Picking favorites isnโt nice (or easy), so weโve refrained from choosing just one favorite ABC show. Instead, weโve found that the best of TV comes in bunchesโgroups of charismatic characters replete with incomparable singles, memorable duos, feisty trios and slew of more. Hereโs a rundown of ABC TV shows and casts America has come to know and love.
SINGLES
โBewitchedโ
Against her parentsโ wishes, a young witch named Samantha marries a mortal named Darrin, who then becomes the victim of many spells. The show was known for having several cast changesโmost notably Dick York who played Darrin. The actor suffered painful a back injury and was no longer able to return. Audiences only had eyes for Samantha so few even noticed the switch.
โThat Girlโ
The first sitcom to explore the life of an independent woman living alone and looking for work, โThat Girl,โ played by Marlo Thomas, shed light on the world of an aspiring actressโodd jobs and all.
COUPLES
โStarsky and Hutchโ
Hollywood industry heads often joked that โStarsky and Hutchโ were in a monogamous relationship because their personalities differed from other TV cops of the time. The pair even inspired the creation of slash fiction by female fans that, still to this day, pen stories of the duoโs supposed love affair.
“Mork and Mindyโ
What was initially a spin-off of โMy Favorite Martian,โ was first introduced on season 5 of โHappy Daysโ in the episode titled โMy Favorite Orken,โ where Mork (played by Robin Williams) tries to coax Richie into coming back with him to planet Ork. The success of the character led to a full-blown series in which Mork befriends, moves in and eventually marries Mindy. The role of Mork did little for Williamsโ professional success but it did lead to a slew of eccentric castings for the actor.
“Laverne & Shirley”
Laverne (Penny Marshall) and Cindy Williams (Shirley Feeney) played two bottle-capping babes working at Shotz Brewery. This too was a spinoff from another โHappy Daysโ episode where the pair appeared as friends of the Fonz. After โLaverne and Shirleyโ ended, Penny Marshall went on to direct hit films like โBig,โ โAwakenings,โ and โA League of Their Own.โ She also penned a memoir entitled โMy Mother was Nuts.โ
TRIOS
โMod Squad”
With a borderline racist tagline that emphasized the showโs multicultural cast – โone white, one black and one blondeโโโThe Mod Squadโ succeeded in bringing in a younger audience for ABC. As the crime-fighting trio appealed to a younger demographic, it also helped debunk racial conventions of the time, including behind the scenes as โblondeโ star Peggy Lipton married industry mogul Quincy Jones in real life.
โCharlieโs Angelsโ
https://youtu.be/OVtVru9KXao
Although โCharlieโs Angelsโ was one of the most commercially successful shows of the 70s, some critics dubbed the sitcom as โjiggle television,โ because it lacked substance and depth. Perhaps Farah Fawcett said it best when she attributed the showโs ratings to not wearing a bra during filming. Maybe so, but weโre willing to believe that Farahโs feathered โdo had something to do with it, too.
โThe Wonder Yearsโ
Audiences experienced a wave of emotions following the friendship and romances of Kevin, Winnie and Paul. A depiction of life growing up in the suburbs narrated by an older Kevin, โThe Wonder Yearsโ won an Emmy for Best Comedy after airing only six episodes.
FAMILIES
โFull Houseโ
Featured on the T.G.I.F. programming block, every episode of โFull Houseโ ended with music and a moral. The series also spawned a young adult book collection and the careers of twins Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen who, in 2007, had an estimated net worth of $100 million and were named among the โ11 Richest Womenโ in entertainment on Forbes top 100 list.
โThe Partridge Familyโ
The shows namesake band created an empire that extended past the realm of television and onto Billboard charts, merchandise and more. Eldest Partridge Keith, played by David Cassidy, became one of the biggest teen heartthrobs of all timeโeven after leaving the show to pose node for Rolling Stone magazine.
โFamily Mattersโ
https://youtu.be/ftLhANQxX0s
Steve Urkel was always pictured as an 8th member to the Winslow family, but was never actually a part of it, no matter how much he pined for Lauraโs affection. He later became a major character in the series making the nerdy supporting character one of the most recognized pop-culture icons of the past.
โThe Brady Bunchโ
https://youtu.be/NwhAbkqiba0
When the series began, it was revealed that Mike Brady was a widowed architect, but weโre still wondering what kind of scandalous breakup Carol was involved in. The family of eight, plus their right-hand-woman Alice, was such a popular series that it was turned into a movie decades later. The most enduring aspect of the show is arguably the theme song that we still canโt manage to get out of our heads.
[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”35px”][vc_separator][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text][total-poll id=11696][/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”PLAY MORE SHOWDOWNS” color=”warning” align=”center” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fdoyouremember.com%2Fgames%2Fshowdowns%2F||”][/vc_column][/vc_row]