Television

=70s Television- The Best of its Era=

==In the 1970s, there was a variety of televison shows that uniquely reflected the cultural of its time while helping to shape future television generations. Some of the most popular programs are listed below by genre catergories.==

All in the Family- Sitcom
//All in the Family// was an extremely popular and acclaimed American situation comedy. The show broke ground in its depiction of issues previously deemed unsuitable for US network television comedy, such as racism, homosexuality, women's liberation, rape, breast cancer, and impotence. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_In_The_Family )

Mork and Mindy- Sci Fi/Fantasy
The series was a spinoff of the sitcom //Happy Days//. Storylines usually centered on Mork's attempts to understand human behavior and American culture as Mindy helps him to adjust to life on Earth. At the end of each episode, Mork must report back to Orson, his Orkan supervisor, on what he has learned about Earth. These end-of-show summaries allow Mork to comment humorously on social norms.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mork_&_Mindy)

Sesame Street- Kids' Show
"This show is brought to you by the letter D and the number 8," said //Sesame Street//, cannily framing its lessons in the zippy style of TV commercials -- which, everyone knew, kids loved to watch because they were quick and catchy. The most popular characters were the Muppets, including Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Bert and Ernie, and, best-loved of all, Big Bird, a sweetly shy, 8-foot-tall canary. "Sesame" hit the "Street" running, and it's still going strong.(http://www.superseventies.com/best70tv.html)

Gunsmoke- Western
//Gunsmoke// was king of the hill -- not merely the longest-running western, as one reference book points out, but "television's longest-running prime-time series with continuing characters." Its central character, the towering marshal of Dodge City, Matt Dillon, was played by James Arness. "Gunsmoke" had a clean structure, simple but sturdy plots, and distinctive, memorable characters.(http://www.superseventies.com/best70tv.html)

Columbo- Detective Show
This was the series that turned conventional TV crime-busting on its head: no violence; a maladroit, disheveled, and (seemingly) bumbling sleuth as its hero; and a no-suspense format in which the viewer learns up front whodunit, and the fun (lots of it) derives from watching Lt. (no first name) Columbo spin a web to ensnare the guilty. Starting on Sept. 15, 1971, Peter Falk originated one of TV's most enduring (and endearing) icons: the Los Angeles detective with the famous soiled, rumpled raincoat and the unfailingly polite manner. (http://www.superseventies.com/best70tv.html)

Saturday Night Live- Variety Show
What "Laugh-In" did for the form of TV variety shows, //Saturday Night Live// did for content. Disaffected youth of the '60s -- a.k.a. The Not-Ready-for- Prime-Time Players -- were finally free to express themselves in front of TV cameras. Though it began to run out of steam by the end of the '70s (but regained it later), "SNL" did make TV ready for anti-Establishment satire.(http://www.superseventies.com/best70tv.html)