70s TV The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s  

Ranker TV
675 votes 267 voters 18.7k views 26 items

List Rules Vote up the best talk shows that aired in the '70s

We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, Ranker may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

Talk shows have been an important part of the television landscape for decades, and these are the best 1970s talk shows, ranked from best to worst. Some of these top 1970s talk shows have become true TV icons that have remained on the air, while others made a big splash in the 70s, but longevity wasn't the cards for them. That doesn't make them any less great. Not every show is meant to be on the air forever. In fact, some of the greatest shows last only a few seasons. So, what is the best 70s talk show?

While casting your votes, what series can you expect to find on this best 1970s talk shows list? Morning television was revolutionized when Good Morning America debuted in 1975. Over the past 40+ years, the show has welcomed such notable guests as Barack Obama, Will Smith, Peyton Manning, and many more. The Dean Martin Show is another good talk show that aired in the '70s.

Throughout the decade, Dick Cavett chatted with many of the top entertainers of the day including Carol Burnett, Marlon Brando, and Katharine Hepburn. And just for posterity, some of the other great series that appear on this list include The Flip Willson Show, 20/20, and SportsCenter.

Which 1970s talk show is the best? Vote up your favorites and see if other TV fans agree with you!
list ordered by

1
46 9
The Tonight Show Starring John... is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon, Skitch Henderson The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight Show franchise from October 1, 1962 through May 22, 1992. It originally aired during late-night. ...more

2
40 11
The Dick Cavett Show is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Leigh French The Dick Cavett Show was the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks, including: ABC daytime originally titled This Morning ABC prime time, Tuesdays, ...more

3
31 17
The Mike Douglas Show is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Shirley Temple, Mike Douglas The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that aired only in the Cleveland, Ohio area during much of its first two years on the air. It went into ...more

4
25 12
The Merv Griffin Show is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
nm0871546 The Merv Griffin Show was an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, May 1965 to August 15, 1969 in first-run ...more

5
21 10
The Dean Martin Show is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Dean Martin, Sandahl Bergman, Dom DeLuise The Dean Martin Show, also known as The Dean Martin Variety Show, is a TV variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by entertainer ...more

6
25 15
Tom Snyder is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Monisa Montoya added Tom Snyder

7
15 10
American Bandstand is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Dick Clark American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as ...more

8
14 9
Tonight Starring Steve Allen is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Tonight Starring Steve Allen is a talk show hosted by Steve Allen. It was the first version of what eventually became known as The Tonight Show. Tonight was the first late-night talk show, as ...more

9
16 12
The Jackie Gleason Show is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Tina Louise, Bettie Page, Jackie Gleason The Jackie Gleason Show is the name of a series of popular American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970, in various forms.

10
16 14
The Phil Donahue Show is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Phil Donahue, Sammy Davis Jr., Dolly Parton The Phil Donahue Show, also known as Donahue, is an American television talk show hosted by Phil Donahue that ran for 26 years on national television. Its run was preceded by three years of ...more

11
17 16
The Flip Wilson Show is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Flip Wilson, Tim Conway, George Carlin The Flip Wilson Show is an hour-long variety show that aired in the U.S. on NBC from September 17, 1970 to June 27, 1974. The show starred American comedian Flip Wilson; the program was one of ...more

12
19 20
Morton Downey Jr Show is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Monisa Montoya added Morton Downey Jr Show

13
12 13
20/20 is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Elizabeth Vargas, David Muir, Barbara Walters 20/20 is an American television newsmagazine that has been broadcast on ABC since June 6, 1978. Created by ABC News executive Roone Arledge, the show was designed similarly to CBS's 60 Minutes ...more

14
1 1
The Des O'Connor Show is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
The Des O'Connor Show Jack Benny, Des O'Connor, Jack Douglas The Des O'Connor Show is a British variety and chat show hosted by Des O'Connor. ITV broadcast the programme from 1963 until 1973. Associated Television produced the programme, and which was ...more

15
0 1
Firing Line is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
William F. Buckley, Jr. Firing Line was an American public affairs show founded and hosted by conservative William F. Buckley, Jr., founder and publisher of National Review magazine. Its 1,504 episodes over 33 years ...more

16
9 13
Meet the Press is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
David Gregory Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program that is broadcast on NBC. It is the longest-running program in American television history, though its current format bears ...more

17
0 2
Donny & Marie is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Marie Osmond, Donny Osmond, Jimmy Osmond Donny & Marie is an American variety show which aired on ABC from January 1976 to January 1979. The show stars brother and sister pop duo Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond. Donny had first ...more

18
9 14
SportsCenter is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Neil Everett, Jalen Rose, Jenn Brown SportsCenter is a daily sports news television program and the flagship program of American cable and satellite television network ESPN since the network's launch on September 7, 1979. ...more

19
6 11
Washington Week is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Washington Week—previously Washington Week in Review—is an American public affairs television program airing on PBS since 1967. Unlike other panel discussion shows which encourage informal ...more

20
9 15
Good Morning America is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Lara Spencer Good Morning America (ABC, 1975) is an American morning television show currently presented by Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Lara Spencer, Michael Strahan, Amy Robach, and Ginger Zee. ...more

21
6 12
Face the Nation is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Howard K. Smith, Lesley Stahl, Martin Agronsky Face the Nation is an American Sunday morning political interview show that is broadcast on the CBS television network. Created by Frank Stanton in 1954, it is one of the longest-running news ...more

22
9 17
The Today Show is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Ann Curry, Anita Colby Today is an American news and talk morning television show that airs on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television and in the world, and ...more

23
4 11
America 2-Night is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Charlton Heston, Rob Reiner, Gary Coleman America 2Night is a talk show parody that ran in syndication in 1978. Produced by Norman Lear, it is actually the second season of "Fernwood 2Night". The locale has been moved to ...more

24
4 11
The Late Late Show is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Pat Kenny, Ryan Tubridy, Gay Byrne The Late Late Show, with its title often shortened to The Late Late, is the world's longest-running talk show. Perceived as the official flagship television programme of Ireland's public service ...more

25
10 21
The 700 Club is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best Talk Shows of the 1970s
Susan Howard Chrane, Lee Webb The 700 Club is the flagship television program of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing in syndication throughout the United States and available worldwide on CBN.com. Airing each weekday, ...more