In today’s television landscape, we’re often treated to shows with deep storylines, advanced special effects, and everything in between. TV shows have certainly come a long way, and now offer a variety of shows showcasing different cultures from actions and showrunners of all stripes of life. But with the rise of modern-day shows, most have begun to become curious and nostalgic about the shows of old, and this is especially true for shows that came of age in the 1960s.
While the decade was a socially fraught time for America, it was a boomtime for television. There were plenty of sitcoms and innovative series that are fondly remembered to this very day. This was the decade that gave us Captain Kirk (William Shatner), a genie in a bottle, and an Appalachian family who moved to ritzy Beverly Hills after striking it rich with oil money. This was the decade where we first saw a man dressed as a giant bat fight crime, a wholesome dad fall over a couch ottoman, was first introduced to the town of Mayberry, and saw a pre-historical family operate the same way as modern times. The ’60s was truly a great decade for television, and we’re going to look at the greatest shows from the decade.
7
‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’ (1961–1966)
While the sitcom genre got rolling in the 1950s with the iconic I Love Lucy, it wasn’t until the ’60s when the genre really took off. Sure, there were other great sitcoms such as Leave It to Beaver that made waves, but the genre firmly took off during the ’60s, with a proliferation of some of the most iconic and most celebrated sitcoms premiering during this time. One of those sitcoms was The Dick Van Dyke Show, a show that still holds up quite well among its more modern contemporaries.
Created by Carl Reiner, The Dick Van Dyke Show followed the patriarch of the Petrie family, Rob (Dick Van Dyke), a TV comedy writer who resides in a New York City suburb with his wife, Laura (Mary Tyler Moore), and their son, Ritchie (Larry Matthews). The Petrie family, especially Rob, always found themselves in the middle of hilarious scenarios that involved their family, and Rob’s coworkers. While Father Knows Best was one of the first sitcoms to be centered around the dad, The Dick Van Dyke Showtook this concept to an entirely different level. He was goofy, but also very relatable, and many sitcoms that would come after it took some inspiration from this wholesome CBS sitcom.
6
‘Batman’ (1966–1968)
You may not have ever seen one episode of the original superhero live-action series Batman, but once you hear the theme song, you know what time it is. Before it premiered on ABC in 1966, Batman lived in DC comic books; but with TV gaining popularity, it offered a chance to bring some iconic comic book characters to life on the small screen, with Batman being the first and most successful.
Starring Adam Westas Bruce Wayne/Batman, the show focused on the millionaire vigilante as he fights crime in Gotham City alongside his sidekick, Robin (Burt Ward). With many younger viewers having grown up with the more serious versions of the Cape Crusader, many fans may be a bit turned off by the original Batman‘s kookiness. This show was action-packed, but it never took itself too seriously. This show was born out of the comics, so it acted just like a live-action comic book, complete with “BAM!” and “POW!” text bubbles popping on the screen whenever Batman and Robin fought the bad guys. Batman became a hit for ABC, and was the longest-running live-action superhero show until Smallville came in and dethroned it.
5
‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ (1962–1971)
In 1962, viewers tuned into CBS to watch a story about a man named Jed Clampett (Buddy Ebsen), who, after striking oil while hunting a rabbit, took his new-found fortune and did what any family would do: they moved to California. The Beverly Hillbilliesis the quintessential “fish out of water” sitcom, as we watch the Clampett family adjust to life under endless sun, palm trees, and riches thanks to all that oil money.
The brainchild of Paul Henning, one would be shocked to know that The Beverly Hillbillies was actually poorly reviewed when it first aired. Critics pounded on the show, calling it “unfunny” and claiming that the show promoted ignorance. But the viewers ignored the critics, as it regularly stayed in the top half of the Nielsen ratings for several seasons. Because The Beverly Hillbillies stood as the antithesis of what “quality entertainment” was, it was natural for critics to hate the show at the time, but equally natural for viewers to love the show as they saw it for what it was; a hilarious rags-to-riches sitcom.
4
‘I Dream of Jeannie’ (1965–1970)
With a nod of her head, Jeannie (Barbara Eden) could make any wish come true. Jeannie wasn’t just a normal woman, she was a 2,000-year-old genie, who was stuck in a bottle until an astronaut and Air Force officer, (Larry Hagman) discovered it and uncorked the bottle. Not only did that unleash Jeannie, but it also unleashed one of the best TV shows of the decade:I Dream of Jeannie.
Created by Sidney Sheldon, the NBC fantasy sitcom was quite a gamble for the network. The sitcom landscape at the time consisted of family comedies, but I Dream of Jeannie wasn’t that, nor did it fit the mode of traditional romantic sitcoms such as I Dream of Jeannie. Maybe this is the reason why it was never a true ratings hit during its five seasons on the air, but it caught on with viewers during syndication that this was truly a fantastic show that deserved more praise than it usually got. The dynamic between Jeannie and Tony was charming, and the show, as a whole, pushed the boundaries of what a sitcom could do in the 1960s.
3
‘The Andy Griffith Show’ (1960–1968)
We’ve all whistled the theme song to The Andy Griffith Show, it’s just such a simplistic, catchy tune. In the history of sitcoms, there has rarely been a theme song that has fitted the vibe of a show quite like the whistle theme to The Andy Griffith Show. But, beyond that infectious tune, the show itself is fantastic, and is considered one of the best sitcoms not just of the 1960s, but of all-time.
Created by Sheldon Leonard, The Andy Griffith Show follows Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith), a down-home, lovable sheriff of Mayberry, North Carolina, who patrols the streets alongside his lifelong friend, the bumbling Barney Fife (Don Knotts). Even for the ’60s, The Andy Griffith Show invoked a kind of nostalgia that wasn’t really seen in television shows of the decade. It was a ’60s show that felt like it belonged more in the 1930s. Everything was just so sentimental within this series, and viewers tuned in week-to-week to get a slice of small-town Americana. To this day, The Andy Griffith Show is beloved by many, and rightfully so. Admit it, you’re whistling that theme right now.
2
‘Star Trek’ (1966–1969)
Star date, September 8, 1966, the day a franchise was born. That franchise was Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry, which changed the face of science fiction shows and how they were received. We don’t really have to give you a quick synopsis of what Star Trek is about, as everyone possibly knows the plot; but for those who have never seen an episode of Star Trek, it follows the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise as they go where “no man has gone before.”
Star Trek‘scharacters became pop culture legends, from William Shatner‘s James T. KIrk, to the lovable Science Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy), each member of the Enterprise has been immortalized within pop culture. Even though the show ran for only three seasons, it attracted a legion of fans and ignited a franchise that included hit movies and spin-off shows that have developed their own fanbase. But we can’t forget the original series that started it all, and was one of the reasons why television in the ’60s was so great and innovative.
1
‘The Flintstones’ (1960–1966)
“Yabba Dabba Doo!” Ah, Fred Flintstone’s (Alan Reed) catchphrase for when something good makes you want to sit down and revisit one of the greatest shows of the 1960s, The Flintstones. Some may not know this, but the animated sitcom was actually born out of frustrations as to how other Hanna-Barbera shows like The Huckleberry Hound Showdidn’t appeal to a wider audience, with their shows being geared more towards children with no interest for adults. They wanted to change that with an animated series that used the traditional sitcom format, and thus, The Flintstones was born.
The show follows the Flintstone family as they live their daily lives in Bedrock, a prehistoric community that functioned the same way as modern society, complete with jobs, cars (that you had to stop with your feet), and birds being used as household appliances. The show worked, capturing an adult audience thatstill kept Hanna-Barbara’s family-friendly image intact, and was one of the premier sitcoms of the 1960s. With its hilarious take on family comedy, it would be hard to argue against The Flintstones not being considered one of the best shows of the decade.
The Flintstones
- Release Date
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1960 – 1966-00-00
- Showrunner
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William Hanna
- Directors
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William Hanna
- Writers
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William Hanna
