The 70's seemed to be the worst decade for sitcoms. Contract disputes, deaths, and abrupt cancellations. What was the deal with the 70's?

The 70's seemed to be the worst decade for sitcoms. Contract disputes, deaths, and abrupt cancellations. What was the deal with the 70's?


I agree with the controversy

Sanford and Son-father too racist and rude

All in the Family-Father too racist

Good Times-Mother wasn't working in the beginning

Jeffersons-Father prejudice against whites and poor people

Soap-LOL

CPO-the sharkey character was a bigot

Welcome Back Kotter-Students too THUGGISH

Three's Company-Two SEXY



It goes ON-lol

Is it really any different today? Contract disputes don't happen too much because the networks give in, 'Friends' stars wouldn't have gotten the equivalent back then.

Think, there was controversy about Will & Grace at the start - a gay character? Now, who cares? Maybe thats because the show turned into a farse of itself.

everytime something new or different was shown, it had to be some sort of talk or controversy. Looking back, those shows don't even compare nowadays. The Jack Tripper character pretending to be "gay" was the talk. He wasn't gay, but just to pretend being gay was a sore spot for a lot of people. I didn't understand why there was any controversy.
Maude having an abortion, whoa!!!!! big stuff. Nowadays, nothing.
I think because Norman Lear was breaking down barriers and the "don't go there" topics. It was realism and people didn't want that. They look to television for entertainment.

The mood of the country was dark during the late 60s and 70s. People were worn down and reacting strongly to the Vietnam War. There was the Civil Right's Movement, Watergate, Roe v Wade, etc.

Light-hearted shows of the 50s and 60s were disappearing (Bewitched, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, etc.).

All In The Family kicked off a new era of social and message shows. I think that the more serious in nature the show may be, even if it's a comedy -- there are going to be more disputes over creative control.

This was evidenced by the walk-outs and exits of Carroll O'Connor, Esther Rolle, John Amos, Redd Foxx, and others.

The mood of the country was dark during the late 60s and 70s. People were worn down and reacting strongly to the Vietnam War. There was the Civil Right's Movement, Watergate, Roe v Wade, etc.

Light-hearted shows of the 50s and 60s were disappearing (Bewitched, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, etc.).

All In The Family kicked off a new era of social and message shows. I think that the more serious in nature the show may be, even if it's a comedy -- there are going to be more disputes over creative control.

This was evidenced by the walk-outs and exits of Carroll O'Connor, Esther Rolle, John Amos, Redd Foxx, and others.



John Amos didn;t walk out, he was released and was considered the star charatcer on the show. Now Carroll and Esther and Redd walked off and was given raises to return because they were considered the stars

John Amos didn;t walk out, he was released and was considered the star charatcer on the show. Now Carroll and Esther and Redd walked off and was given raises to return because they were considered the stars
My point being that he didn't like the direction where the show had gone.

The 70s were the BEST decade for sitcoms, not the worst @_@...Befoire that , sitcoms had little real meaning, and since then, theyve all become either boring introspection ( Seinfeld ) or 50 "jokes" about sex in a half hour ( most of the rest )< No wonder the only NEW sitcom I watch is Corner Gas

Does Mary Tyler Moore count? Although not as controversial as many of Lear's shows were it was one the first sitcoms to have a single woman living on her own.

Does Mary Tyler Moore count? Although not as controversial as many of Lear's shows were it was one the first sitcoms to have a single woman living on her own.
I think so. The women's lib/feminist movement kicked into high gear in the 60s and 70s.

The 70s were the BEST decade for sitcoms, not the worst @_@...Befoire that , sitcoms had little real meaning, and since then, theyve all become either boring introspection ( Seinfeld ) or 50 "jokes" about sex in a half hour ( most of the rest )< No wonder the only NEW sitcom I watch is Corner Gas


Mikado, why don't you reread the initial post and why I said it SEEMED to be the worst. It is not because the sitcoms themselves were bad, it was because of all the backstage wars that were taking place. The actors were walking out or quitting, stars were dying unexpectedly. Most of my favorite sitcoms come from the 70's.

Yea their were a lot of contract problems back then especially on Norman Lear shows. They finally came to terms with Carroll O'connor and Redd Foxx but I guess they didn't feel the same with John Amos when he started talking out. I think they thought at that time that Jimmie Walker was the real star of the show and was the one person who couldn't have been replaced. I do remember hearing they were thinking of killing off Archie Bunker. If they had done that the show would have been over just like that. Look what happened when Sanford and Son ended and they tried to keep the series going with Sanford Arms.


I do agree the 70's where the best decade for sitcoms. I can't think of a hit sitcom during that decade that I didn't like.

That's a very good point about Norman Lear shows. I never really thought about that. I guess Lear was a very stingy producer. lol

70s must've been some decade for TV

70s must've been some decade for TV
It was a great decade to grow up in.

That's a very good point about Norman Lear shows. I never really thought about that. I guess Lear was a very stingy producer. lolhe also was somewhat of a hypoctite in the sense that he tells the public that carrol oconnor and the cast brought so much to his show and then behind the secnes basically tells the cast of all his shows that they are as replaceable as the prop furniture on the soundstage now a nkow most other producers do the same thing but hes the only one who makes it so obuvius that he regards his actors as little more than pupettes

How come Norman Lear doesn't creat sitcoms anymore?

How come Norman Lear doesn't creat sitcoms anymore?
I don't know. His last few weren't successful although I did love The Powers That Be and wished that had been a hit.

It was a great decade to grow up in.

I agree

It was a great decade to grow up in.
Yep!!! It was just a lot different too. Since there were only 3 channels, everyone watched the same thing. I think that's why we still have so much to talk about now. Today, what are the odds of you watching the same thing as the people you work with/go to school with? Being that most people have 200 channels, lol.

Ah the seventies...memories...what a decade. Awesome.;)

Yep!!! It was just a lot different too. Since there were only 3 channels, everyone watched the same thing. I think that's why we still have so much to talk about now. Today, what are the odds of you watching the same thing as the people you work with/go to school with? Being that most people have 200 channels, lol.
I remember getting on the school bus the day after WBK premiered and all the kids where saying up your nose with a rubber hose. :lol:I remember my whole family would watch the same shows back then on the living room tv. Nowadays every person in a household has their own tv and they watch what they want to watch. Its not the same anymore.

Ah the seventies...memories...what a decade. Awesome.;)i agree

yea, I remember I was in high school when "Happy Days" started and I can remember just about everyone talking about it, and how funny it was. And later, saying "EYYYYYY"! and "sit on it". (an expression which my mother and I hated and I still do)

And, I remember when "Welcome Back Kotter" premeired, the next day everyone in school was talking about it, and quoting things like "Up your nose with a rubber hose"! and "In your face, toilet face"! and "Your mother's so low, she can play handball against the curb"!

How come Norman Lear doesn't creat sitcoms anymore?
probably because he's made his money, so he's basically saying "The hell with you people, I'm rich so I don't have to deal with you anymore"!!:lol: :lol: :lol:

I love seventies sitcoms and I was born in the 90s. Here is a controversy about an 80's sitcom Growing Pains Mike's best friend was named Boner

yea, I remember I was in high school when "Happy Days" started and I can remember just about everyone talking about it, and how funny it was. And later, saying "EYYYYYY"! and "sit on it". (an expression which my mother and I hated and I still do)

And, I remember when "Welcome Back Kotter" premeired, the next day everyone in school was talking about it, and quoting things like "Up your nose with a rubber hose"! and "In your face, toilet face"! and "Your mother's so low, she can play handball against the curb"!



They wasn't saying IN YOUR EAR WITH ROSEY GRIER or PUT THE SUNDAY TIMES WHERE THE SUN DON"T SHINE?-lol-lol

Did you guys not see the Chrissy Snow Booty Shorts? :lol:

The controversy in the 70s began with Norman Lear. He changed the face of sitcoms where it was not kinder and gentler sitcoms that we saw back in the 50s and 60s. They were cutting edge and real people. He put characters on who reminds us of people we know and of ourselves. Too bad he was not as generous with his actors and gave them the pay that they were worth. If he did we would not have seen Carroll O'Connor and Redd Foxx walking out. Even Sally Struthers at the start of the 75-76 season engaged in a contract dispute.

Another show that caused a stir was Bridget Loves Bernie with Meredith Baxter and David Birney. It was dealing with an Irish Catholic (Baxter's character) and Jewish (Birney's character) getting married. The show rated #5 in the ratings when it got cancelled because of the controversy from both groups. Today that would not been such a big deal. It was a good show and we got introduced to Meredith Baxter, one of TV's hottest actress in the 70's and 80's, and was benefited from that.

The MTM shows did not deal with too much controversy except Rhoda was the first sitcom that dealt with marriage, separation and divorce. Rhoda and Joe marriage did not go over well and they were running out of storylines dealing with Rhoda as a married woman so they had them separated and getting a divorce. The MTM shows were more relational oriented and you got a feeling of family in those shows such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show.

Unfortunately in the 70s variety shows were dying and that form of entertainment was gone. After Ed Sullivan, Dean Martin and Carol Burnett no variety shows were being put out and if so they lasted a season, if that long. Mary Tyler Moore's two variety hours lasted a season.

There were some first's during the 70s. We got the first divorced single mom, Ann Romano, when One Day at A Time came on. Three's Company was an original seeing a male pretending to be gay living with two single women. The Jeffersons gave us the first biracial couple, Tom and Helen Willis, and they were madly in love with each other. Even The New Dick Van Dyke Show gave us the first late in life pregnancy when Dick Van Dyke's TV wife, played by Hope Lange, discovered in her 40's that she was expecting another child with two teenagers they were raising. James Evans was the first TV character that was killed off on TV even his death was off screen. Good Times was the first sitcom that dealt with a family in poverty struggling to make ends meet but still survive.

Back then Norman Lear was really pushing the censors to the edge. I wonder how many of them had ulcers!!! His shows sure were popular back then. It seemed like there was more variety in the programming though. You had shows like the Waltons, Little House on the Prairie and then shows like the Rockford Files, Mary Tyler Moore and Chico and the Man(a show I love)-Freddie Prinze was so awesome!!! Ah-the 70's on Saturday with the channel tuned to CBS. Those were the days!!!!!!