Prior to Star Trek, what was...

[The Old Mixer]

Since I didn't get into Trek until the mid-80s, and I wasn't watching a lot of TV in general in those days, I'd have to say that the last show I'd watched with avid interest had been The Incredible Hulk in its original run.

 

[Push The Button]

Since there were only like 10 channels in our local area, we watched just about everything. Off the top of my head, some of my favorites, up thru 1980 or so:

The Twilight Zone
I Love Lucy
The Three Stooges
Hogan's Heroes
MASH
All In The Family
Happy Days

There were so many more. God, I wasted so much time watching TV, and have the poor eyesight and short attention span to prove it.

 

[Emperor Norton]

"Star Trek: The Next Generation"

I was born after the 80s. Not long after, but still.

 

[bazzo11]

Watched lots of Gerry Anderson before Star Trek as a kid, stuff like Fireball XL5, Supercar and so

 

[Captain Rob]

When I started watching tv back in the early 70's as a little kid. We only had five tv stations. So pickings where pretty slim.
My firsts were:
I Love Lucy
Time Tunnel
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Hogan's Heroes
MASH (first run)

We didn't get Star Trek until the first UHF station came online in the mid 70's.

 

[Joanna McCoy-Kirk]

I started watching Trek in the mid-70s when TOS began syndication airings in our area. I guess my favorite shows before then were such 70s sitcoms as All in the Family and Mary Tyler Moore, plus Sonny and Cher's variety show.

 

[J.T.B.]

Emergency!, Batman and The Lone Ranger reruns (early 1970s). I mainly liked Batman because of the car, really.

 

[drt]

My favorite show before Star Trek as a kid was Emergency (oddly enough, last month I met the doctor that was responsible for instititing paramedics as a profession, and who served as the technical advisor to that show).

 

[NTRPRZ]

Even early on, I gravitated toward science fiction. Before Trek, my absolute favorite show was Lost in Space. I still enjoy it, though I do cringe a bit now and then. I also enjoyed The Outer Limits, My Favorite Martian and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, plus the Time Tunnel. Never really got into Land of the Giants.
Probably my favorite non-scifi show was Clayton Moore's Lone Ranger. Stories and special effects have gotten better, but there'll never be another Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels.

 

[J.T.B.]

Probably my favorite non-scifi show was Clayton Moore's Lone Ranger. Stories and special effects have gotten better, but there'll never be another Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels.

That's for sure. As a kid I hated it when a John Hart episode came around, it just wasn't the same.

 

[Maurice]

Batman. I remember it as far back as 1970. Lost In Space and Get Smart, too.

 

[Melakon]

Probably my favorite non-scifi show was Clayton Moore's Lone Ranger. Stories and special effects have gotten better, but there'll never be another Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels.

That's for sure. As a kid I hated it when a John Hart episode came around, it just wasn't the same.

For a look at Clayton Moore without the mask, watch the old Republic serial Radar Men from the Moon, where he's the moonmen's main human henchman on Earth constantly being interrupted by a team of scientists led by Commando Cody (the Rocketman character that inspired Captain Proton). It was probably work he picked up when replaced by Hart. I think all chapters are still at the Internet Archive/Wayback Machine.

 

[PCz911]

Im similar to many on this post as for the US influences.... But I also was exposed to a lot of Brit sci fi : gerry anderson (UFO , space:1999, thunderbirds ), dr who, Blake 7 .... Not to mention a lot of Japanese anime (machingo zeto ) and live action (e.g Kamen rider). For all this, I have my dad and his military career and global assignments to thank.....

 

[PCz911]

Oh, golly... Forgot the prisoner as well as the avengers (no, not the stupid arse movies of late...but Emma peel. Oh my, that black leather outfit on a young impressionable teen). =:-0

 

[Greg Cox]

Oh, golly... Forgot the prisoner as well as the avengers (no, not the stupid arse movies of late...but Emma peel. Oh my, that black leather outfit on a young impressionable teen). =:-0

I wanted to cite The Avengers, but, in all honesty, I discovered it after I got hooked on Star Trek. But, yeah, Diana Rigg as Emma Peel is quite unforgettable.

 

[Mudd]

Howdy Doody. It was a long time before...

 

[M'Sharak]

Prior to Star Trek, there were:

Hogan's Heroes
Get Smart!
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Lost in Space
My Favorite Martian
F Troop
Gilligan's Island
The Rifleman
The Avengers*
The Wild Wild West*

Also:

Captain Kangaroo
Rocky & His Friends (Bullwinkle)

Concurrent with Star Trek:

Batman
The Invaders
Time Tunnel
The Prisoner*


* most favorite for 1960s me.

 

[Melakon]

I love The Prisoner, and still have all but one of the originally released VHS tapes in fancy padded packaging that were $30-40 a pop. I introduced someone to it in 1987, and he was blown away by it.

 

[Noname Given]

Others shows I liked at the time (I was 6 when I first started watching Star Trek):

Cartoons:
The Thunderbirds (in SUPERMARIONATION)
The Herculoids
Johnny Quest
Spiderman
Fantastic Four
Gigantor
Speed Racer
Kimba The White Lion
The Amazing Three

TV Shows:
Lost In Space
The Time Tunnel
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
The Wild Wild West
Batman
Bewitched

And as I grew a few years older (10 - 12); other shows I liked a lot from that era in reruns:
Outer Limits
Twilight Zone
The Prisoner
The Invaders
Mission Impossible
Combat!
Rat Patrol

 

[Bagliun Edar]

Mine was " Lost in Space"...I was 8 when it started to air...wow...long ago...

That's mine too, yeah, long ago. A few years ago I rented the first few episodes on Netflix and I hated it. I think I ruined good childhood memories; it'd be better never watching them again.