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Nielsen Ratings/Historic/Network Television by Season/1950s
From The TV IV
This is a listing of the average top shows for seasons in the 1950s.
Contents |
1950–1951 Season
Top 20 shows (ranked by total viewers)
- Texaco Star Theater
- Fireside Theatre
- Philco Television Playhouse
- Your Show of Shows
- Colgate Comedy Hour
- Gillette Cavalcade of Sports
- The Lone Ranger
- Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
- Hopalong Cassidy
- Mama
- Robert Montgomery Presents
- Martin Kane, Private Eye
- Man Against Crime
- Kraft Television Theatre
- The Toast of the Town
- Aldrich Family
- You Bet Your Life
- Arthur Godfrey & His Friends
- Armstrong Circle Theatre
- Lights Out
1951–1952 Season
Top 20 shows (ranked by total viewers)
- Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
- Texaco Star Theater
- I Love Lucy
- The Red Skelton Show
- The Colgate Comedy Hour
- Arthur Godfrey & His Friends
- Fireside Theatre
- Your Show of Shows
- The Jack Benny Show
- You Bet Your Life
- Mama
- Philco Television Playhouse
- Amos 'n' Andy
- Gangbusters
- Big Town
- Goodyear Television Playhouse
- Pabst Blue Ribbon Bouts
- The Lone Ranger
- Gillette Cavalcade of Sports
- All Star Revue
1952–1953 Season
Top 20 shows (ranked by total viewers)
- I Love Lucy
- Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
- Arthur Godfrey & His Friends
- Dragnet
- Texaco Star Theatre
- The Buick Circus Hour
- The Colgate Comedy Hour
- Gangbusters
- You Bet Your Life
- Fireside Theatre
- The Red Buttons Show
- The Jack Benny Show
- Life with Luigi
- Pabst Blue Ribbon Bouts
- Goodyear Television Playhouse
- The Life of Riley
- Philco Television Playhouse
- Mama
- Your Show of Shows
- What's My Line?
- Strike It Rich
1953-1954 Season
Top 20 shows (ranked by total viewers)
- I Love Lucy
- Dragnet
- Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
- You Bet Your Life
- The Bob Hope Show
- The Buick-Berle Show
- Arthur Godfrey & His Friends
- Ford Theatre
- The Jackie Gleason Show
- Fireside Theatre
- The Colgate Comedy Hour
- This Is Your Life
- The Red Buttons Show
- The Life of Riley
- Our Miss Brooks
- Treasury Men in Action
- All Star Revue
- The Jack Benny Program
- Gillette Cavalcade of Sports
- Philco Television Playhouse
1954-1955 Season
Top 20 shows (ranked by total viewers)
- I Love Lucy
- The Jackie Gleason Show
- Dragnet
- You Bet Your Life
- Toast of the Town
- Disneyland
- The Bob Hope Show
- The Jack Benny Program
- The Martha Raye Show
- The George Gobel Show
- Ford Theatre
- December Bride
- The Buick-Berle Show
- This Is Your Life
- I've Got a Secret
- Two for the Money
- Your Hit Parade
- The Millionaire
- General Electric Theater
- Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
1955-1956 Season
Top 20 shows (ranked by total viewers)
- $64,000 Question
- I Love Lucy
- The Ed Sullivan Show
- Disneyland
- The Jack Benny Program
- December Bride
- You Bet Your Life
- Dragnet
- I've Got a Secret
- General Electric Theater
- Private Secretary
- Ford Theatre
- The Red Skelton Show
- The George Gobel Show
- $64,000 Challenge
- Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
- The Lineup
- Shower of Stars
- The Perry Como Show
- The Honeymooners
1956-1957 Season
Top 20 shows (ranked by total viewers)
- I Love Lucy
- The Ed Sullivan Show
- General Electric Theater
- $64,000 Question
- December Bride
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents
- I've Got a Secret
- Gunsmoke
- The Perry Como Show
- The Jack Benny Program
- Dragnet
- Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
- The Millionaire
- Disneyland
- Shower of Stars
- The Lineup
- The Red Skelton Show
- You Bet Your Life
- The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp
- Private Secretary
1957-1958 Season
Top 20 shows (ranked by total viewers)
- Gunsmoke
- The Danny Thomas Show
- Tales of Wells Fargo
- Have Gun - Will Travel
- I've Got a Secret
- The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp
- General Electric Theater
- The Restless Gun
- December Bride
- You Bet Your Life
- The Perry Como Show
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents
- Cheyenne
- The Ford Show
- The Red Skelton Show
- The Gale Storm Show
- The Millionaire
- The Lineup
- This Is Your Life
- The $64,000 Question
1958-1959 Season
Top 20 shows (ranked by total viewers)
- Gunsmoke
- Wagon Train
- Have Gun - Will Travel
- The Rifleman
- The Danny Thomas Show
- Maverick
- Tales of Wells Fargo
- The Real McCoys
- I've Got a Secret
- The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp
- The Price Is Right
- The Red Skelton Show
- Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
- Father Knows Best
- The Texan
- Wanted: Dead or Alive
- Peter Gunn
- Cheyenne
- Perry Mason
- The Ford Show
1959-1960 Season
Top 20 shows (ranked by total viewers)
- Gunsmoke
- Wagon Train
- Have Gun - Will Travel
- The Danny Thomas Show
- The Red Skelton Show
- Father Knows Best
- 77 Sunset Strip
- The Price Is Right
- Wanted: Dead or Alive
- Perry Mason
- The Real McCoys
- The Ed Sullivan Show
- The Rifleman
- The Ford Show
- Lawman
- Dennis the Menace
- Cheyenne
- Rawhide
- Maverick
- The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp