The 40 most popular 1970s TV shows, ranked. Click any show for ratings, reviews, trailers, and where to watch.


Columbo
1971 · US
Columbo is a friendly, verbose, disheveled-looking police detective who is consistently underestimated by his suspects. Despite his unprepossessing appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for indictment. His formidable eye for detail and meticulously dedicated approach often become clear to the killer only late in the storyline.


The Love Boat
1977 · US
Passengers who search for romantic nights aboard a beautiful ship travelling to tropical or mysterious countries, decide to pass their vacation aboard the "Love Boat", where Gopher, Dr. Bricker, Isaac, Julie, and Captain Stubing try their best to please them, and sometimes help them fall in love. Things are not always so easy, but in the end, love wins.


Supertrain
1979 · US
In a similar vein to The Love Boat, a mix of adventure, comedy, and mystery with a new set of guest stars each week, onboard a futuristic, nuclear-powered luxury train traveling across America.


Kamen Rider
1971 · JP
Takeshi Hongo is a promising young man with a passion for motorcycle racing. However, his dreams are suddenly ruined when he gets kidnapped by Shocker, the evil secret organization planning to dominate the world. After being remodeled into a cyborg, Takeshi escapes and swears to protect the world from the inhuman monsters.


Hello, Larry
1979 · US
Radio host Larry Alder has to cope with being a single father to his two daughters, Diane and Ruthie.


Scene of the Crime
1970 · DE
Tatort is a long-running German/Austrian/Swiss crime television series set in various parts of these countries. The show is broadcast on the channels of ARD in Germany, ORF in Austria and SF1 in Switzerland.


Saturday Night Live
1975 · US
A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.


The Old Fox
1977 · DE
A police department, lead by an older, experienced detective solve crimes together.


New Japan Pro Wrestling
1972 · JP
New Japan Pro-Wrestling is a Japanese promotion founded by Antonio Inoki in 1972. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it is the largest wrestling promotion in Japan and one of the largest in the world.


Match Game
1973 · US
The five-day-a-week syndicated successor to the popular CBS game show, where two contestants compete to match fill-in-the-blank phrases with those of the celebrities.


All My Children
1970 · US
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC for 41 years, from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network since April 29, 2013 via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and iTunes. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia which is modeled on the actual Philadelphia suburb of Rosemont.


Doraemon
1979 · JP
Doraemon is an anime TV series created by Fujiko F. Fujio and based on the manga series of the same name. This anime is the much more successful successor of the 1973 anime.


CBS News Sunday Morning
1979 · US
The sparkling notes of a trumpet fanfare and the familiar logo of the sun alert viewers that it's time for CBS's Sunday morning staple. Journalist Jane Pauley helms the show, taking over hosting duties from Charles Osgood, who spent 22 years on the job. A morning talk show, this program airs at a different pace and focuses much of its attention on the performing arts. After a quick update of the day's news and national weather, correspondents offer longer-length segments on a variety of topics, from architecture to ballet to music to pop culture to politics.


SOKO München
1978 · DE
SOKO 5113 is a long-running German police procedural television series. It was first aired in 1978 on 2 January. SOKO is an abbreviation of the term "Sonderkommission" in German.


NOVA
1974 · US
PBS' premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA demystifies science and technology, and highlights the people involved in scientific pursuits.


Number 96
1972 · AU
Number 96 was a popular Australian soap opera set in a Sydney apartment block. Don Cash and Bill Harmon of the Cash Harmon Television production company, produced the series for Network Ten, which requested a Coronation Street-type serial, and specifically one that explored adult subjects. The premise, original story outlines, and the original characters were devised by David Sale who also wrote the scripts for the first episodes and continued as script editor for much of the show's run. The series proved to be a huge success, running from 1972 until 1977. Number 96 was so popular it spawned a feature film version, filmed in December 1973. Number 96 was known for its sex scenes and nudity, somewhat risque at the time, and for its comedy characters. The series was the first Australian soap opera to feature an openly gay character.


Dallas
1978 · US
The world's first mega-soap, and one of the most popular ever produced, Dallas had it all. Beautiful women, expensive cars, and men playing Monopoly with real buildings. Famous for one of the best cliffhangers in TV history, as the world asked "Who shot J.R.?" A slow-burner to begin with, Dallas hit its stride in the 2nd season, with long storylines and expert character development. Dallas ruled the airwaves in the 1980's.


Kölner Treff
1976 · DE
No overview available


Great Performances
1971 · US
The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.


NDR Talk Show
1979 · DE
No overview available


M*A*S*H
1972 · US
The 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital is stuck in the middle of the Korean war. With little help from the circumstances they find themselves in, they are forced to make their own fun. Fond of practical jokes and revenge, the doctors, nurses, administrators, and soldiers often find ways of making wartime life bearable.


Emmerdale
1972 · UK
The lives of several families in the Yorkshire Dales revolve around a farm and the nearby village. With murders, affairs, lies, deceit, laughter and tears, it's all there in the village.


The Sullivans
1976 · AU
The Sullivans is an Australian drama television series produced by Crawford Productions which ran on the Nine Network from 1976 until 1983. The series told the story of an average middle-class Melbourne family and the effect World War II had on their lives. It was a consistent ratings success in Australia, and also became popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Gibraltar and New Zealand.


Lupin the 3rd
1971 · JP
Follow the exciting adventures of Arsene Lupin III, the grandson of the world's greatest thief, Arsene Lupin. Together with Daisuke Jigen, Goemon Ishikawa and his love interest Fujiko Mine, he carries out the greatest robberies of all time, all the while evading the control of Inspector Koichi Zenigata.


Knots Landing
1979 · US
The domestic adventures, misdeeds and everyday interactions of five families living on a cul-de-sac in a small California community.


Sítio do Picapau Amarelo
1977 · BR
The stories created by Monteiro Lobato take place at the "Sítio do Picapau Amarelo" (Yellow Woodpecker Farm), where various characters experience magical tales and star in unforgettable adventures.


The Trapalhões
1977 · BR
Os Trapalhões was a Brazilian comedy group and also a Brazilian television series created by Wilton Franco. Its members were Dedé Santana, Zacarias, Mussum and their leader Didi Mocó, that was played by Renato Aragão. The name Trapalhões is derived from the Portuguese verb atrapalhar, which means the opposite of helping, to do something the wrong way or to Those that confuse. The name is translated "Tramps" in English DVD subtitles. It was aired by Rede Globo from 1977 to 1999. On March 18, 1990, Zacarias died due to respiratory failure, but the group and the series didn't come to an end until July 29, 1994, when Mussum died due to an unsuccessful heart transplant.


Play for Today
1970 · UK
Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted. The individual episodes were between fifty and a hundred minutes in duration.


Little House on the Prairie
1974 · US
When the big woods of Wisconsin becomes a difficult spot for hunting, Charles Ingalls reluctantly decides to move his family, pioneering west. Their life on the farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s is full of adventure, tragedy, and triumph. Based on the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder.


Crown Court
1972 · UK
Crown Court is an afternoon television courtroom drama produced by Granada Television for the ITV network that ran from 1972, when the Crown Court system replaced Assize courts and Quarter sessions in the legal system of England and Wales, to 1984.


The Waltons
1972 · US
The Waltons live their life in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II.


Apostrophes
1975 · FR
Apostrophes was a live, weekly, literary, prime-time, talk show on French television created and hosted by Bernard Pivot. It ran for fifteen years (724 episodes) from January 10, 1975, to June 22, 1990, and was one of the most watched shows on French television (around 6 million regular viewers). It was broadcast on Friday nights on the channel France 2 (which was called "Antenne 2" from 1975 to 1992). The hourlong show was devoted to books, authors and literature. The format varied between one-on-one interviews with a single author and open discussions between four or five authors.


Grange Hill
1978 · UK
Children's drama series following the lives of students and teachers at Grange Hill comprehensive school.


The Price Is Right
1972 · US
"Come on down!" The Price Is Right features a wide variety of games and contests with the same basic challenge: Guess the prices of everyday (or not-quite-everyday) retail items.
3 nach 9
3 nach 9
1974 · DE
No overview available


Midi Première
1975 · FR
Midi Première is a French variety show presented by Danièle Gilbert, directed by Jacques Pierre and broadcast from January 6, 1975 until January 1, 1982 on TF1. The program was generally broadcast between 12:15 p.m. and 12:55 p.m., then giving way to the 1:00 p.m. TV news. However, the broadcast schedule could change, depending on the guests, and the setting where the recording of the program was shot. Certain performances by artists who have become cult like the one where Ringo jostles with a demonstrator in interpretation (1977), that of Dalida with the title There is always a song with the soundtrack that does not start, twice, at the right speed (1978), Claude François and his Clodettes, who, in the provinces, are unable to join "the set" in order to interpret his song, the latter being taken by the crowd of delirious fans (summer 1977) . The group Supertramp performed there with the title "Dreamer" on March 8, 1975.


Polizeiruf 110
1971 · DE
Polizeiruf 110 is a long-running German language detective television series. The first episode was broadcast 27 June 1971 in the German Democratic Republic, and after the dissolution of Fernsehen der DDR the series was picked up by ARD. It was originally created as a counterpart to the West German series Tatort, and quickly became a public favorite.


Happy Days
1974 · US
In 1950s Milwaukee the Cunningham family must contend with Fonzie, a motorcycle riding Casanova.


Quincy, M.E.
1976 · US
Los Angeles County medical examiner Quincy routinely engages in police investigations.


Charlie's Angels
1976 · US
Beautiful, intelligent, and ultra-sophisticated, Charlie's Angels are everything a man could dream of... and way more than they could ever handle! Receiving their orders via speaker phone from their never seen boss, Charlie, the Angels employ their incomparable sleuthing and combat skills, as well as their lethal feminine charm, to crack even the most seemingly insurmountable of cases.
1970s television grew markedly more socially engaged, with sitcoms and dramas taking on subject matter the previous decade wouldn't touch.