The Best Saturday Morning TV Shows From the 1970s

7. The Pink Panther

Originally created for the opening credits of the classic Peter Sellers’ comedy of the same name, The Pink Panther is Saturday morning’s original arthouse cartoon, starring a mute hero getting into jazzy hijinks while backed by Henry Mancini’s film score. In some way, shape, or form, the Pink Panther stayed on the air for a full decade before people realized that jazz sucks and cartoons need to talk.

8. Underdog

If there’s any character that a child can identify with, it’s Underdog, the little hero with a knockout right hook. He was sweet, he was overlooked, and he was always underestimated, some things most kids know backwards and forwards. The rhyming superhero spent his time saving his one true love, Polly Purebred, from the evils of local villains Simon Bar Sinister and Riff Raff. To this day, the cartoon is so beloved that fans are willing to forget 2007’s live action reboot ever happened.

9. Scooby’s All-Star Laff-A-Lympics

For a kid in the ’70s, Scooby’s All-Star Laff-A-Lympics was the equivalent of an adult at the time having the opportunity to watch a variety show starring the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. The 2-hour block of cartoons starred some of Hanna-Barbera’s most treasured animated creations like Captain Caveman, Dynomutt and more. The best segment, though, was the titular “Laff-A-Lympics,” which saw 45 of Hanna-Barbera’s characters duke it out in silly, Battle of the Network Stars-style mayhem.