In June 1983, CBS network executives were reportedly planning for "Whiz Kids" to air in a Saturday night timeslot on their schedule. By August, CBS had reconsidered this and instead had the series targeted as its Wednesday night leadoff program when it was slated to premiere in the fall. However, Philip DeGuere had expressed concerns about a September premiere competing with late-season baseball and was instead advocating for a late October premiere. In mid-September, the decision was made to delay the planned premiere by one week. "Whiz Kids" premiered on CBS on Wednesday, October 5, 1983 in at 8:00 PM Eastern, facing off against the hit action drama "The Fall Guy" on ABC and the popular reality show "Real People" on NBC.