The 1970s: When TV Got Real - Prove What You Know About This Groundbreaking Decade in TV History!

Later, Lassie

The 1970s were a time of massive cultural change — and nowhere was that reflected more than on television. At the dawn of the decade, cowboys and goofy hillbillies still ruled the airwaves; by the end of the 1970-71 season, they had all but vanished. In what came to be known as the "rural purge", the networks abruptly canceled virtually all rural-themed shows, including The Beverly Hillbillies, Lassie, Green Acres, and Mayberry R.F.D. "Move over, Grandma," said the new, socially conscious generation. It was time to get real. 

Seemingly overnight, shows began popping up that dealt with topics long considered utterly taboo. It's hard to believe now, but when The Mary Tyler Moore Show debuted in 1970, it was the first series in television history to depict a single, working woman. Another groundbreaking debut was M*A*S*H (1972-83), which offered an unflinching portrayal of the atrocities and injustice of war that resonated deeply with a generation that had grown increasingly cynical about the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Four years earlier, the #2 show was Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C., a military-themed series set in the 1960s that never mentioned the Vietnam War. 

And then there was Norman Lear's All in the Family (1971-9). More than anyone else in television at the time, Lear broke down cultural barriers by taking on off-limits issues like bigotry, race, and homosexuality. In All in the Family, as well as its spinoffs Maude (1972-78), Sanford and Son (1972-77) and The Jeffersons (1975-85) Lear artfully wove social commentary in with good old sitcom yucks — and changed the face of television forever.

Da Plane! Da Plane!

By mid-decade, dismaying events like Watergate and the U.S. defeat in Vietnam had led to a distinct shift in mood; TV producers and networks thought it might do for a little escapism once again. Enter Garry Marshall's Happy Days, which debuted in 1974; in 1976, the retro high school comedy knocked All in the Family off the #1 show spot it had held for five years. Multiple feel-good spinoffs such as 1960s-era Laverne and Shirley (1976-83) followed. The late 70s also saw the birth of "jiggle TV", a genre defined by scantily clad young women that included shows like The Love Boat (1977-86) and Charlie's Angels (1977-81). As the decade wound down, one more massive trend emerged: the catchphrase. Nanu Nanu, Sit on it!, Dy-no-mite, Kiss my grits!, What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis? and the list goes on and on (and on).

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