The following is the 1959–60 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1959 through March 1960. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1958–59 season.

By the end of the 1950s, the three major U.S. television networks had basically given up direct control of their TV programs. According to TV historians Castleman and Podrazik (1982), ABC allowed Warner Brothers studios to fill 30% of its fall 1959 schedule. The networks "acted as mere conduits", with Warner, Talent Associates, Revue Studios, Ziv, Screen Gems, 20th Century-Fox, Goodson-Todman, and Desilu Studios producing nearly everything on the networks; with rare exceptions, only network news and sports were still produced in-house.

By fall 1959 what the Hollywood studios were producing were mostly Westerns. According to Castleman and Podrazik (1984), "the rush to Westerns had become a virtual stampede so that, by the fall of 1959, viewers had their choice from a staggering twenty-eight different Western-based prime time series."Castleman, H. and Podrazik, W. (1984) The TV Schedule Book: Four Decades of Network Programming from Sign-on to Sign-off. McGraw-Hill. pg 79-85. Westerns were popular with audiences, but critics lamented the loss of other program formats, which had quietly vanished from the three networks' schedules. The addition of Westerns and game shows came at the direct expense of the live dramatic anthology series seen during the Golden Age of Television.Heldenfels, R. D. (1994) Television's Greatest Year: 1954. New York: Continuum, pg 210.

The official schedule was set by each network before the start of the official fall season. The fall season is from September to November in the U.S. The mid-season schedule is listed under the official fall season lineup of each network. The mid-season schedule is from December 1959 to May 1960.

Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.Highest-rated series is based on the annual top-rated programs list compiled by Nielsen Media Research and reported in: Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine. .

Legend

Schedule New series are highlighted in bold. All times are U.S. Eastern Time and Pacific Time (except for some live sports or events). Subtract one hour for Central, Mountain, Alaska and Hawaii–Aleutian times.

Sunday

Network7:00 p.m.7:30 p.m.8:00 p.m.8:30 p.m.9:00 p.m.9:30 p.m.10:00 p.m.10:30 p.m. ABC Fall Colt .45 Maverick (19/25.2) Lawman (15/26.2) The Rebel The Alaskans Dick Clark's World of Talent Winter 21 Beacon Street Spring Broken Arrow Johnny Staccato CBS Fall Lassie (29/23.1)(Tied with The Perry Como Show) Dennis the Menace (16/26.0) The Ed Sullivan Show (12/28.0) General Electric Theater (21/24.4)(Tied with Mr. Lucky and Zane Grey Theater) Alfred Hitchcock Presents (25/24.1) The Jack Benny Program / The George Gobel Show What's My Line? (27/23.9) Summer Lucy in Connecticut NBC Fall Riverboat NBC Sunday Showcase (In COLOR) The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (In COLOR) The Loretta Young Show Late winter Overland Trail Summer Music on Ice (In COLOR) The Chevy Mystery Show (In COLOR) Notes: Lucy in Connecticut consisted of reruns of I Love Lucy from the final 13 episodes of the 1956-57 season when the Lucy and Ricky Ricardo characters made their home in Westport, Connecticut. On ABC, 21 Beacon Street consisted of reruns of NBC's 1959 summer series.

Monday

Network7:00 p.m.7:30 p.m.8:00 p.m.8:30 p.m.9:00 p.m.9:30 p.m.10:00 p.m.10:30 p.m. ABC Cheyenne (17/25.9) Bourbon Street Beat Adventures in Paradise Man with a Camera CBS Fall Local programming (7:00) / Masquerade Party The Texan Father Knows Best (6/29.7)(Tied with 77 Sunset Strip) The Danny Thomas Show (4/31.1) The Ann Sothern Show (24/24.2) Hennesey The DuPont Show with June Allyson Winter The Kate Smith Show Summer New Comedy Showcase NBC Fall Local programming (7:00) / Richard Diamond, Private Detective Love and Marriage Tales of Wells Fargo Peter Gunn Alcoa Theatre / Goodyear Television Playhouse The Steve Allen Plymouth Show** (In COLOR) Late winter Riverboat

(*) In some areas, Douglas Edwards with the News and The Huntley-Brinkley Report aired at 6:45 p.m. (**) Formerly known as The Steve Allen Show

Note: On CBS, the summer series New Comedy Showcase was an anthology series composed of unsold television pilots.

Tuesday

Network7:00 p.m.7:30 p.m.8:00 p.m.8:30 p.m.9:00 p.m.9:30 p.m.10:00 p.m.10:30 p.m. ABC Sugarfoot / Bronco The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (20/25.0) The Rifleman (13/27.5) Philip Marlowe Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond Keep Talking CBS Fall Local programming (7:00) / The Dennis O'Keefe Show The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis Tightrope! The Red Skelton Show (Sporadically in COLOR) (5/30.8) The Garry Moore Show Summer Peck's Bad Girl The Comedy SpotDiagnosis: Unknown NBC Fall Local programming (7:00) / Laramie Fibber McGee and Molly The Arthur Murray Party (In COLOR) Startime (In COLOR) Spring Startime (In COLOR) The Arthur Murray Party (In COLOR) M Squad Summer Gas Company Playhouse / NBC Playhouse (alternating) Richard Diamond, Private Detective Notes: On CBS, the summer anthology series The Comedy Spot consisted of broadcasts of unsold television pilots and reruns of episodes of General Electric Theater and NBC's Colgate Theater. Gas Company Playhouse, hosted by Julia Meade, consisted of reruns of episodes of Goodyear Television Playhouse, The David Niven Show, Colgate Theater, and Alcoa Theatre. NBC Playhouse, hosted by Jeanne Bal, consisted of reruns of episodes of The Loretta Young Show in which Loretta Young had not starred.

Wednesday

Network7:00 p.m.7:30 p.m.8:00 p.m.8:30 p.m.9:00 p.m.9:30 p.m.10:00 p.m.10:30 p.m. ABC Fall The Court of Last Resort Charley Weaver's Hobby Lobby The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet Hawaiian Eye The Wednesday Night Fights Late winter Music For a Spring Night Spring Music For a Spring Night Late spring Music For a Summer Night CBS Fall Local programming (7:00) / The Lineup Men into Space The Millionaire I've Got a Secret (28/23.5) Armstrong Circle Theatre / The United States Steel Hour Winter Be Our Guest NBC Fall Local programming (7:00) / Wagon Train (2/38.4) The Price Is Right (In COLOR) (8/29.2) The Perry Como Show (29/23.1)(Tied with Lassie) (In COLOR) This Is Your Life Wichita Town Summer Happy Tate Note: On ABC, Music For a Spring Night was the summer 1959 series Music For a Summer Night renamed. It reverted to the name Music For a Summer Night in May 1960.

Thursday

Network7:00 p.m.7:30 p.m.8:00 p.m.8:30 p.m.9:00 p.m.9:30 p.m.10:00 p.m.10:30 p.m. ABC Fall The Gale Storm Show The Donna Reed Show The Real McCoys (11/28.2) The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom The Untouchables Take a Good Look Summer The Jeannie Carson Show CBS Fall Local programming (7:00) / To Tell the Truth The Betty Hutton Show Johnny Ringo Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (21/24.4)(Tied with Mr. Lucky and General Electric Theater) Playhouse 90 / The Big Party Winter Markham The Revlon Revue Summer The Invisible Man NBC Fall Local programming (7:00) / Law of the Plainsman Bat Masterson Johnny Staccato* Bachelor Father The Ford Show (14/27.4) (In COLOR) You Bet Your Life (26/24.0) The Lawless Years Summer Wrangler Note: The ABC 1960 summer series The Jeannie Carson Show consisted of reruns of the 1956-1957 CBS situation comedy Hey, Jeannie! Johnny Staccato later moved to ABC.

Friday

Network7:00 p.m.7:30 p.m.8:00 p.m.8:30 p.m.9:00 p.m.9:30 p.m.10:00 p.m.10:30 p.m.ABC Walt Disney Presents The Man From Blackhawk 77 Sunset Strip (6/29.7)(Tied with Father Knows Best) The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor Black SaddleCBS Local programming (7:00) / Rawhide (18/25.8) Hotel de Paree Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse The Twilight Zone Person to PersonNBC Fall Local programming (7:00) / People Are Funny The Troubleshooters The Bell Telephone Hour (In COLOR) M Squad Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (10:00) / Phillies Jackpot Bowling (10:45) Winter Masquerade Party

Notes: On CBS, The Westinghouse Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show aired once a month at 9 p.m. On NBC, NBC Friday Night Special Presentation (In COLOR) aired once a month at 8:30 p.m.

Saturday

Network7:30 p.m.8:00 p.m.8:30 p.m.9:00 p.m.9:30 p.m.10:00 p.m.10:30 p.m. ABC Dick Clark's Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show John Gunther's High Road Leave It to Beaver The Lawrence Welk Show Jubilee USA CBS Fall Perry Mason (10/28.3) Wanted Dead or Alive (9/28.7) Mr. Lucky (21/24.4)(Tied with Zane Grey Theater and General Electric Theater) Have Gun – Will Travel (3/34.7) Gunsmoke (1/40.3) Markham Winter NBC Fall Bonanza (In COLOR) The Man and the Challenge The Deputy Five Fingers It Could Be You Winter World Wide '60 Man from Interpol

By network

ABC

Returning Series 77 Sunset Strip The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond Black Saddle Broken Arrow Bronco Cheyenne Colt .45 Dick Clark's Saturday Night Beach-Nut Show The Donna Reed Show The Gale Storm Show The Jeannie Carson Show Johnny Staccato (moved from NBC later this season) Jubilee USA Keep Talking Lawman The Lawrence Welk Show Leave It to Beaver The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp Man with a Camera Maverick Music for a Spring Night Music for a Summer Night The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom The Rifleman Sugarfoot Walt Disney Presents The Wednesday Night Fights

New Series The Alaskans Black Saddle * Bourbon Street Beat Charley Weaver's Hobby Lobby The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor Dick Clark's World of Talent Hawaiian Eye John Gunther's High Road The Man from Blackhawk Matty's Funday Funnies Philip Marlowe Playhouse 90 The Rebel Take a Good Look The United States Steel Hour The Untouchables Walter Cronkite with the News Wanted: Dead or Alive

Not returning from 1958–59: ABC News Accused Anybody Can Play/Anyone Can Play The Billy Graham Crusade Bold Journey Confession Deadline for Action Dr. I.Q. Encounter John Daly and the News Lawrence Welk's Dodge Dancing Party Lawrence Welk's Plymouth Show The Patti Page Oldsmobile Show Polka Go-Round Rough Riders Sammy Kaye's Music from Manhattan Tales of the Texas Rangers This is Music Traffic Court The Voice of Firestone Walt Disney Presents You Asked For It Zorro

CBS

Returning Series Alfred Hitchcock Presents Armstrong Circle Theatre The Ann Sothern Show Brenner The Danny Thomas Show Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater Douglas Edwards with the News DuPont Show of the Month The Ed Sullivan Show Father Knows Best The Garry Moore Show General Electric Theater The George Gobel Show (moved from NBC) Gunsmoke Have Gun — Will Travel The Invisible Man I've Got a Secret The Jack Benny Program Lassie Leave It to Beaver The Lineup Markham Masquerade Party The Millionaire Perry Mason Peck's Bad Girl Person to Person Playhouse 90 Rawhide The Red Skelton Show The Spike Jones Show The Texan To Tell the Truth The Twentieth Century The United States Steel Hour Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse The Westinghouse Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Show Wanted Dead or Alive What's My Line

New Series Be Our Guest * The Betty Hutton Show The Big Party Buick-Electra Playhouse The Comedy Spot * The Dennis O'Keefe Show Dennis the Menace The Deputy Diagnosis: Unknown * The DuPont Show with June Allyson Hennesey Hotel de Paree Johnny Ringo The Kate Smith Show * The Lineup Lucy in Connecticut The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis Men into Space Mr. Lucky New Comedy Showcase * The Revlon Revue * The Robert Herridge Theatre Tightrope! The Twilight Zone

Not returning from 1958–59: The $64,000 Question Armstrong by Request The Arthur Godfrey Show December Bride Lux Playhouse Name That Tune The Phil Silvers Show Pursuit Schlitz Playhouse Stars in Action That's My Boy Trackdown Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse