# TV Nostalgia - Check What Shows Were On When You Were A Kid! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 27, 2012, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234 "2012-11-27T03:05:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/1 "2012-11-27T03:05:23Z")
The other thread on Old Time Television Sets got me thinking about what used to be on TV back in the day. Surfing around, I found this [Wikipedia site](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nielsen_ratings) - but scroll down about half way and you will see the top rated programs of each year. But far MORE fun is to **click on that year** and then you will see the entire lineup of shows that week that were airing back when you were a kid (or even before you were born). Kind of fun to see the grand total of three choices of things to watch. on any given night, on TV - some hits that we still remember, and other shows that you probably have never heard of. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/2 "2012-11-27T04:06:40Z")
It does a rather effective job of explaining how I came to love reading as a child, not to mention my ongoing preference for cartoons over other TV programming. Not only was the TV available to me in my formative years very limited, it was mostly pretty dire stuff. ---
**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:** [November 27, 2012, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/3 "2012-11-27T04:16:11Z")
That is totally cool! You can find out about television shows you completely forgot existed! I had no idea that _My Three Sons_ was prime time during the debut of _All in the Family_. Just shows how Archie Bunker completely changed television. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/4 "2012-11-27T16:58:08Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > That is totally cool! You can find out about television shows you completely forgot existed! > > I had no idea that _My Three Sons_ was prime time during the debut of _All in the Family_. Just shows how Archie Bunker completely changed television. And remember - back then, most people probably only had one TV and no VCR or DVR, so you had to pick only one of the three shows to watch. I can remember often being pissed at my parents because I wanted to see some other show, but dad loved his westerns, mom loved Lawrence Welk - and, well, that is when I would go back to my room and read a book or do my homework instead; which of course, in retrospect, was not such a bad option at all. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/5 "2012-11-27T18:21:26Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > And remember - back then, most people probably only had one TV and no VCR or DVR, so you had to pick only one of the three shows to watch. i think because of that prime time tv shows became more family shows. the dramas might have stuff over the kids heads but still watchable by them. in radio the shows were more divided between child and adult but multiple radio sets might be more common. there was also the children early evening and adult late. when cable tv came about there were more dedicated channels and more tv sets. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/6 "2012-11-27T18:21:26Z")
I just found out I was born while _Circus Boy_ was on. No wonder Micky Dolenz is my favorite Monkee. 😃 ---
**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:** [November 27, 2012, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/7 "2012-11-27T22:32:25Z")
Marcus Welby was the #1 show when I was born. I don’t think I’ve ever watched an episode of that show – I may have gone past in it reruns, but I never stopped on it. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/8 "2012-11-27T23:11:52Z")
85-86 must have been the high point of American TV. First of all it had the best show ever Miami Vice. But also on Friday night was: Webster, Mr. Belvedre, Different Strokes, Twilight Zone, Knight Rider and Benson. (A whole night of incredibley diverse TV!) Thursday night: Cosby, Family Ties, Cheers and Night Court. Plus all the mustachioed, muskiness of Magnum PI, The Fall Guy, Hill Street Blues and Simon and Simon. Tuesday was Who’s The Boss, Growing Pains, and Moonlighting. Plus you had The A-Team, Riptide and Remington Steele. While Dad watched MNF, you had a line-up of the most badass women ever: Scafrecrow and Mrs. King, Kate and Allie, and Gag me and Mace me (Cagney and Lacey - Mad mag reference.) Saturday: The Facts of Life, Gimme a Break, 227, Golden Girls. Plus Hunter, Airwolf and The Love Boat. And on Sunday: Silver Spoons, Punky Brewster, Amazing Stories and MacGuyver. ---
**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:** [November 28, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/9 "2012-11-28T01:26:16Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > 85-86 must have been the high point of American TV. '65–'66 (and on into '67) more than gives it a run for its money. > **[1965–66 United States network television schedule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1965%E2%80%9366_United_States_network_television_schedule)** > > The following is the 1965–66 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1965 through August 1966. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1964–65 season. > During this season, ABC and CBS initiated the broadcast of a predominant portion of their prime-time programming in color, while nearly all of NBC'... > **[1966–67 United States network television schedule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1966%E2%80%9367_United_States_network_television_schedule)** > > The following is the 1966–67 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1966 through August 1967. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1965–66 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 Rese... ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/10 "2012-11-28T01:32:06Z")
Ugh, for me it was some unwanted nostalgia: 7th Heaven … _Shiver._ ---
**Author:** ![Chicagojeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/11 "2012-11-29T15:00:28Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I just found out I was born while _Circus Boy_ was on. No wonder Micky Dolenz is my favorite Monkee. 😃 I was born during Bonanza lol.. and The Leslie Uggams show lol. Wow.. that show.. “Then came Bronson” which came on in 1969-70.. that sounds sooo late sixites.. I would love to catch an episode of that.. sounds like a television version of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/12 "2012-11-29T15:36:16Z")
When I was born there was a show called **The Bob Newhart Show**. Funny, a decade or so later there was a show by the very same name, which I watched all the time. So how many shows has that guy had? 5? 6? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/13 "2012-11-29T16:40:53Z")
The first season I remember watching television was 1966-67… so _ **Lassie** _, _ **Batman** _ and \*\*\*The Monkees \*\*\*were always on my agenda. _ **Batman** _, you may recall, was on two nights a week- the first episode always ended in a cliffhanger (usually, some Dr. Evilesque device that was SUPPOSED to kill the Caped Crusaders, but never did) that was resolved the next night. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/14 "2012-11-29T17:29:16Z")
I can track my bedtime by the shows I remember watching. I had to go to bed when the map ignited in the opening for _Bonanza_. There are shows I remember fondly, but, looking back at the schedule, there was still a lot of dreck. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/15 "2012-11-29T18:12:56Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I can track my bedtime by the shows I remember watching. I had to go to bed when the map ignited in the opening for _Bonanza_. For me it was watching the train in _Petticoat Junction_. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/16 "2012-11-29T18:56:28Z")
Two things I immediately remember was my Dad groaning on Sunday night at 7pm if we beat him to the television to watch “The Wonderful World of Disney”, and only being allowed to watch the opening credits of “All In the Family” when it first came on. We liked to hear Edith sing, “…and you knew where you were then…” in that wonderfully squeaky voice. We weren’t allowed to watch a minute of “Laugh-In”… ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/17 "2012-11-29T19:24:33Z")
The 77-78 season (my 1st on Earth) was pretty stellar as well. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/18 "2012-11-29T19:38:38Z")
The Beverly Hillbillies and The Dick Van Dyke Show were big when I was about one year old. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-nostalgia-check-what-shows-were-on-when-you-were-a-kid/642234/19 "2012-11-29T20:41:45Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > The Beverly Hillbillies and The Dick Van Dyke Show were big when I was about one year old. Looking at the top shows when I was that age, they were all westerns, Andy Griffith, and Beverly Hillbillies.