Reception and Broadcast History
In its early run, Ben Casey dominated its time slot. In the 1962-1963 season, it swamped Loretta Young's return to weekly television in her family sitcom The New Loretta Young Show on CBS. In 1963, it moved to Wednesdays as the preceding program for ABC's drama about college life, Channing.
However, due to the combination of CBS' The Beverly Hillbillies and The Dick Van Dyke Show, Ben Casey returned to its original Monday night time slot in the fall of 1964, remaining there until its cancellation in March 1966. Daytime repeats of the series also aired on ABC's weekday schedule from 1965 through 1967.
- Original Run
NOTE: The most frequent time slot for the series is in bold text.
- Monday at 10:00-11:00 PM on ABC: October 2, 1961—May 13, 1963; September 14, 1964—March 21, 1966
- Wednesday at 9:00-10:00 PM on ABC: September 9, 1963—April 22, 1964
- Nielsen Ratings
NOTE: The highest average rating for the series is in bold text.
| Season | Rank | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1) 1961-1962 | #18 | 23.7 |
| 2) 1962-1963 | #7 | 28.7 (Tied with The Danny Thomas Show) |
| 3) 1963-1964 | Not in the Top 30 | |
| 4) 1964-1965 | ||
| 5) 1965-1966 | ||
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