Some pain, some gain: TV's past 20 years

HBO's "The Sopranos": from left, Edie Falco and Robert Iler. Credit: Barry Wetcher

By VERNE GAYverne.gay@newsday.comApril 15, 2011

The past two decades were the most dynamic in the 65-year history of television, but dynamism can cut two ways. Someone's gain can be someone else's loss, and in fact, this national pastime became less about "The Big Three Networks" and more about the many (many) alternatives that prospered to become mainstays themselves.

It would be tempting to describe the past 20 years as a tale of decline and fall -- tempting but wrong. While overall audiences for ABC, CBS and NBC have declined, the nets have also adapted and (have very nearly) thrived in the new multichannel universe. Meanwhile, new empires arose, jostling for attention, affection and loyalty. What did all this mean for you, the viewer? That there were far more choices, and better ones, than anyone had ever dreamed of. And worse choices, too: Yes, dynamism can cut both ways.

How to contain these boisterous two decades in 20 items? Read on.

REALITY RAGE The idea that average people could form the basis of a new genre that other average people would watch, and become deeply invested in, was inconceivable until "Survivor" in 2000. (MTV's "The Real World" began in 1992, but the ground wouldn't truly shift until eight years later.) Today, this is TV's most pervasive form of programming, and its most disposable.

DRAMA OF DRAMAS From Jan. 10, 1999, to June 10, 2007, "The Sopranos" was the standard-bearer of TV drama excellence, forcing everyone -- networks, producers, writers -- to boost their games.

'TONIGHT' FOLLIES Nothing consumed more TV press attention in the past 20 years than late-night TV, and this could or should have been expected after Johnny Carson retired in 1992. When giants leave the stage, great voids must be filled, as David Letterman and Jay Leno would attest. Nearly 20 years later, Conan O'Brien and Leno commanded the same kind of attention as "Tonight" went through another hosting crisis.

'SIMPSONS' NATION Born in 1989, "The Simpsons" was truly a show of the '90s and beyond. Its best years were then, its comic greatness then, and its cultural impact almost made the '90s. "The Simpsons," like no show of the past 20 years, changed everything: language, humor, TV scheduling and culture-war debates.

THE BEST SHOW ABOUT NOTHING "Seinfeld" also changed the language, the culture and -- above all -- the medium. TV fans can have arguments about funniest sitcoms of the past two decades. but none can argue about durability. "Seinfeld" still seems fresh 13 years after leaving the air.

LANDMARK NETWORK NEWS LAUNCH The notion that a single news network could capture the political zeitgeist of a nation -- at least the red-state part of the nation -- seemed absurd on Oct. 7, 1996. But Nixon-Bush-Reagan media consultant Roger Ailes had one last battle to fight -- and win. Conspicuously Republican from stem to stern, the Fox News Channel crushed CNN's domestic networks to become TV's noisiest news bully pulpit.

THE RISE AND FALL AND RISE OF HBO Over the past 20 years, HBO set the bar for the entire medium of television. Could FX or the new-and-improved Showtime have existed without HBO? Of course not. The two best shows of the decades ("The Wire," "The Sopranos") aired here, one of the best comedies ("Curb Your Enthusiasm") and one of the best miniseries ("Angels in America"). The network lost a step for a few years but has regained momentum with "Treme," "True Blood" and "Boardwalk Empire."

THE END OF DANPETERTOM Three anchors who defined and symbolized network news would leave their respective anchor positions, and TV news seemed to wilt in their absence. Dan Rather was forced from his perch; Tom Brokaw ended his run gracefully, creating a successful transition; and Peter Jennings died before ABC could even begin to think about a future without him.

GOLDEN AGE OF DRAMA TV dramas became better than ever, and a partial list says it all: "Mad Men," "Breaking Bad," "The West Wing," "NYPD Blue," "The Shield," "ER," "Law & Order," "The X-Files," "Fringe," "Homicide: Life on the Street," "Deadwood," "CSI," "24," "Six Feet Under," "Dexter," "House," "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer," "Battlestar Galactica," "Friday Night Lights."

QUEEN OF ALL MEDIA Oprah Winfrey had become just another talk-show schlockmeister in the early '90s, but when advertisers and viewers began to rebel, she led her show and image out of the swamp to become one of the most important cultural figures in the world.

THE TIME-SHIFT REVOLUTION TV is still finding its place in the digital revolution -- not so easy, when that revolution affects every aspect of its business. But DVRs, Hulu and myriad network and show sites have put viewers in the driver's seat, allowing them to decide when they watch and how they watch.

TV'S 800-POUND GORILLA AWARD GOES TO . . . "American Idol," which forced rivals to scramble, adjust, copy and cope. "Idol" commanded viewer attention like nothing else in the past two decades, while other massive unscripted hits -- like "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" -- came and (mostly) went.

LETTERMAN OR LENO? Take your pick, and millions did. Dave created something where pretty much nothing of any substance had existed before -- late night on CBS -- to become late-night TV's best host. But Jay, with his industrial-strength monologues, became the most popular. Now, nearly 20 years later, both may be ending their historic runs.

THE YOUTUBE GENERATION YouTube twisted viewer habits like pretzels, allowing them to create their own entertainment, to build stars where none had existed before.

POLITICAL HUMOR KINGPINS Though long part of the medium, from Steve Allen to Johnny Carson, political humor more than ever became part of politics. "The Daily Show" and "Saturday Night Live" became key elements of campaigns, whether politicos liked it or not, defining candidates -- and sitting presidents -- in ways they could never have imagined.

MOST GROUNDBREAKING SHOW The accomplishments of "Lost" were many and varied, but mostly this series engaged viewers on several levels -- games, the Internet, social media, books -- in ways that a TV series had never before done. "Lost" expanded the possibilities of what a TV show could actually do.

THE O.J. SQUEEZE The ex-wife of O.J. Simpson, Nicole Brown, and her friend Ronald Goldman were found murdered on June 12, 1994, beginning one of the most intensely covered events in U.S. history. The gravitational pull of Simpson was so great that the nightly news programs of ABC, CBS and NBC devoted some part of their airtime each night to the case for the next year; the networks learned what sold and adjusted their sights away from foreign news -- closing expensive bureaus in the process.

TV'S MURDER OF CIVILITY From the trash-talk craze of the early '90s, to talking head shout-a-thons of the '00s, to a thousand reality ("Jersey Shore") and animated ("South Park") series on the air now, TV became a cruel, hardened place where civility died, and was buried. Language, too, became coarser, and as Cole Porter noted, now just about anything goes.

SPINOFF MANIA Nothing beats success like copying a successful show. CBS learned the art of spinning off with "NCIS" and "CSI," while NBC struck gold with its "Law & Order" clones.

THE RETURN OF 'MUST-SEE' TV The nation's great NBC Thursday habit declined, then almost disappeared, as the cheapo network decided reality ("The Apprentice") could work just as well. But some greatness has returned, thanks to "Community," "The Office," "Parks and Recreation" and "30 Rock."