1983 in Australian television

Events

Television

• January – Australian Music's Awards ceremony Countdown Awards rebrands the name to Countdown Music and Video Awards. As a result, Countdown returns for 1983 with a revamp, and gone were the screaming-louded studio audience, the iconic jingle and in their place – a quiet studio
• 24 January – Australian soap opera from Crawford Productions, Carson's Law, premieres on Network Ten starting off as a 90-minute movie length episode with another two-hour episode in the same timeslot the following night before settling into its twice-weekly 60-minute format the following week.
• 6 February - Seven Network's soap opera, Sons and Daughters, premieres on UK television, on the ITV network. All fourteen ITV regions air the entire series at their own pace during daytime, until 1994.
• March – British children's animated series Danger Mouse airs on ABC in Victoria and some other states of Australia for the first time.
• 10 March – Final episode of the Australian drama series The Sullivans airs on Nine Network.
• 30 March – Australian drama series The Young Doctors airs it final episode on Nine Network after a record-breaking of over 1,396 episodes.
• 22 April – The 25th Anniversary TV Week Logie Awards, hosted by Michael Willesee airs on Network Ten.
• 24 April – The Eurovision Song Contest is telecast in Australia for the first time.
• 30 April – Four Corners program aired exposing allegations that NSW Premier Neville Wran had tried to influence the magistry over the dropping of fraud charges against Kevin Humphreys, charged with misappropriation of funds from the Balmain Leagues Club. Humphreys is forced to resign his position as President of the NSWRL, while Wran has to face the Street Royal Commission over the allegations and was later exonerated.
• 19 May – Australian drama series Patrol Boat returns for a brand new series on ABC.
• 10 June – James Dibble retires from presenting ABC News NSW after 26 years.
• 1 July – The Australian Broadcasting Commission changes its name to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
• 11 August – The ABC airs the final episode of the Australian drama series Patrol Boat.
• 26 September – After Australia's America's Cup win, Prime Minister Bob Hawke goes on the Today show and declared a national public holiday for that day, stating that "Any boss who sacks a worker for not turning up today is a bum."
• 14 October – Channel 0/28 commences transmission in Canberra, Goulburn and Cooma on the UHF band, and changes its name to Network 0/28.
• 29 October – Seven Network and various regional stations broadcast a selection of movies and TV programs in 3D in a 2-hour experiment.
• 20 November – Debut of American sitcom Cheers on the Nine Network.
• 27 November – The last ever episode of The Don Lane Show goes to air on the Nine Network. In the last episode before immigrating back to America, Don Lane celebrated his 50th Birthday Party.

Debuts

• 24 January – Carson's Law
• 2 February – Waterloo Station
• 3 March – Come and Get It
• 6 March – The Dismissal
• 18 April – Starting Out
• 12 July – Kings
• 12 September – The Willow Bend Mystery
• 20 September – Scales of Justice
• 26 September – Australia You're Standing In It
• 4 October – All the Rivers Run
• 24 October – Captain Cookaburra's Australiha
• 4 November – ''Five Mile Creek''

New international programming

• 6 January – / The Coral Island
• 12 January – The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
• 8 February – Remington Steele
• 8 February – Airline
• 11 February – Matt Houston
• 18 February – Joanie Loves Chachi
• 21 February – Tales of the Gold Monkey
• 21 February – The Chinese Detective
• 23 February – It Takes a Worried Man
• 5 March – Pac-Man
• 7 March – // Ritter's Cove
• 8 March – Under the Mountain
• 11 March – The Amazing Adventures of Morph
• 24 March – Knight Rider (1982)
• 25 March – Fame
• 5 April – Holocaust
• 12 April – Metal Mickey
• 23 April – Tucker's Witch
• 25 April – Never the Twain
• 25 April – The President's Diamonds
• 26 April – Bring 'Em Back Alive
• 27 April – The Devlin Connection
• 4 May – Gustavus
• 9 May – Casper and the Angels
• 5 June – Herbie the Love Bug
• 12 June – The Barchester Chronicles
• 17 June – Andy Robson
• 24 June – Sea Urchins
• 6 July – The Legend of King Arthur
• 29 July – T.J. Hooker
• 31 July – Harry's Game
• 8 August – Star Blazers
• 8 August – Seeing Things
• 22 August – Cecilia's Family
• 19 September – Codename Icarus
• 1 October – He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983)
• 14 October – No Soap, Radio
• 13 November – Teachers Only
• 14 November – Gavilan
• 15 November – Open All Night
• 15 November – World War III
• 16 November – Silver Spoons
• 18 November – // Fraggle Rock
• 20 November – Cheers
• 22 November – Simon and Simon
• 23 November – The Renegades
• 27 November – At Ease
• 28 November – Family Ties
• 1 December – Casablanca
• 9 December – Highcliffe Manor
• 16 December – Secombe with Music
• 23 December – Astro Boy (1980)
• 25 December – The Snowman
• ''Pandamonium''

Television shows

1950s

• ''Mr. Squiggle and Friends''

1960s

• ''Four Corners''

1970s

• ''Prisoner''

1980s

• ''Today''

Ending this year

• 10 March – The Sullivans
• 30 March – The Young Doctors
• 20 May – The Simon Gallaher Show
• 11 August – Patrol Boat
• 4 October – Scales of Justice
• 13 November – ''The Don Lane Show''