1970s in American television
Many prime-time programs of the 1970s were helmed by independent producers, often in association with a major Hollywood studio. A particularly successful independent producer at the dawn of the decade was Quinn Martin. Martin produced crime shows such as The Streets of San Francisco, Cannon, and Dan August. The latter show was a one-season cop series, starring an up-and-coming actor Burt Reynolds, that would find greater popularity after its star had hit it big at the cinema. Martin's success would fade during the last half of the decade. By the end of 1980, the former mega-producer would be left without a single prime-time network series on the air. As for other producers during the period, Norman Lear produced the socially relevant All in the Family as well as more innocuous fare such as One Day at a Time. Jack Webb, a holdover from previous decades, oversaw Adam-12 and Emergency!. Glen A. Larson produced a number of shows in association with Universal TV (McCloud, Switch, etc.), while David Gerber made a name for himself with such fare as Police Woman and Police Story. The latter was a one-hour anthology series with no series regulars. Among 1970s TV producers, was Aaron Spelling. He would go on to be perhaps, according to an article written by Michael Idato for The Sydney Morning Herald, "the most prolific producer in TV history." Like Quinn Martin, Spelling was known for producing crime dramas (S.W.A.T., Starsky & Hutch). Spelling also produced more escapist fare as represented by the likes of The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, and even the private-eye opus Charlie's Angels. There was also Family, a socially relevant hour-long series. It would win a number of Emmys during its four-year run. Spelling's success would continue well into the 1990s.