- February 9 - After a long delay, BBC Choice is replaced by BBC Three . The opening night is Simulcast on BBC Two .
- February 9- 10 - ITV1 screens the controversial two-part drama '' The Second Coming '', set around the return to Earth of Jesus Christ in modern-day Manchester .
- February 16 - The 300th episode of '' The Simpsons '' airs the same night as the Married...With Children reunion special airs.
- Late February - March - Talk show host David Letterman is forced to take a few weeks off from his '' Late Show With David Letterman '' due to a bout of Shingles (subsequent Top Ten Lists would occasionally have entries that poked fun at this). A string of celebrities guest host for Letterman while he's away including Bruce Willis , Regis Philbin , Will Ferrell and Elvis Costello .
- April 22 - On '' All My Children '', Bianca Montgomery ( Eden Riegel ) kisses Lena Kundera ( Olga Sosnovska ); this is the first Lesbian kiss on American daytime television.
- June 28 - The Game Show '' Judgement Day '' premieres on ITV1 , hosted by Brian Conley . It is cancelled after two episodes due to very low ratings, the second quickest cancellation in UK TV history; the first was Heil Honey I'm Home! in 1990 , Cancelled After One Episode .
- September 5 - The much vaunted TV3 rival to RTÉ 's '' The Late Late Show '' ( Ireland ), Eamon Dunphy 's '' The Dunphy Show '' premieres and bombs, pulling in less than half the Late Late's viewership. The show is axed after December 12 after only 12 shows.
- '' launch a season-long story arc, the first time a full season of a ''Star Trek'' series has been devoted to one storyline. Three episodes into the new season, as a gesture to win back Trekkers , the series title is changed to the more traditional ''Star Trek: Enterprise''.
- September 29 - '' EastEnders '' brings ''Dirty Den'' back from the supposed dead after fourteen years.
- October 4 - A Live Action version of the popular '' Sailor Moon '' franchise premieres on Japan ese television. The show spreads around the world as fans of the Japanese Anime of the same name post whole episodes of the program onto the Internet .
- October 5 - '' Coronation Street '' shows its first Gay kiss.
- October 5 - Psychological Illusionist Derren Brown controversially plays Russian Roulette live on Channel 4 , though with a slight delay just in case the stunt goes wrong.
- October 23 - Longtime broadcaster on the BBC and ITN , and latterly news anchor on Sky News , Bob Friend retires.
- November 10 - The 4000th episode of '' Wheel Of Fortune '' since the pairing of host and hostess Pat Sajak and Vanna White airs.
- November 11 - BBC current affairs series '' Panorama '', launched in 1953 , becomes the first UK television show to reach its 50th anniversary on air.
- .
- November 23 - 40th anniversary of the first broadcast of '' Doctor Who '' in the UK. In the weeks leading up to this milestone, the BBC announces that a new series of ''Doctor Who'' -- the show last aired as a weekly program in 1989 -- will debut in 2005 .
- January 22 - '' Chappelle's Show '' premieres on Comedy Central (2003-2004).
- April 6 - '' Sonic X '' premieres on TV Tokyo in Japan , later introduced to the Fox Box (now known as 4Kids TV ) on September 6 (2003-present).
- May 18 - '' State Of Play '' (UK), a six-part serial from Paul Abbott , begins its run on BBC One , concluding on June 22 . A sequel is planned for 2006 .
- May 26 - '' Unscrewed With Martin Sargent '' premieres on TechTV (now G4TV (2003- 2004 ).
- June 2 - '' Train 48 '' premieres on the Global Television Network in Canada (2003-2005).
- June 27 - '' Dead Like Me '' premieres on Showtime (2003-present).
- July 1 - '' Reno 911! '' premieres on Comedy Central (2003-present).
- July 15 - '' Queer Eye For The Straight Guy '' premieres on Bravo (2003-present).
- July 22 - '' Nip/Tuck '' premieres on FX (2003-present).
- August 1 - '' My Life As A Teenage Robot '' premieres on Nickelodeon (2003-present).
- August 5 - '' The O.C. '' premieres on FOX (2003-present).
- August 26 - '' Playmakers '' premieres on ESPN , and is cancelled on November 11 .
- September 9 - '' Whoopi '', with Whoopi Goldberg , premieres on NBC (2003-2004).
- September 9 - '' Happy Family '' premieres on NBC (2003-2004).
- September 9- '' Starting Over '' premieres. (syndicated) (2003-pressent).
- September 13 - '' Romeo! '' premieres on Nickelodeon (2003-present).
- September 14 - '' Carnivàle '' premieres on HBO (2003-2005).
- September 14 - '''' premieres on ABC Kids (2003-present).
- September 15 - '' Eve '' premieres on UPN (2003-present).
- September 18 - '' Threat Matrix '' premieres on ABC (2003-2004).
- September 22 - '' Las Vegas '' premieres on NBC (2003-present).
- September 22 - '' Two And A Half Men '' premieres on CBS (2003-present).
- September 23 - '' I'm With Her '' premieres on ABC (2003-2004).
- September 23 - '' NCIS '' premieres on CBS (2003-present).
- September 23 - '' One Tree Hill '' premieres on the WB (2003-present).
- September 26 - '' Hope And Faith '' premieres on ABC (2003-present).
- September 26 - '' Joan Of Arcadia '' premieres on CBS (2003-2005).
- September 26 - '' The Handler '' premieres on CBS (2003-2004).
- September 28 - '' Cold Case '' premieres on CBS (2003-present).
- September 28 - '''' premieres (2003-2004).
- October 1 - '' It's All Relative '' premieres on ABC (2003-2004).
- October 1 - '' Karen Sisco '' premieres on ABC, and is cancelled on November 12 .
- October 3 - '' Married To The Kellys '' premieres on ABC (2003-2004).
- October 16 - '' Superstars '' returns to BBC One (1973-1985, 2003-2005).
- November 1 - '' Xiaolin Showdown '' premieres on Kids' WB! (2003-present).
- November 2 - '' Arrested Development '' premieres (2003-present).
- '' premieres on Cartoon Network (2003- 2005 ).
- November 29 - '' All Grown Up! '', a Rugrats spinoff, premieres on Nickelodeon (2003-present).
- December 8 - '' Battlestar Galactica '' premieres on Sky One in the UK (2003-present).
- March 21 - '' Farscape '' (1999-2003).
- April 6 - '' Clocking Off '' (UK) (2000-2003).
- April 27 - '' Touched By An Angel '' (1994-2003).
- May 7 - '' Stargate Infinity '' (2002-2003).
- May 20 - '' Buffy The Vampire Slayer '' (1997-2003).
- May 21 - '' The Twilight Zone '' ( 1959 -1964, 1985-1988, ).
- May 28 - '' Dawson's Creek '' (1998-2003).
- May 30 - '' Crossroads '' (UK) ends for the second time. The last episode reveals that the entire 2003 series had been a dream, and that the characters were actually working in a Supermarket (1964-1988, ).
- July 14 - '' Digimon '' ends with its series finale End Of The Line (1999-2003).
- August 8 - '' This Is Your Life '' (UK) ( 1955 -2003).
- August 10 - '' Futurama '' (1999-2003).
- August 16 - '' Just Shoot Me '' (1997-2003).
- October 3 - The ABC Soap Opera '' Port Charles '', the spin-off of the popular '' General Hospital '' is cancelled due to low ratings after the show was nominated for its first Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Drama Series". It ended in a cliffhanger with characters Alison ( Erin Hershey Presley ) and Rafe ( Brian Gaskill ) getting married, Livvie ( Kelly Monaco ) and Caleb ( Michael Easton ) slept together and Jamal ( Kiko Ellsworth ) reveals that his girlfriend is a werewolf (1997-2003).
- '' (2000-2003).
- December 19 - '' Fifteen To One '' (1988-2003).
- December 24 - '' Absolutely Fabulous '' (UK) (1992-1996, ).
- December 25 - '' Only Fools And Horses '' (UK) (1981- 1983 , 1985-1993, 1996-1997, ) (the only episode aired this year was the Christmas special ''Sleepless in Peckham'').
- December 27 - '' SMTV Live '' (UK) (1998-2003).
- January 12 - Maurice Gibb , 53, Actor /songwriter of the Bee Gees .
- January 23 - Nell Carter , 54, actress, singer, of '' Gimme A Break ''.
- February 27 - Fred Rogers , 74, TV's "Mister Rogers" of '' Mister Rogers' Neighborhood ''.
- March 22 - Terry Lloyd , 50, news reporter, killed during Iraq War skirmish.
- March 30 - Gaby Rado , 48, news reporter, accidental death while covering Iraq War.
- April 2 - Pat Leavy , ''Hannah Finnegan'' in '' Fair City '' after being taken ill on set.
- September 11 - John Ritter , 54, known mostly as Jack Tripper from '' Three's Company '', but at the time was involved in the sitcom '' 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter '' and the cartoon '' Clifford The Big Red Dog ''.
- October 4 - James Forlong , 44, dismissed Sky News journalist accused of faking Iraq War report, commits suicide.
- October 21 - Fred Berry , 52, actor (Freddie "Rerun" Stubbs on '' What's Happening!! '').
- October 27 - Rod Roddy , 66, announcer on '' Press Your Luck '', '' Soap '', and, most famously, ''The Price Is Right''.
- November 9 - Art Carney , 85, actor.
- Don Taylor , 67, director.
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