The 100 Greatest Moments in TV History (CHUD Edition)

2. 9-11. I think this ranks above the Kennedy assassination at this point as far as the "where were you when" moment. The images of the towers collapsing changed the world.

3. Janet Jackson showing her left breast on national TV during the Superbowl halftime show. It changed what we could get away with seeing on TV and truly showed just how screwed up we are, as a nation, regarding nudity.

4. Saturday Night Live, Dec. 13, 1975:

Chevy Chase: "Jungle Bunny!"

Richard Pryor: "Honky!"

Chase: "Spade!

Pryor: "Honky Honky!"

Chase: "Nigger!"

Pryor: "Dead honky!"

TV comedy never was and has never been as edgy and dangerous as that moment.

Excellent picks.

The Beatles first apparence on The Ed Sulivan Show, 2-64.

Reeling from JFK's murder, this is exactly what the country needed. Many would dismiss them as another pop sensation and nothing more, yet they would forever change the world of music for the better and take the world by storm becoming an icon for an entire generation.

- Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (12/17/89)

Who would have thought they would make it 18 years. Longest running animated show. Most celeb cameos. and about 50 other world records

The Televised ATF Raid of the Nichols Farm in the Wake of the Oklahoma City Bombing -

Now I don't remember a specific date for this, but it was an enormously significant moment in my young life at the time, as both my parents were militia members and the close relatives of the Nichols lived right down the street from me; I remember breaking down into tears at one point, certain that the ATF were going to show up at my door and shoot my entire family.

8. Sesame Street: The grown-ups have to explain to Big Bird about death when Mister Hooper passes on

9. Tiananmen Square -- Man vs. Tank & Crackdown

Highlighted the true policies of the Communist leadership to the world and both sides in China.

10. KISS appear without makeup for the first time, live on MTV. This was back for the 'Lick it Up' album. We all ran home to watch it happen. It may not seem like it now, but it was a HUGE deal back then.

11. "The Best of Both Worlds, Part I", Star Trek: The Next Generation.

"Mr. Worf. Fire."

And a struggling spin-off finds its legs and moves into history.

12. OJ Simpson verdict - I remember being in my elementary school cafeteria lunchline and the lunchlady made everyone stand there until the verdict came in on her little portable TV. It obviously captivated the entire nation.

13.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkvGmFBEi8w

14. 1/25/1986 - The space shuttle Challenger exploding.

Each classroom in my school had a TV going, mostly because the teacher was from Akron, OH (my hometown and where the school was). It was quite a shock, and sent faculty reeling. It was quite a lasting memory and the fact that it happened on live TV was even more amazing.

15. http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/5371/oswalladdeb6.jpg

Same here. I'm ashamed to have been that caught up in it at such an age.

January 23rd, 1983:

America is introduced to 4 characters that would forever change the face of television as we know it. Hannibal, Face, B.A. Baracus, and Murdock. Together they would form the “The A-Team.” With the help of these soldiers of fortune the country finally learned to let go of the hatred they had for veterans of the Vietnam war. Gone was the image of the blood-thirsty platoon butchering their way through villages with nothing but rape and torture on their mind. Instead we were given the image of veterans who would help farmers whose crops were being destroyed by Reagan-era industrialists who wanted to build a shopping mall.

September 20, 1977:

Happy Days "Hollywood" (Part 2)
Arthur "the Fonz" Fonzarelli water-ski jumps over a shark.

From this point on, everything in the world would eventually plummet, following Fonzie and his salt water-resistant leather jacket down the chasm of diminished returns.

19. WKRP IN CINCINNATI - The Thanksgiving Episode.

"It's a helicopter, and it's coming this way. It's flying something behind it, I can't quite make it out, it's a large banner and it says, uh - Happy... Thaaaaanksss... giving! ... From ... W ... K ... R... P!! No parachutes yet. Can't be skydivers... I can't tell just yet what they are, but - Oh my God, they're turkeys!! Johnny, can you get this? Oh, they're plunging to the earth right in front of our eyes! One just went through the windshield of a parked car! Oh, the humanity! The turkeys are hitting the ground like sacks of wet cement! Not since the Hindenburg tragedy has there been anything like this!"

"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: THE BODY

My vote for greatest fictional hour of T.V. ever. No music, and everything is wrenching, from Buffy's angry begging for her mom to be okay to Anya's breakdown that she doesn't understand death and no one will explain it to her.

A mere hour or so after this happened, the jokes began.


What's the last to go through Christa McCulluff's mind before the Challenger blew up?

Her asshole.

Junior High Schoolers, gotta love 'em.

Johnny Carson bids goodbye.

May 22, 1992.

He joked about it for over a year, but when the time came everyone was in tears, including Johnny.

The end of an era.

Before the dark times, before Jay Leno.

Yet that hunk of shit show would run another seven fucking years!

Elementary school? Christ I feel old! I was a senior in college.

February 28th, 1983

M.A.S.H

Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen.

January 28, 1986.

I'll throw in October 17, 1989:

Al Michaels, ABC - "I'll tell you what, we're having an earth--!"

24. The Televised Funeral for Paul Wellstone in Minnesota. Democrat Wellstone died in a plane crash a few weeks before the election against Republican Norm Coleman. Republicans and Independents were both at a loss as to how to proceed with their respective campaigns, and it looked like Wellstone's replacement, Walter Mondale, would win the election without much problem. Then, at the funeral, Wellstone supporter Richard Kahn turned his eulogy into a political rally, slamming the Republicans and independent candidates. Governor Jesse Ventura and speaker Trent Lott rightfully left the service before it ended in response to Kahn's attacks.

Since Kahn had started political 'campaign' again with his speech, the door was opened for Coleman and the others to resume their campaigns. His speech was so impassioned and extreme that it caused a massive backlash against the Democratic party, and the event was too fresh in everyone's mind 2 weeks later when the election day came.

Much of the blame for Mondale's eventual loss can be laid at the feet of Kahn. Granted, this tv moment wasn't televised nationwide, but it was a HUGE deal here in Minnesota. You could feel a major shift in politics happen while you watched tv.

25. St. Elsewhere, May 25, 1988

"Staring at that toy all day long. What does he think about?"

And suddenly six years worth of television is cast into a whole new light.

And since I missed yesterday....

26. All in the Family, February 19, 1972

27. Centennial Olympic Park bombing
The Centennial Olympic Park bombing was a terrorist bombing on July 27, 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1996 Summer Olympics, the first of four committed by right-wing extremist Eric Robert Rudolph. Two people died, and 111 were injured.

A day after my birthday, too.

26. The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults- Geraldo Rivera's hilarious debacle on live TV. Watching his increasing desparation as absolutely nothing was found was priceless.

Freaking Wikipedia! I guess I should have checked more than one source. Arghh..

27. I'm not exactly sure of the date, but I am pretty sure it was in 1979. The debut of ESPN and Sportscenter.

Completely shaped and changed the landscape of sports on TV.

1/22/87-

That's why I say "Hey man, nice shot"

2/12/83:

In a shocking episode of "Diff'rent Strokes," Arnold and his best friend Dudley
befriend a kindly bicycle store owner portrayed by “WKRP’s” Gordon Jump. What begins as a typical friendship between a man in his 50’s and 2 young black boys turns sour when Dudley is molested by his new acquaintance. Children’s bike sales plummeted for nearly 20 years until Gordon Jump passed away from a broken heart.

Mr. Carlson, kiddie fucker!

November 18, 1992:
"But are you still master of your domain?"
Seinfeld pushes the limits of what a sitcom can get away with, makes its mark on the American language, and has everyone talking about it at the water cooler the next morning. It wouldn't be the last time the show would do all three.

31. September 5-6, 1972, ABC coverage of the Munich Olympics

"Our worst fears have been realized tonight. They’ve now said that there were eleven hostages; two were killed in their rooms yesterday morning, nine were killed at the airport tonight. They’re all gone."

The beginning of a war we're still fighting is broadcast live to the world.

32. Dolph Sweet is replaced by Joey Lawrence.

The world wept when Gimme A break co-star Dolph Sweet died in may of 1985. How to fill the void after Nell Carter loses her gruff, but tender, sugar daddy? History is made as the rascally Joey Lawrence steps up to the plate and into our hearts. America would never be the same.
Years later, following GaB's lead, Sandy Duncan replaces Valerie Harper on her own show after Harper's character tragically dies in a car accident. Thus, carrying on televison's proud tradition of replacing parental figures with spunky blonde haired boys.

2/25/87:

Frank Sinatra finally gave his fans what they wanted by appearing alongside Tom Selleck on a very special “Magnum P.I.” In an episode titled “Laura” Sinatra portrayed Michael Doheny, a retired New York City cop who comes to Hawaii to catch those responsible for the rape and murder of his 7 year-old granddaughter. By all account things went great on the set between Sinatra and the cast and crew. Though at one point when asked to describe his granddaughter’s murder with more sorrow a furious Sinatra said, “I once put a cigarette out in Angie Dickinson’s twat. I’ll say the line my way.”

This was really something special. The music montage, as Sinatra walked the city streets to the sounds of Genesis' "The Brazilian" (Invisible Touch, 1986), gave me goosebumps.

No. 33, I think.

Can't believe this hasn't been mentioned yet: 1980 Winter Olympics "Miracle on Ice".

I think that's more a sports moment that was covered by television than an actual moment driven by television. Hell, we didn't even see it live -- the game took place during the day and was taped and shown that night.

Sweet Christ, that's fucking hilarious. I'm assuming everyone else heard this in their heads by way of Phil Hartman.

No mention of The Berlin Wall yet? And Bob Clark wins at internet for the pic of Bud Dwyer.

Nobody gives a shit about the Olympics. Do they?

34?

Oct. 1984. Probably more of a political moment, but this was a big deal when it aired.

The first of three debates, I think?
President Reagan, after a bad first debate with Walter Mondale, many pundits questioned Reagan's age and mental facultys. The victor was by most accessments, Mondales. The President seemed confused, distracted and fumbled his answers.

In the second debate, Reagan seemed emboldened by his gaffs. He seemed sharper, energized. His wit was as razor sharp as ever. After Mondale commented on the President's age, Reagan's retort was splashed all over the tv and papers, paving his way to the biggest re-election landslide victory in history.

"I will not exploit my opponents youth and inexperience for political gain."

December 8, 1980....The Miami Dolphins and The New England Patriots are playing in a typical MNF game when Howard Cosell makes a shocking announcement.

On March 9, 1954

On this date, Edward R Murrow and his team produced a 30-minute See It Now special entitled "A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy." Murrow used excerpts from McCarthy's own speeches and proclamations to criticize the senator and point out episodes where he had contradicted himself. Murrow knew full well that he was using the medium of television to attack a single man and expose him to nationwide scrutiny, and he was often quoted as having doubts about the method he used for this news report.

Murrow and his See It Now co-producer, Fred Friendly, paid for their own newspaper advertisement for the program; they were not allowed to use CBS' money for the publicity campaign or even use the CBS logo. Nonetheless, this 30-minute TV episode contributed to a nationwide backlash against McCarthy and against the Red Scare in general, and it is seen as a turning point in the history of television.

Previously, Murrow had almost single-handedly brought important journalistic content to the medium of television with his 1951 series "See It Now", but this evening's show....which was the basis for the film "Good Night and Good Luck" was an important moment in that it almost singlehandedly forced the rest of the nation to look honestly at what Joe McCarthy was doing and saying. After this broadcast, the Senator never quite recovered.

37: November 17, 1968. With 65 seconds left on the clock, NBC cuts from a Jets/Raiders game (Jets 32-29) to a previously-scheduled 7pm presentation of Heidi. In the game's final, unaired seconds, the trailing Raiders score two touchdowns...

The incident is subsequently referred to as 'the Heidi Game" and new broadcast parameters are quickly put in place.

On SNL when Sinad O' Conner tears up a pic of the Pope. Before all the child abuse came out and no one found fault with him. She ripped into one of the biggest icons of the 20th cerntery when it comes to religion