Classic TV The Best '70s TV Shows  

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

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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
1,169 446
M*A*S*H is listed (or ranked) 1 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

2
899 417
All in the Family is listed (or ranked) 2 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

3
860 329
The Carol Burnett Show is listed (or ranked) 3 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

4
991 292
Happy Days is listed (or ranked) 4 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

5
788 348
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
699 344
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 detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. The character and show, created by William Link and Richard Levinson, ...more

7
634 351
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
590 337
Barney Miller is listed (or ranked) 8 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

9
550 281
The Odd Couple is listed (or ranked) 9 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

10
643 317
Taxi is listed (or ranked) 10 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

11
718 308
WKRP in Cincinnati is listed (or ranked) 11 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

12
559 349
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
518 297
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
490 300
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
694 292
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
669 316
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
663 247
Sanford and Son is listed (or ranked) 17 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

18
546 317
The Love Boat is listed (or ranked) 18 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

19
658 262
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
527 274
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
548 257
Welcome Back, Kotter is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Gabe Kaplan, Ron Palillo, John Travolta Welcome Back, Kotter ist eine US-amerikanische Sitcom.

22
479 272
Hawaii Five-O is listed (or ranked) 22 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

23
528 254
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
533 269
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 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 Goff ...more

25
444 238
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