10 Classic TV Shows That Changed Television As We Know It

5) Good Times

Another Norman Lear show, Like All in the Family and The Jeffersons, Good Times reflected a changing America where many different types of people could be seen on the living room TV screen. This spin off of Maude (which was itself a spin off of All in the Family) aired from 1974-1979 and the story lines were much debatedamong the writers and producers of the show.

The show depicted how hard it was to make ends meet for a family strapped for cash and also highlighted the social and health problems facing the lowest earners in the U.S. who live in housing projects. At the same time, the program also spawned the birth of the catch phrase with wildly popular “Dy-no-mite!”- something which hadn’t happened on that scale before.

4) Saturday Night Live

While the 1970s on TV was filled with a string of failed variety shows, the public was growing tired of the same format which had been used since the 1950s. The sketches, live music, political satire, and faux news and commercials of Saturday Night Livewere a breath of fresh air for many. At the time, the show was received even by adoring audiences, as a very youthful spin on the classic variety show.

The counterculture could been seen in any number of skits, from John Belushi’s dopamine-seeking athlete in the “Little Chocolate Donuts” skit to the environmental implications of the Floor Wax/ Dessert Topping “commercial” SNL would become a staple for viewers for the next 40-odd years!