THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW

The Larry Sanders Show gave us a peek into what it’s like to follow the production of a talk show. The lives of the hosts and their goal of achieving superficial victories. There was cheating, lying, stealing, and a lot more else. It also gives viewers a glimpse of what would be typical behind-the-scenes interaction between hosts and celebrity guests, which was often awkward and hilarious. The funny and light HBO series was infinitely relatable to viewers because its characters cannot handle themselves and often made trouble out of their actions. It had many similarities with the all-time hit comedy The Office. The show, to some degree, made light of Hollywood politics and had real-life stars guesting as themselves.

THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JOHNNY CARSON

The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson is said to be the father of modern late-night television. Much to his credit, the host, Johnny Carson, started the whole late-night thing. Spanning three decades, the late-night show featured interviews with prominent personalities, politicians, opinion-makers, and celebrities. For years, his audience looked forward to his late-night advice, whether good or bad. Johnny Carson’s hosting has led him to bag various awards and recognitions, including six Emmy Awards. It first aired on NBC in 1962 and ended in 1992.

THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART

The Daily Show was a new platform aimed at giving audiences up-to-date political news, peppered with cutting-edge humor. It touched a slew of topics, ranging from the elections to other important political events since it first aired in 1996. The tenure of Jon Stewart, to some degree, led the show to pivot to more serious daily news, but the show still featured its trademarked satire and comical touch. After Stewart’s departure, Trevor Noah took over as the host from 2015 up to today. The show also catapulted the careers of its correspondents, including Stephen Colbert, Steve Carrell, Samantha Bee, and John Oliver.

LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN

Instead of being the successor of the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson on NBC, David Letterman jumped to CBS and etched his own name as one of the best talk show hosts in America. The shows can credit Letterman’s wit, intelligence, and charisma for its success. Late Show with David Letterman featured guests, comedians, and musicians, as well as the favorite Top Ten lists. The talk show clinched a number of awards, including five Emmys. Letterman’s show aired from 1993 to 2013. After his retirement, the show was renamed Late Night with Stephen Colbert.

THE COSBY SHOW

Before Bill Cosby got his comeuppance, he was known as the wholesome patriarch of The Cosby Show. Playing the obstetrician Cliff Huxtable, he, together with his lawyer wife and their daughters, made their mark on TV. The sitcom tackled issues within the family, including teenage pregnancy and learning disabilities, and audiences were glued. Bill Cosby’s character in the sitcom got him to be viewed as the perfect template for fathers in America.

THE SOPRANOS

Many reviews of HBO’s The Sopranos reveal how its story was well-written and totally relatable to many degrees. The show focused on the lead character Tony Soprano’s life as mafia head and the patriarch of his family whose members have their own personal struggles. The Sopranos was definitely relatable—from big issues that involve society to the smaller but equally important ones. It has touched on crime and violence while featuring teen angst, caring for the elderly, college relationships, and mental health. The lead character Tony Soprano himself regularly visited his psychiatrist to deal with anxiety and depression, a topic which not many TV series were able to tackle during the early 2000s. The Sopranos aired its last episode in 2007.

BAND OF BROTHERS

The television adaptation of Stephen E. Ambrose’s 1992 non-fiction book Band of Brothers was a collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, who were also the producers of the 1998 World War II film Saving Private Ryan. The announcement of this series was bound to ignite many viewers as the men behind it were huge names in the Industry. With cast names like Damien Lewis and Ron Livingston, audiences were promised a very engrossing series. The episodes were written wonderfully, and the show spawned another television series called The Pacific, which, to a huge degree, many considered a spinoff of the original.

DEADWOOD

In the 1980s, people in Deadwood, South Dakota, aspired to get rich. Not many of them could, however. Timothy Olyphant plays Sheriff Seth Bullock while Ian McShane plays the vulgar Al Swearengen. Even though Deadwood only lasted three seasons–totaling 36 episodes–it was still considered to be one of HBO’s best series, thanks to the storyline created by David Milch. The fantastic cast performances were also often credited for the show’s success. The show had a lot of fans, but HBO left them hanging when it was canceled.

CHEERS

Fans of the television show, Cheers, can totally relate to bars, the place where many of them release their tension after a full day’s work. Cheers featured a group of people from different paths who all regularly met at Cheers, a bar in Boston. At the cozy bar, they end up sharing different stories and experiences while drinking. Ted Danson plays Sam Malone, the proprietor of Cheers bar. The show had a great balance of comedy and drama and was lauded for its smooth handling of the tragic death of cast member Nicholas Colasanto, who was replaced by Woody Boyd. Cheers is, to a huge degree, one of the best sitcoms ever made, and the show has 11 seasons for people to binge.

SEINFELD

Main cast member Jerry Seinfeld had a talent for combining comedy and taboo topics for mainstream television. He did it so well with the help of his friends George, Elaine, and Kramer. For over nine seasons, Seinfeld was able to catch the interest of millions of viewers, as it turned comedy into a platform for tackling relatable issues. To some degree, the show was able to combine each of its characters’ lives and turn them into a cultural phenomenon. Seinfeld also became a household name and a boon for the careers of its cast in the years that followed.