Not a TV season goes by where the average television lover can’t name at least one series that was their favorite. Whether it’s brand new or has been on the air for a while, sometimes we adore shows that everyone else seems to be high on as well, because the numbers tell us just how popular they are. With that, each season has a winner when it comes to viewership, so here are 32 TV shows that topped the ratings for a year.
Texaco Star Theater (1950-1951)
The main ratings system for television programs didn’t start until 1950, and the show that took the top spot for that first major season was a comedy/variety series that crossed over from radio: Texaco Star Theater. The show had actually moved to television two years prior and eventually became known for giving the career of comedian Milton Berle a giant boost, as the host was called “Mr. Television” because of his work here.
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts (1951-1952)
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts was hosted by personality Arthur Godfrey, who employed several “talent scouts” to bring in new singers, comedians and musicians that they thought had the goods to make it in the entertainment business, with an audience applause meter deciding the winner. The show led the ratings for just one season but ran for 10 seasons and helped to launch the careers of contestants like Patsy Cline and Don Knotts.
I Love Lucy (1951-1955, 1956-1957)
Here’s a comedy that everyone who knows their TV history will be aware of and (probably) love: I Love Lucy. The legendary series, which starred Lucille Ball (who also helped create the sitcom) as the well-meaning but trouble-making wife of band leader Ricky Ricardo (played by Ball’s real husband, Desi Arnaz) is still well-known to this day for good reason, as it was also incredibly popular while it was on the air. It was the #1 scripted show from 1951-1955, then returned as the top show overall for the 1956-1957 TV season.
The $64,000 Question (1955-1956)
If you’re guessing that this is a game show, feel free to pat yourself on the back, give yourself a gold star or both, because you nailed it! The $64,000 Question saw competitors attempt to answer questions, with the potential prize money doubling as those queries got harder and the last question having a top value of…you guessed it again, $64,000. Despite its popularity, the show only lasted from 1955-1958, due to it becoming a part of the ‘50s quiz show scandals that surprised the nation and inspired the 1994 Robert Redford-directed movie, Quiz Show.
Gunsmoke (1957-1961)
Westerns used to be all the rage on the big and small screen, and Gunsmoke (a drama focused on U.S. Marshal Matt Dillion and other denizens of Dodge City, Kansas in the 1870s) has a very good reason to be counted among some of the most famous TV westerns. Not only did the show top the ratings from 1957-1961, but it ran for 20 seasons, which made it the longest-running live-action scripted series (a record that Law & Order tied in 2010) in US history until September 2019 (when Law & Order: SVU began its 21st season).
Wagon Train (1961-1962)
Again with a Western, and it won’t be the last one you’ll see here. Wagon Train, which followed the lives of wagon train conductors and their passengers on a trip from Missouri to California, offered numerous opportunities for big names like Bette Davis and Lee Marvin to show up in guest roles, and it helped this drama to the top of the ratings for the ‘61-’62 television season.
The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1964)
And we’re back with another comedy! Even if you weren’t around for the original run of The Beverly Hillbillies, you’ve likely come across the popular fish-out-of-water sitcom in syndicated repeats while flipping channels at some point. Following the Clampetts, a poor family from the mountains of Missouri, viewers watched as they adjusted to life in Beverly Hills after finding oil on their land and moving west. The comedy was a hit with audiences, and landed at the top of the ratings for the first two of its nine seasons.
Bonanza (1964-1967)
This 1860s-set drama might have given pop culture the most famous fictional family ever to populate a Western: the Cartwrights. Viewers watched the weekly adventures of dad Ben and his three adult sons on Bonanza, as they ran their ranch in Nevada during and after the Civil War. The series ran for 14 seasons, becoming the second-longest-running Western on U.S. TV, and topped the charts for three seasons, from 1964 to 1967.
The Andy Griffith Show (1967-1968)
The last of its eight seasons saw The Andy Griffith Show as the top series in the land. Each entry followed the comedic life of widowed small-town sheriff Andy Taylor and his friends and family, which included future Happy Days star and Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard as his son, Opie, and Don Knotts as his best friend/blundering deputy, Barney Fife.
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968-1970)
Hosted by comedians Dick Martin and Dan Rowan, Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In was already rare for being a sketch comedy show, but its first season on the air also saw it become the only such show to lead in the ratings, which it then did for two seasons straight. Aside from featuring guest appearances from popular entertainers of the day, the series is also notable for introducing a wide audience to talents like Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin.
Marcus Welby, M.D. (1970-1971)
Unlike Westerns, medical shows have never really gone out of style, and one of the most popular of its time was Marcus Welby, M.D. an immediate hit when it debuted in 1969, the second season saw it top all others in the ratings as it followed its kind, but rule-breaking titular character as his methods clashed with his much younger medial partner, who was far more straight-laced.
All In The Family (1971-1976)
Chances are you’ve heard of All In the Family, even if you’ve never seen it, and there’s a good reason for that. The hit sitcom about working class bigot Archie Bunker and his family broke new ground for television comedies by featuring more realistic issues and discussion about controversial, of-the-moment topics. It worked, too, because the show led the pack for five of its nine seasons.
Happy Days (1976-1977)
As one of the biggest (and long-running) hits of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Happy Days quickly became a pop culture touchstone, even with the fact that it chronicled the family and friends of teenaged Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard, in his second hit show) in 1950s Milwaukee. Of course, not only did the comedy, which held the #1 position for the ‘76-’77 season, last for 11 seasons, but it also introduced us to Henry Winkler’s uber-cool Fonzie and led to the idea of something “jumping the shark” because of one of its infamous episodes.
Laverne & Shirley (1977-1979)
It seems only fair that another comedy set in the 1950s would take the top spot from Happy Days, especially since Laverne & Shirley was actually a spinoff of the aforementioned sitcom. Following the wholesome shenanigans of friends, roommates, and co-workers Shirley Feeney and Laverne DeFazio, it proved almost as long-lasting and beloved as its parent series, topping the charts for two seasons in a row.
60 Minutes (1979-1980, 1982-1983, 1991-1994)
We’ve already seen some unscripted series lead the way in the ratings in the form of variety shows, but there is one news magazine that’s reliably had a grip on primetime TV over the years, as well: 60 Minutes. After coming out on top for a total of five seasons so far, it’s worth noting that the show is still going strong and doesn't show any sign of slowing down.
Three's Company (1979-1980)
While 60 Minutes was ruling the roost during the ‘79-’80 television season, the show that first among scripted series was yet another massive hit that would become legendary. Three’s Company was farce at its best, as the friends and roommates played by John Ritter, Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt got involved in a number of ridiculous scrapes that had people howling with laughter for a total of eight seasons.
Dallas (1980-1982, 1983-1984)
We’re about to enter some very soapy territory, as the early to mid-’80s were home to two of the biggest nighttime soap opera juggernauts in history. One of them, Dallas. The show focused on the Ewings, a feuding family of incredibly rich oil tycoons/ranchers who were memorably led into many schemes and/or crossed and double-crossed by Larry Hagman’s infamous J.R. Ewing.
Dynasty (1984-1985)
What was the other mega-hit primetime soap, you ask? Well, it was none other than Dynasty. Chronicling the lives, loves and scandals of the Carringtons and their extended family, friends and business associates, the drama employed a number of salacious storylines and many on-screen brawls between leading ladies Joan Collins and Linda Evans (among others).
The Cosby Show (1985-1990)
For many years the gold standard in family comedies was The Cosby Show, and its cultural impact can’t be denied. Not only was it the first successful sitcom to focus on an affluent Black family, but it was #1 for five seasons in a row.
Cheers (1990-1991)
While not an immediate hit, the comedy set in the titular bar “where everybody knows your name” was eventually one of the biggest sitcoms of the ‘80s and ‘90s, so much so that the series finale in 1993 became the most watched single episode of television for the whole decade.
Seinfeld (1994-1995, 1997-1998)
If you were thinking that the only show to be proudly billed as being about “nothing” must land on this list somewhere, you were correct! Nearly 30 years after its polarizing finale the sitcom is still adored for everything from the Seinfeld cast to all of the ridiculous side characters that fans still love today.
E.R. (1995-1997, 1998-1999, 2000-2001)
With a total of 15 seasons, no one who lived through the ‘90s or ‘00s can deny the power and popularity of ER. Making stars out of cast members like George Clooney, Julianna Margulies, Eriq LaSalle, Gloria Reuben and (a lot) more across its many drama-filled episodes about the staff at a fictional Chicago hospital, the show managed to capture the eyes of an adoring public and cement its place in TV history with several seasons in the top spot, though it was simply the #1 scripted show in 2000-2001, with it being bested by a series that’s still making news after its 46th season.
Survivor (2000-2001)
Congrats if you guessed that the only show bigger than ER for the '00-’01 season was the very first outing of the reality competition, Survivor. Following (usually) a new cast of hopeful winners each season and in a different tropical locale as they all try to “outwit, outlast, and outplay” their fellow competitors in a number of challenges, viewers just can’t seem to get enough, and many think it couldn’t exist without the one constant: host Jeff Probst.
Friends (2001-2002)
What is there to even say about the famed NBC sitcom about six friends living, loving, working (or not), and getting into hilarious scrapes that you don’t already know? How about the fact that despite its 10-season run and it being so comforting for millions to watch that even Selena Gomez binges Friends on her day off, that this pop culture phenomenon was only on top of the ratings for ONE SEASON?
CSI (2002-2005)
If you can count on a crime procedural to top the ratings for at least one season, it would certainly be one like CSI, which not only changed the police drama game by showing intense close-ups of bodily harm but doing it in an incredibly stylish way. It also ran for 15 seasons and launched a franchise with multiple spinoffs.
NCIS (2012-2013, 2015-2016)
Another long-time mega-hit that led to a number of also long-running spinoffs is NCIS, which is itself a spinoff of JAG. Surprisingly, this Naval crime procedural will soon be in its 22nd season and has never failed to bring in massive amounts of eyeballs, but has only stood atop the TV viewership mountain for two seasons.
Sunday Night Football (2011-2012, 2013-2015, 2018-2024)
Talk about a ratings winner! Several of the shows above came in for many seasons in second place, simply because America loves football, especially on Sunday nights. After starting on NBC in 2006, these weekend-ending NFL games have come out as the ultimate champion for a whopping nine seasons.
The Big Bang Theory (2016-2018)
The Big Bang Theory set the sitcom world on fire, leading to 12 seasons, two spinoffs and star-making turns for the cast, who played a group of nerdy young scientists looking for love and success in California while navigating their complex friendships.
American Idol (2005-2011)
Sometimes a reality competition can really grip the nation, and American Idol has done that during its 22 seasons (so far). Launching the careers of singers like talk show phenom Kelly Clarkson, EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson, and country music superstar Carrie Underwood, the show was so popular that it only took two years after being canceled by Fox to begin another successful run on ABC.
Desperate Housewives (2007-2008)
The ‘07-’08 television season was a tough one for scripted shows. With multiple nights of American Idol and Dancing with the Stars ruling the airwaves, only one non-reality-competition show in primetime was mighty enough to capture enough viewers to be the top scripted series in all the land, and that was the super soapy Desperate Housewives, which helped to revitalize Teri Hatcher’s career while making actors like Eva Longoria a household name.
Yellowstone (2021-2022)
You’ll remember what a big deal football has been over the years, and only one scripted series was able to break through in the '21-’22 season to lead the season when it came to shows that need actors and dramatic plots filled with machinations, twists, wrongdoings and one attention-grabbing love story: Yellowstone, which made TV Westerns important again.
Tracker (2023-2024)
Even after all this time, we can still get some major surprises, and sometimes a show becomes a breakout hit right out of the gate. For the ‘23-’24 season, the three primetime NFL offerings took up the main top spots, but Tracker, starring This Is Us alum Justin Hartley as a loner with a troubled family who finds missing people for a living, came out on top when it comes to scripted series.
Now that you know exactly what won the ratings game and for which full seasons, maybe you’ll dedicate some time to binging some of these shows to see why people loved them so much.
