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The 25 Most Popular TV Shows from the 1960s

The 25 Most Popular TV Shows from the 1960s

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By 1960, almost 90% of American households owned at least one television. Evening television programming began to take center stage as the main form of home entertainment and this transformative period heralded the decline of the Golden Age of Radio. This shift prompted radio to turn its focus toward music broadcasting.

Color television broadcasts became the standard by 1966. The three leading networks, NBC, CBS, and ABC, expanded programming to appeal to diverse interests. Productions included comedy, fantasy and science fiction, adventure and drama, as well as 18 different variety shows.

To determine the best TV shows of the 1960s, 24/7 Tempo analyzed data on audience rating from the Internet Movie Database and television shows were ranked based on average IMDb user ratings. Only TV shows released between 1960 and 1967 that ran for at least two seasons were considered. Shows with fewer than 1,000 audience votes were excluded. This data is current as of September 2022.

The list contains multiple comedies, including sketch comedy and variety shows. “The Carol Burnett Show” was one of the highest-rated programs of the decade. Another popular variety show was the “Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.” Even though it reached number 25, it was ultimately canceled due to controversies sparked by its satirical political content. 

Espionage was another popular theme of the era, and numerous spy shows made the list. Favorites included “The Avengers,” “Secret Agent,” “The Wild Wild West,” “Get Smart,” and “Mission: Impossible.” Horror and suspense genres appeared on the list with shows like “Thriller,” “The Outer Limits,” and “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.” Also making the list were an animated show, a soccer commentary show, and a gothic soap opera. (On the other hand, these are the most likable characters of the ’60s.)

Here are the best TV shows of the 1960s:

25. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967-1969)

Source: Courtesy CBS
  • IMDb user rating: 7.9/10
  • IMDb user votes: 1,496
  • Starring: Tom Smothers, Pat Paulsen, Peter Cullen

24. Mission: Impossible (1966-1973)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Television
  • IMDb user rating: 7.9/10
  • IMDb user votes: 9,815
  • Starring: Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, Greg Morris, Peter Lupus

23. Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In (1967-1973)

Source: Courtesy NBC
  • IMDb user rating: 8.0/10
  • IMDb user votes: 3,161
  • Starring: Dan Rowan, Ruth Buzzi, Gary Owens

22. The Addams Family (1964-1966)

Source: Courtesy ABC
The Addams Family’s “Creepy, Kooky” house was the stuff of Hollywood legend.
  • IMDb user rating: 8.0/10
  • IMDb user votes: 17,664
  • Starring: John Astin, Carolyn Jones, Jackie Coogan, Ted Cassidy

21. 12 O’Clock High (1964-1967)

Source: Courtesy ABC
  • IMDb user rating: 8.1/10
  • IMDb user votes: 1,186
  • Starring: Frank Overton, Paul Burke, Chris Robinson, Robert Lansing

20. The Dean Martin Show (1965-1974)

Source: Courtesy NBC Studios
  • IMDb user rating: 8.1/10
  • IMDb user votes: 1,339
  • Starring: Dean Martin, The Dingaling Sisters, Ken Lane, Lou Jacobi

19. The Fugitive (1963-1967)

Source:
The Fugitive (1963-1967) from “Set Fire to a Straw Man.”
  • IMDb user rating: 8.1/10
  • IMDb user votes: 4,093
  • Starring: David Janssen, William Conrad, Barry Morse, Paul Birch

18. Dark Shadows (1966-1971)

Source: Courtesy ABC
  • IMDb user rating: 8.1/10
  • IMDb user votes: 4,806
  • Starring: Jonathan Frid, Grayson Hall, Alexandra Isles, Nancy Barrett

17. The Wild Wild West (1965-1969)

Source: Courtesy CBS
  • IMDb user rating: 8.1/10
  • IMDb user votes: 5,363
  • Starring: Robert Conrad, Ross Martin, Whitey Hughes

16. The Outer Limits (1963-1965)

The Outer Limits (1963-1965) | David McCallum in The Outer Limits (1963)
Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company

N/A

  • IMDb user rating: 8.1/10
  • IMDb user votes: 8,372
  • Starring: Bob Johnson, Ben Wright, William Douglas, Robert Culp

15. Secret Agent (1964-1967)

Source: Courtesy CBS
  • IMDb user rating: 8.2/10
  • IMDb user votes: 1,386
  • Starring: Patrick McGoohan, Peter Madden, Peter Brayham, Earl Cameron

14. Thriller (1960-1962)

Source: Courtesy National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
At the time it aired, “Thriller” was hailed as the most frightening show created for tv.
  • IMDb user rating: 8.2/10
  • IMDb user votes: 1,453
  • Starring: Boris Karloff, Richard Peel, Henry Daniell, Lillian O’Malley

13. Get Smart (1965-1970)

Maxwell Smart | Don Adams, Barbara Feldon, and Inger Stratton in Get Smart (1965)
Source: Courtesy of CBS

N/A

  • IMDb user rating: 8.2/10
  • IMDb user votes: 12,558
  • Starring: Don Adams, Barbara Feldon, Edward Platt, Robert Karvelas

12. The Avengers (1961-1969)

Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company
  • IMDb user rating: 8.3/10
  • IMDb user votes: 7,906
  • Starring: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Honor Blackman, Linda Thorson

11. Combat! (1962-1967)

Source: Courtesy of ABC
  • IMDb user rating: 8.4/10
  • IMDb user votes: 2,763
  • Starring: Vic Morrow, Rick Jason, Pierre Jalbert, Jack Hogan

9. The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Television
  • IMDb user rating: 8.4/10
  • IMDb user votes: 14,944
  • Starring: Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, Don Knotts, Frances Bavier

8. Doctor Who (1963-1989)

Source: courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Rex Harrison as Dr. Dolittle in Doctor Dolittle (1967)

  • IMDb user rating: 8.4/10
  • IMDb user votes: 37,446
  • Starring: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker

7. Star Trek (1966-1969)

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
Leonard Nimoy became famous for playing Spock in the original Star Trek series.
  • IMDb user rating: 8.4/10
  • IMDb user votes: 83,565
  • Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols

6. The Three Stooges Show (1960-1972)

Retro TV In A Room With Ugly 1970s Vintage Wallpaper
Source: Mr Doomits / Shutterstock.com
  • IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
  • IMDb user votes: 1,106
  • Starring: Hal Fryar, Curley Myers, Larry Vincent

5. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962-1992)

Johnny Carson & Ed McMahon
Source: NBC Television / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
  • IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
  • IMDb user votes: 3,885
  • Starring: Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon, Doc Severinsen, Skitch Henderson

4. The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962-1965)

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962-1965) | T.C. Jones and Dana Wynter in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962)
Source: Courtesy of CBS

N/A

  • IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
  • IMDb user votes: 4,657
  • Starring: Alfred Hitchcock, Hinton Pope, Jimmy Joyce, Lew Brown

3. Match of the Day (1964-1964)

Source: gordonflood / Wikimedia Commons
  • IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
  • IMDb user votes: 2,545
  • Starring: John Motson, Gary Lineker, Barry Davies, Guy Mowbray

2. The Bugs Bunny Show (1960-1975)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
  • IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
  • IMDb user votes: 33,736
  • Starring: Mel Blanc, Pinto Colvig, Joe Bronx, June Foray

1. The Carol Burnett Show (1967-1978)

Source: Courtesy of CBS Television Distribution
  • IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
  • IMDb user votes: 6,353
  • Starring: Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, The Ernie Flatt Dancers, Harvey Korman

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