January - Talk show host David Letterman undergoes quintuple heart bypass surgery at New York Presbyterian Hospital, following an angiogram that revealed that one of his arteries was seriously constricted.
February 21 - David Letterman returns to television following his quintuple heart bypass surgery in January. Letterman brings all of the doctors that had performed the operation out on stage with him, including Dr. O. Wayne Isom and Physician Louis J. Aronne, who makes frequent appearances on the show. In an unusual show of emotion, Letterman is nearly in tears as he thanked the doctors. The episode earned an Emmy nomination. Letterman's father died of a heart attack while still in his 50s.
Survivor premieres on CBS sparking a major blitz of interest in "reality tv" in the US. Many copy-cat programs follow. The show was based on the Swedish game show, Operation Robinson.