Ten TV Series That "Everybody" Watched Including Me: Carol Burnett Show (#1)

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This countdown has been cancelled. This is the series finale on my list of ten classic TV series that I helped making ratings successes. Of course, given my age during the original run of a lot of these shows, I didn't really count toward the ratings. Anyway, here's the show at the top of the list. #1: The Carol Burnett Show Harvey and Tim. Tim and Harvey. Bob Mackie's outstanding costumes. Went With the Wind! Oh, and did I mention Harvey and Tim, or Tim and Harvey? I grew up in the era of the variety show. They were throwbacks, of sorts, to the Vaudeville days, where you'd have skits, dancing, and music. If you're young you may have heard of a few of the names who had variety shows: Jackie Gleason, Dean Martin, Red Skelton, Johnny Cash, and Andy Williams. You've also probably heard of Hee Haw, one of the most popular variety shows in history. Then there was Carol Burnett. Her show was head and shoulders above the others, thanks to the incredible writers and her ensemble cast. Although people remember the hijinks between Harvey Korman (who was with the show at its inception) and Tim Conway (who was a guest for many years then joined the cast in the 70s), The Carol Burnett Show featured a skit called "Mama's Family," which spun off into a TV series. (That happened before, when a Jackie Gleason skit became one of the most iconic series in history: The Honeymooners.) A group of great actors who worked and laughed together for eleven years, inviting us along for the ride and the laughs. It was the final show on Saturday night on CBS, and it capped a marvelous night of TV in the most marvelous way imaginable. Tim Conway passed away earlier this year. Harvey Korman died in 2008. The laughs they left us will always be here. Thanks for reading. The Carol Burnett Show Aired on CBS 1967-1978 Harvey and Tim spoofing the "Bicentennial Minute" clips that CBS aired in 1975-76: