digg

Join DiggAbout

Discover the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.

10 TV Shows That Changed The World

mentalfloss.com — Have you ever been watching television and thought, “Wow, this soap opera is so good it could cause the downfall of a corrupt communist regime,” or even, “I bet one day this show is going to send the first woman into space”? Well, maybe you’re not giving the boob tube enough credit.

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • MarkDykeman, on 03/25/2008, -1/+102Thankfully American Idol and Survivor aren't on the list.
    • SilenceGold, on 03/25/2008, -1/+13I'm glad too...in most of the digg users' generation...star trek is the only one.
    • Falldog, on 03/25/2008, -1/+44Survivor really did bring about a programing change, a decade of reality crap.
    • RealmDown, on 03/25/2008, -2/+8I want "humiliation TV" to just die already.
    • 1kewldude, on 03/25/2008, -5/+11American Idol is more proof of the declination of society as we know it
      • meruru, on 03/25/2008, -0/+6How so? How is it really any worse than Star Search before it, or Gong Show, or any other amateur performance show?
        • itsthebrod, on 03/25/2008, -1/+4It's not. People just think it's cool to bitch about it so they join in mindlessly. For what it is, a singing/popularity contest, it actually does that very very well.
        • 1kewldude, on 03/25/2008, -3/+2How so......????? Did the gong show or star search take a 90 min show to tell the results of a person being voted off that takes like 30 seconds - and that right there alone is proof of the declination of our society! Wanna keep going....?
      • PleaseJustDie, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1The Gong Show was WAY better than anything American idol or star search could put out.
      • tech42er, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1I'd say it's more proof of the right ascension angle of society.
    • cawpin, on 03/25/2008, -0/+3Agreed and dugg for The Smothers Brothers. I loved that show. I actually just looked them up the other day. They're still touring! 50 years.
    • tman84, on 03/25/2008, -1/+5Buried, more Msaleem spam, he submits a mental floss story every day, how much do you get paid by them to drive traffic to their worthless site? and why does digg allow you to continue?
    • theradical, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1Fine but where the hell is Nightcourt?
    • DarkSamus, on 03/25/2008, -2/+1buried for not adding knight rider, deadwood or chappelle's show

      *****!
  • NightcrawlerX, on 03/25/2008, -5/+11Thankfully no "fake" reality show is on the list.
    • diulei, on 03/25/2008, -1/+26Fake doesn't need to be in quotes, "reality" does. =P
    • humperdeath, on 03/25/2008, -0/+4Have you ever been watching television and thought, “Wow, this soap opera is so good it could cause the downfall of a corrupt communist regime"?
      NO
  • queenmoweeny, on 03/25/2008, -17/+3Hey, they forgot "Weeds" and "Dexter"... we are numb to the world around us.
    • PleaseJustDie, on 03/25/2008, -0/+3Dexter is a great show, but I don't think it has changed the world. We haven't had a sudden rash of criminals being chopped up and dropped in large bodies of water yet.
      • hipnotyq, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1Dexter sells on the fact that hes a serial killer.... but hes not! he just kills bad guys who deserve what they get, hes just taking out the trash like Punisher.
    • BevansDesign, on 03/25/2008, -0/+2Some people just don't get it. This is NOT a "shows I think are great" list. Yes Dexter is awesome (I've never seen Weeds) but it has only been around for about 2 years. Maybe it'll change the world. But it hasn't yet.

      When looking at things that "changed the world", usually they're talking about stuff that's at least 25 years old.
  • Emused, on 03/25/2008, -1/+6I thought maybe " 60 Minutes" would have made that list, but I see the genre was covered by " See it Now".
  • SaveJake, on 03/25/2008, -20/+4One day Jericho will be on the list!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • DarkSamus, on 03/25/2008, -2/+1stfu clive barker
      • zetec, on 03/26/2008, -0/+1Wrong Jericho, dumbass. Do you even watch television? You know, the thing your Xbox is hooked up to.
  • MikeXpop, on 03/25/2008, -3/+10"Dallas was taken off the air in 1981... in 1989, Ceausescu was overthrown during a public uprising"

    Seriously? There public overthrows a brutal dictator, and they say it's because of a TV show that was taken off the air 8 years before?
    • wdfadude, on 03/25/2008, -6/+1Dallas was taken off in 1991, not '81. In 1981 it was the #1 U.S. TV show.
    • dash1185, on 03/25/2008, -0/+3I don't know where they got their sources. Having grown up in Romania, I remember this show was a huge success and everyone used to gather around the television when it was airing (neighbors, whole families...). I can confirm it still aired after 1981, unless my memory fails me.
      And to argue with the article : I don't think the show changed anything. When you're living under a dictatorship, all rumors become facts, so most people were aware of some aspects of society outside (even if exaggerated). The Romanian revolution on the other hand, was not like an uprising of the people, but more like a manipulation by what I would call "soft communists" who remained in power after that. All the circumstances are still unclear.
      • NutraAmy, on 03/25/2008, -0/+0I just wrote about this recently. Iliescu was thought of as a successor to Ceausescu. Ceausescu started to see Iliescu as a threat. So, Iliescu started to get cut out of the party leadership. Ceausescu's ego and the third wave in Communism had more to do with his undoing than Dallas. Just my opinion.
    • bobbarkerbilly, on 03/25/2008, -0/+0Old shows make their way to poorer countries long after they've aired in the U.S. Not really so unusual.

      @dash1185 My girlfriend lived in Romania prior to studying here in the U.S. and she remembers how no one would be on the street when Dallas was on TV.
      • qualish, on 03/25/2008, -1/+1Funny... she didn't mention that last night when I was having copious amounts of sexual intercourse with her. I'll ask her tonight.
    • emalen, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1their
  • TomK88, on 03/25/2008, -9/+5The Wire needs to be on here. Unfortunately for that to happen the Western world will need to take a good long look at itself and actually fix problems.

    "This year, our drama asked its last thematic question: Why, if there is any truth to anything presented in The Wire over the last four seasons, does that truth go unaddressed by our political culture, by most of our mass media, and by our society in general?

    We've given our answer: "

    http://www.hbo.com/thewire/finaleletter/
    • Falldog, on 03/25/2008, -2/+6The Wire may be good, but hasn't changed anything since it's premier.
    • Gerz1219, on 03/25/2008, -1/+5I think The Onion said it best.

      http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/tv_cri ...

      The Wire didn't change the world because very few people want to come home from work, cook and clean, turn on the TV, and think about how much our society hopelessly sucks.
    • tech42er, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1The Wire eventually will be on here if it helps to foment a change in drug policy sometime in the next 10, 15 years.
  • Hermiod, on 03/25/2008, -1/+32Well, their site seems to be down. However, Star Trek was on the list, right ? Right ?!?!?
    • getisboy, on 03/25/2008, -13/+3and lost?
    • psion01, on 03/25/2008, -0/+6Rest easy. It was number 5.
      • sexybobo, on 03/25/2008, -0/+3Nothing like a sci-fi show to have the first interracial kiss on American tv.
        Also history channel had a documentary on "How William Shatner Changed the World" It was interesting how many inventors of every thing from cell phones to ipods to quick time said they were inspired by star trek. Plus anything staring william shatner is worth watching he is such a great actor and singer.
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eISBTBwWKeE
    • BevansDesign, on 03/25/2008, -0/+4As soon as I saw this article, I said to myself "if Star Trek isn't on the list, I'm burying it as inaccurate". Fortunately, it was.

      Great article too. I had no idea that MLK watched it. That's really cool.
      • ncdave101, on 03/25/2008, -0/+4Yeah, Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura) said that MLK encouraged her to stay on the show when she considered leaving. He said the character was a positive figure for young black women. No disagreement from me on that.
    • zetec, on 03/26/2008, -0/+3Yeah, I was in the same boat. The only reason I read the story was just to make sure it was on there -- it's simply absurd to think it wouldn't be. Probably one of the most influential shows of all time.
      • Hermiod, on 03/26/2008, -0/+2It wasn't even just the big things like the first interracial kiss. Star Trek was one of the most popular television shows at the time amongst owners of colour televisions. It drove mass market acceptance of colour TV.

        Its spin-offs changed TV too. TNG and DS9 proved that money could be made from direct to syndication television and Voyager launched a new network.
    • Fl4sh, on 03/26/2008, -2/+1You can bet your pimply face. Now Mom's laundry is almost done, you can have your tv stand back in 5 minutes.
      • Hermiod, on 03/26/2008, -0/+2Oh noes, I'm being insulted about my taste for science fiction on Digg!
  • krets, on 03/25/2008, -3/+9How Automan did not make this list I have no idea...
    • diggB, on 03/25/2008, -1/+8Holy crap! Somebody here actually remembers Automan. I thought the show was just a figment of my imagination ...
      • skinny01, on 03/25/2008, -0/+3I remember it, used to watch it religiously. I had to google some pix to show the 20yr olds I work with what it was and surprisingly I found good pictures. Also the greatest american hero!
      • achoi, on 03/25/2008, -0/+4wow, now I know 3 people that know of Automan. When I was a kid I always want a cursor. especailly for the car with the instant turn and stop action. haha
      • krets, on 03/25/2008, -0/+2Automan was the *****.
      • Tomchei, on 03/25/2008, -0/+35 people watched Automan. That theme still rings in my head.
        And as much as I liked makeup effects, I couldn't stomach Manimal. It was just too awful.
        • diggB, on 03/25/2008, -0/+2Holy double crap! Somebody here actually remembers Manimal?
    • HappyIdiotTalk, on 03/25/2008, -0/+0I have that same problem with a song that went something along the lines of "Baker man is baking bread...."! Its only me that remembers it. But I swear I saw it on th telly a few times.
      • skinny01, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1Are you talking about the rap, I think it's called grimey by the clipse (sp?) The neptunes did the production on that one.
  • nekochan, on 03/25/2008, -4/+1edit: never mind.
  • frogman54, on 03/25/2008, -6/+29MacGyver. He made mullets cool again.
    Magnum PI. He made mustaches cool again.
    The A-team. Same thing...only with the pitying of fools.
  • crs818, on 03/25/2008, -13/+21Seinfeld?
    • ctp722, on 03/25/2008, -1/+8Seinfeld should definitely be on there for sit-coms
    • c0baltfish, on 03/25/2008, -3/+8How exactly did Seinfeld change the world?
      • dajuggernaut, on 03/25/2008, -0/+8It kept me from going postal on a whole lot of people.
    • craftyshrew, on 03/25/2008, -0/+12Seinfeld taught us to find the humor in our mundane lives. I laugh a whole lot more when I go through airport security, rent a car, or waiting to sit down at a Chinese restaraunt...
      • cchott1, on 03/25/2008, -0/+4I can't walk through a parking garage without thinking of that episode of seinfeld
  • chris9902, on 03/25/2008, -16/+3I'm surprised 24 isn't on that list. I don't like the show but it really paved the way for a lot of the big budget TV we have now.
    • daxsymbiont, on 03/25/2008, -0/+3if you're younger than 24 you'll probably think like that.
  • ataylor32, on 03/25/2008, -2/+531. Dallas
    The show that overthrew a dictator (Well, kind of.)

    2. General Electric Theater
    The show that turned Ronald Reagan into a Republican.

    3. Out of This World
    The show that gave birth to satellite TV.

    4. Cathy Come Home
    The drama that transformed the welfare state.

    5. Star Trek
    The show that designed the future (of society).

    6. See It Now
    The show that ended McCarthyism.

    7. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
    The show that swung an election.

    8. The Inventors
    The show that stocked store shelves.

    9. Hour of Decision
    The show that gave us Billy Graham.

    10. The Living Planet
    The show that made us go green.
    • Twinsonia, on 03/25/2008, -0/+3I saw Out of This World and thought, "How would a teenage girl with the power to stop time give birth to satellite TV?"...and then I was able to read the article.
    • humperdeath, on 03/25/2008, -1/+6I've only seen, or even HEARD of just 2 of these shows. (5 & 7) so how influential could these 8 others have been? I do agree with Star trek and Smothers Brothers being ground breaking for their time. Also, so was All in the Family, the way it brought prejudice out into everyone's homes. I liked that one too.
      • drlha, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1You've never heard of Dallas? Jeez, you make me feel old. The show was a world-wide phenomenon when it was on. I shot JR BTW.
      • metmerc, on 03/25/2008, -0/+0Just because you've never heard of a show doesn't mean it hasn't influenced what you watch now. For example, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the X-Files have had a tremendous impact on series television shows like Lost, Alias, etc.
    • skinny01, on 03/25/2008, -0/+3And there's no Sesame Street. When parents were first able to let the tv be their babysitters guilt free. That had to be the start of that path.
    • SuperWinner, on 03/25/2008, -1/+2I would argue maybe MASH should be on there, it gave war a negative social stigma like television had never done before
    • dajuggernaut, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1Shows that no one under the age of 40 have ever watched! ftw
    • Clobbersaurus, on 03/25/2008, -0/+0Those are all made up except Star Trek.
  • talonstriker, on 03/25/2008, -8/+2FYI, See It Now was preceded by a radio show called Hear It Now, which was tons better...even though it had a little too much anti-commie propaganda for my tastes. Hear It Now reruns can sometimes heard here: http://wamu.org/programs/bb/
    • thesoze, on 03/25/2008, -2/+1you're a ***** idiot - you missed the point 'turd...go vote for McCain - stoopids!
      • talonstriker, on 03/26/2008, -0/+1Speaking of missing the point, wtf does that post have anything to do with my political beleifs? Way to be a douchebag, moron.
  • Surefly, on 03/25/2008, -7/+25Transformers showed us how to transform into robots. I can't believe it's not on the list.
  • chawkie, on 03/25/2008, -12/+9Any list that doesn't have The Twilight Zone is buried as inaccurate. That show has inspired so many other shows, movies, books, etc that it is the definition of a show that changed the world (or at least the fictional world).
    • castevens, on 03/25/2008, -2/+7Does that mean that you are going to bury my list I'm creating of the best colors of M&Ms because I didn't include the Twilight Zone?
    • a6n28f, on 03/25/2008, -0/+7Good point. TZ was monumental vehicle for social commentary. In a time when certain themes could not be discussed on air (communism, racism, sexuality), it was okay if it had the fig leaf of being put in the context of an alien society or science fiction.

      I also question a list that doesn't include "All in the Family."
    • humperdeath, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1TZ was great show, but how many times can one sit through the same marathon of episodes. Every holiday some lazy TV station will show about 50 episodes, at least 40 of which are the same 'great ones' shown every year. This show now puts me to sleep so fast it should be prescribed as a sleep aid.
  • SmellyFingers, on 03/25/2008, -14/+1This list is pretty *****.
    • stev31h, on 03/25/2008, -0/+4have you ever been dugg up?
      • sexybobo, on 03/25/2008, -0/+4Just because i was bored he has posted a total of 55 comments 10 of them have a +1 or higher ratting most have -5 or more
        • SmellyFingers, on 03/25/2008, -4/+0Who's the biggest loser: me or you?
          • sexybobo, on 03/26/2008, -0/+1You i was at work getting paid when i did it.
  • SmooveO, on 03/25/2008, -1/+9Really good list. I would have liked to see Saturday Night Live on there. It's not great now, but in its first few years, it was game-changing.
    • PoppedCulture, on 03/25/2008, -0/+6Game-changing for the world, or for TV?
    • cvindustries, on 03/26/2008, -0/+1Wasn't Monty Python's Flying Circus first? Granted it wasn't live, but SNL didn't break any other new ground other than doing it live.
  • jontilton, on 03/25/2008, -2/+18like the guy in the $6,000 pants is going to be happy that his show isn't on this top 10 list.... COME ON!
    • Spelvin, on 03/25/2008, -3/+4analrapist
    • Chebsi, on 03/25/2008, -0/+2Oh my god!!! We're having a fire!!!!..sale.
    • cowcowmoomoo1, on 03/25/2008, -0/+5Arrested Development helped destroy racial barriers.

      "It aint easy being white!"
      "It aint easy being brown!"
  • mooseontheloose, on 03/25/2008, -2/+14Needs more All In The Family
    • TheSwashbuckler, on 03/25/2008, -1/+1I was thinking the same thing.
    • drlha, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1If you're going to put All in the Family in for attitudes towards race, you'd have to replace it with the original British show which it was based on "Till Death Us Do Part", which was ground breaking before the American adaptation.
      • TheSwashbuckler, on 03/25/2008, -1/+1Nah, that didn't run here...
        • gudnbluts, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1"All in the Family" didn't run in the UK. Was it as strong as the original version, or did they tone it down and avoid words like "*****"?
        • drlha, on 03/26/2008, -0/+1Not all the shows on that list were American or even ran in America, Cathy Come Home for example. If you're going to give "Cathy Come Home" plaudits for reforming the wealthfare state, "Till Death Do Us Part" deserves similar for showing that being a bigot wasn't a good thing.
    • ElvisMMI, on 03/25/2008, -2/+1You hit the nail on the head. Should be number one.
  • suzywang3000, on 03/25/2008, -6/+9where's Cosby Show? That helped bridge black & white.
    • Wonderama, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1Let us know how that's coming along, will ya?
    • H0tKarl, on 03/25/2008, -0/+5I always wondered how two dark skinned parents happened to have one light skinned child.
      • theradical, on 03/25/2008, -0/+3The grandfather was light skinned.
    • slearwig, on 03/25/2008, -0/+2The Cosby Show came after Good Times, Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, and That's My Momma. I would choose "I Spy" as the groundbreaker.
    • usingpond, on 03/25/2008, -0/+2By making black people act white!
  • scoottie, on 03/25/2008, -1/+2dick van dyke show
    • tech42er, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1the *bleep* van *bleep* show, starring *bleep* van *bleep*
  • namelessXsilent, on 03/25/2008, -2/+1what about any saturday morning cartoon from when i was young! Bugs and tweety show.. changed my world.
    At least there was no garbage shows listed
  • RobotLeAwesome, on 03/25/2008, -7/+2nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah naaah

    Katamari Damacy
  • DukeMojo, on 03/25/2008, -1/+10Where the hell is Cosmos?
    • rkef, on 03/25/2008, -1/+1Memory hole.
    • DopplerDuck, on 03/26/2008, -0/+2Cosmos was the most inspiring series on TV and perhaps the most secular spiritual series : I learned from it that we are all made of star-stuff - the monitor in front of you, humans, the rings of Saturn, crows, everything. It totally fascinated me and got me hooked to learning. I wasn't even into my teens then. Wow! What a series!
  • lukas88, on 03/25/2008, -0/+3Without realizing it, I read that whole article top to bottom. It is very interesting.
  • rondorondorondo, on 03/25/2008, -0/+55#11 - Single Female Lawyer
    Finishing the show kept the Omicronians from finishing off the Earth.
    • Altanar, on 03/25/2008, -0/+6Will keep them from destroying Earth. We've got a while yet.
      • Hobbes24, on 03/25/2008, -0/+3and what do we care? it will be none of our concern.
        • EvilBunnys, on 03/25/2008, -0/+5By then garbage ball II will have destroyed Earth.
  • WoundedCow, on 03/25/2008, -1/+4Star Trek...swoooooooon!
  • barney74, on 03/25/2008, -4/+35Biggest Snubs:
    M*A*S*H - the show that made us actually look back at Vietnam, Cheers - the show that made the average man welcomed, All In The Family - the show that broke all the rules, Sanford and Sons - the show that broke the rules the other way, 60 Minutes - the show that enlightened us, SNL - the show that made us forget ourselves for one night
    • ADA531, on 03/25/2008, -3/+22Did MASH make you look at Vietnam or the Korean Conflict? MASH was in Korea. I'm just sayin'...
      • steelclash84, on 03/25/2008, -0/+11M*A*S*H was set in Korea, but many people look at it like the Vietnam war because the show lasted for so long (11 seasons), even though the actual Korean conflict only lasted about 3 years.
    • Lehawk, on 03/25/2008, -5/+3M*A*S*H was Korea, not Vietnam.
      • TheSwashbuckler, on 03/25/2008, -1/+8The story was set in Korea, the message was about Vietnam.
      • Abomonog, on 03/26/2008, -0/+1The only thing Mash had to do with Korea was the setting. The show was so about Vietnam that even the Koreans dressed like Vietnamese. Not including it the list was a major snub considering that with the possible exception of Star Trek, no other show has done more to bring social change in America.
    • barney74, on 03/25/2008, -1/+2Sorry missed typed . Thank you for correcting me.
      • PoppedCulture, on 03/25/2008, -0/+5No, you had it right the first time. While set in Korea it was an analogy for the Vietnam conflict.
    • Wonderama, on 03/25/2008, -0/+9M*A*S*H was nominally about Korea and an allegory for Vietnam.
      • unknamed, on 03/25/2008, -0/+2nominally? allegory?
        5000 digg users just went to correct your spelling of "normally" and "Al Gore"
    • skinny01, on 03/25/2008, -0/+2You forgot Good Times too.
  • dxgg, on 03/25/2008, -15/+1Freaks and Geeks
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer
    Six Feet Under
    • diggB, on 03/25/2008, -1/+8Great shows, but how are they world changing?
      • dxgg, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1As we all experience our own reality, I'd say these shows were world-changing for me.
  • mk2cav, on 03/25/2008, -6/+4The A Team should be on that list and Knight Rider :-)
  • steelersfan7roe, on 03/25/2008, -6/+10Stargate SG-1!
    • TheZorch, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1The new Battlestar Galactic, because it seriously raised the bar for sci-fi action drama TV shows and will now forever be used as a guide to judge all new sci-fi programs to come after it.
  • charlatan, on 03/25/2008, -10/+3No Simpsons? Buried for stupidity
  • Falldog, on 03/25/2008, -1/+14Eh, MacGyver taught me everything I know.
    • TheZorch, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1And now to make an explosive from chewing gum and regular household cleaner. :-)
  • ncapone, on 03/25/2008, -12/+6No Simpsons? FAIL
  • MyDiggIsBig, on 03/25/2008, -8/+9Seinfeld
  • holysocks, on 03/25/2008, -10/+4should be tv shows that changed America
    • Jennefah, on 03/25/2008, -1/+1Probably true. The only show I've seen from that list is Star Trek. I strongly suspect quite a few of them weren't even aired outside of America.
      Shrug.
  • movd, on 03/25/2008, -1/+7is it uncool to only have watched star trek?
    the simpsons are missing on that list- they had a major influence on how the rest of the world views the usa.
  • TheSwashbuckler, on 03/25/2008, -3/+3What? No Married with Children?
  • kidcodea, on 03/25/2008, -4/+2SUE ELLEN IS DRUNK
  • amanilaenvelope, on 03/25/2008, -2/+7the screen savers changed my world
  • chip0wa, on 03/25/2008, -0/+2Smother Brothers sounds like a Colbert.
    • TheZorch, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1The sad thing is I remember my parents watching that show on TV when it was still airing.
  • whatthefu, on 03/25/2008, -0/+13I looked at the title and was like "oh my god, not another pretentious list." But they gave interesting examples and explanations instead of picking shows "because people liked 'em."
    • norman619, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1You found the reasoning interesting? I found it silly on all 10 shows.
  • bobdigi, on 03/25/2008, -6/+1What about Saved by the Bell. We wouldnt have awesome dance moves if it wasnt for AC Slater.
  • comfortssimple, on 03/25/2008, -3/+2I want to undig this digg of mine?
  • 65daysofstatic, on 03/25/2008, -7/+0CSI should be up there.
    It's the show that ushered in the forensic era.
    I've read articles about frustrated prosecutors having to tell jurors that CSI and real life are different things.
    • steelersfan7roe, on 03/25/2008, -1/+3***** csi and forensic *****
    • citizen782, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1"It's the show that ushered in the forensic era."
      Thanks for letting us all know you're that dumb.
  • olenick, on 03/25/2008, -9/+3Missing:
    All in the Family (should be all time #1)
    CNN Headline News (one show turned into a whole channel)
    MASH (war's suck? really?)
    Law & Order/CSI (two-for: crime's never been quite the same)
    Donahue/Opra (another two-for; same thing, different hosts)

    As for influential, though not in such a great way:
    Survivor
    Bonanza
    64,000 Pyramid (the original rigged one)
    • insobox, on 03/25/2008, -0/+2MASH should have been on here, I agree with you wholeheartedly on this.
    • diggB, on 03/25/2008, -0/+1My dad told me that entire neighborhoods upgrade their black and white TV to color just for Bonanza. Not sure if this is a world changing event, but it did push TV broadcast technology forward.
      • Abomonog, on 03/26/2008, -0/+1More like entire neighborhoods chipped in to buy a single color television set so they could watch it.

        But Star Trek also caused a similar flurry for color TV's when it came out. Not so much technology pushing as enabling.
  • hoa801enator, on 03/25/2008, -7/+2What about the Jack Bauer Power Hour?
  • fancyj, on 03/25/2008, -1/+1No [insert favorite tv show here]? Lame.
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 100 of 100 discussions
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.