Monday, November 10, 2008

Best Show of the Seventies: Official Nominees

We're down to our final 5 nominees for the Best Show of the Seventies (a category that technically encompasses any color show before 1980).

Spies, magic, cops, and a couple of comedic icons all rear their heads as the cream of the crop over at Hulu.

Hulu Review readers and the general public can still cast their votes in the comments section of this post. The total audience vote is equal to the vote of one panel member. In addition, the top vote-getter will be recognized on awards night.





This show perfectly captures the tone of a group of working stiffs. Children looked up to these men because they were role models that possessed that ring of truth. Ironically, this is probably a more realistic depiction of law enforcement officers than the unscripted show "Cops." There was always some goofy offender to provide levity to the atmosphere, but there was also a heap of seriousness whenever a real issue was broached, which was often.



A Chicago psychiatrist lives with his schoolteacher wife. That's the setup that spawned one of the most successful sitcoms in history. It sounds like the premise for a hundred shows that have aired and failed in the decades after Bob Newhart first premiered his quiet little comedy. Comic timing, thoughtfully written characters, and some great acting were the perfect storm that allowed this show to become an icon.



Like many shows of the era, Charlie's Angels had some ass-kicking, some serious issues to deal with, and some moments of levity that lightened the mood. Unlike other shows of the era, this show featured some bikini-clad babes who went on to become famous beauties after the show ended. Receiving orders from the enigmatic Charlie, the girls were the perfect symbol of female empowerment of the day. That feminism has moved on to the point that the show seems borderline-misogynistic today is only a sign of how far we've come.




Speaking of mysogynism, how did a sitcom about a barely-clad female and her "master" ever make it onto our list? Simple-- panelists connected with the charm and chemistry with which the conceit was carried out. Larry Hagman was so bumbling and good-hearted that he never seemed in control of his "slave," and their relationship proved to be a jumping-off point for lots of great magical "what-if" scenarios that kept the laughs coming.



Long before Cloris Leachman and Ted McGinley appeared together on Dancing With the Stars, they were players in one of the most lauded shows ever, bar none. MTM is generally credited with shaping the sitcom landscape for the decade that followed it, and the amazingly deep bench of talented actors and comedians is just part of the reason why. An all star team of writers and producers made sure that season after season was filled with top-flight talent, jokes, and story lines.

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38 comments:

Joe Barlow, a pastor, 10th of 14 kids, father of 7, husband of one beautiful wife said...

Alias Smith & Jones

Anonymous said...

I Dream of Jeannie

Anonymous said...

Barney Miller

Anonymous said...

Bob Newhart

Anonymous said...

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Niel Jacoby said...

Bob Newhart Show

Anonymous said...

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Anonymous said...

I Dream of Jeannie

The Monkey King said...

Battlestar Galactica. :D

Anonymous said...

mary tyler moore show

Anonymous said...

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Katie said...

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Anonymous said...

I Dream of Jeannie

Anonymous said...

I Dream of Jeannie

Anonymous said...

BARNEY MILLER! If I could, I would say WKRP...But out of these five...BARNEY MILLER all the way!!!

Anonymous said...

The Rockford Files

Vince said...

I Dream of Jeannie

Anonymous said...

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Anonymous said...

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Anonymous said...

I Dream of Jeannie

Anonymous said...

Rockford Files!!!

Anonymous said...

javascript:void(0); ChARLIE'S Angels

Chris Buzzard said...

Bob Newhart show for sure.

Anonymous said...

Bob Newhart - had the greatest variety of cast and is my favorite of the top five

Anonymous said...

BOB NEWHART

Anonymous said...

The bob newhart show

Anonymous said...

mary tyler moore

Anonymous said...

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Jet said...

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

DamonO said...

Barney Miller

Anonymous said...

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Anonymous said...

I Dream of Jeannie. Hands down.

Isra said...

I Dream of Jeannie!

Anonymous said...

Barney Miller!

Anonymous said...

Barney Miller

Anonymous said...

Mary Tyler Moore?! I can't believe Battlestar Galactica didn't make the cut over that lady. These polls don't seem very worthwhile.

Anonymous said...

I Dream of Jeannie??? Why are we considering a show that ran 4 1/2 seasons in the 60's and 1/2 season in the 70's to be a seventies show?

Matt Hongoltz-Hetling said...

The category of "Best Show of the Seventies" technically encompasses any show that ran primarily before 1980, but was primarily in color. So, this generally means that anything that ran in the late 60s counts as a "Seventies Show." I know that makes the title a bit of a misnomer, but 70s was the closest I could come without having a cumbersome title. Hope that answers your question!