Must See TV Top Three

With as many stations as there are on television, you would think there is bound to be something good to watch. And yet, despite infinite channel surfing, you can rarely find something of interest. This makes it even more difficult to say which three TV shows were the most influential or important. I would have to say that The Simpsons, the original Star Trek, and Survivor are three shows that have had a definite impact on culture or evolution of television programming.

Survivor pretty much kicked off the reality show phenomenon as we know it. It began as a major hit television show in Sweden called Expedition Robinson in 1997. In 2000 it made its way to the U.S. and was a huge success. The Situation Comedy was soon replaced by the Reality Show. Soon to follow was The Bachelor, Joe Millionaire, America's Next Top Model, The Biggest Loser, The Apprentice and Big Brother. You name it, there is a show about it! It could be argued that MTV's Real World was the origin of Reality TV, but it was really survivor that changed the format and began the craze that we have today. The Real World was the first to throw strangers together and give them a confessional, but Survivor made it a competition. Reality TV today is almost always based around that competition - voting someone off, and awarding a prize to the last person standing. This is a very different concept from the original Real World which is why after vacillating over which program was more influential on Reality Television I opted for Survivor.

The Simpsons is the longest running American sitcom and animated series. It is also the the first animated series to be aired in prime time other than the Flintstones. The show deals with political, religious, and other controversial issues through humor. The Simpsons have permeated pop culture and are part of people's general knowledge. Who hasn't said "D'oh" on one occasion or another (which by the way is an actual word in the Oxford English Dictionary) or told someone to eat your shorts! People love The Simpsons; there is merchandise to collect, fan clubs to join, and don't forget to try to solve the mystery of their true location.
Here is an ad that uses Marge Simpson to demonstrate how well the product works, but also demonstrates how identifiable the Simpsons have become. The consumer can immediately interpret this ad because Marge has become part of people's basic understanding. The success of The Simpsons also led to the creation of other animated series such as Family Guy and South Park.

The original Star Trek aired in 1966. This television show generated five related series, ten movies, as well as a legion of fans affectionately known as Trekkies. Gene Roddenberry wanted to address existing challenges on Earth, but its setting in space provided a non-confrontational situation for its viewers. Star Trek dealt with heavy issues such as warfare and discrimination. Lieutenant Uhura was an African-American woman with a respected title and role. Star Trek even had the first interracial kiss between Kirk and Uhura. They didn't stop there; there was also a Japanese American, a Scotsman, and a Vulcan. This ability to live in harmony despite obvious differences was a major statement within the show. Star Trek also played into the populations interest in space travel as the race for space with Russia coincided with the show.