The television set served as a second classroom for Generation X, and several children’s programs from that era played a formative role in the lives of viewers. The ’70s were the decade when that arrangement went mainstream. The Electric Company, ABC Afterschool Specials, Schoolhouse Rock!, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and Sesame Street all ran during that time, and they stayed with the generation that grew up watching them. Now a ranking has identified these five shows as the ones that did the most to teach all of us Xers.
This ranking is drawn from a piece called “5 Classic ’70s Kids Shows That Helped Educate Generation X.”, which leans on recollections, popular culture references, and the plain truth that these series stayed with viewers long after they had stopped watching. What the list shows, and what it means, is worth examining.
The Electric Company’s Screaming Voice
The Children’s Television Workshop created “The Electric Company”, which first appeared on television in 1971. It was designed for children who had moved beyond Sesame Street, targeting older elementary school students with material more suited to their age group. Over its run, the show spanned six seasons and produced an impressive total of 780 episodes.
The show’s introduction left an impression. Every episode began with a disembodied voice screaming “Hey you guyyyyyyyyyys!”, a shout-out that appeared again in The Goonies. The cast brought together Rita Moreno, Bill Cosby, and Morgan Freeman, alongside actors with theater and improv backgrounds. The program aimed its humor and theatrical performances at elementary school students, and the approach succeeded.
The Tom Lehrer song “Silent E” was a favorite among the songs about grammar that took up much of the show. The recurring sketches also stood out: two people would stare at each other, each sounding out a part of a word before saying it together in unison. It all added up to making learning about reading look like a groovy adventure for viewers.
ABC Afterschool Specials Tackle Taboo Topics
The ’70s were not all light entertainment. Certain subjects were too weighty, or too sensitive, for teachers and guardians to address head-on. That is where the “ABC Afterschool Specials” series found its niche. It began in 1972 and ran through the ’90s, with each episode functioning as a short film that handled subjects schools and parents avoided.
Each episode dealt with a peril facing children:
- marijuana use
- teen pregnancy
- assault
- running away from home
The show gave scores of future stars their start, among them Rob Lowe, who played a teen fighting to win custody of his child in “Schoolboy Father.”. Michelle Pfeiffer and Val Kilmer co-starred in “One Too Many”, a story about the dangers of drunk driving.
On purpose, the writing was overdone. Watching them now barely holds back laughter, yet they were as serious as children’s programming could manage back then. They turned into a useful tool for parents who did not know exactly how to bring these issues up. A parent sitting down and watching an episode with a child made the child realize it had to be serious business.
Schoolhouse Rock Went Viral Before the Term Existed
An idea that began simply to assist the son of an advertising executive in memorizing his multiplication tables eventually grew into one of the most recognizable educational programs of all time. Schoolhouse Rock started life as a plan that never expected to become a TV show, and its first season was devoted entirely to single-digit multiplication. That was followed by a season of grammar lessons, including “Conjunction Junction,” which virtually every child of the ’70s could probably still sing on demand even today.
Subsequent seasons turned to science and American history, teaching audiences what became of that solitary old bill left sitting on Capitol Hill. Every episode amounted to a music video pairing catchy songs with animated figures. Its popularity proved lasting, and it has found its way into classrooms across the country for decades, introducing later generations to the same catchy songs we grew up with.
The revival came twice, in the ’90s and again in the 2000s, yet the newer episodes failed to match the endurance of the original videos. It is the original Schoolhouse Rock that continues to define the genre.
Mister Rogers Made Us Feel Better About Ourselves
The lessons on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood were delivered in a quiet, unassuming manner that made them memorable. They addressed being a good friend, embracing diversity, and handling difficult feelings. Over many years, Mister Rogers helped numerous generations of children improve their self-image through teachings that endured long after they were first presented.
Though not all lessons succeeded, even Rogers had a few of his shows placed on a list of episodes banned following public reaction. The program began its run in Canada in the ’60s, yet it wasn’t until Rogers moved to Pittsburgh and brought the show to America that it truly gained popularity. Over its run, the show spanned a total of 31 seasons and generated more than 900 episodes, counting both regular installments and specials.
Fred Rogers always looked right at the camera during each episode, which made it feel like he was talking only to you, personally. His curiosity about how things came into being, what work people did, and what they thought about life was endless. That curiosity drew us in, too. Not many people can make children care about how crayons are produced in a factory, but Fred Rogers could.
Sesame Street Set the Standard
The show first aired in 1969, and it continues to produce fresh episodes right up to the present day. It has set the benchmark for every other program aimed at teaching children.
Sesame Street built its lessons on showing rather than telling, kept things light with humor, and never treated viewers as if they were beneath it. It ran for decades, and its reach extended well past the borders of the United States.
What These Shows Got Right
The success of these programs rested on a single idea: education does not need to be dull. The Electric Company turned grammar lessons into songs set to bright colors. ABC Afterschool Specials handled weighty subjects with care, though the writing sometimes leaned too heavily on moralizing. Schoolhouse Rock transformed multiplication and grammar into tunes that stuck in listeners’ heads. Mister Rogers approached personal growth as a friendly conversation. Sesame Street presented learning as play.
Five shows from the ’70s prove that era was a golden age for educational television. Each taught something different: government, math, grammar, friendship, and danger. They delivered these lessons with humor, sincerity, and confidence that children could handle the truth.
This ranking serves as a reminder of how much television has changed since its inception. Each of these shows was devoted to its mission, and they succeeded in educating us while doing so.
A Ranking Worth Remembering
Each show earned its place through its staying power and impact. The Electric Company’s cast and groovy style made it a favorite. ABC Afterschool Specials tackled difficult subjects with surprising seriousness. Schoolhouse Rock! turned lessons into songs that stayed with viewers for decades. Mister Rogers offered warmth and honesty in a way that felt rare. Sesame Street simply set the standard for everything that followed.
These shows from the ’70s were a strange and wonderful time for children’s television era were strange, daring, and entertaining, and they succeeded in teaching us things too.
See the video the story is built around at Tvline.
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