50 Fantastic Non-Narrative And/Or Non-Serialized Television Shows
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Welcome to the first of three lists that honour the greatest television series of all time! Before continuing with this current list, let’s look forward at what the other two lineups will bring. Coming April 4th is my selection of the top one hundred shows of all time, with the distinctive focus of series that have narrative focuses. This includes both episodic and serialized works; dramas and sitcoms/other forms of comedies; live action and animated. These are series that tell stories short and long. They will be ranked from lowest to the greatest series of all time. After that comes my selection of the fifty best miniseries of all time on May the 2nd. This is a little more self explanatory: limited series and any form of a miniseries (including some TV movies) will be considered. Initially, I was going to include miniseries in my overall TV show list until I decided that they needed their own space. I started Films Fatale mostly as a motion picture focused website before I began covering television, and I feel like a focus on miniseries would bring things full circle, since these are TV’s answer to cinema (in my eyes).
Let’s get back to this list now. I always intended on having a separate list that detailed the series that didn’t quite fit under the same labels. Television is the home of so many different forms of entertainment and information that may not be focused squarely on what can tell a story. I wanted to be able to capture this other side of TV that typically just gets lumped in with series with art and storytelling as their main priorities. Here are fifty of these kinds of shows that I find either noteworthy, influential, or exemplary (you’ll hopefully be able to tell which is which in my opinion), and I will leave them unranked; if I found it to be problematic to try and place them in a list of ranked serialized works, I feel like trying to rank them here would be similarly as foolish. Does it make sense to try and pit a news program with a punk rock variety show? I’d argue that it doesn’t. So, what kinds of shows are being considered for this list? Here are the kinds of series that will fit in quite nicely here:
• Sketch/Variety Shows
• Game Shows
• Talk Shows (Prime Time and Day Time)
• Reality Shows (You Won’t Find Many Here)
• Educational Shows
• News Shows (Including Sports Analyses)
• Cooking Shows
• Anything Else That Feels Like It Would Fit Here
See? There is much to love that I felt like a specialized list only made sense. These are fifty shows that deserve their dues for so many reasons, whether they kept my attention, took me to a different place, made me laugh, enlightened me, or have left an impact on me in any way (including respect for shows I may not particularly be interested in but have to commend as pivotal series). These series will be presented in alphabetical order. Let’s get started. Here are fifty fantastic non-narrative and/or non-serialized television shows.
60 Minutes
Formulated unlike most other news related shows, 60 Minutes functions like a collection of fully developed essays each episode (because who needs half-baked reports that don’t really give you a full perspective?). Even those who aren’t into politics can find one-off episodes of 60 Minutes that pertain to them and exactly what they would hope to find about particular subjects and/or people. For nearly sixty years those introductory ticks of a clock were all you needed to know that what would follow were entire lifetimes and histories condensed into some of television’s deepest dives into the most discussed people and/or events of our time. You don’t even need to be a fan of the show to fully connected with some of these fascinating assignments.
The Amazing Race
While other shows are shot on location to lure those with wanderlust, The Amazing Race flat out owned up to its gimmick and relished in what it was able to pull off. On one hand, this long running reality show had viewers planted in destinations they have always dreamed of. On the other, the show made the most of what its contestants partook in: incredibly difficult challenges that also enriched their lives and graced them with experiences not many can say they’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time. Whether you watch to see who will win or to be transported elsewhere for an hour each week, The Amazing Race is one of the more sincere and exciting reality shows to ever take off.
Animaniacs
Why can’t there be more variety and sketch shows for kids? Animaniacs — a brainchild of Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment during its prime — really was as varied as ‘90s cartoons could get, with a whole myriad of different forms of illustrated antics to bathe in. It feels incredibly timeless as well; whereas The Goodfeathers flew right over my head as a child and I loved Rita and Runt, I grew out of the latter cat and dog and am now in stitches laughing with the former pigeons. There is something for each viewer during any given episode. The notion of provocative cartoon characters that were locked up and unleashed right when entertainment got too sanitary is calculated wit as well (and not many all ages cartoons toed the line Animaniacs did; it truly was for all ages).
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
Of all of the ventures Anthony Bourdain partook in, Parts Unknown may be his best. Whereas his contemporaries may have gotten lost in the production side of reality television, Bourdain didn’t lose his hunger for experiencing all of life’s idiosyncrasies. You could always bank on him discovering some ritual or dish you’ve never even heard of (even if he visited your home town), and his abrasive-yet-fun-loving personality always made for some of the better reactions to these interesting revelations. Parts Unknown is what it feels like to keep rediscovering new ways to fall in love with the world, particularly when other forms of “real” media (news, reality tv, et cetera) keep shoving your face in the hateful side of our planet.
At the Movies
The art of criticism hasn’t been the same these last ten years, with aggregate websites making each unique voice a part of a whole. The best way to usher out the years of old was with two of the best critics to ever speak their minds: Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. At the Movies always felt reliable to cinephiles, but even if you were to disagree with what they had to say about your newest favourite flick, it was always enjoyable to hear them dissect this art form time and time again. On the rare occasion that the two would feud (an event that’s been exaggerated in recent years), you would see two of the most passionate movie lovers defending their tastes, and film criticism never felt as fascinating before or since.
The Carol Burnett Show
Not many single names were as powerful in the world of sketch comedy as Carol Burnett, whose namesake show remains the peak of American sketch television. She aligned herself with some of the sharpest minds (Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and Tim Conway to name a few), but she always remained the must-see attraction as one of the most dynamic presences on the small screen. She and her troupe knew how to best lampoon contemporary and/or historical events and pop culture, as well as test the limits of what she could get away with on television; some of my favourite moments come from how Burnett handled herself whilst interacting with her audiences, which best showcased how sharp she was and how undeniable The Carol Burnett Show was to us all.
CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite
It sounds silly to be electing a daily news source as one of the best television series of all time until you bring up the name Walter Cronkite; then it becomes a certain claim. No one ever did the news better than he did, although many anchors would certainly try to follow in his footsteps. He was unbeatable as the go-to source for all the goings on in the world during his time with CBS and the Evening News, so much so that he became a major pop culture figure. Over ten years after his death, news outlets couldn’t have fallen off of his track more than they have, particularly because they have lost sight of what made him the greatest of his craft: extreme trustworthiness.
Chappelle’s Show
During the dawn of the internet, sketch comedy shows weren’t quite what they once embodied, outside of Saturday Night Live and, say, a Mad TV and the like. Dave Chappelle saw massive potential when the medium was shifting: a new audience for a new age. His raunchy and relentless comedy on Chappelle’s Show was fit for online word-of-mouth travel, the edginess of the early 2000s, and the possibilities of the expansions of television. Chappelle himself couldn't care less of how he was perceived. He wanted to have fun and make those around him laugh in his own unhinged ways, and Chappelle’s Show dropped at exactly the right time (since he wound up making many laugh across the globe).
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart was the best iteration of the series, so much so that I guarantee most people actually forget that he wasn't even the first host of the show (remember the Craig Kilborn years?). For many years, Jon Stewart and his eclectic team was the number one source of news for a peculiar generation, and so many other pale imitators tried to follow suit and grab a piece of The Daily Show’s satirical resonance (shout out to The Colbert Report: a stellar offshoot of this show that only squashed plagiarists deeper into the dirt). Trevor Noah has found his footing with the iconic series, but the show's prime remains in the years that Jon Stewart dominated television as both a news source and as a comedy hour.
The Day Today
Chris Morris' warped mind really was ahead of its time (more on him in a later entry, by the way), and The Day Today was the closest he got to actually meeting with viewers on a bit of a relatable plane. With his satirical news show, Morris and friends (including famous faces like Steve Coogan and David Schneider) display such twisted senses of humour in the course of only six episodes. What would The Day Today have looked like with more episodes? I suppose it doesn't matter, given the countless amounts of jokes and gags that are festooned in every single shot; there was enough comedy and biting commentary to last for generations.
The Ed Sullivan Show
There was a time when Ed Sullivan was bigger than The Beatles (given that it was his show that shot them into the stratosphere and made them icons across America); it was one of the top shows in television, especially during the original golden age of the medium. The Ed Sullivan Show felt like the rite of passage for all forms of entertainment for decades, and his variety show expertise spilled out into other show formats afterwards (especially late night and/or talk shows that tried to capture the same infectious magic his series had on a consistent basis). The name “Ed Sullivan” is just synonymous with prestige within televised entertainment.
The Electric Company
When Sesame Street was a guaranteed success, the next order of business was to ensure that older children were learning as well. That’s when The Electric Company came into the picture, and it took off in its own ways. It pushed more buttons, was a guilty pleasure for older viewers, and boasted one hell of a cast for an educational program (Morgan Freeman and Rita Moreno alone are huge names). Sadly the show didn't experience quite the same longevity as Sesame Street, but don’t let this confuse you: The Electric Company has its own loveable identity. It also works incredibly well as a time capsule for extreme nostalgia.
The Eric Andre Show
While one Eric André is the perfect host for a generation riddled with memes, his show, The Eric Andre Show, is hands down one of the greatest antitheses of the talk show formula perhaps ever made. André and Hannibal Buress (the latter until season five) place their celebrity (a word sometimes used loosely) guests in the worst hells of their own televised careers, but André himself is a tortured soul in the limbo confined within the TV set and/or your other devices. This is what the artificiality of the talk show genre looks like when cooked to the point of incineration, with parts of the meal crumbling into ash and the remainder being stone cold. While The Eric Andre Show is pure anarchy, there's a certain sadness deep down: the pop culture icon that entertains through his own agony, and we're all here to gawk.
The Ernie Kovacs Show
Right when television was beginning to take off and be a staple of enough houses across America for shows to really matter in the grand scheme of pop culture, The Ernie Kovacs Show already established itself as one of the most noteworthy series. This is because of the titular comedian’s understanding of where the art form could go, as he fine tuned his craft to best suit the medium (and not vice versa, like so many opportunists around him in the early '50s). The end result was an inventive sketch show that overtook time slots, networks, and households for a handful of years. Kovacs and company were so ahead of their peers that The Ernie Kovacs Show feels incomparable for its time.
The French Chef
The right chef can turn any cooking session into a timeless event. Such is the case with Julie Child: the greatest televised cooking personality that there ever was. Her vibrant personality matched her ambition to conjure up the finest meals, and her dedication to share exquisite French cuisine with American households via The French Chef wound up being her most notable triumph. She became a friend that you grew to knew on a frequent basis, as you both conquered the world with dynamic dishes together. So many other chefs have tried to replicate the connection Child had with her audience, but it's impossible; consider that The French Chef was still garnering thousands of viewers on a Twitch marathon in recent years (yes: Child had that kind of hold on us all).
Frontline
For nearly forty years, PBS’ Frontline housed documentaries that pertained to a myriad of worldwide issues, top stories, and other major topics. Considering the show is gestated by the WGBH Educational Foundation and news purveyors that work tirelessly, Frontline has been a bastion of video essays ever since its inception, with a number of its episodes having gone on to experience legacies of their own (it seems almost idiotic to try and single out one such example when the show has covered everything from the war in Iraq and the O.J. Simpson trial's impact on America, to the stigmas surrounding AIDS and abortion). Frontline also extends itself outside of its series via podcast form and the production of documentary features, including one of my favourite documentaries in recent memory (For Sama). Frontline continues to know how to convey political discussions so poignantly.
The Graham Norton Show
There aren't many talk shows that are as much genuine fun as Graham Norton’s insane frequent antics housed within The Graham Norton Show. With his panel of celebrity guests having to deal with each others’ quirky personalities, Norton knows how to stir the pot and allow these famous faces to open up unlike most shows out there. There’s no focus on promoting a new product or plug: this takes a backseat so the embarrassing stories, extreme buffoonery, and natural electricity can take place. It doesn't even seem like Norton has a hard job when he gets to goof of this much, but that's the secret: he is the prime instigator that makes his talk show work as blisteringly as it does.
Hockey Night in Canada
I’ll preface this by stating that I am not a huge hockey fan (sorry fellow Canadians), but it is impossible to shake off the importance of Hockey Night in Canada as a television series. The offshoot of a radio show that began in 1931 (making the program over ninety years old in any iteration), Hockey Night in Canada exhibits the most raw passion for a single sport that television has ever seen (especially when Don Cherry and Ron MacLean would host their Coach’s Corner segments). It doesn't take a fan of a sport to be able to see just how much admiration and work goes into this coverage, and why hockey aficionados have sworn by it for, well, their entire lives.
In Living Color
To usher out the ways of the ‘80s, Keenan Ivory and Damon Wayans banded together In Living Color: a sketch comedy series featuring some of the most relentless comedy to kick off a brand new decade. While the show contained its own manic and singular comedy, it also acted as the sandbox for some of the upcoming entertainers that needed this opportunity to find the craziest versions of themselves (I’m talking about Jamie Foxx, Jim Carrey, and Kelly Coffield as examples). In Living Color was also vital as the promotion of African American voices within the comedy world, especially when they were continuously silenced by the bigger shows around them. As a result, In Living Color would shape much of the humour that came out of the '90s and many millennials that grew up with it for life.
Inside the NBA
There is no contest as to what the most entertaining basketball analyst program is, and it’s blasphemy that they aren’t the squad to cover the NBA finals. Inside the NBA is such a riot to watch that even those that don’t like basketball will tune in to hear their antics. There’s leading instigator Kenny Smith with the assists to either Charles Barkley or Shaquille O’Neal, while coach Ernie Johnson tries to bring the show back to fundamentals (he usually winds up joining in the shenanigans anyway). It all started with Ernie back in the early ‘90s when Inside the NBA changed to the format it currently boasts, but his surrounding team has grown over time. Thirty odd years later, Inside the NBA is a major part of basketball culture and our contemporary zeitgeist overall (Underdog should put that on a T-shirt).
Jam
One of the most daring shows ever to make it onto the small screen is Chris Morris’ incredibly defiant and demented Jam: a rare example of a show being at least remotely avant-garde. It’s only six episodes long, yet its bizarre nature and undefinable exterior will last in your mind for an eternity. Parts shocking and strange, Jam is the ultimate antithesis of pop culture housed within the sketch comedy genre (one that tries to be relatable more than most other labels). There is no joke you’re missing out on. There’s only a void that you stare into. Jam is a variety show that has mutated, rotted, and been reanimated to the point of being completely unrecognizable, and I love it.
Jeopardy!
The greatest game show of all time is the daily reminder that a majority of us viewers wouldn’t stand a chance in a battle of wits. Jeopardy! is a well thought out trivia contest at its core, with a few slight signature traits to make it stand out from the rest of its peers (answering in the form of a question is an understated example of this). It wound up being best viewed as a half hour of brilliant minds going head-to-head in a blistering blaze of buzzers, and the dollar amounts rising astounds us as well. For decades Jeopardy! has been unbeatable, especially the incredible stretch behind the strongest host of all, Alex Trebek (I still miss him to this day, like we all do).
The Joy of Painting
Bob Ross was looking for the polar opposite of his experience as a master sergeant: particularly one that was pegged as the angry voice that would rip into new recruits rather heavily. He found solace in oil painting and decided he would rather share this kind of change with people; he sought to find harmony in everyone, rather than turn them into hardened machines of war. Thus began The Joy of Painting: a zen half hour where even just watching Ross effortlessly paint happy little trees was enough of a reason to tune in. If you were to try and actually learn from him, you would have one patient, optimistic teacher that believed in you more than anyone else. His own shifting of perspectives led to a televised safe space where all were welcome, we were temporarily consoled, and nothing painful mattered.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The daily satire concept had been nearly-perfected, but it was also getting tired after so many years of excellency. There was a new way to go about this format, and John Oliver — a disciple of Jon Stewart — wound up assembling a team that knew exactly what to do: focus on a few main stories each week as opposed to every night. And thus Last Week Tonight with John Oliver was born: deeper dives into particular topics every Sunday (with teams working down to the wire in some instances) became its own form of information relay that is still working well to this day.
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
We all know that the majority of talk shows are fabrications of genuine connections. So did Craig Ferguson, who was the rebellious child of the system that did stuff his own way. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is easily one of the most interesting takes on the format because of how against-the-grain each episode was. Cheap puppets and mascots replaced glitz and glamour; off-the-cuff banter replaced prepared anecdotes; raw comedy replaced stale formulaic prose. The wee hours of the morning sincerely miss Craig Ferguson’s off-kilter show, and, if anything, his current replacement has missed the authenticity the Scottish maniac displayed effortlessly on a constant basis.
Late Night with Conan O’Brien
Poor Conan. One of the best talk show hosts of our time has been tossed around like a hacky sack again and again. We’ll never forget Late Night with Conan O’Brien, especially because he felt like the most genuinely quick-on-his-feet of all of his peers (well, naturally, since O’Brien was one of the top writers for The Simpsons back in the day). It’s a shame that his empire was continuously attacked, because — of the more basic talk shows of its time — his Late Night was the realest and most likeable. He didn’t just respond and plug away sponsors and upcoming projects: he actually gave us funny interviews to really enjoy. Team Coco for life.
Late Night with David Letterman
Today's generation may have a pretty different idea of who David Letterman was as a host, especially since Late Show with David Letterman was our yardstick for decades. His previous series — Late Night with David Letterman — was the formula for talk shows for many years to come. The gimmicks were fresh and intriguing. His backhanded comments landed better. There was a sharpness to his show that many talk shows (including Letterman’s own Late Night) lost sight of since; even this very show started to fizzle out a little bit after its initial golden preliminary seasons. That classic run, however, is good enough to be distanced from all of the rest, and it deserves to be cherished as innovative late-night comedy.
Monty Python’s Flying Circus
The greatest sketch show of all time (yes, the very best) is unquestionably Monty Python’s Flying Circus in all of its absurdist ways. Instead of just being otherwise and rebellious against the rules of comedy, the Python troupe basically reinvented what could make us laugh; it wasn’t as though we weren’t sure why we were laughing, but instead we were finding hilarity in whole new ways. Everyone will have their own favourite skits, full episodes, and Python members, and almost any selection of those three will be right. The show was rarely a dud. To this day, specific skits are still as funny as ever, and the entire mainframe of Flying Circus has shaped our warped senses of humour forever (and then some).
Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood
While some parents would toss their kids at the television to try and get them out of their hair, Fred Rogers would patiently be there for all of the children of America. As the other parents tried to figure out how to best approach certain subject matters with their offspring, Mr. Rogers already knew exactly how to handle every situation. Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood was the ultimate safety bubble of television for years, with a guaranteed way for the youths of the nation to be informed about contemporary concerns, feelings, challenging thoughts, and other grey areas other shows didn’t dare touch. Mr. Rogers always taught with love and kindness, and it’s the kind of warmth we could desperately use in today’s hideous climate.
Mr. Show
It’s easy to reflect on the sketch comedy Mr. Show with fondness because of the myriad of iconic names attached to it, but it frankly was under appreciated when it was first on the air. It acted as a major starting point for many of our time’s funniest voices, particularly the bonkers duo of Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. It was also an exercise for HBO that was trying to find its own footing (and perhaps the Mr. Show team would go too far, which showcases the limitless ways of the network whilst instantly being outside of its slowly growing comfort zone). None of that matters now, and Mr. Show’s offensive, shocking, and strange humour still is hilarious, and there’s no disconnection to blame now.
MTV (The Early Days)
It’s cheap to ask the meme-worthy question “Remember when MTV actually had music videos?”, but this is a legitimate frustration. Recall a time when there was a whole new way for musicians to appeal to the masses, and television consumption was simultaneously revolutionized. Having music on in the background felt impossible with the vibrant visuals fighting for your attention, and you got to connect with your favourite artists (and some rising stars) in so many new ways; each video was a completely different journey from the last. What The Buggles sang was true: video did kill the radio star. It’s just a shame that the entity that helped make music videos its own real art form also killed what it had created.
The Muppet Show
There aren’t many variety shows where you won't even be sure what creatures will be a part of the presentation. The Muppet Show — arguably Jim Henson’s largest stroke of genius — placed famous faces amidst indescribable puppets, blurring the line between the familiar and the magical. The more recognizable muppets (Kermit, Gonzo, Miss Piggy and other friends) became pop culture staples that we wished existed outside of this fun half hour. There weren't many escapes as effective as The Muppet Show, where rules didn't apply, and the unknown was as friendly as could be. While the titular characters have existed for decades since in their own various ways, the best uses of them was in this fabulously silly variety show of yesteryear.
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Joel Hodgson found a great way to appreciate the worst films ever made (especially numerous flicks that were then virtually unknown to the majority of society) via Mystery Science Theater 3000. Staged as a galactic torture chamber where an earthling is forced to endure awful Z-movies, it actually was Hodgson’s way to poke fun at these unknown monstrosities. There are a couple of sly angles to this, including the “invention” of friendly robots to help mock these films (so, basically, additional hecklers), and the ability to feature entire films as episodes of a series (no matter how terrible they are, this is an admirable loophole). Even these motion pictures (a term used loosely, here) now have longevity, thanks to the hilarity and joy that MST3K injects into them, thus rendering these films more iconic than they ever had a chance to be.
Nathan For You
Unquestionably one of the best series of the 2010’s, Nathan For You plants a hyperbolic version of comedian Nathan Fielder into a capitalist America to see how far businesses and customers are willing to go to either save or earn a buck. Fielder himself wastes thousands of dollars just to be loved, which is a commentary on the American Dream in and of itself. These elaborate schemes were evidence enough of how clever Fielder secretly is, but the finale episode titled "Finding Frances” — a rare time where he authentically wants to help someone tie up loose ends of their life — is gorgeously meta (perhaps this switcheroo from absurdist comedy to compelling drama was the biggest trick Fielder pulled on us, but then again the Jimmy Kimmel anecdote and the Corey Calderwood tightrope walk happened, so…).
The Oprah Winfrey Show
Let me begin by saying that there is a lot about The Oprah Winfrey Show that I’m not fond of, especially some of the unqualified pseudo-specialists that have been given their own platform. Having said that, I think people are often quick to willingly forget how important and groundbreaking Oprah Winfrey’s talk show was. Keep in mind that the mogul fought uphill battles as a woman of colour, especially when daytime talk shows were becoming the trashiest programs on television. Winfrey fought tooth and nail to steer in a new direction, and it’s no surprise that countless of other series followed her lead. I’m trying to be objective with my list here, and I think it only makes sense to focus on the milestones of The Oprah Winfrey Show and how pivotal it was for daytime TV.
The Peanuts Specials
The older I get, the more I understand the simplistic brilliance of Peanuts overall, but especially within these animated, televised specials. With a handful of occasions — ranging from Christmas and Thanksgiving to Halloween and Easter — all sorts of viewers are united, no matter their age. Considering how these episodes are cherished on an annual basis (like the unmissable tradition in many households), Charles Schultz’s creations transcend any form of temporal use; his comic revolutionized the funny papers, and these short films that stemmed from his strips became their own phenomena entirely. They feel especially fitting nowadays, since we all could use a little bit more heart and loving.
Planet Earth & Planet Earth II
When the first Planet Earth premiered, television audiences froze transfixed in place. We were able to use modern technology to appreciate our entire globe unlike ever before. With veteran broadcaster David Attenborough's voice to guide us, natural documentaries never felt so enticing before. Once Planet Earth II rolled around, it became a warning of what we were going to miss once we experience the worst side effects of climate change. With a third series slated this year, I can only imagine how much deeper into this angle of Planet Earth we will go, especially since this world is not the same one we fell in love with during the initial series’ run.
Portlandia
Despite being a twisted love letter to all things Oregon, Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, and Jonathan Krisel’s Portlandia was a sketch show that spoke to all sorts of millennials. The uncanny valley of many characters felt both humorous and highly relatable, as if this was a documentary of the societal abnormalities around us (like the hidden societies within book stores, the unhealthiness of binge-watching television series, the tabula rasa mayor that somehow fits the majority of our home towns, and so much more). Armisen and Brownstein (the two stars of every hour) wanted to present their own quirky version of Portland, but Portlandia became a hyper-self-aware diary book of contemporary culture through the lens of a meme-driven generation.
The Price is Right
Never has commercialism ever been done so well. In a way, The Price is Right is the greatest form of advertising ever made, with each game being centred around product placements and our attempts to guess their worth. When we cheer for contestants to win the big showcase showdown, what really happens is that we are told that all of this could be ours for this amount of money. Nonetheless, the games themselves — as well as the off-the-wall contestants — wind up being the heart and soul of The Price is Right, so we never feel manipulated by the game show; the final cherries on top come from the hosts themselves (Drew Carey has finally amalgamated with the show's universe rather nicely now as well).
Reading Rainbow
The 80s and 90s were notorious for forcing children to do things they didn't want to participate in, and during the rise of video games and this thing called the internet, reading was on the decline. No amount of pressure from parents or teachers would make kids feel better about reading, but LeVar Burton was the only catalyst that worked. Reading Rainbow was an introduction to the many worlds youths were missing out on, and Burton never condescended to viewers. Instead, he invited everyone to join this journey with him, and it was through grace and passion that he was able not only to help introduce reading to millions but to also make one of the finest educational programs of all time.
Rowan & Martin’s Laugh In
To close out the 60s and open up the grooviest decade of all time, Rowan & Martin's Laugh In embraced all of the highs and lows of cultural movements. This sketch show boasted one hell of a lineup of soon-to-be superstars as well, ranging from Goldie Hawn to Lily Tomlin. Of all of the variety shows of its time, Laugh In is easily the easiest to take seriously (outside of The Muppet Show, which is hilariously ironic) because it embraced the aura of its time but also felt a bit smarter and more well assembled than most of its peers. It was in on the joke, not a part of it.
Saturday Night Live
Everyone has a different answer as to what the best seasons, cast members, and sketches of Saturday Night Live are, and while I think the entirety of the show is far from perfect (that’s a given, considering the over forty year duration of the program), I think this is a testament to how pivotal the series really is. The only sketch and variety show to make it out of the classic era and keep going to this day, Saturday Night Live rewrote the rulebook and has certainly fired on all cylinders enough to make it easy to look past any of the noticeable flaws of certain seasons or lineups; its formula is bound to work on every viewer at some point.
SCTV
There was a time where The Second City felt like a well kept secret, but now this troupe is one of the best things to have on an acting resume. The Canadian chapter gestated SCTV back in 1976, and this boasted some of the nation's finest talents (John Candy, Rick Moranis, and the dynamic duo of Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy, amongst many others). With a few American allies in their midst (Joe Flaherty and Harold Ramis, for instance), the nation kept up with the best of parody television, and SCTV is as good as any other top-tier sketch show. I believe that it has only aged better has time has gone on, and the fantastic legacies of the superstars attached have only invited contemporary audiences to look back, discover, and laugh until they are in stitches.
Sesame Street
I think it goes without saying that Sesame Street is the greatest educational program of all time. It has known nearly each and every correct move to make (to best teach the next generation of children) over the course of over five decades. Characters have withstood the test of time whilst still existing, and new puppets have made their rounds and left their impacts. Sesame Street just knows how to remain a positive, relevant force for all kinds of children at every given moment (and there are enough witty pop culture references and writing that parents can enjoy their kids’ TV time as well). When an educational program ranks up there with the top dramas and sitcoms in the annals of great television, that’s special.
Survivor
Previously on Survivor: over forty seasons of reality television that has drawn in a sea of viewers week after week whilst showcasing the extremities of the human experience (as individuals and as teams) in the most fascinating ways. Not every season of Survivor has been a home run with some absolute clunkers of concepts, but the longevity of the show stems from the strengths of its core focus, the array of competitors pushing themselves to the limit, and the barest bones of society being broadcast into all of our homes as an escape from the state that civilization currently is in.
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
There was no one better at hosting a talk show than Johnny Carson. It’s why his Tonight Show was the number one show for viewers, as a source of inspiration, and for the next comedians in line to try and secure once Carson was done. What can’t be duplicated is the effortlessness of his charisma, his lightning-fast displays of wit, and the chemistry he exuded with the majority of his guests. Have we had great talk show hosts since? Absolutely, but no one compares to Johnny Carson and his never ending imprint on the industry that countless of faces have chased to this day.
Who Wants to be a Millionaire? (Classic Era)
While the show is only a shell of its former self, I’ll never forget the spell that the original run of the American Who Wants to be a Millionaire? had not just on pop culture but on viewers of all kinds. It felt like a constant ritual. We had to be a part of the worldwide audience to see if there would be a first millionaire to trek their way through the multiple-choice-based trivia questions that progressively went from easy to catastrophically difficult. The hot seat and the steady heartbeat sounds that sunk the planet into a pit of despair (with hopes that the brainiac on screen would get us out of this nightmare) was some of the most tense television viewing of its time (and it lasted a number of strong seasons). Those were the days. There hasn’t been a game show like it since; not even Who Wants to be a Millionaire? itself.
Whose Line is it Anyway?
It’s everyone’s favourite show where everything’s made up and the points don’t matter. Anything went on Whose Line Is It Anyway? and the zany characters (Wayne Brady, Ryan Stiles, Colin Mocherie, host Drew Carey, and whichever fortunate friend helped on stage each episode), and no one cared what each games’ topic was. We just wanted to see these improv comic savants do their thing. Whose Line Is It Anyway? was monumental for so many aspiring actors of the millennial generation. The fun side of acting — away from all of that method stuff and the heavy hitting drama that thespians always gun for — was put on a pedestal, and even non-performers could adore the lightning speed antics of this team; it was impossible to not have fun watching this hilarious show.
The Young Ones
For every clear cut example of an archetype, there is the unorthodox version. The Young Ones was such a rebellious rendition of the variety show comedy hour, with each episode consisting partially of a sitcom of punk hooligans and the remainder featuring a musical guest that fit the tone and setting perfectly (unless you hate this kind of music, that is, but I eat this stuff up). In an ironic way, The Young Ones was slightly a product of conformity: a show like many others but for a different audience. Hell, it even pertained to those who aren’t into these different musical guests and the nature of the series, since there was a level of self awareness that made all of The Young Ones comedic to varying degrees.
Your Show of Shows
One of the first variety shows to really get the formula right was the comedy hour known as Your Show of Shows: a juggernaut series throughout the early 1950’s. The tag team of Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca set a high standard for hosts for the rest of television history, especially with their perfect approach to each and every sketch, joke, and introduction. It acted as a platform for many big names, including Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner. While the television medium was still trying to find its footing, Your Show of Shows gave it some familiarity, especially as a conveyor belt of entertaining, non-challenging programming.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.