Wheel of Fortune timeline (network)

An incomplete timeline for the daytime version of Wheel of Fortune.

Pilots (1973-74)
September 1973 :
 * At some point in September, the Shopper's Bazaar pilot is taped for NBC by request of Lin Bolen to Merv Griffin. It is markedly different from the eventual series in various ways, including:
 * 1) The show is hosted by Chuck Woolery, with announcer Mike Lawrence.
 * 2) The Wheel is vertical and mechanical, with no Bankrupts and only one Lose A Turn. Unique spaces on this Wheel are $0, Free Vowel, and Your Own Clue.
 * 3) Your Own Clue involves a rotary telephone where Lawrence dispenses a clue for the contestant who spins it. The clues get more detailed the more it is hit, but only for that player.
 * 4) Top dollar is $500 for Rounds 1-2 and $1,000 for Round 3 onward.
 * 5) The Bonus Round, called the "Shopper's Special", is the name of the prize the contestant is playing for. The winner is shown all vowels in the puzzle, then has 30 seconds to give consonants to fill in the solution.
 * This pilot is held by Game Show Network (GSN) who, despite airing numerous pilots over the years, have (so far) not shown it.

September 1974 :
 * At some point in September, the second and third pilots (now called Wheel of Fortune) are taped in Los Angeles for NBC. Changes include:
 * 1) Edd Byrnes and Charlie O'Donnell replace Woolery and Lawrence.
 * 2) The Wheel is now horizontal, with much larger wedges plus Bankrupt and Buy A Vowel spaces. Bankrupt takes away that contestant's money and turn, while Buy A Vowel allows players to purchase a vowel for $250; if the player does not have $250, or all vowels in the puzzle have been called, it acts like Lose A Turn.
 * 3) The Wheel's top dollar for each round is presumably increased to $500 for Rounds 1-2, $750 for Round 3, and $1,000 thereafter. The minimum value is $50.
 * 4) The puzzle board is now gray with 39 trilons on three rows and a single light border. The trilons show green sparkles for unused spaces, a solid white for unrevealed letters, and black letters on a white background. Once a contestant solves the puzzle, all letters light up and the unrevealed ones are turned around.
 * 5) Contestants now purchase from a "showcase" of prizes located behind the puzzle board, which moves away so the player can shop. Both pilots use the same prizes, with their names and values scrolling on-screen; a "SOLD" tag marks prizes already purchased.
 * While the puzzle board is designed to be mechanical, this element is not completed by the time of taping. Susan Stafford is hired to turn the letters.
 * Edd is drunk during these pilots, as he recounts in his autobiography Kookie No More. On the first taping, he makes faces at the camera; on the second, he makes noises as the Wheel spins. He also bullies at least one contestant into spinning again, yelling "No! You only have $300! You can't solve yet!"
 * When shown to test audiences, the response is that the new set is too busy and Byrnes does not fit. Bolen insists the show be picked up anyway, and her bosses agree on one condition – Chuck is host, not Edd. (It is rumored that Edd was caught reciting his vowels backstage by Merv.)

Season 1 (1975)
January 1975 :
 * Wheel of Fortune debuts on January 6, 1975, replacing Jeopardy! as per contract but in the 10:30 AM slot formerly held by Winning Streak. Changes from the 1974 pilots, other than Chuck hosting, are:
 * 1) The show's theme song is changed from "Give It One" by Maynard Ferguson to "Big Wheels" by Alan Thicke. Thicke also supplies the show's other music cues.
 * 2) The Wheel's values are moved around a bit, with the minimum now $25. $50 and $75 spaces are also present.
 * 3) The puzzle board trilons now turn clockwise instead of counterclockwise.
 * January 6 has the first discarded puzzle. As mentioned by Charlie during the credits, the contestant who won it was credited with her winnings, a new puzzle was substituted, and the program edited.
 * The January 6 show is known to exist, as clips of it were used in the show's E! True Hollywood Story.

February 1975 :

March 1975 :
 * On March 17, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, Wheel and NBC's other daytime games (then Blank Check, Celebrity Sweepstakes, High Rollers, The Hollywood Squares, and Jackpot!) participate in the "Shamrock Sweepstakes". Players from these games answer questions about Ireland and Irish(-American) people, with a top prize of $100,000.

April 1975 :

May 1975 :

June 1975 :

July 1975 :

August 1975 :

Season 2 (1975-76)
September 1975 :
 * By about this point, Milton-Bradley releases two board game adaptations. These are the only versions to use the shopping element, and the only ones to contain Buy A Vowel.
 * By the time of Milton-Bradley's First Edition game, the Wheel's minimum value is increased to $100.

October 1975 :

November 1975 :

December 1975 :
 * On December 1, in the wake of The Price Is Right expanding to 60 minutes a month earlier, Wheel expands to 11:30 AM. High Rollers, which normally occupies the 11:00 slot, does not air during this period.

January 1976 :
 * On January 19, Wheel returns to a half-hour, now at 11:00 AM. High Rollers returns at 10:30.

February 1976 :

March 1976 :

April 1976 :

May 1976 :

June 1976 :
 * By June 7 (#368), the Wheel has gone through several changes:
 * 1) Buy A Vowel is removed entirely from the format. Contestants may now purchase a vowel at any time for $250.
 * 2) The second Lose A Turn wedge, only seen from Round 3 onward, is also removed.
 * 3) Bankrupt, Lose A Turn, and Free Spin adopt their normal appearances.
 * 4) Top dollar in Rounds 2 and 3 are increased to $1,000 and $1,500, respectively.
 * By June 7, the contestant score displays have been changed from using the respective color to a simple white.
 * By June 7, the shopping element is slightly altered – any leftover cash (i.e., an amount smaller than the least expensive prize) may now be placed on a gift certificate, in addition to the existing "On Account" rule which lets it carry over to the next round. From this point onward, almost all contestants choose the gift certificate.
 * On June 7, there is still no sound effect for hitting Bankrupt.
 * The June 7 show is the earliest Wheel episode, one of only three daytime episodes, and the only episode hosted by Chuck to be aired by GSN.

July 1976 :

August 1976 :

Season 3 (1976-77)
September 1976 :
 * By this point, and probably much earlier, Chuck and Susan play Celebrity Sweepstakes for home viewers on the last day of a play-by-phone week (the only non-soap opera personalities to do so). The winning home players get $75,000 for first place, $20,000 for second, and $5,000 for third.

October 1976 :

November 1976 :

December 1976 :

January 1977 :

February 1977 :

March 1977 :

April 1977 :

May 1977 :

June 1977 :

July 1977 :

August 1977 :

Season 4 (1977-78)
September 1977 :
 * At some point in late September, Arte Johnson briefly fills in for Susan. This was likely to promote his upcoming game Knockout, which debuts October 3.

October 1977 :

November 1977 :

December 1977 :

January 1978 :
 * The January 18 show (#785) is known to be held by the Paley Center For Media.

February 1978 :

March 1978 :
 * On March 18, Gordon MacRae makes an appearance.
 * By March 18, the Wheel now added two more $500 spaces in Round 1, for a total of three.
 * By March 18, the score displays have been extended to show five digits and a dollar sign (i.e., "$12345").
 * At some point between March 18 and April 6, the Star Bonus token is introduced; if claimed, it allows a trailing player to play a bonus round-like puzzle for a prize that may earn him/her the victory. The puzzle difficulties are Easy, Medium, Hard, and Difficult, with prizes of increasing value (such as a $600 trip for Easy and a $13,000 car for Difficult) that can also be purchased in the shopping portions. The contestant chooses four consonants and a vowel, then is told the category and given 15 seconds to solve (shown on-screen by a timer much like the 60 Minutes stopwatch).

April 1978 :
 * On April 5, contestant Karen retires with over $16,000.
 * Veteran game show contestant Scott Hostetler plays on April 6 and 7.
 * April 7 has the only known playing of the Star Bonus round. Scott plays the Difficult puzzle, and fails to solve PABLO PICASSO.
 * On April 24, the show moves to 11:30 AM.

May 1978 :

June 1978 :

July 1978 :

August 1978 :

Season 5 (1978-79)
September 1978 :

October 1978 :

November 1978 :

December 1978 :

January 1979 :

February 1979 :

March 1979 :
 * At some point between March 5 and August 10, Summer Bartholomew fills in for at least two episodes.

April 1979 :

May 1979 :

June 1979 :

July 1979 :

August 1979 :

Season 6 (1979-80)
September 1979 :

October 1979 :

November 1979 :

December 1979 :
 * By December 4, the top amounts have increased to $750 for Round 1, $1,000 for Round 2, and $2,000 thereafter.

January 1980 :

February 1980 :

March 1980 :
 * March 25 has five rounds.

April 1980 :

May 1980 :
 * On May 7, Chuck and Susan address rumors about the show's cancellation after the game.

June 1980 :
 * On June 20, Chuck makes an odd comment to Susan after her entrance, saying she looks like "a little Swedish girl".

July 1980 :

August 1980 :
 * August 1 was originally recorded as the series finale, due to a cancellation order from NBC boss Fred Silverman. The episode features an appearance by Chuck's wife, JoAnn Pflug.
 * August 1 is Charlie's last episode, having left afterward to do The Toni Tennille Show. However, it is believed that Charlie occasionally returned to do substitute announcing.
 * On August 4, the show moves back to 11:00 AM.
 * Don Morrow fills in as announcer for the week of August 4.
 * The August 4 show apparently opens with Chuck joking about the show's demise.
 * Jack Clark takes the announcing reins permanently on August 11.
 * Alex Trebek fills in for one week in August 1980.

Season 7 (1980-81)
September 1980 :

October 1980 :

November 1980 :
 * The week of November 3 features NBC game show hosts playing for members of the audience. Each match pits the host against two contestants who play normally.
 * Bill Cullen plays on November 6, and based on comments the next day ("He blitzed everybody.") won every round.
 * On November 7, Tom Kennedy plays for Art and solves the first puzzle, LITTLE BY LITTLE, for $1,400.
 * The week of November 10 is an Armed Forces Week, plugged by Chuck at the end of the November 7 show (although he says it begins "tomorrow").

December 1980 :

January 1981 :

February 1981 :

March 1981 :

April 1981 :

May 1981 :

June 1981 :

July 1981 :

August 1981 :

Season 8 (1981-82)
September 1981 :

October 1981 :

November 1981 :

December 1981 :
 * The week of December 14 is Christmas Wish Week.
 * On December 18, Susan previews the set changes to take effect the following Monday.
 * The week of December 21 is Christmas In New York, where contestants from that state are flown in to compete.
 * On December 21, the set is overhauled:
 * 1) The various areas of prizes are replaced by a single, large turntable in center stage.
 * 2) The puzzle board is given a fourth row and another nine trilons, for a total of 48 (11 on the top and bottom rows, 13 in the middle two).
 * 3) The contestant area is changed to solid starbursts of the same color as the respective contestant's arrow. They continue to display the money put "on account" or total champion winnings.
 * December 25 is Chuck's last show.
 * On December 25, "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" is played during the fee plugs and credits.
 * On December 28, Pat Sajak becomes the show's host.
 * The week of December 28 is a Teen Week.
 * December 28 is believed to have been the debut of the standard bonus round. The day's winner picks a prize to play for, then chooses five consonants and a vowel. Solving the puzzle within 15 seconds wins the prize. (Pat's first puzzle, FROSTY THE SNOWMAN, is lost.)
 * For the week of December 28, the bonus round is played from the contestant area.
 * During Pat's first week, a contestant buys a vowel which is not in the puzzle and Pat tells the player to spin again. He is told by then-producer Nancy Jones that the player has in fact lost their turn.
 * During Pat's first week, a contestant mis-solves the puzzle ABRAHAM LINCOLN as ABRAHAM BINCOLN.

January 1982 :
 * The returning champion from Chuck's last episode presumably returns on January 4.
 * Beginning on January 4, the bonus round is played on the floor in front of the puzzle board.

February 1982 :

March 1982 :

April 1982 :
 * On April 26, the show moves back to 10:30, replacing Blockbusters.

May 1982 :

June 1982 :

July 1982 :

August 1982 :

Season 9 (1982-83)
September 1982 :

October 1982 :
 * October 22 is Susan's last episode, as she wishes to pursue charity work. As seen on the show's E! True Hollywood Story, she was presented with flowers and many of the crew said goodbye.
 * Beginning on October 25, a trio of guest hostesses begin filling in until a successor is named. It is unknown as to specifically how long Summer Bartholomew, Vicki McCarty, and Vanna White held these roles.

November 1982 :

December 1982 :
 * On December 13, Vanna is officially named the show's second permanent hostess.

January 1983 :
 * On January 3, the show moves back to 11:00 AM.

February 1983 :

March 1983 :

April 1983 :

May 1983 :

June 1983 :

July 1983 :

August 1983 :
 * On August 8, Thicke's music package is replaced with a new music package composed by Griffin, including a new theme tune, "Changing Keys". The last three notes of "Changing Keys" are also the cue for solving a puzzle.
 * For its first year of use, "Changing Keys" is cued up at the 0:56 mark during the intro.

Season 10 (1983-84)
September 1983 :

October 1983 :
 * October 31's bonus puzzle WIN LOSE OR DRAW is believed to be the only bonus puzzle in the show's history that uses all four rows of the puzzle board.

November 1983 :
 * November 7 is a Couples Week, with three husband-and-wife teams playing.
 * On November 9, a couple plays for a big-screen TV in the bonus round and fail to solve TOP SECRET with T__ SE_RET showing.

December 1983 :

January 1984 :

February 1984 :

March 1984 :

April 1984 :

May 1984 :

June 1984 :

July 1984 :

August 1984 :

Season 11 (1984-85)
September 1984 :

October 1984 :

November 1984 :

December 1984 :

January 1985 :

February 1985 :

March 1985 :

April 1985 :

May 1985 :

June 1985 :

July 1985 :

August 1985 :

Season 12 (1985-86)
September 1985 :

October 1985 :

November 1985 :

December 1985 :

January 1986 :

February 1986 :

March 1986 :

April 1986 :

May 1986 :

June 1986 :
 * June 16 is a College Week.
 * For the week of June 16, Susan briefly returns to fill-in for Vanna.

July 1986 :

August 1986 :

Season 13 (1986-87)
September 1986 :
 * September 15 is the debut of the Jackpot wedge. The Jackpot begins at $5,000 and increases by $1,000 each day until it is won. A contestant only has to land on the wedge to claim it.

October 1986 :

November 1986 :
 * The November 13 game ends in a tie. As a result, no bonus round is played, and all three contestants continue the next day. The returning champion, who is not one of the tied contestants, is informed that the next day's game will be a "contiunation of [her] second appearance". In place of the bonus round, Pat shows the device from which contestants draw numbers to determine who starts the game.
 * November 17 is a College Week.

December 1986 :

January 1987 :

February 1987 :
 * February 9 is Battle of the Sexes week. During this week, only two contestants (one male, one female) play.

March 1987 :

April 1987 :
 * On April 27, the puzzle board reads BEAST during the credits. This was done, presumably by Pat, by rearranging the letters in the bonus puzzle BEST MAN. He is known to have scrambled the bonus puzzle on at least two other occasions.

May 1987 :

June 1987 :

July 1987 :

August 1987 :

Season 14 (1987-88)
September 1987 :

October 1987 :

November 1987 :

December 1987 :

January 1988 :

February 1988 :

March 1988 :

April 1988 :

May 1988 :

June 1988 :

July 1988 :
 * Jack Clark dies on July 21. M.G. Kelly begins filling-in as announcer.

August 1988 :

Season 15 (1988-89)
September 1988 :
 * September 15 is believed to be the last appearance of the original Jackpot.

October 1988 :

November 1988 :

December 1988 :

January 1989 :
 * January 9 is Pat's last show.
 * Appropriately, the first puzzle on January 9 is TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF.
 * Following the bonus round on January 9, Pat makes out with Vanna until series creator Merv Griffin walks up and pokes Pat's shoulder.
 * No name is ever given for Pat's replacement on January 9, likely because no host had been selected yet.
 * On January 10, M.G.'s introductory spiel ends with "And now, here is your hostess – Vanna White!" Vanna walks out to the host's area, and introduces new daytime Wheel emcee Rolf Benirschke.
 * January 10 contestant Cheryl Gilmore previously won the top prize on The $1,000,000 Chance of A Lifetime.

February 1989 :

March 1989 :
 * At some point in March, Charlie returns to the announcer's booth.
 * During a March episode after Charlie returns (definitely before March 27), contestant Lois gets three Free Spins in Round 1.

April 1989 :

May 1989 :

June 1989 :
 * June 30 is Rolf's last episode and the last taped at NBC Studios.
 * Amusingly, the first puzzle on June 30 is TALK TO THE POWERS THAT BE.
 * June 30 is also the last episode with $2,000 as a cash value.

July 1989 :
 * On July 17, the show moves to CBS at its original timeslot of 10:30 AM. Among the changes are:
 * 1) Bob Goen becomes the show's host.
 * 2) The shopping format is retired, replaced by a scaled-down version of the nighttime version's play-for-cash.
 * 3) The wrong-letter buzzer, Bankrupt slide whistle, "only vowels remain" beep, Final Spin bells, and category chimes are all updated, as is "Changing Keys". The shopping-era music cues are retired.
 * 4) The "Look at this studio!" intro is replaced with "From Television City in Hollywood, It's America's most watched game show! The famous Wheel is spinning your way with lots of cash and an assortment of fabulous and exciting prizes! And now, here's your host, Bob Goen!" Bob then introduces Vanna.
 * 5) The contestant nametags are now trapezoid-ish, with white letters.
 * 6) The Wheel offers far less than it did previously: $500 is once again top value for Round 1, $750 for Round 2, and $1,250 thereafter. For the first time since 1975, $50 and $75 appear on the Wheel.
 * 7) Vowels now cost $200.
 * 8) The bonus round now offers subcompact cars and a cash prize of $5,000. The latter is displayed on a rotating green disc suspended from the ceiling.
 * July 17 is also the debut of Person/Fictional Character. This puzzle lists the name of an actor and a character that s/he has played (e.g. BILL COSBY AS CLIFF HUXTABLE). At least one episode has a Person/Title puzzle, which similarly uses the actor's name and the show they are in (e.g. CANDICE BERGEN IN MURPHY BROWN). Person/Fictional Character is briefly used in the nighttime version's 7th season, and quickly replaced by the identical Star/Role category.
 * On July 18, the two-digit values are given diamonds. In addition, the yellow $50 near Bankrupt in Round 1 is increased to $300.
 * On July 19, the contestant nametags change to black lettering on a gray background.
 * On July 19, the Round 1 Wheel undergoes several value changes: The aforementioned $300 drops to $125, the $125 formerly next to it drops to $50, the pink $50 between Bankrupt and Free Spin increases to $175, the purple $50 nearby increases to $300, and the blue $75 between Free Spin and Lose A Turn increases to $200.

August 1989 :
 * By August 29, the NBC "Wheel! Of! Fortune!" opening and money graphic are dropped.
 * By August 29, the purple $50 space in Round 1 is increased to $300. Only one each of $50 and $75 remain on the Wheel.
 * August 31 has one of the last appearances of Nickname.

Season 16 (1989-90)
September 1989 :
 * For a few weeks around this point, some O's on the board are wider and rounder than usual, clearly not matching the font of the other letters. They are believed to have been zeroes loaded in by mistake.
 * By September 18, the Round 1 minimum is increased to $100: The pink $50 is increased to $250, the blue $75 is increased to $400, and the purple $300 near Bankrupt is decreased to $100.

October 1989 :
 * On October 16, the tan Free Spin wedge becomes a single green Free Spin token placed on various amounts. The spot formerly holding the wedge becomes $400.

November 1989 :

December 1989 :

January 1990 :

February 1990 :

March 1990 :

April 1990 :

May 1990 :

June 1990 :

July 1990 :
 * The week of July 2 is an Armed Forces Week, where contestants are called from the audience to play.
 * By July 4, the cost of buying a vowel is decreased to $100.

August 1990 :

Season 17 (1990-91)
September 1990 :
 * On September 3, the score displays are altered to allow for seven digits. The dollar sign now "adjusts" to the scores instead of remaining at the far left.

October 1990 :

November 1990 :

December 1990 :

January 1991 :
 * On January 14, the show moves back to NBC. Unlike the move to CBS two years earlier, the previous episode's winner returns to play again.
 * On January 14, the opening is slightly altered to superimpose the logo over a shot of the day's contestants.
 * Beginning on January 14, Charlie introduces both Bob and Vanna (although they still make their entrances separately).

February 1991 :
 * There is a Teen Week at some point in February.
 * By the Teen Week, the opening is slightly altered to remove the superimposed Wheel logo from the shot of the day's contestants.
 * During Teen Week, Bob does not do the opening spin.
 * During Teen Week, the usual backdrop behind Bob is not present.
 * On the last day of Teen Week, a contestant wins $11,802 in the main game.

March 1991 :
 * During the weeks of March 11 and 18, the show holds its Cashpot Sweepstakes, where home viewers enter to solve each day's Cashpot puzzle.
 * At some point following the Cashpot Sweepstakes, Bob stops doing the opening spin entirely.

April 1991 :

May 1991 :

June 1991 :

July 1991 :

August 1991 :

September 1991 :
 * September 20 is the last daytime episode for six years, although the show appears to have gone into reruns by this point.
 * It was once rumored that Wheel continued through December 31, 1993 in first-run or repeats along with reruns of Classic Concentration. While there have been cases of affiliates showing repeats of cancelled network games (the original versions of Jeopardy! and Gambit), and Classic Concentration was indeed reran until that date, the idea of daytime Wheel continuing for another two years is (as far as anyone can tell) merely a bit of wishful thinking.

Season 18 (1997-98)
September 1997 :
 * On September 13, the daytime show returns after six years to CBS and GSN as Wheel 2000. Among the changes are:
 * 1) The show now airs weekly, on Saturday mornings.
 * 2) David Sidoni becomes the show's host, with puzzle board duties handled by a motion-capture, CGI hostess named "Cyber Lucy" (portrayed by Tanika Ray). Ray also handles announcing duties.
 * 3) The set is overhauled, with almost nothing retained except the contestant displays.
 * 4) Children play for points (not cash) and prizes more geared towards that age group, with no returning champions.
 * 5) The opening is changed to "Hey, it's time to play...Wheel 2000! And here's our host, David Sidoni!" David then introduces Lucy. (While the show's full title is Wheel Of Fortune 2000, it is not used outside the open.)
 * 6) Bankrupt and Lose A Turn are replaced by The Creature and Loser, respectively. Free Spin is removed entirely.
 * 7) Puzzles remain as before, but with different names: Place becomes "Globetrotter", Proper Name becomes "VIP", and Thing becomes "Just Stuff".
 * 8) The bonus round now includes the random choice of the nighttime version, although it is now only A or B. Bonus puzzles are always a straightforward Person, Place, or Thing.
 * Wheel 2000 is listed with the daytime show because it did indeed air in daytime on network television, and hence fits far better here than with the nighttime/syndicated timeline. Giving this version its own timeline, even on the Wheel 2000 page, would be redundant and rarely edited.

October 1997 :

November 1997 :

December 1997 :

January 1998 :

February 1998 :

March 1998 :

April 1998 :

May 1998 :

June 1998 :

July 1998 :

August 1998 :

September 1998 :
 * By the end of September, Wheel 2000 is removed from CBS' schedule.