This isn't some random thought I suddenly had this morning, it's actually in response to AOL Television's list of the 40 best TV shows of the 1970s. The Odd Couple, one of the great, laugh-out-loud comedies of all-time, comes in at number 21, while The Brady Bunch comes in at number 15. Sometimes shows can't be judged the same (for example, comedy vs. drama or drama vs. animated), but come on, The Brady Bunch so far ahead of The Odd Couple?I don't think I'm giving anything away by revealing that shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, M*A*S*H, and All in the Family are at the top, but there are a few entries that you and your friends can argue about.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-22-2009 @ 12:12PM
mel said...
Totally agree 100%, Bob.
The Odd Couple was a HILARIOUS show - clever, witty, and just far superior to the BB which was mostly 1-demensional, "corny" humor.
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6-22-2009 @ 2:37PM
Brett Alan said...
It's a good list, despite this particlarly lapse in judgment (which you're quite correct about). Nice to see Soap rated so high. Where are the game shows, though? If you can have the Sonny & Cher show, surely you can find room for something like Pyramid or Family Feud.
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6-22-2009 @ 2:53PM
stewartwallace said...
I'm assuming that they restricted entries to prime-time shows. (Notice no SNL or Mary Hartman.)
Also no miniseries: Roots, Rich Man Poor Man, etc.
MIA: Flip Wilson, Dean Martin, Room 222, Police Story, McCloud, One Day at a Time.
I would think that any of these would belong on the list before Brady Bunch & Partridge Family.
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6-22-2009 @ 3:04PM
MarcDom7 said...
Can somebody just post the list? I hate these kinds with 40 different slow-loading picture-filled pages.
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6-22-2009 @ 3:10PM
C.A. said...
Eh, looks like they went with popularity over quality on that one.
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6-22-2009 @ 3:34PM
Brett Alan said...
Stewart makes a fair point about no non-prime time shows, but they should have said that. I forgot about SNL--how could you leave that out? Granted it's been on the air ever since, but the 70s shows with the original cast were the best and most groudbreaking. For that matter, how about Monty Python's Flying Circus?
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6-22-2009 @ 4:50PM
MarcDom7 said...
I haven't checked the rules of the list (or the list itself), but perhaps Monty Python was disqualified for starting in 1969.
6-22-2009 @ 3:40PM
stewartwallace said...
What about the ground-breaking reality series (long before the term existed) An American Family?
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6-22-2009 @ 5:48PM
stewartwallace said...
1. The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS, 1970-1977)
2. All in the Family (CBS, 1971-1979)
3. M*A*S*H (CBS, 1972-1983)
4. The Waltons (CBS, 1972-1981)
5. The Carol Burnett Show (CBS, 1967-1978)
6. The Rockford Files (NBC, 1974-1980)
7. The Bob Newhart Show (CBS, 1972-1978)
8. The Muppet Show (syndicated, 1976-1981)
9. Soap (ABC, 1977-1981)
10. Columbo (NBC, 1971-1978)
11. Maude (CBS, 1972-1978)
12. Barney Miller (ABC, 1975-1982)
13. Taxi (ABC/NBC, 1978-1983)
14. Family (ABC, 1976-1980)
15. The Brady Bunch (ABC, 1969-1974)
16. Lou Grant (CBS, 1978-1982)
17. Kojak (CBS, 1973-1978)
18. The Jeffersons (CBS, 1975-1985)
19. Little House on the Prairie (NBC, 1974-1983)
20. Kung Fu (ABC, 1972-1975)
21. The Odd Couple (ABC, 1970-1975)
22. Hawaii Five-O (CBS, 1968-1980)
23. The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour (CBS, 1971-1974)
24. The Streets of San Francisco (ABC, 1972-1977)
25. Happy Days (ABC, 1974-1984)
26. Police Woman (NBC, 1974-1978)
27. WKRP in Cincinnati (CBS, 1978-1982)
28. The Partridge Family (ABC, 1970-1974)
29. Starsky & Hutch (ABC, 1975-1979)
30. The White Shadow (CBS, 1978-1981)
31. Sanford & Son (NBC, 1972-1977)
32. Welcome Back, Kotter (ABC, 1975-1979)
33. Harry O (ABC, 1974-1976)
34. Night Gallery (NBC, 1970-1973)
35. Good Times (CBS, 1974-1979)
36. The Six Million Dollar Man (ABC, 1974-1978)
37. Kolchak: The Night Stalker (ABC, 1974-1975)
38. Laverne & Shirley (ABC, 1976-1983)
39. Mc Millan & Wife (NBC, 1971-1977)
40. Charlie’s Angels (ABC, 1976-1981)
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