The Most Popular TV Show From Your Birth Year (1951-1990)

7. 1972-1976: All in the Family

All in the Family spent its final year at the top of the Nielsen ratings in 1976. Nothing lasts forever. At times, though, America’s love affair with All in the Family seemed like it would.

The show concluded its final season in 1979 but would live on as Archie Bunker’s Place. The latter was not a Norman Lear project and failed to garner the critical praise of its predecessor despite remaining on air for four seasons. Spinoffs are rarely a good idea, and All in the Family arguably deserved to stand alone.