List of Country Television and Radio Shows - Television

Television

Listed alphabetically:

  • ABC Barn Dance - 1949, spin-off of the National Barn Dance radio program
  • American Idol - 2002–present, a singing competition on Fox that spans many popular genres, including country music. The show has launched the careers of several country stars, including season 4 winner Carrie Underwood, season 10 winner Scotty McCreery, Kellie Pickler, Bucky Covington, Josh Gracin, Kristy Lee Cook, Danny Gokey, Casey James, Crystal Bowersox, and Lauren Alaina. Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson, while primarily specializing in pop rock, has also dabbled in the country format.
  • Austin City Limits, 1976–present, PBS
  • The Beverly Hillbillies, situation comedy series that featured a country theme song and appearances by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs
  • Can You Duet? (CMT, 2008–2009), launched the careers of Steel Magnolia and Joey & Rory, among others
  • Country Style, DuMont Network
  • Country Style, USA, syndicated by the US Army as a recruiting aid
  • Crook & Chase, hosted by Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase, 1986 to present, currently on RFD-TV. A radio countdown show also bears the name.
  • Cross Canada Barndance, 1961–1962, charter program of the CTV Television Network (Canada)
  • Crossroads, 2002–present, limited-run program on CMT that features country musicians playing music sets with non-country singers, usually rock musicians
  • Don Messer's Jubilee, 1957–1973, CBC and syndicated program responsible for popularizing folk and country music in Canada
  • Five Star Jubilee, 1961 program on NBC-TV (spin-off of Jubilee USA)
  • The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, 1969–1972
  • Glór Tíre (Country Voice) reality TV from Galway, Ireland on TG4, 2003–2009
  • Grand Ole Opry, simulcast of the radio program, has aired on ABC (1955–56), PBS (1978–81), TNN (1985–2001), CMT (2001–03), and GAC (2003–09).
  • Hannah Montana, from Disney Channel, features Billy Ray Cyrus as retired country superstar "Robbie Ray Stewart" (an obvious fictional portrayal of Cyrus himself), the father of the titular character, teenager-turned-rock star "Hannah Montana/Miley Stewart" (played by Cyrus's real-life daughter, Miley Cyrus).
  • Hayloft Hoedown on ABC from Philadelphia, 1948
  • Hee Haw, featuring Buck Owens and Roy Clark as co-hosts, although Owens departed the series at the end of the 1986 season; popular for its purposely cornball jokes, shapely women, and country music guest stars; The series ran on network television, 1969–1971, but was picked up in syndication beginning with the '71-'72 season and remained on the air through May 1992.
  • The Johnny Cash Show (1969–1971) on ABC-TV
  • The Lawrence Welk Show (1951–1982), general musical variety program that launched the careers of country musicians Lynn Anderson, Clay Hart and Ava Barber
  • Lost Highway, a significant BBC documentary on the history of country music
  • Midwestern Hayride, on WLW-TV in Cincinnati, Ohio and later carried nationally by NBC and then ABC
  • Nashville Star country music talent show that produced such stars as Miranda Lambert, Buddy Jewell, George Canyon, Chris Young, Kacey Musgraves and Sean Patrick McGraw
  • The Old American Barn Dance, DuMont Network, 1953
  • Ozark Jubilee, 1955–1960, ABC - the first network TV series featuring country music stars. Hosted by Red Foley and was renamed County Music Jubilee in 1957 and Jubilee USA in 1958.
  • Pop! Goes the Country, a weekly syndicated country music variety television series, hosted by Ralph Emery, from 1974–1980, and then Tom T Hall during 1980-1981, and lastly Jim Varney for a handful of episodes through 1982.
  • Talent Varieties, a country music talent show in 1955 on ABC-TV.
  • The Porter Wagoner Show, aired from 1960 to 1979 and featured a young Dolly Parton and Mel Tillis.
  • That Good Ole Nashville Music, 1970–1985
  • Nashville Now, hosted live by Ralph Emery, the cornerstone nightly program for The Nashville Network from 1983 through 1993. Featured puppet co-host Shotgun Red.
  • Saturday Night Jamboree from New York on NBC, 1949-50.
  • The Statler Brothers Show, the highest rated show on The Nashville Network from 1991 until its last episode in 1998.
  • Village Barn on NBC from 1948–50, broadcast from a New York City nightclub. The first (and first live) country music program on network TV
  • The Wilburn Brothers Show, long running syndicated country variety television series, hosted by The Wilburn Brothers, running between 1963 and 1974. Launched the career of Loretta Lynn
  • Windy City Jamboree from Chicago on DuMont, 1950

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Famous quotes containing the word television:

    “It is marvelous indeed to watch on television the rings of Saturn close; and to speculate on what we may yet find at galaxy’s edge. But in the process, we have lost the human element; not to mention the high hope of those quaint days when flight would create “one world.” Instead of one world, we have “star wars,” and a future in which dumb dented human toys will drift mindlessly about the cosmos long after our small planet’s dead.”
    —Gore Vidal (b. 1925)

    “Television is an excellent system when one has nothing to lose, as is the case with a nomadic and rootless country like the United States, but in Europe the affect of television is that of a bulldozer which reduces culture to the lowest possible denominator.”
    —Marc Fumaroli (b. 1932)