10 TV Shows Everyone Watched in 1970
Ask a bunch of people what their favorite TV show is right now, and there’s a good chance you won’t recognize at least a few of the titles. Given today’s television landscape, filled with hundreds of cable channels and seemingly endless streaming options, it’s difficult to name a handful of programs that most people are watching.
Of course, that wasn’t the case just a few decades ago, when television was still a relatively small world. By the 1970s, TV had become a dominant form of American entertainment, but U.S. households had only a few major networks to choose from. Hit shows could attract enormous audiences and become shared cultural experiences in a way that’s less common in today’s fragmented TV landscape.
At the dawn of the 1970s, the biggest TV programs were already established favorites, but newer shows were beginning to make their mark. Together, these shows offer a snapshot of what American television looked like at the time. Westerns were hugely popular, family sitcoms dominated, variety shows were a consistent staple, and a new generation of programs was beginning to emerge. Here are 10 of the shows that seemed to be everywhere in 1970.
Gunsmoke
By 1970, Gunsmoke had been on television for 15 years, but viewers still hadn’t tired of Dodge City. James Arness starred as Marshal Matt Dillon, the lawman keeping order in the fictional Kansas town, alongside familiar characters such as Miss Kitty and Doc Adams. The series ranked No. 2 for the 1969-70 season, proving the Western was still a television powerhouse. Gunsmoke remained on the air until 1975, making it one of the longest-running primetime series in television history.
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Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In
First airing in 1968, Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In was fast, colorful, and unlike almost anything else on television. The sketch show jumped from one gag to the next, mixing recurring characters, celebrity appearances, and visual jokes. It was the No. 1-rated show of the 1969-70 season, reflecting audiences’ appetite for something more irreverent and energetic than traditional variety programming. Its rapid-fire style also captured the changing culture of the late 1960s and early 1970s. It ran until 1973, paving the way for the “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” original cast of Saturday Night Live, which debuted in 1975.
Bonanza
Another popular Western of the era, Bonanza premiered in 1959 and followed the Cartwright family on their sprawling Ponderosa ranch in Nevada. Lorne Greene starred as Ben Cartwright, with Michael Landon, Dan Blocker, and Pernell Roberts as his sons. The show ranked No. 3 in the 1969-70 season, combining family conflicts and moral lessons with plenty of frontier adventure. By 1970, the Cartwrights were among television’s most recognizable families.
Here’s Lucy
Lucille Ball was still one of television’s biggest stars in 1970, thanks to Here’s Lucy, which premiered in 1968 and ran through 1974. Ball played Lucy Carter, a working mother whose schemes and misunderstandings inevitably spiraled into chaos. Her real-life children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr., played her children on the show. The series ranked No. 4 in the 1969-70 season and No. 3 the following year, proving Ball’s trademark physical comedy still had enormous appeal.
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D. premiered in 1969 and quickly became one of television’s biggest new hits. Robert Young played the title character, a compassionate family doctor who treated patients while dealing with the personal problems surrounding their illnesses. The show’s success reflected the era’s fascination with medical dramas, while its reassuring physician hero made medicine feel personal. The series ranked No. 9 in the 1969-70 season before becoming the No. 1-rated program the following year.
The Carol Burnett Show
Variety television was still a major part of American life at the start of the 1970s, and The Carol Burnett Show was one of its most beloved examples. The series premiered in 1967 and ran until 1978, combining comedy sketches, musical performances, and celebrity guests. Burnett’s physical comedy and memorable characters made the show a family favorite. Although other programs ranked higher in the ratings, The Carol Burnett Show had the second-longest run (after Red Skelton) and its cultural staying power was enormous, with sketches and characters that remained familiar long after the show ended.
Hawaii Five-O
When Hawaii Five-O premiered in 1968, it offered an alternative to the Westerns and small-town sitcoms dominating television. Jack Lord starred as Steve McGarrett, head of a state police task force investigating crimes across Hawaii. The series combined police-procedural storytelling with a picturesque setting and plenty of action. It reached the top 10 during the 1970-71 season, reflecting television’s growing appetite for modern crime dramas.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Not every important show of 1970 was an established ratings giant. The Mary Tyler Moore Show premiered in September, introducing viewers to Mary Richards, a single woman in her 30s who moved to Minneapolis and built a career as a television news producer. Mary was defined by her work, friendships, and independent life rather than a husband or family — a significant departure for a sitcom heroine at the time. The show was a solid hit in its first season, ranking No. 22 in the 1970-71 ratings, and it climbed to No. 10 the following year. It ran until 1977 and became one of the decade’s most influential sitcoms.
The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad, which premiered in 1968 and ran until 1973, captured the changing mood of the era. Its three young undercover police officers were outsiders recruited because they could connect with counterculture and younger people in ways traditional police couldn’t. The series tackled drug use, racism, youth rebellion, and other social issues while retaining a conventional crime-drama format. Its premise reflected a changing attitude toward America’s younger generation, portraying rebellious young people not simply as troublemakers but as a potential part of the solution. The show was also a ratings success, ranking No. 23 in the 1969-70 season and climbing to No. 11 in 1970-71.
The Flip Wilson Show
The Flip Wilson Show premiered in September 1970 and quickly became one of the biggest new hits on television, eventually ranking No. 2 for the 1970-71 season. Wilson was the first Black performer to host a successful network variety show under his own name, and his easygoing comedy and memorable characters, particularly Geraldine Jones, made him a major television star. The show’s success was significant beyond its ratings, giving a Black entertainer a prominent place in mainstream primetime at a time when Black representation on television was still limited.
