List Rules Vote up your favorite dramas that aired on TV in the '50s
These are the best 1950s drama series, ranked from best to worst by user votes. Weekly drama TV shows were very popular with viewers in the 1950s. And there was really something for everybody, from 50s drama TV series that were action packed, to good 50s drama series that revolved around murder mysteries, and even science fiction head scratchers.
What shows will you find on this best 1950s drama series list? Alfred Hitchcock Presents appears near the top of our list. This great drama show often involved murderous intentions that somehow went wrong. The Twilight Zone is another great drama show that aired in the 1950s.
Gunsmoke premiered in 1955 and remained a popular drama series until its finale in 1975. It holds the title of being the longest running primetime series of the 20th Century. Other good shows that appear on this top 50s drama series list include Perry Mason, Bonanza and Public Defender.
Which 50s TV drama do you think is the best? Give your favorites a thumbs up and get in on the conversation in the comments section.
list ordered by
1
21 6
The Lone RangerJay Silverheels, Clayton Moore, John Hart Watch for Free with Amazon Prime Free Trial The Lone Ranger is the central character of an American animated television series that ran 26 episodes on CBS from September 10, 1966, to September 6, 1969. The series was produced by Herb ...more
2
17 4
The Twilight ZoneRod Serling, Robert McCord, Jay Overholts The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. It is a series of unrelated stories containing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, ...more
3
15 4
BonanzaLorne Greene, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker Watch for Free with Amazon Prime Free Trial Bonanza is an NBC television western series that ran from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series, and ...more
4
10 1
Have Gun – Will TravelRichard Boone, Kam Tong, Hal Needham Have Gun – Will Travel is an American Western television series that aired on CBS from 1957 through 1963. It was rated number three or number four in the Nielsen ratings every year of its first ...more
5
10 2
Perry MasonRaymond Burr, Barbara Hale, William Hopper Perry Mason is an American legal drama series originally broadcast on CBS television from September 21, 1957, to May 22, 1966. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los ...more
6
14 6
Alfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock, Harry Tyler, John Williams Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the time the show premiered on October ...more
7
9 2
The UntouchablesRobert Stack, Jerry Paris, Walter Winchell The Untouchables is an American crime drama that ran from 1959 to 1963 on the ABC Television Network, produced by Desilu Productions. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar ...more
8
12 5
GunsmokeJames Arness, Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during ...more
9
12 5
DragnetJack Webb, Harry Morgan, Don Ross Dragnet is an American radio, television and motion picture series, enacting the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. The show takes its name ...more
10
7 1
ZorroGuy Williams, Gene Sheldon, George J. Lewis Zorro is an American action-adventure western drama series produced by Walt Disney Productions. Based on the well-known Zorro character, the series premiered on October 10, 1957 on ABC. The ...more
11
7 1
Wagon TrainFrank McGrath, Terry Wilson, Robert Horton Wagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC 1957–62 and then on ABC 1962–65, although the network also aired daytime repeats, as Major Adams, Trailmaster and Trailmaster, from ...more
12
9 3
LassieJune Lockhart, Andy Clyde, Pamelyn Ferdin Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie dog named Lassie and her companions, both human and animal. The show was the creation of producer ...more
LawmanPeggie Castle, Peter Brown, Barbara Lang Lawman is an American western television series originally telecast on ABC from 1958 to 1962 starring John Russell as Marshal Dan Troop and featuring Peter Brown as Deputy Marshal Johnny McKay. ...more
14
8 3
Peter GunnCraig Stevens, Herschel Bernardi, Lola Albright Peter Gunn is an American private eye television series which aired on the NBC and later ABC television networks from 1958 to 1961. The show's creator was Blake Edwards. It was also directed by ...more
15
6 2
Highway PatrolBroderick Crawford, Art Gilmore, William Boyett Highway Patrol is a syndicated action crime drama series produced from 1955 to 1959.
16
5 1
Wanted: Dead or AliveSteve McQueen Wanted: Dead or Alive is an American Western television series starring Steve McQueen as the bounty hunter Josh Randall. It aired on CBS for three seasons in 1958–61. The black-and-white program ...more
17
4 1
JimThomas added Playhouse 90Richard Joy, Charles Bickford, Kim Hunter Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City near the Los Angeles ...more
JimThomas added Climax!William Lundigan, Mary Costa Climax! is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS programs of ...more
19
4 1
JimThomas added The Loretta Young ShowLoretta Young Letter to Loretta is an American anthology drama series telecast on NBC from September 1953 to June 1961 for a total of 165 episodes. The filmed show was hosted by Loretta Young who also played ...more
20
6 4
77 Sunset StripEfrem Zimbalist Jr., Edd Byrnes, Roger Smith 77 Sunset Strip is an American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith and Edd Byrnes. Each episode was one hour long. The show ...more
21
3 1
Davy CrockettFess Parker, Buddy Ebsen, Kenneth Tobey Davy Crockett is a five-part serial which aired on ABC in one-hour episodes on the Disneyland series. The series stars Fess Parker as real-life frontiersman Davy Crockett and Buddy Ebsen as his ...more
22
3 2
My Little MargieHillary Brooke, Gale Storm, Charles Farrell My Little Margie is an American situation comedy starring Gale Storm and Charles Farrell that alternated between CBS and NBC from 1952 to 1955. The series was created by Frank Fox and produced ...more
23
2 1
CheyenneClint Walker, Russ McCubbin Cheyenne is an American western television series of 108 black-and-white episodes broadcast on ABC from 1955 to 1963. The show was the first hour-long western, and in fact the first hour-long ...more
24
2 1
JimThomas added The United States Steel HourJames Dean, Helen Hayes, Cliff Robertson The United States Steel Hour is an anthology series which brought hour-long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both ...more
25
2 1
JimThomas added Studio One Studio One is a live daily English-language lifestyle show broadcast on Dubai One in 16 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Created by the same team that produced Dubai One's popular ...more
26
7 7
RawhideClint Eastwood, John Ireland, Charles Gray Rawhide is an American Western TV series starring Eric Fleming and Clint Eastwood that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to September 3, 1965, ...more
27
1 1
FuryPeter Graves, Roger Mobley, William Fawcett Fury is an American western television series that aired on NBC from 1955 to1960. It stars Peter Graves as Jim Newton, who operates the Broken Wheel Ranch in California; Bobby Diamond as Jim's ...more
28
1 1
Public DefenderNatalie Wood, Patrick O'Neal, Reed Hadley The Public Defender is a half-hour 69-episode television dramatic series starring Reed Hadley as Bart Matthews, an attorney for the indigent. The series aired on CBS from March 11, 1954 to June ...more
29
1 3
Ivanhoe Ivanhoe is a 1982 television film adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's novel of the same name. The film was directed by Douglas Camfield, with a screenplay written by John Gay. The film depicts the ...more
