7 Greatest '70s Shows Nobody Remembers

The 7 Greatest '70s Shows Nobody Remembers A close-up of Mrs. Columbo in the series of the same name.Image via NBC By  Remus Noronha Published 2 hours ago Remus is a writer, editor, journalist, and author with an eye for detail and an extremely active imagination. He is an enthusiast of everything to do with the graphic medium, whether it's Western comics and their adaptations or manga and anime. Remus is also the author of the sci-fantasy novel Once Upon a Time in Hyperspace and several works of short fiction in the mystery, comedy, and horror genres. Sign in to your Collider account Add Us On Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

The 1970s were a turning point for American television, a time when creators began pushing the limitations of content restrictions and established storytelling forms. Comedies like Saturday Night Live embraced edgier, more provocative humor, while dramas steadily grew in sophistication and maturity. It was a decade that transformed the world of TV, producing countless classics that still resonate with audiences today.

But even though many of those shows remain culturally relevant, there are many others that have since faded from popular memory. In their day, these shows drew huge audiences, topped Nielsen ratings, and ran for multiple seasons before eventually bowing out, and their disappearance from the cultural conversation isn’t necessarily a reflection of their quality; it’s just the unfortunate consequence of time’s inexorable march. So why not take a step back through the decades with us and rediscover these once-legendary gems? Read on to discover our handpicked selection of the greatest ‘70s shows that barely anyone remembers anymore.

7 ‘Mrs. Columbo’ (1979–1980)

Mrs. ColumboImage via NBC

Created by Richard Alan Simmons, Mrs. Columbo is a spin-off of the ever-popular crime series Columbo that focuses on Lt. Columbo’s wife, who is anonymous in the original series but known as Kate in the spin-off. Starring Kate Mulgrew in the titular role, Mrs. Columbo follows Kate, a news reporter with investigative skills, as she helps solve crimes while raising her daughter as a single mother. The series also stars Lili Haydn, Henry Jones, and Don Stroud in various roles, but it does not feature any cast members from Columbo.

Despite being attached to a television hit like Columbo, Mrs. Columbo struggled with visibility and ratings. Even renaming the titular character and the series itself did not help the show succeed, and it was canceled after a short run of just 13 episodes, eventually becoming largely forgotten. But Mrs. Columbo will always remain a nostalgic piece of '70s television history, and it’s also remembered for Mulgrew, who later became much better known for her work on Star Trek: Voyager.

6 ‘Barnaby Jones’ (1973–1980)

Barnaby Jones stands next to Betty and J.R. in Barnaby Jones.Image via CBS

A detective television series developed by Edward Hume and starring Buddy Ebsen as the titular protagonist, Barnaby Jones is a direct spin-off of Cannon, also developed by Hume. It follows the titular retired detective, who returns to work after his son’s death, reopening his private detective agency with his widowed daughter-in-law, Betty (Lee Meriwether), and solving odd cases around Los Angeles. Later seasons focus on Betty and Barnaby’s cousin, J.R. Jones (Mark Shera), handling most of the detective work. The show’s guest stars include several familiar and popular actors of the time, alongside newcomers who later became well-known, like Sean Penn, Ed Harris, Jonathan Banks, and Don Johnson.

Running for eight seasons, Barnaby Jones was a CBS staple in its time, garnering popularity for its compelling mysteries and Ebsen’s portrayal of a dignified, mature detective. The series is noted for going beyond straightforward PI work and exploring more nuanced plot arcs of the main characters, like Barnaby and Betty’s shared grief and their evolving father-daughter dynamic. Unfortunately, Barnaby Jones never achieved the memorability of its rival shows like Columbo, Kojak, or Starsky & Hutch, and was quickly forgotten after its end.

5 ‘Adam-12’ (1968–1970)

Adam-12Image via NBC

Following the success of Dragnet, Jack Webb teamed up with Robert A. Cinader to create Adam-12, a police procedural drama series. The show explores the lives and work of Los Angeles Police Department police officers, following veteran officer Pete Malloy and his rookie partner, Jim Reed, as they cruise the streets of LA, keeping the city free of crime and criminals. Martin Milner and Kent McCord star as officers Malloy and Reed, respectively, with William Boyett, Gary Crosby, Jo Ann Pflug, and William Elliott in key roles, as well as real-life LAPD dispatcher Shaaron Claridge playing herself.

Like Dragnet and other police dramas by Webb, Adam-12 was produced in cooperation with real LAPD officers, which helped make the series more realistic in its depiction of police procedures. While the narrative does include personal story arcs of Reed and Malloy, the crime drama remains mostly focused on hardcore police work, showcasing the department’s professionalism. Even though Adam-12 did not achieve the same level of success as its predecessor and has been largely forgotten, it garnered considerable popularity during its run and became a cultural touchstone alongside Dragnet and Emergency!

4 ‘Space Academy’ (1977–1979)

Space AcademyImage via CBS

Created by Allen Ducovny, Space Academy is a sci-fi adventure series about the titular academy located on an asteroid. Established in the "star year" 3732, the academy gathers the most brilliant young minds from across the galaxy to expand and hone their special skills and unique abilities. Space Academy stars several television veterans of its time, like Jonathan Harris of Lost in Space (1965) fame, alongside Pamelyn Wanda Ferdin, Ric Carrott, Maggie Cooper, Brian Tochi, Ty Henderson, and Eric Greene, with Erika Scheimer voicing the robot, Peepo.

Even though Space Academy ran as a Saturday morning children’s TV show and was quite low-budget, it capitalized on the late 1970s sci-fi boom sparked by the success and popularity of Star Trek and Star Wars. For its time, it was a simple, family-friendly space adventure series with teen characters learning and delivering moral lessons, which attracted a sizable though niche audience. Even if it was easily forgotten over the years, Space Academy was quite popular during its run, appealing to kids and adults alike with its far-fetched intergalactic adventures and themes of diversity, teamwork, and moral growth.

3 ‘The Flip Wilson Show’ (1970–1974)

The Flip Wilson ShowImage via NBC

Created by and starring actor-comedian Flip Wilson, The Flip Wilson Show is an NBC variety series featuring Wilson playing a variety of characters doing comedy sketches, with celebrity guests and musical performances. One of the last successful variety shows of the '70s, it was noted for the recurring characters that Wilson created, such as the sassy Geraldine Jones and the materialistic Reverend Leroy. Some of the show’s guests include Leonard Nimoy and former NFL quarterback Joe Namath, as well as musicians like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Aretha Franklin, The Jackson 5, and Stevie Wonder, among many others.

The Flip Wilson Show broke new ground in American television, making Flip Wilson the first African American to host a successful weekly, hour-long variety series on network TV. The show won two Emmy Awards out of 18 nominations, with Wilson winning a Golden Globe Award. It was noted for pioneering diverse sketch-comedy formats featuring Black talent, blending musical performances with comedy, and its quirky recurring characters, all of which significantly inspired and paved the way for Saturday Night Live. Though forgotten today, the series was very successful during its run, becoming the nation’s most-watched show according to Nielsen’s ratings.

2 ‘The Streets of San Francisco’ (1972–1977)

A promotional still from the ABC series The Streets of San FranciscoCredit: The TVDB

Before he was known as an Oscar-winning actor-producer, Michael Douglas starred in his first major television role in this crime drama series that started as a pilot movie based on Carolyn Weston’s novel Poor, Poor Ophelia. Developed by Edward Hume, The Streets of San Francisco follows a homicide detective duo — veteran Mike (Karl Malden) and his younger, rookie partner Steve (Douglas) — as they solve complex cases in San Francisco, while navigating their contrasting working style and developing a father-son dynamic. The series features numerous guest stars, including popular contemporary faces and then-new actors who later became famous, like Mark Hamill and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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While the ABC crime drama series might be mostly forgotten today, during its original broadcast, it earned increased viewership with every season for five years, right until Douglas left the show in the final season and Richard Hatch replaced him as Mike’s new partner. The Streets of San Francisco became popular among fans mostly due to the terrific chemistry between Douglas and Malden, but also due to Douglas’s compelling performances in most episodes. The series also earned writer James J. Sweeney an Edgar Award for the Season 4 episode "Requiem for Murder."

1 ‘Here’s Lucy’ (1968–1974)

Lucille Ball and Lucy Arnaz on Here's LucyImage via CBS

Created by Bob O'Brien and Milt Josefsberg, Here’s Lucy is an iconic CBS sitcom starring Lucille Ball, her third and final network sitcom that followed her success with I Love Lucy and The Lucy Show. Here’s Lucy stars Ball as Lucy Hinkley Carter, a widow working at an employment agency with her brother-in-law, Harry, and raising her two teenage children, Kim and Craig. The series stars Ball’s longtime comedy partner and co-star Gale Gordon as Harry, her real-life children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. as Kim and Craig, and Mary Jane Croft in a recurring role.

Unlike most sitcoms of its time, which were shot on a closed set with added laugh tracks, Here’s Lucy is noted for being filmed with a live audience, an approach that was first popularized by I Love Lucy. The sitcom ran for six successful seasons, with consistently high ratings during its run, but was canceled after its ratings dropped in the fifth season. Even though Here’s Lucy never became as memorable and classic a sitcom as I Love Lucy, it cemented Lucille Ball’s star power on television, becoming an iconic show that influenced many comedy shows of subsequent years.

Here's Lucy

Like TV-PG Comedy Release Date 1968 - 1974-00-00 Network CBS Directors Herbert Kenwith, George Marshall, Jay Sandrich, Charles Walters, Danny Dayton, Jerry Paris, Ross Martin, Jack Carter Writers Seaman Jacobs, Al Schwartz, Phil Leslie, Bruce Shelly, David Ketchum, Bob Carroll Jr.

Cast

• Adele Claire Adele
• Ann-Margret Ann-Margret
• Art Linkletter Art Linkletter
• Billy Curtis Herman

Genres Comedy Seasons 6 Creator(s) Milt Josefsberg Powered by Expand Collapse

• TV
• 1970s
• Mrs. Columbo

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