Ticket 2 Ride

Broadcast networks, and now cable channels, have always tried to build powerhouse nights of prime time television viewing. Some nights are difficult to program – because people don’t watch TV those nights, or you are programming against a show or a series of events (like Monday Night Football) that owned their time, and was used strategically as a beachhead to schedule other programs. For many years there were just three networks, that changed with FOX showing up in the 1980s.

A strong lineup could anchor that night for years and rake in the advertising revenue. Strong lineup also helps local affiliates sell ad time and lead into their newscasts.

Here are a few remarkable lineups across television history. A lot of great series are not listed below, that’s because they might have been the anchor for low to average performing series. I really tried to focus on entire nights, although there are a few nights with one show that I question. I stayed away from the 1950s (too challenging for me) and more recent years (I don’t watch a lot of network shows these days) as I picked the powerhouse nights.

1959-60 Sundays CBS Lassie / Dennis the Menace / The Ed Sullivan Show / General Electric Theater / Alfred Hitchcock Presents / The Jack Benny Program / What’s My Line

1960-61 Fridays CBS Rawhide / Route 66 / The Jackie Gleason Show / The Twilight Zone

1962-63 Mondays CBS To Tell the Truth / I’ve Got a Secret / The Lucy Show / The Danny Thomas Show / The Andy Griffith Show / The New Loretta Young Show

1964-65 Wednesdays CBS Mr. Ed / The Living Doll / The Beverly Hillbillies / The Dick Van Dyke Show / The Danny Kaye Show

1967-68 Thursday ABC Batman / The Flying Nun / Bewitched / That Girl / Peyton Place

1968-69 CBS Mondays Gunsmoke / Here’s Lucy / Mayberry RFD / Family Affair / Carol Burnett

1969-70 Tuesdays ABC The Mod Squad / ABC Movie of the Week / Marcus Welby MD

1971-72 Friday ABC The Brady Bunch / The Partridge Family / Room 222 / The Odd Couple /Love American Style

1973–74 Saturdays CBS All in the Family / MASH / Mary Tyler Moore / Bob Newhart /. Carol Burnett Show. For me, the strongest lineup from start to finish in TV history.

1974-75 Fridays NBC Sanford & Son / Chico and the Man / The Rockford Files / Police Woman

1980-81 CBS Thursdays Waltons / Magnum P.I. / Knotts Landing

1981-82 ABC Tuesdays Happy Days / Laverne & Shirley / Three’s Company / Taxi / Hart to Hart

1982-83 ABC Saturdays TJ Hooker / Love Boat / Fantasy Island

1984–85 Thursdays NBC The Cosby Show / Family Ties / Cheers / Night Court / Hill Street Blues

1989-90 ABC Tuesdays Who’s the Boss / The Wonder Years / Roseanne / Coach / Thirtysomething

1990-91 CBS Mondays Evening Shade / Major Dad / Murphy Brown / Designing Women / Northern Exposure

1993–94 Thursdays NBC Mad About You / Wings / Seinfeld / Frasier / L.A. Law

1998–99 Thursdays NBC Friends / Will & Grace / Frasier / Veronica’s Closet / ER

2001-02 Sundays FOX: Futurama / King of the Hill / The Simpsons / Malcolm in the Middle / The X-Files