TV shows that turned 50 in 2019
Over the past 50 years, the way the average viewer watches TV has totally changed. Though television is still one of the most popular mediums, everything from the shows airing on TV today to the technology itself is different. In 1969, the only way to catch a new episode of your favorite show was to make sure you were home when it aired; today, viewers can use their DVRs to record TV shows to watch later, or just catch the episodes the next day on streaming services like Hulu or through on-demand services provided by cable companies. The idea of appointment viewing鈥攆or instance, gathering around the TV at 8 p.m. every Wednesday to watch your favorite program鈥攅xists for few shows today.
Another example of just how much television has changed over the past 50 years? The plotlines and premises of the most popular shows in 1969. To get a better sense of just how much the medium of television has evolved, to compile a list of 15 hit TV shows that turned 50 in 2019. Only shows that began airing in 1969 and received at least 1,000 user voters on IMDb were considered. The 15 shows listed below are ranked by their IMDb scores, with any ties broken by the number of user votes each one received. All of the data referenced was current as of December 2019.
We've provided a snapshot of the most popular TV shows from exactly 50 years ago, including family-friendly programs with a cult following, kids' options filled with talking animals, and variety shows. Read on to learn what were the 15 top shows that appeared on broadcast television 50 years ago, and discover the one TV show from 1969 still coming out with new episodes.
#15. The Brady Bunch
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- IMDb votes: 11,500
- Years on the air: 1969鈥1974
- Rating: TV-PG
This iconic family comedy followed the antics of the Brady clan, a blended family of nine formed when a widower (Mike Brady, played by Robert Reed) and a widow (Carol Brady, played by Florence Henderson) marry each other. Episodes featured kooky storylines like Mike installing a payphone in the house after the family runs up a huge bill, and Jan buying herself a curly black wig so she could stand out at school. Though 鈥淭he Brady Bunch鈥 only aired for five years, it has had an outsize cultural impact.
#14. Love, American Style
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- IMDb votes: 1,651
- Years on the air: 1969鈥1974
- Rating: data not available
Each episode of this comical anthology series set aboard a cruise ship featured different celebrities and a different storyline about love. Some of the most popular episodes on 鈥淟ove, American Style,鈥 include one where a father tries to stop his daughter (Jenny Sullivan) from marrying an older man (Harrison Ford), and another where three pals throw their newly divorced buddy (Henry Gibson) a shower to try to lift his spirits.
#13. Hee Haw
- IMDb user rating: 6.9
- IMDb votes: 1,171
- Years on the air: 1969鈥1997
- Rating: data not available
Comedy went country in this popular variety show that aired for nearly 30 years. Hosted by Buck Owens and Roy Clark, each episode of 鈥淗ee Haw鈥 featured several guest performances by country artists like Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash, as well as skits and jokes.
#12. Marcus Welby, M.D.
- IMDb user rating: 7
- IMDb votes: 1,237
- Years on the air: 1969鈥1976
- Rating: TV-PG
In this medical drama, Robert Young played the title character Dr. Marcus Welby and James Brolin took the role of his young colleague Dr. Steven Kiley. The show spanned a wide variety of subjects, from the doctors helping the parents of a severely autistic son teach him how to communicate to informing a woman on the brink of divorce that she鈥檚 finally pregnant at age 42.
#11. On the Buses
- IMDb user rating: 7
- IMDb votes: 1,780
- Years on the air: 1969鈥1973
- Rating: data not available
This goofy British sitcom followed bus driver Stan (Reg Varney) and his conductor Jack (Bob Harper), two lads who just want to have fun and chat up pretty ladies during the workday. Inspector Cyril Blake (Stephen Lewis) is less than amused, and many episodes of "On the Buses" revolve around Blake's efforts to quash Stan's and Jack's fun.
#10. Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines
- IMDb user rating: 7.1
- IMDb votes: 2,867
- Years on the air: 1969鈥1970
- Rating: N/A
Originally a Saturday morning cartoon, 鈥淒astardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines鈥 focused on Dick Dastardly, the leader of the Vulture Squadron, in his efforts to stop a villainous carrier pigeon named Yankee Doodle Pigeon. His canine sidekick Muttley was always by his side.
#9. The Courtship of Eddie's Father
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- IMDb votes: 1,023
- Years on the air: 1969鈥1972
- Rating: Not Rated
This follows young Eddie Corbett (Brandon Cruz) who is always trying to get his widowed father Tom Corbett (Bill Bixby) remarried. The subjects of Eddie鈥檚 admiration in 鈥淭he Courtship of Eddie鈥檚 Father鈥 range from their beloved housekeeper Mrs. Livingston (Miyoshi Umeki) to a random woman he meets on a Hollywood studio tour.
#8. H.R. Pufnstuf
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- IMDb votes: 1,396
- Years on the air: 1969鈥1970
- Rating: TV-Y
A young boy named Jimmy (Jack Wild) is the hero of this children鈥檚 TV show. Jimmy鈥檚 adventures in 鈥淗.R. Pufnstuf鈥 start when a magical talking boat promises to take him on an adventure, but it鈥檚 really operated by a witch named Witchiepoo (Billie Hayes) who is trying to steal Jimmy鈥檚 talking flute, Freddie. Though that premise is an adventure on its own, the excitement really begins for Jimmy when he meets the title character, H.R. Pufnstuf (Roberto Gamonet), the dragon mayor of Living Island.
#7. The Benny Hill Show
- IMDb user rating: 7.5
- IMDb votes: 4,127
- Years on the air: 1969鈥1989
- Rating: TV-PG
British comedian Benny Hill showed off his risque, burlesque-infused comedy during every episode of his eponymous TV show. Every episode saw Hill taking on a different character鈥攆rom a messenger in 17th-century England to a boarding school student鈥攆or a series of hilarious slapstick sketches.
#6. My Partner the Ghost
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- IMDb votes: 1,002
- Years on the air: 1969鈥1971
- Rating: Not Rated
When private investigator Marty Hopkirk (Kenneth Cope) is killed in a hit-and-run, his partner Jeff Randall (Mike Pratt) thinks he has to solve the murder case himself. Wrong! Marty's ghost sticks around to crack the case, then gets stuck in purgatory as a crime-solving spirit only Jeff can see in "My Partner the Ghost."
#5. The Pink Panther Show
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- IMDb votes: 14,385
- Years on the air: 1969鈥1976
- Rating: TV-G
Each episode of this animated series included two shorts about the Pink Panther鈥攁 heroic cartoon cat with signature pink fur鈥攆inding his way out of tricky situations. The other short in 鈥淭he Pink Panther Show鈥 followed the Inspector, a bumbling French cop.
#4. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- IMDb votes: 27,537
- Years on the air: 1969鈥1970
- Rating: TV-G
In this beloved animated series, four California teenagers鈥擣red (Frank Welker), Daphne (Indira Stefanianna Christopherson), Velma (Nicole Jaffe), and Shaggy (Casey Kasem)鈥攁nd a goofy Great Dane named Scooby-Doo (Don Messick) drive around solving strange mysteries. The gang always traveled in their groovy Mystery Machine, and often shouted out their signature catchphrases of 鈥淶oinks!,鈥 鈥淛inkies!,鈥 鈥淛eepers!,鈥 and 鈥淪cooby Dooby Doo!鈥
#3. Night Gallery
- IMDb user rating: 8
- IMDb votes: 4,341
- Years on the air: 1969鈥1973
- Rating: TV-PG
鈥淭he Twilight Zone鈥 writer and producer Rod Serling also hosted 鈥淣ight Gallery,鈥 where he would tell tales of horror illustrated in dark, frightening paintings. Like 鈥淭he Twilight Zone,鈥 each episode featured a different story鈥攈owever, these tales were much darker and more frightening.
#2. Sesame Street
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- IMDb votes: 11,111
- Years on the air: 1969鈥
- Rating: TV-Y
The only TV show on this list still airing new episodes, 鈥 Sesame Street鈥 has been a favorite of children and parents alike for 50 years and counting. Jim Henson鈥檚 iconic puppets鈥攊ncluding Elmo, Big Bird, Bert, and Ernie鈥攖each children about friendship, kindness, acceptance, and other important subjects with fun songs and goofy jokes.
You may also like:
#1. Monty Python's Flying Circus
- IMDb user rating: 8.8
- IMDb votes: 62,282
- Years on the air: 1969鈥1974
- Rating: TV-14
The British public was first introduced to the Monty Python comedy troupe in 1969 when this hysterical sketch show debuted on the BBC. The surreal, absurd, and nontraditional series "Monty Python's Flying Circus" became hugely popular in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Feature films like "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," "Monty Python's Life of Brian," and "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life" soon followed.