Tim Wise: To understand white denial about American history, consider two photos.

[underpants]

3. Like other syndication successes Beaver really wasn't much watched in its first run

It never made it into the top 30. Only the big sitcoms were able to get into the top 30. It became a giant of syndication and the right wing jumped on it.

Brady Bunch and Gilligan also were just middle of the pack shows in prime time.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leave_It_to_Beaver

In spite of solid and consistent ratings, Leave It to Beaver never climbed into the Nielsen's top-30 though similar sitcoms of the period such as Father Knows Best, The Donna Reed Show, The Real McCoys, and Dennis the Menace managed to do so.

Leave It to Beaver faced stiff competition in its time slots. During its next to last season, for example, the show ran against The Defenders, a program examining highly charged courtroom cases about abortion and the death penalty. In its final season, the show was up against Perry Mason and Dr. Kildare but was in the ABC line-up with television greats The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, The Donna Reed Show, and My Three Sons.[2]

Critical response Edit