TV shows that Boldly Went . . .
Consumer television was brand-spanking new in post-war 50s America. The opportunities for innovation were unlimited. What are some groundbreaking shows that come to your mind?
The Twilight Zone: the granddaddy of ‘em all. “Submitted for your consideration. . . There’s the signpost up ahead. Your next stop . . . is The Twilight Zone.” No surprise, it spawned a pant load of composers, The Outer Limits, One Step Beyond. And America ate it up and begged for seconds.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: If the movie biz thought TV was going to be a threat, Hitchcock did not give a damn. Who ‘da thunk a great cinema director would jump aboard the Boob Tube? It was like Bowie pouncing on the Internet decades later. The icing on the cake was that Hitch used his droll humor to lampoon every advertiser on the show.
Star Trek: it wasn’t just the science fiction. It was about the vision of an idealized society. Gene Roddenberry wanted Mr. Spock to have red skim, so he looked like Satan. The network quashed that—but we still saw a culture that was literally decades ahead of its time.
Do you ever wonder, as I do, what happened to the network sages who cancelled The Twilight Zone and Star Trek? “Hey, Manny, this shit isn’t goin’ anywhere. Let’s make some more room on the schedule.
The Senator McCarthy Communist Witch Hunt hearings: After “we” won World War II, the US lived in fear of Communism. Sen. Joe McCarthy used newfangled TV to bring his witch hunt for Commie sympathizers to TV Land. He was an asshole. Edward R. Murrow—hard drinking, hard smoking, brilliant “Dean” Murrow—destroyed McCarthy and all for which his moribund, selfish ass stood—by the simple act of putting him on TV in all our living rooms. Ed Murrow and CBS (“the Tiffany Network) fucking CREATED TV news. Murrow and his peers were completely different from the asshats we have “reporting” today (with the notable exceexception of Christian Amanpour). They had all covered The War from the fucking trenches. They were heroes, not teleprompter readers. The news was ‘way better then.
What were the pioneering shows for you?