1970–71 United States network television schedule

The following is the 1970–71 network television schedule for the three major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 1970 through August 1971. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 1969–70 season. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football.

This was the first time that the top rated show of the season aired on ABC.

New fall series are highlighted in bold.

Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.[1]

  Yellow indicates the programs in the top 10 for the season.
  Cyan indicates the programs in the top 20 for the season.
  Magenta indicates the programs in the top 30 for the season.

PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service, was in operation by October 1970; however, schedules were set by each affiliated station.

In April 1970, Congress passed a law banning the advertising of cigarettes on television and radio, effective January 2, 1971.

This season would be the last one for the traditional 3½-hour prime time schedule.

Sunday

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Network 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall The Young Rebels The F.B.I. (10/23.0) The ABC Sunday Night Movie (28/19.7)
Winter Local
CBS Fall Lassie Hogan's Heroes The Ed Sullivan Show The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour The Tim Conway Comedy Hour
December The Honeymooners
Summer The CBS Sunday Night Movie The Ice Palace
August Animal World Comedy Playhouse The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour Six Wives of Henry VIII
NBC Fall Wild Kingdom The Wonderful World of Disney (13/22.4)
(Tied with Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In)
The Bill Cosby Show Bonanza (9/23.9) The Bold Ones:
The New Doctors
/
The Lawyers / The Senator
Summer Local The Red Skelton Show

NOTE: On CBS, Comedy Playhouse was an anthology series composed of unsold television pilots.

Monday

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Network 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall The Young Lawyers The Silent Force Monday Night Football
Winter Let's Make a Deal The Newlywed Game The Reel Game The ABC Monday Night Movie
Spring It Was a Very Good Year
CBS Fall Gunsmoke (5/25.5) Here's Lucy (3/26.1) Mayberry R.F.D. (15/22.3) The Doris Day Show (20/20.7) The Carol Burnett Show (25/19.8)
(Tied with The Partridge Family and NBC Monday Night at the Movies)
Summer The Lucy Show reruns Suspense Playhouse
Follow-up The CBS Newcomers
NBC Fall The Red Skelton Show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (13/22.4)
(Tied with The Wonderful World of Disney)
NBC Monday Night at the Movies (25/19.8)
(Tied with The Carol Burnett Show and The Partridge Family)
Spring From a Bird's Eye View
Summer NBC Comedy Theater
Follow-up Specials Monday Night Baseball

Note: NBC Comedy Theater featured repeats of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, with new introductions by Jack Kelly.

Tuesday

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Network 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC The Mod Squad (11/22.7) ABC Movie of the Week (6/25.1) Marcus Welby, M.D. (1/29.6)
CBS Fall The Beverly Hillbillies Green Acres Hee Haw (16/21.4) To Rome With Love CBS News Hour / 60 Minutes
Winter All in the Family
Summer Cimarron Strip reruns Specials
NBC Fall The Don Knotts Show Julia NBC Tuesday Night at the Movies / First Tuesday
Winter Julia The Don Knotts Show
Summer The Bill Cosby Show
Follow-up Make Your Own Kind of Music

Wednesday

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Network 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall The Courtship of Eddie's Father Danny Thomas in Make Room for Granddaddy Room 222 The Johnny Cash Show Dan August
Winter Room 222 The Smith Family (21/20.6) The Young Lawyers
Summer Love on a Rooftop reruns The Immortal NFL Action
CBS Fall Storefront Lawyers The Governor & J.J. Medical Center (8/24.5) Hawaii Five-O (7/25.0)
Winter Men at Law To Rome with Love
NBC Fall The Men from Shiloh (18/21.2) Kraft Music Hall Four in One: McCloud / San Francisco International Airport / Night Gallery / The Psychiatrist
Summer The Des O'Connor Show

Notes: Love on a Rooftop consisted of reruns of the series, which originally aired during the 1966-1967 season. The Men from Shiloh formerly was entitled The Virginian.

Thursday

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Network 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Matt Lincoln Bewitched Barefoot in the Park The Odd Couple The Immortal
Winter Alias Smith and Jones Danny Thomas in Make Room for Granddaddy Dan August Local
CBS Fall Family Affair The Jim Nabors Hour (29/19.5) The CBS Thursday Night Movies (30/19.3)
Summer Lancer reruns
NBC Fall The Flip Wilson Show (2/27.9) Ironside (4/25.7) Nancy The Dean Martin Show (24/20.0)
Winter Adam-12 (12/22.6)
Summer NBC Action Playhouse The Dean Martin Summer Show Starring Your Host Vic Damone reruns

Notes: The Dean Martin Summer Show Starring Your Host Vic Damone consisted entirely of reruns of the show of the same name from the summer of 1967. NBC Action Playhouse featured repeats of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, with new introductions by Peter Marshall.

Friday

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Network 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall The Brady Bunch Nanny and the Professor The Partridge Family (25/19.8)
(Tied with The Carol Burnett Show and NBC Monday Night at the Movies)
That Girl Love, American Style This Is Tom Jones
Winter The Odd Couple Love, American Style
CBS Fall The Interns Headmaster The CBS Friday Night Movies
Winter The New Andy Griffith Show
Summer Headmaster (repeats)
NBC Fall The High Chaparral The Name of the Game Bracken's World
Winter Strange Report

Saturday

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Network 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM
ABC Fall Let's Make a Deal The Newlywed Game The Lawrence Welk Show The Most Deadly Game Local
Winter The Lawrence Welk Show The Pearl Bailey Show Local
Summer The Val Doonican Show
CBS Mission: Impossible My Three Sons (19/20.8) Arnie The Mary Tyler Moore Show (22/20.3) Mannix (17/21.3)
NBC Fall The Andy Williams Show Adam-12 (12/22.6) NBC Saturday Night at the Movies (23/20.1)
Winter NBC Saturday Night at the Movies (23/20.1) Local

By network

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Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason.

References

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  1. ^ Highest-rated series is based on the annual top-rated programs list compiled by Nielsen Media Research and reported in: Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.

Additional sources

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  • Castleman, H. & Podrazik, W. (1982). Watching TV: Four Decades of American Television. New York: McGraw-Hill. 314 pp.
  • McNeil, Alex. Total Television. Fourth edition. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-024916-8.
  • Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1985). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-31864-1.