See also: 1999 in television, other events of 2000, 2001 in television and the list of 'years in television'.

Table of contents

1 Events 2 Debuts 3 Popular Television Shows 4 Births 5 Deaths

Events

• January - Talk show host David Letterman undergoes quintuple heart bypass surgery at New York Presbyterian Hospital, following an angiogram that revealed that one of his arteries was seriously constricted.
• February 21 - David Letterman returns to television following his quintuple heart bypass surgery in January. Letterman brings all of the doctors that had performed the operation out on stage with him, including Dr. O. Wayne Isom and Physician Louis J. Aronne, who makes frequent appearances on the show. In an unusual show of emotion, Letterman is nearly in tears as he thanked the doctors. The episode earned an Emmy nomination. Letterman's father died of a heart attack while still in his 50s.
• December 18 - Actor Hank Azaria and actress Helen Hunt file for divorce.
• Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver in a California shopping mall

Debuts

• June - The Gavin Crawford Show
• October 11 - Bette, with Bette Midler (2000-2001)
• October 25 - As Told By Ginger premieres (2000-present)
• Survivor premieres on CBS sparking a major blitz of interest in "reality tv" in the US. Many copy-cat programs follow. The show was based on the Swedish game show, Operation Robinson.

Popular Television Shows

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
• Cops (1989-present)
• Dharma & Greg (1997-2002)
• Farscape (1999-2003)
• Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-present)
• Friends (1994-2003)
• General Hospital (1972-present)
• Hey Arnold (1996-present)
• Inspector Morse (1987-2000)
• Jeopardy (1984-present)
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993-present)
• The Late Show with David Letterman (1993-present)
• One Foot in the Grave (1990-2000)
• 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)
• VH-1 (1985-present)
• Wheel of Fortune (1975-present)

Births

Deaths

• October 30 - Steve Allen, comedian, composer, talk show host, author