# Best TV Shows of the 70s **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 26, 2009, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058 "2009-06-26T13:31:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/1 "2009-06-26T13:31:20Z")
List your favorites: 1. Favorite Sit/Com 2. Drama 3. Variety Show 4. Cop/Detective 5. Sci/Fi (ish) Mine: 1. Happy Days 2. ??? Unsure I may cast a vote after I see others 3. Sonny and Cher 4. Rockford files 5. Night Stalker ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/2 "2009-06-26T13:46:21Z")
1. The Bob Newhart Show 2. Little House on the – nevermind. 3. The Big Show 4. MacMillan and Wife 5. Quark ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/3 "2009-06-26T13:48:29Z")
1. Favorite Sit/Com: The Bob Newhart Show 2. Drama: Emergency! 3. Variety Show: The Flip Wilson Show 4. Cop/Detective: The Rockford Files 5. Sci/Fi (ish): Star Trek TOS syndicated reruns ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/4 "2009-06-26T13:48:52Z")
1. Favorite Sit/Com: MASH 2. Drama: Emergency! 3. Variety Show: Carol Burnett 4. Cop/Detective: Hill Street Blues 5. Sci/Fi (ish): Land of the Lost (hey, I was a kid in the 70’s, cut me some sleeslack!) ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/5 "2009-06-26T14:10:01Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > 1. Quark OMG! Somebody other than me remembers that show!?!? I was beginning to think I had imagined it. 1. Favorite Sit/Com: At the time–MASH. Now–Barney Miller 2. Drama–Quincy 3. Variety Show–I don’t remember watching any (ETA–I just saw JohnT’s mention of Carol Burnett. I’ll change my vote to that.) 4. Cop/Detective–Quincy (does that count?) 5. Sci/Fi (ish)–Land of the Lost. Eek! Sleestaks! ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/6 "2009-06-26T14:16:02Z")
1. Favorite Sit/Com - Barney Miller, or Mork and Mindy 2. Drama - Emergency!, or S.W.A.T. 3. Variety Show - Carol Burnett 4. Cop/Detective - Starsky and Hutch 5. Sci/Fi (ish) - Quark ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/7 "2009-06-26T14:22:49Z")
1. Favorite Sit/Com- All In the Family 2. Drama- Emergency! 3. Variety Show- Carol Burnett 4. Cop/Detective- Charlie’s Angels 5. Sci/Fi (ish)- Fantasy Island ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/8 "2009-06-26T14:29:26Z")
Due to re-runs, I would have to separate it into what I watched as a child _then_, and what I have grown to appreciate in syndication _now_. 1. Favorite Sit/Com: then **Three’s Company** now **Laverne and Shirley** and **Muppet Show** 2. Drama: then **Charlie’s Angels** now \*\* Columbo\*\* 3. Variety Show: then \*\* Carol Burnett Show\*\* now **Carol Burnett Show** 4. Cop/Detective: then **CHiPs** , now \*_MacMillan and Wife_ 5. Sci/Fi (ish): then **Six Million Dollar Man** , **Incredible Hulk** and **Wonder Woman** , now **Doctor Who** ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/9 "2009-06-26T14:33:26Z")
1 Sitcom - All in the Family (Barney Miller a close second) 2 Drama - Little House on the Prairie (also Grizzly Adams) 3 Variety - Carol Burnett 4 Cop - McCloud/Columbo 5 Scifi - Doctor Who ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/10 "2009-06-26T14:41:25Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > OMG! Somebody other than me remembers that show!?!? I was beginning to think I had imagined it. _high fives **Green Bean** _ But does ANYONE remember The Big Show? No one? Apparently not even I do, because several Google searches turned up nada. It was a 90 minute show starring, I believe, Steve Allen. I think that there were only 6 episodes, all of them killer good. I only remember a few things from it, one of which was Peggy Fleming skating to the sounds of Victor Borges’ piano playing. And there was a skit about a European restaurant, with subtitles. “FUNEX?” “S, VFX.” “FUNEM?” “9” “IFCDM.” “VFN10EM!” ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/11 "2009-06-26T14:48:52Z")
1. Favorite Sit/Com: Hard choice _Barney Miller_ because it doesn’t go in 4. 2. Drama: _Kung Fu_, never missed it and was going to buy DVDs recently but they aren’t cheap 3. Variety Show: Don’t know if the _Carol Burnett Show_ qualifies but it was very funny. 4. Cop/Detective: _Rockford Files_ only saw it on sale today and remarked what a great forgotten favorite of mine it is and bought season one. 5. Sci/Fi (ish): \*The Survivors \* a British series was the only SF series that wasn’t absolute nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/12 "2009-06-26T14:55:26Z")
FYI **Quark** is on DVD. ---
**Author:** ![Simmerdown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simmerdown/32/14859_2.png) [@Simmerdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simmerdown)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/13 "2009-06-26T14:59:09Z")
1. Fawlty Towers 2. Upstairs Downstairs (not a Brit, really) 3. Hee Haw (but not JUST PBS) 4. Baretta 5. Dr. Who ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/14 "2009-06-26T15:25:22Z")
“Monty Python’s Flying Circus” “The Good Life” “All in the Family” “Mary Tyler Moore” “I, Claudius” ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/15 "2009-06-26T15:29:50Z")
1. Favorite Sit/Com - **M_A_S\*H** 2. Drama - **Waltons** 3. Variety Show - **Carol Burnett** 4. Cop/Detective - \*\*Rockford Files \*\*(I mean, c’mon! This one’s not really a matter of opinion, is it?) 5. Sci/Fi (ish) -\*\* Kolchak the Night Stalker\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/16 "2009-06-26T15:37:10Z")
> [@kelly5078](#): > > “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” > “The Good Life” > “All in the Family” > “Mary Tyler Moore” > “I, Claudius” I think my favorite \*Mary Tyler Moore \*episode was the one where she and Rhoda broke up that prostitution/cocaine ring. ---
**Author:** ![Simmerdown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simmerdown/32/14859_2.png) [@Simmerdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simmerdown)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/17 "2009-06-26T15:46:02Z")
> [@kelly5078](#): > > “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” > “The Good Life” > “All in the Family” > “Mary Tyler Moore” > “I, Claudius” Or when Claudius had Gemellus’ head taken off with a light saber… ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/18 "2009-06-26T15:54:53Z")
Man, I loved the hell out of Emergency when I was a kid. In kindergarten I had the Emergency fire helmet; my friend and I would pretend to be Roy and Johnny and rush in to save the girls who were trying to play house. There’d be a kitchen fire three times a day at their house. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/19 "2009-06-26T15:55:24Z")
> [@Sauron](#): > > I think my favorite \*Mary Tyler Moore \*episode was the one where she and Rhoda broke up that prostitution/cocaine ring. Run by Sue Ann the Happy Homemaker and Gordy the weather man? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058/20 "2009-06-26T16:42:43Z")
Drama: **Lou Grant**. Differs from the parent show substantially in a way that, say, **Maude** or **Rhoda** did not. **Lou Grant** still holds up 30 years later in a way that few network dramas from the same era do. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-shows-of-the-70s/501058.md?page=2)