Pop culture anniversaries of 2024: 'The Sopranos,' 'The Karate Kid,' 'Friends,' lots more

In 2024, we'll be celebrating many significant pop culture anniversaries from the premieres of  “The Karate Kid” (40!) and "The Sopranos" (25th) to “Friends” beginning (30!) and ending (20!). Here's our annual, extremely subjective list of notable anniversaries designed, as always to make you say out loud, “I can't believe it's been that long!”

1974 (50th anniversary)

JAN. 15 'Happy Days'

 The Garry Marshall-created sitcom brought the 1950s revival to prime-time and would go on to run for 11 seasons. 

FEB. 7 'Blazing Saddles'

Mel Brooks' Western satire broke new ground with its famous flatulence-around-the-campfire scene.

FEB. 8 'Good Times'

Norman Lear's landmark sitcom (spun off from “Maude”) about a working-class Black family in a Chicago public housing project made an unlikely star of oldest son J.J. (played by Jimmie Walker) and his catchphrase “Dyn-o-Mite!”

OCT. 28 Rhoda and Joe's wedding

The TV event of the 1970s (the most-watched episode of any prime-time series during the decade) saw former “Mary Tyler Moore Show” regular Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper) exchanging vows with Joe Gerard (David Groh). Alas, the marriage ended in season 3.

DEC. 20  'The Godfather Part II'

Francis Ford Coppola's epic tale of the Corleone family, both a prequel and a sequel to the 1972 original, won six Oscars, including best picture.

DEC. 21 Harry Chapin's 'Cat's in the Cradle'

Harry Chapin's poignant tale of a neglectful father who reaped what he sowed with his adult son, would be the Long Island singer-songwriter's only No. 1 song.

And don't forget “Chinatown,” “Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore,” Wings' “Band on the Run,” The Hues Corporation's “Rock the Boat,” “The Rockford Files.”

1984 (40th)

June 7 'Ghostbusters'

Ivan Reitman's supernatural comedy was great, but Ray Parker Jr.'s theme song was even greater.

June 22 'The Karate Kid'

Forty years later, the franchise starring Huntington's Ralph Macchio is still going strong with his “Cobra Kai” series and upcoming movie.

Sept. 16 'Miami Vice'

MTV-like quick-cuts, rock music soundtrack and fashion-plate cops made for the quintessential '80s series.

Sept. 20 'The Cosby Show'

Yes, Bill Cosby could once unapologetically be called “America's Dad” thanks to his sitcom about an upper middle-class Black family.

Sept. 14 'MTV Video Music Awards'

The very first one, at Radio City Music Hall, provided the template for all subsequent VMAs when Madonna emerged from a 17-foot tall wedding cake wearing a see-through wedding dress and bustier, with a silver belt buckle emblazoned with “boy toy.”

And don't forget "This Is Spinal Tap,” “When Doves Cry,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Murder, She Wrote,” Van Halen's “1984."

1994 (30th)

APRIL 5 Kurt Cobain dies by suicide

Would he be toiling on the rock oldies circuit had he lived? Please, no.

JUNE 17 O.J. Simpson Bronco chase

OJ-mania begins. An obsession that’s only intensified.

JULY 6 'Forrest Gump'

The feel-good movie of the '90s focused on a dimwitted protagonist (Tom Hanks) who experiences numerous key moments of the 1960s and '70s (Vietnam, Watergate, etc.). It won six Oscars, including best picture, Actor (Hanks) and director (Robert Zemeckis).

SEPT. 22 'Friends'

There's now one fewer Friend, but they'll always be here for us.

OCT. 14 'Pulp Fiction'

Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece was filled with dozens of memorable moments, but none better than when Vincent Vega (John Travolta) tells fellow hit man Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) that in France a Quarter Pounder is called a “royale with cheese.”

And don't forget “ER,” “The Lion King,” Green Day's “Dookie,” Boyz II Men's “I'll Make Love to You.”

1999 (25th)

JAN. 10 'The Sopranos'

The groundbreaking show that allowed HBO to brag, “It’s not TV. It’s HBO.”

MARCH 31 'The Matrix'

Did you know Johnny Depp was the Wachowskis' first choice to play Neo? (And the studio wanted Brad Pitt and Val Kilmer before settling on Keanu Reeves.)  

MAY 1 'SpongeBob Square Pants'

Still living in a pineapple under the sea.

SEPT. 22 'The West Wing'

Is Jed Bartlet available for 2024?

DEC. 31 Y2K Madness peaked

Spoiler alert: Nothing happened.

And don't forget “Fight Club,” “American Beauty,” “Toy Story 2,” Backstreet Boys' “Millennium,” Britney Spears' " …Baby One More Time.”

2004 (20th anniversary)

Jan. 8 'The Apprentice'

Playing an enhanced version of himself, Donald Trump recaptures his '80s mojo and becomes a pop-culture phenomenon.

Feb. 1 'Nipple-gate'

Few of us remember who played in Super Bowl XXXVIII. But most of us remember the halftime show, during which Janet Jackson's right breast — adorned with a nipple shield — was exposed by Justin Timberlake.

April 30 'Mean Girls'

One word: Fetch!

May 6 'Friends' finale

The episode was watched by 52 million viewers.

Sept. 22 'Lost'

Two decades later, we're still trying to figure out what it all meant.

And don't forget “Desperate Housewives,” “Napoleon Dynamite,” “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” Kanye West's “The College Dropout,” Usher's “Yeah!”

2014 (10th anniversary)

Jan. 27 Billy Joel's first MSG residency concert

“I'm kind of flabbergasted that it lasted as long as it did,” said the Piano Man as the residency winds down to its final show in July.

Feb. 17 Jimmy Fallon takes over 'The Tonight Show'

Will Smith and U2 were the first guests in case a   nyone asks.

   May 24 Kanye West and Kim Kardashian wed

“Kimye” tied the knot at the Forte di Belvedere in Florence, Italy. Figuring on Kim's Givenchy Haute Couture gown and the $400,000 venue, the affair cost a mind-boggling $12 million according to published reports.

Aug. 23 Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie wed

The year's other big celeb nuptials was a lot more low-key.

Oct. 27 Taylor Swift's '1989'

And so the one-time country star transitions to pop and never looks back.

And don't forget Pharell Williams' “Happy;” the untimely deaths of Joan Rivers, Robin Williams and Philip Seymour Hoffman; Ellen DeGeneres' Oscar selfie; “Let It Go,” “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

By Andy Edelstein

andy.edelstein@newsday.com

Andy Edelstein, Newsday's entertainment editor, supervises coverage of TV, celebrities, movies and pop music. He has written three books on popular culture, including "The Brady Bunch Book."