Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.
[1] The Public Broadcasting Service was in operation, but the schedule was set by each local station.
Note: The NBC 1972 summer series Ponderosa consisted of reruns of Bonanza episodes from the 1967-1970 period.
More recent reruns of Bonanza also aired that summer under the show's original name in its regular Sunday evening time slot.
NBC Action Playhouse consisted of reruns from Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, with new introductions by Peter Marshall.