1960's TV Shows

The Best 1960's Classic TV Shows


The groovy 1960's ushered in a new era of television programming as broadcasts began to transition from black and white to color during this time. Lighthearted sitcoms and comedies ruled the day as some of the most-watched shows were series like The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Beverly Hillbillies and The Andy Griffith Show. There were countless shows of '60s that had a touch of the supernatural, science fiction or fantasy with Bewitched, Star Trek and The Addams Family being among the highest rated. Rural-themed and military inspired shows like Green Acres and Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. also proved popular with viewers, but soon declined as viewers became more socially conscious towards the end of the 1960's. Memorable theme song lyrics also added to the whimsy of classic shows during this decade.
Below is our collection of some of the best 1960s TV series that aired during primetime television from 1960 to 1969.


1964-1966 | ABC
The Addams Family is a sitcom based on the characters in Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons that aired for two seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1966. It is often compared to its working-class rival, The Munsters, which ran for the same two seasons, and achieved somewhat higher ratings. The show is the first adaptation of the characters to feature "The Addams Family Theme".

1968-1975 | NBC
Adam-12 is a television police drama which followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, as they patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in their patrol unit, 1-Adam-12.

1952-1966 | ABC
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet is a sitcom that aired on ABC from 1952 until 1966 starring the real life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television where it continued its success, running on both radio and TV for a couple of years. The series attracted large audiences, and although it was never a top-ten hit, it became synonymous with the 1950s ideal American family life. It is the longest-running live-action sitcom in US TV history.

1960-1968 | CBS
The Andy Griffith Show is a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1960 until 1968 about a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina. His life is complicated by an inept but well-meaning deputy, Barney Fife (Don Knotts), a spinster aunt and housekeeper, Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier), and a young son, Opie. Local ne'er-do-wells, bumbling pals, and temperamental girlfriends further complicate his life.

1966-1969 | ABC
The Avengers is a spy-fi TV series set in 1960s Britain focused on Dr. David Keel (Ian Hendry) and his assistant John Steed (Patrick Macnee).

1966-1968 | ABC
Batman is an action series, based on the DC comic book starring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City.

1962-1971 | CBS
The Beverly Hillbillies is a sitcom that aired for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971 about The Clampetts that strike oil and move from hillbilly country to Beverly Hills, California.

1964-1972 | ABC
Bewitched is a sitcom that aired for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972 about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban housewife.

1959-1973 | NBC
Bonanza is a western TV series that aired on NBC from 1959 to 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series (behind Gunsmoke) and still continues to air in syndication.

1969-1974 | ABC
The Brady Bunch is a 1970s sitcom aired from 1969 to 1974 on ABC centered around the daily lives of newly blended Brady family.

1991-1966 | CBS
The Dick Van Dyke Show is a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1961 until 1966 that starred Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. It was produced by Carl Reiner with Bill Persky and Sam Denoff. The music for the show's theme song was written by Earle Hagen.

1952-1970 | NBC
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. The show takes its name from an actual police term, a "dragnet", meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects.

1965-1967 | ABC
F Troop was a comedy series set during the Civil War-era that aired on ABC from 1965 to 1967 about a Private who is given a field promotion to Captain and given command of Fort Courage. The problem is that he received his promotion because he accidentally "saved the day" when he led a cavalry charge in the wrong direction. This theme continues throughout the series as Captain Parmenter continually messes up but ends up on top.

1965-1960 | CBS
Father Knows Best is a radio and television comedy series which portrayed a middle class family life in the Midwest. It was created by writer Ed James in the 1940s, and ran on radio from 1949 to 1954 and on television from 1954 to 1960.

1964-1967 | NBC
Flipper is a drama series that aired on NBC from 1964 to 1967. Flipper, a bottlenose dolphin, is the companion animal of Porter Ricks, Chief Warden at fictional Coral Key Park and Marine Preserve in southern Florida, and his two young sons Sandy and Bud.

1965-1970 | NBC, CBS
Get Smart is a comedy series that satirizes the secret agent genre that aired on both NBC and CBS from 1965 to 1970. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams (as Maxwell Smart, Agent 86), Barbara Feldon (as Agent 99), and Edward Platt (as Chief).

1986-1967 | CBS
Gilligan's Island is a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1964 to 1967 about seven castaways that were stranded on a deserted island.

1964-1969 | CBS
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. is a sitcom that originally aired on CBS from 1964 to 1969. The series was a spinoff of The Andy Griffith Show, that featured Gomer Pyle's trails and tribulations in the military.. The show ran for five seasons and a total of 150 episodes.

1965-1971 | CBS
Green Acres is a sitcom starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor about a couple that moves from New York City to a country farm. Produced by Filmways as a sister show to Petticoat Junction, the series aired on CBS from 1965 until 1971.

1955-1975 | CBS
Gunsmoke is a western drama series starring James Arness that took take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. The show ran for 20 seasons from 1955 to 1975 on CBS, and stands as the longest-running prime time, live-action drama with 635 episodes.

1957-1963 | CBS
Have Gun — Will Travel is an western drama series that aired on CBS from 1957 through 1963. It was rated either number three or number four in the Nielsen ratings during each year of its first four seasons. It was one of the few television shows to spawn a successful radio version.

1968-1980 | CBS
Hawaii Five-O is a police procedural drama series set in Hawaii that aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980 The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett, portrayed by Jack Lord. The theme music composed by Morton Stevens became especially popular. Most episodes would end with McGarrett instructing his subordinate to "Book 'em, Danno" sometimes specifying a charge such as "murder one."

1965-1971 | CBS
Hogan's Heroes is a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1965 to 1971 set at a German prisoner of war camp during the World War II. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E. Hogan, who coordinated an international crew of Allied prisoners running a Special Operations group from the camp. The program also featured Werner Klemperer as Colonel Wilhelm Klink, the commandant of the camp, and John Banner as the inept sergeant-of-the-guard, Schultz.

1955-1971 | CBS
The Honeymooners is a sitcom that starred Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden and centered Ralph's trials and tribulations of trying to better his life and family.

1965-1970 | NBC
I Dream of Jeannie is a 1960s sitcom that aired on NBC from 1965 to 1970 and starred Barbara Eden as a 2,000-year-old genie, and Larry Hagman as an astronaut who becomes her master, with whom she falls in love and eventually marries.

1951-1957 | CBS
One of the most successful television series ever, I Love Lucy is a sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley that ran from 1951 to 1957 on CBS.

1954-1973 | CBS
Lassie is a drama series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie named Lassie and her companions, human and animal. The show was the creation of producer Robert Maxwell and animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and aired from 1954 to 1973. One of the longest running dramatic series on television, the show chalked up seventeen seasons on CBS before entering first-run syndication for its final two seasons. Initially filmed in black and white, the show transitioned to color during 1965.

1957-1963 | CBS, ABC
Leave It to Beaver is a sitcom about an inquisitive but often naïve boy named Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood. The show also starred Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont as Beaver's parents, June and Ward Cleaver, and Tony Dow as Beaver's brother Wally. The show has attained an iconic status in the United States, with the Cleavers exemplifying the idealized suburban family of the mid-20th century.

1953-1964 | ABC, CBS
The Danny Thomas Show (known as Make Room for Daddy during the first three seasons) is a sitcom which ran from 1953 to 1957 on ABC and from 1957 to 1964 on CBS th followed the misadventures in the lives of the Williams family.

1959-1963 | CBS
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1959 to 1963 about a teenage boy named Dobie Gillis who cared about the only thing any teenage boy cares about ... teenage girls!

1969-1976 | ABC
Marcus Welby, M.D. is a medical drama series that aired on ABC from 1969 to 1976 that starred Robert Young as family practitioner, Marcus Welby, whose thoroughness and dedication involved him in the lives of all sorts of patients.

1962-1966 | ABC
McHale's Navy was a war comedy series that aired on ABC from 1962 to 1966 about a misfit PT boat crew in the South Pacific during World War II. Their unmilitary antics repeatedly got them in trouble with their commander but he always ended out having to "look the other way" in the end because the crew typically stopped an enemy attack or prevented some other catastrophe.

1966-1973 | CBS
Mission: Impossible aired on CBS from September 1966 to March 1973 and chronicled the adventures of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF), a team of government spies and specialists who were offered "impossible missions" (should they decide to accept them) by the unseen "Secretary".

1961-1966 | CBS
Mister Ed is a sitcom that aired on CBS 1961 to 1966 about talking horse, of course, and his owner Wilbur.

1964-1966 | CBS
The Munsters is a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1964 until 1966 depicting the life of a family of monsters. It stars Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era, such as Leave It to Beaver.

1963-1966 | CBS
My Favorite Martian is sci-fi sitcom that aired on CBS from 1963 until 1966 that starred Ray Walston as Uncle Martin (the Martian) and Bill Bixby as Tim O'Hara.

1960-1972 | ABC, CBS
My Three Sons is sitcom that ran from 1960 to 1965 on ABC, and moved to CBS until its end 1972, that chronicles the life of a widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas (Fred MacMurray), raising his three sons.

1963-1970 | CBS
The Petticoat Junction is a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1963 until 1970 about a widow and her three daughters who operated a hotel on the outskirts of a small rural town. The girls' feeble-minded Uncle Joe often came up with zany ideas that put the hotel in jeopardy.

1959-1965 | CBS
Rawhide is a TV western that aired for eight seasons on CBS network from 1959 to 1965 that starred Eric Fleming and Clint Eastwood about adventures of cattle herders in the American West.

1966-1969 | NBC
Star Trek is a science fiction series that aired on NBC from 1966 to 1969. The show later acquired the retronym of Star Trek: The Original Series to distinguish the show within the media franchise that it began. The show became a cult classic in syndication during the 1970s, leading to additional television series, movies, books and more.

1959-1964 | CBS
The Twilight Zone is sci-fi anthology series created by Rod Serling that aired on CBS from 1959 until 1964. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist. A popular and critical success, it introduced many Americans to serious science fiction and abstract ideas through television and also through a wide variety of Twilight Zone literature.
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