2022 in American television


In American television in 2022, notable events included television show debuts, finales, and cancellations; channel launches, closures, and re-brandings; stations changing or adding their network affiliations; information on controversies, business transactions, and carriage disputes; and deaths of those who made various contributions to the medium.

Notable events

August

Television shows

Shows returning in 2022

The following shows will return with new episodes after being canceled or ended their run previously:
ShowLast airedType of returnPrevious channelNew TitleNew/returning/same channelReturn dateSource
Dirty Jobs2012RevivalDiscoverySamesameJanuary 2
Joe Millionaire2003RevivalFoxJoe Millionaire: For Richer or PoorersameJanuary 6
Fraggle Rock1987RebootHBOFraggle Rock: Back to the RockApple TV+January 21
Person to Person2012RevivalCBSSameCBS NewsJanuary 25
Celebrity Big Brother2019New seasonCBSSamesameFebruary 2
Real Husbands of Hollywood2016RevivalBETReal Husbands of Hollywood: More Kevin, More ProblemsBET+February 10
The Proud Family2005RevivalDisney ChannelThe Proud Family: Louder and ProuderDisney+February 23
Law & Order2010RevivalNBCSamesameFebruary 24
CBS Reports2010RevivalCBSSameCBS NewsFebruary 25
Mystery Science Theater 30002018New seasonNetflixSameGizmoplexMarch 4
Reading Rainbow2006RevivalPBSReading Rainbow LiveLoopedMarch 6
Anderson Cooper Full Circle2020New seasonCNN DigitalSameCNN+March 29
The Wonder List with Bill Weir2017New seasonCNNSameCNN+April 21
The Quest2014RevivalABCSameDisney+May 11
Don't Forget the Lyrics!2011RevivalFirst-run syndicationSameFoxMay 23
Yo! MTV Raps1995RevivalMTVSameParamount+May 24
All Rise2021New seasonCBSSameOWNJune 7
College Hill2009RevivalBETSameBET+June 27
Who Do You Think You Are?2018New seasonTLCSameNBCJuly 10
Live PD2020RevivalA&EOn Patrol: LiveReelzJuly 22
Beavis and Butt-Head2011RevivalMTVSameParamount+August 4
Password2009RevivalCBSSameNBCAugust 9
Bee and PuppyCat2016New seasonYouTubeSameNetflixSeptember 6
Ink Master2020New seasonParamount NetworkSameParamount+September 7
Quantum Leap1993RevivalNBCSamesameSeptember 19
The Mole2008RebootABCSameNetflixOctober 7
Step Up2018New seasonYouTube PremiumSameStarzOctober 16
Inside Amy Schumer2016New seasonComedy CentralSameParamount+October 20
The Surreal Life 2006New seasonVH1SamesameOctober 22
Manifest2021New seasonNBCSameNetflixNovember 4
E! News2020RevivalE!SamesameNovember 14
Criminal Minds2020New seasonCBSCriminal Minds: EvolutionParamount+November 24

Entering syndication in 2022

A list of programs that have accumulated enough episodes or seasons to be eligible for off-network syndication and/or basic cable runs.
ShowSeasonsIn ProductionNotesSource
9-1-16Yes
The Good Doctor6Yes
Fuller House6NoGAC Family's acquisition of the 2016–20 Netflix sitcom marks the first time that Fuller House has been carried on the same platform as its parent series, Full House.
American Housewife5NoNetwork syndication in addition to cable reruns
The Rookie4Yes
The Neighborhood4Yes
Wahlburgers10No

Television stations

Stations changing network affiliations

DateMarketStationChannelPrior affiliationNew affiliationNotesSource
January 1Salinas–Monterey–
Santa Cruz, California		KCBA35.1FoxCW+In December 2021, the News-Press & Gazette Company, owner of CBS affiliate KION-TV, purchased the rights to Fox network and syndicated programming held by KCBA. On January 1, KCBA's former intellectual unit—including the Fox affiliation—moved permanently to KION-DT2, while KCBA affiliated with The CW Plus, which relocated from the KION subchannel. The move resulted in the "Big Four" affiliations in the Salinas–Monterey market becoming controlled by only two commercial stations.
January 1Salinas–Monterey–
Santa Cruz, California		KION-TV46.2CW+FoxIn December 2021, the News-Press & Gazette Company, owner of CBS affiliate KION-TV, purchased the rights to Fox network and syndicated programming held by KCBA. On January 1, KCBA's former intellectual unit—including the Fox affiliation—moved permanently to KION-DT2, while KCBA affiliated with The CW Plus, which relocated from the KION subchannel. The move resulted in the "Big Four" affiliations in the Salinas–Monterey market becoming controlled by only two commercial stations.
January 3Bakersfield, CaliforniaKUVI-DT45.1True Crime NetworkTwist
January 21Marquette, MichiganWJMN-TV3.1CBSMyNetworkTV ;
Antenna TV 		On January 20, Lilly Broadcasting—as part of affiliation renewals involving sister stations WENY/Elmira, New York, and WSEE/Erie, Pennsylvania—announced that WZMQ would take over as the Upper Peninsula's CBS affiliate effective the following day, replacing Nexstar Media Group-owned WJMN-TV, which had carried the network's programming since February 1992, a byproduct of CBS's purchase of the station and Green Bay sister WFRV from Midwest Television and Radio. WJMN affiliated with MyNetworkTV and added programming from Nexstar-owned Antenna TV to fill vacated overnight/early morning and weekend slots, while retaining most of its syndicated content and expanding its twice-daily evening newscasts to one hour each. CBS was relegated to WZMQ-DT2, while adding morning weather inserts and evening newscasts produced primarily out of WSEE/WICU's Erie News Now operation in downtown Erie.
January 21Marquette, MichiganWZMQ19.2Start TVCBSOn January 20, Lilly Broadcasting—as part of affiliation renewals involving sister stations WENY/Elmira, New York, and WSEE/Erie, Pennsylvania—announced that WZMQ would take over as the Upper Peninsula's CBS affiliate effective the following day, replacing Nexstar Media Group-owned WJMN-TV, which had carried the network's programming since February 1992, a byproduct of CBS's purchase of the station and Green Bay sister WFRV from Midwest Television and Radio. WJMN affiliated with MyNetworkTV and added programming from Nexstar-owned Antenna TV to fill vacated overnight/early morning and weekend slots, while retaining most of its syndicated content and expanding its twice-daily evening newscasts to one hour each. CBS was relegated to WZMQ-DT2, while adding morning weather inserts and evening newscasts produced primarily out of WSEE/WICU's Erie News Now operation in downtown Erie.
January 25Alpena, MichiganWBKB-TV11.2Fox/MyNetworkTV NBCOn January 24, Marks Radio Group announced that WBKB-DT2 would switch to NBC the following day. In turn, the subchannel's former Fox, MyNetworkTV and syndicated programming inventory was moved to a new DT4 subchannel of that station. The addition of NBC programming results in the "Big Four" affiliations in the Alpena market becoming controlled by the market's sole commercial station and gave NBC local broadcast outlets in all 210 Nielsen DMAs. Previously, NBC programming had been provided to the area on cable and satellite via WTOM-TV/Cheboygan, which provides fringe over-the-air coverage to Alpena.
January 31Honolulu, HawaiiKIKU20.1ShopHQMulticultural IndependentOn January 31, Allen Media Broadcasting took over ownership of KIKU, thus making the 39-year-old independent a sister station of ABC affiliate KITV. It also brought back its previous multicultural schedule of Japanese, Chinese, and Tagalog-language programming that was removed by its then-owner WRNN-TV Associates in favor of a controversial deal with ShopHQ started on July 1, 2021, to exploit their must-carry coverage across all their stations, which especially sparked outrage from local viewers and the station's own management for removal of local-targeted programming in favor of a low-rated Mainland shopping network. In addition, KIKU will also serve as a secondary ABC affiliate for KITV, including simulcasting its newscasts and regular syndicated programming.
April 15San Francisco, CaliforniaKOFY-TV20.1IndependentGritKOFY ended all efforts to program as an independent station on its main channel on this date, and become a Grit affiliate.
May 8Washington, D.C.WDME-CD48.1Jewelry TelevisionMeTVWAZT-CD, a station sold to Weigel Broadcasting in October 2021 by Venture Technologies Group for $3 million, finishes up its existing Jewelry Television affiliation agreement, changing its calls on April 21, to WDME-CD. On May 8, 2022, it moves onto becoming the market's O&O for MeTV, replacing WTTG-DT2, along with adding Weigel's other networks to its subchannels.
June 1Las Vegas, NevadaKHSV21.1Heroes & IconsMeTVOn June 1, KLAS-TV moved Rewind TV from 8.4 to 8.2, and added Shop LC on 8.4, sending MeTV to KHSV's main subchannel, displacing Heroes & Icons and Decades to subchannels 21.2 and 21.6 respectively.
June 3Appleton–Green Bay, WisconsinWACY-TV32.1MyNetworkTVIndependentOn June 3, 2022, WACY disaffiliated with MyNetworkTV with no public notice, and returned to being an unaffiliated independent station for the first time since January 1995.
July 28Anaheim-Los Angeles, CaliforniaKDOC-TV56.1IndependentTCTAfter the sale by Ellis Communications to TCT for $41 million and a farewell special, KDOC-TV becomes the Christian television network's West Coast flagship station, though its other subchannels remain associated with their previous networks.
September 1Abilene, TexasKTES-LD40.1MeTVComet
September 1Bowling Green, KentuckyWBGS-LD34.1ABC TelemundoWBKO simulcast moves to WBGS's second digital subchannel.
September 1Nashville, TennesseeWTNX-LD15.1NBC TelemundoWSMV simulcast moves to WTNX's second digital subchannel
September 12Charleston, South CarolinaWGWG4.1Heroes & IconsMeTV
September 19Boston, MassachusettsWSBK-TV38.1MyNetworkTVIndependentOn September 19, CBS News and Stations-owned WSBK and WBFS quietly disaffiliated from MyNetworkTV with the start of the new television season and replace the timeslots that the service's programming occupied with syndicated programs and local newscasts produced by their sister stations. The absence of any replacement affiliates for MyNetworkTV in Miami and Boston leaves the programming service with its largest loss of TV households by market rank.
September 19Miami, FloridaWBFS-TV33.1MyNetworkTVIndependentOn September 19, CBS News and Stations-owned WSBK and WBFS quietly disaffiliated from MyNetworkTV with the start of the new television season and replace the timeslots that the service's programming occupied with syndicated programs and local newscasts produced by their sister stations. The absence of any replacement affiliates for MyNetworkTV in Miami and Boston leaves the programming service with its largest loss of TV households by market rank.
November 2Tijuana, Baja California-San Diego, CaliforniaXHAS-TDT33.1Azteca AméricaSpanish independentIt was announced in October 2022 that Intermedia, owner of XHILA-TDT in Mexicali, would take over programming for the station on November 2, to be called "Canal 33".
November 10Abilene, TexasKTES-LD40.1CometTBD
November 13Chattanooga, TennesseeWDSI-TV61.1This TVTrue Crime Network
November 14Zanesville, OhioWHIZ-TV18.2Cozi TV Fox ;
MyNetworkTV 		On October 24, Marquee Broadcasting-owned NBC affiliate WHIZ-TV, the only full-power commercial station in the small Zanesville market, moved its DT2 subchannel's affiliation Cozi TV to DT3 and announced that DT2 would be joining Fox and MyNetworkTV effective November 14. This left Glendive, Montana, the smallest media market in the country, as the only Nielsen DMA without either a locally based Fox affiliate. Previously, Fox was shown on the DT3 subchannel of ABC affiliate WSYX, and before that WTTE, while WSYX's DT2 subchannel showed MyNetworkTV, all in nearby Columbus, had served the Zanesville area on local cable and satellite systems.