My grandmother (1889-1984) was a devotee of Lawrence Welk, Merv Griffin, Walter Cronkite, Ed Sullivan, Smothers Brothers, Art Linkletter House Party, various game shows while ironing. She watched Laugh-In once and hated it.
My grandparents didn’t watch much TV, but I do remember my grandfather hooking up a switch to the speaker that he could turn off during commercials*. This was before remote controls.
He also had the first remote I’d ever seen. It worked by making musical tones – one changed the channel up, the other down. A third turned things off. Here’s a demo.
*It wasn’t that hard; I remember an Al Jaffee article in Mad Magazine that explained how to do it.
My paternal parents never had television in the late 60s. My maternal grandmother did and the most compelling viewing was the BBC documentary - The Great War. 1914-1918.
Her husband and my grandfather endured mustard gas at the Somme. He never really recovered. He came home 12,000 miles to NZ and quietly farmed as did many others. Until one day in 1960 when his body quietly gave up its life.
My grandmother says she never watches TV, and yet she has the magical ability to describe what happened on Dr. Phil yesterday.
Both of my grandmothers loved (and one still loves) those mega church shows that were part sermon and part donation drive.
My maternal grandmother was a lovely, charming, quiet lady, who watched soaps in the afternoon while she knitted. I remember “Days of Our Lives” and “General Hospital”.
It was the weirdest thing. Only slasher films would’ve been more out of character.
My paternal grandmother would watch the holy rosary show. That always struck me as weird, just watching people on tv say the rosary while standing in a field.
My grandma didn’t much look at TV (her way of putting it). But she did used to like looking at Bonanza. “And that other show that had Little Joe in it… Him and that little girl with pigtails.”
My grandmother was a god-fearing Southern Baptist from Texas and yet she loved ATWT. Just hearing the theme song takes me back to being in her house.
My grandfather also loved Sanford and Son, which was weird since he was kinda racist, but he found Redd Foxx utterly hilarious.
Well, for one thing, one set of grandparents didn’t believe in TV, so nothing there.
I recall watching the westerns of the era at the other grandparent’s house. Sugerfoot, Maverick and all that. So I guess my grandfather liked those.
Later, I only recall my grandmother on her own watching Lawrence Welk. TV would be off all day, she’d turn it on for Welk, then off for the night. Not really strange there. Just typical grandma stuff.
Except, for her, Lawrence Welk was personal. She grew up in the heart of Welk country. She even saw him play once at The Corn Palace.
OTOH, she complained about The Lennon Sisters wearing “scandalous” dresses. They were showing too much cleavage (but she wouldn’t have said the “c” word). Scandalous on Welk? Right.
This contrasts with my mother, now in grandmother mode, who leaves the TV on the entire time she’s up with the volume cranked up. And she has terrible tastes.
Aside from one grandmother watching Edge of Night every day I don’t know what any of them may have watched on TV. Both my grandfathers passed away in the 50s so there couldn’t have been all that much TV that they watched.
Hah. Mine, too. They had a radio, but I don’t know what they listen to. I visit to grandma’s, as a kid, meant no TV.
Oh that is a sweet story! Sniff It’s kind of the answer to what to do for a person when they don’t need much “stuff” When my grandmother turned 100 I had 100 roses delivered to the family birthday party at the nursing home. She enjoyed them, and as I knew she would she enjoyed giving them away even more. For her 105th birthday I had a harp player do a short winter/Christmas concert for her and the other residents at the home.
I can’t tell you what my grandparents watched, but my mother was a fan of televised horse racing.
My wife’s grandmother, an immigrant who spoke very little English, loved American Bandstand.
My Maternal Grandmother loved Hockey (she was Canadian).
I only knew one grandparent she a Russian immigrant , my dad’s mom and was born in the 1800’s . I never saw grandma watch TV but she did call our house when she couldn’t fix her TV antenna . I am missing her now. 
My grandfather liked to watch the Price is Right, but I had to convince him that the contestants really got to keep the prizes.
Jeopardy! Is appointment viewing for my grandparents. Well, was, for grandpa who died.
Not too weird but they have been completely removed from pop culture their entire lives. Grandpa was brought up religious then became Mennonite and grandma was brought up legit Amish and became Mennonite too. They lived in Amish country, didn’t have cable or go to movies and I’m sure didn’t read any books besides Christian books and probably classics.
Grandma is a smart lady so I’m sure she rocks history and politics but I feel like 2/3 of the questions went over their heads.
Never met my grandparents due to my parents being in their 40s when I was born. I have fond memories of watching reruns of Match Game and Laugh-In with Mom. Dad didn’t miss an episode of Benny Hill; Mom would roll her eyes and walk out.
My grandmother, in her 80’s, loved looking at Bonanza as well but it was because she liked ‘that handsome Lorne Greene.’ The only other thing I remember her watching was Billy Graham specials.
Hee Haw. And Kate Smith, singing God Bless America.
[Grandma (my great grandmother) was born in 1903, and helped raise me (born 1962).]