The Cosby Show? Seinfeld? The Simpsons? Twitter Chooses the Most Influential TV Show Ever
The best reader responses to this month's "Big Question"
In our June issue, we asked a panel of TV show runners, actors, and executives to pick the most influential show in TV history. Their answers varied from comedy classics (All In The Family) and contemporary cartoons (The Simpsons) to newsmakers (Walter Cronkite's "we are mired in stalemate" Vietnam broadcast) and cultural juggernauts (Saturday Night Live).
We posed the question to Twitter, too. This is a small collection of the best answers we saw.
What was the most influential TV show ever? Tell us your answer with the hashtag #BigQuestion theatln.tc/10y7efs
-- The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) May 23, 2013
NPR host Scott Simon (and many more) looked back to the early days of television.
Most Influential TV show? #BigQuestion Lucy invented sit-com. JFK assassination coverage invented living history through TV
-- Scott Simon (@nprscottsimon) May 23, 2013
Answer has to be Twilight Zone: revolutionized TV writing and inspired a generation of scientific exploration and scifi writers #BigQuestion
-- Gregory Winger (@ghwinger) May 23, 2013
@theatlantic #bigquestion : The Milton Berle Show. Kickstarted TV. And Howdy Doody. Kickstarted Children's TV.
-- roslyn pall (@pall_com) May 23, 2013
Most influential TV show lasted 1 ep: Nixon's Checkers speech. Saves him on Ike's ticket, changes next 20 years #bigquestion
-- Justin Miller (@justinjm1) May 23, 2013
Some considered how television affected their lives.
#CarlSagan's Cosmos. His passion for the beauty & mystery of our universe made him a hero for me. ow.ly/lkurd #BigQuestion
-- Brett Norman (@BrettSNorman) May 23, 2013
While others celebrated recent revolutionary ideas on the small-screen.
@theatlantic The Wire. An incredible look at sociopolitical themes through the realistic portrayal of urban life in America. #BigQuestion
-- Britten Wolf (@brittenwolf) May 23, 2013
@theatlantic It's gotta be the Sopranos. Show that opened the flood gates for dramatically improved TV. #BigQuestion
-- Andrew Sweet (@AndrewSweet) May 23, 2013
@theatlantic Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Just look at @josswhedon today. #BigQuestion
-- Lauren Seidman (@UpperWestSeid) May 23, 2013
.@theatlantic seinfeld. making nothing cool was pretty revolutionary. #BigQuestion
-- liz preza (@lizicisms) May 23, 2013
@theatlantic The Real World. It changed our perception of what a TV show was & redefined concepts of celebrity and privacy. #bigquestion
-- Archie Mckinlay (@archiemck) May 23, 2013
We even saw a few suggestions based on financial influence.
@theatlantic could be Baywatch. Because it bypassed the networks which changed the whole business model. Changed everything. #Bigquestion
-- Daniel Halem (@WalkaboutJones) May 23, 2013
@theatlantic Family Guy.First show that returned from the grave thanks to dvd sales and good ratings in syndication #BigQuestion
-- Andrew Bedsole (@Faraway674) May 23, 2013
But naturally, nothing beats a classic.
@theatlantic The Cosby Show. #BigQuestion
-- Linda Holmes (@nprmonkeysee) May 23, 2013
@theatlantic No one has said Cheers yet? How is that possible? #BigQuestion
-- Austin Waters (@Austin_H2O) May 23, 2013