Things were very different in the 1960s when it came to TV viewing. You only had three channels to choose from and chances are your TV was in black and white. However, this didn't stop most American households from having a TV box in their homes. Cinemas took a big hit during the decade, as viewers could easily stay at home and watch something on TV.
TV shows, and mostly sitcoms, were insanely popular among audiences back in the day. People actually gathered to watch good TV material, as well as to see the news. You only had to adjust your antenna and your daily binge would be solved in a matter of seconds.
Naturally, we were going to put together a list of the TV shows that ruled the '60s, got analyzed during reruns in the following decades, and today represent a landmark in the TV industry. As we said before, things were pretty different back then; culture was different, homes were different, and societal structures were radically old school. So, please consider this as we go through the decade that changed TV forever.
We should also mention that the list includes shows released in the '60s. Of course, there were others that don't show up here, but their run started before the first year of the decade. Needless to say, the list also includes shows that went ahead and got through the '70s as well.
15 Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows was a weird product of its era. This was a horror drama in the format of a soap opera that told the story of the Collins, a powerful family that experimented with all sorts of supernatural phenomena. When Barnabas, a vampire that was part of the main set of characters, was introduced some time after the show started, it turned into a very popular show among adults and young audiences. The cult following on this one is impressive.
14 Star Trek
Star Trek, also known as Star Trek: The Original Series because of the many additional series and spin-offs, told the story of the USS Enterprise's crew as they traveled beyond the stars to fight whatever threat showed up in space. In times when sci-fi wasn't considered such a serious genre and most film adaptations were considered cheesy, Star Trek set the standard of storytelling in the genre that allowed you to navigate other galaxies. Its narrative allowed writers to explore several themes that always seemed in the setting of an interstellar crew that also had their own issues.
13 Batman
Batman was a blast of a show that would be considered ridiculous by today’s superhero standards. The curious thing is that in some cases, it’s much more entertaining than what you can see today in regard to the caped vigilante. In the '60s it was all fun and games before and after Batman and Robin got the call to defend the world against bad guys. The comedy parts were hilarious and the villains were creepy. It was exactly what it had to be.
12 The Dick Van Dyke Show
Created by Carl Reiner in 1961, The Dick Van Dyke Show told the story of the Petrie family living in New York. Rob (Dick Van Dyke), husband and father, worked in the TV industry and the character was a great reflection of the industry's dynamics back in the day. His wife Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) was the housewife that perfectly matched Rob's personality (and was insanely funny). Few shows represent the '60s as well as this one.
11 The Andy Griffith Show
When it comes to sitcoms, The Andy Griffith Show is a great example of writing done right without messing with the good-natured spirit of the show. This one told the story of a sheriff who must deal with the very small town he lives in and the very peculiar people that live in it. If your thing is finding comfort in TV shows, it doesn't get any better than this one. Don Knotts as Barney Fife, the deputy, is a '60s cultural icon.
10 Mission: Impossible
The plot for the Mission: Impossible TV show was extremely simple as it had to work on a weekly basis, but had to renew the threat. It told the story of the IMF (Impossible Missions Force), a group of spies usually set on taking down a country that threatened American interests. That’s about it. Even with its fixed narrative structure (every episode had the same parts, and every part lasted the same), it was a thrilling show that changed the action TV landscape in the '60s.
9 The Beverly Hillbillies
The hilarious show that was The Beverly Hillbillies will never be duplicated or repeated in any form. This one stayed faithful to its premise until it ended because it seemed to work with everyone, as absurd as it seems now: The Clampetts are a poor Missouri family who find gold on their land and decide to move to California as they become millionaires. Every single stereotype shows up on this one, but still, it's downright funny. Granny Clampett is one of the best characters on the list.
8 The Carol Burnett Show
Most would consider The Carol Burnett Show as a '70s show more than a '60s show. However, its initial run began in 1967 and introduced us to one of the most important women in television. Carol Burnett proved variety shows could be led by women in the industry. Characters were very funny, and Burnett was always insisting on keeping the premise intact. The situations were embarrassing, but you got the feeling that her type of comedy was much more intelligent than the rest. Twenty-five Emmys are definite proof of that.
7 Get Smart
Get Smart was TV's reply to the sought '60s genre of sexy spies trying to fight big bad criminals. This was a sitcom about a super agent who had the ability to fight evil, but his clumsiness always got in the way of accomplishing the mission. The series was also co-created by Mel Brooks, so perhaps you get the idea of what kind of humor it was based on.
6 Bewitched
Bewitched worked in the same vein as I Dream of Jeannie, with similar movements and sound effects when it came the time for the girls to do their thing. Only this time Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) was a witch who had decided to settle down as an American housewife marrying a dork (played mostly by Dick York) of a man. Her mother, Endora (Agnes Moorehead) was essential to make the show much more engaging than it was supposed to be from the perspective of sitcom rules.
5 Bonanza
Before Little House on the Prairie, Michael Landon was in Bonanza. He was Ben’s son and brother to Adam and Hoss. In the show, they were the family of ranchers who fought inconveniences in the community they lived in. This was the most important Western TV show back in the day when the genre was a thing. It ran for more than ten seasons until one of the main actors passed away and replacing him wasn’t going to work.
4 The Flintstones
The Flintstones was an animated show that told the story of a family living in a Modern Stone Age. This provided enough of a scenario for home appliances using dinosaurs, or vehicles that got around if you used your feet while driving. It’s still a hilarious twist on the sitcom tropes that somehow were adapted to a complicated story setting that was very effective with children. Fred Flinstone, the leader of the Flinstone family, is the best animated character of the '60s.
3 I Dream of Jeannie
It wasn’t a secret most boys had a crush on Barbara Eden, the star of I Dream of Jeannie. She was staggering in the role of a 2000-year-old genie in a bottle who ends up marrying a handsome astronaut (Larry Hagman in the best role of his career) in one of the funniest sitcoms from the '60s. This doesn’t run on the usual pattern of “genie grants wishes." Not at all.
2 The Munsters
The Munsters mixed up two worlds that everyone thought would be impossible to match on the basis for a sitcom. Cinema had blended horror and comedy in those “versus” films that became classics afterward. But TV? Luckily a family of classic monsters would prove otherwise. The best thing about it is that there’s not a vulgar use of horror tropes and the Munster household is just like any other. Yeah, with the same problems as well. It’s hard to find a funnier character from the '60s than innocent and hard-working Herman Munster.
1 The Addams Family
The Addams Family were like the counterpart to the Munsters. Where they differed was in their inspiration. Where did these people come from? It wasn’t really important as often times they were much more relevant as a family going through the regular sitcom issues, but appearing as if they had returned from Hell itself. Love in the '60s was never stronger than that between Gomez and Morticia.