TV shows have always been one of the most popular themes for non-sports. Programs with sustained buzz worthy qualities usually make for surefire trading card hits. At least that’s what manufacturers hope. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always turn out that way.
The 1950s and ‘60s saw many TV-based card sets that proved to be incredibly successful. Titles like Davy Crockett, The Beverly Hillbillies and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. all worked because the TV shows were runaway hits. The 1970s saw Welcome Back, Kotter, Dukes of Hazzard and The Gong Show, all titles with great kid appeal. The 1980s produced the likes of Chips, M.A.S.H. and Knight Rider while the ‘90s saw sets like The Simpsons, Twin Peaks and the cringeworthy Baywatch all be memorialized on cardboard.