Guess the '60s show from a character description!

By: Olivia Cantor
Estimated Completion Time
8 min
Guess the '60s show from a character description!
Image: NBC

About This Quiz

So you think you know your TV characters, eh? Want to test your TV knowledge as far back as the 1960s? Then hop into our TV time machine and try to guess the ‘60s TV show where these characters came from!
The strangely mysterious and philosophically dystopian storytelling of Rod Serling’s sometimes sci-fi, sometimes dramedy creation featured characters and storylines that entered a "special dimension." Which TV show was this?
Marcus Welby MD
China Beach
The Wonder Years
The Twilight Zone
"The Twilight Zone" debuted in 1959 and lasted until 1964. It also had a 1980s revival and movie.

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This famous sci-fi show promised to “go where no man has gone before” with the leadership of dapper Captain James T. Kirk, who sometimes needed the help of his trusted multi-racial crew to pull them through. Which show was this?
My Favorite Martian
The Simpsons
Star Trek: The Original Series
"Star Trek: The Original Series" was on air from 1966 to 1969. Trekkies never let go!
Thunderbirds

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A bumbling first mate who was stranded on an island leads a pack of castaways with varying personalities that, in turn, leads to clashes and comedies. Which show was this?
Giligan’s Island
"Giligan’s Island" proved to be a popular formula. The wacky group produced misadventures from 1964 to 1967.
Blackbeard's Ghost
Little House on the Prairie
Survivor

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As their theme song said, they’re the “modern stone age family,” with often hardheaded Fred and more balanced wife, Wilma, leading the animated stone age pack. Which series was t​his?
Family Guy
The Flintstones
The Flintstones was a hit animated series that ran from 1960 to 1966. Surprisingly, primetime was a good slot for animated shows.
Robocop
The Jetsons

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A woman with three daughters marries a man with three sons. And the rest is a mix of characters and situations typical of a blended family. Which show was this?
Make Room for Daddy
The Many Lives of Dobie Gillis
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch ruled the airwaves from 1969 to 1974. As the kids grew, audiences grew with them.
Moonlighting

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Bruce Wayne gets spruced up for TV with the amiable Adam West portraying a billionaire with a dark and brooding past -- but his version was heroically fun. What superhero show is this?
The Flash
Superman
Batman
Adam West's "Batman" was a staple in TV in the '60s. The show ran from 1966 to 1968, but its legacy is timeless.
The Avengers

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“Meet George __,” their theme song begins. It refers to the sometimes wacky space-age family man who tries to run a futuristic household, but not without the daily domestic hitch. Which animated show was this?
The Mamas and the Papas
The Jetsons
Meet George Jetson in the animated series called The Jetsons. It ran from 1962 to 63.
The Doors
Laverne and Shirley

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The mixed marriage story trope gets funny and magical when a pretty witch named Samantha marries a straight-laced, middle-class​ man named Dick. Which show were they from?
Addams Family
Munsters
Bewitched
"Bewitched" was a huge '60s hit. It debuted in 1964 and ended its run in 1972.
Jetsons

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The secretary of this covert, high-skilled operative force will disavow any knowledge of their action should their wise and trusted leader, Jim Phelps, fail to successfully lead his team of agents in concluding their very, very difficult task at hand. Which show is this?
Hogan's Heroes
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible began airing in 1966 and ended in 1973, but it was rebooted in the 1980s. Lately, though, the reboots are on film, and very much identified with Tom Cruise starring in all of them.
Hawaii Five-O
The Avengers

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The dark, morbid, but also witty and funny escapades of this family are characterized by the dapper dad, Gomez, the seductively witchy mom, Morticia, the stoically secretive daughter, Wednesday, and the naive but destructive son, Pugsley. From which show did these characters come?
Newhart
Leave It To Beaver
The Addams Family
"The Addams Family" was a funny, macabre TV hit in the '60s. This iconic family was on air from 1964 to 1969, and has been a staple of pop culture imagery ever since -- especially during Halloween!
Dragnet

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A Frankenstein-looking father figure, Herman, tried to live a regular middle-class life with his equally supernatural-looking family members. Which show was this?
The Flintstones
The Munsters
"The Munsters" aired from 1964 to 1966. What a decade this was, to have such eclectic shows on TV!
The Jeffersons
The Jetsons

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A handsome astronaut uncorks a bottle inside which a genie had been trapped for some 2,000 years. From which fantasy show were these characters?
I Dream of Jeannie
"I Dream of Jeannie" aired in 1965. The show ended in 1970.
Lovely Day
Fraggle Rock
That '70s Show

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A young journalist tries to pass off a human-looking anthropologist alien from Mars as his uncle. That character and show pitch alone is a winner — and so was the TV show it spawned. What show was it?
The Moppet Show
V for Vendetta
Star Trek: The Next Generation
My Favorite Martian
"My Favorite Martian" aired from 1963 to 1966. It's another fish-out-of-water storyline that proved hilarious to TV audiences.

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Tropical climate-living detective Steve McGarrett authoritatively orders his men to “Book 'em!” when apprehending criminals and bad guys at the end of each action-packed episode. Which popular, long-running police show was this?
Perry Mason
Magnum PI
Hawaii Five-O
"Hawaii Five-O" began airing in 1968 and ran until 1980. A 2000s reboot also happened for the show, with newer characters transplanting them to today's storylines.
Cloak and Dagger

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A talking horse was the main character of a popular TV sitcom that aired in 1961. Which show was this?
Flipper
Lassie
Toy Story
Mister Ed
"Mister Ed" was a popular show for kids and adults alike -- if they liked talking horses. It aired from 1961 to 1966.

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Ranch patriarch Ben Cartwright deals with daily western life with a culturally mixed herd of sons from three different mothers of varying ancestry: English, Swedish, and French Creole. Which western show was this?
Bonanza
Bonanza began airing in 1959. But it proved to be a decade-plus hit, running throughout the 1960s, until its conclusion in 1973.
Rawhide
Gunsmoke
Slingers

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Legendary Hollywood actress Sally Field played a young nun who had the ability to take off and glide through the air in this offbeat sitcom with other offbeat characters. Which show was this?
Moonriver
The Flying Nun
The Flying Nun ran from 1967 to 1970. Who knew a petite nun who flies up in the air could become a huge hit?
I Love Lucy
The Honeymooners

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This rags-to-riches story is about country folks who strike it rich after discovering oil on their property, so they move to one of the most expensive real estate areas in Southern California. Which show was this?
Gomer Pyle
Have Gun, Will Travel
Get Smart
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies aired from 1962 to 1971. This classic show left an indelible mark in pop culture imagery as well.

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This rockin’ and rollin’ TV show was about the misadventures of a rock ’n’ roll band trying to make it big, and they’re played by a real-life rock ’n’ roll band that was already big during that era. Which TV show was this?
The Doors
The Monkees
"The Monkees" was a TV show that featured the band named "The Monkees." It aired from 1966 to 1968, capitalizing on the band's popularity at that time.
The Beatles
The Four Seasons

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This crime drama featured three young unlikely characters who worked as undercover detectives helping the authorities to solve various crimes happening around their city. And since they were a peace-loving hippie bunch, they went around unarmed. Which group was this?
The Reckless Squad
The Bomb Squad
21 Jumpstreet
The Mod Squad
"The Mod Squad" featured a female hippie, a long-haired rich guy rebel, and a low-income black man out to fight social injustices. The characterizations proved to be popular. The show aired from 1968 to 1973.

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"Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true.” So went the opening of this famous police show that was revived in the ‘60s, although its main character, LAPD detective Joe Friday, had been in existence in radio and during the ‘50s. Which crime drama was this?
Blues Brothers
Dragnet
"Dragnet" was actually on air during the 1950s. But it got a popular revival that ran from 1967 to 1970.
The Avengers
Starsky and Hutch

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International Rescue organization’s ex-astronaut founder, Jeff Tracy, led his humanitarian team to help people in this futuristic adventure acted out by animated marionettes. Which British-produced show was this?
Power Rangers
He-Man
Thunderbirds
And Thunderbirds are go! Sadly, it only aired from 1964 to 1966, but it became iconic, nonetheless.
Thundercats

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This comedy found a well-off New York City attorney hauling his socialite, glamorous wife out to a farm, to live a simpler life. Which sitcom was this?
Charlie's Angels
Green Acres
"Green Acres" starred Hollywood diva Eva Gabor and Eddie Albert. It aired from 1965 to 1971.
F Troop
McHale's Navy

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The central character of this middle-class suburban family sitcom is a mother. That was huge for a show that debuted during the tail end of the ‘50s but still garnered progressive ratings up to the late ‘60s. Which female-centric show is this?
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Donna Reed Show
Apparently, it was a thing to have your own show named after you, but you played a fictional character with fictional storylines. "The Donna Reed Show" was like that. It aired from 1958 to 1966.
The Andy Griffith Show
The Red Skelton Show

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John Steed was a secret agent of sorts who did spy stuff the British way, and he was always accompanied by fierce women, such as the leather-clad Dr. Cathy Gale. What is this famous British espionage show?
The Transformers
The X-Men
The Avengers
"The Avengers" was a very British show that aired from 1961 to 1969. It was made into a film decades later, featuring Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman -- and no, Thor and company are not there, either.
The Mob Squad

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This sitcom featured fictitious character Andy Taylor, an honest sheriff of a sleepy town somewhere in North Carolina. When his rational approach to law enforcement gets entangled with the bumbling efforts of his deputy, the laughter doesn't stop! Which show was this?
The Lucy Show
The Andy Griffith Show
"The Andy Griffith Show" featured Andy Griffith playing a fictional character. It ran from 1960 to 1968.
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Red Skelton Show

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This popular children’s show had a dolphin in a marine preserve as its “lead character,” and the humans who revolved around it provided the adventures and drama in its life. Which show was this?
Free Willy
Lassie
Flipper
"Flipper" was a popular show for both kids and adults. It ran from 1964 to 1967.
Mandinka

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This New York-set show features TV show writer Rob Petrie and the comedy in his life. Which show was this?
Trapper John MD
The Dick Van Dyke Show
It's "The Dick Van Dyke Show," but Dick is not playing a character named Dick. It ran from 1961 to 1966.
Desilu Show
The Haves and the Have Nots

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Legendary TV comedienne Lucille Ball reinvented herself during the ‘60s as a widowed New York mother trying to raise her kids in a house that also housed her good friend, Vivian, also a divorced mom who was raising a son. What wass this show called?
Lost Boys
The Brady Bunch Redux
Married With Children
The Lucy Show
"The Lucy Show" aired after "I Love Lucy" had already ended. This one featured Lucy without hubby Desi Arnaz, since they had already split up.

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Trail boss Gil Favor encountered occasional problems and situations brought on by various people involved in the western cattle drive trade, including a young cowboy played by Clint Eastwood. Which show was this?
Billy The Kid
Gunsmoke
Rawhide
"Rawhide" began airing in 1959, but it was popular all the way up to 1966. This was where a very young Clint Eastwood got his cowboy chops early on.
Young Guns

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Leave it to Hollywood to create a sitcom located in a World War II prisoner of war camp wherein the Allied prisoners, with the lead of the American soldiers, try to help the resistance against Hitler’s Germany. Which ambitious show was this?
Hogan’s Heroes
"Hogan’s Heroes" is indeed a sitcom set during a war, and in a POW camp at that! It aired from 1965 to 1971.
Get Smart
Adam-12
Taxi

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Comedy aboard a patrol torpedo boat used by military servicemen proved to be a humorous hit, as this World War II-set sitcom involved its commander and his crew of crazies. Which show was this?
Marcus Welby MD
McHale's Navy
"McHale’s Navy" might have an odd pitch for a TV series. However, it became popular and ran from 1962 to 1966.
Adam-12
My Three Sons

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In this show, a widow ran a hotel in a rural area and had three daughters named Betty Jo, Bobbie Jo, and Billie Jo. What show was this?
Little House on the Prairie
Green Acres
Petticoat Junction
"Petticoat Junction" was a rural-set hit. It aired from 1963 to 1970.
Anne of Green Gables

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A fierce, but handsome, neurosurgeon who later fell in love with a woman who just came out of a 15-year coma led this medical drama. What was this show's title?
Boston Public
Ben Casey
"Ben Casey" was an interesting show about a neurosurgeon, and it had a real-life one as a story adviser. The show aired from 1961 to 1966.
St. Elsewhere
The Good Doctor

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Another popular medical drama of the '60s starred Richard Chamberlain putting on his charm to play a doctor. The character was popular in print, film, and radio. Which show was this?
Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman
Doogie Howser MD
ER
Dr. Kildare
"Dr. Kildare" was actually a literary figure before being transitioned into a radio show and later, a TV series and film. The series ran from 1961 to 1966.

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