70s TV The Best '70s TV Shows  

Ranker TV
Originally by
58.7k votes 3.2k voters 130.1k views 272 items

List Rules Vote up the greatest TV shows that aired between 1970 and 1979.

List of the best TV shows from the 1970s, as ranked by television fans. The '70s were when television really pushed the limits of what could be shown. Shows like "All in the Family," "The Jeffersons," "Maude," and "Sanford and Son" changed the face of television by including social commentary in between the laughs-a-minute. These shows pushed the limits of what could be discussed on television more than ever before. They were the foundation for what shows could get away with and talk about in later decades, including subjects like poverty, racism, abortion, rape, and abuse.

Lighter sitcoms like "The Brady Bunch," "Three’s Company," and "Laverne & Shirley" were also huge hits due to their entertainment factor. Action shows were also extremely popular in the 70s, with shows like "Charlie’s Angels," "Ironside, and "The Six Million Dollar Man" bringing in huge ratings. Variety shows also made their mark on television, including the massive hit "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour."

What is your favorite '70s program? Which top shows from the 1970s deserve to be remembered for years to come? This list includes the highest rated and most talked about shows that aired in the 70s.

list ordered by

1
610 236
The Carol Burnett Show is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Puzzler added Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman The Carol Burnett Show is an American variety/sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence and Lyle Waggoner. It originally ran on CBS from September 11, ...more

2
869 353
M*A*S*H is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swi M*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, adapted from the 1970 feature film MASH. The series, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ...more

3
737 210
Happy Days is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Marion Ross Happy Days is an American television sitcom that aired first-run from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life ...more

4
660 321
All in the Family is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, ...more

5
603 269
The Rockford Files is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
James Garner, Noah Beery Jr., Joe Santos The Rockford Files is an American television drama series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974, and January 10, 1980, and has remained in syndication to ...more

6
524 258
Columbo is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Puzzler added Peter Falk, Mike Lally, John Finnegan Columbo is an American television series starring Peter Falk as a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. The character and show, created by William Link and Richard Levinson, ...more

7
467 273
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Mary Tyler Moore, Edward Asner, Gavin MacLeod The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. The program was a television breakthrough, with the ...more

8
537 239
WKRP in Cincinnati is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Gary Sandy, Gordon Jump, Howard Hesseman WKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy television series that features the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was ...more

9
428 262
Barney Miller is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Hal Linden, Abe Vigoda, Steve Landesberg Barney Miller is an American situation comedy television series set in a New York City Police Department police station in Greenwich Village. The series originally was broadcast from January 23, ...more

10
399 212
The Odd Couple is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Puzzler added Jack Klugman, Tony Randall, Penny Marshall The Odd Couple, formally titled onscreen Neil Simon's The Odd Couple, is an American television situation comedy broadcast from September 24, 1970, to March 7, 1975, on ABC. It stars Tony ...more

11
473 248
Taxi is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Judd Hirsch, Jeff Conaway, Danny DeVito Taxi is an American sitcom that originally aired from 1978 to 1982 on ABC and from 1982 to 1983 on NBC. The series—which won 18 Emmy Awards, including three for Outstanding Comedy Series—focuses ...more

12
420 261
The Waltons is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Jon Walmsley, Mary Beth McDonough, Eric Scott The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show is centered on a family in a rural ...more

13
399 220
The Bob Newhart Show is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, Bill Daily The Bob Newhart Show is an American situation comedy produced by MTM Enterprises, which aired 142 half-hour episodes on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978. Comedian Bob Newhart ...more

14
373 226
Saturday Night Live is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Puzzler added Darrell Hammond, Kenan Thompson, Seth Meyers Saturday Night Live is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, ...more

15
512 225
Three's Company is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977 to September 18, 1984 on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom Man About the House. The story revolves around three single ...more

16
508 241
The Brady Bunch is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, Ann B. Davis The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that originally aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family with ...more

17
418 240
The Love Boat is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Gavin MacLeod, Bernie Kopell, Ted Lange The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24, 1977, until February 27, 1987. The show revolves around the ...more

18
496 192
Sanford and Son is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, LaWanda Page Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. Known for its edgy racial humor, ...more

19
468 200
The Six Million Dollar Man is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Lee Majors, Richard Anderson, Martin E. Brooks The Six Million Dollar Man is an American television series about a former astronaut with bionic implants working for a fictional government office known as OSI. The series is based on the ...more

20
386 205
Fantasy Island is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Ricardo Montalban, Hervé Villechaize, Christopher Hewett Fantasy Island is an American television series that originally aired on the American Broadcasting Company network from 1977 to 1984. A revival of the series originally aired on the same network ...more

21
372 208
Hawaii Five-O is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Jack Lord, James MacArthur, Kam Fong Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for 12 seasons from 1968 to 1980, and ...more

22
404 199
Welcome Back, Kotter is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Gabe Kaplan, Ron Palillo, John Travolta Welcome Back, Kotter ist eine US-amerikanische Sitcom.

23
381 197
Laverne & Shirley is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, David L. Lander Laverne & Shirley is an American television sitcom that ran on ABC from January 27, 1976 to May 10, 1983. It starred Penny Marshall as Laverne De Fazio and Cindy Williams as Shirley Feeney, ...more

24
388 207
Charlie's Angels is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith Charlie's Angels is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976 to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 110 episodes. The series was created by Ivan ...more

25
325 172
Quincy, M.E. is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Puzzler added Jack Klugman, John S. Ragin, Robert Ito Quincy, M.E. is an American television series from Universal Studios that aired from October 3, 1976, to September 5, 1983, on NBC. It stars Jack Klugman in the title role, a Los Angeles County ...more

26
396 187
Mork & Mindy is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Robin Williams, Pam Dawber, Ralph James Mork & Mindy is an American sitcom broadcast from 1978 to 1982 on ABC. It stars Robin Williams as Mork, an extraterrestrial who comes to Earth from the planet Ork in a small, one-man ...more

27
340 170
Emergency! is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Puzzler added Randolph Mantooth, Kevin Tighe, Julie London Emergency! is an American television series that combines the medical drama and action-adventure genres. It was produced by Mark VII Limited and distributed by Universal Studios. It debuted as a ...more

28
285 188
One Day at a Time is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Puzzler added Valerie Bertinelli, Bonnie Franklin, Pat Harrington Jr. One Day at a Time is an American situation comedy that aired on the CBS network from December 16, 1975, until May 28, 1984. It starred Bonnie Franklin as Ann Romano, a divorced mother who moves ...more

29
325 231
Soap is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Rod Roddy, Katherine Helmond, Richard Mulligan Soap is an American sitcom that originally ran on ABC from 1977 into 1981. The show was created as a night-time parody of daytime soap operas, presented as a weekly half-hour prime time comedy. ...more

30
385 186
The Jeffersons is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley, Marla Gibbs The Jeffersons is an American sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. The show was produced by the T.A.T. ...more

31
304 181
Gunsmoke is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
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

32
242 223
Roots is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Puzzler added LeVar Burton, Olivia Cole, Robert Reed This award-winning six-part historical epic was one of the first examples of the miniseries format and one of the highest-rated television programs in broadcasting history. Based on the ...more

33
274 94
Bonanza is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Dimos Dicoudis added Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker 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

34
384 129
Little House on the Prairie is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Melissa Gilbert, Michael Landon, Lindsay Greenbush Little House on the Prairie, also known as Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie, is a five-hour miniseries which was broadcast on ABC as part of The Wonderful World of Disney ...more

35
299 155
Sesame Street is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Greer Baudreau added Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Caroll Spinney Sesame Street is a long-running American children's television series created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett. The program is known for its educational content, and images communicated ...more

36
350 152
Wonder Woman is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
slaft added Lynda Carter, Lyle Waggoner, Tom Kratochvil Wonder Woman is an American television series based on the DC Comics comic book superheroine of the same name. Starring Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Lyle Waggoner as Steve ...more

37
376 177
Starsky and Hutch is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
David Soul, Paul Michael Glaser, Antonio Fargas Starsky & Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series, which consisted of a 70-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn, ...more

38
350 81
The Scooby-Doo Show is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Dimos Dicoudis added Casey Kasem, Frank Welker, Don Messick The Scooby-Doo Show is the blanket name for the episodes from the third incarnation of the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby-Doo. A total of 40 episodes ran for three seasons, from ...more

39
332 199
The Partridge Family is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Shirley Jones, David Cassidy, Susan Dey The Partridge Family is an American musical television sitcom series starring Shirley Jones and featuring David Cassidy. Jones is a widowed mother, and Cassidy plays the oldest of her five ...more

40
292 155
Adam-12 is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Rinkydink added Martin Milner, Kent McCord, Shaaron Claridge Adam-12 is a television police drama that followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, as they rode the streets of Los Angeles in their patrol ...more

41
308 195
Good Times is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
BernNadette Stanis, Ralph Carter, Jimmie Walker Good Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on CBS. It was created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' ...more

42
181 191
The Midnight Special is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Puzzler added Wolfman Jack, Helen Reddy, Donna Summer The Midnight Special is an American late-night musical variety series that aired on NBC during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. It premiered as a special on ...more

43
304 117
Little House on the Prairie is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon, Melissa Gilbert, and Karen Grassle, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, ...more

44
352 102
The Dukes of Hazzard is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Dimos Dicoudis added Tom Wopat, John Schneider, Catherine Bach The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from January 26, 1979 to February 8, 1985. The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, ...more

45
277 184
Dallas is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Rinkydink added Larry Hagman, Ken Kercheval, Patrick Duffy Dallas is a long-running American prime time television soap opera that aired from April 2, 1978, to May 3, 1991, on CBS. The series revolves around a wealthy and feuding Texan family, the ...more

46
282 109
The Muppet Show is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Richard Hunt The Muppet Show is a family-oriented comedy-variety television series that was produced by puppeteer Jim Henson and features The Muppets. After two pilot episodes produced in 1974 and 1975 ...more

47
293 156
Alice is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Puzzler added Linda Lavin, Beth Howland, Vic Tayback Alice is an American sitcom television series that ran from August 31, 1976 to March 19, 1985 on CBS. The series is based on the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. The show stars Linda ...more

48
285 87
The Incredible Hulk is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Dimos Dicoudis added Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno, Jack Colvin The Incredible Hulk is an American television series based on the Marvel Comics character The Hulk. The series aired on the CBS television network and starred Bill Bixby as David Banner, Lou ...more

49
290 162
The Bionic Woman is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Lindsay Wagner, Richard Anderson, Christopher Stone The Bionic Woman is an American television series starring Lindsay Wagner that aired for three seasons between 1976 and 1978 as a spin-off from The Six Million Dollar Man. Wagner stars as tennis ...more

50
175 229
Rhoda is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Valerie Harper, Julie Kavner, Lorenzo Music Rhoda is an American television sitcom, starring Valerie Harper, which aired a total of 109 half-hour episodes over five seasons, from 1974 to 1978. The show was a spin-off of The Mary Tyler ...more