoolers and children of elementary school age and mostly occupied morning time slots as well as after-school hours. Captain Kangaroo, which aired on CBS from 1955 to 1984, was one of television's longest-running and most popular program of the genre; while Romper Room was a staple in syndication. PBS also aired various children's programs; among its most popular being Sesame Street, The Electric Company, and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Local stations also occasionally aired classic cartoons along with classic reruns of The Mickey Mouse Club and Our Gang comedy shorts.
From the 1970s through the 1990s, ABC and CBS aired weekly specials for teenagers and pre-adolescents: ABC Afterschool Special and CBS Schoolbreak Special, which aired once a week during after-school hours in the academic school year, pre-empting their affiliate stations' regularly scheduled programming on that day. Some stories in these specials were light in nature, while other stories focused on more serious teen issues; such as teen pregnancy, drug/alcohol abuse, runaways, bullying, and family issues.

Daytime programming breakdown

See also Dayparting
The following table shows the general breakdown of the American daytime television schedule; although, as mentioned above, it may vary depending on time zone, region, networks ande local stations.
Time Range Time SlotTypes of daytime programming normally aired
6:00am - 9:00amEarly morningLocal and network morning news programs, children's programs
9:00am - 11:00amMid-morningGame shows, talk shows, court shows, newsmagazines, syndicated programming, children's programs
11:00am - 12:00 noonLate-morningGame shows, talk shows, court shows, newsmagazines, syndicated programming
12:00 noon - 2:00pmEarly afternoonLocal news, soap operas
2:00pm - 4:00pmMid-afternoonSoap operas, talk shows, court shows
4:00pm - 6:00pmLate-afternoonLocal news, game shows, talk shows, court shows, newsmagazines, syndicated programming, children's programs
6:00pm - 7:00pmEarly eveningLocal and network news
7:00pm - 8:00pmEarly fringeGame shows, newsmagazines, off-network sitcoms