10 TV Shows That Revolutionized Television

10 TV Shows That Changed How Television Is Made Claire Underwood sitting in her office in House of Cards By  Adrienne Tyler Published 48 minutes ago Adrienne Tyler is a movies & TV features writer, with a focus on horror. She has written for Netflix, FanSided, & more. She was a regular guest on the Netfreaks podcast and was a YouTuber at some point. Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

There are many great TV shows from all genres, but not all of them changed how television is made. The list of the best TV shows of all time also has many of the most influential TV shows ever, some of which went as far as changing TV forever.

There are shows in every genre that were key to shaping the genre into what it is now, inspiring other TV shows, becoming the blueprint for the genre, and/or touching on themes that others didn't dare before. Without them, TV would be very different from what it is now, and most likely not for the better.

Ellen

1994-1998

Ellen 1994 TV show

Ellen is a sitcom starring Ellen DeGeneres as Ellen Morgan, a bookstore owner in her 30s. Set in Los Angeles, Ellen follows the title character in her everyday life as she deals with her family, her quirky friends, her job, and her own problems and identity. Ellen ran for five seasons, from 1994 to 1998

Ellen made history in 1997 with “The Puppy Episode”, where the main character came out as gay. This happened shortly after DeGeneres herself publicly revealed she’s gay in real life. Despite controversy (and ABC adding a parental advisory at the beginning of every episode after that), the episode was a success, and Ellen Morgan became the first openly gay lead character in a sitcom.

Ellen paved the way for greater visibility of the LGBTQ+ community in mainstream media, leading to more acceptance from the audience towards these characters and storylines. Ellen dealt with a lot of backlash back then that, when looking back nowadays, seems exaggerated, as it’s more common to see main characters from the LGBTQ+ community, and that’s thanks to the show.

Friends

1994-2004

Joey Chandler Rachel and Monica looking up at Ross off camera in Friends

Friends is one of the best sitcoms of all time, and it took the audience to New York City to meet a group of friends: Monica (Courteney Cox), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), and Ross (David Schwimmer). Throughout 10 seasons, Friends follows the many ups and downs in the main characters’ social, personal, and professional lives.

Although Seinfeld had already begun the trend of sitcoms focused on friends rather than families, Friends gave storylines to its characters as opposed to Seinfeld being about “nothing.” In addition to that, Friends was very influential in terms of the characters’ language, their dynamics, the show’s structure, and all six lead actors having equal pay and main cast status.

The Real World

1992-2019

The Real World logo

Reality TV shows have a lot to thank The Real World for. The Real World aired for 33 seasons between 1992 and 2019, and the concept was simple: a group of young adults, with different personalities and from different backgrounds, were selected to temporarily live together in one residence in a new city, while being filmed 24/7.

This allowed The Real World to depict issues that TV shows normally stayed away from in a realistic and raw way, such as sexuality, religion, sex, death, substance abuse, and a lot more. Although The Real World was later seen as a space for immaturity, it made way for other, similar, and popular shows, such as Jersey Shore.

The Real World established the reality series format everyone now knows, reminiscent of a soap opera, as it focused on the drama between the different contestants, with confessional interviews, and was edited to highlight certain emotions and storylines.

The Simpsons

1989-Present

The Simpsons is one of the best animated TV shows of all time, even if its quality has been in decline for years now. The Simpsons takes the audience to the fictional town of Springfield to follow the title family and other Springfield residents, who often find themselves involved in all types of funny situations, with the occasional serious topics.

The Simpsons popularized animated sitcoms for adult audiences, the blend of comedy with social commentary and political satire, and brought together comedy, emotional depth, and deep themes from time to time, and has played a part in pushing for diverse representation (with its unique sense of humor, of course).

Thanks to The Simpsons, shows like South Park, King of the Hill, Family Guy, and Rick and Morty, among many others, have been possible.

The Twilight Zone

1959-1964

MovieStillsDB

Created by Rod Serling, The Twilight Zone is a sci-fi, fantasy, and horror anthology TV series that aired for five seasons between 1959 and 1964. Every episode of The Twilight Zone told a different story with sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and/or drama elements, and they were characterized by having a twist and an ending with a moral.

The Twilight Zone popularized the anthology format and elevated the sci-fi and horror genres, proving they can address serious topics, have social commentary, be thought-provoking, and avoid falling into clichés. The Twilight Zone also had a diverse cast and launched the careers of legends like Robert Redford and Burt Reynolds.

Star Trek

1966-1969

The cast of Star Trek: The Original Series smiling

Star Trek is a sci-fi TV series created by Gene Roddenberry, which aired for three seasons between 1966 and 1969. Although it had a short run, Star Trek is one of the best and most influential sci-fi TV shows ever.

Set in the far future of 2266, Star Trek follows the starship USS Enterprise and its crew, led by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Science Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Chief Medical Officer Leonard H. “Bones” McCoy (DeForest Kelley). While most TV shows that explored the future were pessimistic, Star Trek stood out for offering an optimistic view of the future.

The biggest impact Star Trek had on television, however, was its diversity, with a multicultural crew and the first interracial kiss on TV, and the way it addressed serious topics and real-life social and political events.

House of Cards

2013-2018

Frank and Claire Underwood

House of Cards is a political thriller based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Michael Dobbs, and an adaptation of the 1990 British TV series of the same name. House of Cards takes viewers to Washington, D.C., to follow Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), an immoral politician and Democrat, and his ambitious wife, Claire Underwood (Robin Wright).

Despite the behind-the-scenes controversies in its final season due to Kevin Spacey, House of Cards was consistently successful throughout its six-season run. House of Cards made history as the first Netflix Original series, and thus the streamer’s first big hit.

Through House of Cards, Netflix proved that streaming platforms can produce high-quality content with well-known and established actors, and established the model of releasing a full season at once. The world of streaming is what it is today thanks to House of Cards.

The Sopranos

1999-2007

Silvio Tony and Paulie at a table in The Sopranos

Created by David Chase, The Sopranos is a crime drama TV series that introduces Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), the boss of the DiMeo crime family. The Sopranos follows Tony’s struggles to balance his family life with his crime family and his personal struggles, as his constant anxiety attacks force him to start going to therapy.

The Sopranos changed television with its anti-hero, morally ambiguous main character (and secondary characters, too), complex characters and storylines, and high-quality production, kicking off what has been labeled as the “Golden Age of television” and an era of “prestige TV.”

The Sopranos established HBO as a network of high-quality TV shows, both in visual and narrative terms, which doesn’t shy away from covering dark and serious themes and focuses on complex narrative arcs rather than week-to-week stories.

I Love Lucy

1951-1957

Lucille Ball as Lucy in I Love LucyCBS vis MovieStillsDB

I Love Lucy is a sitcom starring Lucille Ball as Lucy Ricardo, a young, middle-class housewife in New York City, and Desi Arnaz as Ricky Ricardo, Lucy’s singer and bandleader husband. I Love Lucy follows Lucy’s everyday life, as she tends to find herself in the funniest and sometimes most absurd situations.

I Love Lucy was key in the development of sitcoms, being filmed with three cameras, in front of a live audience, and using 35mm film, thus enabling reruns. I Love Lucy was also the first time a pregnant woman was shown on screen on TV, and the overall tone of the show and Ball’s comedy style shaped sitcoms into what they now are.

Dallas

1978-1991

Dallas 1978 JR Ewing smiling

Dallas is a drama TV series that ran for 14 seasons from 1978 to 1991. Dallas follows the wealthy Ewing family, owners of the independent oil company Ewing Oil and the cattle-ranching land of Southfork. Dallas is one of the best TV dramas of all time, and its most notable moments changed television forever.

First was the episode “Who Shot J.R.?”, which was a cultural phenomenon and popularized cliffhanger endings. Then came Bobby Ewing’s death at the end of season 8, but in the premiere episode of season 10, it was revealed that he was alive and well, and so all of season 9 was a dream his wife, Pam, had.

The “dream season” trope was also popularized by Dallas, with shows like Roseanne later using it. Dallas also redefined TV villains, with J.R. being charismatic but also cunning and ambitious, and he ended up becoming the best and most popular character of the show.

Follow Followed Like Share Facebook X WhatsApp Threads Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit Flipboard Copy link Email Close Thread Sign in to your ScreenRant account

We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.

Be the first to post Images Attachment(s) Please respect our community guidelines. No links, inappropriate language, or spam.

Your comment has not been saved

Send confirmation email

This thread is open for discussion.

Be the first to post your thoughts.

• Terms
• Privacy
• Feedback

Recommended 23 hours ago

Stranger Things' Next Big Spinoff Series Gets Exciting New Update From The Duffer Brothers Despite Paramount Deal

1 day ago

Coffee Chats Episode 8: Arden Cho & May Hong Dish On KPop Demon Hunters, "FREE" Cover, And Sequel Goals

1 day ago

It's Been 8 Months, But I'm Still Not Over This Yellowjackets Moment

23 hours ago

Brendan Fraser’s New Movie Rental Family Tackles The “Epidemic Of Loneliness"

More from our brands

The 69 Best TV Shows to Binge Watch Right Now

25 Best R-Rated TV Shows of All Time, Ranked

The 55 Best Movies of All Time, Ranked

50 Best New TV Shows to Stream Right Now

The 10 Most Innovative Shows That Changed TV, Ranked

37 Shows on Netflix That Couples Can Binge-Watch Together

The 25 Best Shows on Crave to Watch Right Now

Trending Now Why Wicked: For Good Ending Changes Glinda's Fate Explained By Writer 2025's 2 $1B+ Movies Confirm That One Genre Is Still Cinema's Salvation Benedict Cumberbatch Responds To Doctor Strange 3 Rumors: "Bring It On"