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The Golden Age of Television is a reference to the period from approximately 1949 to 1960, when television became a popular mass medium and many of the common programming formats were developed. As a new medium, television attracted many innovative and high-quality programming in this era; in the United States, prime time television drama was dominated by original and classic productions from such writers as Paddy Chayefsky, Reginald Rose and Rod Serling. Most of these programs were produced as installments of live dramatic anthologies such as The Philco Television Playhouse, Kraft Television Theatre and Playhouse 90, though in the mid-to-late fifties the genre spread to include filmed series such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone.

Many of the best early programs of this era were not original programming, but evolved from successful radio shows that with the transition to television brought with them already polished concepts, casts and writing staffs. This is a major reason why quality was so consistently high during this period. Even an original show like I Love Lucy drew heavily from radio as many of those scripts were rewrites from Lucille Ball's late '40s radio show My Favorite Husband. Shows like Our Miss Brooks, The Burns and Allen Show and Jack Benny ran concurrently on both radio and TV until television reception reached beyond the major metropolitan areas in the mid fifties. By 1960, about 80% of American households had a television set. At that point sitcoms and dramas dropped out of radio and became wholly the domain of television.

British television had a head start on American TV, with the BBC Television Service beginning regular electronic 405-line broadcasts in 1936. Still, the golden age of British TV enjoyed its peak around the same time as in the United States, ranging from approximately 1949 to 1955. Writers such as Nigel Kneale and producers like Rudolph Cartier produced classic programming such as The Quatermass Experiment and Mystery Story (of which no recording exists). Other notable programs include serials by the producer Francis Durbridge and classic children's programs such as Muffin the Mule and Andy Pandy.

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