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The CBS ''rural purge'' of 1971
"It was the year CBS killed everything with a tree in it."
Throughout the 1960s, one network reigned supreme. Sure, NBC had Bonanza, which was the number-one show three years in a row. Bewitched came close for ABC. But, all in all, the most consistently dominant network was CBS. In fact, during the 1963-64 television series era, CBS boasted 14 of the 15 top-rated shows on television.
While those ratings made CBS the network to envy, the company's executives weren't comfortable resting on their laurels. In fact, in 1971, CBS revolutionized its programming schedule, sacrificing hits in order to make room for the new and the innovative. According to Tulsa World, Robert D. Wood, president of CBS, said the network was committed to a "new look." While the forward-thinking strategy would pave the way for a new decade of television, some fan favorites got left behind in the dust.
When the new CBS prime time schedule was announced on March 16, 1971, there were some notable absences from its lineup. Gone were programs like Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, Mayberry R.F.D., and even Lassie.
"It was the year CBS killed everything with a tree in it," said Pat Buttram, who played Mr. Haney on Green Acres.
Although March of '71 was ground zero for the "purge," a bold move away from rural programming began prior and continued afterward. CBS had already canceled Petticoat Junction and The Red Skelton Show in 1970. They'd nearly axed Gunsmoke in 1967 before finally dropping it in '73.
Following the fresh slate of CBS programming, Andy Griffith gave his thoughts in a talk show interview regarding the canceled programs.
"They believe that small-town USA is dying and disappearing from our country," said Griffith. "And they believe that television audiences are too sophisticated, for the fact that they have watched television for a long time, to be able to buy or even enjoy entertainment such as Petticoat Junction or Beverly Hillbillies or our show."
While the rural purge spelled the end for some of the most iconic shows of all time, it also cleared room for shows like M*A*S*H, All in the Family, Maude, and Good Times. These new shows all had one thing in common: They fearlessly dealt with topical material, never shying away from controversial subjects. By contrast, shows like Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. were intentionally naive, as that show in particular never even mentioned the War in Vietnam.
Luckily for fans worldwide, the simpler shows of the sixties live side-by-side with their '70s siblings today in reruns.
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