One of my favorite television seasons kicked off 50 years ago today on Monday, September 9th, 1974. For reasons I can no longer remember, I’ve been obsessed with Fall 1974 since before I started Television Obscurities. Back in 2003 when I launched this website, only 29 years had passed since the 1974-1975 TV season kicked off. Now, in 2024, I’m commemorating 50 years since Fall 1974 got underway.
This isn’t the first time I’ve celebrated an anniversary for Fall 1974. I did so five years ago in 2019 for the 45th anniversary and ten years ago in 2014 for the 40th anniversary.
Building Fall 1974
Between them, the networks ordered 96 pilots for the 1974-1975 season. Check out my three-part 1974 Development Season special feature from 2014 to read about all of the pilots:
1974 Development Season: ABC’s Pilots
1974 Development Season: CBS’s Pilots
1974 Development Season: NBC’s Pilots
The networks unveiled their 1974-1975 schedules in April 1974. Two months later, a court ruling pushed back scheduled changes to the Prime Time Access Rule from September 1974 to September 1975. The networks were forced to reshuffle their schedules, removing an hour from Sunday evenings and a half-hour from Saturday evenings. Six new sitcoms, two from each of the networks, were taken off the schedules.
Read my article The Fall 1974 That Wasn’t to learn more about the Prime Time Access Rule and how the networks changed their 1974-1975 schedules.
The New Shows
The networks introduced 24 new shows at the start of the 1974-1975 season. ABC had the most new shows with ten, followed closely by NBC with nine. CBS had only five new shows. Here’s the complete list. Shows marked with an asterisk (*) were not renewed for the 1975-1976 season.
New Shows for Fall 1974
ABC (10)
Get Christie Love!*
Harry O
Kodiak*
Kolchak: The Night Stalker*
Nakia*
The New Land*
Paper Moon*
The Texas Wheelers*
That’s My Mama
The Sonny Comedy Revue*CBS (5)
The Manhunter*
Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers*
Planet of the Apes*
Rhoda
Sons and Daughters*NBC (9)
Born Free*
Chico and the Man
Little House on the Prairie
Lucas Tanner*
Petrocelli
Movin’ On
Police Woman
The Rockford Files
Sierra*
The first new shows of the 1974-1975 season were Born Free on NBC and Rhoda on CBS. Both debuted on Monday, September 9th, 1974. Born Free aired from 8-9PM ET while Rhoda filled the 9-9:30PM ET time slot. That makes Born Free the first series premiere of the 1974-1975 season. It was off the air after just 13 episodes. Rhoda, on the other hand, was the highest-rated new show of the 1974-1975 season, ranking sixth.
For a closer look at the new shows from each network, check out my three-part article all about Fall 1974:
Fall 1974: ABC
Fall 1974: CBS
Fall 1974: NBC
I’ve written in-depth articles about two new shows from the 1974-1975 season: Sons and Daughters (CBS) and Lucas Tanner (NBC). I’ve also compiled a detailed episode guide for Sons and Daughters and I reviewed the novelization of the pilot telefilm for my Bookshelf column. I reviewed the Lucas Tanner pilot telefilm for my Retro Review column.
Two other new shows have received the Spotlight treatment: Sierra (NBC) and The Texas Wheelers (ABC). I reviewed an episode of The Texas Wheelers for my Retro Review column.
50th Anniversary
It’s hard for me to believe it’s been so long since the start of the 1974-1975 season. Writing this 50th anniversary post made me feel old and I wasn’t alive in 1974. Decades ago when I first read through the 1974 fall preview issue of TV Guide, I had no idea I would spend so much time researching, watching, and writing about Fall 1974 for Television Obscurities. I don’t think I’m done quite yet, although I don’t have any solid plans for additional articles or reviews at the moment.
Those of you who remember watching some of these new shows 50 years ago, please hit the comments with your memories and recollections. Be sure to check back this week for more 50th anniversary posts for specific shows from Fall 1974.
once again you have mozied in on a time period/ and transition that i distinctly recall as a slide into newer fornats like the book -episode tv thing….Subject matter like LIZZIE BORDEN….Rich man Poor man===THE BASTARD== — ROOTS= Execution of PRIVATE SLOVIK–** then the slide of TV variety series…like the CAPTAIN and TENELLE=====just after CHER =/ television city and Laugh IN type stuff……….Some series broke records of longevity like MANNIX…..or Universal city things llike Columbo that continued for a decade after,,, i was away at school for the four years yet didnt have access….TV commercials would entirely be worthless// leaving No impressions or marketing any interest in shopping/ sales===== nor patents like VELCRO. which changed the world from an engineering perspective====i mean who invented the shoe lace! IT WOULD BE DECADES BEFORE the emergence o the INFO mercial!!!!! i can barely recall any distinct TV themes then..
Growing up in Branford, we watched Rhoda, Kolchack, Paper Moon, Chico and the Man, too many to list here. Our antenna brought in channels 2,3,4,5,7,8,9,11 and 13. Please note, some came in better than others.
Best show to premiere that year, best show with the greatest rewatchability today: The Rockford Files with James Garner, Noah Beery Jr., and Joe Santos, plus Stuart Margolin and Gretchen Corbett.
I think most of the shows I saw from that year I saw later in syndication. It’s hard to remember exactly what I watched on prime time and what I saw in the afternoons.