What TV show do you think has had the most profound effect on US culture?

[arcadian]

Sitcom, drama, variety show, whatever. What TV show has encapsulated US culture the most in the history of television? A show that has set trends, inserted new words and into the lexicon, defined who we are as a nation, crossed over into the "real world", etc.

[Drunken Irishman]

1. The Simpsons.

[timeforpeace]

36. I second that.

[LooseWilly]

44. Third...

[Kitty Herder]

100. 4th

[Romulox]

109. Just got done watching the 4th season (1992-1993). The Family Guy writers certainly enjoyed it!

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. SNL or Seinfeld, perhaps.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

6. never saw seinfeld, so cannot comment.

what was that show about, anyway?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. Laugh In

followed closely by

As the World Turns,
&
Let's Make a Deal.

[leftstreet]

4. Last one I remember watching was WKRP in Cincinnati

sorry, not much help

:-)

[callous taoboy]

126. Love WKRP.

[The Straight Story]

5. Archie Bunker, Maude, Roots (nt)

[GreenPartyVoter]

60. Add MASH to the list, and maybe the Star Treks

[xultar]

7. The Cosby Show.

[alfredo]

117. I second that.

[virgogal]

8. All in the Family

[housewolf]

15. Ditto "All in the Family"

This show had worlds of influence in opening up people's conversations and sensitivity to issues like racism, bigoty and family dynamics.

And who could ever forget "Meathead"???

[virgogal]

23. It had it all. Sometimes you laughed and sometimes you cried. My

all time favorite episode was when Archie discovered that his good buddy,Stretch Cunningham,was a Jew.

[katandmoon]

17. Another ditto. That show was truly ground breaking for U.S. television.

[virgogal]

33. Well the Brits beat us to it. It was their idea in the first place.

[HipChick]

49. Love Thy Neighbor went places All In The Family didn't dare go..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vez4nInKJD8

[virgogal]

67. "Till Death do us Part" was the show about which I was referring.

"All in the Family" spun off from that.

Thanks for the You Tube link---I'll check that out later. Those Brits have been way ahead of us in the TV department.

[katandmoon]

59. That's why I added "for U.S. television."

[doc03]

24. Definitely All in the Family, I remember when the show first

aired and all the bigots just loved the way Archie told it like is. It took them weeks before they figured out the joke was on them.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

76. I agree

totally different from any other sitcom at the time
When I saw it the first time I knew there was no going back

[racaulk]

124. Absolutely!

I would also include all of Norman Lear's subsequent TV shows as well, including Good Times, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Maude, Sanford and Son, etc.

[DJ13]

9. Survivor

It teaches people that you have to lie, cheat, and be a conniving shithead to be a winner.

[Sherman A1]

10. Sky King fan here

don't know if it had a great effect on US culture or not.

[demosincebirth]

25. and his niece Penny

[Sherman A1]

79. +1

[11 Bravo]

121. From out of the clear blue of the western sky comes Sky King!

(In Songbird, of course.)

Damn, I loved that show as a kid!

[Donnachaidh]

11. American Idol -- given every idiot access to making asses of themselves nationwide

That show has dumbed down the meaning of talent in this country.

[FreakinDJ]

12. FUX - Freeper Idiots and TeaBaggers

[lamp_shade]

13. Alf

[Fumesucker]

14. Given that the majority of people in the US are walking around with a Star Trek TOS communicator..

I'd almost have to say Star Trek, TOS..

All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Watching Star Trek
~ Dave Marinaccio

http://www.amazon.com/Really-Need-Know-Learned-Watching/dp/0517883864

ETA: Although people with a iPhone or something similar also have a Tricorder in the same instrument as well..

[HeresyLives]

16. Agreed.

[Richard D]

19. +2

[hyphenate]

53. I had to hand in

my communicator for an upgrade to tricorder recently--it was a great trade-off! (A Motorola RAZR for a Sidekick!)

[YOY]

18. Manimal.

n.t.

[arcadian]

20. awesome

[Cleita]

21. Recently? "24."

Glorifies torture and all other manners of deviant behavior that the right wing seem to think is all right.

[housewolf]

29. Agree with "24"

Just this week there was a poll showing that a very high percentage of respondants thought the "underwear bomber" should be waterboarded. I've no doubt that shows like "24" have conditioned people into thinking that such techniques are not only acceptable, but in perpetrating a myth that they are ultimately harmless to both the recepients and those who take part in the torturing.

[Jamastiene]

42. That is the first one I thought of too. n/t

[HarveyDarkey]

22. My Mother the Car

or not

[housewolf]

26. "That Girl:, The "Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Murphy Brown"

These shows gave both women and men visions of young women who were independent both in their thinking and their lifestyles. They provided role models for millions of women anxious to move beyond the world of the home and enter a larger world.

[Captain Hilts]

40. I love all three. nt

[KittyWampus]

102. Oh, I forgot those. But all those tv women owe a debt of gratitude to Lucy Ricardo!

She was never going to just sit around at home.

[doc03]

27. Recently I would have to say Glenn F---g Beck n/t

[hlthe2b]

28. I loved the long-run "Dallas" series, but fear that it really enabled

the glorification of unfettered capitalism and greed at all costs that has permeated REPUG philosophy (and some Dems).... 24 has likewise given cover to those who would argue against our values for the use of torture.

Sociologically, I'd like to think shows like "All in the Family," "Cosby," "Maude," and even "Will & Grace" have had some effect. Ditto MASH with respect to questioning war.

[Electric Monk]

30. The Price Is Right?

[Libertas1776]

31. Gotta go with

All in the Family...ah geez hah, ya meathead.

[Joe Bacon]

32. Jerry Springer

Because it shows to the whole world just how far this country has fallen.

I just sent another batch of DVDs to my friend in France. He invites his neighbors and friends over and they laugh themselves sick over it. He has to assure them that these are real people doing real stupid things.

[Fading Captain]

34. Brady Bunch? Sesame Street?

---
I think the stuff people watched as kids is the stuff that really sinks in...

For that matter, maybe Sesame Street ...

[mainer]

35. Star Trek

First time an African-American woman, an Asian American man, and a pointy-eared alien were all considered part of the same team -- and could be friends at the same time.

[Captain Hilts]

39. Next to the impact of Trek, all the other shows just fade away. They addressed timely issues

often, in addition to the progressive casting.

[XemaSab]

95. Not to mention a Russian dude

:D

[Captain Hilts]

37. Star Trek. No other is even close. nt

[Stinky The Clown]

38. The Twlight Zone

We're still waiting to see how this week's episode ends.

[Lint Head]

41. The Ed Sullivan Show

America was introduced to the Beatles live for the first time. That appearance changed music, hairstyles clothing and idea of rebellion in the face of power. That show also featured Elvis, the Byrds, The Doors, The Rolling Stones which were among many that pushed the envelope. There were also drab and uptight acts like Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme who had a sarcastic remark to make regarding The Beatles when they appeared on the same show.

[begin_within]

43. I was just going to post that.

Over 1000 broadcasts from 1948 to 1971, with nearly everyone great appearing at least once on it. What other show can make that claim? It's almost an encyclopedia of American pop culture.

[Hello_Kitty]

45. Donohue, hands down.

He was the first to take women seriously and to start conversations about important issues. He begat Oprah and many others.

[hyphenate]

46. "Star Trek" TOS eom

I often don't look at other answers until I've posted my own. It's good to see others echoing my sentiments as well.

The progressive cast was quite significant, but there have been so many things over the past 44 years which have not only come to reality, that ST's influence is unmistakable: kids going into science programs, kids growing up to become engineers, the naming of the original shuttle Enterprise, writers who began writing fanzines, now professional authors, merchandising on a grand scale, and so much more.

Words now in the lexicon? wow--too many to start remembering.
Events? There is often a science fiction/TV convention every weekend, somewhere.
Influence? Even non-fans have a moderate idea of the show and its storylines.


Many of the others mentioned don't lend as much as shows. While Trek did it on the strength of three seasons, the others haven't made the same kind of strides. All in the Family, for instance, didn't inspire anyone to be a hypocritical bigot: while it might have made a statement about prejudice, the character of Archie Bunker was never supposed to be heroic. There have been, quite literally, about 1000 shows over the past 45 years, very few have managed to stay in our minds like Trek.

[Touchdown]

81. After 5 series and 11 films, still not one gay person in the entire ST universe.

So much for the bastian of social inclusivity.:eyes:

At least Archie Bunker had a few gay characters on his show.

[hyphenate]

103. Well, to be able to live friendly

and coexist with green, yellow and blue aliens (and probably a lot of others) one would have to be able to live with all other races, genders, and sexual orientation--including many which would have been even more alien than we know of. There were some alien races which were quite provocative in their alien manners, and at some point, homosexuality and heterosexuality would be considered tame by some of those alien standards.

[iris27]

114. Dark Universe Kira was bi.

Dax relived a romance with a woman to whom her symbiote was married in a past life...among the first lesbian kisses on the small screen. They show another in a later season between Kira and Ezri.

And I believe a minor character from the First Contact movie was retroactively declared to be gay, though we never see him in any sort of romantic contact with anyone else.

Yes, Trek like many others has a long way to go, but "not one gay person in the entire ST universe" is untrue.

And at least they SHOWED the (more than one) same-sex kiss, unlike Babylon 5 who chickened out with Ivanova and Talia.

[jgraz]

120. I'm hoping the reboot will fix that.

Making Sulu gay would be a great way to pay tribute to the originator of the role, George Takei.

[dhpgetsit]

47. I hope not Family Guy.

Let's say The Daily Show.

[Atticus]

48. Many of the shows already named would be on my list. Don't think I could pick just one.

One that has not been named that should be considered is The Smother's Brothers Comedy Hour.

Dick and Tommy were a class act in an era when it was difficult to be in-your-face liberal and against the war AND appear on TV in prime time once a week. When they had to choose between soft-pedalling the truth and keeping their show, they folded their tent and left with just IMMENSE integrity.

[AngryAmish]

50. Monday Night Raw

[Morning Dew]

51. I doubt it's Supertrain at any rate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUERtAe73NI&feature=related

[WT Fuheck]

52. American Idol

hands down

[unapatriciated]

54. My mother the car

[frebrd]

55. "American Idiot"?

[johnnie]

56. The Ed Sullivan Show

Hands down

[LibDemAlways]

123. Ed introduced the Beatles to America. The rest is history.

[surrealAmerican]

57. I agree with a lot of what everybody else posted, and ...

... would also add "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" to the list.

[Don Caballero]

58. King of Queens

Followed closely by Two and a Half Men

[flvegan]

61. Top Gear.

At least for me.

[HipChick]

90. +1..still love the episode when they went to Alabama..

:rofl:

[Odin2005]

62. Star Trek. DUH!

[UpInArms]

63. advertising

especially, subliminal advertising - i.e. propaganda

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays

Edward Louis Bernays (November 22, 1891 – March 9, 1995) was the father of public relations<1> and an American pioneer in the field of public relations along with Ivy Lee. Combining the ideas of Gustave Le Bon and Wilfred Trotter on crowd psychology with the psychoanalytical ideas of his uncle, Sigmund Freud, Bernays was one of the first to attempt to manipulate public opinion using the subconscious.

He felt this manipulation was necessary in society, which he regarded as irrational and dangerous as a result of the 'herd instinct' that Trotter had described. Adam Curtis's award-winning 2002 documentary for the BBC, The Century of the Self, pinpoints Bernays as the originator of modern public relations, and Bernays was named one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th century by Life magazine.<2>

[demodonkey]

64. Star Trek, absolutely! nt

[TicketyBoo]

65. I think for me it would be

Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, although Sesame Street (or versions of it) are seen around the world, and so it has had a global effect.

[givemebackmycountry]

84. BINGO -

No one was on TV longer and all of the people discussed here came to HIM and they all walked across HIS stage.

Here's Johnny!
Indeed.

[MindPilot]

66. The CBS Evening News

"And that's the way it is."

Edited to add: You Are There, 20 Century, Cosmos & Nova

[onenote]

68. no one show can claim that label. different show in different generations

For a certain generation it would be the Ed Sullivan show. For a different generation, it might be the Simpsons or All in the Family. I think a case can be made that Roots was incredibly important.

[blogslut]

119. This is the closest to correct answer

There is no "one show". Television, the medium, molded our culture.

[crim son]

69. "Roseanne." It made low aspirations totally hip. n/t

[Bucky]

112. What? It validated those of us who didn't have cookie-cutter perfect families.

Roseanne was a great show (except for the last season). It modeled a family surviving with a strong parent bond and family aesthetic of promoting personal responsibility and an accepting attitude toward your neighbors no matter how different they were from you. It's the perfect blue collar liberal show. I didn't like the second Becky, but Roseanne's sister was adorable.

[crim son]

115. I have certainly heard that before.

Little House on the Prairie did the same thing, and without degrading the people it supposedly represented. This is merely my humble opinion but it isn't the first time I've considered the question.

[Bluebear]

70. Survivor, morphing entertainment from scripted drama to scripted "reality"

[omega minimo]

71. Gulf War I

[omega minimo]

91. WAKE UP PEOPLE.

[LeftyMom]

72. Star Trek. It's the closest thing American culture has to a common mythology,

and it's largely responsible for our ideas about what a good future can be, and that we are capable of creating it.

[That Is Quite Enough]

73. I throw my cynical vote behind American Idol.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

74. CBS Evening News, February 27, 1968, Walter Cronkite's editorial on Vietnam.

Following Cronkite's editorial report, President Lyndon Johnson is reported to have said, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America. Several weeks later, Johnson announced he would not seek reelection.

[tabatha]

75. 60 Minutes?

[boston bean]

77. M*A*S*H*

[DeSwiss]

78. All In The Family. n/t

[BunkerHill24]

80. I would agree with those that already mentioned All In The Family

but I'm surprised no one has mentioned the talk-shaw queen Oprah!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

93. Donahue was doing the confessional talk show before Oprah.

He was the first to do talk shows with ordinary people talking about their problems, having psychologists and other experts on. Before Phil Donahue, people didn't talk about date rape, sexual abuse, incest, anorexia, divorce, teenage pregnancy, teenage suicide, wife-beating, alcoholism, and all those things we have self help groups and books for.

[Touchdown]

82. Buck Rogers!!!!!

Took bimbo watching to new heights. WB/CW network would never be without Buck Rogers.

[piratefish08]

83. FOX News.

[lpbk2713]

85. Not a TV show as such but a televised event.

In the days surrounding the JFK assassination America and a good part of the world was stuck to their TV's.
I think we turned a corner then and we have never been quite the same.

[kevinbgoode]

86. hmm....The Avengers. . .

While a British show, this megahit in the 1960's gained a worldwide audience - and showed a woman on television not only holding her own in dealing with men, but often besting them both intellectually and in combat. Mrs. Emma Peel was no shrinking violet on any level. And she was widely accepted by even the most traditional-thinking heterosexual men as a person to inhabit their teenage dreams for years. . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve9N9oaXU18

and..haha...this for you younguns not young enough to remember:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3tWK2mNF_M&NR=1

[mia]

87. Twilight Zone

:tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat::tinfoilhat:

[dixiegrrrrl]

88. Johnny Carson Show, back in the day.

Carson once made a joke about toilet paper shortage and the next day every supermarket had a run on toilet paper, shelves were empty.
He gave many many people their first break.
He supported the Smothers Bros, Carlin, even when they were blacklisted on other tv venues.


and

Walter Cronkite, the most trusted man in America during his reign on tv.

[Graybeard]

96. Yes. Johnny Carson's Tonight Show.

The country went to bed with Johnny. He would put the day's events in perspective. What could we laugh at? Who were the phonies? Never overtly political himself Johnny could however make many a political figure look foolish.

[Uncle Joe]

89. On the progressive side it would be Star Trek.

On the liberal side, it would be MASH.

On the moderate side it would be All In The Family.

On the conservative side it would be The Waltons.

On the neocon side it would be Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?

Thanks for the thread, arcadian.

[KittyWampus]

104. The Waltons were not conservatives. The grandmother and mother were religious but that

mean they were conservative.

It's a shame that just because a show featured a strong family with a religious mother and someone would think that means conservative.

[Bucky]

113. The religious community was overwhelmingly liberal until the mid 1970s

Christian ministers were at the front of civil rights, the war on poverty, the opposition to Vietnam, and the reformation of ghetto communities. Sadly, when mainline Protestants started to morally challenge their flock their flocks flocked to the golf links or the fundy megachurches where all you gotta is pay, pray, and hate Teh Gay.

[Uncle Joe]

122. That would be a shame, but that's not the case, their appeal wasn't just based toward the religious

community or strong families, although those were certainly underlying elements.

They had a rural atmosphere in the mix as well, even Southern; although that was underplayed, during a time when suburbia was taking over.

Conservatives by nature resist change and The Waltons hearkened back to a simpler time, nostalgia and this; even if only in myth has always been an attraction to Conservatives particularly after the upheaval of Vietnam and the turbulent, rebellious 60s. The "good old days" when families were strong and children were respectful of authority.

This is not to say liberal families aren't strong, religious or respectful as well, but I believe during the time when The Waltons first aired Conservatives; were more likely to be reminiscent of those dynamics.

[DeltaLitProf]

92. Gunsmoke

It preceded All in the Family in demonstrating how destructive it is to see the world in black and white terms. It wasn't perfect, but almost every episode is about the need for different kinds of people to recognize their common humanity. Sure, Marshall Dillon ends up shooting a lot of violent folk, but he does everything he can to pursue reasonable resolutions first and he often does achieve them, with help from native Americans, women, Hispanics, African Americans and a shrewd illiterate named Festus.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

94. American Bandstand

the boomers coming of age and rock 'n roll.

[gratuitous]

97. It was "Hello Larry" and you all know it

Just admit it, and you'll feel better.

[KittyWampus]

98. Most recently? So You Think You Can Dance > Will & Grace > Fresh Prince> Cosby > All In The Family

[smalll]

111. You watch too much TV. /nt

[kohodog]

99. Leave it to Beaver n/t

[Cetacea]

101. One show, one episode: Beatles on Ed Sullivan

Total game changer for music, culture, politics, TV, radio, etc...

[jtuck004]

105. Lassie - for how we think about pets

[JFN1]

106. The Andy Griffith Show influenced comedy

more than you may realize. A friend of the family was a stand-up comedian in the early nineties (even got on MTV's 1/2 Hour Comedy Hour once). I remember him telling me what a huge influence The Andy Griffith Show had on how he viewed humor, and that the show was considered one of the backbones of modern comedy by most of the comics he worked the club circuit with.

So The Andy Griffith Show has my vote.

[dixiegrrrrl]

107. Would like to add: American Banstand.

In the day of us old fogies, Dick Clark and American Banstand was IT for music, at least up to ..
what? 1965? Heavily influenced what dances we did, what music we listened to, and of course most anything we bought, "we" being the 12 to 16 year old set.
Think MTV, but with very neat clothes and shiny faces.

[Romulox]

108. Family Ties (and Alex was the moral center of the show, certainly not that creepy Michael Gross!)

My nominee isn't an "of all time" one, but rather an "in my era" one, though..

[Bucky]

110. The Love Boat led directly to climbing divorce rates, love of militarism, spread of VDs, and...

Ike-induced alcoholic binges.

Come to think of it, the distinct lack of gay couples on that show probably laid the ground work for the rising tide of homophobia in America. Man, what a shitty show! When they elected Gopher to Congress, little did we realize it was the beginning of the end of the Pax Americana. What a shitty show, indeed!

[Tabasco_Dave]

116. The Benny Hill Show

Americans never saw women in lingerie on regular TV before Benny Hill.

[Recovered Repug]

118. Music videos. Although that may be stretching the definition of tv

shows. It would be interesting to see which entertainers would have been popular in the last 25+ years had it not been for the music video.

[callous taoboy]

125. Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons.