# TV Shows that made a big pop culture splash but are now disproportionately forgotten **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 17, 2014, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849 "2014-11-17T13:36:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/41 "2014-11-17T18:54:11Z")
A few more: Carol Burnett Show Hee-Haw Black Sheep Squadron ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/42 "2014-11-17T19:11:40Z")
Around this time last year, the AV Club round table column did a feature on the infamous “WKRP in Cincinnati” turkey drop episode. I was rather surprised that most of the site’s reviewers and a large number of the commenters said they had never seen the show and were unfamiliar with it. I know that its been kept out of regular reruns because of music rights, but still In my youth, this was THE show that everybody watched, knew about, could recite lines from. “Will & Grace” doesn’t seem to be much remembered anymore. That’s not too surprising though since so much of its humor derived from making swipes at contemporary pop culture ("It’s not just bad, it’s “Mariah Carey in Glitter bad!”) and a parade of guest star actors who were already past their primes in the 1990s / early 2000s. Ellen Degeneres’ sitcom and even her revolutionary for the time coming out episode seem like period pieces akin to “Boys in the Band” nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/43 "2014-11-17T19:12:10Z")
Is there an official name for the Love Boat / Fantasy Island type shows? A framing device with recurring characters, a handful of C-list actors, telling two or three unrelated stories running through each episode? That seems to be a dead genre. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/44 "2014-11-17T19:12:48Z")
_Battle of the Network Stars_ Back in the late 70’s / early 80’s this was a HUGE annual TV event. Nowadays you would be hardpressed to find anyone under 35 who has even heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/45 "2014-11-17T19:48:07Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Is there an official name for the Love Boat / Fantasy Island type shows? A framing device with recurring characters, a handful of C-list actors, telling two or three unrelated stories running through each episode? > > That seems to be a dead genre. They, and Variety shows were staples of 70’s TV. Both are pretty much gone. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/46 "2014-11-17T20:05:49Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > And yes, there is great interest in it’s return, _especially_ among fans of the original. It’s not really a remake, it’s a continuation by the original writers / directors with the original cast and it takes place 25 years later. Since the original was cancelled after a season ending cliffhanger, many many fans are interested in the resolution of those cliffhangers, and it’s been strongly hinted that they will be resolved. > It probably won’t even make a lot of sense to people unfamiliar with the original. I will definitely watch it, then. Even though I don’t remember a whole lot about the second, truncated, season. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/47 "2014-11-17T20:08:52Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I can think of a show that WAS enormously popular in its day, that millions of people watched and quoted, BUT > > …which nobody my age (53) or younger has ever seen. > > …which many people are afraid to mention, because they’ve been told it’s considered taboo, wholly beyond the pale! > > _ **Amos and Andy** _! > > Hardly anybody has seen it, but everyone knows it’s wickedly racist, and must never be re-broadcast or even brought up. I love this show. Not only is it outrageously funny, it was a showcase for many talented black actors of the day. It was also nowhere near as racist as shows like \*\*\*Good Times \*\*\*in the '70s, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/48 "2014-11-17T20:11:08Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Far from forgotten, and coming back in 2016. Yes, but when was the last time you heard “Let’s go down to the R ‘n’ R for some cherry pie”? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/49 "2014-11-17T20:21:13Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Yes, but when was the last time you heard “Let’s go down to the R ‘n’ R for some cherry pie”? :dubious: I do not believe I have ever heard that in conversation. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/50 "2014-11-17T20:50:59Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > _Battle of the Network Stars_ > Back in the late 70’s / early 80’s this was a HUGE annual TV event. Nowadays you would be hardpressed to find anyone under 35 who has even heard of it. You can make a similar case for _Circus of the Stars_. I think the main reason both of these eventually faded away is, back then, entertainment options for actors were so limited that you could get A-listers to appear on them, but in the 24-hour pop culture society of today, they don’t need the extra publicity. The closest modern day equivalent is _Dancing with the Stars_. In a way, this is why _The Love Boat_ and _Fantasy Island_ won’t be back any time soon; who has time to appear on shows like these nowadays? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/51 "2014-11-17T20:51:01Z")
I’ll bet most people today don’t remember **that Was The Week That Was**. It was a (from all accounts – I’ve only seen a couple of episodes) savagely funny show featuring blackout routines, a fake news show commenting on current events, and the songs of Tom Lehrer. I refer to the American version – the earlier British version had, of course, a different cast. The folks involved on both sides of the Atlantic were a veritable who’s who of humor. The show was never syndicated, and never put on video VHS or DVD. Most episodes apparently don’t exist any more. I saw a couple of them at the Museumm of the Moving Image. A few years later, _Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In_ featured blackout comedy and a hack news broadcast, but was watered-down by comparison with TW3. Years after that, Saturday Night Live started up, with its skits and features and hack news broadcast. If they ever cancel SNL, sometime later another comedy show with skits, blackouts, musical numbers, and a hack news broadcast will be created to take its place. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/52 "2014-11-17T22:05:51Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > If they ever cancel SNL, sometime later another comedy show with skits, blackouts, musical numbers, and a hack news broadcast will be created to take its place. Have you seen the\* Today\* show lately? ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/53 "2014-11-17T22:33:44Z")
**Desperate Housewives** was a gigantic show when it was airing but seems to have completely disappeared from the cultural consciousness right after it finished. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/54 "2014-11-17T22:48:54Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > _Battle of the Network Stars_ > Back in the late 70’s / early 80’s this was a HUGE annual TV event. Nowadays you would be hardpressed to find anyone under 35 who has even heard of it. One of the ESPN channels (ESPNU?) shows it. It is hysterical. Howard Cosell treating it like a real sporting event and doing play-by-play. Sometimes the stars are remarkably good athletes. Just this weekend I saw Tom Selleck crush the 200 yard dash. Cosell said he played basketball for USC, which I didn’t know. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/55 "2014-11-17T23:07:24Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > If the remake is good, they might snare a whole new generation of watchers. But how many people who saw the original 20-odd years ago are going to be moved to watch it? We, here, watch Twin Peaks annually (or try to annually) from start to finish. Twin Peaks will never die here at Casa Sally Barry. My 20-something is also, independently of us, a huge fan. Can’t wait for a remake. Also, there must be some kind of videogame thing for Twin Peaks, very popular with the young 'uns. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/56 "2014-11-17T23:07:39Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > _Battle of the Network Stars_ > Back in the late 70’s / early 80’s this was a HUGE annual TV event. Nowadays you would be hardpressed to find anyone under 35 who has even heard of it. I think if they tried that now all they would get would be reality show participants looking for 15 more minutes. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/57 "2014-11-17T23:25:10Z")
Queer as Folk. A very accurate look at gay urban life during the Bush years. Some of it dated very quickly, but I do think it had an effect on the rapidly changing perception on same sex marriage ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/58 "2014-11-17T23:29:35Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Yes, but when was the last time you heard “Let’s go down to the R ‘n’ R for some cherry pie”? :dubious: I’ve occasionally heard “damn fine coffee” or “fire, walk with me” over the years. There have been numerous pop culture allusions to it. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/59 "2014-11-18T00:04:27Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I can think of a show that WAS enormously popular in its day, that millions of people watched and quoted, BUT > > …which nobody my age (53) or younger has ever seen. > > …which many people are afraid to mention, because they’ve been told it’s considered taboo, wholly beyond the pale! > > _ **Amos and Andy** _! > > Hardly anybody has seen it, but everyone knows it’s wickedly racist, and must never be re-broadcast or even brought up. The same thing arguably happened to The Jack Benny Show, because of the portrayal of Rochester, Jack’s live-in servant. Jack Benny was a hugely popular entertainer in the US for decades (first on radio, then on TV), but his shows almost never appear in reruns. Everyone knows who Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel are, and most people can conjure an image of The Honeymooners cast. But how many people today are familiar with Jack, Mary, Phil, Rochester, Don, Dennis, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849/60 "2014-11-18T01:25:40Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > On a slightly different tack, In the 90’s, Nickelodeon came out with a string of original, excellent children’s programming like Rugrats, Ren & Stimpy, Rocko’s Modern Life, Aaahh! Real Monsters, Hey Arnold and Angry Beavers which are still remembered fondly and referenced to this day. Then, in the middle of all this was Doug which was a show that got great ratings while it was on but so bland it basically disappeared from the cultural consciousness as soon as it went off the air. I loved Doug. Thought it was the best of the lot (Hey Arnold! was second). I’m bummed that Doug isn’t still in syndication somewhere, 'cuz if I happened by it while channel surfing I’d probably stop to watch. Ren and Stimpy, BTW, started out great and devolved into a mess. Again, IMO. What about Queer Eye for the Straight Guy? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disproportionately-forgotten/704849.md?page=4)