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11 TV Shows That Changed the Course of History
These shows did way more than just provide entertainment.
TELEVISION
9 ‘Saturday Night Live’ Movies That Were Never Made
In the pantheon of SNL sketches-turned-feature films, there are good ideas (‘Wayne’s World’), bad ideas (‘It’s Pat’), and batted-about ideas that never made it to the silver screen.
How ‘WKRP in Cincinnati’ Made Holiday TV History With “Turkeys Away”
In its very first season, ‘WKRP In Cincinnati’ created the greatest Thanksgiving special about a misguided turkey delivery ever made.
Calling All Trivia Nerds: Jeopardy! Hiring a New Researcher
Now’s your chance to become part of your favorite game show.
When ‘Mad TV’ Challenged ‘Saturday Night Live’ for Sketch Comedy Supremacy
The humor magazine transitioned to TV in 1995, hoping to unseat NBC's sketch comedy dynasty.
How MTV’s First Rival Became Cable TV’s Biggest Flop
With the Cable Music Channel, Ted Turner tried to take on MTV and failed—but somehow still managed to win.
7 Reasons Why 1984’s Pop Culture Is the Gift That Keeps On Giving
From ‘Ghostbusters’ to Madonna’s VMA performance, 1984 was a memorable year for pop culture.
6 Words and Phrases Brought to You by Hollywood
You have Tinseltown to thank for phrases like ‘cut to the chase’ and ‘jump the shark.’
It Came From the Kid Lit Section: Remembering the Children’s Horror Boom of the 1990s
Series like R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps introduced '90s kids to horror at a young age.
Where Did ‘Yada Yada Yada’ Come From?
The ’90s catchphrase was made famous by ‘Seinfeld,’ but Jerry and company didn’t coin it.
The First-Ever Televised Presidential Debate Was Between Two Women
In 1956, two highly-regarded party figures stepped in for candidates Eisenhower and Stevenson to tackle election issues.
PBS’s Woolly Mammoth Action Figure Recreates the Majestic Beast at 1:18 Scale
The shelf-sized mammoth comes with three sets of tusks, including one with battle damage.
How Schmaltzy Hallmark Christmas Movies Came to Rule the Holiday Season
The Hallmark Channel’s annual Countdown to Christmas kicks off every October. But the channel's reputation for producing feel-good holiday films began years before the annual event.
The Meta Storytelling of ‘Lost’ in 6 Episode Titles
Viewers hoping to gain deeper insight into the show’s mysteries could get some clues from Lost’s episode titles.
Daenerys’s Dragon Egg, Arya’s Dagger, and More ‘Game of Thrones’ Props Are Being Auctioned Off
The upcoming ‘Game of Thrones’ auction features over 2000 items from the series.
Calling All Wizards: HBO Is Holding Open Casting for Its New Harry Potter Series
The open casting call for HBO’s rendition of the original Harry Potter series has officially begun.
When Howard Hughes Bought a TV Station Because He Had Insomnia
The reclusive billionaire couldn't sleep and didn't have anything to watch. His solution was to buy a TV station.
Smells Like Stars Hollow: How Much of ‘Gilmore Girls’ Is Set in the Fall?
‘Gilmore Girls’ is often viewed as a fall show. So we counted how many episodes take place during each season—and autumn didn’t come out on top.
Props and Memorabilia From ‘Friends’ Are Headed to Auction for the Show’s 30th Anniversary
Julien’s Auctions and Warner Bros. will be there for you during the Friends Memorabilia auction on September 23.
‘Wassup?’: The Origins of the Famous Budweiser Ad
Before it became a cultural phenomenon, Budweiser’s “Wassup” ad started as a short film.
How An Unsuccessful TV Pilot Spawned One of the Greatest Films of the 1990s
Before there was ‘Heat,’ there was ‘LA Takedown,’ a TV pilot-turned-TV movie that aired on NBC in 1989.
Why Do So Many Cartoon Characters Have Four Fingers?
It‘s normal for cartoon characters to be missing a digit, but how did the style originate?
40 Surprising Facts About ‘Friends’
In honor of its 30th anniversary, discover even more fun facts about NBC’s hit sitcom, ‘Friends,’ which helped turn its cast—including Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, and Courteney Cox—into household names.
‘Ooga Chaka’: How Dancing ‘Baby Cha’ (Briefly) Took Over the ’90s
The boogying baby animation from ‘Ally McBeal’ was one of the internet's first viral memes, and was alternately charming and horrifying.