15 Influential TV Shows That Shaped 1970s Teens

People remember the 1970s as a decade of groundbreaking television series such as All in the Family, Charlie’s Angels, and M*A*S*H. Although viewers of all ages enjoyed those hit shows, others catered to the burgeoning youth market by featuring teen characters and storylines that addressed issues of interest to teenagers.

Whether the following 1970s TV series actually took place during that decade (Welcome Back, Kotter) or some other era (Happy Days), they all featured at least one teen character who helped influence the style, behavior, and values of real-life youth.

Teens looked to these TV shows to help them develop a sense of self and navigate the rebellious, gritty, and challenging 1970s.

Happy Days (1974-1984)

The sitcom Happy Days ran from 1974 to 1984 but was set in the late ’50s and early ’60s. The series focuses on a group of high school friends, including Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard), who hang out at Arnold’s Drive-In.

The leather-jacket-wearing Fonzie (Henry Winkler) epitomized “cool” even though he was playing a teen from an earlier era in American history.

Welcome Back, Kotter (1975-1979)

The sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter is about a diverse remedial class nicknamed “The Sweathogs.” It takes place in Brooklyn, New York, and stars Gabe Kaplan as the titular wise-cracking teacher. Teens most connected with the Sweathogs themselves, especially Vincent “Vinnie” Barbarino, played by John Travolta.

The sitcom ran from 1975 to 1979, during which time Travolta branched out into teen-favorite movies such as Carrie, Saturday Night Fever, and Grease.

The Brady Bunch (1969-1974)

The Brady Bunch ran from 1969 to 1974, featuring a blended family with three boys and three girls living under one roof.

The older children — especially Greg (Barry Williams), Marcia (Maureen McCormick), Jan (Eve Plumb), and Peter (Christopher Knight) — became groovy pop-culture icons for their tastes in fashion and music and inarguably influenced 1970s teens.

The Partridge Family (1970-1974)

Like The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family also features a family with a bunch of music-minded children. The Partridge Family, which ran from 1970 to 1974, stars David Cassidy, who became one of the biggest teen idols and pop singers of the 1970s.

A young Danny Bonaduce portrays Danny Partridge, who sings and plays bass guitar in the family band.

Room 222 (1969-1974)

For a time, the Emmy-winning series Room 222 aired after The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family on ABC. This comedy-drama series focuses on the racially diverse faculty and students of Walt Whitman High School in Los Angeles.

Critics praised the series for addressing topics such as obesity, the Vietnam War, and bullying from the perspective of 1970s teens.

Eight Is Enough (1977-1981)

The comedy-drama Eight Is Enough aired from 1977 to 1981 and follows a man living in Sacramento, California, with his eight children.

Based on real-life newspaper columnist Tom Braden and his book of the same name, Eight Is Enough stars ’70s teen heartthrob Willie Aames as Tommy Bradford, one of the eight children.

What’s Happening!! (1976-1979)

The popular sitcom What’s Happening!! focuses on three African-American teens living in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Roger “Raj” Thomas (Ernest Thomas), Dwayne Nelson (Haywood Nelson), and Freddy “Rerun” Stubbs (Fred Berry) all became iconic 1970s TV characters during a time when Black teens were underrepresented on TV and in movies.

Good Times (1974-1979)

The sitcom Good Times ran from 1974 to 1979 and focuses on a Black family living in the projects of inner-city Chicago. Although 26 at the series’ start, Jimmie Walker played 17-year-old James “J.J.” Evans Jr., who became one of the most recognizable TV teen characters of the 1970s.

To this day, people remember Good Times for J.J.’s catchphrase: “Dy-no-mite!”

Family (1976-1980)

The drama series Family ran from 1976 to 1980 and depicted an upper-middle-class family with three children living in Pasadena, California. Seventies teen idol Kristy McNichol plays Letitia, aka “Buddy.”

Decades before discussions about gender fluidity and nonbinary people entered the mainstream, McNichol played Buddy as a tomboy — one of the earliest TV depictions of a teenage girl who didn’t conform to gender norms.

The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977-1979)

Just about anyone who grew up in the 1970s read at least one Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew novel. The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries TV series ran from 1977 to 1979.

Shaun Cassidy, who plays Joe Hardy, attracted a large female audience. The singer-actor scored a number-one hit, “Da Doo Ron Ron,” in 1977 and became a teen idol who graced the cover of myriad teen magazines for years.

One Day at a Time (1975-1984)

One Day at a Time stars Bonnie Franklin as a divorced mom raising two teen daughters (Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli) in Indianapolis.

The sitcom ran from 1975 to 1984, so the teen girls grew up and became young adults over the course of the series’ run. Both Phillips and Bertinelli became regular fixtures in teen magazines and gossip rags such as the National Enquirer.

The Facts of Life (1979-1988)

The Facts of Life arrived at the tail end of the 1970s and ran until 1988. The sitcom about the students at an all-girls boarding school in New York is one of the few examples of a show that began in the 1970s and successfully adapted to the times as the 1980s progressed.

Future stars such as Molly Ringwald and George Clooney made early appearances on the long-running series.

Land of the Lost (1974-1976)

The Krofft Productions children’s show Land of the Lost follows a father and his two children who are accidentally transported to a bizarre, alternate universe inhabited by dinosaurs and other strange beings.

Wesley Eure, who plays the teen son, Will Marshall, has to step up in the absence of a second parent and help keep his younger sister safe in their strange new home. Land of the Lost became a cult classic, spawning a remake series and a 2009 film adaptation.

The Fitzpatricks (1977-1978)

This CBS drama about an Irish Catholic family of six living in Flint, Michigan, didn’t get a second season because it aired opposite ABC’s unbeatable combo of Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley.

The Fitzpatricks starred Jimmy McNichol, a ’70s teen idol dubbed “the face you see everywhere.” He is the older brother of teen idol Kristy McNichol, star of Family.

James at 15 (1977-1978)

The drama series James at 15 — which later became James at 16 as the titular character aged — follows James Hunter (Lance Kerwin) as he moves from Oregon to Boston with his family.

The series earned praise for its realistic depiction of teens and the complex issues young people face. It consists of one movie and twenty episodes that aired between 1977 and 1978.