11. Bewitched (1964-1972): Probably the most popular of all the “fantasy sitcoms” that filled the US network schedules in the early and mid-1960’s (and definitely the best of the bunch), “Bewitched” told the story of mortal ad executive Darrin Stevens, who meets and marries beautiful Samantha, only to learn on their honeymoon night that she’s a witch. “Bewitched” was blessed with some of the best special effects of the period, solid scripts (at least in the first few seasons), and wonderful chemistry between stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York. Montgomery (the daughter of movie and television actor Robert Montgomery) proved to be a talented actress, making us believe she was indeed a witch. And York--the first, the best, the eternal Darrin Stevens (sorry, Dick Sargent)--was her perfect match; their on-screen chemistry made us believe they loved each other, and loved to love each other! In its first season, “Bewitched” was the second most-popular programme after NBC’s enduring “Bonanza” (the highest-ranked ABC series up to that time), and even with a change in Darrins, managed to keep its spell on viewers for eight seasons. “Bewitched” was a success because it had one foot planted in fantasy, the other in reality--and proved to be a great parody of the advertising world. Magic? No, just common sense.

12. Peyton Place (1964-1969): Until “Peyton Place,” continuing dramas were largely a staple of daytime television. ABC gambled that viewers would follow a similar show in prime time. Based on the best-selling 1956 novel by Grace Metalious (which also spawned a hit movie), “Peyton Place” dealt with the dealings--sexual and otherwise--in a small New England town. It would be considered tame today, but such topics as illegitimate children, abortion and sexual affairs shocked critics. Viewers lapped it up. ABC aired “PP” twice a week and both episodes landed in the top ten during the first season. ABC then expanded to three days a week, but for a prime time show it was overkill; “Peyton Place” ended its run in 1969. Along the way, the show made stars out of young actors Ryan O’Neal and Mia Farrow. The lessons of “Peyton Place” were not forgotten in 1978 when CBS launched “Dallas”--and made prime time soaps a hit again.

13. ABC Movie Of The Week (1969-1975): ABC was not the first US network to air movies especially made for television. That distinction goes to NBC, which aired the first made-for-TV flick, “See How They Run” with John Forsythe in October 1964. But ABC was the first to give the new genre a weekly showcase. “Movie Of The Week” was in a way a throwback to the dramatic anthologies of the 1950’s, except these were filmed 90-minute programmes--not live--featuring television’s biggest stars. Viewers loved them; some of the films even served as pilots for regular series. The success of “MOW” prompted ABC to air TV movies that really were distinctive--the sentimental 1971 male bonding film “Brian’s Song,” for instance; and 1972’s “That Certain Summer,” the first US television film to deal with homosexuality. By 1974, ABC had three nights of made-for-TV films a week. It proved to be overkill. A year later, ABC ended the “Movie Of The Week” format and incorporated its made-for-TV films with theatrical pictures on designated movie nights. The TV movie lives on--not just on the broadcast networks, but on cable outlets. And these days, the best from the small screen can rival anything at your local multiplex.

14. Marcus Welby, MD (1969-1976): David Victor, the producer who brought “Dr. Kildare” to television in 1961, created this medical series about an older family physician and his young colleague in a Santa Monica, California practice. By mixing the differences between seasoned doctor Marcus Welby (Robert Young) and brash newcomer Steven Kiley (played by James Brolin), with then-topical subjects (abortion, drug addiction, sexually transmitted diseases and such), “Welby” clicked with viewers. Young brought his firm and kindly persona of Jim Anderson in the family comedy “Father Knows Best” to his portrayal of the old fashioned doctor--and became the first to win Emmy awards for starring roles on two different series. (Ironically, the producers didn’t think Young was right for the role of Welby; he had to audition to prove his point.) Another reason for the show’s success was scheduling--it aired against a CBS news hour (which included a low-rated newsmagazine called “60 Minutes”) and a mixture of movies and specials on NBC. By 1970, “Marcus Welby, MD” became the most popular show on television, the first time an ABC series held that position. Even though newer medical dramas such as “St. Elsewhere” and “ER” are more in tune with reality, “Welby” succeeded because deep down, we still wanted a doctor who knew best.

15. Happy Days (1974-1984): This long-running sitcom set in the 1950’s began as a pilot episode that aired on ABC’s anthology series “Love, American Style” in February 1972. A year later, its star Ron Howard appeared in the smash nostalgia film “American Graffiti”, prompting the network to revive the “Happy Days” pilot and air the series as a midseason replacement in early 1974. At a time when “All In The Family” and “Sanford & Son” brought controversy to US comedies, “Happy Days” seemed to be a throwback to the era it celebrated. But viewers began warming up to the antics of the Cunningham family and the leather jacketed dropout Fonzie (Henry Winkler), who became the main attraction. By 1976, “Happy Days” was television’s top-rated show and helped propel ABC past CBS and NBC for the first time ever. Three years later its spinoffs “Laverne & Shirley” and “Mork & Mindy,” along with the short-lived comedy “Angie” joined “Happy Days” in television’s top five--a coup for Gary Marshall, who produced all four shows. But whatever happened to Chuck, the Cunningham’s college-age son who was seen occasionally in the first year or so (played by two different actors), and was never heard from again? The producers decided with the Fonz around, Richie Cunningham didn’t need an older brother. Marshall later wrote in his autobiography that when anyone asked about Chuck, he would tell the curious that Chuck won a 12-year basketball scholarship--to the University of Outer Mongolia! So now you know.

16. Roots (1977): Britain’s “Forsythe Saga” was the first “miniseries” to catch on in the US (although it aired on public television and was seen by a relatively small number of viewers). ABC tried the format as well, and found success with its own multi-part series such as “Rich Man, Poor Man”. But no one expected the tremendous response when millions of viewers tuned into ABC to watch what was billed as “the saga of an American family”. Based on Arthur Haley’s best-selling work, ABC executives were uncertain if “Roots” would find an audience--especially at a time when the network was dominating prime time. It was left to Entertainment President Fred Silverman to schedule the mini-series over eight consecutive nights, so it would do the least damage to the schedule. The only ones who suffered damage were executives at rivals CBS and NBC. Over 100 million viewers tuned into the conclusion of “Roots,” which traced the saga of Haley’s African-American family from slavery until the civil war. (A sequel, “Roots: The Next Generation”, traced Haley’s family from the 1880’s through the 1960’s.) “Roots” was well-written and featured fine performances from some of America’s best black actors and actresses. Pundits at the time were wrong in one respect: “Roots” did not open the door to more serious works about African-Americans in US prime time. But it did lead to more US mini-series that were nearly as successful-- “Holocaust”; “Shogun”; “The Winds Of War”; “The Thorn Birds” and “Lonesome Dove”. And it took “the saga of an American family” to pave the way.

17. ABC News Nightline (1980-Present): For much of ABC’s history, news wasn’t a priority; the network was considered an also-ran behind NBC and CBS. But when ABC finally became the prime time leader, it began devoting resources to improve the news operation. The first step was to appoint Sports President Roone Arledge as head of ABC News. He immediately began spending money for new equipment and more staff; abolished the single-anchor format for a time with “World News Tonight”; and came up with his own successful news magazine, “20/20.” But the crown jewel of ABC News is the late-night programme “Nightline.” When the Iranian hostage crisis began in November 1979, ABC News took over the 11:30 PM slot usually reserved for movie and series reruns, to present updates of the situation. Eventually, veteran reporter Ted Koppel began anchoring these nightly specials, known as “America Held Hostage”. He began delving into why the crisis happened, and gave viewers a lesson in Middle Eastern politics with in-depth reporting and live interviews. Several months later, the show was renamed “Nightline”; with Koppel as permanent host, the show began to cover other topics. “Nightline” proved that viewers would accept a news programme in the late night hours. It also helped make ABC a credible force in broadcast news, occasionally beating NBC’s venerable “Tonight Show”. It’s no wonder CBS’ David Letterman didn’t want to jump ship to ABC and be blamed for “Nightline’s” demise. A wise decision, considering how engrained the show has become with viewers who want to know what’s going on in the world.

18. Dynasty (1981-1989): Television producer Aaron Spelling played a major role in shaping ABC’s prime time schedule, by providing new series just about every year since the mid-1960’s--"The Mod Squad"; "The Rookies"; "Family"; “Charlie’s Angels”, “The Love Boat” and “Fantasy Island”. His next target was the prime time continuing drama, which became a staple thanks to the tremendous success of CBS’ “Dallas”. Spelling’s version was originally called “Oil” before it underwent a name change and began focusing on the family affairs (sexual and otherwise) of a rich Denver, Colorado clan. But unlike the more conventional “Dallas,” “Dynasty” was pure escapism with over-the-top plots, larger-than-life acting and a glamorous, expensive sheen--just right for the “go-go” Reagan era. Men admired John Forsythe’s Blake Carrington; women adored the clothing and jewels the beautiful Linda Evans wore as Blake’s young wife Krystle. And everyone loved to hate the oversexed, greedy Alexis--played with glee by Joan Collins, as only Joan could. By 1985, “Dynasty” knocked “Dallas” off the top of the ratings. But the triumph was short-lived, as the show became increasingly unbelievable even by “Dynasty” standards. (Some would say the moment it “jumped the shark”--or turned unwatchable--was the 1985 shooting during a wedding in Moldavia.) “Dynasty” soon lost viewers, not helped by ABC’s insistence that Spelling create a spinoff; “The Colbys” barely lasted for two seasons. By 1989, ABC pulled the plug on the Carrington clan, leaving Spelling without a prime time series on the network for the first time in years. Spelling would later work his magic with the newer Fox and WB networks (“Beverly Hills, 90210”; “Melrose Place”; “Seventh Heaven”; “Charmed”). But “Dynasty” is now considered a true artefact of an era when nothing succeeded like excess.

19. Moonlighting (1985-1989): When it was good, ”Moonlighting” was a tribute to the Howard Hawks films of the 1930’s and 40’s, where the characters talked at high speed and the main characters had a simmering passion. Created by Glen Gordon Caron, it was the story of former beauty queen Maddie Hayes (Cybil Shepherd) who got ripped off by her business manager; the “Blue Moon Detective Agency” was one of her few assets. Fearing the agency’s closure, cock-sure and handsome David Addison (newcomer Bruce Willis) managed to con Maddie into keeping the “Blue Moon” going. The pair became an unlikely private eye team, helped and sometimes hindered by the rhyming receptionist Agnes Dipesto (played by the wonderful Allyce Beasley). “Moonlighting” also succeeded because it broke the “fourth wall”--the characters never let the audience forget they were watching a television series! But behind the scenes, there was tension between the stars and the creator; production was so slow that Caron could provide fewer episodes per season than the average series. (That led to endless reruns, which made neither viewers nor ABC executives happy.) But Caron’s biggest mistake in retrospect was giving in to viewer demand that Maddie and David “hit the sheets” and end their endless sexual tension. The show was never the same after that point. By the final season, Caron was off the show; Willis was itching for a movie career after the success of “Die Hard”; and Shepherd was tired of it all. Few viewers even cared; “Moonlighting” was history by May 1989. It was not the first time backstage turmoil ended a series; it wouldn’t be the last.

20. Roseanne (1988-1997): If ABC made the mistake of passing on such comedies as “All In The Family” and “The Cosby Show” during its history, it was wise to snap up this blue-collar sitcom when NBC executives turned it down. Roseanne (whether she was Roseanne Barr, Roseanne Arnold or just plain Roseanne) was a true original--a self-proclaimed “domestic goddess” who didn’t really care about housework, raising children or her husband. Or so she claimed. “Roseanne” was everything a US sitcom was not--the story of a lower-middle-class couple in the town of Lanford, Illinois, trying to keep their heads above water financially while raising three children. Yes, Roseanne was a terror behind the scenes, firing producers and writers just about every season. (All that turmoil in sexist Hollywood would be admired from a man, but when a woman did it, she was called certain names.) But the staff upheavals resulted in sharp, true-to-life comedy that millions of people could identify with. (For all of Roseanne’s talent, attention must be paid to the wonderful John Goodman, who brought dignity to his role of Dan Conner; ditto Laurie Metcalf as Roseanne’s troubled and relationship-challenged sister Jackie, and Sara Gilbert as “dark” and sardonic daughter Darlene.) Only when Roseanne tried to bring the show upscale in its final years (having the family win the lottery and bringing in guest star after guest star) did she misread her audience. But at its best--and there were many episodes that were wonderful--”Roseanne” proved that ordinary folks could create extraordinary comedy. She also paved the way for other standup comics to make the transition from the nightclub stage to a television series--Tim Allen (“Home Improvement”); Brett Butler (“Grace Under Fire”); Ellen DeGeneres (“Ellen”)--and of course Jerry Seinfeld. That may have been the true legacy of Roseanne--and “Roseanne.”