Related
Summary
Even though the biggest moment on television are n’t guaranteed to get on well , all of them have a part to play in the story of the spiritualist . television set history is dotted with moments that alter scripted programs forever . Whether they ’re from hits likeLostorBoardwalk Empire , redefine the potential size of TV budget , or show likeThe SopranosandThe Walking Dead , switch what form of gasbag - push content could be publicise on idiot box , major moments in TV history have the chance to change how the mass medium itself work .
However , this does n’t signify that every huge goggle box moment leaves behind a positive legacy in the decennary that follow . One look at theworst television set crossover of all timeis all it takes to prove that , sometimes , huge TV import are nothing more than major disappointments . Similarly , some divisive idiot box show stopping point have command massive audiences only to leave them foiled and heartsick by the end of the installment . Whether they were beloved or rightfully hat , all of TV ’s big moments have had a huge impact on the medium in the year since they aired .
10Lost’s Finale Really Didn’t Work
The Mystery Series Fell Apart
Cast
WhenLostdebuted , the show was a massive success . The mystery of Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 was introduce inLostseason 1 , instalment 1 , “ Pilot ( Part 1 ) , ” which command a staggering 18.65 million witness ( viaFandom.com ) . By the second season ’s premiere , that number had skyrocketed to 23.47 million . However , by the timeLost ’s infamously divisive finaleaired , the medium viewership had dwindled to less than one-half of the first instalment ’s audience share . For all of its mysteries , Lost ’s finale let viewers down when the show bring out that its heavy ending was just a spin on the purgatory twist everyone had guessedyears earlier .
9Glee Never Matched Its Debut Season
The 2000s Hit Couldn’t Keep Its Success Alive
WhenGleedebuted in 2009 , the show became a massive success . Its cast and piece of writing were both critically acclaim , its music became a streaming sensation , and the show ’s popularity ensue in live concert tours , a concert cinema , and million of soundtrack sales . However , this plug could n’t last . Glee ’s popularity declined almost as fast as the show blow up . By the time the serial publication ended in 2015,Glee ’s viewership had gone from a season 2 norm of 10.9 million to a mere 3 million for the final season(viaThe Hollywood Reporter ) .
8The Friends Finale Fit The Show’s Legacy
The Classic ’90s Sitcom Ended Right
WhiletheFriendsfinalemight have been a source of alarm among the show ’s sports fan root , the ending still abide out as a will to its heavy legacy . Where hits likeLostandGleestarted strong and gradually shed looker as the years passed , theFriendsfinale was watched by 52.5 million viewers ( viaEntertainment Weekly ) . This made it the most popular episode of the classic situation comedy , as well as one of the most - keep an eye on boob tube consequence of the 2000s . This was well - earned since , for all of its flaws , theFriendsfinale is a strong showcase of the mold ’s incredible chemistry .
7MASH’s Daring Finale Was The Right Choice
The Biggest Sitcom Episode Ever Is Dark, Brutal, & Brilliant
Perhaps the only way to make the impingement of theFriendsfinale seem less telling would be to compare it with the final episode ofMASH . This classical situation comedy terminate on February 28 , 1983 , withMASHseason 11 , sequence 16 , “ Goodbye , Farewell and Amen , ” which was follow by a still - staggering 106 million viewers ( viaCNN ) . Despite the show ’s reputation as a cozy sitcom , MASH ’s tragical finalewas a brace , daring anti - war polemic that addressed the extent of Hawkeye ’s debilitating PTSD . A brave piece of dramedy,“Goodbye , Farewell and Amen ” stay a testament to mainstream comedy ’s power to gainsay viewers .
6The Red Wedding Made Game Of Thrones Essential Viewing
The HBO Hit Became A Household Name After This Episode
While the first few season ofGame of Throneswere critically acclaimed , the zap nature of pop culture in the 2010s and the show ’s dark tincture meant that the series did n’t find like a ball-shaped ethnical minute . This change with the arrival ofGame of Thronesseason 3 , episode 9 , “ The Rains of Castamere . ” An impressively brutal outing,“The Rains of Castamere ” defeat off most of the show ’s most unambiguously larger-than-life charactersin a massacre dubbedthe Red Wedding . This pitiless succession proved the show was n’t mess around and madeGame of Thrones the full - blown pop culture phenomenon the series was always destined to become .
5Buffy’s Musical Episode Is Still One of the Best
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Spawned A TV Staple
SinceBuffy the Vampire Slayerseason 6 , installment 7 , “ Once More , With Feeling , ” first publicise , musical episode have become a veritable television receiver staple fibre . Everything fromScrubstoRiverdalewould stage melodic episodes in the eld that followed . However , toBuffy the Vampire Slayer ’s reference , the show ’s junket remains one of the strongest musical episode in boob tube chronicle . While many other elements of the ' 90s score have age ill , “ Once More , With Feeling ” is proof that this TV basic can crop well .
4“Who Shot J.R.?” Was Inimitably Huge
Dallas' Massive Meme Could Never Be Replicated
TheDallasseason 3 finale , “ A House Divided , ” end on a cliffhanger , as Larry Hagman ’s villain , J.R. Ewing , was shoot by an unseen assailant . What followed was a genuine phenomenon asAmerica ghost over “ Who shot J.R. ? ” in the eight month beforeDallasseason 4 premiered . Dallas ’s answer to “ Who Shot J.R.?”commanded an audience of 83 million in just the U.S. ( viaHistory Channel ) , but the episode ’s pop culture impact was inimitable . The rise of the net , the creation of streaming services , and the proliferation of young TV internet made the idea of any show holding American tonic polish in such a chokehold for months on death an impossibility .
3Seinfeld’s Finale Changed Sitcoms Forever
The Sitcom Proved Comedy Leads DIdn’t Need To Be Likable
Seinfeld ’s concluding season terminate with a two - part finale view by 76 million people ( viaEntertainment Weekly ) . The show ’s end shocked many longtime viewers by leave the heroes in prison , a stark dénouement that avoid the sloppiness of most situation comedy close . In the process , Seinfeldopened the door for darker sitcom that did n’t centre on likable Hero and glad ending . FromCurb Your EnthusiasmtoIt ’s Always Sunny in PhiladelphiatoArrested Development , sitcoms stopped worrying about make their main characters decent masses afterthe greatSeinfeldfinaleproved that moral equivocalness would n’t put off viewers .
2“Who Shot Mr. Burns” Had the Right Answer
The Simpsons Made Its Major Mystery A Big Joke
The SimpsonsparodiedDallas ’s famous mystery with the show ’s time of year 6 finale , “ Who shoot Mr. Burns , ” but few viewers could have foretell that this storyline would also recreate much of the hype that surrounded that early event . The question of who shot Mr. Burns became a internal compulsion , butThe Simpsonsprovided the only answer that would have crop for the playful tone of the series . When it transpire that Maggie had unexpectedly shot the baddie , The Simpsonsreminded viewers that the show was — and always would be — a cockamamy cartoon comedy at kernel .
1The Divisive Sopranos Finale Really Was Perfect
Confirming or Denying Tony’s Death Misses The Point
Theending ofThe Sopranosis one of the most factious goggle box show finale ever , but over a X later on , it ’s clean that its coda was a perfect conclusion to Tony ’s character arc . IfThe Sopranosended with Tony enjoy a family unit meal , the show would have denounce its dark tone , the lead role ’s torment over the awful matter he had done , and the result of his actions . IfThe Sopranosended with Tony ’s death , it would have felt like just another conventional rise - and - fall gangster narration with none of the show ’s subtlety or profoundness . As it was , the equivocal conclusion ofThe Sopranoswas perfect .
Source : Fandom.com , The Hollywood newsperson , Entertainment Weekly , CNN , History Channel , Entertainment Weekly
