As the genre had a decade ago, sitcoms went through a slump in the late 1960s. In the early 1960s, sitcoms recovered from its first crisis with a flurry of hit shows introduced between 1960 and 1965. However, the second half of the decade saw the format decline.

The fall of 1966 marked the beginning of the downturn. That season yielded only one new long-term hit—Family Affair. That Girl, introduced that year as well, lasted five seasons but was never a big ratings winner. The following season was even worse, as The Flying Nun was the longest-lasting new sitcom. That often maligned series ran for three seasons but never hit the top 30. Four successful new comedies debuted in the fall of 1968. However, two of them, Mayberry R.F.D. and Here’s Lucy, were basically new versions of The Andy Griffith Show and The Lucy Show. Julia also hit the top ten that year, but its ratings dropped seriously over the next two seasons. The Doris Day Show debuted in 30^th place and jumped into the top ten the next season when it moved behind Mayberry R.F.D.

By the end of the 1969-70 season, things didn’t look good for sitcoms. CBS’ Monday night lineup of Here’s Lucy, Mayberry R.F.D., and The Doris Day Show made the top 10, along with the network’s Family Affair. However, the only new shows that lasted very long were The Brady Bunch and The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, neither of which was ever a big hit nor particularly funny. In fact, the network’s schedules were increasingly dominated by warm, soft shows that didn’t get, or even go for, big laughs, including To Rome With Love, Mayberry R.F.D., Julia, The Flying Nun, Nanny and the Professor, Family Affair, and My Three Sons, along with The Brady Bunch and The Courtship of Eddie’s Father. The Emmy nominees for outstanding comedy series reflected the current state of the genre. Room 222 and The Cosby Show were more half-hour dramas than sitcoms. The Courtship of Eddie’s Father was barely a comedy. Another nominee, Love, American Style, was an anthology comedy rather than a traditional sitcom. The winner, My World and Welcome To It, was cancelled after its first and only season.

By 1970, big hits The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Hazel, The Lucy Show, My Favorite Martian, Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C., and Gilligan’s Island were all gone. Get Smart, Petticoat Junction, I Dream of Jeannie, and The Flying Nun had just been cancelled. Long-running hits like The Beverly Hillbillies, My Three Sons, Bewitched, Green Acres, and Hogan’s Heroes were on their last legs.

Much of the fall of 1970 schedule didn’t look promising. NBC’s only new comedy, Nancy, was another soft show. ABC revived the old school The Danny Thomas Show as Make Room for Granddaddy. The network also introduced three new single-camera comedies, Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, and The Partridge Family. CBS introduced Andy Griffith’s dramedy, Headmaster, and another single-camera comedy, Arnie. The network also had a contract with Mary Tyler Moore and put her new sitcom on the schedule. The executives weren’t impressed with the pilot and gave the show a difficult timeslot with incompatible neighbors (To Rome With Love and Hee Haw) on Tuesday. Fortunately, new programming chief Fred Silverman saw the pilot, loved it, and moved it to Saturday, which was still a desirable night on which to air.

The issues of the previous seasons came to a head in 1970-71. The venerable Here’s Lucy was the only sitcom to hit the top 10, with the shows that followed it, Mayberry R.F.D. and The Doris Day Show, the only other top 20 sitcoms. An FCC rule that reduced the number of network primetime hours for the fall of 1971 led to a mass exodus of veteran sitcoms. The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Hogan’s Heroes, Family Affair, That Girl, The Flying Nun, Julia and Mayberry R.F.D., despite its high ratings, were all cancelled.

However, there was hope. The Mary Tyler Moore Show finished 22^nd in the ratings. The Partridge Family was 25^th. The Odd Couple struggled but was renewed and would be filmed with a studio audience the next season. Dynamic newcomer All in the Family premiered mid-season and caught on by the time its 13 episodes were rerun. It would win the Emmy for outstanding comedy series and hit number one in the ratings the next season. The Mary Tyler Moore Show also climbed into the top 10, with The Partridge Family hitting the top 20. Multi-cam shows were back in vogue, and sitcoms would go for bigger laughs. Nearly 30 sitcoms introduced in the 1970s lasted three seasons or more. By 1974-75, 10 of the top 11 shows were sitcoms, and the genre’s next comeback was complete.