The 1960s was a decade that saw a tremendous amount of societal, cultural, political, and
technological changes transpire.
It was a particularly groundbreaking time for the world of television in particular.
During this era, social factors played a role in the decline of more traditional family-friendly
programming that viewers were used to in the previous decade, but that trend wasn't quite
as reflected in the ratings as it would be in the 70s.
The 60s gave audiences a glimpse at an entirely new generation of shows that focused on more
polarizing and provocative issues.
Or at least, we saw some of that take place during the second half of the decade.
The early to mid 60s still very much so felt like business as usual and programming didn't
feel all that unfamiliar to that of the 1950s.
The swinging 60s were an era that embraced a willful departure from orthodoxy.
At the same time, many television viewers still clung to the sensibilities and values
that were held dear in the 1950s.
As such, what you got in the 60s on TV, was a bit of a mixed bag of old-school ideals
combined with fresh new material that challenged the status quo – albeit a bit more subtly
than the following decade
Westerns dominated the airwaves during the early years of the 60s, while sitcoms and
variety shows would prove to be quite popular in the second half of the decade.
By the final year of the 60s, however, one sketch comedy show would burst onto the scene
that would lay the groundwork for the future of shows in this category.
If it weren't for this program, we would have probably never gotten such gems as SNL, In
Living Color, or Kids In The Hall – although this particular offering wasn't nearly as
willing to push the envelope as the shows that it helped inspire would feel safe doing.
Join FactsVerse as we take a look at the most-watched television shows in this trailblazing and
highly influential decade.
In many ways, it was the last decade that provided the world with the classic kind of
content that we typically associate with television's Golden Age.
You'll likely be pretty familiar with most of these shows, but who knows, maybe after
watching this video, you'll have a few new shows to add to your throwback watchlist.
1960 – Gunsmoke
This classic western series dominated the airwaves for the last three years of the 1950s,
clinching the coveted number one ranking with the Nielsen rating system.
Westerns continued to be popular in the first half of the 60s, and likewise, so did Gunsmoke.
The series was set in and around the town of Dodge City, Kansas, during the 1870s.
This was the era in which the American West was being established by settlers.
The series' main character was Marshal Matt Dillon, played by James Arness.
Dillon was tasked with upholding the law in the wild west town where people would often
display very little respect for authority.
He dealt with a multitude of different problems pertaining to frontier life on a daily basis,
from gunfights to cattle rustling to saloon brawls and land feuds.
These difficult situations often called for him to display outstanding braveness while
maintaining sound judgment.
Fortunately, Marshal Dillon was well versed in both of these qualities.
While Gunsmoke would run for a total of seasons from 1955 to 1975, it would lose its top-dog
rating position in 1962 to another influential Western series.
1961 – Wagon Train
This Western aired on NBC from 1957 to 1962 before hopping over to ABC for another three
years.
The series often featured big-name guest stars who appeared in fairly significant roles at
settlements along the trail or as travelers in the large wagon train that the series was
named for.
It was inspired by the 1950 film Wagon Master as well as the early widescreen 1930 film
The Big Trail, which starred John Wayne in its leading role.
The show chronicled the adventures of the titular wagon train as it made its way from
St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California, while passing through the Midwestern Plains
and the Rockies on its route.
Throughout this epic journey, the travelers that made up this caravan faced many trials,
tribulations, and personal dramas.
1962-1963 – The Beverly Hillbillies
This series with an ensemble cast ran on CBS from 1962 to 1971 and featured the performances
of Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr as the Clampetts.
This family was an impoverished, backwoods, somewhat stereotypical family from the hills
of the Ozarks who after striking oil on their land, moved out to the more affluent and posh
Beverly Hills.
The Beverly Hillbillies ranked in the top 20 most-watched shows on TV for eight of its
nine seasons and ranked as number one for its first two seasons.
During its run, it amassed seven Emmy nods and has been rerun in syndication ever since
its cancellation.
Despite being received well with audiences and scoring high marks with the ratings, the
series was given the ax in 1971 after being on the air for 274 episodes.
CBS received pressure at the time to ditch their line-up of rural-themed programming
to instead focus more on modern, sophisticated, urban themes.
This action was later dubbed the 'Rural Purge'.
Pat Buttram, the actor who played Mr. Haney on Green Acres, one of the Beverly Hillbillies
spin-off series, famously said that 1971 was when CBS canceled everything with a tree.
1964 – 1966 – Bonanza
The mid-60s were essentially the last years that the viewing public still craved Westerns
with a fervor.
After this three-year stretch Westerns would no longer retain the same kind of appeal they
once had.
That's not to say that they disappeared entirely, however.
Bonanza was broadcast on NBC between 1959 to 1973, although it enjoyed its largest audience
during the mid-60s.
It was set in the 1860s and revolved around the rich Cartwright Family who lived near
Virginia City, Nevada on the border of Lake Tahoe.
The title of the series came from a term that miners would use to describe large deposits
of silver ore, and its etymology can be traced back to a Spanish word for prosperity.
Historically the term has been used to describe the 1859 discovery of the Comstock Lode – a
huge deposit of silver ore underneath the real-world town of Virginia City, not far
off from the Cartwright's fictional Ponderosa Ranch.
The show followed the adventures of the Cartwright family, which was headed by the three-time
widowed father Ben Cartwright, played by Lorne Greene, and his three sons and their respective
wives.
Bonanza was considered to be a pretty atypical western at the time that it aired as the bulk
of its plotlines had less to do with the range itself and more about Ben and his family and
how they cared for each other, their neighbors, and justice.
1967 – The Andy Griffith Show
This sitcom ran for 8 seasons consisting of 249 episodes between 1960 and 1968.
The series focused on the widowed sheriff of Mayberry, North Carolina, Andy Taylor and
various other members of the community, including the bumbling deputy Barney Fife, played by
Don Knotts, Andy's sweet-as-apple-pie Aunt Bee, played by Frances Bavier, and his young
son Opie, played by Ron Howard in his breakout role.
The show might have been set in a contemporary setting, but it had this wonderfully nostalgic
feel that hearkened back to the 1930s.
Watching The Andy Griffith Show made you feel like you had just stepped into a time machine
and were transported back to a simpler time.
It never slipped below seventh in the Nielsen ratings throughout its run but for its final
season, it managed to hold the number one spot.
After the eighth season, Griffith left the series, and it was reworked as a new series
called Mayberry RFD.
That show went on to run for 78 episodes before ending in 1971.
1968-1969 - Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Here we have a sketch-comedy program that laid the groundwork for many other sketch-comedy
programs to come.
It ran for 140 episodes between 1968 and 1973 and was hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and
Dick Martin.
The title of the program was a play on the hippie 'love-ins' and 'be-ins' that were trending
during that time.
The show featured a series of rapid-fire sketches and gags – most of which were politically
poignant and sexually charged.
What audiences got with Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In was boldy new and fresh.
The series wasn't afraid to push the boundaries of what was previously deemed unacceptable
on television.
The world was in a state of flux, with the counterculture movement of the day serving
as a catalyst for many social and cultural changes.
Some found the subject material and humor to be offensive while others ate it up eagerly.
Because of this polarizing effect, the program received quite much attention and enjoyed
two solid years of being the number one most-watched show in America.
Rowan and Martin had previously established this act performing in nightclubs where they
would respectively play an exasperated straight man and dumb guy.
They brought this routine to the show, and it proved to be wildly popular with viewers.
Other cast members included Gary Owens, Ruth Buzzi, Judy Carne, and Henry Gibson.
Each episode would include recurring sketches and would start with a series of short skits
that served as a cold open – something that Saturday Night Live would later do as well.
Some of the most popular recurring sketches included 'Sock it to Me', in which Judy Carne
was tricked into saying a phrase that would result in her falling through a trapped door
in the floor, being splashed with water, or humorously accosted in some other manner.
'The Cocktail Party' was a sketch that featured a party that was attended by the cast and
guest stars of the show.
In between bars of an over-the-top dance song performed by the orchestra, the music would
stop allowing for the delivery of a quick joke.
"The Joke Wall" was a segment that ran towards the end of each episode.
In it, the cast and guest stars would peek their heads out of doors in a psychedelically
decorated wall to exchange witty one-liners.
Well, that about wraps up this review of the top-watched shows of the 1960s.
What are your favorite television shows of that decade?
And were you surprised to learn that any of the programs we just discussed held number
one positions during their respective years?
Let us know in the comments section below.
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