MASH, (back, l to r): William Christopher, Gary Burghoff, David Ogden Stiers, Jamie Farr, (front): Loretta Swit, Harry Morgan, Alan Alda, Mike Farrell, 1972-83, TM and Copyright © 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved, Courtesy: Everett Collection

FALL 2019 TV SURVEY: 20 TV Shows That Defined the 1970s

For Rotten Tomatoes’ annual Fall TV Survey, we asked thousands of our users what they’re most looking forward to in the coming TV season and to reflect on the best shows from seasons past.

We asked Rotten Tomatoes users which TV show screams “The ’70s,” and they chose a show about an Army surgical unit set during the Korean War in the 1950s. M*A*S*H took 71% of the vote, followed by Happy Days (66%), All in the Family (64%), Charlie’s Angels (605), and 1970s Saturday Night Live (50%).

Who ruled the ’70s? The M*A*S*H cast (18%), followed by Carol Burnett (13%), Farrah Fawcett (10%), Henry Winkler (9%), and Bill Murray (6%).

Read on to see which other TV titles placed in the top shows of the 1970s chosen by RT readers.

Disagree with the survey results? Tell us in the comments who you think should have made the list or have been ranked higher.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969)
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#20

Synopsis: Brainiac Velma, jock Fred, fashionista Daphne, hippie Shaggy, and Shaggy's highstrung, talking Great Dane, Scooby-Doo, climb into their green van,... [More]

Starring: Don Messick, Frank Welker, Casey Kasem, Heather North

Directed By:

Sanford and Son (1972)
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#19

Synopsis: Junk dealer Fred Sanford runs roughshod over his son and partner, Lamont, in a groundbreaking sitcom. Fred's moneymaking schemes routinely... [More]

Starring: Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, Whitman Mayo, LaWanda Page

Directed By:

Roots (1977)
76%

#18

Synopsis: A 1977 miniseries based on Alex Haley's book tells the story of African teen Kunta Kinte, brought to America to... [More]

Starring: LeVar Burton, Ed Asner, Georg Stanford Brown, Maya Angelou

Directed By: Gilbert Moses, John Erman, Marvin J. Chomsky, David Greene

The Six Million Dollar Man (1973)
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#17

Synopsis: Steve Austin is an astronaut who is seriously injured when his spaceship crashes. Handsome and athletic, Austin undergoes a government-sanctioned... [More]

Starring: Lee Majors, Richard Anderson

Directed By:

Taxi (1978)
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#16

Synopsis: This Emmy-winning sitcom follows the lives of a group of cabbies in New York. The employees of the Sunshine Cab... [More]

Starring: Judd Hirsch, Jeff Conaway, Danny DeVito, Marilu Henner

Directed By: James L. Brooks, Stan Daniels, Ed. Weinberger

Sesame Street (1969)
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#15

Synopsis: A longtime favorite of children and adults, and a staple of PBS, "Sesame Street" bridges many cultural and educational gaps... [More]

Starring: Fran Brill, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, Ryan Dillon, Eric Jacobson

Directed By:

Columbo (1971)
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#14

Synopsis: "Columbo" isn't the typical detective whodunit TV show. On most detective shows, viewers don't know who committed the crime until... [More]

Starring: Peter Falk, Mike Lally, John Finnegan, Bruce Kirby

Directed By: Vincent McEveety

The Muppet Show (1974)
100%

#13

Synopsis: A fantastic medley of sweet and mischievous, Jim Henson's Muppets, including Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, produce a weekly... [More]

Starring: Frank Oz, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Jim Henson

Directed By:

The Jeffersons (1975)
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#12

Synopsis: "We're moving on up, to the East Side, to a deee-luxe apartment in the sky ... ." This spinoff from... [More]

Starring: Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, Mike Evans, Damon Evans

Directed By: Norman Lear

Little House on the Prairie (1974)
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#11

Synopsis: Based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's series of "Little House" books, this drama series revolved around the 1870s adventures of the... [More]

Starring: Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, Melissa Gilbert, Melissa Sue Anderson

Directed By: Michael Landon, Ed Friendly, Michael Landon, William F. Claxton

Laverne & Shirley (1976)
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#10

Synopsis: Best friends, roommates and polar opposites Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney work together at the Shotz Brewery in Milwaukee and... [More]

Starring: Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, Eddie Mekka, Phil Foster

Directed By:

Mork & Mindy (1978)
90%

Synopsis: Mork, an alien from the planet Ork on a mission to Earth to study human behavior, travels to 1970s Boulder,... [More]

Starring: Robin Williams, Pam Dawber, Jonathan Winters, Robert Donner

Directed By: Anthony W. Marshall, Garry Marshall

The Carol Burnett Show (1967)
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Synopsis: Comedian and stage actress Carol Burnett, who first gained popularity during her stint on "The Gary Moore Show," hosted this... [More]

Starring: Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Lyle Waggoner, Vicki Lawrence

Directed By: Dave Powers, Bob Banner, Joe Hamilton

The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970)
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Synopsis: Mary Richards is a thirty-something single woman who settles in Minneapolis after breaking up with a boyfriend. She lands a... [More]

Starring: Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner, Gavin MacLeod, Ted Knight

Directed By: James L. Brooks, Allan Burns

The Brady Bunch (1969)
78%

Synopsis: Here's the story ... of a man named Brady, an architect widower with three sons: oldest Greg, middle son Peter... [More]

Starring: Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, Ann B. Davis, Maureen McCormick

Directed By: Sherwood Schwartz

Saturday Night Live (1975)
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Synopsis: Live from New York for more than four decades, celebrity hosts join an award-winning ensemble cast to perform comedic sketches,... [More]

Starring: Michael Che, Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner

Directed By: Lorne Michaels

Charlie's Angels (1976)
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Synopsis: The show that ushered in the phrase "jiggle TV" features three beautiful police academy-trained private detectives whose cases always seem... [More]

Starring: Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith, Farrah Fawcett, David Doyle

Directed By: Leonard Goldberg, Aaron Spelling, Ivan Goff