# The 24 Best 1970s TV Shows of All Time

> From boundary-pushing sitcoms and cozy family dramas to wisecracking detectives and star-studded variety hours, this lineup gathers the small-screen staples that defined a decade. Which one still reigns supreme?

*By YPB Team · Published July 23, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-24-best-1970s-tv-shows-of-all-time*

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## Current results (3 votes)

1. **Fawlty Towers** — score 1000/1000
   John Cleese's savagely funny British sitcom about an inept, irascible seaside hotel owner.
2. **All in the Family** — score 620/1000
   Norman Lear's groundbreaking sitcom built around bigoted everyman Archie Bunker that redefined what TV comedy could tackle.
3. **The Mary Tyler Moore Show** — score 566/1000
   The landmark workplace sitcom about an independent single woman producing the news in Minneapolis.
4. **The Bob Newhart Show** — score 545/1000
   The understated sitcom starring Bob Newhart as a Chicago psychologist.
5. **Saturday Night Live** — score 490/1000
   The late-night sketch institution that debuted in 1975 and reshaped American comedy.
6. **Three's Company** — score 489/1000
   The farcical roommate comedy built on misunderstandings and physical humor.
7. **M*A*S*H** — score 489/1000
   CBS's genre-blurring Korean War comedy-drama, one of the most acclaimed and widely watched series in television history.
8. **Barney Miller** — score 489/1000
   The witty, low-key sitcom set in a Greenwich Village police squad room.
9. **Soap** — score 424/1000
   The audacious prime-time soap parody that pushed boundaries with satire and cliffhangers.
10. **Columbo** — score 347/1000
   The rumpled-raincoat detective whose 'just one more thing' inverted mysteries made it a beloved crime staple.
11. **The Rockford Files** — score 347/1000
   James Garner's easygoing ex-con private eye anchored one of the decade's best detective dramas.
12. **Little House on the Prairie** — score 347/1000
   The wholesome frontier family drama adapted from Laura Ingalls Wilder's books.
13. **The Jeffersons** — score 254/1000
   The long-running All in the Family spin-off following an upwardly mobile Black family 'movin' on up'.
14. **Taxi** — score 254/1000
   The ensemble sitcom set in a New York cab garage, celebrated for its sharp writing and cast.
15. **Dallas** — score 254/1000
   The Ewing-family oil-dynasty saga whose 'Who Shot J.R.?' cliffhanger became a global sensation.
16. **WKRP in Cincinnati** — score 254/1000
   The cult-favorite sitcom set at a struggling rock radio station.
17. **The Muppet Show** — score 254/1000
   Jim Henson's variety show starring Kermit, Miss Piggy and a chaotic troupe of Muppets.
18. **Good Times** — score 254/1000
   The Chicago-projects sitcom that mixed sharp social commentary with J.J.'s 'Dyn-o-mite' catchphrase.
19. **The Waltons** — score 254/1000
   The Depression-era rural family drama known for its warm 'Goodnight, John-Boy' closings.
20. **Happy Days** — score 141/1000
   The nostalgic 1950s-set sitcom that became a cultural phenomenon and launched the Fonz into stardom.
21. **Sanford and Son** — score 141/1000
   Redd Foxx's Watts-set sitcom about a cantankerous junk dealer and his exasperated son.
22. **Charlie's Angels** — score 141/1000
   The glossy crime drama about three female private investigators taking orders from an unseen boss.
23. **The Carol Burnett Show** — score 141/1000
   The Emmy-laden variety and sketch showcase widely regarded as one of the greatest of its kind.
24. **Kojak** — score 141/1000
   Telly Savalas's bald, lollipop-sucking NYPD lieutenant headlined this gritty cop drama.

Tags: 70s, tv shows, retro, sitcoms