Ahhhhh Fall. Growing up Generation Jones, fall meant the return to school, a new season of football and the biggest social excitement for everyone young and old back then, the new fall lineup on Network television. Of course, we kids were mostly concerned with the Saturday morning cartoon lineup, but even Mom and Dad eagerly awaited the announcement of the new lineup because those were the days of family TV time. Back then, the Big Three (ABC, NBC, and CBS) ruled primetime like monarchs, and Fall meant the triumphant return of your favorites alongside bold new bets that could make or break a season. From the 1960s through the 1980s, these networks unveiled their lineups in September with great fanfare: preview specials, glossy TV Guide issues, and that electric buzz of “what’s new?” Schedules were sacred, often locked in for the full season, with little room for midseason tweaks (unless ratings tanked.) There was a certain rhythm to the lineups back then. Comedies dominated Mondays and Tuesdays, dramas filled Wednesdays and Thursdays, variety shows spiced up Fridays and Sundays were for families (or my dad’s favorite Westerns, like Death Valley Days…). The era birthed icons that defined generations, from laugh-track sitcoms to groundbreaking social commentaries. Here’s a VERY generalized rundown of the notable fall lineups from the golden era of TV. (There are soooo many shows not represented but I will likely feature separate posts of various genres we’ll all remember down the road. Many of these programs meant more to our parents back then, but we now see the brilliance of some very iconic shows and their impact all these years later. See how many of these shows my fellow Jonesers will remember:
The 1960s: Spies, Laughs and the Stone Age
This decade marked TV’s maturation, shifting from live anthologies to filmed series amid the Cold War and civil rights movements. Fall 1960 kicked off with a bang: CBS launched The Andy Griffith Show on Mondays at 8:30 p.m., a folksy comedy that became a ratings juggernaut (top 10 for its entire run), sandwiched between The Andy Williams Show and The Jack Benny Program. NBC countered with The Wonderful World of Disney on Sundays, and became a mainstay throughout my childhood. Spy thriller The Man from U.N.C.L.E. debuting in fall 1964 on Tuesdays at 9 p.m., pulling in young viewers with its gadgets and global intrigue. ABC, the scrappy third network, scored big with Batman in January 1966 (it was a midseason fill-in that exploded), but fall 1962 brought The Flintstones on Fridays at 8:30 p.m.—a Stone Age twist on family sitcoms that rivaled The Jetsons (which ABC aired in primetime specials).
By fall 1969, the networks leaned into edgier fare: CBS’s The Mary Tyler Moore Show premiered on Saturdays at 9:30 p.m., revolutionizing workplace comedies with its single, ambitious heroine (Mary Richards). NBC’s Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In debuted on Fridays at 8 p.m., a psychedelic sketch fest that captured the counterculture vibe and dominated ratings for years. ABC rounded out with The Mod Squad on Thursdays at 8 p.m., a groundbreaking cop show featuring an interracial, youth squad that tackled urban issues head-on. These lineups reflected a network arms race: CBS for heartland appeal, NBC for spectacle, ABC for youth and innovation, as was evidenced by its introduction of a little-known show about blended families called The Brady Bunch followed the next season by The Partridge Family, featuring a single mom and her rock band kids, added to follow the Brady Bunch’s 8:00 p.m. time slot in the fall 1970 lineup.
The 1970s: Social Satire and Blockbuster Escapism
The ‘70s were TV’s rebellious phase—Watergate, Vietnam, and economic woes fueled shows that mirrored America’s truest grit. Fall 1970 saw ABC finally crack the top spot with Monday Night Football at 9 p.m., a cultural phenomenon that paired Howard Cosell with Don Meredith, drawing 20+ million viewers weekly. CBS dominated Sundays with The Ed Sullivan Show winding down but fall 1971 introduced All in the Family (initially midseason on Saturdays at 9:30 p.m.), Norman Lear’s explosive take on bigotry and family dynamics starring Carroll O’Connor as Archie Bunker—it became the decade’s #1 show for five straight years. Spinoffs like Maude (fall 1972, Tuesdays at 8 p.m.) and The Jeffersons (January 1975) followed, cementing CBS’s “rural purge” shift from Westerns to urban relevance.
NBC fought back with The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as late-night king, but primetime gems included fall 1972’s The Bob Newhart Show on Saturdays at 8:30 p.m., a dry-witted psychologist sitcom that paired perfectly with The Mary Tyler Moore Show. ABC’s fall 1974 lineup birthed Happy Days on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m., a nostalgic ‘50s throwback with Henry Winkler’s Fonz that exploded into a top-5 hit, spawning Laverne & Shirley (fall 1976). And who could forget fall 1976’s Charlie’s Angels on ABC’s Mondays at 9 p.m.? The “jiggle TV” trio of Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith delivered escapist glamour amid the era’s malaise. Saturdays became comedy gold on CBS by mid-decade: All in the Family, Maude, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Carol Burnett formed a powerhouse block, while NBC’s Sanford and Son (fall 1972, Fridays at 8 p.m.) brought Redd Foxx’s junkman hilarity to the masses. SNL debuted on NBC in 1975, but it was not on during prime time, still, it made an evening of laughs complete.
The 1980s: Dynasty Drama and Feel-Good Fridays
As cable nibbled at the edges, the Big Three doubled down on glossy soaps and ensemble hits. Fall 1980’s NBC lineup featured Diff’rent Strokes on Saturdays at 9 p.m., a fish-out-of-water family comedy that tackled race and adoption with Gary Coleman. CBS struck gold with fall 1982’s Newhart on Mondays at 9 p.m., Bob Newhart’s Vermont innkeeper sequel to his ‘70s hit—its dream-twist finale remains legendary. ABC’s fall 1984 schedule was a juggernaut: Dynasty on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. for soapy excess, Who’s the Boss? on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. for Tony Danza’s househusband charm, and Moonlighting (fall 1985, Thursdays at 9 p.m.) pairing Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd in witty noir romance.
NBC’s “Must See TV” seeds were planted in fall 1982 with Cheers on Thursdays at 9 p.m., the Boston bar where everybody knows your name—it anchored a comedy dynasty. By fall 1985, NBC added The Golden Girls (Saturdays at 9 p.m., later Sundays), a sassy retirement comedy with Bea Arthur and Betty White that outlasted the decade. CBS kept the drama flowing with fall 1986’s Murder, She Wrote on Sundays at 8 p.m., Angela Lansbury’s cozy mysteries drawing 25 million viewers. ABC closed strong with fall 1987’s thirtysomething on Tuesdays at 10 p.m., a yuppie drama that captured Baby Boomer angst. NBC’s TGIF precursor was Family Ties (Fall 1984, Thursday, 8 p.m.) Bill Cosby’s Huxtables became the #1 show and brought back family values to Prime Time.
Those years were special; it was an era when TV was actually America’s shared campfire. Today, the campfire is replaced by “On Demand” streaming which I admit is convenient but I can’t help but feel wistful when I think that never again will we go to the water cooler at work and talk about last night’s collectively watched episode of Dallas and wonder together “who shot JR?” There are still cliffhangers on today’s series, to be sure, but now you will have to stay off social media to avoid the spoilers. And it somehow doesn’t hold the same feeling of importance as it did back then as we hurried to finish our homework so we could sit down in the living or family room with mom & dad to watch our prime time shows. We didn’t know then how much we’d miss these nights all these years later, did we?
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