Mission: Impossible (1966–1973) was groundbreaking in that its elaborate plots took precedence over dialogue and characterization. Its stories were told almost entirely through pictures and depended on timing and editing to build tension.
Dallas (1978–1991) was a nighttime soap opera centered on the rich and powerful, who were still just plain old folks. Until Tony Soprano came along, there was probably no other TV villain as beloved as JR Ewing.
Actually, it has been argued that you can see The Prisoner gradually gaining more control, although this is only true if you re-order the episodes. “Hammer Into Anvil” and “A, B, and C” definitely shows him in more control than many of the others. “Chimes of Big Ben” is obviously an early episode – probably the second, as broadcast. McGoohan himself had a list of the “essential” episodes (apparently regarding many of the others as “filler”, which could take place at almost any time), and I think he had a preferred order. (See The Prisoner Companion).
Let’s go way back, to I Love Lucy. Shot on film, using three cameras (one had been standard previously), first ensemble cast and pioneered the syndicated rerun.
I cast my vote for “Married with Children”.
It should be noted that both Star Trek and ***Mission: Impossible *** owe a lot of their impact to the music they featured. This is especially true for Lalo Schifrin’s 5/4 M:I theme, which is one of the most distinctive tunes of the 1960s (if not of all time).
And I Love Lucy also had story arcs earlier than those shows. (The Hollywood arc in one series, the Europe trip in another, and then the move to Connecticut.)
Wait, there’s a way to watch that show where it actually makes sense? I wish I knew that when I watched it.
“Small Wonder” made all other shows about adoreable, precocious little cyborg girls passing as human children who are secretly adopted into a typical yet wacky middle-class American family headed by a befuddled and bighearted Ph.D in robotics look unrealistic by comparison.
Agreed. Ten year old moi loved Dobie Gillis. It was funny and intelligent.
The influence of Hill Street Blues, with its ensemble cast and multiple story arcs, extended to other genres as well. By the mid-1980s, we had St Elsewhere and ***LA Law ***, the latter being pitched as “a Hill Street Blues–type show about lawyers.” The format has pretty much become a standard one for hour-long dramas.
Back in the day (1980), Miami Vice created quite a stir when it debuted. Another ensemble cast with stylish undercover cops living the high life, driving fast cars, combating the lowest of the low in slow-motion shootouts, all backed with hot rock music—this show had it all!
Tuesdays were always special for me because Dobie Gillis was the lead-in to Combat! My mother hated the series, which made it especially delightful for me to watch. :o
Question: Did “Dobie” initiate the whole character talking to the audience thing?
Inspired by?
(Wiki)
It was the US version.
We can argue the toss about which was better - I have only ever seen clips of All In The Family, so I would need to do my research. But given that the brief was “…those shows that basically broke all the rules, turned the tropes on their heads, and made it so that, from here on, nothing was the same” - as I said, credit where credit’s due.
j
No, that goes back to Burns & Allen. George Burns use to talk directly to the audience every show. Also would watch the others on the show on his TV sometimes. Burns & Allen was actually a really amazing show, like nearly no other sitcom. It started back in 1949 and is still funny today.
OK, to me, “Inspired by” as the characters and the story were not the same. Where Threes Company was just the US version of Man About the House. If you would prefer the term “Based On”, I’ll go with that.
The Monkees was less like anything before on television than almost any other show ever. It should have led to tons of other shows breaking all the rules, but it was one of a kind. Same for Batman.
Monty Python, however, not so much. It grew directly out of many earlier British sketch shows. It was simply better than them. And it was the only one to get rebroadcast in America at the time. The movies made it more than just a tv series, the same way that movies made Star Trek more than just a tv series.
At Last the 1948 had half* of the Pythoners and was very similar in many style. It is turn was inspired by The Goons I believe. Many episodes of At Last the 1948 are available on Amazon Prime currently. Not up to Monty Python level but some funny stuff, especially Marty Feldman. One area where Python was different, no punchlines. They may have been the first to do this regularly.
Maybe we should now mention HOUSE OF CARDS: sure, content-wise it was just an adaptation; but the idea of Netflix hiring Oscar-caliber talent for some streaming show that folks can binge-watch? Like, is this even eligible for primetime Emmys instead of daytime ones, since it never actually aired?
Don’t know if I’d call The Rockford Files revolutionary, but it certainly turned a lot of PI tropes on their heads. Jim was a loner and an ex-con (though he’d been wrongfully convicted). He lived in a mobile home, was close to his father, and was constantly getting screwed over by his closest “friends.” He got beat up a lot, was seldom paid for his services, and was always in hock. It was still one of the best series of the 1970s.
Both CSI and 24 were different from anything that had come before (or has since).
The former was remarkable for its science-based forensics and graphics, along with its bizarre crimes and unassuming leading man (an entomologist, of all people). I wasn’t surprised at how fast the series went downhill after he left.
The latter had its “real-time format” and an “I need a hacksaw” leading man who could be stabbed, shot, beaten, and blown up, but still managed to track down terrorists without stopping even to take a whiz or a dump.