TV Moments that Shook the World

[Mistral]

Scorpio's thread on Hawaii Five Oh got me thinking. We have a mix of generations here so let's just see what YOU think altered or impacted the culture of its time. I'm talking moments in TV that people were talking about at the water-cooler the next day in shock, awe or amazement. Being a Gen X-er, I'll chime in with :

Sammy Davis kisses Archie Bunker. A mind-blowing scene when you take into account Archie's character. Think about it-you have two men of different races and one kisses the other. Then you throw in the basic premise of the show and characters. The commentary/discussions about racism that arose afterward reached all of the way down to the elementary school level. I know, because I remember my teacher at the time bringing it up in class to talk about "how we treat others".

 

[OmahaStar]

The ones I can think of are:

1 - JR getting shot on Dallas.

2 - Best of Both Worlds part 1, the cliffhanger. Everyone was talking about that for months, Trek fans or not.

3 - Henry's death on M*A*S*H.

4 - Challenger exploding.

 

[Spot's Meow]

Hmm, this is hard, I can't think of much for some reason.

But I have:

-Survivor premiere

-Ross and Rachel

-Ross and Rachel again

-More Ross and Rachel and pretty much everything else that happened on Friends

 

[Randor]

I'd say 9/11 with Best of Both worlds a close second.

 

[RandyS]

Lee Harvey Oswald being killed.

 

[Twilight]

Ellen DeGeneres coming out via "Ellen".

Remember how is was such a massive deal at the time? Her career was literally almost destroyed. The show was riding high and then literally tanked a few episodes after the famous coming out episode.

Today however it would totally not be a big deal. She's part of the reason for that shift in perception. I think it's easy to underplay the significance of the show "Ellen" but I think in time it will be regarded as a major moment in TV history.

 

[Spot's Meow]

^I agree with that, and I find it amazing now to watch her talk show and see all these people in her audience gladly dancing up against her on TV and thinking that just a few years ago they would have been (or at least acted) totally disgusted by the thought of dancing with a lesbian.

 

[wamdue]

^I agree with that, and I find it amazing now to watch her talk show and see all these people in her audience gladly dancing up against her on TV and thinking that just a few years ago they would have been (or at least acted) totally disgusted by the thought of dancing with a lesbian.

to be fair, some of those people could be lesbians, or celebrity's looking to send out a token gesture to there gay fanbase.

 

[Spot's Meow]

^ True, but she spends so much time going around through the audience that they can't all be plants. It just makes me happy to see how many people love her and her show and even laugh at her self-deprecating gay jokes instead of shying away from it.

 

[ToddPence]

The shooting of Buckwheat.

 

[miraclefan]

The shooting of Buckwheat.

Que? you mean the kid from the little rascals?

 

[ToddPence]

http://www.myhubtv.com/videos/2931/the-best-of-eddie-murphy---buckwheat-is-shot.html

 

[Mistral]

Ellen DeGeneres coming out via "Ellen".

Remember how is was such a massive deal at the time? Her career was literally almost destroyed. The show was riding high and then literally tanked a few episodes after the famous coming out episode.

Today however it would totally not be a big deal. She's part of the reason for that shift in perception. I think it's easy to underplay the significance of the show "Ellen" but I think in time it will be regarded as a major moment in TV history.

I should have phrased the OP better-I wasn't talking about real-life events. This ^ is a good example. Or the killing of Henry Blake on MASH.

 

[Kirby]

The last scene in Newhart
Johnny Carson's final episode
The amazing suckiness of the Seinfeld finale

 

[TheArsenal]

"Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. Vice President Ford will be sworn in as President at that hour in this office."

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

In 1991 L.A. Law became the first US prime time series to show a lesbian kiss. It seems utterly tame now (you can see it here), but it caused quite the major stir at the time.

 

[wamdue]

In 1991 L.A. Law became the first US prime time series to show a lesbian kiss. It seems utterly tame now (you can see it here), but it caused quite the major stir at the time.

it would be hard to even suggest that, that is a kiss between two lovers.

 

[auntiehill]

If we're talking strictly fictional moments, "The Day After," really messed with my head when I was a kid. I remember all the kids at school talking about it afterwards.

Also, the episode of "Maude," that deals with abortion. Never before or since have I seen a tv show deal with the subject so frankly.

On a more personal note (I'm sure this didn't really "change the world") but seeing Thomas Magnum, my childhood hero, shoot Ivan in cold blood (because the bastard REALLY deserved it) was really shocking to then-school-kid me. Awesome as HELL, but...shocking.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

In 1991 L.A. Law became the first US prime time series to show a lesbian kiss. It seems utterly tame now (you can see it here), but it caused quite the major stir at the time.

it would be hard to even suggest that, that is a kiss between two lovers.

Well, it wasn't a kiss between two lovers. It was a lesbian (or bisexual - I forget which) deciding on the spur of the moment to kiss an increasingly bi-curious, but heretofore straight, woman whom she's attracted to.

 

[Mistral]

Ooo, Auntie, gold star to you. The Day After was all over the media and still sits in a little corner of my hind brain. I saw it recently at like 2am and it still chilled the soul.