Time-Travel Through TV: 15 Essential Picks from the 60s and 70s Era

The 1960s – 1970s were phenomenal decades for music; I'd even argue they produced the best. But what about television series from that era? Here's a list of some of the best retro TV shows from this era.

1. The Incredible Hulk (1977 – 1982)

the-incredible-hulk-1977
Image Credit: NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

The Incredible Hulk is a 70s superhero series based on the Marvel comics of the same name. It follows scientist and physician Dr. David Banner (Bill Bixby), who hazardously douses himself with high levels of gamma radiation. As a result, whenever he is angered, he heamorphosizes into a giant, green hulk.

2. The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970 – 1977)

the-mary-tyler-moore-show
Image Credit: 20th Century Television

The Mary Tyler Moore Show is a series starring actress and namesake Mary Tyler Moore. The show is about an unmarried and independent woman focusing on her career goals as the associate producer of a TV news show. 

3. Star Trek (1966 – 1969)

Image Credit: Desilu Productions and Paramount Pictures.

Star Trek was a groundbreaking science-fiction series and the first in the franchise. Due to the expansions, it acquired the retronym of Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS). The series follows the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) and its crew as they journey through the universe.

4. One Day at a Time (1975 – 1984)

one-day-at-time
Image Credit: Sony Pictures Television

One Day at a Time is a 70s sitcom following a divorced mother raising two teenage daughters after they move from Logansport to Indianapolis. It shows the misadventures of the family and their new dynamic as a single, Cuban-American family.

5. Charlie's Angels (1976 – 1981)

charlies-angels-1976
Image Credit:Columbia Pictures

A lot of fans still recognize this famous trio, but Charlie's Angels is a 70s crime drama following the crime-fighting adventures of three women who work at a private detective agency in Los Angeles. The Angels receive their assignments over a speakerphone by the voice of their boss, the unseen Charlie Townsend.

6. Doctor Who (1963 – 1989)

dr-who
Image Credit: BBC Studios

Doctor Who is a science fiction series about the adventures of a fantastical, mysterious “Time Lord' called The Doctor. He is an extraterrestrial being appearing in human form. The Doctor explores the universe in a time-traveling spaceship called the TARDIS. He and various confidants combat foes to help people and save civilizations across the universe.

7. Three's Company (1977 – 1984)

threes-company
Image Credit: D.L. Taffner Syndication Sales

Three's Company is a sitcom following two women and one man living platonically as single roommates navigating daily escapades, such as their neighbor, social lives, and financial struggles.

8. All In The Family (1971 – 1979)

all-in-the-family
Image Credit: Sony Pictures Television

All in the Family follows a prejudiced and narrow-minded man, his good-natured wife, and their feminist daughter. It was a groundbreaking show that addressed difficult social issues, including racism, homosexuality, impotence, menopause, and the Vietnam War. In the early seasons, The Jeffersons lived next door. 

9. Battlestar Galactica (1978 – 1979)

battlestar-galactica
Image Credit: NBCUniversal Television Distribution

Battlestar Galactica is a sci-fi series following the surviving humans as they flee in the fictional spacecraft Battlestar Galactica in search of a new home on a legendary planet called Earth. At the same time, their enemies, the Cylons, pursue them across the galaxy. 

10. WKRP in Cincinnati (1978 – 1982)

WKRP-in-cincinnati
Image Credit: 20th Century Television

WKRP in Cincinnati is a classic sitcom featuring the many misadventures of the staff of WKRPa struggling radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. A young program director brings in two hot disc jockeys and changes the music from Big Band to Hard Rock despite staff protest. 

11. Sanford and Son (1972 – 1978)

sanford-and-son
Image Credit: Sony Pictures Television

Sanford and Son is a 70s sitcom about a grumpy widower and his resigned son living in a rundown house in the center of the Watts junkyard they operate in South Central Los Angeles. 

12. MASH (1972 – 1983)

MASH
Image Credit: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

MASH is an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, and the show is a war comedy drama. The show is about a group of surgeons, nurses, and support staff stationed in Uijeongbu, South Korea, during the Korean War (1950–1953). It's also one of our favorite sitcoms that made us cry.

13. The Twilight Zone (1959 – 1964)

The Twilight Zone (1959)
Image Credit: CBS Productions.

The Twilight Zone has outlived its time on TV and is often referenced in pop culture all the time. The show tells different stories every week, showing ordinary people in strange and extraordinary situations.

14. Bewitched (1964 – 1972)

Bewitched
Image Credit: Screen Gems Productions.

Bewitched is a cute, classic show about a witch who is married to a regular man, but she just can't help using her magical powers to solve some of the crazy problems their family faces together. If you visit Salem, Massachusetts, there's a Bewitched statue you can visit!

15. The Andy Griffith Show (1960 – 1968)

Andy Griffith and Don Knotts in The Andy Griffith Show (1960)
Image Credit: CBS Productions.

The Andy Griffith Show focuses on the family dynamics of the Taylor family after Sheriff Andy Taylor loses his wife. Now with his aunt living with him and his son, Opie, the small-town sheriff has to figure out life and spend time thinking about the philosophy of life.

Source: Reddit.