The Best Of '75
Did you know that Cher had her own variety show in 1975? Or that eight of the 10 highest rated shows that season were sitcoms? And that two of the top 30 series that year were remade over 30 years later? These are the 30 highest rated shows that aired during the 1974-75 television season. How many do you remember (fondly or otherwise)?
30: Emergency! (1972-77)
Nielsen Rating: 20.0
This action medical drama premiered in 1972 and ran for six seasons, 122 episodes, and six made-for-TV movies. It focused on Squad 51—the medical and rescue unit of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The series had a good run on NBC, but the 1974-75 season was the only one in which it broke into the top 30.
Universal, Emergency! (1972–1979)
29: The Carol Burnett Show (1967-78)
Nielsen Rating: 20.4
One of the greatest variety/sketch comedy shows of all time, The Carol Burnett Show was a staple on American screens from 1967 to '78. And although ratings dropped in the show's final two seasons, From '67 to '76, it remained a top 30 show—peaking at number 13 in 1970.
CBS, The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1978)
28: Gunsmoke (1955-75)
Nielsen Rating: 20.5
If all you know of TV Westerns is Yellowstone, you're missing out. Until The Simpsons came along, Gunsmoke was the longest-running scripted American primetime television series of all time—running for 20 seasons and 635 episodes. And it was a number one show for a bunch of those years as well. As you can see, sitting at 28, even in its final season it was still getting more viewers than most things on television.
27: Medical Center (1969-76)
Nielsen Rating: 20.6
The tension between youth and experience was at the heart of this 1970s medical drama that aired for seven seasons on CBS. Medical Center was a top 10 show in its second season and didn't fall lower than 39th throughout its run.
MGM, Medical Center (1969–1976)
25: Tony Orlando And Dawn (1974-76)
Nielsen Rating: 20.7
As you'll see, folks loved their variety shows in the 70s—and Tony Orlando and Dawn was one of three in the Nielsen top 30 that year.
Ilson/Chambers Productions, Tony Orlando and Dawn (1974–1976)
25: Paul Sand In Friends And Lovers (1974-75)
Nielsen Rating: 20.7
How many top-rated shows can you think of that were canceled after just 15 episodes? Well, we can think of at least one: Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers. Not surprisingly, Paul Sand starred in this one—but despite its ratings, it did a lot worse than the shows that came on before and after it (All in the Family and The Mary Tyler Moore Show). The network, therefore, deemed it disappointing and it was gone.
Twentieth Century, Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers (1974–1975)
22: The NBC Sunday Mystery Movie (1971-77)
Nielsen Rating: 21.3
The NBC Sunday Mystery Movie was a rotating series of mystery shows such as McMillan & Wife, McCloud, and Columbo. There is definitely a generation of TV viewers who remember Sunday nights for movies rather than football.
NBC, The NBC Tuesday Mystery Movie (1971–1977)
22: The Streets Of San Francisco (1972-77)
Nielsen Rating: 21.3
Karl Malden and Michael Douglas played two San Francisco homicide detectives in this 70s crime drama. The show made Douglas a star and he ended up leaving the series in the final season to pursue his film career.
Warner Bros., The Streets of San Francisco (1972–1977)
22: Cher (1975-76)
Nielsen Rating: 21.3
And here we have the third variety show in the 1975 Nielsen top 30. Cher got this series after The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour ended amid the couple's bitter divorce. Cher did well on her own for two seasons, but it was "overwhelming" doing it all alone and it ended when she and Sonny set aside their differences in order to do their show again.
Apis/George Schlatter Productions, Cher (1975–1976)
20: Cannon (1971-76)
Nielsen Rating: 21.6
Frank Cannon was a multilingual, highly educated Korean War veteran and former LAPD detective who was now working as a private investigator. For 122 episodes, Cannon solved crimes for a variety of clients, and did so as a top 30 show for most of its run.
Quinn Martin Productions (QM), Cannon (1971–1976)
20: Mannix (1967-75)
Nielsen Rating: 21.6
Joe Mannix was another 70s detective and lead actor Mike Connors was nominated for six golden Globes and four Emmys for his portrayal of the title character. The series ended its eight-season run in the top 20.
18: The Rookies (1972-76)
Nielsen Rating: 22.0
Aaron Spelling co-executive produced this 70s police procedural focused on three rookie cops working for the fictional Southern California Police Department (SCPD).
Columbia, The Rookies (1972–1976)
18: The Wonderful World Of Disney (1969-79)
Nielsen Rating: 22.0
Previously known as Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color from 1961 to 1969, it was renamed The Wonderful World of Disney the following season because the "color" part was no longer a big deal (as every network was broadcasting in color now).
Walt Disney, The Wonderful World of Disney (1954–1997)
17: The Bob Newhart Show (1972-78)
Nielsen Rating: 22.4
Bob Newhart had a top 30 series in the 80s with Newhart—which premiered in 1982, four years after his very successful run with The Bob Newhart Show ended.
CBS, The Bob Newhart Show (1972–1978)
16: S.W.A.T. (1975-76)
Nielsen Rating: 22.6
The current version of S.W.A.T. has lasted more seasons than the original series, but hasn't come close to the ratings that first version got for two seasons back in the mid-70s.
Columbia, S.W.A.T. (1975–1976)
15: Police Woman (1974-78)
Nielsen Rating: 22.8
Angie Dickinson starred as undercover officer Sgt "Pepper" Anderson in this police procedural set in Los Angeles.
Columbia, Police Woman (1974–1978)
14: Kojak (1973-78)
Nielsen Rating: 23.3
Telly Savalas played the Tootsie Pop-loving Detective Lieutenant Theophilus "Theo" Kojak—who TV Guide ranked as the 18th greatest TV character of all time.
13: Little House On The Prairie (1974-83)
Nielsen Rating: 23.5
Little House on the Prairie was a top 30 series for almost its entire nine-season run on CBS—landing as high as seventh place in 1977.
NBC, Little House on the Prairie (1974–1983)
12: The Rockford Files (1974-80)
Nielsen Rating: 23.7
Yet another primetime private detective, the uber-personable James Garner was Jim Rockford—basically a modern detective version of his Bret Maverick character from his previous hit series, Maverick.
Cherokee Productions, The Rockford Files (1974–1980)
11: The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-77)
Nielsen Rating: 24.0
Called the sixth best written television series of all time by the Writers Guild of America, The Mary Tyler Moore Show was smart and groundbreaking for its portrayal of an unmarried woman in the workplace, not dependent on a man. It was also really funny and an audience favorite for years.
CBS, The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977)
10: Hawaii Five-O (1968-1980)
Nielsen Rating: 24.8
Another 70s show that got a remake in the 21st century—the original Hawaii Five-O ran for an impressive 12 seasons and was a top 10 show for four of those seasons (and finishing as high as number three in 1973).
CBS, Hawaii Five-O (1968–1980)
9: Maude (1972-78)
Nielsen Rating: 24.9
Played by Bea Arthur, Maude Findlay was Edith Bunker's favorite cousin—and Maude was the first spin-off (of many) of the iconic All in the Family.
8: The Waltons (1972-1981)
Nielsen Rating: 25.5
This series, set in rural mountainous Western Virginia in the Depression era '30s and wartime '40s, was so popular—even across the Atlantic—that "Goodnight, John-Boy" became a common catchphrase in the UK in the '70s (if you've seen the show, then you get it).
Warner Bros., The Waltons (1972–1981)
7: Good Times (1974-79)
Nielsen Rating: 25.8
The top seven shows of 1975 were all sitcoms—starting with Good Times. This spin-off of Maude was television's first African American two-parent family sitcom.
Tandem Productions, Good Times (1974–1979)
6: Rhoda (1974-78)
Nielsen Rating: 26.3
Rhoda was the first spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show—and for its first two seasons, it was a big hit. However, following the creative decision to have Rhoda get divorced, the ratings suffered—and by the fifth season, it was ranked 95—and CBS canceled it mid-season.
5: "M*A*S*H" (1972-83)
Nielsen Rating: 27.4
One of the greatest shows of all time, M*A*S*H ranked 45th in its first season—but after that, the iconic series only fell out of the top 10 once throughout the rest of its run. And of course, as we all know, the show's finale is the most-watched episode of a scripted series ever.
Twentieth Century, M*A*S*H (1972-1983)
4: The Jeffersons (1975-85)
Nielsen Rating: 27.6
The second All in the Family spin-off, The Jeffersons ran for 11 seasons and was a top 10 series four times during its run. However, CBS abruptly canceled the show without giving it a proper finale. In fact, the show's star, Sherman Hemsley, said that he learned about the cancellation by reading it in the newspaper.
CBS, The Jeffersons (1975-1985)
3: Chico And The Man (1974-78)
Nielsen Rating: 28.5
Chico and the Man, starring Jack Albertson and Freddie Prinze, came out strong and was the third highest rated show in its first season. However, actor Freddie Prinze sadly took his own life near the end of the second season and the show's ratings were never the same without him.
Wolper Productions, Chico and the Man (1974–1978)
2: Sanford And Son (1972-77)
Nielsen Rating: 29.6
Sanford and Son was a top 10 hit for its first five seasons and only dropped to 27th for the sixth and final season of the series.
Tandem Productions, Sanford and Son (1972 - 1978)
1: All In The Family (1971-79)
Nielsen Rating: 30.2
We've talked about the spin-offs, but as good and successful as they were—none of them could match the almost-legendary status of the OG, All in the Family. Controversial, ground-breaking, funny...All in the Family was also very popular—topping the Nielsen rankings for five straight years from 1971 to 1976.
You might also like:
The Ultimate 1970s Movie Trivia
The 70 Greatest Actors Of The 1970s
Tandem Productions, All in the Family (1971 - 1979)
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