I was a big TV watcher as a kid. Heck, I’m a big TV watcher as an adult so clearly not much has changed. This week’s topic, though, is about the things I loved to watch as a kid, my 10 Favorite TV Shows from my Childhood. Fun stuff!
- The Brady Bunch. It was on at the same time as The 3 Stooges and that’s what my brothers wanted to watch, but my mother hated that show so I always won that argument and got to watch Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.
- Gilligan’s Island. I’m always torn when it comes to choosing my favorite: the radioactive vegetables or the remake of Hamlet. I just can’t decide.
- Little House on the Prairie. I loved the books (and still do, honestly) and even though the TV show was nothing like them I still watched and loved this show. I wanted Michael Landon to be my dad.
- Eight is Enough. I remember being so annoyed when I was taking confirmation class because class was held on Wednesday nights and that meant I wasn’t home to watch this show. No DVRs in those days – truly the dark ages!
- Sonny & Cher. Did you know I’ve Got You Babe is our song? Dale was devastated when Sonny and Cher split up and, even though I was a kid, I still remember being pretty upset about the whole thing.
- The Wonderful World of Disney. It was all about Tinkerbelle for me.
- Happy Days. I desperately wanted a poodle skirt because of this show. And it gave us Laverne and Shirley as well as Mork and Mindy, too.
- Lawrence Welk. I realize this makes me a complete dork but I loved to watch this show with my mom. It aired on Saturday nights and my mom and I would watch it together before she and my dad went out for dinner. I used to sigh over the pretty dresses.
- The Love Boat. I actually had a hard time choosing between this one and Fantasy Island since both shows followed the same formula. The Love Boat inspired a college drinking game, though, so I went with this one.
- All in the Family. A lot of it went over my head when I was a kid but I still loved Edith and Archie. When I see the reruns now I am so impressed at some of the political and social topics that this show tackled.
I’m glad we have channels like TV Land now so that these shows aren’t lost forever. I’m still searching for reruns of Gilligan’s Island, though!
Smothers Brothers and Laugh In. And don’t forget Rocky and Bulwinkle!
I used to watch Lawrence Welk with my family on Saturday evenings, too. Often, it was on when we were visiting my Grandparents. . . and my cousins and I (we were So Very Cool) would mock it and get in Big Trouble. 🙂
This could have been 20 on Tuesday, and I wouldn’t have been able to get them all in! I loved Disney and Little House, too, although I didn’t put them on my list. If I stayed at my grandparents’ house, we watched Lawrence Welk. Like Kym, it ended in Big Trouble!
Partridge Family, I grew up in a large family so I always dreamed that we would start a family band. Loved their bus!
Great prompt this week – I could have gone on and on. And it is fun to read everyone’s lists – the lists definitely date us!
There were so many I found it hard to keep it to 10! I can’t stand the 3 Stooges either but my husband still records them on the DVR to watch when he is alone. I remember being able to record shows on the VCR when I was younger but it was such a pain in the butt to program it. I think I still have some VHS tapes with some of those shows on it!
I’m almost too old for this list! Mickey Mouse is my childhood era or should I say, my childhood TV era was Mickey Mouse. I didn’t watch much TV during the time of the Brady Bunch, but I did like Sonny and Cher.
I have great memories of Lawrence Welk, too! I loved all the shows on your list, plus I have to add Hawaii 5-0, The Dukes of Hazard, and F-Troop!
You could come over to my house and watch Lawrence Welk… it’s still aired on one of the local TV stations in the same time slot, I believe. I used to love those goofy bubbles, and just how happy & friendly Lawrence always was — as was everyone on that show — must have been a requirement! Not to mention The Lennon Sisters… LOVED THEM.
Also? Completely impossible to narrow my own list to 10!!
🙂
I’m with Margene! I loved Disney and the Mickey Mouse Club that also had segments called “Spin and Marty” and “Nancy Drew.” A little later there was American Bandstand. In your era, what about Love, American Style and Laugh In?
We must be near the same age. My biggest thrill was when the Brady Bunch kids came and did a show at the Southwest Washington Fair. I also loved Emergency!
About half of the shows on your list were ones I never watched, mostly because I was in my teens, college, and a young adult when they were on. Notice how many people confessed to being Lawrence Welk dorks–count me in! I loved watching that and Ed Sullivan with my grandmother. Those Lennon sisters were so cute!
I need a longer list. But clearly, on the top is Little House. I’ll sit down and watch a rerun even today at near 50. My daughters went through a Lawerence Welk phase when they were little. He was better than Barney at my house! I Love Lucy is still a hit with my family, as is early seasons of Bewitched (with the original Darren). On rainy days, I’ll show I Love Lucy or Andy Griffith to my class at recess. They still hold up to today’s twelve year olds.
Love this topic! DH is home with the chickenpox and he really got into this topic. Other shows we remember:The Jeffersons, Alice, and Three’s Company. Thanks!
Don’t forget Speed Racer!
Did you know Mike Lookinland is my neighbor? My kids were friends with his kids and I came home from shopping one day to find him standing in my kitchen. Crazy.
I never liked Lawrence Welk himself but agree completely with what others have said about the Lennon Sisters! I had no idea, but I guess that is why they were on the show – lots of young people liked them.
My babysitters also used to let me stay up to watch some of the 10:00 variety shows with them but I can’t remember the show names right now. And yes, watching Ed Sullivan with my grandmother was fun!
I always loved the Muppet Show!!
Regardless of what I wanted to watch Star Trek and Lost in Space were on all the time! lol (older brother)
And every Saturday we had to watch Hee Haw!
There was a lot of LOUD Lawrence Welk at our house when my Grandmother lived with us! The Gilligan’s Island theme song runs through my head to this day! Great topic Carole!
i think channel 11(channel 2? WGBH) plays Lawrence Welk on on saturday nights. i know they use to.
i can’t believe no one mentioned the Monkees. i <3 Mike.
Sonny & Cher was groundbreaking, even a bit controversial, at the time — I loved it, too. And 6pm every Sunday evening found me on the living room floor in front of the tv to watch Disney.
Loved The Wonderful World of Disney…and Tinkerbelle too!!,
OMG this could be my list! Have you seen SNL’s take on the Lawrence Welk Show? Hilarious!
Oooh… I forgot All in The Family! 🙂 Fun topic again this week!
I loved these shows, too. All In the Family… Could that even be shown today?
I guess Andy Griffith must be #11 on your list because you didn’t mention it…hmmmm!
I think the only commonality on our lists is the Wonderful World of Disney…and I went way beyond my 10 shows (I think I went the route of “10 Genres or Timeslots”. There were groupings, definitely!).
Though I remember most of what you posted as being on the tube, they were mostly in reruns by the time I got to them. Way too much good, original content. Now the major networks spend money remaking each others’ shows, and ripping off the BBC. What’s up with that? 😉
(btw: They DO still play “All In The Family” on DejaView here in Canada. I think it gets an “Opinions Expressed” warning. Then again, I think they do the same for “Married with Children”).
how could I forget Happy Days and Little House on the Prarie?? this was a really fun topic! (and now that I finally have my list posted, I look forward to reading everyone else’s!)
Guess we grew up at the same time! I have 2 sisters who are 7 and 9 years younger than I am and they only saw the Brady Bunch in reruns…they had trouble believing it was an actual prime time show. We used to watch Wild Kingdom before Disney – that was part of the Sunday night lineup in our house.
I don’t remember watching more than an ep or two of any of those shows. I’m not super young, but my dad was king of the remote and there was more wrestling growing up than I truly want to think about.
I loved all of those shows too….and the Partridge Family. 😉