The 19 sefs are disappearing slowly but surely. 1980 will be upon us. What a decade it is coming up. Happy new year theres something the television world. The landscape was on any given evening nine out of ten people were watching any one of the three networks. More than 30 Million People are addicted to it. Its televisions prime time pot boiler. Dallas. It would ruin our family name. I assure you a thought like that never crossed my mind. Dallas literally captivated america for 13 years. Its a Television Show which is rooted in the 1970s and one of the things that emerges is jr. Ewing. Tell me, j. R. Whoever it is its got to be more interesting than the slut like im looking at now. H he was enam ovrd by so many. It would become news overnight. [ gunshot ] the National Obsession in 1980 around who shot j. R. Its hard to imagine obsessed we all were with that question, but with we are. Who shot j. R. Is about as ideal a cliffhanger than anybody could get. We may never get the answer to that question. Theyll hold us in suspense as long as they had to. The strike delayed the resolution and started to percolate through the world. I remember going on vacation to england that summer and thats all that people were talking about there. We know you dont die. You couldnt die. You dont know that. How could you die . Thats what i mean. I might not come back but the show may be back. It wouldnt be a show without j. R. The last nights of 82 million americans watched the muchtouted dallas episode. Who shot j. R. Is a reflexion of oldfashioned television. Its a place where we gather around the electronic fireplace, which is the twrigs. It transcends every other american statement about war. Something special happened today. The Surgical Hospital 4077, it was the kind of a group that would draw the worlds press, stage 9, fox studios, the end of the crane war. The Television Version of m. A. S. H. Its opinion an honor and a privilege to have workeding with you and im very, very proud to have done it. Shows that had been watched through the 70s and into tagts like m. A. S. H. Had their final episode. Ill be seeing you. Ill see you, a lot. Always crowded around the tv set to watch the final episode and give them a farewell. 123 Million People watched one Television Program at the same time. I really should be allowed to go home. Theres nothing wrong with me. When we ended the show, we got to grams of congratulations from Henry Kissinger and ronald reagan. The emotional nature of the response that we were getting was difficult for us to understand. Who shot j. R. Is the last call for the precable world of television. Just like they are the last time that that huge audience will all turn out for one event. All right, thats it. Lets roll. Hey, lets be careful out there. 9 11, armed robbery. The phrase too good for tv is often heard. Hill street is one of the changing points in the history of tv. We all watched a documentary about cops, had this real hand held in the moment thing we were very enamored of. The minute we looked at it, it looked different. It had a mood to it. You could almost smell the stale coffee. We didnt want to do a standard cop show where, you know, you got a crime and you got your two cops and you go out and catch the bad guy and you sweat him and he confesses and thats it. Cops have personal lives that impact their behavior many profound ways. Well action what about it . Is he here or dont get excited, counselor. If hes not here and not elsewhere, he is lost. I never said that. Never in my life have i seen so much unmitigated crap. Find my client or i swear ill have you up on charges. This would play out over five, six episode, sometimes over the entire series. No one had really done that in an hourlong dramatic show. These past months, ive missed you. I had to find that out. Come home, pizza man. I think in the past people had watched television passively and the one thing i think we did set out to be were provocateurs. Fill it out. They dont pay me enough money to do. It was a white friend that if you would trigger, not a black one. It was a white one the audience can accept these characters being deeply flawed, even though theyre wearing this uniform. I thought that was important to get across. We wanted to make a show that made you participate, made you pay attention, and i think that worked pretty well. And the winner is jienchts Hill Street Blues. We went on to win eight emmys. And thats when people finally checked us out. Program of one of the networks used to say to me about shows like hill street. What america wants is a cheeseburger and youre trying to give them a french delicacy. Your job is to keep shoving its down their throat and they eventually say that doesnt taste bad. The success of hill street influenced everything that came after and then of course you saw shows like st. Elsewhere. Do you know what people call this place . St. Elsewhere. A place you wouldnt send your motherinlaw. You give your patients the wrong antibiotics. You write the worst progress notes. Youre pathetic, pathetic. Phil. Dr. Moore needs you right away. Im sorry. St. Elsewhere broke every rule there was and built some new rules. He called a while ago. He ran a routine panel. T cell is involved. Ive got aids . Television at its best is a mirror of society in the moment. St. Elsewhere challenged people. It challenged you as an actor, much less the audience, to think the stuff they gave you was extreme, and what they did, whether they were dealing with aids or having one of their main characters raped in a prison. They tackle some difficult subjects. It was run by people who were trying to stretch the medium. In the 80s they were encouraged to stretch the medium. Ok. Clear. [announcer] welcome to intelligent indoor grilling with the ninja foodi smart xl grill. Just pick your protein, select your doneness, and let the grill monitor your food. It also turns into an air fryer. Bring outdoor grilling flavors indoors with the grill that grills for you. At capella university, we know smart comes in many forms. Good boy so we made flexpath the kind of smart that keeps up with you. With flexpath, you can earn your masters degree in 14 months for 14,000. Thats the kind of smart i like. Capella university dont just learn. Learn smarter. The new Samsung Galaxy s21 this looks different. It is. Show me. Just hit record see that . Youre filming in 8k. Thats cinema quality. So. You can pull photos straight from video. Impressive. But will it last a whole trip . Youll have battery all day. And then more. This is different. Told you. Spray, lift, skip, step. Swipe, lift, spin, dry. Slam, pan, still. Fresh move, move, move, move aaaaand still fresh. Degree. Ultimate freshness activated when you move. [truck horn blares] vo the subaru forester. Ask is is are you managing your diabetes. Using fingersticks . With the new freestyle Libre 2 System, a continuous glucose monitor, you can check your glucose with a painless, onesecond scan. And now with optional alarms, you can choose to be notified if you go too high or too low. And for those who qualify, the freestyle Libre 2 System is now covered by medicare. Ask your doctor for a prescription. You can do it without fingersticks. Learn more at freestyle libre 2 dot u. S. Sports becomes a tv show and what are tv shows built armed . Theyre built around characters. You cannot be serious you got to be absolutely the pit of the world. Mcenrow, people loved to hate him. What tennis wants is to get its two best players playing over and over again in a final, whether theyre john mcenroe or martina navratilova, thats what we want to see over and of. Cost three match points to nat vlhova. From here to bangor, maine. Magic johnson, this urban kid from michigan and larry bird, this guy who worked carrying trash. One place in los angeles lakers, the other blase was the boston celtics. Magic johnson leads the attack. Oh, what a goal when those championship games are in primetime and people are paying attention to that, television feeds into those rivalries and makes them bigger than theyve ever been before. Theyre just as good as dead. Every fight was an event. When he fought michael spinks, the electricity, you can see watching that tv. Theisen is made for tv because there was drama. Its all over. He has won not a lot of High School Kids can duck. Everybody tried. I think that he started to transcend just the sport. Hes becoming something of a figure. Michael jordan becomes the athlete that everybody wants to shoot for. They wanted to be a brand. Thats what they want. It turns them into worldwide iconic. A shot, good athletes in the 80s became part of an Ongoing Group of people that we cared about. We had a pentup understand for sports and the 80s provided, thank goods. With Cable Television suddenly offering an array of different channel choices, thats enough. I want my own mtv. I want my mtv. I want my mtv a new concept is born. The best of tv combined with the best of radio. This is it. Welcome to mtv, music television, the worlds first stereo music tele. Music television, what a concept. Mtv was pow in your face. You are not going to turn us off. Mtv did nothing but play current music videos all day long. Let me get you straight. You turn on the television and its like the radio . Continuous on nonstop mtv. When mtv launched, a generation was launched. 18 to 24yearolds are saying i want my mtv. Mtv was the First Network focussed on the youth market and becomes hugely influential because they enjoy each other. Mtv had a giant impact on every part of the tv culture that came next. Freeze miami vice friday nights on nbc are different this season, thanks to miami vice. Its a swhoe an old theme but a lot of new twists. Described as containing flashes of brilliance. The story centers around two undercover vice cops. I dont know how this is going to work. I mean, not exactly up my alley. Heaven knows im no box of candy. Television very much was the small screen. What was interesting about the Pilot Screenplay miami vice is it was exactly not that. The approach was ok they call this a Television Series but were going to make onehour movies every single week. They were just describing the show as a new wave cop show. A cop show for the 80s. We use a lot of mtv music to help describe the mood and feeling of our show. In a lot of ways you dont get miami vice without mtv. Music was such a big part of their show. So using great music that everyone was listening to as opposed to the tv scoring for that period. I can feel it coming in the air tonight it not only was its not afraid, it would drag a car from point a to point bsks could be a phil collins song, and it was. Oh lord snepd. Its really got to rock and r roll with this until somebody says you cant do that, and nobody ever did. Freeze police someday ill ask you a question that will change me forever. time after time begins to play softly yes. time after time continues to play softly start your someday with a ring from the neil lane collection. Available at kay ok everyone, our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy. Whoohoo great tasting ensure with 9 grams of protein, 27 vitamins and minerals, and nutrients to support immune health. With armor all, a little bit of this. And nutrients to. Protects you. From a lot of that. Keep your car cleaner longer. Armor all extreme shield plus ceramic. The first ingredient in this clif bar is brown rice syrup, which is another name for sugar. 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Thomas magnum . Hammond . Private investigator . Oh, youre probably wondering about the goat. Just let me drop off my friend, and then well talk. When we entered the 80s, a lot of onehour dramas that were lighthearted like magnum p. I. Were very popular. After m. A. S. H. Went off the air, the next season there wasnt a single sitcom in the top ten. First time that had ever happened in tv history. The prevailing feeling was that the sitcom was dead. Brandon tartikoff, nbc programming chief, says reports of the sitcoms death were greatly exaggerated. Time and time again, if you Study Television history, just when someone is counting a form out, that is exactly the form of programming thats leads to the next big hit. 1984 the cosby show comes on. Bill cosby is not new to tv. Hes had other tv shows. But the cosby show is very different. It stands apart from Everything Else hes done. I wanted my eggs scrambled. Coming right up. They talked about parenting. Previous to that, On Television The Kids were cool and the parents were idiots. Then cosby says, the parents are in charge, and that was something new. Instead of acting disappointed because im not like you, maybe you can just accept who i am and love me anyway because im your son. Thats the dumbest thing ive ever heard in my life it helps the casting a lot in television. The kids were just great. If you were the last person on this earth, i still wouldnt tell you. You dont tell me what you did. Just tell me whats theyre going to do to you. Unlike every other show on tv, its showing an upper middle class black family. This wasnt all in the family. They werent tackling deep issues. But that was okay. The mere fact that they existed was a deep issue. The decade was waiting for something real. In other words, unless its real, it doesnt seem like it moves anybody. If someones feeling something, you get to the heart, you get to the mind. If you can hit the hearts and minds, youve got yourself a hit. How was school . School . Dear, i brought home two children that may or may not be ours. Cosbys show brought this tremendous audience to nbc. And that was a bridge to us. I mean, our ratings went way up. Sometimes you want to go where Everybody Knows your name even the theme song to cheers puts you in a good mood. Evening, everybody. Norm norman whats shaking, norm . All four cheeks and a couple of chins, coach. By the end of the cheers pilot, not only did you know who everybody was, but you wanted to come back and see what was going to happen. Its like all you have to do is watch it once. Youre going to love these people. These are universal characters, and the humor worked on so many levels. I was up until 2 00 in the morning finishing off kierkegaard. I hope he thanked you for it. You have to create a community that people are identifying with. And cheers gives you that community. Boy, i tell you, ive always wanted to skydive. Ive just never had the guts. Whats did it feel like . I imagine a lot like sex. I have to imagine what sex is like. But i have plenty of sex. And plenty of this, too. Why dont you just get off my back, okay . In the First Episode, there was a rather passionate annoyance. I was saying, ah, somethings going on here. A really intelligent woman would see your line of b. S. A mile away. Ive never met an intelligent woman that id want to date. On behalf of the intelligent women around the world, may i just say, whew you saw what ted and shelly had together. We said, oh, no. Weve got to do this relationship. Ted and i understood what they were writing right away. If youll admit that you are carrying a little torch for me, ill admit that im carrying a little one for you. Well, i am. Carrying a little torch for you. Well, im not carrying one for you. Diane knew how to tease sam. Sam knew how to tease diane, and i guess we know how to tease the audience. This incredible chemistry between the two of them ignited the show. Thats whats drove the show for the first five years. Whats the matter . Oh, im devastated. I need something expeditious and brutal to numb my sensibilities and blast me into sweet oblivion. How about a boilermaker . Make it a mimosa. We had the luck to be able to rotate cast, and every time we put somebody in, they were explosions. Buh there was something very special about that setting, those characters, that i never got tired of writing that show. Sophisticated surveys, telephonic samplings, test audiences. All of those things help to separate winners from losers and make midcourse corrections. But you cant cut all comedies from the same cookie cutters. All you can hope is every night turns out like thursday. Yo, angela next how rude. Hes quick, ill give him that. All of television said, oh, well, maybe the sitcoms are alive again. And thats all that it took. It took one success. A few years from now, something new may tempt the people who pick what we see. But its a very safe guess that whatever gets hot for a season or two, the men and women who create Good Television comedy will be laughing all the way to the bank. Look ma, no cavities oh debbie, thats great youll always need a healthy smile. Because in 60 years, youll be taking tons of selfies and sharing them on something called the internet. Moms know best. Thats why they trust crest. The 1 toothpaste brand in america. ac dc Back In Black Back In Black i hit the sack ive been too long. Applebees irresistabowls are back. Dig in for just 8. 99. Now thats eatin good in the neighborhood. Hey lily, i need a new wireless plan for my business, but all my employees need something different. Oh, we can help with that. Okay, imagine this. Your mover, rob, hes on the scene and needs a plan with a mobile hotspot. 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It can end attacks today on computers, mobile devices, servers and the cloud. And deliver futureready protection, keeping you sharp for tomorrow. Join us, the defenders, in our mission. Cybereason. End Cyber Attacks. From endpoints to everywhere. This is my last broadcast as the anchorman of the cbs evening news. For me its a moment for which i long have planned but which nevertheless comes with some sadness. For almost two decades, after all, weve been meeting like this in the evenings, and ill miss that. And thats the way it is, friday, march 6th, 1981. Ill be away on assignment and dan rather will be sitting in here for the next few years. Good night. Uncle walter had dominated, certainly cbs, but in a way, the country. People used to say he was the most trusted man in the country. Once Walter Cronkite retires, all three Network News Anchors within a period of a couple of years switch over to a new generation. The 80s may have been the last gasp where people watching the media liked and trusted the media. Nuclear arms and how to prevent Global Destruction are expected to be the major topic of president reagans News Conference tonight. That conference will be nationally televised within the hour. Leslie stahl is at the white house. The white house is hoping that tomorrows in the 80s, women came into the newsroom. When i first joined, it was 72. There were very few. By the 80s, there were more and more. The decade of the 80s was still a time of sink or swim. You had to be resilient in your own way to survive in a period when you were going up against a lot of people who still didnt think women had what it took. These are some of the most famous faces in broadcasting. All of whom happen to be women. The best producers, im going to get fired the best producers at cbs news are women. And they are at the level of taking hold and making decisions about individual pieces. They are not yet Executive Producers of all the news shows. But they will be. The past 24 hours, Christine Craft has taken her cause to many of the nations news and talk programs. I didnt set out to be joan of arc, but i think that what happened to me deserves some attention. Christine craft had a very successful career, but there she was in her late 30s and the tv station said to her, were taking you off the air because youve gotten older and youre not as attractive as you once were, which was outrageous. She decided to make an issue of it. She filed a lawsuit and it became a Huge National topic of discussion. A jury said she got a raw deal because she is a woman. So women in Television News everywhere were asked, what do you think about Cristine Craft . I think unfortunately in recent years, the emphasis has been increasingly on physical appearance, and to the extent this decision helps swing the emphasis back to substance and to good journalism, i think weve got something to be happy about. It was important to make the point that what mattered was, what kind of reporter are you . But it took the Christine Craft incident, i think, to bring that conversation out into the open. This coming sunday a new Television Network opens for business. Cnn. Cable news network. Youre throwing all the dice on this one. Why not . Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Faint heart neer won fair lady. Well on that original point, mr. Turner, thank you very much indeed. I wanted to see what was going on in the world. And there was no way that you could do it watching the regular television stations. News only comes on at 6 00 and 10 00. But if there was news on 24 hours, people could watch it any time. We decided on june 1, and barring Satellite Problems in the future, we wont be signing off until the world ends. It was a wide belief, this was a fools errand. How can this possibly find an audience . Well, he did. Ready camera 3 good evening. Im david walker. Im lois harp. Now heres the news. President carter has arrived Television News before this was stuff that had already happened. For the first time, cnn brought the world to people in realtime. Cnn, the worlds most important network. I didnt do Cable News Network because somebody told me it couldnt be done. I figured it was a very viable concept, and i went ahead and did it. It was after we announced that we were going to do it that the detractors showed up. Is Cable News Network just going to be a new means of delivering the same kind of fare . No. It already does provide different fare. Cable news network is a perfect and maybe the best example of that. People love news. And we had lots of it. And the other guys had not very much. So choice and quantity won out. New york city, hello. The major catastrophe in americas Space Program i am lou dobbs along with financial editor myron kandel. Jessica mcclure trapped for almost three days in a dry artesian well. The iron curtain between east germany and west berlin has come tumbling down. Good evening, im patrick buchanan, the conservative on crossfire. The American People appreciated the new television. They certainly came to cnn in droves. Mr. Gorbachev and i both agree on the desirability of freer and more extensive personal contact between the peoples of the soviet union and the United States. We began to realize that the best way to get a message to a foreign leader was to have the president go in the rose garden and make a statement. Because everybody was watching cnn. Cnn was a breakthrough. It changed the whole world. It changed quickly. The network news business. That business that we werent the only ones. And it was hard. You know, its hard to be on the top little perch and have to come down off it. A special segment tonight, the network news. The first in a twopart series on the profound changes taking place in Television News. Changes being brought about by business, competition, and technology. There are a variety of reasons why people who worked at the broadcast networks were freaked out in 1980s. One of them was cnn and the rise of cable. Another was being taken over by foreign entities in corporate america. New owners spent billions buying the networks recently, and all of them want their moneys worth. People began to find out that news could be a profit center. And that focused a lot of attention on us. A lot from people in wall street, for instance. If you think about the News Divisions of cbs, nbc and abc, they were part of a really proud tradition. A journalistic tradition that really matters. We serve the public. This is not about profit and loss. The people who worked at those News Divisions were totally freaked out by what it meant that they were now owned by these larger corporate entities. The Television News isnt profitable at some point, there wont be any more Television News on the networks. I worry about people who are interested only in money and power getting hold of television. It has higher purposes than that. We have seen the news, and it is us. Dont settle for products that give you a sort of white smile. Try new Crest Whitening Emulsions for 100 whiter teeth. Its highly active Peroxide Droplets swipe on in seconds. Better. Faster. 100 whiter teeth. Crestwhitesmile. Com experience clean in a whole new way. Now Roomba Vacuums exactly where you need it. Hey google, tell roomba to vacuum the kitchen counter. And offers personalized Cleaning Suggestions for a clean unique to you and your home. Roomba and the irobot home app. Only from irobot. 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Yourre filming in 8k. Thats cinema quality. So. You can pull photos straight from video. Impressive. But will it last the whole trip . Youll have battery all day. And then more. This is different. Told you. Sometimes ambition in a woman is considered to be a dirty word, unfortunately. Yes hear a lot of female voices reverberating in the halls of power in this business. Im surprised there arent more shows about women talking about who they are. Directing seems to be an area that is almost impossible to break through. I think the 80s were the era when women were being looked at with a little skepticism, but definitely with more acceptability. You could see the door opening. But it wasnt wide open. Cagney and lacey was huge. That there would be two women and they had a serious job and they solved crimes and they were out on the streets, they were tough. That was emblematic or maybe out in front a little of what was happening in the country. So were a terrific team. This is true. By that Point Hundreds of Buddy Cop Shows but these buddies were women. That had never been done before. I didnt go after this job because i couldnt find Anything Else. All right . I did not come here because i needed some kind of work to help pay the orthodontist. This means something to me. What the hell are we talking about here . We didnt even realize this was going to be such a big deal. And strangely, all these guys would say to us, well, yeah. I mean, its a good script, but whos going to save them in the end . Come on. Were taking you out of here, come on. You dont take one more step. You understand me . Sergeant nelson, you have until 8 00 tomorrow morning to turn yourself in to iad. Phyllis if you dont, i will it was the time where you really saw an emergence of women on television who were not necessarily just 20 and blond and had a small role. But women who had substantial roles. Thank you for being a friend traveled down the road and back again it was unpredictable that an audience, a young audience, a not so young audience, and lots in between, could relate to those older ladies. Ma, if you couldnt see, why didnt you call me to come get you . I tried to. Every time i put in a dime and dialed, a condom popped out. I got five in my pocket. Here, dorothy. A lifetime supply. She was recently named along with norman lear and jim brooks as one of televisions most gifted creator writers. When you look back at the past womens role models on tv, its easy to see susan harris impact. Susan harris was the greatest writer, in my opinion, of her generation, of that time, singularly. So all credit to her for coming up with so many iterations of something so amazing. Do you think there is a womans voice as a writer . Womans voice . Generally they speak higher, softer. I should know not to ask that of a writer. Yes, of course, theres a womans voice. Women have a different perspective. Women laugh at different things. So, yes, there very definitely is a womans voice. Oh, do you know how many problems we have solved over a cheesecake at this Kitchen Table . No, dorothy. Exactly how many . 147, blanche. Hi, brian. Its cutthroat primetime time this fall, as some 23 new shows compete in one of the hottest ratings races in years. Heres one just about everybody predicts will be a big hit. Designing women on cbs. Four friends forming an Interior Decorating business and giving each other the business. Suzanne, if sex were fast food, there would be an arch over your bed. Linda bloodworththomason created one of the funniest, most unusual shows in designing women. They were a Different Group of women than you really saw on television. They were feisty, they were sexy. And lindas voice came through shining. A man can get away with anything. I mean, look at reagans neck. It sags down to here. And everybody raves about how great he looks. Can you imagine if nancy had that neck . Theyd be putting her in a nursing home for turkeys. They had given me this 23 minutes to address whatever topic i want, and its such a privilege, its more than the president of the United States gets, and its kind of thrilling to have that every week. I would be lying if i said i didnt put my opinions in the show. Excuse me, but you lovely ladies look like you are in need of a little male companionship here. Trust me when i tell you that you have completely misassessed the situation at this table. Moving on to scene d. I am a woman and i am a writer, but i dont really enjoy being called a womans writer. I think labels are harmful to us. With murphy brown, just about everything about that program felt new. The Civil Rights Movement and the Womens Movement had just begun to sort of be reflected in the programming that you saw on television in the 80s. Murphy, you know the dunfrees club is for men only. And they have great dinners with great guests, and i dont get to go for one reason and one reason only, and it has to do with something youve got and i dont. A tiny, pathetic, little, y chromosome. Murphy brown was sea change because she was so popular and such a strong, independent, tough woman. No matter what you think of a guest or their views, you are obligated to ask the questions in a dignified manner. James, she was unprofessional, am i right . Well, i, uh do you believe this, jim . He thinks its neat that his Office Chair Swivels and hes calling me unprofessional. The first ingredient in this clif bar is brown rice syrup, which is another name for sugar. In this kind bar, its hearthealthy almonds. With the taste of Dark Chocolate and 75 less sugar than the leading clif bar. Be kind to yourself. Among my patients i often see them have Teeth Sensitivity as well as gum issues. Does it worry me . Absolutely. Sensodyne sensitivity and gum gives us a dual action effect that really takes care of both our Teeth Sensitivity as well as our gum issues. Theres no question its something that i would recommend. Spray, lift, skip, step. Swipe, lift, spin, dry. Slam, pan, still. Fresh move, move, move, move aaaaand still fresh. Degree. Ultimate freshness activated when you move. For 175 years, New York Life has been helping people act on their love. Okay . So they can look back, and say, we did good. text chime text chime text chime sighs text chime chuckles text chime its the biggest week in television. Watchathon week is your chance to finally watch shows you missed for free. Now you get to talk about them with your friends, no matter what time it is. Say watchathon into your voice remote and watch for free you are in a good mood tonight, and i tell you, we have put a great show together. It will be on a week from thursday. [ laughter ] Johnny Carson in the 80s is making the transition from being the king of late night to being a national treasure. He was a throwback to that old show biz stuff. Ive been on with you for some time. Its been a long time. Yeah, well, youve been busy with other things. The tide is starting to turn in terms of where latenight television is going to go, but johnny is kind of holding out. He was not necessarily of his time in the 80s, but he did sustain a certain timelessness. Hes the king. [ laughter ] hes all right, hes just playing. Playing . [ bleep ]. My next guest not only has a college degree, but he also has a high school degree. Thats right, i do. As well. Hes hosted the tonight show practically as often as Johnny Carson and now he has his very own show, Weekday Mornings at 10 00 on nbc. What youre witnessing here is a good idea gone awry. A funfilled Surprise Turning into an incredible screwup. David letterman originally had a onehour daytime show, and nbc, after like 13 weeks, decided to cancel it. Today is our last show on the air. Monday, las vegas [ booing ] have these people been frisked . It was a dismal failure in terms of the ratings, but not in terms of introducing us to letterman. David, thank you for being with us tonight. Thank you very much for having me, i appreciate it. In spite of all this nonsense that goes around in the background, stay with it, dont give up. Stay with us here in new york. Dave is back in new york. Youre going to host a latenight Television Program that premieres monday night. What are critics likely to say Tuesday Morning . I dont much care because i found a way to deal with that, pills and whiskey. David, youre on. Oh, im on . Im sorry. Proceed. Im enjoying listening to you snort. They gave him the Late Night Show after the tonight show. And at the time, people thought whos going to watch television at 12 30 at night . Whos up . Ill tell you whos up. Young people. College people. Is it going well . I know this is the first show and i think this guy needs a little support, dave letterman. He was antiestablishment at his core. He was thumbing his nose to any existing social structures. Who are those women out there by the way . Neighbors. Ill get rid of them. Hey, excuse me. Keep it moving. Come on, get out. He kind of spoofed the whole notion of talk shows. Its the latenight guest cam. Please say hello to tom hanks. There he is. No one could go on the David Letterman show and try to steer it towards a Point Of View or push something in particular. He just wouldnt stand for it. Youre on to do one thing and one thing only, be as funny as the rest of the show. You know, we could get in a twoshot here, dave. We could actually send the crew home, couldnt we . You know, as a comedian, you want the biggest audience that you could get. For dave, he knew a lot of things that he would do were going to alienate people, and he didnt care. He wanted his thumbprint out there, and thats the most important thing. Its time for smalltown news. Paul excuse me, paul . Do you have any accompanying music here for smalltown news . Paul shaffer, ladies and gentlemen. The show making fun of itself and turning itself insideout that way was something kind of new. I mean, dont we look like guys youd see hanging around together . Absolutely. Would you like to hang around with me . Nope. Ill say it again, this is the stupidest show i thought that i would never want to do this show with you. Now why . Because you thought i was a [ bleep ] . There is one rule i keep trying to abide by, and unfortunately, i only get to it about 12 of the time. And that is, its only television. Were not doing cancer research. If the 40yearodd history of Commercial Broadcasting has taught us one thing, theres nothing sacred about television. All right, steven is upstairs. Hey, dave, i was just curious. Is there any way i get mtv on this . Actually, steve, thats a thats just a monitor and all you can get on that is our show. Oh. Thats okay. There was a degree of cynicism that was needed in the art form at that time, and its a cynicism that just became common sense after a while, because it never got old. Ive watched Johnny Carson. And you are no Johnny Carson. [ cheers and applause ] goo goo goo goo goo goo goo goo welcome the great white north. Im bob mckenzie, this is my brother doug. Today we got a real big show there was a Second City Chicago company, there was a Second City Toronto company. The toronto one is the one that fueled the sctv series which originally was syndicated and got to the states that way. Hail, hail hail, hail. Thank you very much for that marvelous reception. I particularly want to thank my supporters over there in the cesarean section. Its healthy to be an outsider. You know, as a comedian. And canadians are always outsiders, but theyre looking at the other culture which is right next door to them. I love you, i want to bear your children ha ha ha it was the type of comedy that had only been accessible if you could have gotten into the improv clubs in chicago and toronto. I had never seen anything like second city tv. James bridgeman, parkdale. Sorry, no, never mind, im sorry. It was far more conceptual in its humor because it didnt have to be performed in front of an audience. And there was also just the idea that it was this sort of lowrent thing. It was this sort of by the seat of their pants kind of operation that gave it an authenticity. Now that our programming day has been extended im going to be spending where do you want me to put the kielbasa, mrs. Brickley . Put it in the fridge, butch. You were rooting for the show and the characters they created. There was something you got behind. Whereas snl right from the gate and through the 80s was this big enterprise. After five golden years, lorne decided to leave and so did those close to him, including me, al franken. So nbc had to pick a new producer. Now most knowledgeable people, as you might imagine, hoped it would be me, al franken. Well, there was a real question of whether saturday night live would continue at all, whether it would just die. The press hasnt been very overly kind. Yeah, i read that stuff. Is saturday night Live Saturday night dead . Oh, man, come on. My favorite is vile from new york. Please, come on. Thats funny, thats funny. They were having a hard time. And then came the man that saved the show, eddie murphy. There was buzz about him, so you tuned in. And there was this kind of explosion of talent in front of your eyes. It really kind of rejuvenated the show. I am gumby, dammit you dont talk to me that way after awhile, the show regained its status and its clout and became even more of an institution than it had been. Hey, bob. Hey. Peters look great today. Listen, if youre unhappy with my work, tell me now youre through, you hear me, through youll never work in this town again dont leave me hanging by a thread. Let me know where i stand we were a little worried at first because we had a new cast. But everyone loves us. You guys have been so nice to us during our stay. Isnt that special. I am hans. And i am franz. And we just want to pump you up. A lot of things they could do on saturday night live they couldnt do on a sitcom. The humor was more daring and more satirical, and it was political. You still have 50 seconds left, mr. President. Let me just sum up. On track, stay the course, a thousand points of light, stay the course. Governor dukakis, rebuttal . I cant believe im losing to this guy. [ phone rings ] ill get it. Its the Garry Shandling show. People were taking the old principles of comedy and trying to turn them into something new. We spent years and years watching sitcoms and dramas and talk shows by then, we knew them by heart, that if somebody played on that and parodied it, we got it instantly. I appreciate you coming in under these conditions, lewis, i really do. You want to hold the credits . Okay. Now see, we were going to show the credits and you screwed that up, okay, because youre late. the Garry Shandling show was aware of the fact that it was a situation comedy. It highlighted the cliches in funny ways. Are you looking into the camera . Yeah. No, i didnt dont look into the camera. I didnt. Dont. You dont come in here and look into the camera. I didnt. Ill bop you. I will. If i see a tape of this show and youre looking into the camera well, its about that time. peewees playhouse on cbs, a socalled Saturday Morning Kids show that adults could watch and wink at each other as they were watching it, is very clever. Good morning. Whats todays secret word . The secret word is good it was a show certainly for kids, and it was for stoned baby boomers who were totally wasted on saturday morning and watched peewees playhouse and saw god. I sure had a lot of fun. See you all real soon. Until then, everybody be good. Youre strong. You power through chronic migraine 15 or more headache days a month,. Each lasting 4 hours or more. Botox® prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine. So, if you havent tried botox® for your chronic migraine,. Check with your doctor if botox® is right for you, and if samples are available. Effects of botox® may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. Alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing,. Speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness. Can be signs of a life threatening condition. Side effects may include allergic reactions. Neck and injection site pain. Fatigue, and headache. Dont receive botox® if theres a skin infection. 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Ibrance may cause low white blood cell counts that may lead to serious infections. Ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs. Both of these can lead to death. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening chest pain, cough, or trouble breathing. Before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are or plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. For more information about side effects talk to your doctor. Be in your moment. As ac dc Back In Black e. The bowls are back. Applebees irresistabowls all just 8. 99. 1968, the summer before junior high school, and i dont mind saying i was a pretty fair little athlete. The wonder years was a Guy In Modern Times looking back on his childhood. That in itself is not new, but The Wonder Years did it with a wit and with the music. It was a brilliantly written show and a great performance by that entire young cast. Hey, steve it looks like my baby brother and his girlfriend have found each other. Shes not my girlfriend. Kevin arnold has to cope with all the timeless problems of growing up during one of the most Turbulent Times that we have known. Kevin arnold is just like a regular kid except in the 1960s, and hes not really aware of many of the events. Like in one of the episodes, the whole family is watching the apollo 8 take off, but im just sitting there trying to call a girl. The First Episode of The Wonder Years, anybody who saw it remembers the ending where the first kiss with winnie and kevin arnold. The song they play is when a man loves a woman. That moment seemed so pure and so real. When a man loves a woman cant keep his mind on nothing else the tone of the baby boomers in the 1960s is about rebellion, about being students. By the 1980s, its time to grow up. And so they shave their beards, give up their dashikis, and put on power suits, a whole new notion. Oh, the yuppies. Last year the politicians were all talking about winning their votes. Now the young urban professionals and the rest of their Baby Boom Generation are being wooed by advertisers and their agencies. By the 80s, it was pretty clear that the generation after the generation of the 60s may be embodied by alex keaton on family ties, seeming to be a lot more interested in the Corner Office than the new jerusalem. Youre a young man, you shouldnt be worried about success. You should be thinking about hopping on a Tramp Steamer and going around the world. The 60s are over, dad. Thanks for the tip. You werent laughing at michael j. Foxs character for being too conservative. You were actually laughing at the parents for being too hopelessly liberal. What is this . I found it in the shower. Thats generic brand shampoo. No this is him. This is the guy ive been telling you about. This is everything you want in a president. The genius of family ties, it allows a kind of youthful reaganite to emerge thats focused on the future, thats focused more on a critique of the 60s. Michael j. Fox as alex keaton really became the center of the show. And the writers were smart enough to see that they had something special, and they wrote to that. Its not fair, alex. Yeah. Theres nothing you can do about it, jen. My advice to you is that you just enjoy being a child for as long as you can. I know i did. It was the best two weeks of my life. Alex is a little bill buckley. The Wall Street Journal is his bible. He has a tie to go with his pajamas. Hes a very conservative and very intense 17yearold. The first thing your teacher is going to ask is what did you do over the summer . A lot of kids will say i went to the zoo or i went to the beach or i went to a baseball game. What are you going to say . I watched the iran contra hearings. If mom and dad thought this generation was going to the dogs, think again. This is the generation that has discovered hard work and success. American culture is changing in the 80s. And in terms of television, theres a whole notion of demographic segmentation. Networks were beginning to not be afraid to appeal to a very specific demographic. Hey, handsome. Look at that shirt. Is that a power shirt or what . Nice suit, alan. Good shoulder pads. You looking to get drafted by the eagles . 30somethings said were not going to have cops, lawyers or doctors. Were just going to be about people. What are we doing here, why did we start this business . To do our thing. But right now we got two wives, three kids, four cars, two mortgages, a payroll. And thats life, pal. You be the breadwinner now. Is that what i am . 30 something is a very important show as you are going into this era of television being more introspective and more emotional. And some people werent buying it. But for other people when they were talking about things like having kids and who is going to go back to work and some of these issues that hadnt been talked about a whole lot, it was important to people. I was so looking forward i was so looking forward to doing this. To be a grownup for just an hour. In the beginning, there was talk of this being the yuppie show. And you mentioned it tonight. You said if there were a category for the most annoying show, this might win as well. Now what some people perceive as annoying has nothing to do with yuppie. I think yuppie is a word made up by demographers and advertisers to sell soap. It doesnt have anything to do with what the show is. 30 something was not a giant hit, but it was a niche hit. It attracted an enormously Upscale Group of advertisers. The network cared who was watching, not how many were watching. And that was more and more catching on in the 80s. The prosecution will ask you that you look to the law, and this you must do. But i ask of you that you look to your hearts as well. Thank you. L. A. Law was partly a classic lawyer show. But it was intertwined with their personal lives and different lawyers who were sleeping together and trying to get ahead. The Reality Level on that show was like a foot or two off the ground. And youre willing to go with that because it was a whole new spin on a law show. Uhuh, tell the truth. If you had to do it all over again and she walked into your office and she said, take my case, would you . Well of course you would, because it is juicy, newsy, exciting stuff. It was really fun to take the Hill Street Blues format and use it to frame an entirely different social and cultural strata with vastly different results. I wonder if i might engage with my client privately. Certainly. What are you doing for dinner tonight . I was planning on having you. In that case, skip lunch. The formula had gotten established of how you can do a dramatic show, and yet still have an awful lot of fun. We didnt used to be able to accept that very easily in a tv hour. And even before the 80s were out, its like, okay, i get it. So its like, all right, what are the rules now . What are you doing . Im doing what i should have done all along. What i wanted to do originally. What i should have done last night. Stop that, david. Im calling the police, david. Hello, police . The networks realized there was an audience looking for something less predictable than traditional primetime fare. Moonlighting was another of those shows that said, okay, ive seen the formulas that weve had up to here, lets do different things. Hello. Hello. Were looking a little pale today, arent we . Who have we here . I dont know. Moonlighting was a really experimental show. They had a shakespeare episode, they had a Black And White episode. They did a musical episode. They tried a lot of different stuff. I dont give a flying fig about the lines in my face, the crows feet by my eyes, or the altitude of my caboose. Well, im at a loss. I dont know what a flying fig is. Thats okay. They do. Theres no trouble on the set. There is no trouble on the set. Well, we have a very volatile relationship. There is a hate love element to it. The flirtations were great and bruce and cybill were great. Glenn caron kept them apart for a long time, and bravo to him. What they did is they took the Sam And Diane dynamic from cheers and escalated it. Cheers was will they, wont they . Moonlighting was, do they even want to . Stay away from me. Here i come. But i dont want you. I never wanted you. Yeah, right. Does entertaining mean at some point stopping the tease of dave and mattie . Do they get together at some point . Well, thats going to be resolved this year. We like to think of it as two and a half years of foreplay. People who had been watching moonlighting for years were waiting for this moment. And your emotions are already there built on to the emotions that youre seeing on the screen. So when be my baby by the ronettes starts playing, its like a perfect storm of romance. The night we met i knew i needed you so look ma, no cavities oh debbie, thats great youll always need a healthy smile. Because in 60 years, youll be taking tons of selfies and sharing them on something called the internet. Moms know best. Thats why they trust crest. The 1 toothpaste brand in america. Tonight, ill be eating a pork banh mi with extra jalapenos. [doorbell rings] thanks, baby. Yeah, we bout to get spicy for this virtual date. Spicy like them pajama pants. Hey, the camera is staying up here. This is not the second date. [announcer] welcome to intelligent indoor grilling hey, the camera is staying up here. With the ninja foodi smart xl grill. Just pick your protein, select your doneness, and let the grill monitor your food. It also turns into an air fryer. Bring outdoor grilling flavors indoors with the grill that grills for you. At capella university, we know smart comes in many forms. Good boy so we made flexpath the kind of smart that keeps up with you. With flexpath, you can earn your masters degree in 14 months for 14,000. Thats the kind of smart i like. Capella university dont just learn. Learn smarter. The new Samsung Galaxy s21 this looks different. It is. Show me. Just hit record see that . Youre filming in 8k. Thats cinema quality. So. You can pull photos straight from video. Impressive. But will it last a whole trip . Youll have battery all day. And then more. This is different. Told you. In recent years, it seems that television has become a kind of electronic confessional. Where guests are willing to expose painful and sometimes embarrassing aspects of their lives quite readily to millions of viewers. At the beginning of the decade, we get the dominance of phil donahue, and thats sort of a maturation of womens issues, he seemed to talk to them in the audience, he seemed to talk to them through the tv screen. Im glad you called. Kiss the kids. Well be back in just a moment. If you look at the body of work weve had, youre going to see the 80s there. Im not here to say youre wrong, but lets understand this. When you bring a moral judgment without knowing them, against them for the way that they look, they feel that confirms the reason for their rebellion, if thats what you want to call it. He really believed that Daytime Television needed to talk about the ideas we were thinking about, the issues we were concerned about. I dont want to characterize his question, but why dont you get this fixed instead of doing this screwy stuff . Theres not a single recorded case in history of any transsexual that ever, through psychological treatment, changed. It has never happened yet. And we were putting very important people on the program. All kinds of people. Gay people. People going to jail. People running for office. Sometimes the same people. It was a magic carpet ride. You really do paint a very, very grim picture of the sitting president of the United States. Let me just say this, i think hes probably the laziest president ive ever seen. The audience for phil donahue built and built and built and built, and led the way to oprah. Hello, everybody. Oprah has a particularly magical combination of her own background, her own experience, her own incisive mind, and empathetic spirit. Thank you. Im Oprah Winfrey, and welcome to the very First National Oprah Winfrey show. I was surprised at the rocket pace that oprah took off. Because it took us a lot longer. The donahue show rearranged the furniture, but oprah remodeled the whole house. There are a lot of other people out there watching who really dont understand what you mean when you say, were in love. Because i remember questioning my gay friends, you mean you feel about him the way i feel about its kind of a strange concept, you know, for a lot of people to accept. Oprah was connecting with people in a way that no one had on tv before. And it was really special to see. Well, did you know that for the longest time i wanted to be a fourth grade teacher because of you . My, i was not aware of inspiring anyone. I think you did exactly what teachers are supposed to do, they create a spark for learning. Its the reason i have a talk show today. Oprah winfrey now dominates the talk show circuit, both in the ratings and popularity. I want to use my life as a source of lifting people up. Thats what i want to do. Thats what i do every day on my show. You know, we get accused of being Tabloid Television and sensational and so forth. But what i really think we do more than Anything Else is we serve as a voice to a lot of people who felt up until perhaps my show or some of the others, they were alone. This is what 67 pounds of fat looks like. I cant lift it. It is amazing to me that i cant lift it but i used to carry it around every day. Theres nothing more endearing to an audience than to have that kind of honesty and humility and courage on the part of a host. And that, i think, has a lot to do with her power. Feels like i could do some good here, and i really do think that show does a lot of good. American television is drowning in talk shows. But its never seen anything like Morton Downey jr. I want to tell you sit down and shut up other competitors come and take the Television Talk show into two different directions. So you start seeing the phenomenon of daytime Television Shows becoming less tame and more wild. The 80s brought a lot of belligerence to television. Whether it was Morton Downey jr. Being the offensive caricaturish person that he was, or geraldo. He did his own outlandish things. Stay with us, ladies and gentlemen. Were going to get into the mind of another allamerican boy who came under the influence of satanism and took part in a crime without passion or motive Geraldo Rivera takes the power of the talk show to a whole other level, trying to put people on stage who hate each other, who are going to fight in the case of the Temple Of Set and the church of satan, we have not had any problems with Criminal Behavior but yet when you hear story after story after story of people committing these wretched crimes and Violent Crimes in the devils name the more tension there is, the more conflict and violence there is, the more the ratings go up. And the American People love to complain about it, but they also love to watch. Geraldo rivera is back in a controversy tonight. Rivera drew sharp criticism with his recent Television Special on devil worship. But today he found himself in a real freeforall. I get sick and tired of seeing uncle tom here, sucking up, trying to be a white man go ahead. Go ahead. Sit down. Hey, hold it. Hold it. Sit down. Rivera suffered a broken nose, but he said the show will be broadcast later this month in its entirety. Well, thats not something i would have done. But there was a lot of hypocrisy. One of the major magazines put the picture of geraldo getting hit with a chair on the cover, and the article said, isnt this awful, look whats happened to television. Yet they couldnt wait to use it to sell their own magazine. Lets go to the audience, all right . I want to speak to you guys. Over the years, broadcasting has deteriorated. And now in this era of deregulation, its deteriorating further. Give people light, and they will find their own way. Relax, america will survive the talk shows. Dont settle for products that give you a sort of white smile. Try new Crest Whitening Emulsions for 100 whiter teeth. 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The big thing that changes in the 80s is the number of hours spent watching Television Goes up. The number of hours spent talking about Television Goes up. One of the symbols of this phenomenon is entertainment tonight. Hi, im tom hallic. Welcome to our opening night. The Premiere Edition of entertainment tonight. All of the critics were kind of unanimous in that they said it will never last because there simply isnt enough Entertainment News to fill a half hour every night. Entertainment tonight has surveyed tv critics in the United States and canada to find out which Television Shows had the most impact on viewers over the years. Now up until this time, nobody had done Television Like this. Nobody. Burt reynolds, the hottest actor in hollywood. Im surprised to see you here. Well, im glad to see you. Oh, thank you. We can meet here every night if you like. Thank you. A lot of what makes successful Television Programming is being in the right place at the right time. And it was the right time. Entertainment journalism evolved as viewers got more curious and had more access. Until that point, the Entertainment Business had been something we didnt know all that much about. We could go behind the scenes in our effort to really give an insiders look. The crafty old j. R. Of dallas fame was with his mother actress mary martin as he was presented with a star on the hollywood walk of fame. It was very honorific of the industry. They would do serious coverage of it. It wasnt salacious. And you would see actors speaking as actors instead of on a Johnny Carson show. What are you like on camera . Im like this. This is on camera. This is on camera. It was the beginning of a lot of money being made talking about entertainment and celebrities. Robert redford plays the good guy in the movies, but dont tell that to his neighbors in utah, they are still bitter and redford is the target of their ire. The audience grew and grew. And that was showing us the appetite for Celebrity News was big. It was big. Get ready for lifestyles of the rich and famous. Televisions most dazzling hour of excitement. Hi, im robin leach in monaco. The glittering gem of the riviera. And youve got a vip ticket to prince raniers private party. Your Sunday Newspaper is still delivered with the comics around the news. And that was what i always thought lifestyles was. We were the comic around the news. Except we did it as seriously as they did news. Finally in the driving seat of his own career, he burned rubber in a new direction. David hasselhoff, rock idol. It was a time where pushing the limits with wealth and ostentatiousness in a lot of cases was very comfortable. One of the earliest stories that we presented to you on lifestyles was about the amazing real estate wizard donald trump. If he didnt shock and surprise you back then, hes had plenty of time since. With all of this costing billions, not millions, do the figures ever frighten you . The answer is no, its my business, its my life. Its my lifestyle. I love it. The good, the bad. Does this bring with it political aspiration . No political aspiration. Your show has gotten a lot of ridicule. There are people who say its nothing more than trash. That doesnt upset me, because i think its the best trash there is on television. I am not in the business of brain surgery. I am in the business of fluff. Thats the fantasy element. At a time when the access is possible. Its escapism, and its aspirational. You want to stand in a hot tub with a glass of champagne, rock on. Weve never seen that kind of wealth ever before. We didnt mock it. We didnt say it was right, and we didnt say it was wrong. We were just through the keyhole. Sometimes it absolutely amazes me. I walk away from a shoot and i think, well, we did it again. There was more of everything in tv by the 80s. Your opportunity for watching stuff is increasingly vast. Nbc presents real people. My names michael lee wilson. This dawned on me, that the application of a small motor on a pair of Roller Skates might really be a great thing. Somebody once said that each one of us will be a star for 15 minutes, and i think that thats probably going to happen. American culture used to be a culture that celebrated privacy. In the 1980s as were watching celebrities sort of play out on stage, hey, i want to join too. All the world becomes a stage. You start seeing shows like real people or the peoples court. The peoples court. Where Reality Television is taken one step further. To see more tv, producers had to come up with new and different ways to give them television. Dont be stupid get over here i told you not to be stupid. What cops did was, it took away the script and just brought the camerapeople and the crews on location to try and catch actual things happening. Cocaine. Possession of a stolen firearm, no less. What else are you going to do . The first ingredient in this clif bar is brown rice syrup, which is another name for sugar. In this kind bar, its hearthealthy almonds. With the taste of Dark Chocolate and 75 less sugar than the leading clif bar. Be kind to yourself. ac dc Back In Black the bowls are back. Applebees irresistabowls all just 8. 99. vo ideas exist inside you, electrify you. They grow from our imagination, but they cant be held back. They want to be set free. To make the world more responsible, and even more incredible. Ideas start the future, just like that. brad how has apartmentsdotcom helped more renters get into new homes than any other site . By working tirelessly to design 3d Virtual Tours that are so realistic it actually feels like youre there. But thats all thanks to ted, a man who possesses an innate understanding of dimension. Uh. Ted. ted sorry, i was in the zone. Also my name is brian. brad apartmentsdotcom the most popular place to find a place. With this ring with this ring i thee wed. I thee wed. With my body with my body i thee honor. I thee honor. The Biggest Television Event of the 1980s is the marriage of charles and diana. Its like the world stops when that happened. I mean, that was like just massive. This was the final act of a spectacle that may never again be seen again in this century, if ever. The archbishop of canterbury called the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer today the stuff of fairy tales. Good evening. The royal couple at this hour is off on the honeymoon, while a lot of people here in london tonight are still talking about the events of the day. When you have great moments like the royal wedding, they are part of history. And its done beautifully and everybody has a chance to watch it all on television, and everybody just wants to drink a toast to chuck and di. A princess who must now be aware, as it was on this day, that every single move she makes in public will be recorded and observed. A very difficult life indeed. Well be back in just a moment with some closing observations and one final look at what has justifiably been called the wedding of the century. By the authority of the state of new york, i pronounce that they are husband and wife. You may kiss the bride. Your wedding was seen by an astonishing number of people. 16 and 19 million viewers. How do you account for that kind of popularity . Oh, i cant. I cant. The way its grown is just amazing to me. It did appear in the 80s that it was a good time for daytime soap operas, especially for a show like General Hospital which had that huge success with luke and lauras wedding. I remember when luke and laura got married because it was nighttime newsworthy. The soap opera discovers the blockbuster mentality, the sweeps month mentality. Like, what can we do to get even more people watching . You have a wedding. You have a kidnapping. You have an evil twin. And primetime stole from daytime. After dallas proved that ewing oil was better than real oil for cbs, the networks rushed to give the public more. The great primetime soap operas of the 1980s, dallas, dynasty, theyre all about excess. This is about being over the top, stabbing each other in the back, going for the gusto, and having fun. I know whats wrong with you. The emptyarmed madonna. Mourning the baby that she couldnt have and the baby that she almost got to adopt. That is it, isnt it . You miserable bitch there was a bigness to the stories. And they could afford to do it on a network if youre doing one episode a week. You cant do that if youre doing five episodes a week for a daytime show. So just the Production Value gave it that pizzazz. If you cant have it, watch other people with it, or so say the three networks who are programming nearly 40 of their primetime fare with series about the very rich, and the public is devouring it at such a rate that makebelieve money has become ratings gold. The characters were larger than life, they were more evil and more cunning and manipulative. And more gorgeous. I mean, really, look at the way they were dressed. Look at the way they lived. Everything, it was fascinating. Alexis. Yes . I didnt thank you for your present. Its he you should slap, dear, not i. We all wanted to live like everyone on dynasty, like the carringtons. And it all just ended up being a wonderful picture of fun and debauchery. Greed was encouraged in the 80s. There was a sense of conspicuous consumption as being okay. And those shows kind of exploited that. Primetime families like the carringtons who live here in luxury on the dynasty sound stage are not the only rich folk on tv. In the last five years, more than half of all new shows have featured the wealthy. Ten years ago, that figure was zero. It was an accident. Your fathers dead. Falcon crest was a wine family. Theres lorenzo lamas, and theres Ronald Reagans first wife. Jane wyman is on that show. Emma is pregnant. I know a doctor who can take care of it right away. That will never happen. All of the shows, where, oh, my god, whats next . Whats going to happen with that . He cant get away with that. And then you tune in, it was appointment television. What will become of the missing twins on Knots Landing . What . They all had spinoffs. The dallas spinoff Knots Landing. The colbys was a spinoff for dynasty. They were seeing how much they could max this stuff out. Because it was really successful. Wheres your son miles . Isnt he going to be part of this venture or just playing polo as usual . The colbys can always find room for another trophy. You had these people fighting over oil and mansions and it was fantasy, but in a kind of so over the top way that it was fun. Theres nothing devious about using your femininity. These shows took themselves so unseriously that they were camp, but that was okay with the central audience that was loving them. It was entertainment. We werent trying to do high drama. We were there to entertain. We were glossy. There was no getting around it, we knew what we were there for, and we did it as best we could. I think i can. I think i can. I think i can. I think i can. I think. I can. For 175 years, New York Life has been helping people act on their love. Okay . So they can look back, and say, we did good. Like many people with moderate to Severe Ulcerative Colitis or crohns disease, i was there. Be right back. But my symptoms were keeping me from where i needed to be. So i talked to my doctor and learned humira is for people who have uc. Or crohns disease. 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Cyber attacks are relentlessly advancing. To end them, cybereason built a Cyber Security solution so advanced. It can end attacks today on computers, mobile devices, servers and the cloud. And deliver futureready protection, keeping you sharp for tomorrow. Join us, the defenders, in our mission. Cybereason. End Cyber Attacks. From endpoints to everywhere. Australias most important export may be neither its animals nor its beer nor its films. Could in fact be one rupert murdoch. The 55yearold mr. Murdoch is in the midst of building what Forbes Magazine says is the most extensive media empire in history. Rupert murdoch having disrupted the newspaper business in australia, the Television Business in britain he arrives in america and basically says i dont see why there should only be three broadcast nektsds, im going to make another one. This was a big bold bet. Meantime, he will have to become an american citizen if he is to own tv stations here. Something murdoch says he is willing to do. There are some people who are saying it will take you 20 years to get your fox network on a par with the big three. Are you prepared to wait that long . Sure. I certainly intend to live that long. But i dont believe in the 20 years. The reaction to murdochs idea for a Fourth Network was similar to the reaction of ted turner starting cnn. Its ridiculous. What does he know about television . We dont have to reach everyone. Theres no question we have an Inferior Lineup of stations to our counterparts. It means we have to work harder to get our message across and get shows sampled. They had an idea that in order to succeed we have to differentiate ourselves from the networks, we have to do things they would not do. Fox started throwing anything against the wall, not knowing what was going to go. First shows were things like 21 jump street. What exactly are we looking for here . Joan rivers in terms of late night. We have been banned in boston, which i think is wonderful. Wxne. Pick a finger. And the Tracey Ullman show oh, please it was a sketch show. And they needed something to go between the sketches. Again they were looking for something different. I got to have those candy bars. You better not be thinking of stealing those candy bars. Thats it the simpsons would never have come along had it not been for the Tracey Ullman show. ultimately crime hurts the criminal. Thats not true, mom. I got a free ride home, didnt i . Bart fox was thrilled that it was different. They said, sure, be experimental, do whatever you want. Were just happy to have a show on the air. Im home Married With Children was their first big, big hit in that way that said if all the rest of television is going this way, were going that way. Bud, kelly, you want to come down and help me in the kitchen . [ doors slam ] there, that should buy us about 10 minutes. Seven more than well need. The title of Married With Children on the script was not the cosby show. How great. You have to love that. They were taking the piss out of American Families fun. Great fun. Never wanted to get married, im married. Never wanted kids, i got two of them. How the hell did this happen . The bundies were almost like a purposeful reaction to the perfection of the huxtables. And its funny because you had this wonderful perfect black family and these horrible miserable white people. And each show works on its own terms because you could find ways to relate to in both. Howdy neighbor. Yeah, yeah. I hate these people. There was a lot of fun to be had in al and peg bundy. After fox introduces Married With Children, it does very very well, then back on abc they came up with another major hit, roseanne. You think this is a Magic Kingdom where you just sit up here on your throne . Oh, yeah . Yeah, and you think everything gets done by some wonderful wizard. Poof, the laundrys folded. Poof, dinners on the table. You want me to fix dinner . Ill fix dinner. Im fixing dinner. Oh, but honey, you just fixed dinner three years ago. Typical American Families werent on television for the longest time. The donna reed days, the early days, father knows best. Hardly anybody lived like that. That was the way advertisers wanted you to live. I know what just might make you feel better. Me too but i bet its a different list than what you got. The ideal situation is if you can subvert whatever common stuff is said about families and about parenting. Whats in this . Lead . Oh, i got you kids new leg irons. Her loudness and her unfilteredness were key to why we liked her. She was saying stuff about working class people, stuff about men and women. So it was about marriage and about raising kids and about how hard it is. Great. Im just going to look like a freak. Thats all. What else is new . Shut up. This is why some animals eat their young. Tv in the 80s was a big decade for the evolution of comedy, for the evolution of drama. It just pushed everything forward. You think perhaps this generation are paying more attention to the dialogue to the relationships they see on television than in years previous . Clearly the people watching our shows are. And thirtysomething and cheers and st. Elsewhere. These are shows smartly written. Its their words that define them, and i think thats what people like. What were supposed to be here is the one thing people can trust. If you go out like a bunch of night riders, what are you but just another vicious street gang . That decade spawned an extraordinary number of shows that really carved out a unique niche for themselves. We began to turn television into an art form. And for the first time, people were proud to say, i write for television. Up until that point, television was second class. In the 80s it was Something Else entirely. And it was new, and it was kind of interesting. Its like everyone in the 80s starts to want to tell their stories. Thats what really changes things. The unexpected was more welcome in the 80s. Predictability lost its cachet. Television has an impact on every era, every decade. Television still shapes the thinking of america like no other element in our country. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. It gave rise to people pursuing artistic content in a way that i think has raised the bar in Television Production exponentially. I love you guys theres a shift in the 80s from just wanting to placate the audience to wanting to please and challenge the audience, and thats the decade when it happened. We had one hell of a run, didnt we, partner . Yeah, we sure did, sonny. Im going to miss you, man. Im going to miss you, too, sonny. Give you a ride to the airport . Why not . Dont touch that dial. Were about to flip it for you. In five, four, three, two. Tv is changing dramatically now with 150 channels that might be available in the near future. Theres a lot of things that we do that you couldnt have on network television. People are really trying to do something adventurous. Shame on you this is more celebration of culture and opening the doors and allowing america to come on inside. There is always something on television and some of it may be better than we deserve. That was cool