What television show do you think had the greatest impact on American culture and why?

Greatest American Hero – early 1980’s with Bill Katt and Robert Culp.

The Simpsons.

There was a shoe in the 80’s about two brothers who were private eye types-I can’t remember the name tho it’s on the tip of my tongue. I enjoyed that show but I think NCIS is better.

All in the Family. For the social commentary, of course.

@faye Simon & Simon (Rick and AJ)

The Biggest Loser because it inspires ALOT of people to loose weight and and to eat healthy.

@faye That would be Simon and Simon
Kelly_Obrien beat me to it!

To answer the question, I think it’s a three way tie between The Tonight Show, 60 Minutes, and The Price Is Right; primarily for their longevity, but also for their consistency and influence on the modern household. Each was/is unique for this in their own way.

Wow.

I’d say All in the Family.

It had the audacity to confront racial, sexual and class issues head on by giving us the perspective of an ignorant, but lovable bigot.

Not only was the show well written, it could be enjoyed on different level. “Those with eyes to see and ears to hear” could delight in watching Archie (the lead character) unknowingly make a fool of himself each week, while bigots could enjoy seeing someone like themselves say derogatory things against women and minorities.

This show paved the way for shows of a similar vein ie. Maude, The Jeffersons and Sanford & Son.

The original Star Trek had, if not the greatest (I really cannot answer that one), one of the greatest affects on American society… at least the group that watched it and “got it.”

It taught its fans during the 60’s and up to look past skin color and differences. Kirk was kind off a run in and shoot ‘em up cowboy but there were episodes set in hypothetical history situations, dealing with difficult social issues by setting them in alien planets, and the first interracial kiss was seen on that program. Episodes like the one with the Horta showed that running in and killing a, to humans, unintelligent species willy nilly just because you want something they have is extinguishing an intelligent species and, in the show, they stopped.

I watched it on its first running and a number of times since. I know that it made me think more than once.

One of the things about Star Trek is it engaged young minds (and older) with the flashy stuff but Gene Roddenbery got the messages through without you really noticing. He managed to get these through at least one generation.

The Enterprise had an international, interracial, and interspecies crew. Another first. Having a Russian on the crew in the 60, in and of itself, was a ballsy move… think back to what was going on in the 60s. I am undecided as to whether having Chekov or Uhura (a black woman) on the crew was the most ballsy.

“Having a Russian on the crew in the 60’s” is what I meant dammit.

Hey @Arisztid, wasn’t a Star Trek episode responsible for the first interracial kiss (Kirk & Uhura) on network television?

@SABOTEUR Yep and I mentioned that in the middle of the second paragraph. I cannot believe that I forgot which episode it was. Bad trekkie, bad!

I am talking to Keysha and we are trying to decide which was more ballsy… having a Russian on the bridge crew or a black woman on the bridge crew. People today do not realize just how ballsy that was

…edit: it was Plato’s Stepchildren.

My bad.

The first interracial kiss on American network television was in the “Star Trek” episode entitled “Plato’s Stepchildren,” which aired on November 22, 1968, when Captain Kirk (William Shatner) kissed Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). Some stations in the South (U.S.) originally refused to air the episode.

Source: UsefulTrivia

Yep, found it.

There was a lot of ballsy moves in that show. I think it paved the way for a whole generation to think about society differently.

I can see how your naming “All in the Family” is right up there too. That drug racial, class, and sexual issues into America’s livingroom and presented it in an amusing way. To me it showed how ridiculous bigotry is.

I really have to learn to read more carefully.

You’re right, of course, concerning Star Trek. I’m surprised I’d forgotten how groundbreaking Trek Classic was (considering it was one of my favorites shows).

@SABOTEUR Guilty of that myself

Most people forget about the original series as other than a technologically not good at all shoot-em-up.

Now that you mention it, some of today’s electronics were influenced by Star Trek. I challenge anyone to say the cell phone wasn’t inspired by Star Trek’s communicator.

@SABOTEUR Yep.

Ground continued to be broken by subsequent Star Trek Series. Next Gen pushed the sociological/ethical envelope further then the original series. I would bet that Roddenberry wanted to push harder but no way he could have gotten away with that in the 60s. I name the original over Next Gen because the groundwork was laid for Next Gen whereas Roddenberry challenged just about everything in the original series.

Oh Gods I have even more typos in my original post. Lesson learned: do not fluther when you have not had your coffee.

M*A*S*H

It might have played a role in the end of the Vietnam War.

Saturday night Live introduced America to many future superstars such as Bill Murray,Dan Akroyd and Eddie Murphy.Plus they pushed boundaries never before dared on TV.

The Beverly Hillbillies. To me it shows up the shallow tacky side of America for what it is. It promotes the healthy notion that it does not matter who you are. Better what you are. Anyone can prosper as long as you remain grounded. Plus it was damn funny.

Lots of Lurve, Aris, for stealing my answer, and doing it better than I would have myself. ^_^

My apologies for my previous pathetic answer, but this is not the question I answered last night. The “editors” must have sent it back for a re-write.

The Andy Griffith Show…Good clean moral programing

I think a lot of shows have had a great impact on our culture. What would our world look like today without All In The Family? And what would it look like without M*A*S*H? Two very different shows but I believe they both changed how our country saw itself.

This is one of those things that I think it’s easier to see the further you are away from it. Right now, I don’t think there are shows that are changing or impacting our culture, but 20 years from now it might be simple to see.

Lucille Ball may be one of the most influential women ever in American culture. Not bad for a lady who started her career as a Goldwyn Girl draping herself against walls while wearing long blonde wigs in silly 1930s Eddie Cantor movies. Every decade since the 1950s, some woman or other has been trumpeted as the next Lucille Ball and turns out to fall hopelessly short of the mark. Lucille Ball was talented, beautiful and had hard-nosed business sense. Tea Leoni? Debra Messing? Helen Hunt? No. No. No.

The legacy of her show, I Love Lucy, is immense:

Interracial relationship.
Woman asserting herself outside the domestic sphere as the main plot of the show.
Three camera set-up.
Shot on film.
Production company headed by a woman (Desilu, which went on to produce Star Trek).
A woman pitched the show to CBS.
Beginnings of syndication.
Beginnings of American network television production move to Los Angeles, thereby fostering acceptance of the medium in Hollywood (Why? Because Lucy was pregnant and didn’t want to travel)
Open discussion of pregnancy (even if they didn’t use the word at all)

Somewhere in the world, millions of people are busting a gut at Lucy and Ethel at the candy factory, Lucy fighting with an Italian lady in a wine vat, or Lucy slurring the word “Vitameatavegemin” on I Love Lucy right now, almost 60 years after its first airing. That’s influence.

@Seek_Kolinahr Now why did I know that you would agree with me? Could it be the pointy ears?

Little House on the Prarie
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The ½ hr sit com that had Flo and Mel. It was a diner setting. I can’t think of the name of it. But Flo would say “Mel kiss my grits!” Well I got my mouth slapped when I said that to my mom one time. OUCH!

Does anyone on here think that SpongeBob Squarepants had an inpact on American Culture? just an after thought. But if he did then I’d be interested in hearing it. hehehe

@NUNYA Well he probably changed some peoples views on the otherwise derided Hasselhoff. He came out of that movie with fresh vigour & a newly found admiration for his ablity to laugh at himself. Just my opinion let it ride.

@ucme Well thanks for your input! Very interesting point of view! [hugs]

Seinfeld. Words and phrases from the show have made it into the Oxford dictionary and we use them often in ordinary conversation. For instance, “close-talker”, “regift” and yada, yada, yada.

@tinyfaery I use the yada yada yada a lot! In place of the blah blah blah, sometimes. lol

Thanks for Simom and Simon, I used to exercise in front of that show every evening. And the above question is not the one I answered either. As if Simon and Simon had any impact!! No fair changing it. I look like a stupid ass.

@NUNYA that show was called Alice, the restaurrant was Mel’s Diner.

@sndfreQ Thank You Thank You Thank You! I just couldn’t come up with it. High Five!
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@faye What was the original question here? Just curious. Did the moderators make the questioner change it maybe?

I think it was more along the lines of what show you remember most or I wasn’t awake yet.