Nielsen Top Ten, March 6th-19th, 1967

Here are the Top Ten programs from the 26th and 27th weeks of the 1966-1967 season according to the Nielsen ratings. I’m able to continue providing these lists thanks to a generous reader who would like to remain anonymous. Note that these aren’t the two-week combined NTI reports but the individual Top Ten lists for each week. Also of interest is the fact that during this period there were no specials, sporting events or movies in the Nielsen Top Ten, just regular weekly programming.

For the 26th week of the season, which ran Monday, March 6th, 1967 through Sunday, March 12th, 1967, CBS captured eight of the Top Ten slots in the Nielsens. NBC’s best performer was Bonanza, which ranked 4th, while ABC’s was The Lawrence Welk Show in eighth place.

## Program Net Rating
1. The Red Skelton Hour CBS 31.3
2. The Andy Griffith Show CBS 28.8
3. The Jackie Gleason Show CBS 27.1
4. Bonanza NBC 26.6
5. The Lucy Show CBS 25.7
6. Daktari CBS 25.3
7. Petticoat Junction CBS 24.0
8. The Lawrence Welk Show ABC 23.7
9. The Ed Sullivan Show CBS 23.5
10. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour CBS 23.4

For the 27th week of the season, which ran Monday, March 13th, 1967 through Sunday, March 19th, 1967, NBC did a little better, placing three shows in the Top Ten. ABC could only manage to place Bewitched tenth.

## Program Net Rating
1. The Red Skelton Hour CBS 29.5
2. The Andy Griffith Show CBS 28.6
3. The Dean Martin Show NBC 27.9
4. The Jackie Gleason Show CBS 27.1
5. The Wonderful World of Disney NBC 26.6
6. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour CBS 25.9
7. The Lucy Show CBS 24.9
  Daktari CBS 24.9
9. The Virginian NBC 24.7
10. Bewitched ABC 24.1

Look at all those titles in the form of “The BLANK Show” or “The BLANK Hour.” The Lawrence Welk Show, The Andy Griffith Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Dean Martin Show, the list goes on. And so many of them were comedy/variety. Was the 1966-1967 season the high water mark of the genre?


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One Reply to “Nielsen Top Ten, March 6th-19th, 1967”

  1. “BEWITCHED” improved its ratings by moving up a half-hour to 8:30pm(et) on Thursdays in January 1967 (seems as though the first half-hour of “THE CBS THURSDAY NIGHT MOVIES” at 9 edged it out a bit). “THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS COMEDY HOUR” certainly knocked the wind out of former “Top 5” ratings leader “BONANZA” on Sundays by mid-March. “THE LUCY SHOW” episode on March 6th was the one where guest star Sheldon Leonard appeared as “himself”, in his real-life role of “big time TV producer” (and Lucy believes he’s going to rob a bank!). ABC’s newly configured “second season” Thursday night schedule {“BATMAN’/”F TROOP”/’BEWITCHED”/”LOVE ON A ROOFTOP”/”THAT GIRL”/”ABC STAGE 67”} didn’t quite work out, as only three of the series returned in the fall [guess which three?].

    Yes, variety shows were quite common during 1966-’67; in fact, there was a different one every night at the start of the season:

    Sunday-
    “THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW” [CBS, 8pm]
    “THE GARRY MOORE SHOW” [CBS, 9pm]
    (he gave way to “THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS COMEDY HOUR” in January)
    “THE ANDY WILLIAMS SHOW” [NBC, 10pm]

    Monday-
    “THE ROGER MILLER SHOW” [NBC, 8:30pm]
    (“CAPTAIN NICE” replaced it in January)
    “PERRY COMO’S KRAFT MUSIC HALL” [NBC, 9pm]
    (it alternated with Kraft’s “family Western”, “THE ROAD WEST”, once a month)

    Tuesday-
    “THE RED SKELTON HOUR” [CBS, 8:30pm]

    Wednesday-
    “CHRYSLER PRESENTS A BOB HOPE SPECIAL” [NBC, 9pm]
    (like Como, Hope appeared about once a month, alternating with his filmed anthology, “BOB HOPE PRESENTS THE CHRYSLER THEATER”)
    “THE DANNY KAYE SHOW” [CBS, 10pm]

    Thursday-
    “THE DEAN MARTIN SHOW” [NBC, 10pm]

    Friday-
    “THE MILTON BERLE SHOW” [ABC, 9pm]
    (“Uncle Miltie ’66” signed off in January)

    Saturday-
    “THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW’ [CBS, 7:30pm]
    “THE LAWRENCE WELK SHOW” [ABC, 8:30pm]
    ‘THE HOLLYWOOD PALACE” [ABC, 9:30pm]

    Any questions?

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