1. Television and Society

2. Criteria for Comedy Humor is an intellectual exercise Humor is an intellectual exercise Humor is human Humor is human Humor is mechanical Humor is mechanical There must be an established set of human or social norms There must be an established set of human or social norms Humor violates those norms Humor violates those norms The audience must perceive those violations are harmless The audience must perceive those violations are harmless

3. Humor is an intellectual exercise

4. Humor is human

5. Humor is mechanical

6. There must be a set of social or human norms that the audience is intimately familiar with

7. Humor violates the norms

8. The audience perceives the joke as harmless

9. The importance of knowing all this

10. Early Television

11. Era of Experimentation Used formats from radio Used formats from radio Musical shows Musical shows Interview shows Interview shows Dramas Dramas Soap operas Soap operas comedies comedies

12. Typical shows Musical variety Musical variety Talent Scouts Talent Scouts Arthur Godfrey and His Friends Arthur Godfrey and His Friends The Fred Waring Show The Fred Waring Show The Frank Sinatra Show The Frank Sinatra Show Small scale sports Small scale sports Boxing Boxing Wrestling Wrestling

13. Live Drama Ford Theatre Ford Theatre Philco Television Playhouse Philco Television Playhouse Studio One Studio One Kraft Television Theater Kraft Television Theater Armstrong Circle Theatre Armstrong Circle Theatre Sponsorships Sponsorships

15. 12 Angry Men

16. Leave It to Beaver

17. The Donna Reed Show

18. Father Knows Best

25. Martin Kane, Private Eye – 1949

26. The Untouchables – 1958

27. Hopalong Cassidy / Roy Rogers / Gene Autry

28. Wyatt Earp / Bat Masterson / Cheyenne

29. Gunsmoke – 1955-75

30. Have Gun, Will Travel

31. Wanted – Dead or Alive

32. The Rifleman

33. Hotel de Paree

34. Yancy Derringer

35. Maverick

36. Bonanza – 1959-73

37. Joe McCarthy

39. The 1960s

40. The Andy Griffith Show – 1960

42. The Beverly Hillbillies – 1962

43. Petticoat Junction – 1963

44. Green Acres – 1965

45. Bewitched – 1964

46. I Dream of Jeannie – 1965

47. Dick van Dyke Show

52. Camp Runamuck / The Flying Nun Gilligan’s Island

53. My Mother the Car

54. The 1970s

55. The Mary Tyler Moore Show -- 1970

56. All in the Family – 1971

57. M*A*S*H – 1972

58. Walter Cronkite

59. The Waltons – 1972

60. Three’s Company -- 1977

61. Barney Miller – 1975

62. One Day at a Time – 1975

63. The 1980s

64. Magnum P.I. / Buck Rogers

65. Hill Street Blues – 1981

66. Dallas

67. The Cosby Show – 1984

68. Roseanne – 1988

69. Married…with Children – 1987

70. The Simpsons – 1989

72. The Rise of Cable Invented by John Walson in 1948 to bring TV to places that could receive broadcast signals Invented by John Walson in 1948 to bring TV to places that could receive broadcast signals FCC restricted it to prevent competition with broadcast stations until 1972 FCC restricted it to prevent competition with broadcast stations until 1972 HBO started in 1972 – first network to use satellite instead of phone lines to deliver content HBO started in 1972 – first network to use satellite instead of phone lines to deliver content Cable Act of 1984 – cable restrictions lifted and new networks could start Cable Act of 1984 – cable restrictions lifted and new networks could start

73. Sister, Sister

74. Will and Grace -- 1999

75. Sex and the City – 1998

76. 2000s

77. Reality (really?)

78. Itchy and Scratchy