Norman Lear's sitcoms were groundbreaking, but, more importantly, exposed many to the ills of racism, sexism, homophobia, etc, etc, etc.

They were VERY instrumental to me in my social and cultural awakening.

I don't know if they could do a MAUDE abortion episode nowadays on network TV.

...with that said, I was a pre-teen during that era. But it shaped my opinions. And here I am!

They had groundbreaking themes.

Mannix, Desert Patrol. My Dad hated all the ones you mentioned so I never got to see back then but many are fun to watch as reruns. Was Jessica Fletcher from the 70s? I love watching those as reruns.

For some reason I loved Mannix. But the rest of the ones you mentioned...bleh. Not my cup o' tea.

"Solid."

Always very terse, too

Michael Cole seemed too old for his part, IMO

Seemed like a genuine character, whereas the guys were rather macho and affected.

What brought this on?

The past couple nights have been about 70's TV.

I wanted to watch the 60s series, but they won't ever show them in order anymore.

were addressed. It wasn't perfect and often ham-handed and perpetuated some stereotypes despite its intentions. But, I think it was an important show for its time.

Latest "issue of the day" on some sitcom.

If I wanted a message, I could have called Western Union.

African American families. They were groundbreaking.

As for other shows from the 70', I will list alphabetically all of the many shows that were excellent and certainly did not "suck":

Bewitched
Bob Newhart
Get Smart
Happy Days
I Dream of Jeannie
Mary Tyler Moore
MASH
Mork & Mindy
Muppets
THE ODD COUPLE
Sanford & Son
Taxi
Welcome Back Kotter
WKRP Cincinnati

Bewitched
(Was that one still on during the 70's?)

Bob Newhart
(That one I loved)

Get Smart
(60's only I think)

Happy Days
(Got boring)

I Dream of Jeannie
(Another 60's?)

Mary Tyler Moore
(Of course)

MASH
(Again, of course)

Mork & Mindy
(Could that show have existed without Robin Williams? I don't think so)

Muppets
(Absolutely)

THE ODD COUPLE
(Klugman and Randall were perfect)

Sanford & Son
(Meh...)

Taxi
(Again, absolutely.)

Welcome Back Kotter
(Meh...gave us John Revolting)

WKRP Cincinnati
(Crowning achievement)

I looked forward to that show every Thursday night. It was excellent.

Wojo always cracked me up.

That episode was tear inducing.
I'm still giggling. TY for reminding me of it.

Night Gallery was another good one that hasnt been mentioned.

It had a special feel to it.

Except of course for the episode where the humor revolved around marital rape. That was mind boggling. I saw that as a kid and was disgusted back then.

The winner of at least one Peabody Award-- excellent writing and acting-- and the humor was unbeatable!!

Plus, the guys were all pretty attractive (except Levitt and Scanlon)

Move over, and I'll get the popcorn!

I love Sanford and Son reruns. Great show!

Seems like most Garry Marshall shows did a good initial season or two then took a nosedive into lame pandering and cheap jokes.

Funniest show ever!

and I would try to stay up and watch that!

Of course the other '70s soap opera parody was "Soap".

I watched the first episode with a younger relative. She thought it was just sexist, and the jokes weren't funny, just laugh track.

are treated. The original episodes were very authentic in depicting attitudes from the 50's and 60's, but by the time the series ended, the attitudes were those of the late 70's. The show lost all authenticity, but I think it was a better show.

Played totally for laughs to the 70s audience (based on where the laughtrack appears), not as a depiction of poor treatment of women, just at the expense of women. The premise of that episode is that Hawkeye and Trapper John have helped a Korean boy get into a U.S. school. Half the shenanigans revolve around keeping Frank Burns out of the way. The other half revolves around raising money for the boy's airfare by raffling off a weekend tryst with one of the nurses. First they decide who, then Hawkeye tricks her (Nurse "Dish" - ha ha) into being the prize, then once she is in, convinces her to go along with it, which she does because Hawkeye is so persistent and she really likes it when he keeps visiting her while she tries to shower. Then they hold a party where all the guys on the base bid on her and the joke is that it is rigged so that Father Mulcahey wins the weekend. Through it all there is no implied critique at all of Hawkeye other than from the prudish Margaret Houlihan and Frank. This debuted at the same time as Maude, well into the Mary Tyler Moore era. My young woman I watched it with was just disgusted, and I felt slimy for watching it.

mirror to the evolution of societal attitudes.

You should sit down and watch 9 to 5 for another snapshot.

It was groundbreaking.

It was a part of the Vietnam War… even though it was set in Korea.

Once the charactesr of Charles Winchester and BJ Hunnicutt came aboard. The early shows were rather crude.

Later, the scripts were much better. Glad when they got rid of Frank-- another buffoon character playing for broad laughs.

MASH was on tv as an anti-war television show and first aired while young men were still getting drafted over to Vietnam.

As an anti-war tv show it was groundbreaking. And it still makes a powerful statement.

It was set in KOREA which was the 1950's when society, and the military even more so, were sexist.

Many of the stories in the early seasons are based on tales told by real MASH surgeons who were interviewed by the production team. Like the movie, the series was as much an allegory about the Vietnam War (still in progress when the show began) as it was about the Korean War. -wiki-

Saying it was sexist seems really…. clueless.

And even if the script doesn't come across as funny to someone, they should still be able to appreciate the points made.

Maybe she is overly sensitive.

And not funny at all.

and how it always blew up in Archie's face. A complete 180 from reality. O'Connor was a liberal who drove a blaze orange Dodge Challenger R/T to the set.

Many people didn't get the joke(including Nixon, who cheered Archie on).

I understood what it was about.

and exposed the folly of their ways. It wasn't a shot at working class people. The show took shots at homophobia (Archie's football buddy is now gay).
The liberal solution usually ended up being the correct solution in the end.

This disclaimer ran in the beginning of the show

“The program you are about to see is ‘All in the Family.’ It seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices and concerns. By making them a source of laughter, we hope to show—in a mature fashion—just how absurd they are.”

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/04/07/the-great-divide-3

And tried to show why that attitude needed changing

One more factor in my opinion of the show.

Being a weird liberal kid in the '70s in Mississippi? Those shows showed me that there was smart humor and another world that thought bigotry and anti-feminism and anti-abortion proponents were NOT all there was. And they were ridiculous to boot.

There were plenty of people who didn't realize it was a parody of an extremely bigoted guy-- Archie was there hero.

It originated in England but played much better over here.

...didn't age very well. IMO, anyway. There was an MTM marathon on awhile back and I have to say I did not laugh at all. She was much better as Laura Petrie. Again, IMO.

The Dick Van Dyke Show still makes me laugh, as does The Andy Griffith Show. They stand the test of time.
(Made a difference that Sheldon Leonard and Carl Reiner, Hollywood greats, were in charge)

Unlike ALL of the examples above it actually seems BETTER with the passage of time.

Partly it was the creative team but largely it was the timing , talent and raw chemistry of Griffith and the phenomenally talented Don Knotts.

Of course someone had to find them, cast them and write for them. But, god, it's a pleasure and a fascination to watch those two together in scene after scene.

I remember wanting to be MTM (move to MN, be independent!) but when I watch it now, I'm put off by the amount of sexism it portrays. I didn't realize it when I was a kid. I must say, I do still laugh at Sue Ann.

So were Lou Grant and Rhoda. Ted was just such a buffoon-- so exaggerated!! The silly insults that Murray always came up with were just that-- silly.

Georgette irritated me also.

Yes-- lots of sexism, too.

But Andy Griffith-- before Barney left, anyway, was, and still is, a hoot!!

That father, James, is always yelling.

But didn't the father leave after one or two seasons?

Going with the focus on the jj character

This is a general discussion.

And MASH? Great show.

I must see things very differently than you do from that time. I was older though.

The Seventies repeats on CNN tomorrow night at 8 pm.

I suppose if I was a 12 year old boy at the time, I would think the same.

Oh, wait... I was.

Lear's groundbreaking shows were part of what made me the liberal I am today.

Ok, I watch wrestling and sports too. Buffy.

The replacement guy didn't have the tongue-in-cheek humor and twinkle in his eye — too milquetoast.

he was very handsome, and had that great "all-knowing" expression when talking with Archie

Mike Evans passed way too young

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0263070/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t5

The original actor, Mike Evans who played him on All in the Family was a producer of Good Times. When Good Times ended he became available and they tossed the "toast."

I agree the other guy just plain sucked.

Mike Evans was the first "Lionel".

When Good Times folded what happened?

as the producer of Good Times. That freed up his time and they asked him to return to the role he had originated.

My point is that when all this happened I never knew that Mike Evans was a producer for Good Times.

Mike Evans originated the role of Lionel on All in the Family. When it was spun off into The Jeffersons he chose instead to be a producer of Good Times so the replacement actor then took over the role at the beginning of the run of The Jeffersons. After a few years Mike Evans came back to the role he had originated but never played on The Jeffersons. Here are a few pictures in case to illustrate

Here is Mike Evans



and here is a picture of Damon Evans





Now maybe you prefer Damon Evans but I always found him to be weak.

They were cutting edge at the time

was only about insulting and yelling. It's hard to miss the point of a show that badly.

I loved that show.

Jim, Angel, Dennis and Rocky rocked.

.... from it's synthesizer theme song to perhaps the first realistic portrayal of a PI in TV history. No (or rare at least) ridiculous gun play, realistic relationships (Angel was a turd but sometimes your friends are and you stick with them anyway) and always a tasty but again realistic car chase scene.

I recently watched every last episode on Netflix (about a hundred) and loved them all!

but that show would not have been the same without that character.

Love that show and will watch it whenever I run across it.

He plays retired NIS/NCIS Special Agent Felix Betts in the episode "Crescent City Part 2." Not a big part, but it was a kick to see 'Angel' again.

and showed us how it was possible that people like that existed in families of relatively nice people.

I think it was ground-breaking and a great improvement over Mr. Ed and My Favorite Martian.

If you had a sense of humor these shows were great
compared to the flat politicized shows that they try
to pass off as sitcoms today. Just my opinion of course.

Soap.

I think the sitcoms of the 70s were fantastic television. All in the Family, Good Times, Sanford and Son, etc were and still are shows with great characters, humor, and stories that do satire right. I can't say that for this bullcrap that passes off as sitcoms nowadays.

Funniest show ever, and ranks right up there with SCTV.

Enjoyed Battlestar Galactica. But how can you dismiss Maude? All In the Family wasn't my favorite, but he did so much really groundbreaking TV.

I loved loved LOVED that show.

But maybe it had more to do with the effect those guys had on a pre-teen girl, than the quality of the show.

It was at a Venice Blvd. intersection on the Culver City/Palms border on the West side of L.A. The scene had the stars drive their car into the intersection and then take fire or something and get out of their car to engage in a gunfight. I could be wrong about that--it was a long time ago and I didn't stick around for long.

The location obviously had been chosen because of a distinctive building on one corner that would be prominent in the background the way the scene was shot. It was a very narrow, wedge-shaped building that was a landmark in the area.

One thing I remember is that Glaser had a paperback book with him and went off by himself to sit in a local joint and read between takes. That seemed like a smart way to deal with all the waiting around time during shooting.

See? You're not the only one who remembers.

Back then I would have swooned! Cool story, thanks for sharing

I saw a scene being shoot from another show years later....it was Miami Vice.

They did shoot across my building and I saw the leading guys. By then I wasn't as star-stuck as I had been in my younger years, and what impressed me the most is how it took a whole day to shoot a scene which lasted like a minute (it was them driving to a hotel, parking and walking in. That was it).

I also found strange that the hotel they went into ( The Pool Senator) had been abandoned for years. I think what took most of the day was to make it look like it was open to businesses. Why they didn't just go to one of the dozens and dozens of hotels open in South Beach?

Wasnt very good either, but very little insults and yelling.

I like that Lear attempted honesty about race and racism in the US (and, hell, as a liberal he managed to write a racist, sexist character that was still human: that's impressive).

I did love the Doctor, of course. By which I mean Tom Baker, who is the only real Doctor.

Hand out guns to everyone - problem solved.

he really could be in today's NRA.

All in the Family was one of the greatest comedies ever! and you liked the 6 million dollar man? Get real!

Watergate
Hostages
Vietnam

etc...

I wanted some escapism.

I could not believe that such a show was actually on TV. There was some honesty there.

And just think about some of the black people watching TV back then. There were honest-to-God shows with black people who were not stereotypes.

Come on. Those shows were ground-breaking.

One of the funniest things about All in the Family was Archie's face when he was surprised by something that did not fit his world view. I remember an episode where a young Southern belle came to the house. She was a friend of Gloria's. She was not bothered one bit by Archie. She told him she had a daddy at home who was just like him. However, her daddy would call Archie a communist, simply because he, Archie, lived in New York city.

My favorite episode was the one where Edith is baking a cake and the stranger comes into the house to rape her. She thinks quickly, and escapes in an interesting way.

God protects dingbats and children.

>>>I remember an episode where a young Southern belle came to the house. She was a friend of Gloria's. She was not bothered one bit by Archie. She told him she had a daddy at home who was just like him. However, her daddy would call Archie a communist, simply because he, Archie, lived in New York city. >>>>

Mary Hartman and a lot of other less conspicuous stuff.

I THINK she's still active.

The 70's was full of downright cheesy and embarrassing stuff, though I don't count the Lear sitcoms among them--they were funny in those days. The 80's had its share of crap, too. Full House, Growing Pains, Family Ties--non-edgy family shows were BIG in the 80's for some reason.

The '80s were a time when America, politically and culturally, turned right after the '60s (sexual revolution, civil rights movement, peace) and '70s (opposition to the Vietnam War, Republican downfall post-Watergate). Besides the elections of Reagan, there was also the rise of the Religious Right (Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, etc.), Parents Music Resource Center, and other forms of revenge against the more permissive attitudes about sex and such from the past 20 years.

I was a kid in the 70's/80's, wasn't politically aware.

Sanford & Son - based on Steptoe and Son.

Norman Lear did his fair share of borrowing over the years.

and when you say The Doctor, you mean *the* Doctor ??? And if so, which one?

His shows were some of the best ever seen on television.

Last edited Sat Jun 13, 2015, 11:32 AM - Edit history (1)

Of course he was on from '68 to the 2003. But, it's heyday was in the '70s.

Thank you.

Just like DU during election season.

mocking talk-shows of that era - Martin Mull and Fred Willard - loved it

and the shows the OP listed were close to unwatchable at times. They are dreadful to watch now.

When they went on that big ship "The Searcher" and were joined by that bird guy, it jumped the shark.

But the early episodes were great.

yes, compare that to something like Firefly, Babylon Five or Star Trek;NG.

Fun at times, but really not very good.

And the context that those were great shows while All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Maude etc, were bad, that is laugable.

Still haven't. We'd be scared to death of him today.

what a blast from the past! Love it!

Let's look at one genre; horror/mystery.

The Night Stalker was my favorite show at the time. This model was copied by The X-Files and then Fringe. It is natural that advancements in special effects should have made better TV, but the acting and storylines bear little resemblance to one another.