| Date | Event |
| January 3 |
The first television sets with built-in closed-caption display are introduced in the United States. |
| January 14 |
Wheel of Fortune returned to NBC (but would ultimately be canceled on September 20, after a 16½ year run on daytime network television). |
| January 16 |
All major television network schedules were pre-empted by Gulf War coverage right after the evening news broadcasts. The planned broadcasts included Seinfeld. |
| February 3 |
After 17 years, the 1st generation CBS Special Presentation bumper is shown for the final time. |
| February 9 |
Tim Meadows and Adam Sandler joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. (Meadows stays with the show until 2000, while Sandler departs during 1995.) |
| March 3 |
In Los Angeles, California, African-American Rodney King was beaten severely by police officers after leading them on a high-speed chase and allegedly resisting arrest. A video was made by observers, and portions of the tape are broadcast repeatedly, resulting in massive rioting in the Los Angeles area. |
| March 16 |
A. Whitney Brown makes his final appearance on the program Saturday Night Live. |
| March 27 |
Deidre Hall returns on-screen to Days of Our Lives after a four-year absence in which her character, Marlena Evans is revealed to be mysteriously alive and kept hidden outside of Salem after being presumed dead in an accident nearly four years prior. |
| April 1 |
The premium movie channel Encore launches in the United States, primarily on TCI cable systems. The channel initially displayed movies from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, before eventually phasing in more recent movies by the 2000s (decade). Showtime Networks initiated Flix, a premium channel with a format identical to Encore less than a year-and-a-half later. |
| CBS began broadcasting a late-night crime-investigation program entitled Crimetime After Primetime. |
| April 5 |
Katie Couric is designated as co-host of the The Today Show after substituting as host since February 1991. |
| April 20 |
The Museum of Broadcasting, now known as The Paley Center for Media, relocates into its new 17-story building, located a block from its previous location in New York City. |
| May 3 |
The final episode of Dallas is broadcast by CBS; it was 21 years later before it was resumed. |
| May 19 |
Knight Rider 2000 is first televised by NBC. |
| May 21 |
Financial News Network ceases broadcasting after being bought out by CNBC. |
| June 1 |
After merging with Ha! and The Comedy Channel. CTV: The Comedy Network becomes Comedy Central. This is to avoid confusion with the Canadian broadcast network known as CTV. |
| July 1 |
Court TV (now TruTV) goes on the air. |
| August 11 |
Nickelodeon introduced its first original animated series, Doug, Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show. |
| August 13 |
The time slot for Full House was moved from Friday's TGIF lineup to Tuesday nights (remaining there until its finale in 1995). |
| September 1 |
E! News debuts. |
| September 8 |
Minnie Pearl makes her final appearance on the program Hee Haw. |
| September 9–13 |
The 20th Anniversary week of The Price Is Right is celebrated during this week on CBS. |
| September 30 |
Square One TV returns for its fourth season. |
| October 13 |
Jennifer Lopez joins the cast as one of the Fly Girls of the series In Living Color. Other cast additions include future Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx and Steve Park. Shawn Wayans, the original DJ for the show, is replaced by Twist. Wayans joins the cast until the end of the next season. |
| November 14 |
Michael Jackson's song Black or White was first televised by Fox. This is the first Michael Jackson music video to be shown by Fox, along with other MTV Networks music channels. |
| November 16 |
Ellen Cleghorne, Melanie Hutsell and Beth Cahill join the cast of Saturday Night Live. |
| December 1 |
Britney Spears appears on the program Star Search. |
| December 8 |
Tim Russert becomes moderator of Meet the Press a job he possesses until his sudden death in 2008. |