The Soyuz TM-4 mission is launched by the Soviet Union, en route to space station Mir. Cosmonauts Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov take up residence as the new long-duration crew aboard Mir, formally known as Expedition 3, and they eventually break all previous space endurance records by staying aboard Mir for exactly one year and one day, returning to Earth on December 21st, 1988. Cosmonaut Anatoli Levchenko, after the week-long overlap with the Expedition 2 crew, returns to Earth with Expedition 2 crew members Yuri Romanenko and Aleksandr Aleksandrov aboard the Soyuz TM-3 vehicle.
Titan Books UK publishes Neil Gaiman’s non-fiction account of the making of the 
CBS airs the 12th episode of Ron Koslow’s fantasy series Beauty and the Beast, starring Linda Hamilton, Ron Perlman, and Roy Dotrice. James Avery (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) and Armin Shimerman (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) guest star.
ITV airs the 105th episode of the anthology series Tales Of The Unexpected. Pauline Collins and Gareth Thomas (Blake’s 7) guest star.
The week-long national syndication window opens for 
The week-long national syndication window opens for 
The week-long national syndication window opens for 
The week-long national syndication window opens for 
The week-long national syndication window opens for 
The week-long national syndication window opens for 
The week-long national syndication window opens for 
The 
The week-long national syndication window opens for 
The 
The 
The 
With nearly all of its members voting in favor of a work stoppage, unionized Hollywood writers go on strike for five months, crippling the TV and movie industry. Several shows’ fall premieres are delayed significantly, and many television series and movies have to commence production on partially-finished scripts with no opportunities for rewrites (including Tim Burton’s Batman and the James Bond movie Licence To Kill). In the unusually long “off season,” attempts are made at reviving prime-time variety shows, and fledgeling network Fox rushes several “unscripted” series, including Cops and America’s Most Wanted, into production to fill the gap; these prove to be surprise hits, giving “reality” TV a permanent foothold on many network schedules. Many returning shows do not air new episodes until November or December, if they even generate new material before the end of 1988.
The 
The