Three Television Shows of Importance

Many of the early stories on M*A*S*H are based on real-life tales told by real MASH surgeons. The series seemed to be a metaphor for the Vietnam War, in progress when the series began, and not just about the Korean War. The show's producers have said it was about war in general. The hell of war’s reality encouraged a desperate need for something to laugh about. A letter to TV Guide written by a former MASH doctor in 1973 said that the jokes and pranks on the show were the most true to life. While the show was mostly comedy, there were many episodes of a more serious tone. The series premiered on September 17, 1972 and ended February 28, 1983, with a finale that was viewed by nearly 106 million Americans, 77% of viewer-ship, which established it as “the most watched episode in United States television history,” a record that still stands today.

Starring Bill Cosby, The Cosby Show was first broadcast on September 20, 1984 and ran for eight seasons on NBC, until April 30, 1992. In every way, they were an utterly typical traditional American sitcom family, with the notable exception that they were African-American. The topics of the show involved the usual difficulties of children growing up. At the time of the show's original broadcast, some people criticized the series for presenting an unrealistic portrayal of an African-American family as wealthy, and for not addressing contemporary issues such as poverty and the AIDS-HIV epidemic. Others felt that the show was simply a portrayal of what African-Americans could potentially become. Also, that portraying an African-American family as a normal family with normal, and largely wholesome, family issues was generally positive to the issues of race in the United States. Bill Cosby had creative control over the show, which was unusual for a star at that time, but has become commonplace now. Cosby wanted the program to be educational as well as entertaining. He was credited as "William H. Cosby, Jr., Ed.D" at the beginning of each episode, referencing his doctoral degree in Education, from the University of Massachusetts. The show was very much centered on Cosby's real life, and portrayed his children's lives as well. In the end, not only did the African-American community embrace the series but The Cosby Show was also highly popular with white viewers, unlike many other television shows featuring mainly African-American characters. The show is praised for its portrayal of positive child rearing methods, and examples of role models in society.

I Love Lucy, was the most popular American sitcom of its generation, and is still considered to be one of the greatest television series of all time. The series ran from October 15, 1951 to May 6, 1957 on CBS. "I Love Lucy" is still syndicated on television in dozens of languages across the world. In pitching the idea for the show, studio executives were worried that American audiences would not find a "mixed marriage" to be believable, and they were worried about costar Desi Arnaz's heavy Cuban accent. They refused to let Arnaz's role be part of the show's title. I Love Lucy is the first of only three shows to end its run as the #1 TV show in America. Along with co-creator Jess Oppenheimer, they decided to shoot the show on 35 mm film (instead of 16mm) in front of a live studio audience, with three cameras, a technique now standard for sitcoms. I Love Lucy was the first show to use this technique with a studio audience. Along with its technical advancements, Lucille Ball played the part of a motivated, and career minded woman in the days of mostly housewives and it has had a significant impact on popular culture.


Notable mentions: Monday Night Football, Murphy Brown, The Ellen Show and Yo! Mtv Raps.