The ’70s were a magical time for television. Sitcoms were breaking new ground by tackling current event topics with poise as well as humor. Viewers found greater understanding of the world around them, seeing more of the world they know reflected on the screen before them. Friends and family alike would cancel plans to stay home and catch their favorite shows. It was a huge turning point for how television was both made and consumed.
With a desire for something edgier, something that would appeal to younger audiences and not just middle America, networks like CBS took big swings. The results turned some series like Soap into cult classics and others like Three’s Company into beloved treasures. Either way, these shows deserve more credit than they get.
10 ‘Good Times’ (1974-1979)
Created by Mike Evans, Norman Lear and Eric Monte
Following a black family living in the Chicago housing projects as they strive to make the best of their situation, Good Times is one of the most revered ’70s black sitcoms. Florida & James Evans (played by Esther Rolle and John Amos, respectively) have three children they are struggling to raise both philosophically and financially. This paves the way for lively conversation and witty quips throughout each episode.
With a catchy theme song, a staple of ’70s sitcoms, that also addresses some of the more real issues of the times, Good Times provided an honest look at life in the Chicago projects. It was the first time a Black nuclear family appeared on television. Additionally, providing a positive portrayal of the daily life of a Black family, something also previously unseen on screen. Running for six seasons, this spin-off of Maude, which was a spin-off of All in the Family, set new standards of representation.
Good Times (1974)
- Release Date
- February 8, 1974
- Cast
- Esther Rolle , John Amos , Ja’net DuBois , Jimmie Walker , Bern Nadette Stanis , Ralph Carter
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Seasons
- 6
- Creator(s)
- Mike Evans
- Writers
- Norman Paul , Allan Manings
Good Times is streaming on Peacock in the U.S.
WATCH IT HERE
9 ‘The Partridge Family’ (1970-1974)
Created by Bernard Slade
Often compared to The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family showcased life in Hollywood through the lens of a musical family. While The Brady Bunch has more notoriety, even getting a silver screen re-imagining, The Partridge Family had more substance than fluff. Shirley Partridge (played by Shirley Jones) is a widowed mother working too hard, according to her son Danny (played by Danny Bonaduce), to take care of her family. Magic strikes when she joins her kids’ band and they make a hit record. The series balances life on the road with their cozy suburban life after their latest gig is over.
TV shows of the ’70s were not afraid to tackle the hard issues, in fact, most did. On the surface, The Partridge Family is a sweet, wholesome, family-friendly musical sitcom, but on closer inspection, the series found ways to approach hard-hitting, topical subjects in a digestible way. Music serves as the metaphorical sugar that makes the medicine go down, a pallet cleanser between acts and is also the mechanism that holds this family together. The series’ music proved to be a commodity of its own with record-topping sales around hits like «I Think I Love You» and many more. Casting David Cassidy as Keith Partridge didn’t hurt either, as Cassidy would become a teen heartthrob selling out stadiums on his own. The Partridge Family may be underappreciated, but its lasting legacy of fan clubs, merchandise and bubblegum music helped set the stage for future fandoms.
The Partridge Family
- Release Date
- September 25, 1970
- Cast
- Shirley Jones , David Cassidy , susan dey , Danny Bonaduce , Brian Forster
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Seasons
- 4
- Creator(s)
- Bernard Slade
The Partridge Family is streaming on Tubi in the U.S.
WATCH IT HERE
8 ‘Mork & Mindy’ (1978-1982)
Created by Joe Glauberg, Garry Marshall and Dale McRaven
What started with one episode of Happy Days, landed the character of Mork (played by Robin Williams) an entire series. Mork & Mindy follows an alien from the planet Ork, named Mork, on a mission to study human behavior on Earth. After crashing his spaceship in Boulder, Colorado, he meets Mindy (played by Pam Dawber), a young journalist, who helps him adjust to life on Earth. From here, the series is filled with Williams’ iconic rapid-fire cadence, quick-witted improvisational skills, and talent for creating sound effects.
Mork & Mindy is the series that turned comedian-turned-actor Robin Williams into a household name. The character of Mork was originally designed to be Happy Days‘ response to the popularity of Star Wars, a suggestion from creator Garry Marshall‘s son. After a grueling casting process, Williams was discovered at the last minute and that one Happy Days episode launched an entire series. Mork & Mindy would air for four seasons and land Williams his first award win, the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical, of many to come.
Mork & Mindy
- Release Date
- September 14, 1978
- Cast
- Robin Williams , Pam Dawber , Jay Thomas , Shelley Fabares , Tom Poston
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Seasons
- 4
Mork & Mindy is streaming on Prime Video in the U.S.
WATCH IT HERE
7 ‘Welcome Back, Kotter’ (1975-1979)
Created by Gabe Kaplan, Alan Sacks and Peter Meyerson
Based on the stand-up comedy and real life experiences of series creator and star Gabe Kaplan, Welcome Back, Kotter finds Gabe Kotter back at his old alma mater teaching social studies to a remedial class known as the Sweathogs. Being a founding member of the original class of Sweathogs puts Mr. Kotter in a convenient position to relate to and inspire his class. The real heart of the series is the relationship between Gabe Kotter and his wife Julie (played by Marcia Strassman).
Welcome Back, Kotter is another ’70s series that would launch a film star’s career, this time John Travolta. Travolta played the cool and overly confident Vinnie Barbarino, a character beloved by women and revered by men. Barbarino is the unofficial leader of the Sweathogs and often the center of attention, a role similar to one he’d soon play in the musical movie Grease. While Grease is a more dramatic portrayal of a similar group of high school students known as The T-Birds, Welcome Back, Kotter found inspiration for the Sweathogs in the Marx Brothers, which subsequently helped ease censorship concerns over the depiction of juvenile delinquency. This comedic approach quickly found ratings success, despite debuting to a brief boycott, landing notable guest stars like George Carlin, and the show’s characters, setting and format would go on to inspire sitcoms like Saved by the Bell and Abbott Elementary.
Welcome Back, Kotter
A sitcom follows Gabe Kotter, a former «Sweathog» himself, who comes back to teach at his old high school. The series highlights his challenges and comedic encounters with a group of misfit students, the «Sweathogs.» Through humor and empathy, Kotter navigates the ups and downs of teaching, building relationships with his students while dealing with the eccentric school staff. The show combines laughter with the depiction of the unique bond between teacher and students.
- Release Date
- September 9, 1975
- Cast
- Gabe Kaplan , John Travolta , John Sylvester White , Ron Palillo , Robert Hegyes
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Seasons
- 4
Welcome Back, Kotter is streaming on Tubi in the U.S.
WATCH IT HERE
6 ‘The Odd Couple’ (1970-1975)
Created by Jerry Belson and Garry Marshall
Proving that two opposite personalities make one hilarious sitcom, The Odd Couple paved the way for sitcoms like Will & Grace, Two and a Half Men, and the 2015 The Odd Couple reboot. Starring Tony Randall as the neat freak Felix Unger, and Jack Klugman as the slob Oscar Madison, The Odd Couple finds humor in contrast and dysfunction. Adapted from the Neil Simon play, then based off a movie of the same name, the ’70s series has something no other version has been able to capture: the undeniable chemistry between Randall and Klugman.
This was also
Garry Marshall’s first successful showrunner position
, back then known as writer and executive producer.
Airing for five seasons, The Odd Couple was never a Top 10 hit, or even a Top 30 hit, despite winning several Emmy Awards (two for Klugman, one for Randall). This was also Garry Marshall’s first successful showrunner position, back then known as writer and executive producer. Still relatively new to the business, Marshall’s experience creating The Odd Couple for television, including directing six episodes, and his killer instincts for solid entertainment would set him on a legendary path of success.
The Odd Couple is streaming on Pluto in the U.S.
WATCH IT HERE
5 ‘Diff’rent Strokes’ (1978-1986)
Created by Jeff Harris and Bernie Kukoff
Arnold (played by Gary Coleman) and Willis Jackson (played by Todd Bridges) are welcomed into the Drummond family after their mother passes away. Living in Manhattan is quite a change of pace from living in Harlem. While at its core, Diff’rent Strokes is a sitcom, the series was known for creating very special episodes to discuss more serious topics like alcoholism, racism, poverty, illegal drug use and more. It also broke ground for portraying an interracial family and the complexities of growing up a Black child navigating life and an unfamiliar environment.
Even with all the seriousness, the series permeated pop culture with one simple catchphrase «Whatchu talkin’ ‘bout, Willis?» that sent audiences wild each week. Writers found a different reason to use the phrase, just once, each week. Sometimes addressed to Willis, sometimes to other characters and sometimes with other characters saying the phrase instead. With eight seasons, Diff’rent Strokes positioned itself to be one of the most entertaining sitcoms of the era, resulting in a spin-off series, The Facts of Life, that ran even longer than its predecessor.
Diff’rent Strokes is streaming on Roku in the U.S.
WATCH IT HERE
4 ‘WKRP in Cincinnati’ (1978-1982)
Created by Hugh Wilson
Long before NewsRadio, there was another sitcom about the misadventures of the staff of an AM radio station called WKRP in Cincinnati. WKRP was struggling financially, so the station’s new program director, Andy Travis (played by Gary Sandy), tried switching formats from easy-listening to rock and roll. This switch saved the station until Andy realized the station’s owner didn’t want it to be saved. The opportunity for situational antics, clashing personalities, and incredible music placement set this series on the path of remembrance.
After airing only eight episodes, CBS put WKRP in Cincinnati on hiatus. The series’ fate was unknown until disc jockeys around the country began heralding the series for presenting an accurate portrayal of radio station life. With this outpouring of love from DJs and music fans, CBS brought the show back relatively unchanged. What began as a wacky workplace comedy, developed into a more sophisticated series addressing issues in the music industry like payola and censorship, real-life issues like alcoholism and domestic violence, and even local Cincinnati news like the tragedy of the 1979 The Who concert where a stampede to first-come seating resulted in 11 deaths. Wilson and his team were poised and ready to bring WKRP in Cincinnati into the ’80s when the series was canceled after it’s fourth season, ending on a massive cliffhanger.
WKRP in Cincinnati
A comedic series centered on the employees of a failing Cincinnati radio station, highlighting their humorous attempts to revive its fortunes. The new program director, Andy Travis, brings fresh ideas to the station, working alongside a colorful cast including the eccentric Dr. Johnny Fever and the determined news director. The show captures their collective efforts to increase the station’s popularity, blending workplace comedy with the individual quirks and relationships of the staff members.
- Release Date
- September 18, 1978
- Cast
- Howard Hesseman , Tim Reid , Loni Anderson , Frank Bonner
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Seasons
- 4