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The Best '70s TV Shows 

Ranker TV
Originally by
Updated January 15, 2020 138.4k votes 7k voters 308.4k views 271 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.

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list ordered by
1
Happy Days is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Marion Ross

Premiered: 1974

Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Musical, Comedy, Family Film

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
2
M*A*S*H is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swi

Premiered: 1972

Genres (Tv): Black comedy, Medical drama, Sitcom, Satire, Military, + more

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
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

Premiered: 1967

Genres (Tv): Sketch comedy, Variety show, Sketch, Comedy

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
All in the Family is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner

Premiered: 1971

Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy

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
The Rockford Files is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
James Garner, Noah Beery Jr., Joe Santos

Premiered: 1974

Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Action/Adventure, Police procedural, Crime, Drama, + more

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
Sanford and Son is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, LaWanda Page

Premiered: 1972

Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy

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
7
WKRP in Cincinnati is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Gary Sandy, Gordon Jump, Howard Hesseman

Premiered: 1978

Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy

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
8
Three's Company is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers

Premiered: 1977

Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy

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
9
Columbo is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Puzzler added Peter Falk, Mike Lally, John Finnegan

Premiered: 1968

Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Police procedural, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

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
10
The Six Million Dollar M... is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Lee Majors, Richard Anderson, Martin E. Brooks

Premiered: 1974

Genres (Tv): Action/Adventure, Drama, Adventure film, Action, Science Fiction

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
11
Taxi is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Judd Hirsch, Jeff Conaway, Danny DeVito

Premiered: 1978

Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy

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
Laverne & Shirley is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, David L. Lander

Premiered: 1976

Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy

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
13
Little House on the Prai... is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Cameron Bancroft, Erin Cottrell, Kyle Chavarria

Premiered: 2005

Genres (Tv): Miniseries, Children's television series

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
14
The Brady Bunch is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, Ann B. Davis

Premiered: 1969

Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Children's television series, Comedy, Family Film

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
15
Welcome Back, Kotter is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Gabe Kaplan, Ron Palillo, John Travolta

Premiered: 1975

Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy

Welcome Back, Kotter (ABC, 1975) is an American television sitcom. Gabe Kotter (Gabe Kaplan) is a sardonic high school teacher in charge of a racially and ethnically diverse remedial class ...more
16
The Mary Tyler Moore Sho... is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Mary Tyler Moore, Edward Asner, Gavin MacLeod

Premiered: 1970

Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy

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
17
The Jeffersons is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley, Marla Gibbs

Premiered: 1975

Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy

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
18
Mork & Mindy is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Robin Williams, Pam Dawber, Ralph James

Premiered: 1978

Genres (Tv): Soap opera, Sitcom, Comedy, Science Fiction

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
19
Starsky and Hutch is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
David Soul, Paul Michael Glaser, Antonio Fargas

Premiered: 1975

Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Action/Adventure, Police procedural, Drama, Adventure film, + more

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
20
The Odd Couple is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Puzzler added Jack Klugman, Tony Randall, Penny Marshall

Premiered: 1970

Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy

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
21
Charlie's Angels is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith

Premiered: 1976

Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Action/Adventure, Police procedural, Adventure film, Action

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
22
The Scooby-Doo Show is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Dimos Dicoudis added Casey Kasem, Frank Welker, Don Messick

Premiered: 1976

Genres (Tv): Animation, Animated cartoon, Children's television series, Mystery, Comedy, + more

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
23
Barney Miller is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Hal Linden, Abe Vigoda, Steve Landesberg

Premiered: 1975

Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy

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
24
The Bob Newhart Show is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, Bill Daily

Premiered: 1972

Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy

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
25
The Love Boat is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best '70s TV Shows
Gavin MacLeod, Bernie Kopell, Ted Lange

Premiered: 1977

Genres (Tv): Soap opera, Action/Adventure, Sitcom, Anthology, Drama, + more

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