Can you name the top rated TV Shows in the US in each of the following TV seasons?

created by Booger

Enter a TV show in the box below
Correctly named TV shows will show up below
Answers do not have to be guessed in order
Note: 2008-09 Nielsen ratings through 6/14/09
Also try: Highest Rated Shows (1950-2011)

You have 10 minutes to guess after you click the button below.

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Show Missed Answers

2008-2009
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10

2004-2005
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1999-2000
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1994-1995
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1989-1990
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1984-1985
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1979-1980
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1974-1975
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1969-1970
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Top Rated US TV Shows Quiz

Rating:	Report a mistake
Created by: Booger -
Published: June 25th, 2009
Category: Television
Plays: 100,360

Tags: Show Quizzes, rank, season, rated, top

Loading friend results....

	NoVan:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 04:21 GMT	47 points
	Choose one: "I'm shocked that [TV show name here] wasn't included" or "It's so sad that more people knew about [TV show name here] than [TV show name here]".

	Hungover:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 04:23 GMT	6 points
	I'm shocked that Red Shoe Diaries wasn't included

	Tchaikovsky08:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 04:30 GMT	17 points
	60 minutes makes the list in four decades. Pretty impressive.

	ForPony:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 04:33 GMT	3 points
	SUPERB quiz. :)

	RandallPinkston:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 04:35 GMT	2 points
	That's Incredible! My day is made. Great quiz.

	Jordan117:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 04:38 GMT	1 point
	I typed in "ateam" and "the ateam" and it wouldn't take it. Should a space or a dash really be required there? Punctuation and spacing usually don't matter on these quizzes.

	sammyhain2364:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 04:44 GMT	3 points
	Shocked that "Happy Days" "Mork & Mindy" nor "Laverne & Shirley" were nowhere to be found. Can't believe I forgot about "Cheers" Frasier" "Dallas" & "ER"

Comment below threshold: show it

	Tchaikovsky08:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 04:54 GMT	13 points
	@MovieDynamic: "television rating" in this context means number of viewers.

	marpocky:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 04:58 GMT	1 point
	Maybe this is just me, but The Mentalist seems kind of out of place. You look at the shows from the 70s-90s, and every one of them is a classic that's part of TV history, or at least a significant cultural phenomenon (like WWTBAM). The more recent shows, I guess only time will tell but I see shows like CSI, Survivor, American Idol, even Desperate Housewives being remembered as definitive shows of this decade. But...The Mentalist?

	Brooklyn_Girl:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 04:59 GMT	4 points
	So... should I be happy or sad that I did poorly on this quiz?

	MovieDynamic:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 05:01 GMT	-1 points
	Oh thanks. Well in that case there's a very obvious, sickening decline in the quality of what people are watching over the years. From "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" to "American Idol?" BLECH!

	debbiedoesnothin:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 05:07 GMT	4 points
	@ Andy - I think something to note is that a #1 rated show in 1970 had a heckuva lot more viewers than a #1 show in 2008-9. There were only 3 networks back then. Now there are a lot more cable channels to choose from, plus overall TV viewership has declined.

	fatbeard:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 05:12 GMT	7 points
	Is Sunday Night Football really a tv show? I mean, I might be wrong, I just considered it in a different category

	Carlos:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 05:17 GMT	1 point
	Honestly didn't think Millionaire would have been that popular that it'd be up there. Thought about it and din't try. Proves that you need to try everything.

	Chumley:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 05:18 GMT	7 points
	@Andy B--you consider "FLO" a classic or a cultural phenomenon?

	MattL1216:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 05:23 GMT	-3 points
	weird that people watch so much garbage on tv today... wish the separate days of a 'multiple day of the week' tv show wouldn't take up more spots than 1 (e.g. Who Wants To Be a Millionaire)

Comment below threshold: show it

	livfred:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 05:53 GMT	0 points
	Awesome quiz. I would love to see a sequel with different years.

	geowiz85:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 06:06 GMT	-1 points
	got half, but couldnt manage a single show from 1969-70

	Gordo:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 07:01 GMT	13 points
	I'm pretty shocked that no Law and Order series ever made the top ten in these years (I know that some of them did in other years in between).

	Victor2K:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 07:03 GMT	1 point
	Not remembered of many, but you can see from 1969 from now the main tendencies of american audience on TV, switching from more "Family Shows" to now reality and MNF

	Rackie:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 07:38 GMT	17 points
	I gave up when House, The Simpsons, 24 etc. didn't show up!

	Snorkel:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 07:50 GMT	5 points
	I thought I'd finally see an appearance of Thunder In Paradise on a Sporcle quiz with this one... sigh... I guess I'll have to keep hoping and waiting.

	steeltown:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 08:32 GMT	-3 points
	Despite being alive & watching TV avidly during all these years, I got a measly 12! A clarification abt top shows from prime time hours would have been kind. And counting the same-titled show on different nights as separate entries may be good for Neilsen's purposes, but not so good for "highest rated shows" concept. Other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?

	mrnrjct:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 10:43 GMT	-1 points
	Actually debbiedoesnothing, overall TV viewership has increased by spades over the years, but the linked increase in channels and programs makes sure that the most popular shows today are not nearly as popular as the old shows. I believe I Love Lucy still holds the title as the most watched show ever. Whatever made you think Americans are watching less TV than before?

	ted:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 12:02 GMT	0 points
	@mrnrjct: How are you measuring "overall TV viewership"? Certain metrics would simply reflect the growing population in the US. I think the best measurement would be median hours per week spent watching TV.

	Tapestry:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 12:11 GMT	-1 points
	After 1970 there were few bright spots on the telly. 60 minutes is an irritating show,gossip into news keeps it high in ratings. I can only count 5 shows that were good after 1970. No wonder we turn to DVDs and computer games its become a vast wasteland except for the easily amused. bleh!

	shnubby:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 13:10 GMT	3 points
	maybe next quiz could be highest rated events. For example, I kept typing "super bowl" and "moon landing" for a while. Could be interesting.

	newenglander:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 13:15 GMT	-1 points
	24 isnt on there? i felt certain it would

	s1rweeze:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 13:36 GMT	-1 points
	@NoVan: I am shocked that My Two Dads wasn't included.

	poppysmom:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 13:50 GMT	0 points
	It takes time for shows to become "classic." Hence, the shows from the 70s and 80s are considered such. I do agree that it is amazing that more people are watching The Mentalist than 24 or House...yes, and even The Simpsons!

	JohnJF:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 14:28 GMT	2 points
	Guys and gals, keep in mind that a majority of Sporcle users are young (and by young, I mean are not senior citizens). Therefore a lot of the shows that you would consider to be popular can't compete with the middle-of-the-road shows that populate the higher reaches of the ratings. People were highly offended by Bart Simpson and people still are highly offended by Jack Bauer, so they can't really compete with the totally vanilla 60 Minutes or American Idol.

	onetheta:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 14:55 GMT	0 points
	By the time we get these shows in the UK it is a different year. Oh. and I cant believe there is no 'Dixon of Dock Green'.

	Kicking222:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 15:03 GMT	6 points
	I actually went through this process: Typing in "According to Jim", seeing that it didn't pop up as an answer, sighing in relief that our (Americans) TV taste isn't THAT horrible.

	davebesag:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 15:29 GMT	0 points
	I answered America's Funniest Home Videos almost as a joke!

	Josh:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 15:38 GMT	3 points
	Wow, we watch some real crap these days.

	American:	Jun 25th, 2009 at 15:46 GMT	3 points
	I got more in the 70s and 80s then present day.. I wasn't alive in the 70s and most of the 80s