While the ’70s were a time of disco, tie-dye, and bell bottoms, TV shows also defined the decade.
This includes Happy Days , The Waltons , and Battlestar Galactica . But while these shows stand the test of time, there were many that certainly do not…
Can you guess what they are? Here are 10+ TV shows from the ’70s that will never be as good as shows today.
*Hogan’s Heroes*
Since the comedy was set in Nazi Germany, it’s never an appropriate time for it to air.
The popular show had Bob Crane leading as Colonel Hogan who made “hilarious” attempts to stop the German war efforts.
*Carter Country*
While this show was deemed a “comedy,” it was hard for fans to laugh at some of the racist subject matter.
The show was littered with southern stereotypes and heavy discrimination, including a character who doubled as a Ku Klux Klan member.
*The P.T.L. Club*
For a Christian TV show, it sure had a lot of problems.
It was discovered that the show was a massive money grab and there were a number of uncovered sex and financial scandals . This led to the fallout of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s massive empire.
*Supertrain*
This was the show that almost caused NBC to go bankrupt !
It went off the rails with everything from huge costs (it’s one of the most expensive shows ever made) to production problems to poor reviews and low ratings.
*Maude*
Before Bea Arthur’s role as Dorothy in The Golden Girls , she starred as Maude in All In The Family and was welcomed with her own spin-off, Maude .
The spinoff showed a dark side to the character as she drank a lot of wine and popped pills.
*A Year At The Top*
The show centered around two musicians who make a deal with the devil in hopes to find fame.
But this deal obviously didn’t work in real life, as the show never gained any sort of audience and was shut down by CBS just five episodes in.
*The American Girls*
While following the adventures of two female investigators, the show ran into problems, such as lazy writing and poor chemistry between the actors.
The first season aimed for 11 episodes, but it was canceled after the sixth.
*The Brady Bunch Hour*
With the massive success of The Brady Bunch , it become obvious that ABC was trying to milk as much money as they could with their lackluster spinoffs.
Even Brady Bunch actor Barry Williams said how “ incredibly bad ” the spinoff was in his memoir, Growing Up Brady .
*All In The Family*
Ask any avid TV watcher from the ’70s and they will always mention the exceptionally popular All In The Family .
But what was funny back then wouldn’t be funny now, as the main character Archie Bunker made many racist remarks.
*Gibbsville*
The show, which was based on a true story, followed Jim Malloy who became a reporter in the small mining town of Gibbsville .
The show was never was able to get its footing, though, as it had several delays before its debut.
*Three’s Company*
The main character, Jack, played by John Ritter would have no place on television today.
At one point, his character faked being homosexual to further womanize the female characters. There were also objectifying outfit choices for the actresses.
*Hee Haw Honeys*
This spinoff of Hee Haw took corny country humor to a whole new level.
While it had Kathie Lee Gifford amongst the cast, the show just never came close to holding up to the original.
*Adam’s Rib*
The show followed district attorney Adam and his lawyer wife Amanda as they cross paths in the courtroom.
Sadly, the show turned out to be a flop that never grasped any sort of audience.
*Dog and Cat*
The show featured two cops, a veteran detective and his young female partner.
After only six episodes, the show was labeled “particularly repulsive” from The New York Times and was hit with terribly low ratings.
*Co-ed Fever*
The “frat house” comedy was about a campus dorm that just started admitting male students into the all-female college.
The show instead turned out to be a disaster. The “special preview” was completely ignored and CBS decided to cancel the sitcom one episode in .
*Mr. T. and Tina*
After only one episode of Welcome Back, Kotter , Pat Morita and his character Taro Takahashi were given their own spinoff series called Mr. T. and Tina .
But with all kinds of stereotypical gags and racist bigotry towards Japanese culture, the show was canned after just five episodes.
*Me and the Chimp*
Although the storyline had promise — it followed a dentist and his chimp named Buttons — the creators were just monkeying around.
That’s because the now-famous producers Gary Marshall and Thomas Miller were unable to make the show captivating.
RELATED STORIES
*David Cassidy: Man Undercover*
In a plot that sounds quite familiar to 21 Jump Street , David Cassidy played an undercover cop who is investigating a drug ring within a school.
A weak performance from David Cassidy didn’t convince viewers, leading to the show being pulled just 10 episodes in.
*I Dream of Genie*
If we had three wishes, we’d erase this show from memory.
In addition to female stereotypes, Barbara Eden’s (Genie) navel became an issue on the show .
She was unable to show it since NBC executives got scared.
