# Prime time tv shows by year. What was your most memorable year? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 10, 2016, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759 "2016-04-10T00:51:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/1 "2016-04-10T00:51:29Z")
My most memorable year of tv viewing was 1968. Mod Squad, Land of the Giants, Hogan’s Heroes, The Guns of Will Sonnett, Ironside, THE F.B.I… I had a favorite show to eagerly watch every night of the week. It was one of the best prime time schedules ever. imho 😉 I was in 5th grade. I was curious to see the old schedule and what nights the shows were on. Wikipedia has it laid out very simply. Life was so easy then. three channels and three hours of prime time. There wasn’t really that many shows compared to today. > **[1968–69 United States network television schedule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968%E2%80%9369_United_States_network_television_schedule)** > > The following is the 1968–69 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1968 through August 1969. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1967–68 season. > New fall series are highlighted in bold. > Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Resea... think back to your childhood. What was the year you had the most favorite shows to watch? When you couldn’t wait to turn on the tv at 7pm? How old were you? wikipedia has a navigate bar by year in the upper right corner. Or just change the URL’s years. for example 1982 I changed the earlier link from 1968–69 to 1982–83 Wikipedia made it simple to jump to various years. > **[1982–83 United States network television schedule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982%E2%80%9383_United_States_network_television_schedule)** > > The following is the 1982–83 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1982 through August 1983. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1981–82 season. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football. > New series are highlighted in bold. > Each of the 30 highe... ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/2 "2016-04-10T01:09:51Z")
Anyone else get totally absorbed by the 70’s dramas? Medical Center and Cannon started in 1971 Barnaby Jones, The Streets of San Francisco, Waltons and Marcus Welby all started in 1972 yeah 1972 rocked with those six shows 😃 Great memories > **[1972–73 United States network television schedule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972%E2%80%9373_United_States_network_television_schedule)** > > The following is the 1972–73 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1972 through August 1973. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1971–72 season. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football. > New fall series are highlighted in bold. > Each of the 30 ... Tv became less important in high school. I had other activities and wasn’t home. No VCR’s and if you missed a show that was it. The rerun would be a couple months later. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/3 "2016-04-10T02:27:55Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > for example 1982 I changed the earlier link from 1968–69 to 1982–83 You’ve now linked to a grid showing THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO and THE A-TEAM and KNIGHT RIDER and THE FALL GUY and THE DUKES OF HAZZARD and MAGNUM PI, and so my elementary-school-age self literally could not be more impressed. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/4 "2016-04-10T05:14:17Z")
I can narrow it down to one night of one year, and one channel. Saturday night, 1973-1974. CBS: All in the Family / M_A_S\*H / The Mary Tyler Moore Show / The Bob Newhart Show / The Carol Burnett Show ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/5 "2016-04-10T06:10:18Z")
This is easy: 1966-67. * * * Combat!\*\*\*; _ **Rat Patrol** _; _ **12 O’Clock High** _ (albeit marred by the departure of General Savage); _ **Batman** _; _ **Wild, Wild West** _; _ **Time Tunnel** _; _ **Green Hornet** _; _ **The Avengers** _; _ **Mission: Impossible** _ (with Steven Hill as Dan Briggs); _ **F Troop** _; _ **Gilligan’s Island** _; _ **Hogan’s Heroes** _; \*\*\*That Girl \*\*\*(Marlo Thomas, mmmmmmmmm! :o ), _ **Bewitched** _ (Elizabeth Montgomery, GRRRRRRAOWRRRR! 🆒 ); _ **Get Smart** _; _ **Gomer Pyle** _; _ **It’s about Time** _; _ **The Beverly Hillbillies** _; _ **Green Acres** _. These were all must-sees. Lots of other shows I liked but didn’t watch regularly, e.g., _ **The Fugitive** _, _ **Man from UNCLE** _; _ **Daniel Boone** _; _ **I Dream of Jeannie** _; _ **Dean Martin** _; _ **Phyllis Diller** _. No, I wasn’t into _ **Star Trek** _ when I was 11 or 12. I was a second-generation Trekkie—I didn’t start watching it until after it was in syndication. ☹ Also not particularly interested in _ **Girl from UNCLE** _ or (by this time) _ **Lost in Space** _ and _ **Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea** _. Short-lived shows that I didn’t watch but wish I had: _ **Jericho** _ (about the French Resistance in WWII), _ **Coronet Blue** _ (about a double agent who’s lost his memory), _ **The Man Who Never Was** _ (Robert Lansing mistaken for a spy). Looking over the official schedule for the year, I see other shows are missing: _ **Addams Family** _, _ **Munsters** _, _ **McHale’s Navy** _, _ **Jonny Quest** _, _ **Tom Jones** _ (all cancelled), and _ **The Prisoner** _ (not until the next season). ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/6 "2016-04-10T08:51:20Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > I can narrow it down to one night of one year, and one channel. > > Saturday night, 1973-1974. > > CBS: All in the Family / M_A_S\*H / The Mary Tyler Moore Show / The Bob Newhart Show / The Carol Burnett Show This. All I remember is being glued to the TV, on the same channel, for hours. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/7 "2016-04-10T17:24:06Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > You’ve now linked to a grid showing THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO and THE A-TEAM and KNIGHT RIDER and THE FALL GUY and THE DUKES OF HAZZARD and MAGNUM PI, and so my elementary-school-age self literally could not be more impressed. I picked 1982 completely at random. But you’re right that was a very good tv schedule. I watched most of those shows. TV was such a big influence on kids before the internet and home video. Reading these old prime time tv schedules puts me right back on the sofa in my pj’s. Watching hour after hour of my favorite shows, ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/8 "2016-04-10T17:34:17Z")
I can’t think of a show that hooked me to a night until Cheers came along. Somewhere along the line I began to schedule based on leaving Thursday night open to see it. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/9 "2016-04-10T17:50:24Z")
Are most people picking shows from their childhoods, teens or 20s? Does anyone have a collection of shows they were glued to in their 40s or senior years? For me, I guess it was TGIF on ABC. Full house, family matters, perfect strangers, a fourth show that wasn’t ever very good, then 20/20. > **[TGIF (TV programming block) | TGIF lineup history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TGIF_(ABC)#TGIF_lineup_history)** > > Steve Urkel of Family Matters made crossover appearances on two other TGIF programs. > 1.January 25, 1991: Full House Season 4, Episode 16: "Stephanie Gets Framed" | > 2.September 27, 1991: Step by Step Season 1, Episode 2: "The Dance" This would’ve been around 1991. Another lineup I loved was Fox on sunday around 1990. Married with children, in living color, the simpsons. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/10 "2016-04-10T19:49:22Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Are most people picking shows from their childhoods, teens or 20s? Does anyone have a collection of shows they were glued to in their 40s or senior years? Some. _ **CSI** _; _ **Criminal Minds** _; _ **The Sopranos** _; _ **Due South** _; _ **Married … with Children** _; _ **'Allo, 'allo!** _; _ **The Simpsons** _ all come to mind. I turned 40 in 1995, and I would have seen all these mostly while I was living full-time in Russia. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/11 "2016-04-10T20:47:15Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > I can narrow it down to one night of one year, and one channel. > > Saturday night, 1973-1974. > > CBS: All in the Family / M_A_S\*H / The Mary Tyler Moore Show / The Bob Newhart Show / The Carol Burnett Show Another vote for this. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/12 "2016-04-10T21:54:38Z")
I’ll say Thursday nights on NBC in the mid 90s with Seinfeld and Friends. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/13 "2016-04-11T15:27:25Z")
Most of the 80s were pretty great for my family WRT television. We’ve always been a television family. I’ll say 87-88. Our House, Married With Children, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, Max Headroom, Tracey Ullman, Kate & Allie, Newheart, Valerie’s Family, Family Ties, Perfect Strangers, Nightcourt, Head of the Class, ALF, Sledgehammer!, Full House, Cosby, Different World, The Wonder Years, Just the 10 of Us, Cheers, Designing Women, Mr. Belvedere, Facts of Life, Amen, The Golden Girls. Plus, I often watched the Disney Sunday Movie. ---
**Author:** ![Gothic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Gothic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gothic)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/14 "2016-04-11T16:02:57Z")
1994 I think. X-Files, B5 and DS9. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/15 "2016-04-11T16:24:26Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > I can narrow it down to one night of one year, and one channel. > > Saturday night, 1973-1974. > > CBS: All in the Family / M_A_S\*H / The Mary Tyler Moore Show / The Bob Newhart Show / The Carol Burnett Show This was the greatest lineup in American TV history. It was so good, it only lasted one season. CBS broke it up so they could jump start new shows Paul Sands, Doc, Jeffersons, etc.) by sliding them into the lineup. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/16 "2016-04-13T03:17:55Z")
This should have been made into a poll, shows by year. ---
**Author:** ![Elemenopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Elemenopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elemenopy)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/17 "2016-04-14T21:39:19Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I’ll say 87-88. > > Our House, **Married With Children** , It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, Max Headroom, Tracey Ullman, Kate & Allie, Newheart, Valerie’s Family, **Family Ties** , **Perfect Strangers** , **Nightcourt** , **Head of the Class** , ALF, Sledgehammer!, **Full House** , **Cosby** , **Different World** , **The Wonder Years** , **Just the 10 of Us** , Cheers, Designing Women, **Mr. Belvedere** , Facts of Life, Amen, The Golden Girls. Plus, I often watched the Disney Sunday Movie. Same here, although I only recall watching the bolded ones. I would have been 9 or so when this lineup was on, and haven’t watched tv like that before or since. I remember squabbling with my siblings over who had to wash the dishes on Thursday and Friday nights. 😃 Also, totally didn’t realize that Facts of Life was still going then! Loved it in the early 80s, though I can’t remember quite why. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/18 "2016-04-14T23:36:27Z")
'97-'98. Seinfeld, ER, Friends, Third Rock, Simpsons, Newsradio, Frasier, King of the Hill, 90210, Drew Carey. That was a good year. Plus, Beavis and Butthead was still on, Real World Seattle, and MTV still played music videos. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/19 "2016-04-14T23:51:33Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > I can narrow it down to one night of one year, and one channel. > > Saturday night, 1973-1974. > > CBS: All in the Family / M_A_S\*H / The Mary Tyler Moore Show / The Bob Newhart Show / The Carol Burnett Show YES, YES, YES, YES, YES. The polls are closed. No one else need apply. THIS is clearly the winner. Three hours of solid entertainment with Five shows, if not at their peak, right at the sweet spot of their creative output. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759/20 "2016-04-15T00:21:26Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > I can narrow it down to one night of one year, and one channel. > > Saturday night, 1973-1974. > > CBS: All in the Family / M_A_S\*H / The Mary Tyler Moore Show / The Bob Newhart Show / The Carol Burnett Show Truly, The Golden Age of Television. (Seriously, that was only ONE year?? I remember this being much longer – but then, I was a kid. Time stretched out far longer in those days…) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prime-time-tv-shows-by-year-what-was-your-most-memorable-year/751759.md?page=2)