Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday and the launch of our annual holiday contest! Seeing as we just left the 1970s (again) on this blog, I thought it would be fun now to reveal my top five favorite sitcom seasons — e.g., RHODA (S2), BARNEY MILLER (S4), etc. — of each TV year between 1970-’71 and 1979-’80, based on the shows we’ve covered so far on Sitcom Tuesdays and Wildcard Wednesdays. So, this year’s contest is about guessing my answers before I share them next week. Interested? Here are the official rules of the game. (Read them!)

1. The contest begins NOW and closes at 12:00 PM EST on Tuesday, December 21. Leave all your guesses in the comment section of this post. I will respond in receipt of your response. The results, along with my selections, will be posted in next week’s Wildcard Wednesday, and I will also go back and score your answers here.
2. You are guessing my top five favorite sitcom seasons per TV year in the 1970s, based on what we’ve covered. Use the template below (EXHIBIT C), while considering the options available for each season (EXHIBIT A). 
3. Keep in mind that the answers under each annual heading are ranked. That is, I’m asking you to not only guess my five favorite sitcom seasons from 1970-’71; you should also try guessing my top favorite, second favorite, third favorite, fourth favorite, and fifth favorite from that year… in order. See the example below (EXHIBIT B). 
4. In terms of scoring, every correct answer but in the wrong placement gets two points. Every correct answer in the right placement gets five points, with the exception of my #1 favorite season per TV year — getting that answer correct, in the correct spot, gets 10 points. (Also — if you get all five answers in a TV year correct but they’re not all in the correct order, I will boost your score for that section to give you a minimum of 15, assuming you’re not already higher. It’s the “scrambled special.”) So, your maximum possible score is 30 points x 10 years or 300 points total. The person with the highest score wins. (If you’re confused about scoring, check out EXHIBIT B below.)
5. Everyone who participates and gets a minimum of 40/300 points will receive the opening prize — access to five of my favorite episodes from one of the currently unreleased sitcoms on my list. I think you’ll want these!
6. Anyone who scores 150/300 points or more will receive access to an entire season from the same currently unreleased sitcom on my list.
7. The person with the highest score will receive access to all of the above PLUS the 1979 SOAP Retrospective. (This is super rare!)
8. This game is for subscribers only. Please subscribe to this blog in order to play.
9. I will answer any question you have about the rules, but no specifics about the answers.
10. Below are the three exhibits referenced above. Please consult them!

EXHIBIT A – Here are all the sitcom seasons in contention for each TV year from the 1970s. They’re listed by the order in which I covered them — all official Sitcom Tuesday options first, then the Wildcard possibilities after. (HINT: Not every sitcom formally covered here on Tuesdays made my selections, but at least two Wildcard options did.)

EXHIBIT B – Here is an example of how your guesses will be scored, using three hypothetical years from the 1960s. You’ll see my answers, followed by the sample guesses, scored with 10 pts, 5 pts, 2 pts, or 0 pts each. If you have questions about this, ask below!

EXHIBIT C – Here is a template you can use for your guesses. Copy, paste, and submit below!

1970-1971

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1971-1972

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1972-1973

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1973-1974

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1974-1975

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1975-1976

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1976-1977

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1977-1978

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1978-1979

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1979-1980

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

 

Lastly, I just want to say that it’s been over six years since I first discussed many of these shows, and my thoughts have evolved. In fact, I went back in 2021 and revisited most of the options above so I could make honest choices, particularly for a ranking. My answers reflect where I stand today on every series in relation to each other, and while I don’t think there are any curveballs, please know that there’s no science to how you should go about guessing — posts from 2015 will only tell you so much. If anything, consider topics that have come up in my recent work and go with your gut, based both on episodic samples and overall seasonal quality. (I’ve factored in both when making my choices.) To that point, remember that not all TV years are created equally; that is, the standards for 1976-’77 are higher than 1977-’78, given the competition, so be sure to consider that as well. (In another example, just because the third season of The Andy Griffith Show is a big improvement over the second doesn’t necessarily mean I would rank it higher in its respective TV year, for 1962-’63 is a more competitive space than 1961-’62!) And most importantly, have fun! As long as you get 20 answers right (not even in the right order), you’ll earn a great prize as a show of gratitude. Happy guessing! 

 

 

Come back next week for a new Wildcard! And stay tuned Monday for a new musical rarity!