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.

Barney Miller

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.

The Bob Newhart Show

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.

Charlie's Angels

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.

I Dream of Jeannie

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.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

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.