Shows Throughout The Years

Looking back, it is incredible to note the numerous shows that have come about - some have lasted for years and years, while others did not succeed like we thought they would. This blog was meant to continue a video we saw in class that provided us with a history of television. We saw the popular TV shows from the 1950s until 1996, and our task was to continue it to the present. It took a lot of research to figure out the years these shows came about; it brought back a lot of memories of shows I remember watching, or remember seeing my parents watch. I traced back to the year 1997 and listed the popular shows that began each year. So, without further ado, let's begin!

1996-1997

7^th Heaven (WB)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB)

Just Shoot Me (NBC)

1998

The King of Queens (CBS)

Will & Grace (NBC)

Felicity (WB)

Dawson’s Creek (WB)

Charmed (WB)

Two of a Kind (ABC)

Whose Line Is It Anyway (ABC)

1999

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC)

Futurama (Fox)

Third Watch (NBC)

That 70s Show (Fox)

Family Guy (Fox)

Providence (NBC)

2000

Malcolm in the Middle (Fox)

Yes, Dear (CBS)

Boston Public (Fox)

Gilmore Girls (WB)

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS)

Survivor (CBS)

2001

Alias (ABC)

Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC)

Fear Factor (NBC)

Crossing Jordan (NBC)

Scrubs (NBC)

Smallville (WB)

My Wife & Kids (ABC)

According to Jim (ABC)

The Amazing Race (CBS)

2002

American Dreams (NBC)

8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter (ABC)

George Lopez (ABC)

The Bachelor (ABC)

Without A Trace (CBS)

What I Like About You (WB)

2003

One Tree Hill (WB)

American Idol (Fox)

The Bachelorette (ABC)

Surreal Life (WB)

Cold Case (CBS)

Arrested Development (Fox)

Two & A Half Men (CBS)

Las Vegas (NBC)

NCIS (CBS)

America’s Next Top Model (UPN)

Hope & Faith (ABC)

The O.C. (Fox)

2004

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)

The Apprentice (NBC)

Desperate Housewives (ABC)

Boston Legal (ABC)

The Biggest Loser (NBC)

Lost (ABC)

CSI: NY (CBS)

2005

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)

American Dad (Fox)

Supernanny (ABC)

Medium (NBC)

How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

Prison Break (Fox)

Criminal Minds (CBS)

Ghost Whisperer (CBS)

2006

Supernatural (WB)

Deal or No Deal (NBC)

The Unit (Fox)

The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS)

Brothers & Sisters (ABC)

The Game (CW)

Heroes (NBC)

Friday Night Lights (NBC)

Ugly Betty (ABC)

2007

Samantha Who? (ABC)

The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

Pushing Daisies (ABC)

Private Practice (ABC)

Gossip Girl (CW)

2008

Privileged (CW)

The Mentalist (CBS)

90210 (CW)

Fringe (FOX)

2009

The Cleveland Show (Fox)

The Jay Leno Show (NBC)

NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)

The Good Wife (CBS)

Modern Family (ABC)

Cougar Town (ABC)

The Vampire Diaries (CW)

2010

Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)

No Ordinary Family (ABC)

Body of Proof (ABC)

Blue Bloods (CBS)

2011

Once Upon A Time (ABC)

Pan Am (ABC)

2 Broke Girls (CBS)

Smash (NBC)

New Girl (Fox)

Revenge (ABC)

The Secret Circle (CW)

Awake (NBC)

This is a pretty decent size list, and it is only some of the shows that premiered throughout the years. These are a mixture of shows that achieved popularity, shows that did not, and shows that I greatly enjoyed. It's interesting to see how the focus and plot of shows has shifted from the earlier years; there seem to be a lot more crime and drama shows, as opposed to a ton of sitcoms. Who knows what this list   will contain if I were to continue it in another couple of years! 

5 Big Ideas About Television

Television - a form of entertainment I could honestly not live without. When I think about the shows I watch not being in existence, I actually get really upset. I look forward to watching a set number of shows each week and am extremely thankful for the invention of DVR. I loved reading this section of chapter 6 and learning all about television in its beginning. Here are what I feel to be the 5 big ideas:

1. Similar to the film industry, the television industry has its top competitors/networks. What originally started out as the Big Three soon developed into the Big Four. These networks are still ones we hear of today - NBC (National Broadcasting Corporation), ABC (American Broadcasting System), CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System), and FOX (Fox Broadcasting Company). These four networks have faced competition amongst themselves as well as with emerging cable and satellite stations over the years.

2. I always knew ratings were incredibly important to the success or failure of a television show, I just never knew there was a system created to measure them. The Nielsen Ratings system is used to measure audience sizes; there is a specific way of going about generating of these ratings, but to be completely honest, the whole thing kind of confused me.
Also, coinciding with ratings is sweep week. They are the first weeks of November, March, May, and July. Audience viewership during these weeks is crucial in determining the future of a television series; it is one of the biggest deciding factors in their fate.

3. I may not be the biggest sports fan out there, but it was interesting to read about how it all began. I could not believe that the first events covered on television were boxing and wrestling matches! Also that a baseball game between Columbia and Princeton in 1939 was the first televised sports event! It is crazy to see how sports programming has evolved over the years! These events attract insanely large audiences; people look forward to watching sporting events on their television screens!

4. I must admit, I am a sucker for reality television. The semi-drama and overall entertainment draws me in; it is like my guilty pleasure. The fact that the thought of creating such a genre was developed by a British producer, and in 1996 no less, completely baffled me. I never knew that Survivor was the first reality series (it developed out of Charlie Parsons' 1996 idea).

5. The future of television is one that is completely unknown. With the focus shifting towards the Internet, no one knows what will become of it. This chapter tells us that while NBC is attempting to add the Internet into their focus, CBS is confident that the shows they have on the air will be successful no matter what. I look forward to what will become of television as the years go on. I, for one, am fully devoted to it and don't see myself moving towards viewing over the Internet as a full-time thing. Occasionally, I will watch a show online, but there is something about watching it on the larger screen that makes the storyline all the more powerful.

5 Big Ideas About Film

The film industry is one that completely fascinates me. Learning about how movies are made boggles my mind; I have had the opportunity to work as an extra on a television show and witness the work put into a minute-long scene. If filming a scene that short took nearly 4 hours I could only imagine the difficulty filming a movie brings to the surface.

1. The first idea that sparked my interest in this chapter about film was the beginning of the Motion Picture Patents Company. These film companies basically formed their own little nation, securing their dominance in the industry. They worked together to achieve what they wanted, whether it be resources or more money from producers. Like always, there were some companies that wished to remain on their own. They were known as the "independents" and basically were in charge of the "underground" film industry. The Motion Picture Patents Company attempted to exert all of their energy on getting the "independents" to join their coalition, which in the end, failed.

2. I also found it interesting to read about the majors and minors in the film industry during the Golden Age. While these 8 studios were an incredible part of the film industry all those years ago, their influence and place has greatly changed. Most seem to be either owned by another major company or setting up plans to merge with one. RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum) Pictures, which was one of the 5 majors during the Golden Age, does not even exist anymore! This industry is an ever-changing one, and companies such as Paramount, Loew's/MGM, Fox Film Corporation, and Warner Bros. are not as strong and self-sufficient as they used to be.

3. Reading about the different rating systems developed throughout years helps reestablish the fact that things change with time. The world was changing and the need for the Hays Code of ratings was not as necessary as it previously was. In 1968, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) created the Motion Pictures Ratings System which still protected people from explicit content, but allowed for producers to test certain boundaries and shed light on topics that had previously never been touched upon.

4. Another topic I enjoyed reading about was the influences different countries had on the film industry in the United States. Denmark provided us with the idea of feature-length films, Germany opened up our eyes to the darker side of film (touching upon subjects such as insanity and betrayal), Japanese movies led to the eventual creation of the Rashomon effect which told thriller stories through different characters' eyes, and Italians brought in nonprofessional actors when their stories pertained to the poor classes of society.

5. If it were not for the development of special effects, the movie industry would be completely unlike it is today. The entire system began with a man named Bill Abbott, who created action scale models of items, used special lighting and high-speed cameras, in order to create an amazing film. While I was aware of some of these effects, I did not have knowledge of most of their official names and I enjoyed learning them. When I took a tour of Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina I remember seeing the visual paintings of outdoor scenery behind the sets. Now, because of this chapter, I know that they are referred to as matte shots. It is incredible to see just how detailed these images are - it is as though you are actually looking outside when you look through the window!

Overall, I greatly enjoyed reading this chapter. I love watching movies (and television), and always find myself questioning and pondering what it takes to create one. This chapter allowed me to absorb a lot more information, and also think of new ideas I want to look further into!

Top 10 Films

While I am someone who enjoys watching movies, I do not have the time to sit down and watch them as much as I used to. I enjoy comedies, romantic comedies, dramas, and horror movies. I never seem to be too fond of the movies nominated for The Academy Awards, which sometimes comes at a disadvantage to me when I am in class discussions. In this post, I must list my top 10 movies; you might not agree with my choices, and they might be a little cliche, but they are ones I have grown to love; ones I can watch a millions times and still never be sick of.

1. A Walk to Remember

2. John Tucker Must Die

3. The Notebook

4. The Hitcher

5. Dear John
6. A Cinderella Story

7. How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days

8. The House Bunny

9. Sweet Home Alabama
10. Easy A

Like I previously stated, these may not be movies you are too fond of, but they are the ten that I love. They are not Oscar-worthy movies but, in my eyes, they are amazing!