The trailblazer for this trend was The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968), with its portrayal of small town life complete with stereotypical rural characters. The show kicked off a whole string of series set in rural communities or prominently featuring country characters, including The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, Hee Haw and the Andy Griffith spinoff, Mayberry R.F.D. By the end of the decade, however, many of these series were considered irrelevant, though they still drew respectable ratings (of mostly older audiences) and were cancelled to give way to more timely series such as All in the Family and M*A*S*H.

Many 1960s TV shows also featured science-fiction and supernatural elements, including the science-fiction adventure series Star Trek, anthology series such as The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone, as well as situation comedies such as My Favorite Martian, Bewitched, The Addams Family and I Dream of Jeannie. The sixties also saw a surge in the popularity of animated series airing in prime-time, which appealed to both adults and children. This trend was kicked off by the success of The Flintstones, which was quickly followed by Alvin and the Chipmunks, Mr. Magoo and The Jetsons. And 1968 saw the debut of an innovative series that would have a heavy influence on American TV comedy in the years to come: the sketch-show Laugh-In.

The show was set in the fictional rural community of Mayberry, North Carolina, and revolved around the widower Sheriff Andy Taylor (Griffith) and his young son Opie (Ron Howard). Other members of the cast of The Andy Griffith show included Frances Beaver who played Aunt Bee, a spinster aunt who served as the Taylors’ housekeeper, Betty Lynn as Thelma Lou, Barney Fife’s sweetheart and Aneta Corsaut as schoolteacher Helen Crump, Andy’s love interest. Collectively, the cast succeeded in creating a memorable portrayal of small-town life that endeared the show to millions of American viewers.

The Andy Griffith Show remained popular throughout its entire run, consistently landing in the top 10 in the Nielsen ratings and even rating number one during its final season. It also spawned two spin-off series, Gomer Pyle and Mayberry, R.F.D., a sequel series featuring the supporting characters from its parent show.  However, by the late 1960s, these shows began to seem increasingly irrelevant in the wake of the contemporary issues then dividing America, such as the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement, and they were summarily canceled even though they were still drawing respectable audiences, to be replaced by more relevant shows such as M*A*S*H and All in the Family. However, The Andy Griffith Show remains an endearing favorite, and millions of Americans still watch it in syndicated reruns.

Adam West and Burt Ward played millionaire Bruce Wayne and his ward Dick Grayson, who, in response to the Bat Signal flashing into the night sky, would slide down hidden fireman’s poles into the Batcave and emerge as Batman and Robin, defenders of Gotham City. Other regular members of the cast of Batman included Alan Napier as faithful butler Alfred, Neil Hamilton as Commissioner Gordon, Stafford Repp as Chief of Police O’Hara and Madge Blake as Aunt Harriet Cooper, who lived in Wayne Manor with Bruce and Dick.

The series was a huge hit in its first season aired in 1966 (when the show aired twice a week), consistently reaching the top ten and the top five in the Nielsen ratings, and was widely acclaimed for its inventiveness and off-the-wall humor. However, by the second season the show had increasingly begun to repeat itself and fall into formula, resulting in declining ratings. In its third season, in an attempt to boost ratings, Yvonne Craig was added to the cast of Batman as Commissioner Gordon’s daughter Barbara, who joined Batman in his fight against crime in her secret identity as Batgirl. Unfortunately, by then the show was clearly faltering and had been cut down to once a week airings; it was eventually cancelled in 1968. However, its influence can still be seen in subsequent Batman projects, most notably the new animated series Batman: the Brave and the Bold, whose visual style is clearly taken from the 1960s series.

The cast of The Brady Bunch have reportedly remained close friends after the series ended, and have even remained in close touch with each other. This was highlighted in Christopher Knight’s (middle son Peter) reality series My Fair Brady, when Knight invited some of his former co-stars, such as Barry Williams and Susan Olsen, to his wedding party, and spent most of the time hanging out with them.

The success of the series in reruns also ensured that the Brady characters would remain popular, and there were several follow-up series and specials featuring original members of the cast of the Brady Bunch. The series also inspired a pair of big-screen movies featuring the original characters now played by new actors, and a second sequel that was made for TV. While The Brady Bunch was underappreciated by the critics during its initial run, it remains popular among a whole generation of fans who grew up children of divorce and envied the Brady’s perfect nuclear family.