This report describes the results of a study of family role structures and family role interaction patterns of U.S. television families appearing during prime time and Saturday morning programs for the 1976-1977 season. The content analysis constitutes a role-by-behavior description of verbal interaction among television families, the coding unit being any act or sequence of acts initiated by a family member and directed to another family member which is unitary with respect to direction, mode, and recipient. Each act was assigned to one of several nominal level categories along such dimensions as the act initiator, directions and modes (going toward, away, or against), the act recipient, and the family structure. Coder training procedures and interrater reliability percentages are described. Discussion of findings is supported by tables displaying the data collected, and a 52-item bibliography is provided. Appendices include a list of the programs studied and a table of family interactions for these programs. (RAO)