 IN 19, E RD
IN TISION WAS "LIVE."
NEVER BEFORE HAD VIEWERS
WITNESSED SO MANY DRAMATIC
EVENTS AS THEY UNFOLDED.
REALITY WAS TELEVISION'S
BIGGEST STAR THIS YEAR,
AS EARTH-SHATTERING EVENTS
PLAYED OUT IN ARENAS ACROSS
THE WORLD AND ON TV'S ACROSS
AMERICA.
>> THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE
SKY, THERE ARE FLASHES
OF LIGHT.
>> IF YOU'RE STILL WITH US,
YOU CAN HEAR THE BOMBS.
>> IT WAS TV'S FIRST LIVE
WAR.
CABLE'S CNN SCORED A DIRECT
HIT ON NETWORK NEWS AGENCIES
AND THEIR COVERAGE
OF THE CONFLICT.
AND CRITIC TOM SHALES SAYS
IT WAS THE TV EVENT
OF THE YEAR.
>> THE DESERT STORM
OPERATION WAS KIND
OF A MINI-SERIES.
PEOPLE WATCHED IT NIGHT
AFTER NIGHT.
IT CERTAINLY HAD AN ENORMOUS
IMPACT.
>> AND, AS THE NIGHTLY NEWS
BROUGHT THE WAR INTO HOMES
ACROSS THE COUNTRY,
"E.T." BROUGHT VIEWERS
THE STORIES OF THOSE
COVERING THE CONFLICT.
>> WELL, IT CERTAINLY
TOUCHED ME, JOHN.
WHEN YOU SEE THESE YOUNG
AMERICAN MEN AND WOMEN OUT
HERE, THEY'RE THE PEOPLE WHO
DID IT.
>> ♪ FREEDOM ♪
>> YELTSIN.
YELTSIN.
YELTSIN.
>> ♪ FREEDOM ♪
>> I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS
MOMENT FOR A LONG TIME.
>> VIEWERS WITNESSED
THE WORLD CHANGING BEFORE
THEIR EYES DURING AUGUST'S
RUSSIAN COUP.
AND THE YEAR ENDED ON A HIGH
NOTE AS THE FINAL AMERICAN
HOSTAGE, TERRY ANDERSON,
WAS RELEASED AFTER 6½ YEARS
IN CAPTIVITY IN THE MIDDLE
EAST.
>> HE SPOKE ABOUT ACTS THAT
HE HAD SEEN IN PORNOGRAPHIC
FILMS INVOLVING SUCH MATTERS
AS WOMEN HAVING SEX
WITH ANIMALS.
>> ON THE NATIONAL FRONT,
SEXUAL TESTIMONY --
THE LIKES OF WHICH TV HAD
NEVER HEARD -- WAS BROADCAST
TO STUNNED VIEWERS
DURING THE CLARENCE THOMAS
APPOINTMENT HEARINGS.
AND AGAIN, IN THE RECENT
WILLIAM KENNEDY SMITH RAPE
TRIAL.
>> THERE'S THE DUBIOUS TTE
FG
TO SELL YOU POLIDENT
AND SHAMPOO AND OTHER
THINGS.
IT BECOMES A BIT BORDERLINE
OBSCENITY, I THINK,
SOMETIMES.
>> PRIME TIME TV CASHED
IN ON AMERICA'S FASCINATION
WITH TRUE STORIES.
THIS YEAR'S SCHEDULE FOUND
A RECORD 19 REALITY-BASED
SHOWS ON THE AIR.
AND IT WAS A SEASON THAT SAW
FOX FINALLY EARN ITS PLACE
AS THE FULL-FLEDGED FOURTH
NETWORK, THANKS TO SOME
BEVERLY HILLS HIGH-SCHOOLERS
AND AN ANIMATED FAMILY NAMED
"SIMPSON."
TV STANDARDS LIKE "CHEERS"
CONTINUED STRONG.
THE SHOW REACHED
ITS MILESTONE 200th EPISODE.
NEW PROGRAMS DIDN'T FARE
AS WELL.
THE SEASON SPAWNED FEW HITS
AND PLENTY OF DUDS.
IN AN INFORMAL POLL
OF CRITICS WE TALKED
TO ACROSS THE COUNTRY,
"THE ADVENTURES OF MARK
AND BRIAN" WAS UNANIMOUSLY
CHOSEN AS THIS SEASON'S
WORST SERIES.
>> ESPECIALLY NEWCOMERS
TO TELEVISION CAN JUST BE
IN AND BE OUT WITHIN
A MATTER OF A COUPLE
OF WEEKS.
>> SOME SHOWS THE CRITICS
LOVED, INCLUDING
"THIRTYSOMETHING" AND "TWIN
PEAKS," MET THEIR MAKER THIS
YEAR, WHILE PRIME TIME SOAP
FANS BID FAREWELL
TO THE EWING CLAN AFTER
13 SEASONS OF FEUDING
AND FIGHTING.
>> THE SHOW WAS TIRED.
THE OLD HORSE WAS DUE TO BE
PUT DOWN, AND I THINK IT WAS
AT THE RIGHT TIME.
>> BUT WHILE SOME SHOWS BIT
THE DUST, OTHERS CARRIED
ON WITH NEW FACES STEPPING
IN FOR OLD FAVORITES.
>> ♪ I DON'T KNOW WHY
YOU SAY GOODBYE
I SAY HELLO ♪
>> BUT NO CAST CHANGE
GARNERED MORE PUBLICITY THAN
THE DOWN-AND-DIRTY DEPARTURE
OF DELTA BURKE FROM
"DESIGNING WOMEN."
>> THIS IS A VERY HAPPY
ATMOSPHERE NOW --
TENSION-FREE.
>> I WOULD LIKE TO BE THERE,
IF THERE WOULD NOT BE ALL
THE GAMES.
>> ♪ I DON'T KNOW WHY
YOU SAY GOODBYE
I SAY HELLO ♪
>> WE'RE GOING TO TAKE IT
UNTIL NEXT MAY OF NEXT YEAR,
1992.
>> I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE
YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE
"THE TONIGHT --"
YOU JUST KIND OF HOLD IT
UNTIL THE NEXT GUY TAKES
OVER.
YOU KNOW, AND JOHNNY HAS
THE RECORD.
>> ♪ HELLO ♪
>> JAY LENO WILL BE
THE FOURTH HOST OF
"THE TONIGHT SHOW," JOINING
STEVE ALLEN, JACK PAAR,
AND JOHNNY CARSON
AS THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF LATE
NIGHT TV HISTORY.
>> IN 1991, TELEVISION
BROUGHT HOME REAL-LIFE WORLD
EVENTS.
BUT IN 1981, VIEWERS WERE
MORE CONCERNED WITH
THE AFFAIRS OF FICTIONAL
FAMILIES, INCLUDING
THE NEFARIOUS DOINGS
OF A RICH TEXAS OIL CLAN.
>> IN J.R., I SAW
THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME
THE ULTIMATE TERRIBLE
PERSON.
>> I DON'T THINK THAT I'M
THAT NASTY.
I THINK I HAVE A NICE SIDE
TO ME, TOO.
>> PEOPLE JUST GOT TO BE
COMFORTABLE WITH US.
WE'RE LIKE AN OLD SOCK.
>> HI.
WATCH ME, PLEASE.
I NEED THE WORK.
>> WHAT A DIFFERENCE
A DECADE HAS MADE ON WHO
WE WATCH, WHAT WE WATCH,
AND THE WAY WE WATCH TV.
WHEN "ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT"
FIRST WENT ON THE AIR,
THE PRIME TIME SOAP WAS TV'S
RATINGS KING, BUT ALL THAT
WAS ABOUT TO CHANGE.
>> I WOULD LIKE FOR THIS
TO WIND UP IN THE TOP
WHATEVER, AND SAY THAT
I RESCUED NBC.
>> BILL COSBY BREATHED NEW
LIFE INTO THE SITUATION
COMEDY WHEN HIS "COSBY SHOW"
DEBUTED BACK IN 1984.
THE SHOW BROUGHT TRADITIONAL
FAMILY LIFE BACK
TO THE TUBE, AND CRITIC TOM
SHALES SAYS IT SAVED
THE SITCOM FROM VIRTUAL
EXTINCTION.
>> PEOPLE WERE SAYING
THE SITCOM IS DEAD.
THEN CAME ALONG "THE COSBY
SHOW," AND SUDDENLY,
NOW, THE SITCOM IS AGAIN
THE DOMINANT PROGRAMMING
FORM BY FAR.
>> ARE YOU EVER SORRY WE GOT
MARRIED?
>> EVERY SECOND OF MY LIFE.
>> TV TOOK COSBY'S IDEALIZED
FAMILY AND GAVE IT
A BLUE-COLLAR TWIST
WITH 1988s "ROSEANNE."
BUT IT TOOK THE BIRTH
OF A WHOLE NEW NETWORK
TO REALLY PUSH THE LIMITS
OF FAMILY HUMOR.
>> SQUISH AWAY FROM ME.
YOU KNOW, I'VE KNOWN HIM
FOR FOUR YEARS AND I'VE
NEVER SEEN HIM DRY.
>> YOU'VE NEVER HAD SEX
WITH HIM.
>> FROM THE RAUNCHY BUNDYS
ON "MARRIED...WITH CHILDREN"
TO THE ANIMATED ANTICS
OF "THE SIMPSONS," THE FOX
NETWORK TOOK THE AMERICAN
FAMILY ONE WARPED STEP
FURTHER.
>> DADDY, NO MATTER WHAT
YOU HEARD ON THE STREETS,
I'M A GOOD GIRL, AND I NEVER
WOULD HAVE DONE THAT.
I LOVE WHEN PEOPLE SAY,
"THAT'S THE MOST DISGUSTING
SHOW I'VE EVER SEEN."
I GO, "GOOD.
I'M GLAD.
WE'RE DOING IT RIGHT."
>> THE BIRTH OF THE FOX
NETWORK WAS JUST ONE
OF THE CHANGES TV HAS SEEN
IN THE LAST DECADE.
WHEN "E.T." FIRST STARTED,
THE MAJORITY OF VIEWERS HAD
LESS THAN 12 CHANNELS.
TODAY, THANKS TO THE ADVENT
OF CABLE TV, NEARLY 90% HAVE
OVER 30 CHANNELS, AND THANKS
TO THE REMOTE CONTROL,
HARD-CORE COUCH POTATOES
HAVE IT ALL AT THEIR
FINGERTIPS.
WITH ALL THIS ENTERTAINMENT
AT HAND, VIEWERS BEGAN USING
THEIR V.C.R.'S TO TAPE SHOWS
THEY MISSED AND ADVERTISERS
WERE FORCED TO BE MORE
CLEVER TO HOLD AUDIENCES'
ATTENTION.
>> NEW FIBER-OPTIC
AUDIO-SONIC LASERS --
>> STILL GOING.
NOTHING OUTLASTS
THE ENERGIZER.
>> DESPITE THIS
TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION,
CRITICS WE TALKED TO SINGLED
OUT ONE MAN AS THE BIGGEST
INFLUENCE ON THE LAST
10 YEARS OF TV.
AS THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND
GROUNDBREAKING PROGRAMS LIKE
"HILL STREET BLUES"
AND "L.A. LAW," BOCHCO
CHANGED THE FACE
OF TELEVISION.
STARS OF HIS SHOWS SAY
THEIR ADMIRATION IS
BOUNDLESS.
>> SOMETHING THAT STEVEN
BOCHCO IS, I THINK, A GENIUS
AT, AND THAT'S PUTTING
A CAST TOGETHER THAT WORKS
AND MESHES.
>> ONE OF THE HALLMARKS
OF OUR SHOW IS THAT
OUR CHARACTERS KEEP GROWING.
>> I HAVE ADMIRED HIM
FROM AFAR, EVEN BEFORE
I KNEW WHAT HE LOOKED LIKE
OR HOW TO PRONOUNCE HIS LAST
NAME.
>> HEY, HEY, HEY.
LET'S BE CAREFUL OUT THERE.
>> IT'S INCREDIBLE WHEN
YOU LOOK AT THIS MAN'S
INFLUENCE.
ALL IN ALL, BOCHCO HAS BEEN
INSTRUMENTAL IN NEARLY
A DOZEN SHOWS FOR PRIME
TIME.
HIS MOST RECENT ONE IS
SOMETHING CALLED "CAPITOL
CRITTERS."
THAT'S GOING TO BE
ON THE AIR LATER THIS SEASON
ON ABC.
>> WHEN WE GET BACK,
THE MOST MEMORABLE MOVIES
OF THE PAST 10 YEARS,
INCLUDING ONE THAT SHARES
OUR INITIALS.
>> I ENDED UP CRYING
IN THE MIDDLE OF IT,
YOU KNOW, AND EVERYBODY
IN THE OFFICE WAS CRYING,
INCLUDING STEVEN SPIELBERG,
AND HE SAID, "KID, YOU GOT
THE JOB.
