1 00:00:06,167 --> 00:00:07,167 - Don't touch that dial. 2 00:00:07,250 --> 00:00:08,625 We're about to flip it for you. 3 00:00:08,708 --> 00:00:11,333 - In five, four, three, two... 4 00:00:11,417 --> 00:00:13,625 - TV is changing dramatically now 5 00:00:13,708 --> 00:00:15,083 with 150 channels that might be available 6 00:00:15,167 --> 00:00:16,292 in the near future. 7 00:00:16,375 --> 00:00:17,917 - There's a lot of things that we do 8 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:19,917 that you couldn't have on network television. 9 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:21,667 - People are really trying to do something adventurous. 10 00:00:21,750 --> 00:00:25,125 [both gasp] all: Channel 7, shame on you. 11 00:00:25,208 --> 00:00:26,917 - This is more a celebration of culture 12 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:28,167 and opening the doors 13 00:00:28,250 --> 00:00:30,125 and allowing America to come on inside. 14 00:00:30,208 --> 00:00:32,083 - There's always something on television, 15 00:00:32,167 --> 00:00:34,542 and some of it may be better than we deserve. 16 00:00:34,625 --> 00:00:36,125 - [laughs] That was cool. 17 00:00:36,208 --> 00:00:39,125 [dramatic music] 18 00:00:39,208 --> 00:00:46,208 ♪ ♪ 19 00:01:26,500 --> 00:01:28,625 - Listen to it. Oh! [crowd cheering] 20 00:01:28,708 --> 00:01:31,958 They know when it hits the bottom, it'll be 1990. 21 00:01:32,042 --> 00:01:36,000 Good-bye to the '80s in... all: Ten, nine... 22 00:01:36,083 --> 00:01:38,125 all: Eight... 23 00:01:38,208 --> 00:01:41,000 Eight! Eight! Eight! 24 00:01:41,083 --> 00:01:43,792 - Oh, will this horrible year never end? 25 00:01:43,875 --> 00:01:45,292 - When the '90s begin, we're starting to see 26 00:01:45,375 --> 00:01:46,792 a lot of experimentation. 27 00:01:46,875 --> 00:01:48,667 [gunshots] 28 00:01:48,750 --> 00:01:51,000 all: [quickly] Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one! 29 00:01:51,083 --> 00:01:52,708 [cheering] 30 00:01:52,792 --> 00:01:54,208 - And "The Simpsons," I think, in some senses 31 00:01:54,292 --> 00:01:56,625 was inspired by not necessarily 32 00:01:56,708 --> 00:01:58,250 a hatred of television 33 00:01:58,333 --> 00:02:00,083 but a distrust of a lot of the ways 34 00:02:00,167 --> 00:02:02,167 in which television was talking to us. 35 00:02:02,250 --> 00:02:04,125 - TV respects me. 36 00:02:04,208 --> 00:02:06,917 It laughs with me, not at me. 37 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,292 - [laughing] You stupid-- 38 00:02:10,375 --> 00:02:12,500 - D'oh! - I think the sitcoms 39 00:02:12,583 --> 00:02:14,958 of the '80s... - I love you guys. 40 00:02:15,042 --> 00:02:18,083 - Were such a sort of warm, safe humor. 41 00:02:18,167 --> 00:02:20,708 - Ohh, ohh. You see, the kids, 42 00:02:20,792 --> 00:02:22,667 they listen to the rap music 43 00:02:22,750 --> 00:02:25,208 which gives them the brain damage. 44 00:02:25,042 --> 00:02:26,917 - And I think there was a real yearning 45 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:28,958 for another type of humor. 46 00:02:29,042 --> 00:02:32,208 [Danny Elfman's "The Simpsons Theme"] 47 00:02:32,042 --> 00:02:33,750 [all screaming] 48 00:02:33,833 --> 00:02:38,042 - We were able to spoof fatherhood. 49 00:02:38,125 --> 00:02:40,042 - What a bad father. 50 00:02:40,125 --> 00:02:44,292 - Which, at the time-- and I stress "at the time"-- 51 00:02:44,375 --> 00:02:48,500 was Bill Cosby as the shining example. 52 00:02:48,583 --> 00:02:52,792 - ♪ Did you ever know that you're my hero? ♪ 53 00:02:52,875 --> 00:02:55,792 - The stuff they got away with because it's a cartoon. 54 00:02:55,875 --> 00:02:57,667 The father strangling the child. 55 00:02:57,750 --> 00:02:59,125 - Why, you little-- 56 00:02:59,208 --> 00:03:02,000 [grunting] - [choking] 57 00:03:03,958 --> 00:03:07,208 - We are going to keep on trying to strengthen 58 00:03:07,042 --> 00:03:10,167 the American family to make American families 59 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:12,333 a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less 60 00:03:12,417 --> 00:03:14,000 like the Simpsons. - Huh? 61 00:03:14,083 --> 00:03:18,167 - We go to a completely bizarre period of time in 1992, 62 00:03:18,250 --> 00:03:21,792 when a sitting president is raging against a sitcom. 63 00:03:21,875 --> 00:03:24,458 - [screams] 64 00:03:24,542 --> 00:03:26,167 - They have dealt with politics, they have dealt 65 00:03:26,250 --> 00:03:28,625 with popular culture, they've dealt with all kinds 66 00:03:28,708 --> 00:03:31,792 of issues of racism, of sexism. 67 00:03:31,875 --> 00:03:35,583 - Don't ask me, I'm just a girl. [giggles] 68 00:03:35,667 --> 00:03:38,542 - Right on. Say it, sister. - It's not funny, Bart. 69 00:03:38,625 --> 00:03:40,083 Millions of girls will grow up thinking 70 00:03:40,167 --> 00:03:42,042 that this is the right way to act. 71 00:03:42,125 --> 00:03:45,375 - They have found a way to talk about 72 00:03:45,458 --> 00:03:47,542 everything that's going on in our lives 73 00:03:47,625 --> 00:03:49,208 through the filter of "The Simpsons." 74 00:03:49,292 --> 00:03:51,208 - Them "immigants," they want all the benefits 75 00:03:51,292 --> 00:03:54,125 of living in Springfield, but they ain't even bothered 76 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:56,042 to learn themself the language. 77 00:03:56,125 --> 00:03:58,583 - Yeah, those are exactly my "sentimonies." 78 00:03:58,667 --> 00:04:01,833 - Yeah, well-- [babbling incoherently] 79 00:04:01,917 --> 00:04:03,583 - I think one of the governing things 80 00:04:03,667 --> 00:04:05,000 that's happening with "The Simpsons" 81 00:04:05,083 --> 00:04:07,417 is a distrust of anyone who tells us 82 00:04:07,500 --> 00:04:11,000 that we should trust them and doesn't earn that trust. 83 00:04:11,083 --> 00:04:14,625 - Oh, and, uh, I'll take that statue of justice too. 84 00:04:14,708 --> 00:04:16,083 - Sold! 85 00:04:16,167 --> 00:04:19,000 - And when they make fun of how FOX works... 86 00:04:19,083 --> 00:04:20,625 male announcer: You are watching FOX. 87 00:04:20,708 --> 00:04:23,167 all: We are watching FOX. 88 00:04:23,250 --> 00:04:26,042 - They're telling you, "Don't trust us either." 89 00:04:26,125 --> 00:04:28,250 - Eat my shorts. - All right, I'll eat-- 90 00:04:28,333 --> 00:04:29,667 Eat your shorts? [children laughing] 91 00:04:29,750 --> 00:04:32,000 - "The Simpsons" is like Shakespeare 92 00:04:32,083 --> 00:04:35,500 in the sense that we quote "The Simpsons" all the time, 93 00:04:35,583 --> 00:04:37,125 very often without even knowing it. 94 00:04:37,208 --> 00:04:38,208 - Excellent. 95 00:04:38,292 --> 00:04:40,042 - I wish I could create something 96 00:04:40,125 --> 00:04:43,417 that culturally indelible. 97 00:04:43,500 --> 00:04:46,042 It's unlike anything else TV's ever wrought. 98 00:04:48,333 --> 00:04:50,667 - "Twin Peaks" showed up out of nowhere 99 00:04:50,750 --> 00:04:52,083 at the beginning of the decade. 100 00:04:52,167 --> 00:04:54,250 And the pilot episode of that 101 00:04:54,333 --> 00:04:56,625 was one of the strangest 102 00:04:56,708 --> 00:04:59,833 and most exciting things I've ever seen. 103 00:04:59,917 --> 00:05:02,292 - Diane, I'm at the Twin Peaks County morgue 104 00:05:02,375 --> 00:05:03,792 with the body of the victim-- what's her name? 105 00:05:03,875 --> 00:05:06,750 - Laura Palmer. [girl screaming] 106 00:05:06,833 --> 00:05:08,542 - It was incredible. 107 00:05:08,625 --> 00:05:11,917 I mean, just how slowly in the beginning 108 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:14,875 the news spread around this little town 109 00:05:14,958 --> 00:05:18,083 that this young, beautiful girl had died. 110 00:05:18,167 --> 00:05:19,417 - Laura! 111 00:05:19,500 --> 00:05:21,583 - And that haunting music 112 00:05:21,667 --> 00:05:24,958 was so dark and so beautiful. 113 00:05:25,042 --> 00:05:30,542 - ♪ Then I saw ♪ 114 00:05:30,625 --> 00:05:32,292 ♪ Your smile ♪ 115 00:05:32,375 --> 00:05:35,417 [dialogue audio plays in reverse] 116 00:05:43,875 --> 00:05:49,917 - What on Earth is essentially a art film 117 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:53,042 doing in prime-time television? 118 00:05:53,125 --> 00:05:55,875 - American network television has long been considered 119 00:05:55,958 --> 00:05:57,792 the home of the bland, the cautious, 120 00:05:57,875 --> 00:05:59,167 and the predictable. 121 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:00,542 So it was with some trepidation 122 00:06:00,625 --> 00:06:02,458 that the ABC network recently launched 123 00:06:02,542 --> 00:06:05,167 a new series that was none of those things. 124 00:06:05,250 --> 00:06:08,167 "Twin Peaks" has already been described by one critic as, 125 00:06:08,042 --> 00:06:10,583 "The series that will change TV." 126 00:06:10,667 --> 00:06:12,667 It's directed by David Lynch. 127 00:06:12,750 --> 00:06:16,125 - David Lynch was a filmmaker known for his taste 128 00:06:16,208 --> 00:06:18,833 in the eccentric and memorable. 129 00:06:20,292 --> 00:06:23,000 The idea that he would do network television 130 00:06:23,083 --> 00:06:25,750 in the '90s was crazy. 131 00:06:25,833 --> 00:06:27,500 - Do you watch much of it? - Well, I-I-- 132 00:06:27,583 --> 00:06:30,208 I like the idea of television, but I'm too busy 133 00:06:30,292 --> 00:06:32,250 to see very much of it. - And I-- 134 00:06:32,333 --> 00:06:35,000 What do you think of that which you do see on television? 135 00:06:35,083 --> 00:06:38,958 - Well, some of it I-- you know, I really enjoy. 136 00:06:39,042 --> 00:06:40,625 - Are you being diplomatic? - Sort of. 137 00:06:40,708 --> 00:06:41,667 [both laughing] 138 00:06:41,750 --> 00:06:46,125 - [screaming] 139 00:06:46,208 --> 00:06:47,792 - The beautiful thing about television 140 00:06:47,875 --> 00:06:51,417 is, you have the chance to do a continuing story. 141 00:06:51,500 --> 00:06:54,958 And that's the main reason, you know, for doing it. 142 00:06:55,042 --> 00:06:57,708 - I think that "Twin Peaks," with the initial attention 143 00:06:57,792 --> 00:07:00,875 that it got, allowed all the other networks 144 00:07:00,958 --> 00:07:03,167 to say, "Let's do something different." 145 00:07:03,250 --> 00:07:07,250 [eerie music] 146 00:07:07,333 --> 00:07:09,833 - What was interesting about "Northern Exposure," 147 00:07:09,917 --> 00:07:14,000 it was an odd sort of universe that this guy was dropped into. 148 00:07:14,083 --> 00:07:16,250 - The day's coming, and it ain't gonna be long, 149 00:07:16,333 --> 00:07:18,583 when you ain't even gonna have to leave your living room. 150 00:07:18,667 --> 00:07:20,875 No more schools, no more bodegas, 151 00:07:20,958 --> 00:07:23,833 no more tabernacles, no more cineplexes, all right? 152 00:07:23,917 --> 00:07:26,000 You're gonna snuggle up to your fiber optics, baby, 153 00:07:26,083 --> 00:07:27,417 and bliss out. 154 00:07:27,500 --> 00:07:29,417 - You also had experimentation 155 00:07:29,500 --> 00:07:32,167 that set the stage for a lot of what came later. 156 00:07:32,250 --> 00:07:35,083 [Mark Snow's "The X-Files"] 157 00:07:35,167 --> 00:07:38,875 - It's kinda hard to pin down what exactly "The X-Files" is. 158 00:07:38,958 --> 00:07:40,458 I mean, on the surface, it's a show about 159 00:07:40,542 --> 00:07:44,250 investigating paranormal activities. 160 00:07:44,333 --> 00:07:47,083 - Unidentified flying objects. 161 00:07:47,167 --> 00:07:50,000 I think that fits the description pretty well. 162 00:07:50,083 --> 00:07:51,042 Tell me I'm crazy. 163 00:07:51,125 --> 00:07:54,333 - Mulder, you're crazy. - [chuckles] 164 00:07:54,417 --> 00:07:56,083 - That dynamic, that dramatic tension 165 00:07:56,167 --> 00:07:58,708 of believer versus skeptic 166 00:07:58,792 --> 00:08:00,417 is one of the engines of the show. 167 00:08:00,500 --> 00:08:03,375 And you were always seeing it from a specific point of view. 168 00:08:03,458 --> 00:08:06,000 - [screaming] Help! Help! 169 00:08:06,083 --> 00:08:08,125 - They're equals. - Yeah, absolutely. 170 00:08:08,208 --> 00:08:09,500 Yeah, they're equals, and in a way, 171 00:08:09,583 --> 00:08:12,208 they've kind of switched gender stereotypes. 172 00:08:12,292 --> 00:08:14,125 Because the character I play--Mulder-- 173 00:08:14,208 --> 00:08:16,042 is the intuitive one. 174 00:08:16,125 --> 00:08:17,625 - The large intestine. 175 00:08:17,708 --> 00:08:19,417 - And Scully is the rationalist, 176 00:08:19,500 --> 00:08:21,125 the doctor. 177 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:22,708 - A lot of folks who enjoyed "The X-Files" 178 00:08:22,792 --> 00:08:24,792 who otherwise didn't watch TV 179 00:08:24,875 --> 00:08:26,750 might've been drawn to the show 180 00:08:26,833 --> 00:08:30,417 by its--for lack of a better way to put it-- 181 00:08:30,500 --> 00:08:33,208 its stick-it-to-the-man ethos 182 00:08:33,292 --> 00:08:35,083 that said, "Don't trust the government, 183 00:08:35,167 --> 00:08:37,125 "don't trust big business, don't trust anybody 184 00:08:37,208 --> 00:08:40,208 but yourself and your friends and family," I guess. 185 00:08:40,042 --> 00:08:42,875 It's a message that's somewhat dark and cynical, 186 00:08:42,958 --> 00:08:45,250 but was kind of a breath of fresh air 187 00:08:45,333 --> 00:08:47,708 in the early '90s. 188 00:08:47,792 --> 00:08:50,708 - The '90s was a time of conspiracies, 189 00:08:50,792 --> 00:08:52,875 and the Internet was starting to spread beyond 190 00:08:52,958 --> 00:08:55,208 just, like, hard-core computer users. 191 00:08:55,042 --> 00:08:57,333 So you could have message boards and Usenet newsgroups, 192 00:08:57,417 --> 00:09:00,292 and everybody wanted to talk about the black oil 193 00:09:00,375 --> 00:09:03,333 and the bees and Mulder's sister 194 00:09:03,417 --> 00:09:06,208 and what the Cigarette Smoking Man was up to. 195 00:09:06,292 --> 00:09:11,208 And I would go to alt.tv.the-x-files 196 00:09:11,292 --> 00:09:14,375 and people were so nuts for this show. 197 00:09:14,458 --> 00:09:16,125 - It's just pure science fiction, 198 00:09:16,208 --> 00:09:18,958 and that's probably what I like most about it. 199 00:09:19,042 --> 00:09:22,167 - "The X-Files" changed the way people watch television. 200 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:24,458 - You could sense these successful creators 201 00:09:24,542 --> 00:09:27,208 trying to see how they could do things different 202 00:09:27,292 --> 00:09:30,250 than they had done five or ten years ago. 203 00:09:30,333 --> 00:09:33,292 Sometimes that led to really challenging network television 204 00:09:33,375 --> 00:09:35,333 that was cool and fun to watch. 205 00:09:35,417 --> 00:09:38,208 And sometimes it just seemed to fall off the edge a little bit. 206 00:09:38,042 --> 00:09:44,917 - ♪ And let's be careful out there ♪ 207 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:48,125 - At the time, Steven Bochco was a very successful 208 00:09:48,208 --> 00:09:51,042 producer of hour dramas 209 00:09:51,125 --> 00:09:54,417 and wanted to try something brand-new. 210 00:09:54,500 --> 00:09:55,667 - This is the police! We have a warrant 211 00:09:55,750 --> 00:09:57,083 for your arrest! - Hit it! 212 00:09:57,167 --> 00:09:58,458 - You have ten seconds to open this door! 213 00:09:58,542 --> 00:10:01,500 - And so his idea was to combine 214 00:10:01,583 --> 00:10:05,000 a gritty cop show with a Broadway musical. 215 00:10:05,083 --> 00:10:06,917 [hip-hop music] 216 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:11,042 - I saw one in which a bunch of gangbangers were in jail. 217 00:10:11,125 --> 00:10:12,958 And they began to sing... 218 00:10:13,042 --> 00:10:16,000 ♪ Life in the hood ain't no pizza pie ♪ 219 00:10:16,083 --> 00:10:18,625 ♪ Everybody die when the bullets fly ♪ 220 00:10:18,708 --> 00:10:20,792 all: ♪ Life in the hood ain't no piece of pie ♪ 221 00:10:20,875 --> 00:10:22,750 ♪ Anybody could die when the bullets fly ♪ 222 00:10:22,833 --> 00:10:25,000 - And I said, "Wait a minute. Hold on, wait a minute." 223 00:10:25,083 --> 00:10:29,625 ♪ ♪ 224 00:10:29,708 --> 00:10:31,125 - And I thought, well, this is it. 225 00:10:31,208 --> 00:10:32,917 This is gonna be great. This is gonna be 226 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:35,333 as innovative as anything I've ever done. 227 00:10:35,417 --> 00:10:37,792 - ♪ He's guilty, Judge, he's guilty ♪ 228 00:10:37,875 --> 00:10:40,208 ♪ You could see it in his eyes ♪ 229 00:10:40,292 --> 00:10:44,083 ♪ He did the crime and now he's gotta pay ♪ 230 00:10:44,167 --> 00:10:45,583 - Merp. [laughs] 231 00:10:45,667 --> 00:10:49,042 I mean, it just-- it circled the drain. 232 00:10:49,125 --> 00:10:51,208 [groovy rock music] 233 00:10:51,292 --> 00:10:54,125 - I will give credit to anybody who goes outside the box 234 00:10:54,208 --> 00:10:56,458 and swings really hard for the fences. 235 00:10:56,542 --> 00:10:59,042 - ♪ I worked real hard ♪ 236 00:10:59,125 --> 00:11:01,208 ♪ And I got my education ♪ 237 00:11:01,292 --> 00:11:04,458 - I'm creatively proud of it, still. 238 00:11:04,542 --> 00:11:07,000 You know, I'm very glad we tried it. 239 00:11:07,083 --> 00:11:08,875 Um... 240 00:11:08,958 --> 00:11:11,208 I don't think I'd wanna do it again. 241 00:11:20,208 --> 00:11:23,125 - Generation X, the twentysomethings, 242 00:11:23,208 --> 00:11:24,875 boomerangers, baby busters-- 243 00:11:24,958 --> 00:11:28,083 whatever these 46 million young souls are called-- 244 00:11:28,167 --> 00:11:30,292 are turning out to be kind of a hard sell. 245 00:11:30,375 --> 00:11:33,000 - In the '90s, what we realized is, 246 00:11:33,083 --> 00:11:38,167 advertisers would pay premiums for college-educated 247 00:11:38,250 --> 00:11:41,000 young adults, 18-49. 248 00:11:41,083 --> 00:11:45,375 And we started reinventing NBC and trying to speak 249 00:11:45,458 --> 00:11:47,042 to that audience. 250 00:11:47,125 --> 00:11:49,208 - [sighs] Where is someone? I'm starving. 251 00:11:49,292 --> 00:11:51,208 - Think this is him right here. - Oh. 252 00:11:51,292 --> 00:11:53,500 Uh, is there a table ready? - "The Chinese Restaurant" 253 00:11:53,583 --> 00:11:57,083 was one of the very, very early episodes of "Seinfeld." 254 00:11:57,167 --> 00:12:01,583 And truly, nothing happened in the episode. 255 00:12:01,667 --> 00:12:03,458 They were waiting for a table. 256 00:12:03,542 --> 00:12:05,375 - [sighs] I feel like just walking over there 257 00:12:05,458 --> 00:12:08,208 and taking some food off of somebody's plate. 258 00:12:08,042 --> 00:12:13,583 - We said to Larry David, "Hey, like, nothing happens." 259 00:12:13,667 --> 00:12:16,208 And Larry was offended. [laughs] 260 00:12:16,292 --> 00:12:18,625 He was, like, wildly offended. 261 00:12:18,708 --> 00:12:21,667 - NBC believed in the show so they said, 262 00:12:21,750 --> 00:12:23,000 "We're committing to four episodes." 263 00:12:23,083 --> 00:12:25,708 - Yes, yeah, right. Four episodes. 264 00:12:25,792 --> 00:12:28,208 - 4--normally it's 13 or 8 or something. 265 00:12:28,042 --> 00:12:30,667 - Yes, at least. So we didn't really think 266 00:12:30,750 --> 00:12:33,000 that they had too much confidence in the show. 267 00:12:33,083 --> 00:12:35,583 - We didn't think it would work. 268 00:12:35,667 --> 00:12:37,833 But we felt that they had to go through their process 269 00:12:37,917 --> 00:12:39,167 and they would learn. 270 00:12:39,250 --> 00:12:43,125 And ultimately, they knew better than we did. 271 00:12:43,208 --> 00:12:44,708 - My mother caught me. 272 00:12:44,792 --> 00:12:47,083 - Caught you? Doing what? 273 00:12:47,167 --> 00:12:48,708 - You know. 274 00:12:52,083 --> 00:12:54,458 I was alone. 275 00:12:54,542 --> 00:12:57,167 - The turning point for "Seinfeld" from, like, 276 00:12:57,000 --> 00:12:59,750 nice show that all of the cool people 277 00:12:59,833 --> 00:13:02,833 kinda know about but that's it to massive hit 278 00:13:02,917 --> 00:13:05,417 was the episode called "The Contest," 279 00:13:05,500 --> 00:13:08,125 where they tried to abstain from self-pleasure 280 00:13:08,208 --> 00:13:09,750 for as long as possible. 281 00:13:09,833 --> 00:13:11,958 all: Yeah! 282 00:13:12,042 --> 00:13:13,667 - 6:30. Time for your bath. 283 00:13:18,583 --> 00:13:23,333 - George, I'm hungry! 284 00:13:23,417 --> 00:13:26,083 - Hang on, Ma. Hang on. 285 00:13:26,167 --> 00:13:31,042 - Once you do 30 minutes on masturbation, 286 00:13:31,125 --> 00:13:33,000 you could pretty much get away with anything. 287 00:13:33,083 --> 00:13:35,083 - Well, I guess you'll be going back to that hospital. 288 00:13:35,167 --> 00:13:37,458 - Well, my mother, Jerry. 289 00:13:39,333 --> 00:13:42,125 - But are you still master of your domain? 290 00:13:42,208 --> 00:13:45,042 - I am king of the county. 291 00:13:45,125 --> 00:13:46,958 - The week after that aired, people were talking about that 292 00:13:47,042 --> 00:13:48,667 in the workplace the entire week. 293 00:13:48,750 --> 00:13:50,042 - They still are talking about it. 294 00:13:50,125 --> 00:13:52,208 52 seconds and two of the greatest words 295 00:13:52,292 --> 00:13:53,917 in sitcom history. 296 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:55,125 - I'm out. 297 00:13:57,583 --> 00:14:00,083 - One of the shorthand descriptions of "Seinfeld" 298 00:14:00,167 --> 00:14:02,208 is, you know, no hugs, no lessons. 299 00:14:02,042 --> 00:14:03,167 - [gasps] 300 00:14:03,250 --> 00:14:05,792 - Let's push it a little further 301 00:14:05,875 --> 00:14:08,167 than it's ever been pushed before. 302 00:14:08,250 --> 00:14:10,083 - What's the matter with you? 303 00:14:10,167 --> 00:14:11,792 - I think the big breakthrough of "Seinfeld" 304 00:14:11,875 --> 00:14:14,208 was that the characters were not nice people. 305 00:14:14,292 --> 00:14:18,042 - Someone help! - Shut up, you old bag! 306 00:14:18,125 --> 00:14:21,125 - They were narcissistic. - No! 307 00:14:21,208 --> 00:14:23,500 - Vandelay! Save it! 308 00:14:23,583 --> 00:14:25,917 - They would screw each other over 309 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:27,250 at the drop of a hat... 310 00:14:27,333 --> 00:14:28,958 - He's just a dentist. 311 00:14:29,042 --> 00:14:32,125 - Yeah, and you're an anti-dentite. 312 00:14:32,208 --> 00:14:34,875 - And yet be best friends the next week. 313 00:14:34,958 --> 00:14:37,208 - ♪ When you wish upon a star ♪ 314 00:14:37,292 --> 00:14:39,625 ["Shining Star" by Earth, Wind & Fire plays] 315 00:14:39,708 --> 00:14:41,458 - We don't have to love 'em. 316 00:14:41,542 --> 00:14:42,958 We just have to laugh at them. 317 00:14:43,042 --> 00:14:45,208 - [laughing] I'm really sorry. 318 00:14:49,500 --> 00:14:53,833 - I was in the pool! I was in the pool! 319 00:14:53,917 --> 00:14:57,167 - The idea of a character with darker tendencies... 320 00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:59,083 - Fire! [all screaming] 321 00:14:59,167 --> 00:15:00,208 - Get out of the way! 322 00:15:00,292 --> 00:15:02,333 - That was so taboo 323 00:15:02,417 --> 00:15:04,208 in television comedy. 324 00:15:04,042 --> 00:15:06,833 - [sighs] Are--are you about done? 325 00:15:06,917 --> 00:15:08,875 - Oh, I'm just getting warmed up. 326 00:15:10,125 --> 00:15:12,625 - We're in the confines of network TV 327 00:15:12,708 --> 00:15:15,292 with commercials, with still a lot of things 328 00:15:15,375 --> 00:15:17,167 that are very highly structured, 329 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:20,500 and yet we're able to find ways of pushing in those boundaries. 330 00:15:20,583 --> 00:15:21,625 - No soup for you! [snaps fingers] 331 00:15:24,083 --> 00:15:26,792 - It took us to a new level of comedy, 332 00:15:26,875 --> 00:15:31,500 and it kind of defined, like, yeah, NBC, Thursday night, 333 00:15:31,583 --> 00:15:34,125 this show, expect the unexpected. 334 00:15:34,208 --> 00:15:37,042 - Can you sing the theme song from "Cheers"? 335 00:15:37,125 --> 00:15:38,542 - "Cheers," yeah. How does it start? 336 00:15:38,625 --> 00:15:40,458 ♪ Making your way in your world today ♪ 337 00:15:40,542 --> 00:15:41,875 Oh, I can't do that. - Go ahead, go ahead! 338 00:15:41,958 --> 00:15:43,917 - No, that's so corny. - Go on. I know, I know. 339 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:45,083 But it's cute. Come on, just sing it. 340 00:15:45,167 --> 00:15:46,708 - Okay. ♪ Takes everything you got ♪ 341 00:15:46,792 --> 00:15:49,208 - ♪ Taking a break from all your worries ♪ 342 00:15:49,292 --> 00:15:51,000 ♪ Sure can help a lot ♪ 343 00:15:51,083 --> 00:15:53,458 - ♪ Wouldn't you like to get away? ♪ 344 00:15:53,542 --> 00:15:55,125 ♪ Sometimes you wanna go ♪ 345 00:15:55,208 --> 00:15:58,542 - ♪ Where everybody knows your name ♪ 346 00:15:58,625 --> 00:16:01,792 - We decided to end "Cheers" in the 11th year. 347 00:16:01,875 --> 00:16:05,542 And over 93 million people watched the finale of "Cheers." 348 00:16:05,625 --> 00:16:08,333 But it's a sad experience for everybody. 349 00:16:08,417 --> 00:16:09,750 - Oh, man. 350 00:16:09,833 --> 00:16:11,417 - This was our baby for 11 years. 351 00:16:11,500 --> 00:16:15,083 And we're not gonna be around these people every day. 352 00:16:15,167 --> 00:16:18,000 - You people are as dear to me as my own family. 353 00:16:18,083 --> 00:16:20,208 - We had been serving fake suds forever. 354 00:16:20,292 --> 00:16:23,000 It was time for everybody to sip. 355 00:16:23,083 --> 00:16:25,417 In fact, I was sipping along with them. 356 00:16:25,500 --> 00:16:29,250 - Time goes by so fast. 357 00:16:29,333 --> 00:16:31,750 People move in and out of your life. 358 00:16:31,833 --> 00:16:33,000 You must never miss an opportunity 359 00:16:33,083 --> 00:16:37,792 to tell these people how much they mean to you. 360 00:16:38,875 --> 00:16:41,083 We had been through so much together. 361 00:16:41,167 --> 00:16:44,000 You spend that much time with the same set of people, 362 00:16:44,083 --> 00:16:46,167 it does become your family. - I feel pretty lucky 363 00:16:46,250 --> 00:16:48,375 to have the friends I do. - Yeah. 364 00:16:48,458 --> 00:16:50,583 - I think the legacy of "Cheers" 365 00:16:50,667 --> 00:16:52,625 is our need to belong. 366 00:16:52,708 --> 00:16:56,958 And I think that's what we as Americans are longing for. 367 00:16:57,042 --> 00:16:58,125 - Good night, you guys. 368 00:16:58,208 --> 00:16:59,917 - The final scene of "Cheers" 369 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:04,833 was really, what was Sam's real first love? 370 00:17:04,917 --> 00:17:08,458 - You can never be unfaithful to your one, true love. 371 00:17:08,542 --> 00:17:13,125 - I'm the luckiest son of a bitch on Earth. 372 00:17:13,208 --> 00:17:15,083 - And his real first love was the bar. 373 00:17:15,167 --> 00:17:17,375 [knock at door] 374 00:17:18,917 --> 00:17:22,042 - Sorry. We're closed. 375 00:17:33,458 --> 00:17:37,167 - Okay. Let's play show business. 376 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:38,167 As a young kid in Cleveland, 377 00:17:38,250 --> 00:17:41,708 I always knew I would one day 378 00:17:41,792 --> 00:17:43,083 end up doing a talk show. 379 00:17:43,167 --> 00:17:50,208 male announcer: It's Arsenio... 380 00:17:53,042 --> 00:17:54,375 Hall! - In less than two years, 381 00:17:54,458 --> 00:17:56,708 Arsenio Hall has fired his talk show 382 00:17:56,792 --> 00:17:58,542 for the MTV generation 383 00:17:58,625 --> 00:18:01,208 into a contender for the crown of late-night television. 384 00:18:01,292 --> 00:18:05,375 [audience hooting] - Yes, yes. 385 00:18:05,458 --> 00:18:08,917 - Now, how come-- how come I didn't hear 386 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:10,250 all that woofing going on? 387 00:18:10,333 --> 00:18:13,583 When I would watch you-- - Too many white people, man. 388 00:18:13,667 --> 00:18:16,542 Johnny was the big dog. But I knew everybody 389 00:18:16,625 --> 00:18:18,458 on the planet wasn't watching him. 390 00:18:18,542 --> 00:18:22,375 And it dawned on me that I could go many weeks 391 00:18:22,458 --> 00:18:26,417 and not see a Motown group on "The Tonight Show." 392 00:18:26,500 --> 00:18:29,583 - Arsenio Hall has been dubbed "The Prince of Late Night." 393 00:18:29,667 --> 00:18:33,542 - There was a whole world of talent that had never, 394 00:18:33,625 --> 00:18:36,750 and would never have been, on any late-night show. 395 00:18:36,833 --> 00:18:40,542 - ♪ Sitting at home watching Arsenio Hall ♪ 396 00:18:40,625 --> 00:18:43,667 - 2 Live Crew came on and sang "Me So Horny." 397 00:18:43,750 --> 00:18:46,125 - ♪ I'm gonna say, oh, me so horny ♪ 398 00:18:46,208 --> 00:18:48,125 - Like, I had never-- it was like the Sex Pistols. 399 00:18:48,208 --> 00:18:49,542 I'd never seen anything like it. 400 00:18:49,625 --> 00:18:52,042 It was an explosion in the audience. 401 00:18:52,125 --> 00:18:54,042 - ♪ Ain't no party like a Thug Life party ♪ 402 00:18:54,125 --> 00:18:57,667 - He appealed to a black and white young audience. 403 00:18:57,750 --> 00:18:59,292 And it was a much broader appeal 404 00:18:59,375 --> 00:19:04,292 than the powers that be had estimated. 405 00:19:04,375 --> 00:19:08,500 - Rap--rap is real big among our teens. 406 00:19:08,583 --> 00:19:10,167 That's poetry. - Of course it is. 407 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:12,042 - The poetry of the ghetto. - Having Maya Angelou on-- 408 00:19:12,125 --> 00:19:14,500 I mean, where would you have seen her otherwise? 409 00:19:14,583 --> 00:19:17,042 - Paul Laurence Dunbar in 1892 410 00:19:17,125 --> 00:19:19,583 wrote a poem called "A Negro Love Song." 411 00:19:19,667 --> 00:19:23,250 It said, "Seen my lady home last night. 412 00:19:23,333 --> 00:19:25,208 "Jump back, honey, jump back. 413 00:19:25,292 --> 00:19:27,625 "Held her hand and squeezed it tight. 414 00:19:27,708 --> 00:19:29,542 Jump back, honey, jump back." 415 00:19:29,625 --> 00:19:31,792 - He didn't just have black people on his show. 416 00:19:31,875 --> 00:19:34,500 [audience cheering] 417 00:19:34,583 --> 00:19:38,083 But if you were hip, you wanted to be on "Arsenio." 418 00:19:38,167 --> 00:19:39,750 - This is something that I heard a political analyst 419 00:19:39,833 --> 00:19:41,750 talking about recently. 420 00:19:41,833 --> 00:19:45,042 He said you kind of were-- I used the word "chilling out." 421 00:19:45,125 --> 00:19:47,042 He said you were pulling back a little bit. 422 00:19:47,125 --> 00:19:49,250 You've been instructed not to say as much 423 00:19:49,333 --> 00:19:51,000 or be as outspoken. 424 00:19:51,083 --> 00:19:53,292 No? - I don't--I've heard that, 425 00:19:53,375 --> 00:19:55,125 but I never know who says it. 426 00:19:55,208 --> 00:19:57,083 I think it's wishful thinking on the part of some people. 427 00:19:57,167 --> 00:19:58,625 - [laughs] Hmm. 428 00:19:58,708 --> 00:20:00,292 Guess who suggested to Bill 429 00:20:00,375 --> 00:20:02,083 to do "The Arsenio Hall Show" 430 00:20:02,167 --> 00:20:05,042 if you wanna get a younger demo. 431 00:20:05,125 --> 00:20:06,500 Hill Dog. 432 00:20:06,583 --> 00:20:09,500 - [playing "Heartbreak Hotel" on saxophone] 433 00:20:09,583 --> 00:20:15,500 ♪ ♪ 434 00:20:15,583 --> 00:20:18,208 - He attracted a lot of people 435 00:20:18,292 --> 00:20:20,292 who weren't fans before that night. 436 00:20:20,375 --> 00:20:24,208 ♪ ♪ 437 00:20:24,292 --> 00:20:28,417 - The '90s was a glorious moment for black television, 438 00:20:28,500 --> 00:20:30,875 because you saw these representations 439 00:20:30,958 --> 00:20:33,375 that you'd never seen before. 440 00:20:33,458 --> 00:20:37,083 ["Yo Home to Bel-Air" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince] 441 00:20:37,167 --> 00:20:39,083 The premise of "The Fresh Prince" 442 00:20:39,167 --> 00:20:42,042 was, this kid comes from Philadelphia... 443 00:20:42,125 --> 00:20:45,083 - ♪ In West Philadelphia, born and raised ♪ 444 00:20:45,167 --> 00:20:47,167 ♪ On the playground is where I spent most of my days ♪ 445 00:20:47,250 --> 00:20:49,875 - His mom says, "I'm gonna send you to live with your uncle." 446 00:20:49,958 --> 00:20:53,167 He shows up at this mansion in Bel Air, 447 00:20:53,250 --> 00:20:55,292 baseball cap on backward, 448 00:20:55,375 --> 00:20:57,042 like he doesn't even know how to act 449 00:20:57,125 --> 00:20:58,417 in this environment. 450 00:20:58,500 --> 00:21:01,250 [hip-hop music] 451 00:21:01,333 --> 00:21:04,208 The black producers and directors and writers 452 00:21:04,042 --> 00:21:08,292 were always playing with this kind of subverting expectations 453 00:21:08,375 --> 00:21:10,333 of what is blackness. 454 00:21:10,417 --> 00:21:13,167 - The incredible work of "The Fresh Prince" 455 00:21:13,250 --> 00:21:15,333 at its most triumphant was when 456 00:21:15,417 --> 00:21:19,542 it was showing the ways that being black 457 00:21:19,625 --> 00:21:22,208 is always going to be a problem no matter what. 458 00:21:22,292 --> 00:21:25,125 - Vehicle registration, please. - Just a sec. 459 00:21:25,208 --> 00:21:27,667 But the thing is, Officer, this isn't my car. 460 00:21:27,750 --> 00:21:29,833 - There's the episode I remember 461 00:21:29,917 --> 00:21:32,083 where they get pulled over in a car. 462 00:21:32,167 --> 00:21:33,458 - What? - He's gonna tell us 463 00:21:33,542 --> 00:21:36,083 to get out of the car. - You watch too much TV, Will. 464 00:21:36,167 --> 00:21:38,417 - Get out of the car. - They have an interaction 465 00:21:38,500 --> 00:21:41,083 with a police officer that is horrible 466 00:21:41,167 --> 00:21:43,083 and racist in a lot of ways. 467 00:21:48,167 --> 00:21:51,750 And Carlton has this epiphany about how money won't save him. 468 00:21:51,833 --> 00:21:53,542 - No map is gonna save you. 469 00:21:53,625 --> 00:21:56,542 And neither is your glee club or your fancy Bel Air address 470 00:21:56,625 --> 00:21:58,042 or who your daddy is. 471 00:21:58,125 --> 00:21:59,708 'Cause when you're driving in a nice car 472 00:21:59,792 --> 00:22:01,167 in a strange neighborhood, 473 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:02,208 none of that matters. 474 00:22:02,292 --> 00:22:04,583 They only see one thing. 475 00:22:04,667 --> 00:22:06,042 - The writers of "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" 476 00:22:06,125 --> 00:22:07,667 had a really hard task 477 00:22:07,750 --> 00:22:10,458 to approach these topics with nuance 478 00:22:10,542 --> 00:22:13,208 and were doing it at a clip that was way ahead of their time. 479 00:22:13,292 --> 00:22:14,708 - Now, don't touch that dial. 480 00:22:14,792 --> 00:22:16,083 We're about to flip it for you 481 00:22:16,167 --> 00:22:18,792 to one of this year's most talked about TV shows. 482 00:22:18,875 --> 00:22:21,833 It is, as they say, on another network--FOX. 483 00:22:21,917 --> 00:22:25,583 - ♪ You can do what you wanna do ♪ 484 00:22:25,667 --> 00:22:27,083 ♪ In living color ♪ 485 00:22:27,167 --> 00:22:28,542 [cheers and applause] 486 00:22:28,625 --> 00:22:31,417 - Ladies and gentlemen, Keenen Ivory Wayans. 487 00:22:31,500 --> 00:22:34,042 - "In Living Color" was the first show 488 00:22:34,125 --> 00:22:37,833 that was created by, written by, directed by, 489 00:22:37,917 --> 00:22:39,792 starring an African-American. 490 00:22:39,875 --> 00:22:41,125 All of those things in one. 491 00:22:41,208 --> 00:22:42,292 - This is more a celebration of culture 492 00:22:42,375 --> 00:22:44,958 and an exchange, you know? 493 00:22:45,042 --> 00:22:47,042 Us sort of opening the doors 494 00:22:47,125 --> 00:22:49,250 and allowing America to come on inside. 495 00:22:49,333 --> 00:22:52,125 Yo, yo, yo, all you bad bargain hunters out there, 496 00:22:52,208 --> 00:22:53,250 welcome to... 497 00:22:53,333 --> 00:22:55,417 both: The Homeboy Shopping Network. 498 00:22:55,500 --> 00:22:57,125 - A lot of what they did on "In Living Color" 499 00:22:57,208 --> 00:23:00,250 was trying to take the stereotypes 500 00:23:00,333 --> 00:23:03,333 or the misperceptions about what black men are 501 00:23:03,417 --> 00:23:05,125 and turn them upside down. 502 00:23:05,208 --> 00:23:07,083 - Not only will you get, like, 503 00:23:07,167 --> 00:23:09,833 all the cable stations out there... 504 00:23:09,917 --> 00:23:13,417 - But you'll be able to talk directly to the astronauts. 505 00:23:13,500 --> 00:23:18,125 - It brought this smart, very controversial comedy 506 00:23:18,208 --> 00:23:21,125 that black folks had never seen before 507 00:23:21,208 --> 00:23:24,083 that centered around their life experiences. 508 00:23:24,167 --> 00:23:26,042 - Who are you? 509 00:23:26,125 --> 00:23:29,250 - I am the Minister Louis Farrakhan. 510 00:23:29,333 --> 00:23:31,292 [dramatic fanfare] 511 00:23:31,375 --> 00:23:35,500 - African-Americans composed 25% of FOX's market. 512 00:23:35,583 --> 00:23:37,875 - Always get trapped in a corner with somebody named Bob. 513 00:23:37,958 --> 00:23:39,250 [mocking tone] "Hey, listen, Martin, 514 00:23:39,333 --> 00:23:44,792 "I just saw 'Boyz n the Hood,' all right? 515 00:23:44,875 --> 00:23:47,583 I didn't know, Martin. I didn't know." 516 00:23:47,667 --> 00:23:49,292 - And they knew that they needed 517 00:23:49,375 --> 00:23:51,333 to capture this audience to grow. 518 00:23:51,417 --> 00:23:54,167 - Well, I guess you think you smart and cool. 519 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:56,375 But if you think you gettin' a job here, you a damn fool. 520 00:23:56,458 --> 00:23:58,042 Now get up out my office. 521 00:23:58,125 --> 00:24:02,083 - So they basically gave the black creators freedom 522 00:24:02,167 --> 00:24:04,417 to, you know, do whatever you want. 523 00:24:04,500 --> 00:24:06,125 Just get the audience. 524 00:24:06,208 --> 00:24:08,208 - ♪ On the W-W-W... ♪ - WB! 525 00:24:08,292 --> 00:24:11,917 - The WB and UPN took that concept from FOX... 526 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:14,667 - Your shoulders are harder than cheap breast implants. 527 00:24:14,750 --> 00:24:16,625 - Going after this underserved audience 528 00:24:16,708 --> 00:24:20,000 of urban minority viewers and really ran with it. 529 00:24:20,083 --> 00:24:22,917 - I'm a new-millennium woman who will not be defined 530 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:24,917 by traditional female roles, okay? 531 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:27,125 - A lot of the networks built themselves up 532 00:24:27,208 --> 00:24:29,375 partially on African-American viewers. 533 00:24:29,458 --> 00:24:31,292 - ♪ Shake it to the east, shake it to the west ♪ 534 00:24:31,375 --> 00:24:34,833 - The African-American shows indexed lower 535 00:24:34,917 --> 00:24:37,167 in terms of household income. 536 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,125 - What? - So over the course 537 00:24:39,208 --> 00:24:40,375 of the decade, the networks started 538 00:24:40,458 --> 00:24:41,917 to move away from those shows. 539 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:43,417 - I don't know about you people, 540 00:24:43,500 --> 00:24:45,083 but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let them 541 00:24:45,167 --> 00:24:47,125 destroy my neighborhood. 542 00:24:47,208 --> 00:24:49,708 - Black creators felt used and abused. 543 00:24:52,417 --> 00:24:53,917 You made your money, you know, 544 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:55,083 you built your audience on us, 545 00:24:55,167 --> 00:25:00,667 and now, you know, you're done. 546 00:25:13,375 --> 00:25:15,958 - The following movie is rated R. 547 00:25:16,042 --> 00:25:18,250 - In 1990, '91, there was not 548 00:25:18,333 --> 00:25:20,833 a whole lot of original programming for cable. 549 00:25:20,917 --> 00:25:24,583 But they were airing movies. 550 00:25:24,667 --> 00:25:28,708 So we needed to compete, and I felt that if we didn't, 551 00:25:28,792 --> 00:25:32,750 we were gonna, you know, kinda get swept out. 552 00:25:32,833 --> 00:25:35,000 - Oh! You son of a bitch! Hey! 553 00:25:35,083 --> 00:25:37,750 - And so I came up with the notion of doing a cop show 554 00:25:37,833 --> 00:25:40,083 that was R-rated. 555 00:25:40,167 --> 00:25:44,125 When ABC's broadcast standards read our script, 556 00:25:44,208 --> 00:25:46,042 they went berserk. 557 00:25:46,125 --> 00:25:50,375 [sexy jazzy music] - ♪ Whoa, oh, ohh ♪ 558 00:25:50,458 --> 00:25:52,792 - I was sitting with a pad and a pencil, 559 00:25:52,875 --> 00:25:56,042 drawing pictures of breasts to try to show them 560 00:25:56,125 --> 00:25:58,708 what we would show and what we wouldn't show. 561 00:25:58,792 --> 00:26:00,167 [laughter] I have grown-ups 562 00:26:00,250 --> 00:26:02,333 sitting in a room, you know, doodling. 563 00:26:02,417 --> 00:26:04,208 Then we started in on the language. 564 00:26:04,292 --> 00:26:06,792 - We heard some reporter called a lowlife asshole 565 00:26:06,875 --> 00:26:09,792 turd pimp with the brains of a flea and the balls of a moth. 566 00:26:09,875 --> 00:26:13,958 - The program premiered with an advertising boycott. 567 00:26:14,042 --> 00:26:16,750 all: Channel 7, shame on you. 568 00:26:16,833 --> 00:26:18,125 - But it was such an immediate hit, 569 00:26:18,208 --> 00:26:20,292 that boycott lasted, oh, four weeks. 570 00:26:20,375 --> 00:26:21,958 - Come on, line 'em up. 571 00:26:22,042 --> 00:26:24,292 - They could use the nudity and the curse words 572 00:26:24,375 --> 00:26:26,708 to go deeper into the actual emotional burden 573 00:26:26,792 --> 00:26:27,792 of being a cop. 574 00:26:27,875 --> 00:26:29,042 - I'm an asshole. 575 00:26:29,125 --> 00:26:31,000 I'm--I'm a--I'm an asshole, huh? 576 00:26:31,083 --> 00:26:33,000 - And it had this character Andy Sipowicz. 577 00:26:33,083 --> 00:26:37,500 He's a raging alcoholic, racist, sexist, violent. 578 00:26:37,583 --> 00:26:39,333 - Hey! 579 00:26:39,417 --> 00:26:41,125 - He created the TV antihero. 580 00:26:41,208 --> 00:26:44,042 - You know, I know that great-- the African-American 581 00:26:44,125 --> 00:26:47,125 George Washington Carver discovered the peanut, 582 00:26:47,208 --> 00:26:52,083 but can you provide names and addresses of these friends? 583 00:26:52,167 --> 00:26:54,333 - You know, you a racist scumbag. 584 00:26:54,417 --> 00:26:58,083 - Despite his flaws, despite his prejudices, 585 00:26:58,167 --> 00:27:00,083 I think people identified with his pain. 586 00:27:01,250 --> 00:27:02,750 - I wish there was a way to say this 587 00:27:02,833 --> 00:27:04,708 that wouldn't hurt you, Mr. Wentz. 588 00:27:04,792 --> 00:27:06,250 - There's a famous early episode 589 00:27:06,333 --> 00:27:07,750 where they're investigating 590 00:27:07,833 --> 00:27:10,625 the rape and murder of a young boy. 591 00:27:10,708 --> 00:27:13,417 And they find a homeless child molester 592 00:27:13,500 --> 00:27:14,833 who murdered the kid. 593 00:27:14,917 --> 00:27:16,458 And Sipowicz, to get the confession, 594 00:27:16,542 --> 00:27:17,917 has to be, like, very sensitive 595 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:19,375 and very good cop. 596 00:27:19,458 --> 00:27:23,083 - I know this has gotta be tearing you up inside. 597 00:27:23,167 --> 00:27:24,500 But you're gonna feel a lot better 598 00:27:24,583 --> 00:27:26,083 if you just tell the truth. 599 00:27:26,167 --> 00:27:28,083 - You can sort of see on Dennis Franz's face, 600 00:27:28,167 --> 00:27:30,375 this is killing him to not, like, 601 00:27:30,458 --> 00:27:32,333 destroy this guy right now. 602 00:27:32,417 --> 00:27:34,125 And finally, he gets the confession, 603 00:27:34,208 --> 00:27:35,417 he gets a signed statement, 604 00:27:35,500 --> 00:27:37,083 he walks out of the room, 605 00:27:37,167 --> 00:27:39,375 he goes to another interrogation room, 606 00:27:39,458 --> 00:27:41,292 and he breaks the door in two with his fists. 607 00:27:41,375 --> 00:27:45,208 - [grunting] 608 00:27:47,417 --> 00:27:49,333 - And I'm choking up talking about it right now 609 00:27:49,417 --> 00:27:53,125 because, like, that's how great a moment of TV that it is. 610 00:27:53,208 --> 00:27:55,208 - 20 years from now, the best TV dramas, 611 00:27:55,042 --> 00:27:57,000 what'll they look like? - I don't know. 612 00:27:57,083 --> 00:27:58,833 I don't know whether-- - Will they be bolder 613 00:27:58,917 --> 00:28:01,208 than what we see today? - Oh, assuredly. 614 00:28:01,042 --> 00:28:03,583 Assuredly, they will be. 615 00:28:03,667 --> 00:28:05,833 - The '90s gave us several shows that didn't really 616 00:28:05,917 --> 00:28:09,042 explode in the ratings but were very influential 617 00:28:09,125 --> 00:28:10,708 to other people making television. 618 00:28:10,792 --> 00:28:12,625 "Homicide" is one of them. 619 00:28:12,708 --> 00:28:15,417 - ♪ Shell me with questions all night ♪ 620 00:28:15,500 --> 00:28:17,917 ♪ I'm living in a danger zone ♪ 621 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:19,292 - "Homicide: Life on the Street" 622 00:28:19,375 --> 00:28:22,000 was really innovative in terms of its style. 623 00:28:22,083 --> 00:28:25,917 It used music in ways that advanced the narrative. 624 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,542 And it also used feature film directors 625 00:28:28,625 --> 00:28:31,208 that brought a look and style to the show 626 00:28:31,292 --> 00:28:33,208 that really stood out on television. 627 00:28:33,042 --> 00:28:34,375 - Tears coming out of your eyes. 628 00:28:34,458 --> 00:28:36,208 - Ain't no tears coming from my eyes. 629 00:28:36,042 --> 00:28:37,542 - His eyes are brimming with tears. 630 00:28:37,625 --> 00:28:39,792 - They had so many African-American characters 631 00:28:39,875 --> 00:28:43,083 in the cast that on several occasions, 632 00:28:43,167 --> 00:28:45,042 they were the only people on camera 633 00:28:45,125 --> 00:28:46,792 interacting with one another. 634 00:28:46,875 --> 00:28:49,417 And that sounds like, "So?" 635 00:28:49,500 --> 00:28:53,667 But as late as the '90s, that wasn't done on television. 636 00:28:53,750 --> 00:28:56,083 - When a cop shoots somebody, he stands by it. 637 00:28:56,167 --> 00:28:58,125 He picks up the radio mic and he calls it in. 638 00:28:58,208 --> 00:29:00,167 He stands by the body. 639 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:03,417 If not, cops are no better than anybody else. 640 00:29:03,500 --> 00:29:06,625 - In the '90s, television was getting more complicated, 641 00:29:06,708 --> 00:29:09,000 stories were starting to become more episodic, 642 00:29:09,083 --> 00:29:11,125 characters were starting to develop and change. 643 00:29:11,208 --> 00:29:13,458 None of that happened on "Law & Order." 644 00:29:13,542 --> 00:29:14,750 ["Law & Order" dramatic sting] 645 00:29:14,833 --> 00:29:16,958 - This was a show that completely delivered 646 00:29:17,042 --> 00:29:18,417 on its formula every time. 647 00:29:18,500 --> 00:29:20,083 [siren wails] 648 00:29:20,167 --> 00:29:22,292 You'd get a crime. - All right, let's roll. 649 00:29:22,375 --> 00:29:24,542 - You got the investigation into the crime. 650 00:29:24,625 --> 00:29:28,125 - You better be packing more than a dirty mouth. 651 00:29:28,208 --> 00:29:31,083 You got an arrest. - What's the charge? 652 00:29:31,167 --> 00:29:32,833 Hey, I'm asking you a question. What's the charge? 653 00:29:32,917 --> 00:29:35,917 - Ah, there's no charge. This one's on us. 654 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:37,167 - And then you had a trial. 655 00:29:37,250 --> 00:29:38,833 - He's badgering, Your Honor. 656 00:29:38,917 --> 00:29:41,042 - Sit down and shut up, Mr. Fineman. 657 00:29:41,125 --> 00:29:43,667 - Overruled. And you will address the court 658 00:29:43,750 --> 00:29:45,208 from now on, Mr. McCoy. 659 00:29:45,292 --> 00:29:48,000 - And so every time you watched, you got what you came for. 660 00:29:48,083 --> 00:29:50,000 - Tell me, Doctor, 661 00:29:50,083 --> 00:29:53,042 all those women you ran through your examination rooms, 662 00:29:53,125 --> 00:29:54,750 do you remember their faces, or did you 663 00:29:54,833 --> 00:29:57,167 not even bother to look up? 664 00:29:57,250 --> 00:29:58,833 - You had, in "Law & Order," 665 00:29:58,917 --> 00:30:01,125 the kinds of characters that people take to heart. 666 00:30:01,208 --> 00:30:03,250 - I'm gonna let you take me to lunch. 667 00:30:03,333 --> 00:30:05,542 One-time offer. 668 00:30:05,625 --> 00:30:07,083 - And if you're an actor and you say, 669 00:30:07,167 --> 00:30:10,125 "Well, gee, you know, maybe it's not really 670 00:30:10,208 --> 00:30:12,042 such a bad medium after all." 671 00:30:12,125 --> 00:30:13,750 - Miranda, Bartolameo, 672 00:30:13,833 --> 00:30:16,000 the Supreme Court's Minnick decision. 673 00:30:16,083 --> 00:30:17,625 The whole thing's illegally obtained. 674 00:30:17,708 --> 00:30:19,625 They were both represented by counsel. 675 00:30:19,708 --> 00:30:22,083 - You just get hooked in. It's life and death and stuff. 676 00:30:22,167 --> 00:30:23,667 - We know what you did. - Counsel! 677 00:30:23,750 --> 00:30:24,792 - Okay? You hear me, Ryan? 678 00:30:24,875 --> 00:30:26,208 Do you hear me? - Counsel! 679 00:30:26,292 --> 00:30:27,417 I'll have your client detained! - Do you hear me? 680 00:30:27,500 --> 00:30:29,750 Look at me! Do you hear me, Cutrona? 681 00:30:29,833 --> 00:30:32,875 - "Law & Order" was like crack. 682 00:30:32,958 --> 00:30:35,625 - Gun! [all screaming] 683 00:30:36,875 --> 00:30:39,000 - You'd have to sit and watch me for 50 minutes, 684 00:30:39,083 --> 00:30:41,208 just like... 685 00:30:41,042 --> 00:30:43,208 not moving, barely breathing. 686 00:30:43,292 --> 00:30:45,167 There are times I've almost passed out 687 00:30:45,250 --> 00:30:47,542 watching "Law & Order." 688 00:30:47,625 --> 00:30:49,000 ["Law & Order" dramatic sting] 689 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:52,833 - Hey, Carter, get over here! I need your help! 690 00:30:52,917 --> 00:30:56,417 - "ER" had originally been written as a movie 691 00:30:56,500 --> 00:30:59,958 for Steven Spielberg to direct, and so we had this 692 00:31:00,042 --> 00:31:01,792 two-hour piece which was a reflection 693 00:31:01,875 --> 00:31:05,250 of Michael's experiences as a medical student. 694 00:31:05,333 --> 00:31:07,083 - Use an angiocath with a 16 needle. 695 00:31:07,167 --> 00:31:08,667 You need a large bore in case they're bleeding 696 00:31:08,750 --> 00:31:10,083 and you need to transfuse them. 697 00:31:10,167 --> 00:31:12,500 Do you know how to start an IV? - Uh, actually, no. 698 00:31:12,583 --> 00:31:15,292 - "ER" is a hospital show, but it's really an action movie. 699 00:31:15,375 --> 00:31:17,208 [baby crying] - This way, this way. 700 00:31:17,292 --> 00:31:19,333 - Green, walking wounded. Yellow, urgent. Red, critical. 701 00:31:19,417 --> 00:31:21,208 And black, DOA. You got it? - Got it. 702 00:31:21,042 --> 00:31:22,500 - Good. - A gurney comes in, 703 00:31:22,583 --> 00:31:24,375 people are shouting instructions, 704 00:31:24,458 --> 00:31:26,833 climbing up onto the body and, like, doing CPR. 705 00:31:26,917 --> 00:31:28,333 And suddenly, they're racing off 706 00:31:28,417 --> 00:31:30,500 to the surgical suite. - Get that gurney out of there! 707 00:31:30,583 --> 00:31:31,917 - Someone wanders in, 708 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:33,250 they're tossing around medical jargon. 709 00:31:33,333 --> 00:31:35,042 - CVC type and hold two units. 710 00:31:35,125 --> 00:31:36,958 - They don't stop to explain what it is. 711 00:31:37,042 --> 00:31:39,125 You know, "Prep for a peritoneal lavage." 712 00:31:39,208 --> 00:31:40,833 I think I know what that is now, 713 00:31:40,917 --> 00:31:43,125 but only because I watched a lot of "ER" over the years. 714 00:31:43,208 --> 00:31:44,625 - Can you do pleural lavage? 715 00:31:44,708 --> 00:31:46,500 - You can try, but I don't think his heart would take it. 716 00:31:46,583 --> 00:31:48,625 We can bypass him and warm his blood directly. 717 00:31:48,708 --> 00:31:50,208 - That'd be the fastest way. What do you think? 718 00:31:50,292 --> 00:31:52,958 - You're the attending. - There was so much information 719 00:31:53,042 --> 00:31:56,042 coming at you that I think it made the experience feel as if 720 00:31:56,125 --> 00:31:57,792 you had to watch it in the same way that you would 721 00:31:57,875 --> 00:32:00,042 watch a film, that you had to stay involved in it 722 00:32:00,125 --> 00:32:01,125 the whole time. 723 00:32:01,208 --> 00:32:03,333 - Come on, Ben, you can make-- 724 00:32:03,417 --> 00:32:06,833 Hold on, buddy. Hold on. 725 00:32:06,917 --> 00:32:08,125 - There was a lot of research that said 726 00:32:08,208 --> 00:32:10,083 that people didn't wanna watch anybody 727 00:32:10,167 --> 00:32:12,292 have anything other than a happy outcome. 728 00:32:12,375 --> 00:32:14,667 - It's not flatlined, it's finding V-fib. 729 00:32:14,750 --> 00:32:17,250 Another seven makes epi. 730 00:32:17,333 --> 00:32:20,375 - And we argued that that wasn't really showing 731 00:32:20,458 --> 00:32:22,833 what the world was for physicians. 732 00:32:22,917 --> 00:32:25,917 - [panting] [heart monitor flatlining] 733 00:32:34,083 --> 00:32:36,208 - I had unbelievable amount of respect 734 00:32:36,292 --> 00:32:38,458 for the people who did this 735 00:32:38,542 --> 00:32:40,458 because I understood how human they were. 736 00:32:40,542 --> 00:32:43,542 [heart monitor flatlining] 737 00:32:56,625 --> 00:32:58,708 - A new era of technology and competition 738 00:32:58,792 --> 00:33:01,333 is forcing network news operations to reexamine 739 00:33:01,417 --> 00:33:03,083 the way they do business. 740 00:33:03,167 --> 00:33:06,125 - New owners spent billions buying the networks recently, 741 00:33:06,208 --> 00:33:07,917 GE buying NBC; 742 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:10,042 Capital Cities, ABC; 743 00:33:10,125 --> 00:33:12,750 and Loews/Tisch brothers buying CBS. 744 00:33:12,833 --> 00:33:15,167 And all of them want their money's worth. 745 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:18,125 - We'll now have the strongest network, 746 00:33:18,208 --> 00:33:20,375 we'll have a stronger defense piece. 747 00:33:20,458 --> 00:33:23,042 This is gonna be one dynamite company. 748 00:33:23,125 --> 00:33:25,000 - There's a danger that news will be mixed up 749 00:33:25,083 --> 00:33:26,417 with the rest of television 750 00:33:26,500 --> 00:33:29,000 and considered just another profit center. 751 00:33:29,083 --> 00:33:32,292 - Late 1920s/early 1930s to the early 1980s, 752 00:33:32,375 --> 00:33:37,125 the sense was, we'll give some of the broadcasting time 753 00:33:37,208 --> 00:33:38,750 to public service. 754 00:33:38,833 --> 00:33:41,208 But in the 1990s, journalism in the country 755 00:33:41,292 --> 00:33:43,000 changed a great deal. 756 00:33:43,083 --> 00:33:45,125 You couldn't talk about public service. 757 00:33:45,208 --> 00:33:46,917 It was, "What are the ratings going to be? 758 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:48,917 "What are the demographics going to be? 759 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:51,958 What is the profit going to be?" 760 00:33:52,042 --> 00:33:55,083 Well, sensationalism sells. 761 00:33:55,167 --> 00:33:57,667 - In a plea bargain, 18-year-old Amy Fisher 762 00:33:57,750 --> 00:33:59,708 got up to 15 years in prison 763 00:33:59,792 --> 00:34:02,500 for shooting the wife of her alleged lover. 764 00:34:02,583 --> 00:34:04,417 - So intense is the interest in this case 765 00:34:04,500 --> 00:34:07,667 that there are three--three-- made-for-TV movies 766 00:34:07,750 --> 00:34:09,125 now in the works about it. 767 00:34:09,208 --> 00:34:10,792 - You make money off sex. 768 00:34:10,875 --> 00:34:12,083 You make money off death. 769 00:34:12,167 --> 00:34:13,083 You make money off crime. 770 00:34:13,167 --> 00:34:14,458 - The press calls the case 771 00:34:14,542 --> 00:34:16,583 the Beverly Hills Mansion Murders. 772 00:34:16,667 --> 00:34:19,208 And the story reads like one of the unsold scripts 773 00:34:19,292 --> 00:34:21,125 that circulate here in Hollywood. 774 00:34:21,208 --> 00:34:24,958 - We enter into the world of the television news soap opera. 775 00:34:25,042 --> 00:34:28,708 - A story of basic instincts, anger, and fear. 776 00:34:28,792 --> 00:34:30,250 - I was scared 777 00:34:30,333 --> 00:34:33,083 and I just wanted him to leave me alone. 778 00:34:33,167 --> 00:34:37,000 - And so broadcast journalism loses its purity 779 00:34:37,083 --> 00:34:40,583 and it becomes much more shoddy, sensationalistic. 780 00:34:40,667 --> 00:34:43,375 And then it all comes together with O.J. Simpson. 781 00:34:43,458 --> 00:34:46,333 [dramatic orchestral music] 782 00:34:46,417 --> 00:34:48,167 - I'm Larry Carrol in Los Angeles. 783 00:34:48,250 --> 00:34:49,833 The Los Angeles County District Attorney 784 00:34:49,917 --> 00:34:51,542 has just filed murder charges 785 00:34:51,625 --> 00:34:54,042 against Orenthal James "O.J." Simpson. 786 00:34:54,125 --> 00:34:55,875 - Okay, I'm gonna have to interrupt this call. 787 00:34:55,958 --> 00:35:00,375 I understand we're gonna go to a live picture in Los Angeles. 788 00:35:00,458 --> 00:35:03,458 Police believe that... that O.J. Simpson 789 00:35:03,542 --> 00:35:05,167 is in that car. 790 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:08,000 - The O.J. Simpson story starts with the chase 791 00:35:08,083 --> 00:35:09,333 and then goes on to his arrest 792 00:35:09,417 --> 00:35:10,750 and then culminates with the trial, 793 00:35:10,833 --> 00:35:13,125 which goes on and on and on. 794 00:35:13,208 --> 00:35:16,042 And it's televised day after day after day. 795 00:35:16,125 --> 00:35:17,458 - This is gonna be a long trial. 796 00:35:17,542 --> 00:35:19,042 There's a lot of evidence to come in. 797 00:35:19,125 --> 00:35:24,000 The O.J. Simpson case was such a national phenomenon 798 00:35:24,083 --> 00:35:27,167 that those of us who were covering it 799 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:29,708 just lived this case 24 hours a day 800 00:35:29,792 --> 00:35:32,167 because there was so much demand 801 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:33,958 for people talking about it. 802 00:35:34,042 --> 00:35:37,250 - As Simpson struggled to slide the gloves onto his hands 803 00:35:37,333 --> 00:35:40,750 and turned toward jurors, saying, "They're too small," 804 00:35:40,833 --> 00:35:42,875 prosecutors were incensed. 805 00:35:42,958 --> 00:35:45,083 - The trial was on television 806 00:35:45,167 --> 00:35:48,542 during the hours that had traditionally been 807 00:35:48,625 --> 00:35:50,375 the time for soap operas. 808 00:35:50,458 --> 00:35:51,917 - He appears to have pulled the gloves off, Counsel. 809 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:55,708 - And O.J. was very much a soap opera. 810 00:35:55,792 --> 00:35:57,125 - He is impeached by his own witness. 811 00:35:57,208 --> 00:35:58,167 - I ask that you put a stop to it. 812 00:35:58,250 --> 00:36:00,000 Either put Cordoba on the stand... 813 00:36:00,083 --> 00:36:01,542 - Excuse me, Mr. Bailey. - Or stop her from testifying. 814 00:36:01,625 --> 00:36:03,792 - Stand up and speak when it's your turn. 815 00:36:03,875 --> 00:36:06,250 - No question that the best TV show of the '90s 816 00:36:06,333 --> 00:36:07,792 was the O.J. Simpson trial. 817 00:36:07,875 --> 00:36:09,542 And everybody on it was riveting. 818 00:36:09,625 --> 00:36:11,208 - NBC News in depth tonight: 819 00:36:11,292 --> 00:36:14,000 The Simpson trial finally winding to a close. 820 00:36:17,167 --> 00:36:19,083 - We the jury in the above entitled action 821 00:36:19,167 --> 00:36:22,042 find the defendant, Orenthal James Simpson, 822 00:36:22,125 --> 00:36:23,708 not guilty of the crime of murder 823 00:36:23,792 --> 00:36:27,333 in violation of penal code section 187(A). 824 00:36:27,417 --> 00:36:30,167 - The verdict of the O.J. Simpson trial, 825 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:33,542 viewed by 150 million people. 826 00:36:33,625 --> 00:36:37,125 It's more people than watch presidential election returns. 827 00:36:38,458 --> 00:36:39,958 That's crazy. 828 00:36:40,042 --> 00:36:44,042 - Because there was trial footage every day, 829 00:36:44,125 --> 00:36:47,708 CNN saw its audience increase, like, five times. 830 00:36:47,792 --> 00:36:53,125 The success of CNN was not lost on other people. 831 00:36:53,208 --> 00:36:57,458 And so there were competing forces coming into play. 832 00:36:57,542 --> 00:37:00,208 - How delighted I am that we've now reached this moment 833 00:37:00,042 --> 00:37:05,083 when we can firmly announce the starting of a FOX News channel. 834 00:37:05,167 --> 00:37:09,208 - Unfortunately, with cable news and the ability 835 00:37:09,292 --> 00:37:12,875 or the need to be on the air 24/7, 836 00:37:12,958 --> 00:37:15,292 where you're trying to get as many eyeballs as possible 837 00:37:15,375 --> 00:37:18,000 at one time to gravitate toward 838 00:37:18,083 --> 00:37:20,667 those stories that are sensational, 839 00:37:20,750 --> 00:37:22,833 you know, it brought us the ability 840 00:37:22,917 --> 00:37:24,333 to go too far. 841 00:37:24,417 --> 00:37:27,375 - Is the JonBenét Ramsey murder investigation 842 00:37:27,458 --> 00:37:29,500 turning into a media circus? 843 00:37:29,583 --> 00:37:30,917 - Yes, it's tabloid. 844 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:33,250 But on the other hand, it's a tabloid era. 845 00:37:33,333 --> 00:37:34,542 And here's the point. Here's where the fear 846 00:37:34,625 --> 00:37:36,500 comes into it, I think, Larry. 847 00:37:36,583 --> 00:37:39,292 It's the fear that says, "Gosh, if we don't cover it big-time, 848 00:37:39,375 --> 00:37:41,667 "our competition is, and when they cover it big-time, 849 00:37:41,750 --> 00:37:42,917 they're gonna get a big jump in the ratings." 850 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:44,417 And the first thing is to last. 851 00:37:44,500 --> 00:37:45,917 If we're gonna last, if we're gonna survive, 852 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:47,000 we gotta do it. 853 00:37:47,083 --> 00:37:49,000 - What you also see 854 00:37:49,083 --> 00:37:52,167 is a whole army of commentators. 855 00:37:52,250 --> 00:37:56,750 People who make their business talking about the news. 856 00:37:56,833 --> 00:37:58,958 - What I say is what we should do 857 00:37:59,042 --> 00:38:03,333 is we should bomb his capability of producing oil. 858 00:38:03,417 --> 00:38:06,292 Take out his refineries, his stations, his wells. 859 00:38:06,375 --> 00:38:08,042 - They don't have any capability of producing oil. 860 00:38:08,125 --> 00:38:09,708 - Well, they're certainly selling a lot of oil to-- 861 00:38:09,792 --> 00:38:11,458 - The networks were doing good journalism, 862 00:38:11,542 --> 00:38:14,167 but they became much more preoccupied by profits. 863 00:38:14,250 --> 00:38:15,542 It's much cheaper to have someone 864 00:38:15,625 --> 00:38:18,917 in your studio pontificating 865 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:21,208 than to have reporters out in the field reporting. 866 00:38:21,292 --> 00:38:23,042 - I don't know if any of this is true. 867 00:38:23,125 --> 00:38:26,208 But what I've heard is that the father went down, 868 00:38:26,292 --> 00:38:30,167 opened this basement room which the FBI had bypassed... 869 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:34,208 - Every single sentence-- on CNN, perhaps, 870 00:38:34,292 --> 00:38:37,542 on CNBC, on FOX, on MSNBC-- 871 00:38:37,625 --> 00:38:39,333 begins with the words "I think." 872 00:38:39,417 --> 00:38:42,792 But after a while, people get confused 873 00:38:42,875 --> 00:38:46,125 by what is speculation, by what is innuendo, 874 00:38:46,208 --> 00:38:48,083 by what is fact. 875 00:38:48,167 --> 00:38:50,625 And as far as the viewer is concerned, 876 00:38:50,708 --> 00:38:54,458 be very, very careful of unsubstantiated information 877 00:38:54,542 --> 00:38:56,750 presented with great hype. 878 00:39:05,750 --> 00:39:08,375 - TV is changing dramatically now, with 150 channels 879 00:39:08,458 --> 00:39:11,375 that might be available in the near future. 880 00:39:11,458 --> 00:39:13,958 - There are more choices than ever before. 881 00:39:14,042 --> 00:39:15,000 And it's a tough job. 882 00:39:15,083 --> 00:39:17,500 You have to try and get a sense 883 00:39:17,583 --> 00:39:20,333 of, what is the audience gonna really make an attachment to? 884 00:39:20,417 --> 00:39:24,042 In the '90s, cable was coming on strong. 885 00:39:24,125 --> 00:39:28,958 So we had to examine, who are we gonna be? 886 00:39:29,042 --> 00:39:34,958 Well, we wanted to be smart, sophisticated comedy. 887 00:39:35,042 --> 00:39:38,000 - Six months ago, I was living in Boston. 888 00:39:38,083 --> 00:39:41,667 My wife had left me, which was very painful. 889 00:39:41,750 --> 00:39:45,500 Then she came back to me, which was excruciating. 890 00:39:45,583 --> 00:39:47,958 Well, you know, I thought Frasier was dead with "Cheers." 891 00:39:48,042 --> 00:39:52,042 [playful music] 892 00:39:52,125 --> 00:39:54,542 But we thought, we've got a built-in audience 893 00:39:54,625 --> 00:39:55,917 and great potential for, you know, 894 00:39:56,000 --> 00:39:57,792 building out the character to another place. 895 00:39:57,875 --> 00:39:59,792 - ♪ Ohh ♪ 896 00:39:59,875 --> 00:40:01,292 - ♪ Ohh, ohh ♪ 897 00:40:01,375 --> 00:40:03,042 - ♪ Ohh, ohh ♪ 898 00:40:03,125 --> 00:40:04,458 - ♪ Ohh, ohh ♪ 899 00:40:04,542 --> 00:40:07,917 - "Frasier" was kind of like one-act plays. 900 00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:11,125 [dramatic organ music plays] 901 00:40:11,208 --> 00:40:14,000 - "Mother and I moved here when I was a small boy 902 00:40:14,083 --> 00:40:17,583 "after the... tragic death of my father. 903 00:40:17,667 --> 00:40:20,750 "I kept the pain of that loss buried deep within me 904 00:40:20,833 --> 00:40:24,042 like a serpent coiled within a damp cave." 905 00:40:24,125 --> 00:40:25,792 Okay, that's it. 906 00:40:25,875 --> 00:40:27,417 - We always assumed the audience was smarter 907 00:40:27,500 --> 00:40:29,125 than most other people did. 908 00:40:29,208 --> 00:40:31,125 And we played to that. 909 00:40:31,208 --> 00:40:33,083 She is just unschooled, like Eliza Doolittle. 910 00:40:33,167 --> 00:40:34,083 - Oh. - You find her the right 911 00:40:34,167 --> 00:40:35,500 Henry Higgins, she'll be ready 912 00:40:35,583 --> 00:40:38,000 for a ball in no time. 913 00:40:38,083 --> 00:40:40,042 - Leave it to you to put the "pig" back in "Pygmalion." 914 00:40:40,125 --> 00:40:42,000 - Thank you. - Kelsey Grammer 915 00:40:42,083 --> 00:40:45,667 played pomposity like nobody you've ever seen 916 00:40:45,750 --> 00:40:47,375 and got huge laughs. 917 00:40:47,458 --> 00:40:48,750 - It's not considered a move until my fingers 918 00:40:48,833 --> 00:40:50,042 have completely cleared the piece. 919 00:40:50,125 --> 00:40:52,042 - Well, what's taking so long? 920 00:40:52,125 --> 00:40:53,625 - I am analyzing my options. 921 00:40:53,708 --> 00:40:54,833 Unlike your winged approach, 922 00:40:54,917 --> 00:40:56,917 I like to plan a strategy. 923 00:40:57,000 --> 00:41:00,042 Like a general leading his troops into battle. 924 00:41:04,042 --> 00:41:06,083 - Checkmate, Schwarzkopf. 925 00:41:07,958 --> 00:41:09,125 - I think "Frasier" probably stands 926 00:41:09,208 --> 00:41:11,917 as the single most successful spin-off, 927 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:13,167 at least in the history of sitcoms. 928 00:41:13,250 --> 00:41:15,000 - And the Emmy goes to... 929 00:41:15,083 --> 00:41:16,750 - "Frasier"! - "Frasier"! 930 00:41:16,833 --> 00:41:19,542 - "Frasier"! [cheers and applause] 931 00:41:19,625 --> 00:41:25,250 - We were lightning-hot, and it was critical for us 932 00:41:25,333 --> 00:41:28,292 to be leading the way, not just following. 933 00:41:28,375 --> 00:41:31,292 [The Rembrandts' "I'll Be There for You"] 934 00:41:31,375 --> 00:41:33,417 ♪ ♪ 935 00:41:33,500 --> 00:41:35,875 - "Friends" is about that time in your life 936 00:41:35,958 --> 00:41:37,167 when your friends are your family. 937 00:41:37,250 --> 00:41:39,167 - Ow! - Ow! Ow! 938 00:41:39,250 --> 00:41:40,583 Both: Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! 939 00:41:40,667 --> 00:41:43,000 [both shouting] 940 00:41:43,083 --> 00:41:44,708 - When David Crane and I lived in New York, 941 00:41:44,792 --> 00:41:47,958 we were part of a group of six people. 942 00:41:48,042 --> 00:41:50,792 We were all attached at the hip and we went everywhere together 943 00:41:50,875 --> 00:41:52,417 and celebrated everything together. 944 00:41:52,500 --> 00:41:54,333 - Okay, let's open them! 945 00:41:54,417 --> 00:41:57,083 - And there's that period where you're looking 946 00:41:57,167 --> 00:42:00,167 to be out there on your own and the people you rely on 947 00:42:00,250 --> 00:42:02,583 are the ones who live down the hall. 948 00:42:02,667 --> 00:42:05,208 - Here we go. Pivot. 949 00:42:05,292 --> 00:42:06,583 Pivot. 950 00:42:08,208 --> 00:42:09,958 Pivot! 951 00:42:10,042 --> 00:42:15,625 Pivot! Pivot! 952 00:42:15,708 --> 00:42:20,042 Pivot! - Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! 953 00:42:20,125 --> 00:42:22,000 - "Friends" permeated the culture in a way 954 00:42:22,083 --> 00:42:24,708 that was really special. 955 00:42:24,792 --> 00:42:26,750 Everybody was obsessed with the show. 956 00:42:26,833 --> 00:42:29,000 And it became, like, which one of these characters are you? 957 00:42:29,083 --> 00:42:31,708 If you were a girl, were you Phoebe, Monica, or Rachel? 958 00:42:31,792 --> 00:42:33,833 - You know, I gotta tell you, this really does 959 00:42:33,917 --> 00:42:36,083 put me in a better mood. - Mm. 960 00:42:36,167 --> 00:42:39,042 - The kids who were watching, the young audience... 961 00:42:39,125 --> 00:42:41,042 - Five, six, seven, eight. 962 00:42:41,125 --> 00:42:45,125 - Saw a lifestyle that was aspirational. 963 00:42:45,208 --> 00:42:48,000 - Ohh! - I wish I had an apartment 964 00:42:48,083 --> 00:42:50,125 in New York City that no one seems 965 00:42:50,208 --> 00:42:52,250 to be worried about the rent for. 966 00:42:52,333 --> 00:42:55,000 I wish that I looked like Matt LeBlanc. 967 00:42:55,083 --> 00:42:58,333 I wish that I had Jennifer Aniston's hair. 968 00:42:58,417 --> 00:43:00,500 - One of the things that made "Friends" a phenomena 969 00:43:00,583 --> 00:43:03,042 was that people-- beyond the laughs-- 970 00:43:03,125 --> 00:43:05,042 actually bonded with these characters. 971 00:43:05,125 --> 00:43:07,417 They emotionally were invested 972 00:43:07,500 --> 00:43:09,792 in Ross and Rachel's relationship. 973 00:43:09,875 --> 00:43:10,875 - I could not have done this without you. 974 00:43:10,958 --> 00:43:12,708 - It's--it's-- - Mwah! 975 00:43:17,708 --> 00:43:20,125 - Okay, um, uh... 976 00:43:20,208 --> 00:43:21,292 more clothes in the dryer? 977 00:43:21,375 --> 00:43:23,500 [laughs] Okay. Oh! 978 00:43:23,583 --> 00:43:25,083 - I was dropping my daughter off 979 00:43:25,167 --> 00:43:28,000 for Sunday school at our temple, 980 00:43:28,083 --> 00:43:30,167 and literally, my rabbi stopped me 981 00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:33,167 and said, "What's gonna happen with Ross and Rachel?" 982 00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:34,958 - You look really pretty tonight. 983 00:43:35,042 --> 00:43:36,417 - Oh, thanks. 984 00:43:36,500 --> 00:43:39,208 - "The One with the Prom Video" is one of my favorites. 985 00:43:39,042 --> 00:43:40,625 - You guys, we don't have to watch this. 986 00:43:40,708 --> 00:43:42,083 - Oh, yeah, it's fun. - Yeah, we do. 987 00:43:42,167 --> 00:43:43,167 - Come on. - Fun. 988 00:43:43,000 --> 00:43:44,208 Where's Chip? 989 00:43:44,292 --> 00:43:46,042 Why isn't he here yet? 990 00:43:46,125 --> 00:43:49,208 - He'll be here, okay? Take a chill pill. 991 00:43:49,292 --> 00:43:53,250 - This seemed like a really surprising way 992 00:43:53,333 --> 00:43:55,667 to get Rachel to know how Ross feels. 993 00:43:55,750 --> 00:43:57,917 - I can't go to my own prom without a date. 994 00:43:58,000 --> 00:44:00,167 - Take her. You could wear my tux. 995 00:44:00,250 --> 00:44:02,208 - Dad, she won't wanna go with me. 996 00:44:02,042 --> 00:44:04,125 - She's learning something new, 997 00:44:04,208 --> 00:44:06,667 and he thinks, "Oh, God, please don't let her see this. 998 00:44:06,750 --> 00:44:07,875 Please don't let her see this." 999 00:44:07,958 --> 00:44:09,542 - Rachel, ready or not, 1000 00:44:09,625 --> 00:44:11,750 here comes your knight in shining-- 1001 00:44:11,833 --> 00:44:13,167 Oh, no. 1002 00:44:13,250 --> 00:44:15,208 - Bye! Don't wait up! 1003 00:44:15,292 --> 00:44:17,417 - Okay. - Chip! 1004 00:44:19,292 --> 00:44:21,125 - Oh, dear. 1005 00:44:21,208 --> 00:44:24,083 - Ross sees himself, and you see 1006 00:44:24,167 --> 00:44:26,292 that look on his face and how sad he is 1007 00:44:26,375 --> 00:44:28,250 because he wanted to take her to the prom. 1008 00:44:31,125 --> 00:44:33,125 - When she crossed the room-- 1009 00:44:33,208 --> 00:44:34,958 I still kinda get chills from it. 1010 00:44:35,042 --> 00:44:36,917 When she crossed the room 1011 00:44:37,000 --> 00:44:39,000 and gave him that kiss... 1012 00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:43,417 [audience cheering] 1013 00:44:43,500 --> 00:44:46,625 The audience went insane. 1014 00:44:46,708 --> 00:44:49,708 [audience cheering] 1015 00:44:53,208 --> 00:44:57,250 - At the height of Must See TV, Thursday nights on NBC, 1016 00:44:57,333 --> 00:45:01,208 75 million Americans watched Thursday night. 1017 00:45:01,292 --> 00:45:04,792 That was, at the time, 1/3 of the country. 1018 00:45:04,875 --> 00:45:08,000 - Ooh. What is this stuff? 1019 00:45:08,083 --> 00:45:12,583 - The sweater? It's angora. - Well, it's wonderful. 1020 00:45:12,667 --> 00:45:17,292 - The machine that was NBC in the '90s for comedy 1021 00:45:17,375 --> 00:45:19,042 was untouchable. 1022 00:45:19,125 --> 00:45:21,083 - You're not from around here, are you? 1023 00:45:21,167 --> 00:45:23,292 - It generated so much viewership 1024 00:45:23,375 --> 00:45:25,625 and money and awards. 1025 00:45:25,708 --> 00:45:27,125 - We do not need this. - That's the top 1026 00:45:27,208 --> 00:45:28,833 of our wedding cake. - We're not-- 1027 00:45:28,917 --> 00:45:30,000 This--it's not a scrapbook. 1028 00:45:30,083 --> 00:45:31,500 It's a freezer. - No! 1029 00:45:31,583 --> 00:45:33,625 - We kind of all were part of, I think, 1030 00:45:33,708 --> 00:45:36,000 this chapter in television where we realized 1031 00:45:36,083 --> 00:45:38,042 we were in the right place at the right time. 1032 00:45:38,125 --> 00:45:41,000 Let's see how you like this, naughty boy. 1033 00:45:43,667 --> 00:45:45,333 - Whoa! - [shrieking] 1034 00:45:46,458 --> 00:45:48,792 - We certainly associate NBC of the '90s 1035 00:45:48,875 --> 00:45:51,958 with having extremely successful sitcoms. 1036 00:45:52,042 --> 00:45:53,167 But they weren't the only network 1037 00:45:53,250 --> 00:45:54,958 that found their way to having some success. 1038 00:45:55,042 --> 00:45:57,042 [Jesse Frederick's "Everywhere You Look"] 1039 00:45:57,125 --> 00:45:59,875 TGIF was on ABC on Friday. 1040 00:45:59,958 --> 00:46:02,958 And it was their block of family-oriented comedies. 1041 00:46:03,042 --> 00:46:07,125 - I can't take it. I need the cake. 1042 00:46:07,208 --> 00:46:09,167 - Oh, Michelle! Miche-- 1043 00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:11,792 - It was not sophisticated television. 1044 00:46:11,875 --> 00:46:14,750 But these were shows that people adored. 1045 00:46:14,833 --> 00:46:16,417 - [laughs, snorts] 1046 00:46:16,500 --> 00:46:18,333 [laughing] Oh! 1047 00:46:18,417 --> 00:46:21,042 [dramatic music] male announcer: CBS. 1048 00:46:21,125 --> 00:46:23,208 - CBS was in a really bad spot. 1049 00:46:23,292 --> 00:46:26,333 They had just fallen apart over the early part of the '90s. 1050 00:46:26,417 --> 00:46:28,833 And they'd gone through a couple different network executives. 1051 00:46:28,917 --> 00:46:32,333 - [whistling descending tone] 1052 00:46:32,417 --> 00:46:34,292 [mimics explosion] 1053 00:46:35,833 --> 00:46:37,708 - But then, suddenly, they had this hit 1054 00:46:37,792 --> 00:46:39,292 with an unknown comic. 1055 00:46:39,375 --> 00:46:42,125 This was the era of "Seinfeld." No hugging, no learning. 1056 00:46:42,208 --> 00:46:44,167 And this was a show being made as if it was 1057 00:46:44,250 --> 00:46:46,083 produced in the era of the "Dick Van Dyke Show." 1058 00:46:46,167 --> 00:46:47,917 - I love you! - Oh! 1059 00:46:48,000 --> 00:46:49,792 - There was hugging, there was learning. 1060 00:46:49,875 --> 00:46:52,000 - I love you, son. - All right, all right. 1061 00:46:52,083 --> 00:46:54,542 - If you worked for me, your job was to go home, 1062 00:46:54,625 --> 00:46:56,042 get in a fight with your wife, 1063 00:46:56,125 --> 00:46:57,875 and come back in and tell me about it. 1064 00:46:57,958 --> 00:47:01,125 - Don't sleep on the couch! 1065 00:47:01,208 --> 00:47:03,583 I just cleaned down there. 1066 00:47:03,667 --> 00:47:06,917 - In fact, the pilot, I put in this true thing 1067 00:47:07,000 --> 00:47:09,042 that happened to me, 1068 00:47:09,125 --> 00:47:12,542 wherein I sent my parents a gift for the holidays 1069 00:47:12,625 --> 00:47:14,458 of the Fruit of the Month Club. 1070 00:47:14,542 --> 00:47:17,708 - Did you know you sent me a box of pears from a place 1071 00:47:17,792 --> 00:47:19,208 called Fruit of the Month? - Yeah, yeah. 1072 00:47:19,292 --> 00:47:21,500 That's right, that's right. How are they? 1073 00:47:21,583 --> 00:47:24,583 - And my mother reacted as if I had sent her 1074 00:47:24,667 --> 00:47:27,833 a box of heads from a murderer. 1075 00:47:27,917 --> 00:47:30,708 - Why did you do this to me? - Oh, my God! 1076 00:47:30,792 --> 00:47:33,208 - I can't talk! There's too much fruit in the house! 1077 00:47:33,292 --> 00:47:36,458 - Ohh! What is happening? 1078 00:47:36,542 --> 00:47:38,917 - What do you think we are? Invalids? 1079 00:47:39,000 --> 00:47:41,500 We can't go out and get our own fruit? 1080 00:47:41,583 --> 00:47:43,708 - I tried to tell him. - All right! 1081 00:47:43,792 --> 00:47:45,625 I'm canceling the Fruit Club! 1082 00:47:45,708 --> 00:47:47,583 - The real story is where the real connection 1083 00:47:47,667 --> 00:47:49,500 with your audience is. 1084 00:47:49,583 --> 00:47:53,458 Thank God all your families are crazy too. 1085 00:47:53,542 --> 00:47:55,208 - Looks like you got the whole family together. 1086 00:47:55,292 --> 00:47:58,708 - Yeah, yeah. It's Dysfunctionpalooza. 1087 00:48:06,750 --> 00:48:09,083 - And now, ladies and gentlemen, 1088 00:48:09,167 --> 00:48:13,333 here's Johnny! 1089 00:48:13,417 --> 00:48:16,333 [cheers and applause] [band plays "Johnny's Theme"] 1090 00:48:16,417 --> 00:48:19,875 - Johnny Carson wasn't just the host of "The Tonight Show." 1091 00:48:19,958 --> 00:48:25,167 Johnny Carson was the man that America said good night to 1092 00:48:25,250 --> 00:48:26,667 for 30 years. 1093 00:48:26,750 --> 00:48:29,208 - We'll be right back. [drumroll] 1094 00:48:29,042 --> 00:48:30,583 ♪ ♪ 1095 00:48:30,667 --> 00:48:33,833 - And on my watch, Johnny decided that 1096 00:48:33,917 --> 00:48:38,792 30 years was a great time to take a bow 1097 00:48:38,875 --> 00:48:40,417 and say thank you and good night. 1098 00:48:40,500 --> 00:48:43,292 - 30 years is enough. You know? 1099 00:48:43,375 --> 00:48:44,833 You know, it's a good time to get out 1100 00:48:44,917 --> 00:48:46,333 while you're still on top of your game plan. 1101 00:48:46,417 --> 00:48:48,708 - Johnny Carson retiring in the early '90s 1102 00:48:48,792 --> 00:48:51,250 was the great moment where a huge chunk 1103 00:48:51,333 --> 00:48:54,125 of the ice shelf breaks off. 1104 00:48:54,208 --> 00:48:56,375 Something that has been there for centuries, 1105 00:48:56,458 --> 00:48:59,042 for thousands of years, suddenly is... 1106 00:48:59,125 --> 00:49:00,375 no longer there. 1107 00:49:00,458 --> 00:49:02,625 - He's a tremendous part of history, 1108 00:49:02,708 --> 00:49:06,625 and that's lovely to major mark on an era like that. 1109 00:49:06,708 --> 00:49:09,625 - Johnny had told no one what he planned to do, 1110 00:49:09,708 --> 00:49:11,625 and we weren't prepared. 1111 00:49:11,708 --> 00:49:15,208 And that set off a game of musical chairs 1112 00:49:15,042 --> 00:49:17,667 for who would get the throne. 1113 00:49:17,750 --> 00:49:20,167 And there only was one late-night throne. 1114 00:49:20,000 --> 00:49:22,292 - Hi, you guys. - Jay Leno had been 1115 00:49:22,375 --> 00:49:25,417 pretty much Carson's regular substitute host 1116 00:49:25,500 --> 00:49:27,000 when he went on vacation. 1117 00:49:27,083 --> 00:49:28,125 - You know what's amazing? Now, this is true. 1118 00:49:28,208 --> 00:49:30,292 Only six months ago, people were talking 1119 00:49:30,375 --> 00:49:33,292 about Donald Trump as a presidential candidate. 1120 00:49:33,375 --> 00:49:35,000 Right? That's true. Now, since then, 1121 00:49:35,083 --> 00:49:37,042 he's had an affair, he's left his wife, 1122 00:49:37,125 --> 00:49:39,125 he's run up a debt of several million dollars. 1123 00:49:39,208 --> 00:49:43,083 So I guess he's gonna be running as a Democrat, huh? 1124 00:49:43,167 --> 00:49:46,833 - Jay Leno wanted to essentially just continue doing 1125 00:49:46,917 --> 00:49:48,833 a Johnny Carson-type show. 1126 00:49:48,917 --> 00:49:51,042 And David Letterman was the show 1127 00:49:51,125 --> 00:49:52,917 immediately following Carson. 1128 00:49:53,000 --> 00:49:56,333 And they had different styles. 1129 00:49:56,417 --> 00:49:57,417 - What is your name? - I'm gonna ask you 1130 00:49:57,500 --> 00:49:59,125 to turn the cameras off, please. 1131 00:49:59,208 --> 00:50:00,292 - Okay, we just wanted to drop off 1132 00:50:00,375 --> 00:50:02,042 this basket of fruit. 1133 00:50:02,125 --> 00:50:05,250 - Part of Dave's thing used to always be attacking authority. 1134 00:50:05,333 --> 00:50:08,000 He liked that. - Cut the cameras, please. 1135 00:50:08,083 --> 00:50:11,125 - He needed a corporate bad guy to go up against. 1136 00:50:11,208 --> 00:50:13,750 I was oftentimes that target. 1137 00:50:13,833 --> 00:50:15,333 - I can hear this Warren Littlefield guy 1138 00:50:15,417 --> 00:50:17,417 whining all year long about not getting his name 1139 00:50:17,500 --> 00:50:19,375 on the card last year. - He's on there. 1140 00:50:19,458 --> 00:50:21,125 - So he's--well, what about-- look, what about me? 1141 00:50:21,208 --> 00:50:22,833 Just put it on there. Me. I can be on there, couldn't I? 1142 00:50:22,917 --> 00:50:24,208 - Who is he? 1143 00:50:24,042 --> 00:50:26,208 - It was always Letterman's dream 1144 00:50:26,042 --> 00:50:27,917 to be the host of "The Tonight Show." 1145 00:50:28,000 --> 00:50:31,333 He idolized Johnny Carson-- rightfully so. 1146 00:50:31,417 --> 00:50:33,042 - The big decision that's had the entertainment industry 1147 00:50:33,125 --> 00:50:34,875 buzzing is due this week. 1148 00:50:34,958 --> 00:50:37,292 That, of course, is the fate of NBC's late-night stars 1149 00:50:37,375 --> 00:50:39,333 Jay Leno and David Letterman. 1150 00:50:39,417 --> 00:50:42,667 - Most of us thought the person who deserved to get it 1151 00:50:42,750 --> 00:50:44,250 was David Letterman. 1152 00:50:44,333 --> 00:50:46,458 He didn't get it. Jay Leno got it. 1153 00:50:46,542 --> 00:50:49,208 - Leno, who earlier rode his motorcycle 1154 00:50:49,042 --> 00:50:50,708 into a news conference hosted 1155 00:50:50,792 --> 00:50:53,667 by NBC Entertainment president Warren Littlefield, 1156 00:50:53,750 --> 00:50:56,167 still has a bruised ego about the way 1157 00:50:56,000 --> 00:50:59,208 the network wavered in its support for him. 1158 00:50:59,042 --> 00:51:01,042 - When we found out 1159 00:51:01,125 --> 00:51:03,333 that Leno was gonna get "The Tonight Show," 1160 00:51:03,417 --> 00:51:08,208 we were all obviously... depressed. 1161 00:51:08,042 --> 00:51:11,708 We felt like we were being punished 1162 00:51:11,792 --> 00:51:15,208 for making fun of them and not cooperating 1163 00:51:15,042 --> 00:51:18,583 and not being as collaborative as we could have been. 1164 00:51:20,667 --> 00:51:24,042 And we also felt like we were being disrespected, 1165 00:51:24,125 --> 00:51:27,375 because we did 11 years of great shows. 1166 00:51:27,458 --> 00:51:29,125 - Just how pissed off are you? 1167 00:51:29,208 --> 00:51:33,917 [audience cheers and laughs] 1168 00:51:34,000 --> 00:51:36,292 - By all rights, David Letterman 1169 00:51:36,375 --> 00:51:38,625 should've taken over for Johnny Carson. 1170 00:51:38,708 --> 00:51:42,833 But his agent took a very, very aggressive stand. 1171 00:51:42,917 --> 00:51:46,333 "We're gonna really control all of late night. 1172 00:51:46,417 --> 00:51:48,000 It's gonna cost you a fortune." 1173 00:51:48,083 --> 00:51:49,667 And they put our backs to the wall. 1174 00:51:49,750 --> 00:51:52,458 - I can only tell you that it has been an honor 1175 00:51:52,542 --> 00:51:55,167 and a privilege to come into your homes all these years 1176 00:51:55,000 --> 00:51:56,917 and entertain you. 1177 00:51:57,000 --> 00:51:58,833 And I hope when I find something that I want to do 1178 00:51:58,917 --> 00:52:00,333 and I think you will like and come back 1179 00:52:00,417 --> 00:52:03,208 that you'll be as gracious inviting me into your home 1180 00:52:03,042 --> 00:52:04,917 as you have been. 1181 00:52:05,000 --> 00:52:07,125 I bid you a very heartfelt good night. 1182 00:52:07,208 --> 00:52:11,083 [cheers and applause] 1183 00:52:11,167 --> 00:52:12,875 - "The Tonight Show" without Johnny Carson 1184 00:52:12,958 --> 00:52:15,583 as the regular host made its debut last night. 1185 00:52:15,667 --> 00:52:18,208 Jay Leno emerged from behind the curtain, 1186 00:52:18,042 --> 00:52:20,167 stepping into the big shoes that were filled 1187 00:52:20,000 --> 00:52:21,875 for 30 years by Johnny. 1188 00:52:21,958 --> 00:52:26,042 - CBS came to us and made a very attractive offer. 1189 00:52:26,125 --> 00:52:27,917 - Here we go, number ten. 1190 00:52:29,375 --> 00:52:30,958 Number nine... 1191 00:52:31,042 --> 00:52:33,083 - Letterman did place a call to Johnny Carson, 1192 00:52:33,167 --> 00:52:35,792 asking for his advice, and Johnny said, 1193 00:52:35,875 --> 00:52:37,958 "If it was me, I would leave." 1194 00:52:38,042 --> 00:52:42,083 And I think that advice was really the lynchpin. 1195 00:52:42,167 --> 00:52:45,708 Letterman always took Johnny's advice. 1196 00:52:45,792 --> 00:52:48,125 - The late-night wars are about to begin in earnest 1197 00:52:48,208 --> 00:52:49,917 on American television. 1198 00:52:50,000 --> 00:52:52,458 David Letterman is now headed for CBS. 1199 00:52:52,542 --> 00:52:55,000 - CBS had lured him over with a salary 1200 00:52:55,083 --> 00:52:57,375 more than four times that of Leno 1201 00:52:57,458 --> 00:52:59,375 and given him what he really wanted: 1202 00:52:59,458 --> 00:53:01,250 the 11:30 time slot. 1203 00:53:01,333 --> 00:53:04,792 Now, as Dave and Jay prepare to go head-to-head, 1204 00:53:04,875 --> 00:53:07,125 one thing is clear: late-night TV 1205 00:53:07,208 --> 00:53:09,083 will never be quite the same. 1206 00:53:09,167 --> 00:53:12,750 - All of a sudden, there's a talk show war. 1207 00:53:12,833 --> 00:53:14,417 - Start up your remote controls. 1208 00:53:14,500 --> 00:53:17,208 The late-night race is about to begin. 1209 00:53:17,292 --> 00:53:21,542 On Monday, David Letterman's new show debuts here on CBS, 1210 00:53:21,625 --> 00:53:25,000 followed a week later by Chevy Chase on FOX 1211 00:53:25,083 --> 00:53:28,375 and, a week after that, by Conan O'Brien on NBC. 1212 00:53:28,458 --> 00:53:31,625 These combatants join "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," 1213 00:53:31,708 --> 00:53:33,792 "Arsenio," and "Nightline." 1214 00:53:33,875 --> 00:53:35,375 - It became a crowded space, 1215 00:53:35,458 --> 00:53:38,375 and the competition became that much more difficult. 1216 00:53:38,458 --> 00:53:41,583 - In the third corner, his ratings fading rapidly, 1217 00:53:41,667 --> 00:53:43,208 Arsenio Hall. 1218 00:53:43,292 --> 00:53:45,542 Some TV writers think that Arsenio could be 1219 00:53:45,625 --> 00:53:47,458 the big loser in this free-for-all. 1220 00:53:47,542 --> 00:53:51,083 [cheers and applause] 1221 00:53:51,167 --> 00:53:53,167 - When Letterman came in, 1222 00:53:53,250 --> 00:53:56,833 it essentially diluted Arsenio's brand 1223 00:53:56,917 --> 00:53:59,167 because there were so many alternatives. 1224 00:53:59,250 --> 00:54:01,792 - I'm sad to see you go because America is gonna have 1225 00:54:01,875 --> 00:54:05,833 a big chunk missing out of its existence. 1226 00:54:05,917 --> 00:54:07,042 [cheers and applause] 1227 00:54:07,125 --> 00:54:10,125 - Losing Arsenio... 1228 00:54:10,208 --> 00:54:12,500 yeah, it was bad. 1229 00:54:12,583 --> 00:54:16,750 He was the lone voice. Gone. 1230 00:54:16,833 --> 00:54:21,833 - David Letterman had the suits at NBC pausing for a moment. 1231 00:54:21,917 --> 00:54:23,708 "Did we make the right choice?" 1232 00:54:23,792 --> 00:54:25,792 Because he came out gangbusters 1233 00:54:25,875 --> 00:54:28,333 and he was beating Jay Leno in the ratings. 1234 00:54:28,417 --> 00:54:31,125 - There are some people who say you blew it. 1235 00:54:31,208 --> 00:54:34,583 That by picking Leno to replace Carson over Letterman, 1236 00:54:34,667 --> 00:54:36,958 that that was a big programming mistake. 1237 00:54:37,042 --> 00:54:40,875 - It was a shaky start-- a really, really, 1238 00:54:40,958 --> 00:54:44,000 shaky first season start. 1239 00:54:44,083 --> 00:54:46,458 - Well, it's true confessions time for actor Hugh Grant, 1240 00:54:46,542 --> 00:54:48,542 who's trying hard to put his recent encounter 1241 00:54:48,625 --> 00:54:50,958 with a Hollywood prostitute behind him. 1242 00:54:51,042 --> 00:54:53,750 - When Hugh Grant was arrested, 1243 00:54:53,833 --> 00:54:57,958 it was big, live action news. 1244 00:54:58,042 --> 00:54:59,292 And Hugh Grant was supposed to do 1245 00:54:59,375 --> 00:55:01,000 "The Tonight Show" that night. 1246 00:55:01,083 --> 00:55:02,875 - What the hell were you thinking? 1247 00:55:02,958 --> 00:55:05,917 [laughter] [rimshot] 1248 00:55:06,000 --> 00:55:08,167 - It all came together in that moment, 1249 00:55:08,000 --> 00:55:10,458 and everyone saw it, and that's it. 1250 00:55:10,542 --> 00:55:15,042 We were never number two again. 1251 00:55:15,125 --> 00:55:17,375 [cheers and applause] - Hey, hey! 1252 00:55:17,458 --> 00:55:20,208 - For us, it was a fun experience. 1253 00:55:20,292 --> 00:55:22,583 Hey, we got our own theater, we got an unlimited budget, 1254 00:55:22,667 --> 00:55:25,208 we've got access to every star in the business 1255 00:55:25,042 --> 00:55:27,042 who wants to do the show. 1256 00:55:27,125 --> 00:55:29,750 - Somebody bring me the jaws of life! 1257 00:55:29,833 --> 00:55:33,292 - So I think going to CBS was heaven sent. 1258 00:55:33,375 --> 00:55:34,708 It really was. 1259 00:55:34,792 --> 00:55:37,042 - Good night, everybody! 1260 00:55:47,167 --> 00:55:49,292 - In the mid-1990s, if you took a look 1261 00:55:49,375 --> 00:55:52,875 at the list of the 50 most-watched shows on cable, 1262 00:55:52,958 --> 00:55:54,542 at the top would be Nickelodeon. 1263 00:55:54,625 --> 00:55:56,083 - [screaming] 1264 00:55:56,167 --> 00:55:58,250 - "Rugrats"... - Oh, bye-bye, bye-bye. 1265 00:55:58,333 --> 00:56:00,000 - "Blue's Clues." 1266 00:56:01,333 --> 00:56:03,958 - Don't you know cartoons will ruin your mind? 1267 00:56:04,042 --> 00:56:06,583 - "Ren and Stimpy" had some very surreal, 1268 00:56:06,667 --> 00:56:08,583 high-concept humor to it. 1269 00:56:08,667 --> 00:56:11,125 And this is the beginning of the splintering 1270 00:56:11,208 --> 00:56:12,958 of the television audience and the splintering 1271 00:56:13,042 --> 00:56:15,083 of the family audience, really. 1272 00:56:15,167 --> 00:56:17,000 I mean, because... - ♪ Happy, happy, joy, joy ♪ 1273 00:56:17,083 --> 00:56:19,167 - With families having three or four TVs in the house, 1274 00:56:19,000 --> 00:56:21,208 you had a kid watching Nickelodeon, 1275 00:56:21,292 --> 00:56:24,042 you had the dad watching ESPN sports, 1276 00:56:24,125 --> 00:56:26,625 you had the mom watching Lifetime. 1277 00:56:26,708 --> 00:56:30,208 You know, they were in their own, separate universes, 1278 00:56:30,042 --> 00:56:31,083 watching television. 1279 00:56:31,167 --> 00:56:33,167 [upbeat music] 1280 00:56:33,000 --> 00:56:35,167 - By the time of the '90s, MTV wasn't 1281 00:56:35,000 --> 00:56:37,125 merely a music channel. 1282 00:56:37,208 --> 00:56:39,542 They were having great success in terms of creating shows 1283 00:56:39,625 --> 00:56:42,083 that incorporated music but that also were shows 1284 00:56:42,167 --> 00:56:43,917 and programs that stood on their own. 1285 00:56:44,000 --> 00:56:46,375 - Yes! 1286 00:56:46,458 --> 00:56:49,083 [both laughing] 1287 00:56:49,167 --> 00:56:51,208 - That was cool. 1288 00:56:51,292 --> 00:56:52,708 - Certainly, "Beavis and Butt-head" 1289 00:56:52,792 --> 00:56:54,625 sort of established what MTV could be, 1290 00:56:54,708 --> 00:56:56,083 because the show was about 1291 00:56:56,167 --> 00:56:58,000 people making fun of music videos, 1292 00:56:58,083 --> 00:57:00,292 just like people in the audience were doing. 1293 00:57:00,375 --> 00:57:03,625 - Whoa. [laughs] Check out his neck. 1294 00:57:03,708 --> 00:57:05,208 - Yeah. [laughs] - There's, like, 1295 00:57:05,042 --> 00:57:09,333 all these bones and "vestigeses" moving around. 1296 00:57:09,417 --> 00:57:11,542 - Yeah. [laughs] - My manager would call me, 1297 00:57:11,625 --> 00:57:13,750 like, "Hey, you got this big bump 1298 00:57:13,833 --> 00:57:15,458 'cause you were on 'Beavis and Butt-Head' last night." 1299 00:57:15,542 --> 00:57:18,208 ♪ Unable to express ♪ 1300 00:57:18,292 --> 00:57:20,167 - I sit there just like a doughnut, 1301 00:57:20,250 --> 00:57:22,250 watching these guys. - That's what it's for. 1302 00:57:22,333 --> 00:57:24,583 - Now--and I find them endlessly entertaining 1303 00:57:24,667 --> 00:57:27,292 because I know and you know and the world knows 1304 00:57:27,375 --> 00:57:29,708 these guys are, always will be, 1305 00:57:29,792 --> 00:57:31,667 and cannot be anything but idiots. 1306 00:57:31,750 --> 00:57:33,000 - That's right. - ♪ Duh, duh, duh, duh ♪ 1307 00:57:33,083 --> 00:57:34,625 ♪ Duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh ♪ 1308 00:57:34,708 --> 00:57:36,167 ♪ Duh, duh, duh, duh ♪ 1309 00:57:36,000 --> 00:57:37,250 ♪ Duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh ♪ 1310 00:57:37,333 --> 00:57:39,500 - MTV has a detrimental, damaging, 1311 00:57:39,583 --> 00:57:43,208 developmental effect on the sexuality, on the morality, 1312 00:57:43,042 --> 00:57:45,125 on the spirituality, on the-- 1313 00:57:45,208 --> 00:57:48,167 maybe even the physical development of our young people. 1314 00:57:48,000 --> 00:57:51,000 - Yeah, yeah! - Uhh! Uhh! 1315 00:57:51,083 --> 00:57:53,208 [straining grunts] 1316 00:57:53,042 --> 00:57:56,167 - Now we hit the '90s, and once you can go 1317 00:57:56,250 --> 00:57:59,667 for an audience of 5 million and have a successful show, 1318 00:57:59,750 --> 00:58:03,167 you can say, "I don't care if the parents don't like this." 1319 00:58:03,250 --> 00:58:05,958 - Can I tell you something, Ms. Ellen? 1320 00:58:06,042 --> 00:58:08,125 - Of course, Wendy. 1321 00:58:08,208 --> 00:58:11,000 - Don't [bleep] with me! 1322 00:58:11,083 --> 00:58:12,625 - What? - You heard me! 1323 00:58:12,708 --> 00:58:14,375 Stay away from my man, bitch! 1324 00:58:14,458 --> 00:58:18,417 Or I'll whup your sorry-ho ass back to last year! 1325 00:58:18,500 --> 00:58:20,167 - Trey Parker and Matt Stone 1326 00:58:20,000 --> 00:58:22,458 were two of the funniest people I ever met. 1327 00:58:22,542 --> 00:58:26,083 And their success story is proof 1328 00:58:26,167 --> 00:58:28,125 that if you just stay true to yourself, 1329 00:58:28,208 --> 00:58:30,583 you don't have to do anything else. 1330 00:58:30,667 --> 00:58:32,333 - People think, "Oh, you came and did this show 1331 00:58:32,417 --> 00:58:33,375 and now you're big sellouts." 1332 00:58:33,458 --> 00:58:34,583 The truth is, I mean, 1333 00:58:34,667 --> 00:58:36,083 we were sellouts to begin with. 1334 00:58:36,167 --> 00:58:37,458 - "Perhaps there is no stopping 1335 00:58:37,542 --> 00:58:39,625 the corporate machine." - Ahh! 1336 00:58:39,708 --> 00:58:41,125 - I mean, we were sleeping at friends' houses, 1337 00:58:41,208 --> 00:58:43,875 had no money, and then one FOX executive 1338 00:58:43,958 --> 00:58:45,917 had seen a cartoon we had made in college. 1339 00:58:46,000 --> 00:58:48,958 And he said, "Make me another Christmas video 1340 00:58:49,042 --> 00:58:50,542 that I can send out as a Christmas card." 1341 00:58:50,625 --> 00:58:52,417 And, you know, he gave us, like, 700 bucks, 1342 00:58:52,500 --> 00:58:55,375 and we went and made this five-minute short. 1343 00:58:55,458 --> 00:58:58,083 - I come seeking retribution. 1344 00:58:58,167 --> 00:59:00,292 - [gasps] He's come to kill you 'cause you're Jewish, Kyle. 1345 00:59:00,375 --> 00:59:01,667 - Oh, [bleep]! 1346 00:59:01,750 --> 00:59:06,125 - It went around the TV community like wildfire. 1347 00:59:06,208 --> 00:59:08,250 - Yeah! - Ohh! 1348 00:59:08,333 --> 00:59:10,375 - I mean, it was the funniest thing 1349 00:59:10,458 --> 00:59:11,625 you'd ever seen in your life. 1350 00:59:11,708 --> 00:59:13,167 both: Go, Santa! 1351 00:59:13,000 --> 00:59:16,375 - Somebody showed me the short. both: Go, Jesus! 1352 00:59:16,458 --> 00:59:18,208 - And I thought it was hysterical. 1353 00:59:18,042 --> 00:59:21,125 So I called and said, "Get them in here right away!" 1354 00:59:21,208 --> 00:59:23,333 ♪ ♪ 1355 00:59:23,417 --> 00:59:25,583 - [muffled speech] [train horn blares] 1356 00:59:25,667 --> 00:59:27,958 - Oh, my God! They killed Kenny! 1357 00:59:28,042 --> 00:59:30,000 - You bastards! - "South Park" was able 1358 00:59:30,083 --> 00:59:31,500 to be topical. 1359 00:59:31,583 --> 00:59:33,583 - Just call me your old pal Saddam Hussein. 1360 00:59:33,667 --> 00:59:36,625 - "South Park" really, really detests hypocrites. 1361 00:59:36,708 --> 00:59:39,375 - Christians and Republicans and Nazis, oh, my! 1362 00:59:39,458 --> 00:59:40,458 [gunshot] 1363 00:59:40,542 --> 00:59:42,167 - Well, okay, Mrs. Cartman. 1364 00:59:42,000 --> 00:59:45,083 I'll legalize 40th trimester abortions for you. 1365 00:59:45,167 --> 00:59:48,000 [laughter] 1366 00:59:48,083 --> 00:59:50,542 - Could you imagine back then that these people 1367 00:59:50,625 --> 00:59:54,083 would ever get on network television? 1368 00:59:54,167 --> 00:59:56,208 Or any kind of television? 1369 00:59:56,292 --> 00:59:59,167 - Howdy ho! 1370 00:59:59,000 --> 01:00:01,083 [all gasp] 1371 01:00:01,167 --> 01:00:03,875 - It's a miracle. 1372 01:00:03,958 --> 01:00:06,083 "South Park" is a miracle. 1373 01:00:06,167 --> 01:00:09,042 [rock music] [cheers and applause] 1374 01:00:09,125 --> 01:00:11,375 - The early '90s, the HBO shows start 1375 01:00:11,458 --> 01:00:14,042 to kind of come into their own. 1376 01:00:14,125 --> 01:00:17,042 - Now--now, Dan, have I always had these breasts? 1377 01:00:18,167 --> 01:00:20,125 - A lot of people want freedom. 1378 01:00:20,208 --> 01:00:21,875 They don't wanna go back to the networks, 1379 01:00:21,958 --> 01:00:23,375 which are saying, "You can come to us 1380 01:00:23,458 --> 01:00:24,917 "where you'll make more money, 1381 01:00:25,000 --> 01:00:27,208 but you also have content restricted." 1382 01:00:27,292 --> 01:00:29,458 You could go to cable and have no restrictions. 1383 01:00:29,542 --> 01:00:33,500 Not make as much money but have freedom of expression, 1384 01:00:33,583 --> 01:00:37,167 which almost everybody who works in these mediums wants. 1385 01:00:37,250 --> 01:00:38,167 [dance music playing] 1386 01:00:38,250 --> 01:00:40,958 - Some of the content truly was, 1387 01:00:41,042 --> 01:00:43,042 "You can't get this anywhere else." 1388 01:00:43,125 --> 01:00:45,167 - Here at Fantasy Makers, the only limit 1389 01:00:45,250 --> 01:00:48,917 on the kinds of fantasies is people's imagination. 1390 01:00:49,000 --> 01:00:51,167 [upbeat music] 1391 01:00:51,250 --> 01:00:53,958 - HBO turned to people who had said, 1392 01:00:54,042 --> 01:00:58,542 "I can't do that on television, but you can do it on HBO." 1393 01:00:58,625 --> 01:01:01,083 - White people don't trust black people. 1394 01:01:01,167 --> 01:01:04,167 That's why they won't vote for no black president. 1395 01:01:04,250 --> 01:01:07,125 Like, a black brother will [bleep] up the White House. 1396 01:01:07,208 --> 01:01:09,500 Like, the grass won't be cut. 1397 01:01:09,583 --> 01:01:12,042 Dishes piled up, cousins running through the White House, 1398 01:01:12,125 --> 01:01:14,250 cookouts, basketball goal in the back. 1399 01:01:14,333 --> 01:01:16,375 - In the late '80s, HBO was just 1400 01:01:16,458 --> 01:01:19,208 sort of gaining ground for series. 1401 01:01:19,292 --> 01:01:21,000 [eerie music] 1402 01:01:21,083 --> 01:01:23,583 - By the '90s, HBO had started 1403 01:01:23,667 --> 01:01:27,000 to begin its explosion. 1404 01:01:28,208 --> 01:01:29,875 - When we started doing "Dream On," 1405 01:01:29,958 --> 01:01:34,167 one of the things that HBO said to us was, 1406 01:01:34,250 --> 01:01:38,083 "It's gotta be something that couldn't be on network TV." 1407 01:01:38,167 --> 01:01:42,083 [upbeat music] 1408 01:01:42,167 --> 01:01:44,625 - Because HBO was driven by subscribers 1409 01:01:44,708 --> 01:01:47,958 and not by commercials and selling advertising time, 1410 01:01:48,042 --> 01:01:51,875 they had a different way of looking at success or failure. 1411 01:01:51,958 --> 01:01:54,583 What they were looking for was critical acclaim. 1412 01:01:54,667 --> 01:01:57,125 - You've watched Letterman. You've watched Leno. 1413 01:01:57,208 --> 01:01:58,042 But what about Larry? 1414 01:01:58,125 --> 01:01:59,542 Larry Sanders, that is. 1415 01:01:59,625 --> 01:02:01,375 He's the TV alter ego 1416 01:02:01,458 --> 01:02:03,250 of comedian Gary Shandling. 1417 01:02:03,333 --> 01:02:06,542 - Gary Shandling wanted to do a show that deconstructed 1418 01:02:06,625 --> 01:02:09,083 the kind of show that "The Tonight Show" was. 1419 01:02:09,167 --> 01:02:11,333 - Just pretend like you're talking to me 1420 01:02:11,417 --> 01:02:13,167 till we're off the air so it won't seem weird. 1421 01:02:13,250 --> 01:02:14,792 - Okay. All right. - So... 1422 01:02:14,875 --> 01:02:17,167 - Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 1423 01:02:17,250 --> 01:02:19,458 - "The Larry Sanders Show" was sort of cathartic, 1424 01:02:19,542 --> 01:02:22,125 because in the world of "The Larry Sanders Show," 1425 01:02:22,208 --> 01:02:23,542 there was a network. 1426 01:02:23,625 --> 01:02:25,083 - Do you want me to [bleep] with your budget? 1427 01:02:25,167 --> 01:02:27,042 Is that what you want me to do? 1428 01:02:27,125 --> 01:02:28,917 - So it became this weird, funhouse mirror thing, 1429 01:02:29,000 --> 01:02:30,375 where you could use stuff 1430 01:02:30,458 --> 01:02:33,500 from your misery from your career as fodder. 1431 01:02:33,583 --> 01:02:35,167 - Now, don't take this as a threat, 1432 01:02:35,000 --> 01:02:37,500 but I killed a man like you in Korea, 1433 01:02:37,583 --> 01:02:39,375 hand-to-hand. 1434 01:02:39,458 --> 01:02:42,167 My boy doesn't want to do any more commercials. 1435 01:02:42,250 --> 01:02:44,667 - "Larry Sanders" to me was, you know, 1436 01:02:44,750 --> 01:02:47,083 aside from being a brilliant television show... 1437 01:02:47,167 --> 01:02:49,167 - Can you say, "Hey, now"? 1438 01:02:49,250 --> 01:02:51,000 all: Hey, now! 1439 01:02:51,083 --> 01:02:52,917 - It was my everyday life. 1440 01:02:53,000 --> 01:02:54,792 - I'm here for three good reasons: 1441 01:02:54,875 --> 01:02:58,875 last show, big ratings, movie coming out. 1442 01:02:58,958 --> 01:03:01,333 Bim, bam, boom. [blows] 1443 01:03:01,417 --> 01:03:03,833 - "The Larry Sanders Show" was very unique 1444 01:03:03,917 --> 01:03:07,792 in that it was very deadpan 1445 01:03:07,875 --> 01:03:11,083 and really groundbreaking in its day. 1446 01:03:11,167 --> 01:03:13,250 - I think it made people really go, 1447 01:03:13,333 --> 01:03:16,167 "That's the level of work you may be able to do 1448 01:03:16,000 --> 01:03:17,500 on a cable network." 1449 01:03:17,583 --> 01:03:19,500 - Please, do not flip around. 1450 01:03:19,583 --> 01:03:20,917 Come right back. 1451 01:03:21,000 --> 01:03:23,083 Do not flip around. [cheers and applause] 1452 01:03:23,167 --> 01:03:24,875 Do not flip. 1453 01:03:24,958 --> 01:03:26,208 - Hey, now! all: Hey, now! 1454 01:03:26,292 --> 01:03:27,792 - Oh, you sound good. 1455 01:03:33,000 --> 01:03:36,333 ["Beverly Hills 90201" theme] 1456 01:03:36,417 --> 01:03:38,750 - In the '90s, you suddenly had shows that were 1457 01:03:38,833 --> 01:03:40,750 aiming at a young audience. 1458 01:03:40,833 --> 01:03:43,750 ♪ ♪ 1459 01:03:43,833 --> 01:03:46,000 One of the things that really made "90210" stand out 1460 01:03:46,083 --> 01:03:48,042 is that it was one of the first dramas 1461 01:03:48,125 --> 01:03:50,875 to really get into the teenager's point of view. 1462 01:03:50,958 --> 01:03:53,500 - Do you have protection? 1463 01:03:53,583 --> 01:03:56,208 - Of course. 1464 01:03:56,042 --> 01:03:58,625 That's always been my problem. 1465 01:03:58,708 --> 01:04:00,958 Lots of protection but no one to protect. 1466 01:04:01,042 --> 01:04:02,833 - I wanted to do a TV series 1467 01:04:02,917 --> 01:04:06,667 that was going to be relevant to teenagers. 1468 01:04:06,750 --> 01:04:08,500 [cheerleaders chanting] 1469 01:04:08,583 --> 01:04:11,583 And it's not about the parents solving the kids' problems. 1470 01:04:11,667 --> 01:04:14,667 It's about the kids basically solving their own problems. 1471 01:04:14,750 --> 01:04:16,208 - What are we supposed to do, sit 'em down, 1472 01:04:16,292 --> 01:04:18,458 have a kid-to-parent talk? 1473 01:04:18,542 --> 01:04:20,667 - No, you can't talk to parents on that mature a level. 1474 01:04:20,750 --> 01:04:22,750 Tragic but true. 1475 01:04:22,833 --> 01:04:24,250 - If the '60s had Beatlemania, 1476 01:04:24,333 --> 01:04:27,083 the '90s had "90210" mania. 1477 01:04:27,167 --> 01:04:30,083 And when "TV Guide" had its "Youth-Quake" cover, 1478 01:04:30,167 --> 01:04:31,708 that was a sign that suddenly, 1479 01:04:31,792 --> 01:04:36,000 television was focused on these young people. 1480 01:04:36,083 --> 01:04:37,792 - ♪ It's what I gotta do ♪ 1481 01:04:37,875 --> 01:04:39,000 - "My So-Called Life" was like 1482 01:04:39,083 --> 01:04:42,083 the punk rock version of "90210." 1483 01:04:42,167 --> 01:04:45,625 It was earnest but not at all saccharine. 1484 01:04:45,708 --> 01:04:47,833 It didn't have easy answers. 1485 01:04:47,917 --> 01:04:50,083 It showed teen heartbreak 1486 01:04:50,167 --> 01:04:54,000 in a way that was staggeringly real for the time. 1487 01:04:54,083 --> 01:04:57,250 - Why are you like this? 1488 01:04:57,333 --> 01:04:59,250 - Like what? 1489 01:04:59,333 --> 01:05:02,083 [dance music playing in background] 1490 01:05:02,167 --> 01:05:03,625 - Like how you are. - Hey, Jordan! 1491 01:05:03,708 --> 01:05:06,417 You coming or not? - How am I? 1492 01:05:06,500 --> 01:05:10,167 ♪ ♪ 1493 01:05:10,000 --> 01:05:11,875 How--how am I? 1494 01:05:11,958 --> 01:05:14,250 - "My So-Called Life" was your actual life 1495 01:05:14,333 --> 01:05:18,125 and the idea that everyone in high school is a misfit, 1496 01:05:18,208 --> 01:05:19,667 that you have this deep insecurity 1497 01:05:19,750 --> 01:05:21,417 about who you're supposed to be. 1498 01:05:21,500 --> 01:05:23,583 - You know how sometimes the last sentence you said, 1499 01:05:23,667 --> 01:05:25,625 like, echoes in your brain, 1500 01:05:25,708 --> 01:05:29,333 and it just keeps sounding stupider 1501 01:05:29,417 --> 01:05:31,792 and you have to say something else just to make it stop? 1502 01:05:31,875 --> 01:05:36,208 Oh, I just remembered, I, um--I owe you $30. 1503 01:05:36,292 --> 01:05:39,000 - "My So-Called Life" was not necessarily the show 1504 01:05:39,083 --> 01:05:40,292 that the cheerleader or the captain 1505 01:05:40,375 --> 01:05:41,792 of the football team were watching. 1506 01:05:41,875 --> 01:05:43,542 They were still watching "90210." 1507 01:05:43,625 --> 01:05:45,458 But it was the people who maybe didn't 1508 01:05:45,542 --> 01:05:48,208 recognize themselves in "90210" who felt like, 1509 01:05:48,042 --> 01:05:51,417 "Aha! Now I recognize myself in 'My So-Called Life.'" 1510 01:05:51,500 --> 01:05:53,708 - DeMarco asked me if you were getting a sex change. 1511 01:05:53,792 --> 01:05:57,417 - Exactly! I don't want to be a girl. 1512 01:05:57,500 --> 01:05:58,875 I just wanna hang with girls. 1513 01:05:58,958 --> 01:06:01,083 - Rickie was out on the show, eventually, 1514 01:06:01,167 --> 01:06:03,625 and that was a story line that was treated 1515 01:06:03,708 --> 01:06:06,083 with great sensitivity. 1516 01:06:06,167 --> 01:06:09,208 - That I belong nowhere. 1517 01:06:09,292 --> 01:06:11,125 With no one. 1518 01:06:13,208 --> 01:06:16,208 That I don't fit. 1519 01:06:16,042 --> 01:06:19,125 - I mean, it was-- it was so deeply felt. 1520 01:06:19,208 --> 01:06:21,125 It was saying to the viewer, 1521 01:06:21,208 --> 01:06:24,250 "Things that you have gone through, they matter." 1522 01:06:25,375 --> 01:06:27,458 - "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" depicted high school 1523 01:06:27,542 --> 01:06:30,042 in a similar way to "My So-Called Life." 1524 01:06:30,125 --> 01:06:32,458 Except rather than just feeling like hell, 1525 01:06:32,542 --> 01:06:35,000 it actually was hell. 1526 01:06:35,083 --> 01:06:38,833 Her high school was literally built on top of hell. 1527 01:06:38,917 --> 01:06:41,125 - [screaming] 1528 01:06:41,208 --> 01:06:42,792 - And so all of these creatures would come up 1529 01:06:42,875 --> 01:06:44,167 that she would have to fight. 1530 01:06:44,000 --> 01:06:45,625 - [grunting] 1531 01:06:45,708 --> 01:06:48,583 - [grunts, roars] 1532 01:06:48,667 --> 01:06:51,042 - [sighs] Three in one night. 1533 01:06:51,125 --> 01:06:53,750 - And it was a brilliant metaphor for adolescence 1534 01:06:53,833 --> 01:06:55,792 and all the demons that you have to slay. 1535 01:06:58,792 --> 01:07:00,292 - You know, Buffy was a teenager 1536 01:07:00,375 --> 01:07:03,708 and she was still finding out who she was. 1537 01:07:03,792 --> 01:07:06,542 One of the story lines that was very popular 1538 01:07:06,625 --> 01:07:08,750 and much talked about was where 1539 01:07:08,833 --> 01:07:11,292 she has sex with her boyfriend for the first time. 1540 01:07:11,375 --> 01:07:13,792 And then, in sort of the world of "Buffy," 1541 01:07:13,875 --> 01:07:15,500 he becomes literally evil. 1542 01:07:15,583 --> 01:07:17,167 - There must be some part of you inside 1543 01:07:17,000 --> 01:07:18,708 that still remembers who you are. 1544 01:07:18,792 --> 01:07:20,792 - Dream on, schoolgirl. 1545 01:07:20,875 --> 01:07:23,167 - In order to save the world, literally, 1546 01:07:23,000 --> 01:07:25,125 she knows that she has to send him to hell. 1547 01:07:25,208 --> 01:07:27,208 - [gasps] 1548 01:07:30,625 --> 01:07:34,292 - Buffy knows in an instant that Angel has become good again. 1549 01:07:34,375 --> 01:07:36,417 - Buffy. 1550 01:07:36,500 --> 01:07:39,125 - And so she has this moment of reckoning 1551 01:07:39,208 --> 01:07:41,000 that she has to decide whether to do this or not. 1552 01:07:41,083 --> 01:07:46,292 And she makes the sacrifice to push him back into hell. 1553 01:07:48,708 --> 01:07:51,000 - [gasps] Ah! 1554 01:07:51,083 --> 01:07:53,542 - The show was really working on multiple levels. 1555 01:07:53,625 --> 01:07:55,625 And in Buffy, in particular, 1556 01:07:55,708 --> 01:08:00,042 we saw a character that was a reluctant protagonist, 1557 01:08:00,125 --> 01:08:01,875 forced to make tough decisions. 1558 01:08:01,958 --> 01:08:03,042 - Buffy. 1559 01:08:03,125 --> 01:08:06,208 ♪ ♪ 1560 01:08:06,292 --> 01:08:09,000 - There was a kind of opening of the floodgates 1561 01:08:09,083 --> 01:08:10,667 in the '90s for women. 1562 01:08:10,750 --> 01:08:15,000 The idea of being an "ideal," I think, was kind of smashed 1563 01:08:15,083 --> 01:08:17,083 through a lot of the characters on television. 1564 01:08:17,167 --> 01:08:19,833 - Look, if you're a successful saleswoman in this city, 1565 01:08:19,917 --> 01:08:21,083 you have two choices. 1566 01:08:21,167 --> 01:08:22,542 You can bang your head against the wall 1567 01:08:22,625 --> 01:08:24,625 and try and find a relationship, or you can say screw it 1568 01:08:24,708 --> 01:08:26,667 and just go out and have sex, like a man. 1569 01:08:26,750 --> 01:08:29,917 ["Sex and the City" theme] 1570 01:08:30,000 --> 01:08:31,042 - "Sex and the City" was a huge success 1571 01:08:31,125 --> 01:08:32,458 right from the start. 1572 01:08:32,542 --> 01:08:36,250 It was very funny and very clever and very candid. 1573 01:08:36,333 --> 01:08:40,125 - Are relationships the religion of the '90s? 1574 01:08:40,208 --> 01:08:42,375 - These are women who were making a good living, 1575 01:08:42,458 --> 01:08:44,042 they were independent, they were single, 1576 01:08:44,125 --> 01:08:46,583 and they were sort of feeling their power. 1577 01:08:46,667 --> 01:08:49,250 - I said olive. 1578 01:08:49,333 --> 01:08:52,000 Bad waiter, bad waiter. - What do you tip for that? 1579 01:08:52,083 --> 01:08:54,625 - I wanted these women to be objectifying their men 1580 01:08:54,708 --> 01:08:57,042 in the way that men had always objectified women. 1581 01:08:57,125 --> 01:09:00,667 - All righty. My turn. 1582 01:09:00,750 --> 01:09:03,542 - Oh, sorry. I have to go back to work. 1583 01:09:03,625 --> 01:09:07,042 - You didn't used to be able to discuss sex as sex 1584 01:09:07,125 --> 01:09:08,542 on network shows. 1585 01:09:08,625 --> 01:09:12,000 There never were people talking about orgasms 1586 01:09:12,083 --> 01:09:14,375 or organs or sex. 1587 01:09:14,458 --> 01:09:16,292 - Okay, words are essential. 1588 01:09:16,375 --> 01:09:19,000 Tell me exactly how he worded it. 1589 01:09:19,083 --> 01:09:21,083 - "We've been seeing each other for a couple of weeks. 1590 01:09:21,167 --> 01:09:24,542 "I really like you, and tomorrow night after dinner, 1591 01:09:24,625 --> 01:09:26,458 I want us to have anal sex." 1592 01:09:26,542 --> 01:09:28,750 - These are women who shared everything with each other. 1593 01:09:28,833 --> 01:09:32,458 And they're discussing what anal sex means. 1594 01:09:32,542 --> 01:09:35,250 - If he goes up there, there's gonna be a shift in power. 1595 01:09:35,333 --> 01:09:37,542 Either he'll have the upper hand, or you will. 1596 01:09:37,625 --> 01:09:39,625 - And should she do this or not? 1597 01:09:39,708 --> 01:09:42,208 - This is a physical expression that the body was-- 1598 01:09:42,042 --> 01:09:43,708 well, it was designed to experience. 1599 01:09:43,792 --> 01:09:46,083 And P.S., it's fabulous. 1600 01:09:46,167 --> 01:09:47,208 - What are you talking about? 1601 01:09:47,292 --> 01:09:48,500 I went to Smith. 1602 01:09:48,583 --> 01:09:50,292 - The show took an interesting turn 1603 01:09:50,375 --> 01:09:54,000 by really focusing on the relationship between the women 1604 01:09:54,083 --> 01:09:56,000 and telling the story of them 1605 01:09:56,083 --> 01:09:57,708 as really soul mates together as well. 1606 01:09:57,792 --> 01:10:00,750 - You did the right thing, buying that apartment. 1607 01:10:00,833 --> 01:10:03,417 You love it, right? - Yeah. 1608 01:10:03,500 --> 01:10:06,208 - And you won't be alone forever. 1609 01:10:06,292 --> 01:10:09,625 - Historically, women are often set up in narratives 1610 01:10:09,708 --> 01:10:11,500 in which only one can succeed. 1611 01:10:11,583 --> 01:10:15,875 And so showing women not competing with each other 1612 01:10:15,958 --> 01:10:18,042 and as supporting each other was also 1613 01:10:18,125 --> 01:10:20,125 an important narrative change. 1614 01:10:20,208 --> 01:10:21,667 - Okay, girls. See you tomorrow. 1615 01:10:21,750 --> 01:10:23,292 all: Okay. - Night, night. 1616 01:10:23,375 --> 01:10:25,333 - The show had a message of freedom 1617 01:10:25,417 --> 01:10:27,750 and liberation-- especially for women-- 1618 01:10:27,833 --> 01:10:30,000 that really resonated. 1619 01:10:30,083 --> 01:10:32,250 I think "Sex and the City" helped make HBO 1620 01:10:32,333 --> 01:10:34,000 a place where people would think, 1621 01:10:34,083 --> 01:10:35,833 "I wonder what they're doing next." 1622 01:10:45,750 --> 01:10:48,833 - In 1991, we got a call from MTV. 1623 01:10:48,917 --> 01:10:51,208 And they were toying with the idea 1624 01:10:51,042 --> 01:10:53,958 of doing some kind of a scripted show 1625 01:10:54,042 --> 01:10:55,208 about young people... 1626 01:10:55,042 --> 01:10:56,583 - They said it was like a mixture 1627 01:10:56,667 --> 01:10:58,750 between "The Big Chill" and "The Breakfast Club." 1628 01:10:58,833 --> 01:11:01,292 - But ultimately decided the idea of a show 1629 01:11:01,375 --> 01:11:04,125 with writers and actors would just be too expensive for them. 1630 01:11:04,208 --> 01:11:07,125 - The real world, I guess that's what this was supposed to be. 1631 01:11:07,208 --> 01:11:10,625 - So we essentially applied all the drama rules 1632 01:11:10,708 --> 01:11:13,042 to documentary to get our-- 1633 01:11:13,125 --> 01:11:15,750 what we called at that time a docusoap. 1634 01:11:15,833 --> 01:11:18,500 - This is the true story. - True story. 1635 01:11:18,583 --> 01:11:20,042 - Of seven strangers. - It was kind of 1636 01:11:20,125 --> 01:11:22,083 this social experiment to kind of watch what happens 1637 01:11:22,167 --> 01:11:23,625 when you put these strangers together in a house. 1638 01:11:23,708 --> 01:11:25,208 You know, "When people stop being polite 1639 01:11:25,042 --> 01:11:26,333 and start getting real." 1640 01:11:26,417 --> 01:11:28,125 [beeper beeping] - Do you sell drugs? 1641 01:11:28,208 --> 01:11:30,000 Why do you have a beeper? [laughter] 1642 01:11:30,083 --> 01:11:32,042 - You hadn't seen anything like that on television. 1643 01:11:32,125 --> 01:11:34,625 That kind of open, honest discussion of race. 1644 01:11:34,708 --> 01:11:37,500 - I could try as much as I can to try to deal with you, 1645 01:11:37,583 --> 01:11:39,125 but ignorance is ignorance, 1646 01:11:39,208 --> 01:11:41,417 stupidity is stupidity, and that's it. 1647 01:11:41,500 --> 01:11:44,000 Black, white, green, purple, blue, whatever. 1648 01:11:44,083 --> 01:11:46,375 - "The Real World" becomes this kind of, you know, 1649 01:11:46,458 --> 01:11:48,333 big-bang moment for reality TV, 1650 01:11:48,417 --> 01:11:50,000 where the idea is that, "Oh, my God, 1651 01:11:50,083 --> 01:11:51,500 "all we have to do is just take cameras 1652 01:11:51,583 --> 01:11:54,458 and put them on people and we'll get great stuff." 1653 01:11:54,542 --> 01:11:56,958 You had, in the next season in L.A., 1654 01:11:57,042 --> 01:11:59,167 a young woman who gets an abortion, and the camera 1655 01:11:59,000 --> 01:12:01,208 literally goes right up to the doctor's door. 1656 01:12:01,042 --> 01:12:03,208 - You okay? Give me a hug. - Okay, yeah, fine. 1657 01:12:03,292 --> 01:12:05,458 - By the third season in San Francisco, 1658 01:12:05,542 --> 01:12:08,083 you have a young man who is dealing with AIDS. 1659 01:12:08,167 --> 01:12:10,833 - I'm HIV positive. 1660 01:12:10,917 --> 01:12:12,583 - When Pedro told me he was HIV positive, 1661 01:12:12,667 --> 01:12:15,667 it was just like, no, not him. 1662 01:12:15,750 --> 01:12:17,833 Like, I like this guy and I don't want him 1663 01:12:17,917 --> 01:12:19,583 to have to suffer. 1664 01:12:19,667 --> 01:12:23,125 - It was such a triumph that Pedro had the courage 1665 01:12:23,208 --> 01:12:26,125 at his age to come out as someone with AIDS. 1666 01:12:26,208 --> 01:12:28,667 In my small gay community on campus, 1667 01:12:28,750 --> 01:12:33,208 we all felt like, "Wow," he was our hero. 1668 01:12:33,042 --> 01:12:36,000 - He falls in love, and he and his partner Sean 1669 01:12:36,083 --> 01:12:38,125 have a ceremony. 1670 01:12:38,208 --> 01:12:39,583 You know, and this is long before 1671 01:12:39,667 --> 01:12:41,792 same-sex marriage was legal. 1672 01:12:41,875 --> 01:12:44,000 TV shows weren't doing this. Movies weren't doing this. 1673 01:12:44,083 --> 01:12:46,500 - I have to believe that all the pain 1674 01:12:46,583 --> 01:12:48,417 that I'm going through, that all the anger, 1675 01:12:48,500 --> 01:12:50,375 all the frustration, that there's something 1676 01:12:50,458 --> 01:12:52,125 bigger than that. 1677 01:12:52,208 --> 01:12:54,125 - AIDS has claimed a young man 1678 01:12:54,208 --> 01:12:56,958 who made an enormous impact on a generation of young Americans. 1679 01:12:57,042 --> 01:13:01,875 Pedro Zamora died in Miami today at the age of 22. 1680 01:13:01,958 --> 01:13:04,958 - I'm really glad I got to know Pedro Zamora. 1681 01:13:05,042 --> 01:13:06,958 I'm grateful that his rich and fulfilling work 1682 01:13:07,042 --> 01:13:09,083 is still remembered today. 1683 01:13:09,167 --> 01:13:13,750 And I hope you enjoy and learn from Pedro's life of compassion 1684 01:13:13,833 --> 01:13:15,417 and fearlessness. 1685 01:13:15,500 --> 01:13:17,042 - You have to really credit "The Real World" with sort of 1686 01:13:17,125 --> 01:13:20,208 helping the acceptance of the LGBT community 1687 01:13:20,042 --> 01:13:22,000 because there weren't many portrayals of gay people, 1688 01:13:22,083 --> 01:13:23,750 period, you know, on television at that point. 1689 01:13:23,833 --> 01:13:25,208 - Her name is Marla. 1690 01:13:25,292 --> 01:13:27,167 I'm seeing a woman. 1691 01:13:28,708 --> 01:13:31,333 - In the '90s, gay characters were always 1692 01:13:31,417 --> 01:13:34,625 secondary or third. 1693 01:13:34,708 --> 01:13:38,500 There was never a gay character that was the lead of a show. 1694 01:13:49,000 --> 01:13:50,375 - So you wanna go look at apartments tomorrow? 1695 01:13:50,458 --> 01:13:51,375 - Great idea! - Okay. 1696 01:13:51,458 --> 01:13:52,667 - Ellen DeGeneres the comedian 1697 01:13:52,750 --> 01:13:54,042 was about to come out as a lesbian. 1698 01:13:54,125 --> 01:13:56,292 - Look, Murphy. 1699 01:13:56,375 --> 01:13:58,625 - [laughs] - I'm on the cover of "TIME." 1700 01:13:58,708 --> 01:14:00,917 - And she does it on "TIME" magazine. 1701 01:14:01,000 --> 01:14:02,833 "Yep, I'm Gay." 1702 01:14:02,917 --> 01:14:05,958 But they decide that the character that Ellen plays on TV 1703 01:14:06,042 --> 01:14:07,208 will also come out. 1704 01:14:07,292 --> 01:14:09,542 - It is just reprehensible that ABC-- 1705 01:14:09,625 --> 01:14:12,000 now owned by Disney, of all companies-- 1706 01:14:12,083 --> 01:14:14,875 is going to feature Ellen as coming out of the closet. 1707 01:14:14,958 --> 01:14:17,208 It won't be long before God knows what, 1708 01:14:17,042 --> 01:14:19,792 you know, bestiality, incest, who knows? 1709 01:14:19,875 --> 01:14:21,375 - We were getting bomb threats. 1710 01:14:21,458 --> 01:14:24,833 Disney was really getting a lot of flack 1711 01:14:24,917 --> 01:14:27,042 for even thinking about having 1712 01:14:27,125 --> 01:14:28,708 a coming-out episode with Ellen. 1713 01:14:28,792 --> 01:14:32,000 - I'm 35 years old. I'm so afraid to tell people. 1714 01:14:32,083 --> 01:14:34,250 I mean, I just-- 1715 01:14:34,333 --> 01:14:36,083 Susan... 1716 01:14:36,167 --> 01:14:38,167 [over PA speakers] I'm gay. 1717 01:14:38,250 --> 01:14:41,500 [audience cheering] 1718 01:14:45,083 --> 01:14:48,542 - Ellen coming out was a huge moment for me, personally, 1719 01:14:48,625 --> 01:14:52,208 because, you know, I was a closeted gay guy. 1720 01:14:52,042 --> 01:14:54,083 A gay child at that time. 1721 01:14:54,167 --> 01:14:56,500 And it was the bravest thing I saw. 1722 01:14:56,583 --> 01:14:58,167 - How did that feel? 1723 01:14:58,250 --> 01:15:00,167 - That felt great. 1724 01:15:00,000 --> 01:15:01,833 That felt so great. 1725 01:15:01,917 --> 01:15:05,625 - Initial report suggests ABC made a bundle on Ellen's 1726 01:15:05,708 --> 01:15:08,333 highly publicized outing on national TV last night. 1727 01:15:08,417 --> 01:15:11,167 The broadcast was accompanied by coming-out parties 1728 01:15:11,250 --> 01:15:13,000 all around the country, including one 1729 01:15:13,083 --> 01:15:15,042 in Birmingham, Alabama, 1730 01:15:15,125 --> 01:15:18,500 where the local ABC station refused to broadcast the show. 1731 01:15:18,583 --> 01:15:21,500 - She did a great thing. She was brave. 1732 01:15:21,583 --> 01:15:25,583 - I made the decision that I wasn't gonna live my life 1733 01:15:25,667 --> 01:15:27,083 as a lie anymore. 1734 01:15:28,125 --> 01:15:30,375 I was-- 1735 01:15:30,458 --> 01:15:34,167 I belong with everybody else. 1736 01:15:34,250 --> 01:15:37,750 And that's what I finally did. 1737 01:15:37,833 --> 01:15:41,042 - We used to say Ellen opened the door and we knocked it down. 1738 01:15:41,125 --> 01:15:42,458 ♪ Hey, listen, sister ♪ 1739 01:15:42,542 --> 01:15:46,208 ♪ I love my mister man ♪ 1740 01:15:46,042 --> 01:15:48,458 both: ♪ Tell me he's lazy, tell me he's slow ♪ 1741 01:15:48,542 --> 01:15:50,833 ♪ Tell me I'm crazy, maybe I know ♪ 1742 01:15:50,917 --> 01:15:54,083 ♪ Can't help loving that man of mine ♪ 1743 01:15:54,167 --> 01:15:55,625 - Take it, Jackie! - And pas de bourrée, 1744 01:15:55,708 --> 01:15:57,792 and pas de bourrée, and soufflé. 1745 01:15:57,875 --> 01:16:01,375 I'm gay! 1746 01:16:01,458 --> 01:16:03,667 - "Will & Grace" was a great show 1747 01:16:03,750 --> 01:16:07,125 in sort of helping a mainstream straight community 1748 01:16:07,208 --> 01:16:08,708 connect to the gay community. 1749 01:16:08,792 --> 01:16:10,458 - I think I can fix this thing with your landlord, 1750 01:16:10,542 --> 01:16:13,667 but it might get a little ugly. 1751 01:16:13,750 --> 01:16:17,042 - Play hardball, baby. 1752 01:16:17,125 --> 01:16:19,125 Throw him low and inside. He's crowding the plate 1753 01:16:19,208 --> 01:16:20,542 and we've gotta go for it-- - Grace. 1754 01:16:20,625 --> 01:16:23,167 Sports, you're losing me. 1755 01:16:23,250 --> 01:16:26,583 - I figured 25% of the country wouldn't watch the show, 1756 01:16:26,667 --> 01:16:30,833 just based on the fact that we had two gay men on it. 1757 01:16:30,917 --> 01:16:32,042 - Ah! - Give it to me! 1758 01:16:32,125 --> 01:16:34,042 - But if we could make believe 1759 01:16:34,125 --> 01:16:37,292 that Will and Grace would get together... 1760 01:16:37,375 --> 01:16:39,167 - Will, I told you, you live with a hetero 1761 01:16:39,250 --> 01:16:43,583 long enough, you're going to catch it. 1762 01:16:43,667 --> 01:16:46,000 - Maybe we could get people to watch 1763 01:16:46,083 --> 01:16:48,542 thinking that would happen, knowing it would never happen. 1764 01:16:50,417 --> 01:16:53,083 - Sufferin' Sappho! 1765 01:16:54,500 --> 01:16:56,250 - You know, it's a shame, an image like this 1766 01:16:56,333 --> 01:16:59,167 is completely wasted on us. 1767 01:17:00,167 --> 01:17:03,000 - I remember the network calling every other week, 1768 01:17:03,083 --> 01:17:06,208 saying, "Can Will just fall in love with Grace?" 1769 01:17:06,292 --> 01:17:09,625 And the creators were like, "Well, that's weird. 1770 01:17:09,708 --> 01:17:13,375 "He's gay. That's the whole-- Gay people don't do that. 1771 01:17:13,458 --> 01:17:15,625 That's why they're gay." Um...[laughs] 1772 01:17:15,708 --> 01:17:18,458 - Why wasn't I your girlfriend, queer bait? 1773 01:17:20,208 --> 01:17:21,750 - "Will & Grace" was the first time 1774 01:17:21,833 --> 01:17:26,125 you saw characters on television that made gay "normal." 1775 01:17:26,208 --> 01:17:28,375 You wanted to be friends with them. 1776 01:17:28,458 --> 01:17:30,125 - Guess who we are. 1777 01:17:30,208 --> 01:17:34,167 - Uh, a Catholic girl gone bad... 1778 01:17:34,250 --> 01:17:36,083 and, Karen, what are you supposed to be? 1779 01:17:36,167 --> 01:17:37,083 - No! 1780 01:17:37,167 --> 01:17:38,542 - The best feeling I get 1781 01:17:38,625 --> 01:17:40,083 is when people come up and say, 1782 01:17:40,167 --> 01:17:42,375 "Thank you for all you do for the gay community, 1783 01:17:42,458 --> 01:17:45,917 and thank you for playing that part in that show." 1784 01:17:46,000 --> 01:17:48,125 And you feel so fortunate to have been a part 1785 01:17:48,208 --> 01:17:50,208 of something so great. 1786 01:17:59,917 --> 01:18:02,125 - What was happening at the end of the '90s was, 1787 01:18:02,208 --> 01:18:05,083 audiences started to look towards television 1788 01:18:05,167 --> 01:18:09,708 for what they had only found before in feature film. 1789 01:18:09,792 --> 01:18:11,208 - Victory is mine! 1790 01:18:11,042 --> 01:18:12,250 Victory is mine! 1791 01:18:12,333 --> 01:18:13,667 Great day in the morning, people. 1792 01:18:13,750 --> 01:18:14,875 Victory is mine. 1793 01:18:14,958 --> 01:18:17,583 - And actors no longer felt 1794 01:18:17,667 --> 01:18:19,792 that it was a comedown to come work in television. 1795 01:18:19,875 --> 01:18:23,792 - What did I ever do to you except deliver the South? 1796 01:18:25,375 --> 01:18:27,333 - You shouldn't have made me beg. 1797 01:18:27,417 --> 01:18:28,708 - The segment of the audience 1798 01:18:28,792 --> 01:18:30,333 that showed up to watch "West Wing," 1799 01:18:30,417 --> 01:18:33,917 they watched the MacNeil-Lehrer, you know, "NewsHour," 1800 01:18:34,000 --> 01:18:36,625 they watched "West Wing," 1801 01:18:36,708 --> 01:18:39,833 and documentaries in foreign languages, right? 1802 01:18:39,917 --> 01:18:41,667 - If the name of this nominee is leaked out 1803 01:18:41,750 --> 01:18:43,583 before I want it to be leaked out, 1804 01:18:43,667 --> 01:18:47,042 I'm gonna blame you, and you're gonna find that unpleasant. 1805 01:18:47,125 --> 01:18:48,833 - I got to tell you something, Toby. 1806 01:18:48,917 --> 01:18:50,250 You're hot when you're like this. 1807 01:18:50,333 --> 01:18:54,500 - '90s television was the first wave of what we now have: 1808 01:18:54,583 --> 01:18:57,083 remarkably specific niche programming. 1809 01:18:57,167 --> 01:18:59,125 [upbeat music] 1810 01:18:59,208 --> 01:19:03,167 [rock music] 1811 01:19:03,250 --> 01:19:07,125 - "Freaks and Geeks" really sympathized with the losers. 1812 01:19:07,208 --> 01:19:09,750 It had great empathy for its characters. 1813 01:19:09,833 --> 01:19:11,792 [funky rock music] 1814 01:19:11,875 --> 01:19:14,125 - ♪ Go on and laugh at me 'cause you don't see ♪ 1815 01:19:14,208 --> 01:19:16,500 ♪ That I got something going right here ♪ 1816 01:19:16,583 --> 01:19:18,542 - [sighs] "Freaks and Geeks" breaks my heart 1817 01:19:18,625 --> 01:19:21,000 every time I think about it. 1818 01:19:21,083 --> 01:19:24,125 - [sighs] I'm sorry. Did I crush your Twinkies? 1819 01:19:24,208 --> 01:19:26,000 - It lasted 18 episodes! 1820 01:19:26,083 --> 01:19:28,208 And they're perfect 18 episodes, 1821 01:19:28,292 --> 01:19:30,583 but NBC hated it so much. 1822 01:19:30,667 --> 01:19:33,042 - Yeah, roll down the windows, 1823 01:19:33,125 --> 01:19:35,208 'cause I got a big one a-brewin'. 1824 01:19:35,292 --> 01:19:36,917 - Oh, no, please don't. 1825 01:19:37,000 --> 01:19:39,417 - They thought it was a show by losers, 1826 01:19:39,500 --> 01:19:42,042 about losers, for losers. 1827 01:19:42,125 --> 01:19:44,083 They hated it. They wanted no part of it. 1828 01:19:44,167 --> 01:19:46,208 They killed it. 1829 01:19:46,042 --> 01:19:48,042 [punk rock music] 1830 01:19:48,125 --> 01:19:50,792 - At the end of the '90s, 1831 01:19:50,875 --> 01:19:53,875 the jig is starting to be up for the networks. 1832 01:19:53,958 --> 01:19:55,125 [TV static drones] 1833 01:19:55,208 --> 01:19:57,292 Basically, quality migrates to cable. 1834 01:19:57,375 --> 01:19:59,583 [tense jazzy music] 1835 01:19:59,667 --> 01:20:03,000 - "OZ" comes on in '97. 1836 01:20:03,083 --> 01:20:06,042 And it's set in this fictional penitentiary. 1837 01:20:06,125 --> 01:20:08,667 Wow. What a strange show that was. 1838 01:20:10,792 --> 01:20:13,333 - In Oz, sometimes the things you can't touch 1839 01:20:13,417 --> 01:20:15,708 are more real than the things you can. 1840 01:20:15,792 --> 01:20:19,083 For instance, fear, hatred, loneliness 1841 01:20:19,167 --> 01:20:22,542 are more real to me than a shank and a soul. 1842 01:20:22,625 --> 01:20:27,000 - It was jaw-droppingly violent. 1843 01:20:27,083 --> 01:20:29,500 And it's a men's prison. It probably should be. 1844 01:20:29,583 --> 01:20:32,000 But, you know, it kind of announces the idea 1845 01:20:32,083 --> 01:20:33,667 that HBO's gonna get very serious 1846 01:20:33,750 --> 01:20:35,292 about doing scripted dramas. 1847 01:20:35,375 --> 01:20:37,083 - [choking] 1848 01:20:37,167 --> 01:20:39,958 - It's finished! - [grunts] 1849 01:20:40,042 --> 01:20:41,875 - It's over! 1850 01:20:41,958 --> 01:20:43,750 - But HBO really, in my mind, 1851 01:20:43,833 --> 01:20:47,000 comes into its own in 1999 with "The Sopranos." 1852 01:20:47,083 --> 01:20:50,000 [Alabama 3's "Woke Up This Morning"] 1853 01:20:50,083 --> 01:20:51,625 ♪ ♪ 1854 01:20:51,708 --> 01:20:56,083 - ♪ You woke up this morning, got yourself a gun ♪ 1855 01:20:56,167 --> 01:20:58,542 - "Sopranos" just is a-- one of those shows 1856 01:20:58,625 --> 01:21:00,000 that was a benchmark. 1857 01:21:00,083 --> 01:21:02,083 It changed, like, a lot of things for everybody. 1858 01:21:02,167 --> 01:21:04,583 [duck quacking] 1859 01:21:04,667 --> 01:21:06,167 - Throw out the handbook. 1860 01:21:06,250 --> 01:21:10,000 Tony Soprano, the lead actor in a drama... 1861 01:21:10,083 --> 01:21:12,167 - [grunting] - [gasping] 1862 01:21:12,042 --> 01:21:14,708 - He killed a man. We watched him. 1863 01:21:14,792 --> 01:21:18,167 - [choking] - [grunting] 1864 01:21:18,000 --> 01:21:22,333 - When he took his daughter on a college tour. 1865 01:21:22,417 --> 01:21:24,667 - It's pretty, huh? 1866 01:21:24,750 --> 01:21:26,125 - Yeah. - It was just a melding 1867 01:21:26,208 --> 01:21:29,167 of a guy and a world... - Open the [bleep] door. 1868 01:21:29,000 --> 01:21:30,250 Open the [bleep] door! 1869 01:21:30,333 --> 01:21:32,792 - And a behavior that promoted 1870 01:21:32,875 --> 01:21:34,583 all of the feelings that you would have 1871 01:21:34,667 --> 01:21:37,083 for a guy that you love in a guy that you hate. 1872 01:21:37,167 --> 01:21:39,792 [laughs] You know? 1873 01:21:39,875 --> 01:21:43,167 - "Sopranos" came on TV, and it really 1874 01:21:43,250 --> 01:21:45,500 showed us the future, whether we realized 1875 01:21:45,583 --> 01:21:47,625 that was gonna be the future of television or not. 1876 01:21:47,708 --> 01:21:50,042 - Ah, this husband of yours, Carmela, 1877 01:21:50,125 --> 01:21:51,500 how much we love him. 1878 01:21:51,583 --> 01:21:53,333 Mwah! - He's the best. 1879 01:21:53,417 --> 01:21:54,417 - Ohh. - Come on! 1880 01:21:54,500 --> 01:21:57,083 - He's like a father to me. 1881 01:21:57,167 --> 01:21:58,958 - Just make sure nothing happens to him. 1882 01:21:59,042 --> 01:22:01,208 - That character in that show was a great inspiration 1883 01:22:01,042 --> 01:22:02,875 to a great many shows that came after it, 1884 01:22:02,958 --> 01:22:05,083 including one that I worked on. 1885 01:22:05,167 --> 01:22:06,208 - You know what I want, Tony? 1886 01:22:06,292 --> 01:22:07,542 I want those kids to have a father. 1887 01:22:07,625 --> 01:22:09,625 - They got one. This one. 1888 01:22:09,708 --> 01:22:12,583 Me. Tony Soprano. 1889 01:22:12,667 --> 01:22:15,208 And all that comes with it. - Oh, you prick. 1890 01:22:15,042 --> 01:22:17,083 - The '90s was an amazing decade of TV. 1891 01:22:17,167 --> 01:22:19,250 Some of my favorite shows of all time aired in that decade, 1892 01:22:19,333 --> 01:22:20,667 and everybody was watching them. 1893 01:22:20,750 --> 01:22:22,167 - [grunting] 1894 01:22:22,000 --> 01:22:23,667 - There was still that communal sense 1895 01:22:23,750 --> 01:22:25,167 from the earlier decades of TV, 1896 01:22:25,000 --> 01:22:27,125 but it was being applied to shows 1897 01:22:27,208 --> 01:22:29,667 that were reaching higher and farther, 1898 01:22:29,750 --> 01:22:30,667 and they were great. 1899 01:22:30,750 --> 01:22:32,958 [upbeat brass music playing] 1900 01:22:33,042 --> 01:22:34,417 - Because there were so many channels 1901 01:22:34,500 --> 01:22:37,292 and because so much storytelling was going on, 1902 01:22:37,375 --> 01:22:40,333 you started to get more variety of stories being told. 1903 01:22:40,417 --> 01:22:41,750 - Get the skull film, 1904 01:22:41,833 --> 01:22:43,125 schedule a CAT scan, 1905 01:22:43,208 --> 01:22:44,583 and call the neurosurgery resident. 1906 01:22:44,667 --> 01:22:46,125 both: objection! 1907 01:22:46,208 --> 01:22:49,042 - Television showed us women in their depth. 1908 01:22:49,125 --> 01:22:51,125 It began to show us much more of a range 1909 01:22:51,208 --> 01:22:53,125 of the African-American community. 1910 01:22:53,208 --> 01:22:54,792 - I'm always here for you. 1911 01:22:54,875 --> 01:22:57,125 - We started focusing on teenagers 1912 01:22:57,208 --> 01:22:58,625 in a more realistic way. 1913 01:22:58,708 --> 01:23:01,208 - Things change, Dawson. Evolve. 1914 01:23:01,042 --> 01:23:02,833 - What are you talking about? 1915 01:23:02,917 --> 01:23:04,375 - And thinking a little more outside the box 1916 01:23:04,458 --> 01:23:07,042 in terms of what people might want to watch. 1917 01:23:07,125 --> 01:23:09,125 - You're out of order, he's out of order, 1918 01:23:09,208 --> 01:23:11,125 this whole trial is...sexy. 1919 01:23:11,208 --> 01:23:14,083 - After ten years of the '90s, 1920 01:23:14,167 --> 01:23:18,583 we had a whole new television world 1921 01:23:18,667 --> 01:23:21,917 that could take us anyplace we wanted 1922 01:23:22,000 --> 01:23:24,292 and even places we had never imagined. 1923 01:23:24,375 --> 01:23:27,500 [bell dings] - Was that the oven timer? 1924 01:23:27,583 --> 01:23:29,167 - That's right, my friend. 1925 01:23:29,000 --> 01:23:32,333 It's time for... both: "Baywatch"! 1926 01:23:35,083 --> 01:23:36,958 - Oh! - Can you believe 1927 01:23:37,042 --> 01:23:38,958 they gave Stephanie skin cancer? 1928 01:23:39,042 --> 01:23:42,833 - I still can't believe they promoted her to lieutenant. 1929 01:23:42,917 --> 01:23:44,042 - Ah, you're just saying that 1930 01:23:44,125 --> 01:23:46,042 'cause you're in love with Yasmine Bleeth. 1931 01:23:46,125 --> 01:23:47,042 - Well, how could anyone not be in love 1932 01:23:47,125 --> 01:23:50,042 with Yasmine Bleeth? 1933 01:23:50,125 --> 01:23:53,792 - Hey! Hey! They're running! 1934 01:23:53,875 --> 01:23:57,000 - See, this is the brilliance of the show. 1935 01:23:57,083 --> 01:24:00,292 I say always keep them running. 1936 01:24:00,375 --> 01:24:03,042 All the time, running. 1937 01:24:03,125 --> 01:24:05,042 Run. 1938 01:24:05,125 --> 01:24:06,167 Run! 1939 01:24:06,250 --> 01:24:08,125 Run, Yasmine! Run like the wind!