Classic TV Ratings and Rankings: 1958-59 Season

Two common themes are what characterize the 1958-59 season. More Westerns and Game Show scandals.

The game show scandals started with DOTTO, when a contestant filed a complaint with that show's sponsor. The sponsor pulled its sponsorship from both the Primetime and Daytime versions of the show and it was dropped by NBC and CBS, respectively.

Soon after, the crap was hitting the fan as The $64,000 QUESTION, TWENTY ONE and THE $64,000 CHALLENGE were hit with charges. All the shows were eventually dropped that fall.

To compensate, the networks added more and more TV westerns. Now 8 of the top 10 programs are westerns and half of the top 30 shows are set in the mid-1800's. This was the Golden age of the western genre. Great classics like GUNSMOKE, MAVERICK, THE RIFLEMAN and WAGON TRAIN are all hit tv series.

It is the westerns that help ABC compete against NBC and CBS. The "#3 network" has a record seven top 30 programs, all are westerns. it is almost equal to NBC. CBS is still king, but this is the first time all three networks are this close to each other.

Top 30 Network Programs by household ratings

(43.95 million television homes)

1. Gunsmoke (CBS) - 39.6
2. Wagon Train (NBC) - 36.1
3. Have gun-Will Travel (CBS) - 34.3
4. The Rifleman (ABC) - 33.1
5. The Danny Thomas Show (CBS) - 32.6
6. Maverick (ABC) - 30.4
7. Tells of Wells Fargo (NBC) - 30.2 
8. The Real McCoys (ABC) - 30.1
9. I've Got a Secret (CBS) - 29.8
10. Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (ABC) - 29.1
11. The Price is Right (NBC) - 28.6
12. The Red Skelton Show (CBS) - 28.5
13. Father Knows Best (CBS) - 28.3
14. Dick Powell's Zane Theater (CBS) - 28.3

15. The Texan (CBS) - 28.2 
16. Peter Gunn (NBC) - 28.0 
17. Wanted: Dead Or Alive (CBS) - 28.0
18. Cheyenne (ABC) - 27.9
19. Perry Mason (CBS) - 27.5
20. The Ford Show w/ Tennessee Ernie Ford (NBC) - 27.2
21. The Perry Como Show (NBC) - 27.0
22. The Ann Southern Show (CBS) 27.0
23. Sugarfoot (ABC) - 27.0
24. Alfred Hitchcock Presents (CBS) - 26.8
25. General Electric Theater (CBS) - 26.7
26. Name That Tune (CBS) - 26.7
27. Lawman (ABC) - 26.0 
28. Rawhide (CBS) - 25.9
29. This is Your Life (NBC) - 25.8
30. The Millionaire (CBS) - 25.6