One of the many wonders of modern television programming is our ability to travel through time and enjoy the greats of years past. The 1950s, 60s and 70s produced some of the most enduring television shows in history. They’ve inspired comedies, dramas and sci-fi epics to this day.
We’ve put together a list of some of the absolute best shows from the Golden Age of television and beyond that are available to watch or stream now. Another benefit of modern television programming: you can binge watch them like never before.
Watch more classic TV shows and movies with DIRECTV!
Top 14 Classic TV Shows on Today
Here are the best classic TV series available to stream now across a variety of DIRECTV channels and On Demand including MeTV, TV Land, INSP and Cozi TV.
‘I Love Lucy’ (1951-1957)
Starring: Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance
I Love Lucy was American television’s first big hit, but it was also more than that. I Love Lucy was the first show to be filmed in front of a studio audience, the first to feature an ensemble cast and the first to end its run as the most watched show on television.
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz became instant stars with their chemistry as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. Ball and Vivian Vance have what is still considered one of the best comedic scenes in TV history.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ (1970-1977)
Starring: Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner, Gavin MacLeod
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is one of the most influential shows in TV history. The show created a massive cultural impact with its focus on office relationships, workplace discrimination and social issues like equal pay for women, divorce and gay rights.
Mary Tyler Moore first captured America’s heart on The Dick Van Dyke Show, but it was the Mary Tyler Moore Show that made her a television legend. The Emmy-winning series finale is still cited as the gold standard. The show’s influence extends decades to 30 Rock and Friends and spawned spinoffs in Rhoda and Phyllis.
‘All in the Family’ (1971 – 1979)
Starring: Carrol O’Connor, Jean Stapleton, Sally Struthers, Rob Reiner
All in the Family took over television at one of the most culturally dynamic times in modern American history. It dominated the Nielson ratings for five straight seasons, and its episodes and characters are frequently ranked among TV’s best of all time.
All in the Family was especially influential for the conversations it brought to American households. Revolving around the life of Archie Bunker, a working-class guy living with his family in Queens, NY.
Archie’s old school conservatism came in direct conflict with his daughter Gloria, a budding feminist, and her boyfriend Michael “Meathead” Stivic, a counterculture kid of the 1960s. The show delved into the most complex issues of the time including racism, women’s liberation, religion and the Vietnam War.
‘M*A*S*H’ (1972-1983)
Starring: Alan Alda, Loretta Swit, McLean Stevson, Wayne Rogers
M*A*S*H is a television show in a category of its own. The war dramedy employed dark humor to deal with the horrors, pain and stress of war. The show revolves around the personnel of a United States Army Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) during the Korean War.
Alan Alda stars as surgeon Captain Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce who works alongside surgeon Captain Trapper John McIntyre, Lt. Colonel Henry Blake and Major Margaret “hot Lips” Houlihan.
The finale of M*A*S*H drew more than 100 million viewers and still ranks among the most watched TV broadcasts in American history, outranked only by Super Bowls.
‘The Twilight Zone’ (1959-1964)
Starring: Rod Sterling
The Twilight Zone is so ubiquitous, it’s still embedded in our everyday vernacular. The anthology series featured a new standalone story of disturbing, unusual and surreal experiences each episode.
Each episode featured a brand-new cast so there were no recurring characters, but the show is responsible for helping launch the careers of Carol Burnett, Robert Duvall, Peter Falk, Ron Howard, Burty Reynolds, William Shatner, Joan Hackett and Morgan Brittany, to name a few.
The Twilight Zone is consistently ranked on best-of lists among the best dramas, sci-fi shows and overall shows in television history.
‘Happy Days’ (1974-1984)
Starring: Henry Winkler, Ron Howard, Marion Ross
Happy Days follows the life of hardware store owner Howard Cunningham, his wife Marion and children Richard and Joanie in 1950s Milwaukee. Henry Winkler stars as the lovable Fonzie.
Developed by legendary director Garry Marshall, Happy Days is one of most influential shows in TV history. The number one show on TV in 1976 and 1977, it spawned the spin-offs Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy and helped launch the careers of Howard, Winkler and Robin Williams. It’s so influential, Fonzie’s leather jacket is in the National Museum of American History.
‘Star Trek’ (1966-1969)
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy
Star Trek takes viewers to the middle of the Milky Way Galaxy in the 23rd century, as the show follows the adventures and crew of the USS Enterprise led by Captain James T Kirk and First Officer Spock.
The series has frequently been cited as one of the best science fiction shows of all time. The series featured 79 episodes across three seasons, but it was canceled due to low ratings. However, it took on new life when it hit broadcast syndication, becoming an international success and a cult classic before having an influence on pop culture that extends to this day.
The original Star Trek is perhaps best known for spawning the franchise itself, which now includes 11 television series, 13 feature films and numerous books and games. From that perspective, it is of the caliber of Star Wars in terms of its mark on American culture.
‘The Jeffersons’ (1975-1985)
Starring: Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley
Created by the great Norman Lear, The Jeffersons put Black pop culture on the airwaves. The spinoff of All in the Family saw the Bunker neighbors move to a high-rise apartment in Manhattan.
Like All in the Family, the show was as successful for its comedic chops with Isabel Sanford and Sherman Hemsley as it was with its ability to deal with issues that had rarely been discussed on television before. Issues like racism, alcoholism, suicide, gun control, illiteracy, the KKK and being transgender were all explored throughout the series.
The show received 14 Emmy nominations, including for its two leads, Hemsley and Sanford. Sanford became the first African-American actress to win an Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy Series in 1981, and just the second to win any Emmy award.
‘The Golden Girls’ (1985-1992)
Starring: Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, Estelle Getty
The Golden Girls was one of the most beloved shows during its run, uniquely showcasing four older single women sharing a house in Miami while they navigated their golden years.
The Golden Girls won two Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series and three Golden Globes for Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy. Each of the four lead actresses won a Primetime Emmy Award during its run, making it one of only four sitcoms in history to do so.
The Golden Girls was a hit from the jump, and its overall score of 82 on Metacritic has earned it even modern universal acclaim. Its pilot was so renowned it drew a standing ovation at its preview screening.
Like many of the most classic shows, it dealt with controversial issues throughout, including same-sex marriage, elder care, homelessness, poverty, discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS, immigration, substance abuse and sexual harassment. The cast even performed at the request of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who was a massive fan of the show.
‘The Andy Griffith Show’ (1960-1968)
Starring: Andy Griffith, Don Knotts, Frances Bavier, Ron Howard
The Andy Griffith Show is one of America’s early beloved sitcoms with 250 episodes running over eight years.
The show was a weekly hit for its entire run, and it’s one of the few shows to end their broadcast run at the top of the ratings. It is frequently cited as one of television’s best shows and sitcoms in history.
‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’ (1961-1966)
Starring: Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Larry Mathews
Created by Carl Reiner, The Dick Van Dyke Show was a powerhouse of comedy in the early 60s.
The series won 15 Emmy Awards over its 5-season run, with multiple episodes ranking among television’s best in history. The show was influential in its meta premise as well, as it followed the head writer of a comedy variety show in Manhattan. It spawned a slew of shows, including 30 Rock, that took a comedic inside look at the kind of show that it was creating.
The show created icons out of Reiner, Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore, who went on to shape American sitcoms for the next few decades.
‘The Partridge Family’ (1970-1974)
Starring: Shirley Jones, David Cassidy, Susan Dey, Danny Bonaduce
The Partridge Family was a musical sitcom that followed the lives of the fictional pop music band, The Partridge Family. The show was loosely based on the real-life musical family, the Cowsills, which was a popular band in the late 60s and early 70s.
The Partridge Family was successful enough on television and syndication, but they also made waves in the music industry. Their debut single, “I Think I Love You,” became an instant hit, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in 1970 and selling more than 5 million copies, which was more than the Beatles’ “Let It Be.” They were just the third fictional artist to have a number one hit after the Chipmunks and the Archies.
‘The Honeymooners’
Starring: Jackie Gleason, Audrey Meadows
Along with I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners was one of America’s first breakout sitcoms.
Created and starring Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden, the show revolves around Ralph’s continually poor choices and dilemmas that he finds himself in, showcasing his shortcomings in a comedic tone. Gleason’s depiction of Kramden has earned the character numerous placements on lists of TV’s greatest characters, and the show itself is one of TV’s greatest shows. It is frequently referenced in pop culture to this day.
‘The Brady Bunch’
Starring: Florence Henderson, Maureen McCormick, Ann B. Davis, Robert Reed
The Brady Bunch is one of the most iconic television shows in American history. The show followed a large, blended family of Mike Brady, a widowed architect with three sons, and his wife, Carol, who has three daughters. Mike and Carol adopt each other’s children, they all take the Brady surname and they live in one big house.
The show made stars out of multiple cast members. The Brady Bunch has spun off multiple television reunion films and spinoff series like The Brady Bunch Hour, The Brady Girls Get Married, The Brady Brides, A Very Brady Christmas and The Bradys. Then there’s The Brady Bunch Movie, A Very Brady Sequel and The Brady Bunch in the White House.
The episode “Getting Davy Jones” ranks among TV Guide’s 100 greatest episodes of all time.
Watch more classic TV shows and movies with DIRECTV!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are examples of classic TV shows?
Some of the most popular classic TV shows include I Love Lucy, The Brady Bunch, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Golden Girls and the Happy Days.
What is considered a classic TV show?
A classic TV show typically refers to influential television series from the 1950s through the 1980s that helped shape modern television. These vintage TV shows are remembered for their cultural impact, timeless storytelling and lasting popularity. Many classic television series from the Golden Age of TV continue to be watched and celebrated decades after they first aired.
DIRECTV Insider brings you our views on what’s happening in streaming, t.v., movies and sports. Companies and persons mentioned are not necessarily associated with and do not necessarily endorse DIRECTV. We will disclose sponsored content on our site when we show it to you, and some of the links on the site may be ads or affiliate links which means DIRECTV may earn compensation from your purchases.
