![]() Tony Soprano, his family, and his other Family live and operate in an era where the mythos of the Mafia has faded with the dawn of the 21st century - an existentially troubling and emasculating effort for Tony himself, who decides to attend therapy at a time when the stigma around anxiety and depression was finally being torn down. It started by “de-dramatizing” the traditional Mafia story, turning it away from the classic American epics of Coppola and Scorsese and thrusting it into the modern-day. It was beneficial for TV dramas up until that point to stay as simple and inoffensive to the average viewer as possible, but The Sopranos - thanks in part to the exclusivity and freedom of premium cable network HBO - was bold enough to break away from that mold. Not only did it manage to balance an extremely large cast of characters, which was relatively new for television in the late 90s, but every single one of those characters was as well-written, memorable, and complicated as the story arcs they served. Just ask that guy who lost his foot to an unfortunate office lawnmower accident…įew dramas reshaped the modern-day TV landscape as much as The Sopranos. ![]() And while Mad Men could be quiet and meditative, it was also incredibly witty and capable of shocking and thrilling you at just the right moment. The supporting characters, most notably Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss), allowed Weiner to show what a time of change the 1960s were and the obstacles that were constantly placed in the path of many looking to ascend higher than the society they were raised in was often comfortable with. “Advertising executive” might not sound incredibly exciting for an ongoing TV show, but Don Draper (Jon Hamm) proved to be a fascinating protagonist - a self-made man in every sense of the term, as his entire identity was a fabrication that helped prove just how good he was at selling people on the right image. ![]() Matthew Weiner’s nuanced, immersive look at a 1960s advertising executive put AMC on the map as a major player in the scripted TV world, thanks to its smart, introspective scripts and wonderful array of characters. The Simpsons will have to come to an end eventually, but when it finally does it will be remembered as one of the most important (and funniest) shows ever made. Homer and Bart Simpson are among the most recognizable pop culture figures of the last two decades, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a contemporary comedy that wasn’t influenced by The Simpsons in some way. Even with criticism that current episodes aren’t quite as incisive as they were in the early days, the fact that it’s still on the air is a testament to the lasting impact the show has had on pop culture and on modern humor as a whole. With over 20 years under its belt, The Simpsons is the longest running American sitcom in history. The Simpsons has never shied away from covering real-life situations, and its initial seasons were a brilliant, subversive take on the typical dysfunctional family that quickly made the show a hit. Beyond putting Fox on the map as a network, The Simpsons injected sharp writing and insightful social commentary into primetime, proving that animated shows could be for adults too. Sitcoms were never quite the same after The Simpsons. The original show was not a fluke, and indeed three more sequel series would follow… and now we’re on the verge of getting yet another in Star Trek: Discovery. And finally, the adventures of the Enterprise-D stood as a testament to the enduring appeal and adaptability of the Star Trek concept. TNG was also a trendsetter in the strange galaxy known as first-run syndication for dramatic series, helping to prove that television did not have to be constrained to the big three networks, long before cable dramas and streaming Emmy winners were the norm. Not only did star Patrick Stewart elevate the series, and the genre, with his Shakespearean-trained approach, but Next Gen’s continued mining of the vast Star Trek universe for thought-provoking, exciting, and often relevant to the here and now stories mirrored and sometimes outmatched The Original Series. And while many fans eyed Captain Picard and his crew warily at first - and rightfully so considering the series’ first couple of shaky years - this new take on the voyage of the starship Enterprise eventually earned its own place among great sci-fi television. Star Trek was already legendary and iconic by the time the first spin-off series, The Next Generation, arrived in 1987.
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