TV history through overlapping programs

Cafe Society
1

I just realized that Cheers overlapped with MASH (regular episode of MASH were broadcast after the first regular episodes of Cheers showed) (I didn’t watch Cheers until much later I guess). That gives me the idea to see how few series can take us back to the early days of TV. I’ll narrow it down to scripted television just to make things interesting.

I Love Lucy (October 15, 1951 to May 6, 1957)
Gunsmoke (September 10, 1955, to March 31, 1975)
MASH (September 17, 1972 to February 28, 1983)
Cheers (September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993)
The Simpsons (December 17, 1989 - heat-death of the universe)

Not bad - 5 series take us just about 70 years.

Gunsmoke was on the air from the Adventures of Superman era (September 19, 1952 – April 28, 1958) to the Mary Tyler Moore era (September 19, 1970 to March 19, 1977). MacGyver returned from the dead and Twin Peaks too, all during the Simpsons eon.

2

You’ll need to use Days of Our Lives, which has been running since 1965 (and takes your span down to 3.)

3

You can stretch even further back. The Kraft Theatre ran from 1947-1958, lapping Lucy on both ends.

4

Did you mean to include daytime soap operas, Andy L?

5

Meet the Press 1947-today. Boom.

That’s contrary to the OP, I know. But I would throw out the Simpsons, too and limit it to live actors.

Let’s try this.

Kraft Theater 1947-1958
*Gunsmoke *1955-1975
Happy Days 1974-1984
Murder, She Wrote 1984-1996
7th Heaven 1996-2007
*NCIS *2003-today

6

Like the ones on Saturday Night Live, say?

7

I hadn’t been thinking of them, but Darren’s example is impressive. What happens if we exclude animation and daytime series?

8

Oops. Now I see Exapno’s suggestion. Very good.

9

Last of the Summer Wine ran from 1973 to 2010 on BBC One

Brian

10

You could maybe bracket that with Doctor Who and Doctor Who.

11

Personally, I wouldn’t allow it, anymore than the Wonderful World of Disney, which ran from 1954-1984. Andy, what say you?

12

Wonderful World of Disney involved a lot of reruns of old movies - not really a “program”

SNL is a trickier case, but since I’ve excluded daytime TV, how about limiting it to programs in “Prime Time” (8-11 PM) - that takes care of SNL (and the Tonight Show)

13

I’m not quite sure how to put it, but: something about Ric Flair?

14

Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:

Kraft Theater 1947-1955
Gunsmoke 1955-1975
MAS*H 1972-1983
Cheers 1982-1993
Law and Order 1990- 2010
Law and Order SVU- 1999-present

Now we’re down to six. Can anyone get down to five? Should we cheat and throw in 60 Minutes?

15

*Gunsmoke *is what makes it work. Knock it out and the problem becomes really hard.

16

Like I was alluding to, WWE RAW arguably goes from January of ‘93 to now.

17

Scripted?

18

Uh, I hate to break it to you, but, yeah, it is.

19

I think you can swap in Lassie without too much trouble.

20

Objection. Cable shows need their own category.