The TV Shows Of Our Lives

In the history of television, there have been hundreds of shows, but only a few that stick with us over the decades and have the power to evoke nostalgia for any era between the 1950s and the 1980s. Here are ten:

I Love Lucy (1951 - 1957)

Probably the greatest TV comedy of all time, Lucy was notable for the comic interplay among Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel, which often involved intelligent slapstick. (Who can forget the chocolate factory or Vitameatavegamin?) And “You’ve got some ‘splaining to do’ is still instantly recognizable. Lucille Ball would have been 100 this week, by the way. We still miss her.

The Ed Sullivan Show (1948 - 1971) Practically everyone curled up on Sunday night in front of the black-and-white tv to watch the lantern-jawed Sullivan put on a “really good shew.” Legendary appearances included Elvis, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones—not to mention a very young Joan Rivers.

Star Trek (1966 - 1969) Considering the profound cultural influence Star Trek has had on generations of sci-fi nerds, it’s hard to believe it ran for only three seasons. But the saga continued with spinoffs including The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970 - 1977) In the early 1970s, a woman who worked outside the home was still an oddity. But Mary was sweet and competent enough to surmount all obstacles and become a producer at WJM. And we’ll never forget the opening-sequence hat toss.

All In The Family (1971 - 1979) At a time of racial and political controversy, Archie Bunker didn’t hesitate to speak the truth as he saw it, which both angered and entertained audiences. Luckily, Archie’s acidic opinions were offset by Edith’s innocent sweetness.

Saturday Night Live (1975 - present) An unbelievable force in American comedy, SNL is now in its 36th year. Veterans include Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, the late Gilda Radner and John Belushi and Jimmy Fallon. The newest products include Tina Fey and Kristin Wiig, the director of the raunchy comedy Bridesmaids.

Dallas (1978 - 1991) The Ewing family and their huge ranch, Southfork, perfectly captured the cocky, go-go spirit of the 1980s. Fan favorites included sneaky oilman J.R. (Larry Hagman) and his long-suffering wife Sue Ellen (Linda Gray). The who-shot-JR episode is considered one of the all-time great TV episodes.

Dynasty (1981 - 1989) Lights! Action! Catfights! Viewers were divided into Team Krystle (Linda Evans) and Team Alexis (Joan Collins). But no matter whose side you were on, we all had to admit that Collins, with her enormous shoulder pads and inch-thick makeup, did make quite an impression.

The Cosby Show (1984 - 1992) The most popular comedy of the 1980s, the show departed from the usual portrayal of black people as poor, chronicling the lives and mixups of the middle-class Brooklyn family, the Huxtables. Cosby played an obstetrician, and Debbie Allen, as his wife, was an attorney. The show dealt occasionally with issues like teen pregnancy, but race wasn’t a factor, showing that black families weren’t always thinking about the color of their skin.

Roseanne (1988 - 1997) Like The Bill Cosby Show, Roseanne was a groundbreaker. The Conners, the working-class family of the series, were working class and smart and fat (yes, fat, not overweight). Before the show began, Barr was known for her acerbic comedy, and she didn’t pull any punches in the show when talking about hot-potato issues like abortion, gay rights and domestic violence.
< br> What were or are your favorite TV shows?