Andy Griffith Dies at 86: What Was the Best TV Show of the 1960s?

by SodaHead Slideshows Posted 2012/07/03 19:10:27

Related Topics: Saturday Night Live, The Help, Television, New York, Oil, Judge, Couples, Goldie Hawn, Magic, Dallas, Mom, Cutting, Boy, Single, Boyfriend

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“The Andy Griffith Show”

Andy Griffith stole America’s heart as Andy Taylor the sheriff in small town Mayberry, North Carolina. The widower was raising his son, Opie, played by little Ronny Howard, with the help of Aunt Bee and Barney Fife.

“The Andy Griffith Show”

Andy Griffith stole America’s heart as Andy Taylor the sheriff in small town Mayberry, North Carolina. The widower was raising his son, Opie, played by little Ronny Howard, with the help of Aunt Bee and Barney Fife.
“The Dick Van Dyke Show”

Rob and Laura Petrie became the symbol of the young, happily married couple. He was a comedy writer, and she was a stay-at-home mom raising Richie and rocking the pedal-pushers.
“The Beverly Hillbillies”

Every week “The Beverly Hillbillies” told the story of a man named Jed and his kinfolk who struck oil and moved into a mansion with their cement pond in sunny California.
“Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In”

Long before there was “Saturday Night Live,” “Laugh-In” was bringing cutting-edge sketch comedy to TV with hip, young talents like Lily Tomlin, Goldie Hawn, Artie Johnson, and Ruth Buzzi.
“That Girl”

Marlo Thomas was every young girl’s idol in the late ‘60s. They wanted to dress like her, live in a New York City apartment, and have a boyfriend, who they did not have to marry.
“The Carol Burnett Show”

We’re so glad we had this time together, Carol. The ultimate variety show, it brought the world sketches like “As the Stomach Turns,” “Went with the Wind” and “The Family.”
“I Dream of Jeannie”

Before Larry Hagman got shot on “Dallas,” he played astronaut Major Nelson. The somewhat uptight spaceman happened upon a magic bottle and found himself a genie, played by Barbara Eden.
“Bewitched”

Who didn’t wish they could wiggle their nose and instantly tidy up the house or change their husband’s ad campaign to woo the client? Samantha Stevens cast a bit of a spell on everyone.

Andy Griffith Dies at 86: What Was the Best TV Show of the 1960s?

16,004 votes
Read all 356 opinions
Lightning Report View Results and Demographics + View Demographics

	“The Andy Griffith Show”
	“The Dick Van Dyke Show”
	“The Beverly Hillbillies”
	“Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In”
	“That Girl”
	“The Carol Burnett Show”
	“I Dream of Jeannie”
	“Bewitched”

Loading Demographics... Click an icon to see demographic results Display unknown and private
	“The Andy Griffith Show”	8,544 votes	53%
	“The Dick Van Dyke Show”	1,409 votes	9%
	“The Beverly Hillbillies”	1,469 votes	9%
	“Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In”	1,029 votes	6%
	“That Girl”	220 votes	1%
	“The Carol Burnett Show”	2,080 votes	13%
	“I Dream of Jeannie”	658 votes	4%
	“Bewitched”	595 votes	4%

With the passing of the legendary Andy Griffith, people are waxing poetic about the good old days of television. It was a simple time on the small screen, when married couples slept in separate beds and “I Dream if Jeannie's” Barbara Eden couldn't show her belly button. But it was also a time when the medium was breaking ground, setting standards for the shows to come and creating programming that still remains popular today.

Sure, "The Andy Griffith Show" on the surface was a down-home, feel-good family sitcom, but it was also the first series to feature a single dad, who was raising his boy, Opie, with the help of his family and friends.

Meanwhile, Marlo Thomas' "That Girl" showed young women they didn’t have to be married and have a family to define themselves. And "The Carol Burnett Show" took the variety show to new heights, and its comedic genius has never been surpassed by any series in the genre that's followed.

"Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" dared to go where no comedy show had gone before. It brought the hippie culture to the mainstream and introduced such catchphrases as “Sock it to me!” and “Here comes the judge.” Click through our slideshow and let us know: What was the best TV show of the 1960s?

+24

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Georgia50 2012/07/04 04:31:14 (edited)

“The Carol Burnett Show”

+11
I watched them all and liked them all, but there was nothing quite like the cast of the Carol Burnett Show cracking up in the middle of an improv.
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Dave 007 to jere.ch... 2012/08/04 12:33:17

+1
That's very true.

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paul 2012/07/07 03:15:36

“That Girl”

+3
I said "That Girl" because I liked to watch Marlo but the BEST show was:

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chas-hi... to paul 2012/07/08 16:01:00

+5
I forgot about the Twilight Zone. But I think that started in the late 50's so that might be why it was not included in the list.

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paul to chas-hi... 2012/07/08 16:06:21

+1
good point......but it was still the Best show of the 60s......just my opinion

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philly 2012/07/06 22:41:16

“The Carol Burnett Show”

+2
Although I was not born til seventy eight I loved watching the carrol burnette show when I was a kid

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cinbadl 2012/07/06 22:33:40
Steve R... to cinbadl 2012/07/08 14:38:45

+4
No Question !!!

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RalphMonroe 2012/07/06 21:04:41 (edited)

“I Dream of Jeannie”

+2
It depends how old you were then and who controlled the T.V.(usually Dad). (I was 10 Years Old in 1960 and 20 in 1969 and in Vietnam) and here are just a few that are equal in quality as those from which to choose as "Best" TV show of the 1960s

Family Programs

You Asked For It
Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom
The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968)
The Andy Williams Show
Ed Sullivan
Ben Casey (1961-1966)
The Real McCoys
Car 54, Where Are You? (1961-1963)
CANDID CAMERA
The Donna Reed Show (1958-1966)
The Doris Day Show (1968-1973)
Dr. Kildare (1961-1966)
The Du Pont Show of the Week (1961)
Family Affair (1966-1971)
Father Knows Best (1954-1960)
The George Gobel Show (1954-1960)
Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C (1964-1969)
Green Acres (1965-1971)
The Honeymooners (1952-1970)
House Party (Art Linkletter) (1952-1970)

Guy Programs (Guys of all ages)

The Untouchables
The Fugitive
Naked City
ABC's Wide World of Sports
Adventures in Paradise (1959-1962)
Bat Masterson (1958-1961)
Bonanza (1959-1973
The Rifleman
Maverick
Bronco
Sugarfoot
Cheyenne
Combat (1962-1967)
Daktari (1966-1969)
The Dean Martin Show (1965-1974)
The Dating Game (1965-1973)
Death Valley Days (1952-1975) (hosted by Ronald Reagan)
Dragnet (1951-1959, 1967-1970)
Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (1946-1960)
The Green Hornet (1966-1967)
Honey West (1965-1966)
Peter Gunn
77 Sunset Strip
Su...

It depends how old you were then and who controlled the T.V.(usually Dad). (I was 10 Years Old in 1960 and 20 in 1969 and in Vietnam) and here are just a few that are equal in quality as those from which to choose as "Best" TV show of the 1960s

Family Programs

You Asked For It
Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom
The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968)
The Andy Williams Show
Ed Sullivan
Ben Casey (1961-1966)
The Real McCoys
Car 54, Where Are You? (1961-1963)
CANDID CAMERA
The Donna Reed Show (1958-1966)
The Doris Day Show (1968-1973)
Dr. Kildare (1961-1966)
The Du Pont Show of the Week (1961)
Family Affair (1966-1971)
Father Knows Best (1954-1960)
The George Gobel Show (1954-1960)
Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C (1964-1969)
Green Acres (1965-1971)
The Honeymooners (1952-1970)
House Party (Art Linkletter) (1952-1970)

Guy Programs (Guys of all ages)

The Untouchables
The Fugitive
Naked City
ABC's Wide World of Sports
Adventures in Paradise (1959-1962)
Bat Masterson (1958-1961)
Bonanza (1959-1973
The Rifleman
Maverick
Bronco
Sugarfoot
Cheyenne
Combat (1962-1967)
Daktari (1966-1969)
The Dean Martin Show (1965-1974)
The Dating Game (1965-1973)
Death Valley Days (1952-1975) (hosted by Ronald Reagan)
Dragnet (1951-1959, 1967-1970)
Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (1946-1960)
The Green Hornet (1966-1967)
Honey West (1965-1966)
Peter Gunn
77 Sunset Strip
Surfside 6
Hawaii Five-0
Baretta
Starsky and Hutch

Women Programs

Soaps
Matinee Movies (afternoon movies)
The Loretta Young Show
Days of Our Lives (1965-Present)

Teen Programs

American Bandstand (1952-1989)
Soul Train
Shindig
Hullabaloo
The Lloyd Thaxton Show (1961–1968)
Hootenanny! (1963-1964)
Batman (1966-1968)
The Monkeys
My Three Sons
(The Many Loves of) Dobie Gillis (1959-1963)
F Troop (1965-1967)
The Flying Nun (1967-1970)
Get Smart (1965-1970)
Gidget (1965-1966)
The Green Hornet (1966-1967)
Gilligan's Island (1964-1967)
H.R. Pufnstuf (1969-1971)

Kids

Mickey Mouse Club
*REAL* Cartoons (NOT frickin transformer animation type)
Captain Kangaroo
Ding Dong School
Howdy Doody
The Alvin Show (1961-1962)
The Bugs Bunny Show (1960-1968)
The Bullwinkle Show (1961-1973)
The Deputy Dawg Show (1959-1972)
The Dudley Do-Right Show (1969-1970)
(The Famous Adventures of) Mr. Magoo (1964-1965)
The Flintstones (1960-1966)
Flipper (1964-1968)
The Gumby Show (1957-1967)
The Huckleberry Hound Show (1958-1962
Yogi Bear

(more)

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Miss UT to RalphMo... 2012/07/07 06:14:44

+2
What a walk down memory lane!!!!! Thanks.....

reply
Dave 007 to RalphMo... 2012/07/07 15:00:38

+3
How can you leave "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." off your list?

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KATLYN to RalphMo... 2012/07/09 18:53:12

wow!

reply
Baya Suesette 2012/07/06 19:21:39 (edited)

“Bewitched”

+1

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tuffcowboy 2012/07/06 17:27:11

“The Andy Griffith Show”

+1
This was far the best comedy series ever and there never be a tv show quite like this . It was great and the younger generation really can't relate or appreciate good comedy like we did.

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Sergio 2012/07/06 16:25:57
Lerro DeHazel 2012/07/06 15:24:47
Happy_Evil_Dude 2012/07/06 07:52:29

“Bewitched”

+5
WTF kind of a choice is this? What about Star Trek? The Saint? Mission Impossible? The Fugitive? The Avengers? Thunderbirds? Batman? The Green Hornet? Gilligan's Island? Etc etc etc

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chas-hi... to Happy_E... 2012/07/08 16:04:35

+4
You're right. At first I thought it was just comedies. But it was all shows of the 60's. I love Mission Impossible. But I think it became a classic in the 70's. The Monkeys and Batman were great but only lasted a few seasons. I'll give you Gilligan's Island. That definitely should have been on the list.

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John 2012/07/06 07:52:26

“The Carol Burnett Show”

+1
I wish we could have voted for more the one. Andy Griffith was great but not as sophisticated as Burnett and laugh in.

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brian 2012/07/06 05:47:38

“The Carol Burnett Show”

+2
I watched all of them, and they were all good in their own ways, but I remember really laughing a lot at the Carol Burnett Show.

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Bunk11 2012/07/06 04:49:45

“Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In”

+2
My two favorites weren't on the list - Hogan's Heroes & Get Smart - but Laugh-In was one of the most consistently funny shows ever made.

reply
Gwendol... to Bunk11 2012/07/09 04:34:23

I, too, like Get Smart. Made fun of the cold war era. By the way, are we now in the "hot war" era?

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Bunk11 to Gwendol... 2012/07/12 04:08:46

I'm not sure what we should call this era when we have "hot" wars like Iraq and Afghanistan, a "cold" war with Iran (for now, anyway), and anti-terrorism fights all over the place. BTW, I left off another hysterically funny favorite, F Troop.

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Tarheel 2012/07/06 04:37:22

“The Andy Griffith Show”

+2
The Andy Griffith Show was so wonderful. What's not to love? With Barney saying "it's therapetic", the fun girls..."hello doll", Ernest T. Bass."He called me a creacture (not sure of how to spell the way he pronounced it) and all of the young stars who visited Mayberry. Not only that, could Opey and his brother have been any cuter?

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Gwendol... to Tarheel 2012/07/09 04:35:28

You're not allowed to answer cause you're a Tarheel. (just kidding)

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Tarheel to Gwendol... 2012/07/09 18:18:45

+1
I actually was born in Washington DC and moved around a lot as a kid, Maryland, Virginia Beach, Charleston, Erwin & Dunn, North Carolina and eventually moved to the Charlotte area where I've stayed except for college. I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, hence the Tarheel moniker. I will say in Erwin, where my grandmother lived, we would sit on the front porch and drink iced tea. My uncle worked for the sheriff's dept. and bore a striking resemblance to Andy Griffith. I've always loved the show. (Still do)

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Ian 2012/07/06 04:35:33

“The Andy Griffith Show”

I asked myself if I picked Andy because he just passed away, but no, I even if he were still alive, I think I'd still pick good old Sheriff Taylor and the Mayberry bunch.

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mae 2012/07/06 04:27:18

“The Carol Burnett Show”

+1
Oh my goodness, they were all good in their own way...You forgot My 3 Sons(Fred McMurray) and Danny Thomas Show, Patty Duke Show, Ed Sullivan, Jack Benny, Red Skelton, Mitch Miller and Lawrence Welk, Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel, Rawhide, and I Love Lucy-The Lucy Show.

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Budge 2012/07/06 03:50:58

“The Andy Griffith Show”

Of the ones mentioned, The Andy Griffith Show was the best and not just because Andy died.

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Edie 2012/07/06 00:52:46

“The Andy Griffith Show”

+1
We have watched every feature plus every re-run too many times to count.

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science28 2012/07/06 00:47:24

“The Andy Griffith Show”

+1
I loved the show and still do. But I always wondered why, in North Carolina, of all places, you never saw any black folks.

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Budge to science28 2012/07/06 03:52:50

It was the 60's.

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bill.fife.3 2012/07/06 00:40:52

“Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In”

+2
Hard to choose from the list but if you want my personal faves I would have to list Hootenanny and Where The Action Is for music and The Smothers Brothers and Flip Wilson for comedy along with Rowan & Martin. But my personal obssession from that decade will always be Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone. Nothing beat the door you unlocked with the Key of Imagination. A World Not of Sight and Sound but of Mind! Serling rocked like no other! The Outer Limits came in not far behind also. Total escape. I so needed it.

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Junior-BN-0 2012/07/06 00:23:37

“Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In”

+1
I loved that show. The humor was so genuine.

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heeheemee 2012/07/05 22:48:03

“That Girl”

+1
"Oh, Donald." My favorite show of all time! Ok, many of these shows were probably better, but it's still my favorite.

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YOMOMMA 2012/07/05 22:36:45

“The Andy Griffith Show”

+2
I liked most all of those shows! Loved I Dream of Jeanie,Bewitched, Love Lucy ALLLLLL of them.those shows

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HillaryLover 2012/07/05 21:42:14

“The Carol Burnett Show”

+2
Carol Burnett and Laugh-In (tie). I liked Andy Griffith movies (A Face in the Crowd, No Time for Sergeants, Onionhead), but I didn't like the hokey TV stuff.

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Saye Saye 2012/07/05 21:29:23

“The Carol Burnett Show”

Close call between Carol and Andy

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akhippie 2012/07/05 20:33:48

“The Beverly Hillbillies”

+1
It's always been my favorite. Can anybody name all the Klampett's?

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bill.fi... to akhippie 2012/07/06 00:31:03 (edited)

+1
Jed, Jethro, Ellie Mae and Granny. Too easy.
Did I miss anyone? Oh yeah there was a female cousin played by Max Baer in drag.
Jethrene? Something like that.

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akhippie to bill.fi... 2012/07/09 21:39:49

Not so fast, it's not that easy. Jethro and Jathrene were Bodines, their mother, Aunt Pearl was born Pearl Klampett. Granny was a Moses, her daughter married Jed. The only regulars that were Klampetts were Jed, Ellie Mae and Cousin Pearl.

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