The 10 best TV shows set in the 1970s

Whether we’re talking about glam, soul, disco, or punk, the 1970s had it all when it came to music. But for TV writers, the decade’s appeal does not lie merely in the trappings of pop culture; the ever-present rumblings of the Cold War, widespread economic problems, and the receding promise of the post-war liberal consensus all make it fertile ground for all sorts of storytelling. Here are 10 of the best shows set in the 1970s.

10. Life on Mars

Life on Mars was water-cooler TV, captivating British audiences on its debut in 2006. John Simm – who would go on to play The Master opposite David Tennant’s Doctor in Doctor Who – stars as a police officer who is hit by a car, and wakes up from a coma to find himself in the grimy environs of post-industrial Manchester circa 1973. The BBC series won an International Emmy Award, and remains compelling viewing almost 20 years later.

9. The Get Down

2016’s The Get Down trod ground later visited by Daisy Jones and the Six, focusing on the goings-on in a group of teenagers in New York’s Bronx district in the late 1970s, as hip-hop and disco music begins to take hold. The series benefited from solid performances by Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’s Justice Smith and Incredible Crew’s Shameik Moore in the lead roles, but was cancelled by Netflix after just one season.

8. Hunters

This intriguing alternate history series starred Al Pacino and Saul Rubinek, and debuted on Prime Video in 2020. Hunters follows the work of a group of Nazi hunters living in New York in 1977, as they seek to track down and bring to heel a group of Nazis who are looking to establish a Fourth Reich. Pacino earned a Golden Globe nomination for his work as a philanthropist with a shadowy past who funds the titular group’s activities.

7. The Wonder Years

This coming-of-age comedy drama, with its voiceover narration and sickly-sweet view of teenage life in late 60s and early 70s America, was a hit with nostalgia junkies in several countries on its debut in 1988. The Princess Bride star Fred Savage plays Kevin, whose awkward dealings with his crush Winnie (Danica McKellar) struck a chord with so many viewers.

6. Endeavour

This prequel series to the hit British detective show Inspector Morse was just as successful as its more well-known predecessor, and straddled the late 60s and early 70s. Featuring Shaun Evans as a younger Endeavour Morse, and Roger Allam (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) as Morse’s grizzled boss, Season 9 of Endeavour debuted earlier this year.

5. Daisy Jones and the Six

This miniseries premiered on Prime Video in March. Riley Keough stars as the titular singer who gets a band together in 1970s Los Angeles and conquers the music world; the series, which is told partly in a mock-documentary fashion, charts the band’s rise and fall and garnered three Emmy nominations in major categories for its troubles.

4. Quarry

This overlooked gem debuted on Cinemax in 2016. Logan Marshall-Green stars as a former U.S. Marine who, traumatized by his time fighting in the Vietnam War, struggles to reintegrate into society on returning home, and finds himself drawn into a world of crime. Despite a positive critical response, the series was cancelled in 2017.

3. A Very English Scandal

Jeremy Thorpe was a dashing, well-liked politician in 1970s Britain – until rumors of a murder plot against Thorpe’s alleged gay lover came to the attention of the press, and resulted in a lurid court case. Hugh Grant does excellent work in this BBC drama as Thorpe, while Ben Whishaw won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for his work as Thorpe’s former associate.

2. Mrs. America

Hulu’s 2020 series told the story behind the unsuccessful campaign to enshrine equal pay for women in America via the Equal Rights Amendment. With an excellent ensemble cast including Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, and Tracey Ullman among others, the Emmy-winning series received widespread critical acclaim.

1. That ‘70s Show

That ‘90s Show’s older forebear was a long-running hit for Fox, and made household names of Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis among others. The sitcom detailing the lives of six teenagers living in 1970s Wisconsin was a ratings winner from 1998 to 2006; look out also for regular appearances from the likes of Kurtwood Smith and Lisa Robin Kelly.