The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet was the longest-running situation-comedy show in television (see entry under 1940s— TV and Radio in volume 3) history. From October 3, 1952, until September 3, 1966, in 435 episodes, the sitcom (see entry under 1950s—TV and Radio in volume 3) show depicted the family of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson as they dealt with the minor problems of everyday life in a middle-class American suburb (see entry under 1950s—The Way We Lived in volume 3).

Usually considered the first TV series about a family, Ozzie and Harriet paved the way for similar 1950s series like Leave It to Beaver (1957–63; see entry under 1950s—TV and Radio in volume 3) and Father Knows Best (1954–62). Like them, Ozzie and Harriet focused on family matters, such as whether one of the sons in the family was old enough to have his own key...