Discover the most popular TV show the year you were born

American actor, director and writer Alan Alda in the driving seat of a jeep, surrounded by Loretta Swit and other cast members of the hit television show M.A.S.H, in costume as members of a US Army medical corp. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

1974: M*A*S*H

M*A*S*H is arguably one of the most popular army-related television shows in American history, and one of the most celebrated television series in history in general. The series was part of an entire franchise including a film, television spin-offs, novels, and more, and the show is still being aired in reruns to this day. The show was a spin-off of the 1970 feature film (which was based on the novel) MASH. The show ran from 1972 until 1983, and was a comedy about a group of characters in the army who served at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M*A*S*H) during the Korean War.

Though the show was a comedy, it focused on doctors and nurses, and often had to get a little more serious to show some of the casualties of the war. Though there were many spin-offs — and the show itself was a spin-off of a film, which was based on a novel — the TV show was arguably the most successful and popular piece of media in the entire franchise. The show ranked highest in the ratings in 1974, when it was #4.

The show won many awards over the years, including eight Golden Globes. Their Globe wins include multiple for Alan Alda — who played Hawkeye — as well as several Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical wins. The show also racked up an impressive amount of Emmy nominations through the years, and yet again, Alan Alda took home some trophies, and so did Loretta Swit, who played Margaret Houlihan. Alda even took home an Emmy for directing an episode of the series in 1977.