If you were to turn your TV back to 1975, you’d see that the prime time channels were filled with polyester, spinoffs, and more shared universes than Marvel could imagine. Not only was the 74-75 season one for massive ratings, but it was also the year that US TV went all out with being a connected, self-referential monster. Franchises, remakes, and family trees of sitcoms? The seventies had it down pat decades before current streaming. Here is the reverse countdown of the top 10 shows of 1975 that not only ruled the charts but redefined the television landscape for the next decades.
10. Hawaii Five-O
Tied with a 24.8 rating, Hawaii Five-0 demonstrated that sunshine and crime-fighting are a deadly mix. With a run of 12 seasons, it established the template for the high-gloss procedural well before CSI or NCIS. And when it was rebooted decades on, it demonstrated the formula still had mileage (and surfboards). And Jack Lord’s hair? Forever young.
9. Maude
Bea Arthur’s Maude entered the fray swinging as the initial big All in the Family spinoff. Drawing a 24.9 rating, it didn’t hesitate to tackle forbidden topics—divorce, abortion, women’s rights—at a time when TV moms were still vacuuming in pearls. Maude was boisterous, unapologetic, and desperately needed, paving the way for political comedy in sitcom format.
8. The Waltons
To be successful, The Waltons realized a 25.5 rating by drawing on nostalgia, close family, and small-town virtues. It had actually been an adaptation from a book (Spencer’s Mountain) and a film before the TV series finally took off. It’s easy, calming pace—and that famous “Goodnight, John-Boy”—and it made its way to the core of many a home, proof that warmth was able to compete with primetime.
7. Good Times
As a spin-off from Maude (yep, the spin-off factory was really getting going), Good Times marked the debut as the first two-parent Black family TV series. Laughing at, and living with a 25.8 rating, the show adeptly mixed social issues with unforgettable comedy, the character J.J. Evans being the source of the “Dy-no-mite!” catchphrase. I wasn’t;t just funny—it was a cultural touchstone.
6. Rhoda
Rhoda Morgenstern was so popular on The Mary Tyler Moore Show that she got her own spinoff, Rhoda, which premiered to a 26.3 rating. It provided the sitcom universe with an unmistakably urban, New York vibe. Subsequent seasons pushed the envelope, such as divorcing its star character, which was revolutionary, but also crashed its ratings. Nevertheless, it altered what sitcoms could do.
5. MASH
With a 27.4 rating, MASH made comedy an act of catharsis for a country still wounded by Vietnam. It wound absurdity with gut-wrenching drama, using the Korean War as a reflection of war today. The result? One of the wisest, most humane shows ever to grace the television screen—and a finale that still reigns as the most-watched scripted episode ever.
4. The Jeffersons
George and Weezyy ‘szyy “movin’ on up” was a catchphrase for the ages. With a 27.6 rating, The Jeffersons introduced a Black family into a luxurious Manhattan high-rise, depicting prime-time viewers with success, humor, and unabashed ambition. It lasted 11 seasons, although CBS ended it so quickly that the cast heard about its cancellation from the newspaper. The legacy? Untouchable.
3. Chico and the Man
This odd-couple sitcom, ridiculing the Cheech and Chong style, came to the public with a 28.5 rating, and the next day, Freddie Prinze was a new star. The interaction between Prinze and Jack Albertson was energetic; however, after Prinze’s death, it was unfortunately cut off. This mixture of cultural clashes and humor left a very big imprint despite the short time of its existence.
2. Sanford and Son
At 29.6, Sanford and Son was an absolute success. The story of the British show Steptoe and Son was adapted to the American audience, which created Redd Foxx, a character who was known across the U.S. and beyond. Fred Sanford was the first TV grumpy dad, and his junkyard became as recognizable as his jokes. Another Norman Lear-supported show that proved remakes can work during the American primetime hours.
1. All in the Family
At the 30.2 rating, All in the Family was the center of the 70s TV world. With a name change from the British Till Death Us Do Part, Archie Bunker was a character that people both loved and hated, stirring national debates about politics, race, gender, and war through humour. It is unparalleled in its effect, creating an entire sitcom galaxy and redefining the term “family TV”.
The mid-70s weren’t all about flashy collars and disco balls—they were about an exploding television universe full of experimentation, spin-offs, and provocative storytelling. Do you believe in the reboots of today and movie universes? The 1970s did it first—and really, with much more flair.