50s The Best 1950s Drama Series  

Ranker TV
463 votes 155 voters 2.7k views 38 items

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
26 4
The Twilight Zone is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Rod 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

2
26 8
The Lone Ranger is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Jay 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

3
21 5
Bonanza is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Lorne 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
23 7
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Alfred 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

5
16 3
Perry Mason is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Raymond 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
13 2
Wagon Train is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Frank 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

7
14 3
Have Gun – Will Travel is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Richard 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

8
17 6
Gunsmoke is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
James 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
13 3
Zorro is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Guy 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

10
17 7
Dragnet is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Jack 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

11
11 2
Wanted: Dead or Alive is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Steve 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

12
13 4
The Untouchables is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Robert 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

13
14 5
Peter Gunn is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Craig 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

14
14 5
Lassie is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
June 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

15
9 2
Davy Crockett is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Fess 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

16
9 3
Lawman is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Peggie 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

17
12 6
77 Sunset Strip is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Efrem 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

18
12 8
Rawhide is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Clint 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

19
8 4
Highway Patrol is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Broderick Crawford, Art Gilmore, William Boyett Highway Patrol is a syndicated action crime drama series produced from 1955 to 1959.

20
7 3
Playhouse 90 is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
JimThomas added Richard 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

21
6 2
Cheyenne is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Clint 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

22
6 3
The Loretta Young Show is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
JimThomas added Loretta 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

23
6 4
My Little Margie is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Hillary 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

24
5 5
Climax! is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
JimThomas added 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

25
4 4
The United States Steel Hour is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
JimThomas added James 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

26
0 0
Annie Oakley is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Gail Davis, Brad Johnson, Jimmy Hawkins Annie Oakley is an American Western television series that fictionalized the life of famous sharpshooter Annie Oakley. It ran from January 1954 to February 1957 in syndication, for a total of 81 ...more

27
0 0
Gang Busters is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Gang Busters Myrna Dell, Richard Crane, Myron Healey Gang Busters was an American dramatic radio program heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered as G-Men, sponsored by ...more

28
0 0
Sea Hunt is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Lloyd Bridges, Ron Ely Sea Hunt is an American adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular in syndication for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four ...more

29
0 0
Dixon of Dock Green is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Jack Warner, Peter Byrne Dixon of Dock Green was a BBC television series about daily life at a London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human ...more

30
0 0
The Cases of Eddie Drake is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
The Cases of Eddie Drake Patricia Morison, Don Haggerty The Cases of Eddie Drake is an American crime drama series which aired on the DuMont Television Network. The series ran during 1952, and was a crime drama originally filmed by CBS Television in ...more

31
0 0
Circus Boy is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Micky Dolenz, Billy Barty, Leo Gordon Circus Boy is an American action/adventure/drama series that aired in prime time on NBC, and then on ABC, from 1956 to 1958. It was then rerun by NBC on Saturday mornings, from 1958 to 1960. The ...more

32
0 0
Sword of Freedom is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Adrienne Corri, Martin Benson Sword of Freedom was a 1958 drama adventure series for a family audience. Like several of its predecessors, it was produced by Sapphire Films for ITC Entertainment and fitted into the same ...more

33
0 0
Decoy is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Beverly Garland Decoy is a groundbreaking American crime drama television series created for syndication and initially broadcast from October 14, 1957 to July 7, 1958, with thirty-nine 30-minute black-and-white ...more

34
0 0
Martin Kane, Private Eye is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Martin Kane, Private Eye Frank M. Thomas, Lloyd Nolan, Lee Tracy Martin Kane, Private Eye was an American radio series and television crime series sponsored by United States Tobacco Company. It aired as a radio series from 1949 to 1952 and was simultaneously ...more

35
3 4
Public Defender is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Natalie 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

36
3 4
Studio One is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
JimThomas added 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

37
2 5
Fury is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
Peter 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

38
3 8
Ivanhoe is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list The Best 1950s Drama Series
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