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Best Thriller TV Series of the 1970s

77 Thriller series that started in the 1970s, ranked by popularity

All Thriller series All series from the 1970s
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Genres as assigned by IMDb. Selecting several means a show must match all of them.

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Rating patterns, computed from IMDb episode-rating trajectories. Deliberately strict: only shows with an unmistakable pattern carry one, so expect small numbers.

Rating patterns

Taste tags, judged by our AI taste model. They cover the 5,000 most-rated shows.

Tone & mood
Pacing & structure
Humor style
Themes & subject matter
Characters & perspective
Emotional payoff
Craft & style
Format & audience
Viewing-culture clusters
Intensity & content character
77 series

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

★ 8.4
11K 7 1979–1979
Espionage · Slow burn · British TV

Kolchak: The Night Stalker

★ 8.4
7K 20 1974–1975
Episodic · Monster horror

The Godfather: A Novel for Television

★ 9.5
7K 4 1977–1977
Criminal underworld · Family saga

Planet of the Apes

★ 7.0
6K 14 1974–1974
Adventure · Sci-Fi · Thriller

Helter Skelter

★ 7.4
4K 2 1976–1976
True crime · Disturbing

The New Avengers

★ 7.2
3K 26 1976–1977
Action · Mystery · Thriller

Sapphire & Steel

★ 7.8
2K 34 1979–1982
Mystery · Sci-Fi · Thriller

The Invisible Man

★ 6.6
1K 13 1975–1976
Adventure · Sci-Fi · Thriller

The Sandbaggers

★ 8.6
1K 20 1978–1980
Thriller

Quatermass

★ 7.0
958 4 1979–1979
Drama · Sci-Fi · Thriller

The Old Fox

★ 6.4
885 483 1977–present
Crime · Drama · Thriller

The Tiger Brigades

★ 7.9
438 36 1974–1983
Action · Crime · Thriller

Waris

★ 8.5
277 16 1979–present
Crime · Drama · Thriller

The Rhinemann Exchange

★ 6.4
224 3 1977–1977
Drama · Thriller · War

The Curse of Dracula

★ 7.4
202 10 1979–1979
Horror · Romance · Thriller

1990

★ 7.4
202 16 1977–1978
Drama · Sci-Fi · Thriller

Tales of the Unexpected

★ 7.3
186 8 1977–1977
Mystery · Sci-Fi · Thriller

Dreams of the Flying Boy

★ 7.2
176 14 1978–1978
Drama · Thriller

The Moonstone

★ 7.2
156 5 1972–1972
Drama · Mystery · Thriller

Shadows of Fear

★ 7.2
142 11 1970–1973
Horror · Thriller

Aspen

★ 7.2
141 3 1977–1977
Drama · Thriller

Strangers

★ 7.7
139 32 1978–1982
Crime · Thriller

The Guardians

★ 7.9
120 13 1971–1971
Drama · Sci-Fi · Thriller

Spyforce

★ 6.7
112 42 1971–1972
Drama · Thriller · War
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