Did You See That?
Since the dawn of television, everyone has wanted to know what everyone else is watching. What else are you supposed to talk about at the office if you aren’t all watching the same thing? Here are the top shows of each year since… well, practically since television started!
Texaco Star Theatre
If you were watching television in 1950-1951, then there was a good chance that you were checking out Texaco Star Theatre. Texaco Star Theatre was quintessential of early television: a variety show sponsored by a big company. However, it did not hold the top spot for long.
The Texaco Star Theater starring Milton Berle - Opening & Closing, Kovacs Corner
Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts
Only a year later, Texaco Star Theatre was out and Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts was in. This also marked the start of CBS’s decade-long reign as the prime television channel. Sponsored by Lipton Tea, Talent Scouts ran on a very similar premise to Texaco Star Theatre. Neither could compare to the powerhouse that came next.
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts Lipton Soup TV Commercial HD, FM1156
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy ruled the airwaves for three consecutive years—and many after. Few shows have as much cultural presence as I Love Lucy. People continue to watch reruns even today. Lucille Ball and Lucy also changed the approach of television from variety show to character show.
Desilu, I love Lucy (1951 - 1957)
The $64,000 Question
CBS likely expected to have a bigger hit on their hand with The $64,000 Question. This quiz show was “the bees’ knees”. Unfortunately, around the same time, it was revealed that the quiz show Twenty-One was giving their contestants the answers, effectively shutting down quiz shows for decades. Fortunately, CBS had an old fallback.
CBS, The $64,000 Question (Game Show)
I Love Lucy—Again
The “quiz show scandal” may have taken the knees out from underneath The $64,000 Question. However, it didn’t hurt CBS any. Viewers just kept tuning into an old favorite: I Love Lucy topped the charts again in 1956-1957. This second reign would be short-lived, however. This was I Love Lucy’s last season.
Lucy Does a Commercial for Vitameatavegamin!, I Love Lucy
Gunsmoke
As the name suggests, Gunsmoke was a Country Western program that started its life as a radio show. The series transitioned to television in September 1955 (when The $64,000 Question reigned). However, by 1957, it’d found its audience, and it ran the ratings for four years.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
Wagon Train
1961-1962 finally saw NBC cut back into the ratings with Wagon Train. Like Gunsmoke, it was a Western story that followed the adventures of a large “wagon train” as it traveled through the American frontier. Unfortunately for NBC, Wagon Train’s time in the spotlight was short-lived.
NBC Television, Wikimedia Commons
The Beverly Hillbillies
CBS came back with another smash ruling the airwaves for two years with The Beverly Hillbillies. The story followed a rural “hillbilly” family that moved to glitzy Beverly Hills. Its first two seasons captured the audience’s attention before NBC pulled the rankings back with another big name.
Bonanza
Bonanza capitalized on the popularity of Westerns at this time. It was NBC’s longest-running Western TV show and the second-longest Western TV show on television ever (trailing after Gunsmoke). Bonanza took a few years to find popularity but once it did, it topped the charts for three years, from the 1964-1965 season to the 1966-1967 season.
The Andy Griffith Show
Bonanza finally lost the top spot in the ratings to CBS’s The Andy Griffith Show during the 1967-1968 season. The Andy Griffith Show had started back in October 1960 (likely accounting for its similar style to shows like I Love Lucy); it was its final season that finally topped the charts this year.
Andy Griffith S1E8 Opie explains himself, magicmaeve
Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In
Laugh-In saw a return to the earlier “variety show” style of program. However, this time it was with a focus on sketch comedy. SNL likely owes a lot to Laugh-In for starting the genre it made famous. Laugh-In held the top title for two years in 1968-1969 and 1969-1970.
Romart Inc., Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967 - 1973)
Marcus Welby, MD
As the name suggests, Marcus Welby, MD was an early example of a genre that has ruled television for decades: the medical drama. It also marked ABC’s first big break on the ranking charts as a network. Unfortunately, Marcus Welby, MD only lasted at the top for a year before CBS clawed their title back.
Marcus Welby, M.D.: Season Two - DVD Trailer, Shout! Studios
All In The Family
All In the Family finally broke the record of consecutive years on the top. One of the many beloved shows created by Norman Lear, All in the Family held the top of the rankings for five years, essentially the entire first half of the 70s. Only another beloved show creator could upend it.
Donaldson Collection, Getty Images
Happy Days
George Marshall created Happy Days in 1974. While it had a large following, it couldn’t break out of All in the Family’s shadow until 1976-1977. It also only held the top spot for a year before its own spinoff usurped it.
Laverne & Shirley
Audiences loved the characters of Laverne and Shirley from their brief appearances on Happy Days so much that George Marshall made them their own show. It took one year for it to catch on. However, Laverne & Shirley topped the ratings for two years at the end of the decade.
Paramount Television, Laverne & Shirley (1976 - 1983)
60 Minutes
60 Minutes needs no introduction. Started in 1968, 60 Minutes has been airing for over almost 50 years. Changes throughout the 70s made the show more popular and by 1979, they made history: they became the first primetime news broadcast show to rank number one in the Nielsen ratings. It didn’t last.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
Dallas
Dallas was a cultural phenomenon. While we have never watched an episode in our life, we understand “Who shot JR?” is a reference to the show (though we’re not sure we know the answer). In 1980, Dallas was in its third season. However, it finally had gained enough traction that it held the top spot for the next two years—until a familiar face came back in.
60 Minutes—Again
The Nielsen ratings hadn’t quite heard the last of 60 Minutes. During the 1982-1983 season, 60 Minutes found its way back to the top. If reaching the top once was unheard of for a primetime news show then hitting it twice was groundbreaking. However, it couldn’t hold on.
Dallas—Again
During the early part of the 80s, Dallas and 60 Minutes were in a tug-of-war with the ratings. However, with three years to 60 Minutes’ two years at the top, Dallas won. However, only one show still airs today, so maybe 60 Minutes had the last laugh.
Dynasty
Dynasty took the top spot in the 1984-1985 television season and shut down the “feud” between Dallas and 60 Minutes once and for all. Dynasty revolved around a wealthy family and their drama—a precursor to modern shows like Succession perhaps. It’s time on top didn’t last.
Dynasty - Season 5 - Episode 2 - Alexis wants it all, DynastyMoments
The Cosby Show
Obviously, this “dynasty” has been tainted in recent years. However, from 1985-1989, there were few people as beloved as Bill Cosby and The Cosby Show. With a four-year run at the top, The Cosby Show was the first show since All in the Family to go on such a lengthy tear through the ratings.
NBC, The Cosby Show (1984-1992)
Roseanne
Roseanne is another beloved show that has become somewhat tainted by the actions of its lead actor. However, in the late 1980s, America loved Roseanne’s realistic representation of life if you didn’t live at the top of the money pile. Roseanne held the top spot during its second season in 1989-1990.
The Hillbilly Day Spa - Roseanne, ABC
Cheers
Cheers is another show that is beloved by its fans even all these years later. The actors have gone on to other programs and roles but they will always be remembered for their time on Cheers. Although always popular, Cheers only held the top rating spot for one year in 1990-1991. It was displaced by a familiar face: want to guess who?
Cheers - Frasier Crane funny moments Part 1 HD, Roxy Cakes
60 Minutes—Again, Again
We spoke too soon by announcing Dallas as the winner of the ratings feud. While Dallas came out on top in the early 80s, 60 Minutes returned to the top for a three-year run in the early 90s. It would take two shows to top it.
September 24, 1968: The first 60 Minutes, 60 Minutes
Seinfeld
The 1994-1995 season saw an interesting division in its rankings. Up to this point, all shows had been ranked by the number of households watching. This year introduced a new stat that divided the rankings: the number of viewers. Seinfeld was watched in most households that year. However, it was not watched by most viewers. That honor went to…
Julia Yada Yada's Over Her Pregnancy | DVD Commentary | Seinfeld by Seinfeld
Home Improvement
The feel-good family show starring Tim Allen received the top spot in 1994-1995 based on the number of viewers that were watching it. However, I wouldn’t feel too bad for Seinfeld. It made a comeback.
Walt Disney, Home Improvement (1991-99)
ER
ER was one of the longest-running shows on television. While its first season couldn’t compete with the dual champions in 1994-1995, it found enough fans by 1995 to surpass both shows easily. ER and its dreamy doctors held the top-ranking spot for two years before someone else broke back into the ratings.
The Very First Scene | ER, ER - Emergency Room
Seinfeld—Again
We told you not to feel too bad for Seinfeld. By 1997-1998, Seinfeld had found its footing and its audience. It had enough staying power to beat out both Home Improvement and the ruling show ER. Though, it was a short-lived victory.
Seinfeld | Elaine Benes, Vincent Clark
ER—Again
ER wasn’t ready to give up yet. In 1998-1999, ER found its way back to the top of the charts again, though its viewership had gone down from previous years. This may be why it was ousted by a type of show that hadn’t topped the charts in 40 years.
The Very First Scene | ER, ER - Emergency Room
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
That’s right! For the first time in 40 years, a game show found its way back to the top of the charts. Although Jeopardy had been currying fans for years, no one had seen tension and high stakes like Regis Philbin and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. At least, not until the next year.
Who Wants to be a Millionaire 7/27/2000 FULL SHOW, WWTBAMclassics
Survivor
If people thought that Who Wants to be a Millionaire was revolutionary, then they surely didn’t know what to do with Survivor. That first season of Survivor was a cultural phenomenon, taking the world by storm. If you weren’t watching Survivor in 2000-2001, then what were you doing with your life?
Previously on Survivor - Season 1 - Survivor: Borneo, Survivor Geek
Friends
It seems hard to believe, but it’s true: Friends only ranked at the top of the ratings charts for one year in 2001-2002. However, it has found a staying power that few other shows had and is experiencing a bit of a resurgence right now. Unfortunately. its popularity could not compete with the other shows on air back in the 1990s and 2000s.
The Ones That Make You Laugh | Friends, Friends
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Who doesn’t remember the height of CSI? Its popularity was so great that it spawned a whole new genre of series: procedural spin-offs of crime and medical shows that follow the same format as the original in a new location with a new cast. CSI reached its peak in 2002-2003 when it ruled the charts.
CBS, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000/15)
American Idol (Tuesday)
From 2003-2006, America was obsessed with one thing: watching promising musical contestants perform to become “your next American Idol!” After watching the transformation it had on Kelly Clarkson’s life, it’s unsurprising that it ruled the charts for so long. It was one of the few TV shows that invited you to play a part in it. Its only competition appeared to be… itself?
American Idol (Wednesday)
American Idol operated on a two-night format for years. On Tuesday nights, the contestants would sing for their food (or your votes) and on Wednesday you would tune in to see who was making it to next week (or more accurately, who wasn’t). For three years, the Tuesday program topped the charts. In 2006-2007, however, America decided they liked Wednesday night the best.
RadioFan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
American Idol (Tuesday Or Wednesday)
From the 2006-2007 season to the 2010-2011 season, America could never quite decide what they liked better: voting or watching somebody cry. Every year during this period, the ratings bounced back and forth between the Tuesday show and the Wednesday show until it met a foe no one has yet to defeat…
Fremantle, American Idol 2002-
NBC Sunday Night Football
In the 2011-2012 television season, something rose in America that no show could compete with: football. NBC Sunday Night Football has topped the ranking every single year to date since 2011. Maybe one day another TV show will become more popular but until then… we have football or reruns.
Sunday Night Football on NBC intro | NYJ@LV | 11/12/2023, Sports HQ
You May Also Like:
The Best Western TV Shows Of All Time
The Best TV Show Opening Credit Sequences Of All Time
Sources: 1
