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Here's what TV show everyone was obsessed with the year you were born
You might be surprised to see which ones were on top.
TV shows come and go, just like the latest trends and fads. One year Gunsmoke is on top, and the next Wagon Train takes over.
Syndication has helped keep a lot of shows relevant long after they sign off the air. It's easy to forget shows like I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show never actually competed against each other.
Here are the shows everyone was absolutely crazy about over the last 65 years, based on their ranking in the Nielson ratings. Find the year you were born... are there any surprises? (If you were born before 1951, we apologize. Ratings weren't measured before that television season).
1951: Texaco Star Theater
NBC via YouTube
Talk about a throwback. Sponsored variety shows dominated the early years of television.
1952: Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
CBS1953, 1954, 1955: I Love Lucy
No surprises here: Lucille Ball dominated the TV landscape in the 1950s.
1956: The $64,000 Question
CBSBut Ball's juggernaut was no match for this game show in 1956, when it took the top spot. The show failed to make it out of the decade, thanks to the quiz show scandal.
1957: I Love Lucy
1958, 1959, 1960, 1961: Gunsmoke
Western fever took over the airwaves in the 1960s, starting with Gunsmoke.
1962: Wagon Train
1963, 1964: The Beverly Hillbillies
Everyone had hay fever for this rural sitcom. It recorded some of the highest ratings ever for a half-hour sitcom.
1965, 1966, 1967: Bonanza
1968: The Andy Griffith Show
1969, 1970: Laugh-In
SFM EntertainmentThe ratings for Western and rural-themed shows came crashing down in the '70s. Instead, comedy shows that pushed the boundaries became more popular.
1971: Marcus Welby, M.D.
NBCUniversalAfter years of struggling in the ratings, ABC's first number one show finally came at the beginning of the 1970s.
1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976: All in the Family
Sony Pictures TelevisionNo show prior to All in the Family had pushed as many boundaries and covered as many sensitive subjects. It was number one for five years in the row.
1977: Happy Days
People got tired of the touchy subjects, however, as the silly and simple Happy Days became the top show.
1978, 1979: Laverne & Shirley
This Garry Marshall spinoff enjoyed just as much success as its predecessor.
1980: 60 Minutes
CBSThe long-running news program finally hit number one 13 years after it premiered. To this day, it still ranks highly.
1981, 1982: Dallas
Warner Bros. If you're a child of the '80s, then you're a child of the primetime soap opera. Dallas and Dynasty kept people entertained for the better part of the decade.
1983: 60 Minutes
1984: Dallas
1985: Dynasty
CBSDespite incredible success, producer Aaron Spelling only had one show at the top throughout his decades-long career.
1986, 1987, 1988, 1989: The Cosby Show
Casey-Werner DistributionThe family sitcom genre made a comeback in the late '80s thanks to the Huxtables.
1990: Roseanne
SFM EntertainmentRoseanne Barr took the reigns for this different type of family sitcom.
1991: Cheers
Nearing the end of its run, people started tuning in to Cheers in record numbers.
1992, 1993, 1994: 60 Minutes
1995: Seinfeld
Sony Pictures TelevisionWhile Friends gets a lot more attention nowadays, the '90s were really all about Jerry Seinfeld and George Clooney.
1996, 1997: ER
Warner Bros.1998: Seinfeld
1999: ER
2000: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Disney-ABC Domestic TelevisionGame shows finally made a comeback in the new millennium thanks to Regis Philbin. Who remembers screaming at the TV when someone chose a wrong answer?
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