TV does n’t get much respect . It rots your mentality and turn couch white potato . But the so - call idiot box also swings elections , rewires brains , snares criminal , and even swing the Supreme Court . The pursual may not be the best shows of the last 25 years — in fact , some are among the worst — but their impact reaches far beyond the keep elbow room .

1. Tropikanka: The Show That Won a Presidential Election

As Russians were gearing up to go to the pate in July 1996 , Boris Yeltsin was unquiet about his job . The conditions gave him additional grounds to panic . With the sun shining and the temperatures pleasant , Yeltsin fretted that his city - dwelling suspensor would decamp to their dacha , or commonwealth cottages , alternatively of stay home and ballot . Russia ’s President of the United States needed a way to keep his stem from traveling .

His solution : a cunning utilization of soap opera house . No show was more popular in Russia than the Brazilian morality soapTropikanka , which regularly drew 25 million viewers to the state - possess web ORT . With the election looming , ORT made a surprise announcement : The show ’s finis would air as a special treble episode on election day between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.

More astonishing was the fact that the scheme really worked . Because most dacha did n’t have boob tube , viewers remain in the metropolis , glued to their sets . When the instalment ended , it was too late to trek out of township , but voter still had time to get to the polling station . Yeltsin ’s soap opera house strategy assist him prevail by more than 10 million vote . Meanwhile , The Young and the Restlesscan’t even sway a lousy Senate raceway .

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You plausibly rememberMelrose Placeas a vapid , if enjoyable , look at a Los Angeles flat coordination compound . But the show had more profoundness than anyone realized . Starting in 1996 , the program answer as a highly seeable billboard for up - and - get along artists .

Melrose ’s foray into the art world was masterminded by conceptual creative person Mel Chin . As Chin severalize theLos Angeles Timesin 1997 , “ Everyone criticizes television , but nobody seek to intervene to give it the meaning it miss . ” Chin founded the GALA Committee to do just that .

When Chin approachedMelroseset decorator Deborah Siegel with the idea of dressing the show in avant - garde industrial plant , she immediately approved . Together the GALA Committee and Siegel collected pieces from artists around the land and worked them into the show . Each time viewers tune up in for a petty meretricious fun , they got a obscure dose of refinement .

Some of the art was astonishingly subversive . Most excellently , when Courtney Thorne - Smith ’s character was struggling with an unplanned maternity , she pass two episodes scrunch up down in a comfy quilt . A closer aspect revealed it was n’t just a pretty pattern — it was also the molecular structure of the abortion drug RU-486 .

The graphics man , for its part , comprehend the exposure , and in 1997 , theMelrose Placepieces were displayed in their own show at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles .

3. The Simpsons: The Show That Changed How We Talk

You do n’t necessitate to work on the television set to hearThe Simpsons . Just natter with pretty much anyone . As University of Pennsylvania linguistics professor Mark Liberman wrote in 2005 , “ The Simpsonshas apparently take over from Shakespeare and the Bible as our civilization ’s nifty source of artistic style , catchphrases , and sundry other textual allusion . ”

Liberman ’s affirmation sounds half-baked — at least until you remember there ’s a Milhouse quote for every affair . Even the hulking porter of the language , the Oxford English Dictionary , has found a spot for Homer Simpson ’s earmark “ D’oh ! ” Mmmm … lingual sufferance .

4. America’s Most Wanted: The Show That Cleaned Up America’s Streets

America ’s Most Wantedhas helped capture over 1,100 fugitive since its debut in 1988 .

5. The Theorists: The Show That Made Us Respect Belarus’s Actors

It ’s no secret that video hits get licensed and remade around the world . So when audiences in Belarus got their own knockoff ofThe Big Bang Theoryin 2010 , nothing seemed out of seat . Like its American counterpart , The Theoristsdepicted the adventures of four lovably geeky scientists live next threshold to a beautiful waitress .

There was just one problem . Although the show was essentially a stab - for - shot remake of the American archetype , Belarus ’s adaptation was unlicensed . WhenBig Bang Theoryco - creator Chuck Lorre discovered the theft , he larn he could n’t litigate because Belarus ’s political science owned the production society . With no other recourse , Lorre berate the plagiarists in a title plug-in , joking that he hoped Belarus would at least “ burst down and send us some mat up hats . ”

As it turn out , Lorre did n’t need to barter . When news show break that the show had never been licensed , the actors were mortified — they’d been told it was a legitimate production . Rather than carry on to asterisk in a profligate - off , they protected their integrity by walking off the set . Left without a cast , the producer had no choice but to cancelThe Theorists . The next clip we need a scrupulous easterly European actor , we know where to look .

6. Glee: The Show That Boosted the Record Industry

FOX make a sleeper bang with the musical seriesGleein 2009 . But the show ’s genuine impact came between airings . As the rest of the record book industry flail , theGleerecordings found staggering success on iTunes . By the goal of 2011 , the cast had sold more than 11 million albums and another 36 million individual tracks . Meanwhile , the cast ’s 2011 concert hitch grossed more than $ 40 million . leave service department bands — aspire stars should be shooting service department teen drama !

7. De Grote Donorshow: The Show That Became an Organ Donor

This 2007 reality show ’s horrifying assumption : Three patients in need of a kidney compete for the organs of a terminally ill charwoman , with the die woman picking the winner , using input from spectator text message .

The show drew an avalanche of criticism before it broadcast . What could be more twisted than make demented hoi polloi duke it out for life-sustaining organs as TV entertainment ? Worse still , who thought that let the same tv set audiences that can just be trusted to pick the nextAmerican Idolmake such a harrowing decision ? Dutch wellness functionary vehemently condemned the show and attempted to block its airing to no avail .

Like many reality show , De Grote Donorshowhad a twist ending . Near the end of the computer programme , presenters revealed that the show was a fraud to draw attention to Netherlands ’s shortage of organ donors . The “ terminally inauspicious ” woman was a tidy actress . And while the three contestant really did take kidneys , they were in on the stunt to help publicize the problem . BNN ’s chairman admitted the gimmick was tasteless but say , “ [ W]e conceive the reality is even more shocking and tasteless . ”

Crass or not , the exploit worked : A sidereal day after the airing , 43,000 viewers requested form to become harmonium donors .

8. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Show That Rewired Kids’ Brains

In 2011 , Nickelodeon ’s preferent anthropomorphous quick study came under fire when a University of Virginia work depict that SpongeBob was hurting kids ’ ability to perform basic tasks . The research necessitate a radical of 60 4 - year - old who were asked to spend nine minutes follow an educational cartoon , watching SpongeBob , or color . child who watch SpongeBob make significantly worse in test involving solving teaser , delaying gratification , and following instructions . The conclusion : speedily pace television receiver with quick scene change had a clear cognitive effect on nipper .

When the mainstream media picked up on the research , it condemn the show ’s mind - melting force . Nickelodeon fired back that SpongeBob was intended for older kids , not preschoolers . One of the survey ’s source even seek to fight back SpongeBob , pointing out that it was just one of many fast - paced cartoons . Her other line of defence was less helpful : She speculated that the program was specially taxing for small fry ’ brains because it contained unfamiliar situations , like a talking sponge wearing square trousers . What ’s worse , if you ask us , is how it deludes children into thinking they could someday experience in a pineapple under the sea .

9. Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Show That Saved a Genre

In the 1980s , time of day - recollective action show were design to lose money in their former season . Many lost as much as $ 600,000 per episode before recouping the shortfall with nine - number syndication deals . But by 1987 , activity reruns had stopped matching the ratings of their comedic twin . As robust syndication contract dried up , so did networks ’ enthusiasm for drop braggy money on explosions and gunfire .

Given that clime , even surefire hits like Paramount’sStar Trekspin - off could n’t generate pastime from the major transmission channel . Undeterred , Paramount produced the series anyway and cobblestone together its own group of local affiliate who agreed to broadcast the show .

WhenStar Trek : The Next Generationdebuted in October 1987 , more than 50 ABC , NBC , and CBS affiliates displace their mesh ’ computer programing to beam the two - hour premiere . Cash motivated this unprecedented defection . When local affiliates preempt their electronic internet ’ programming , they get to keep all of the ad revenue from the show rather than share it with the internet . Paramount give episodes ofThe Next Generationto the affiliate for free , but with a catch . Each hr - foresighted show included 12 minute of arc of ads . Stations of the Cross could sell five of those transactions and keep the loot ; the remaining seven belonged to Paramount .

The deal was implausibly profitable for everyone involve . At a clock time when most 30 - second commercials sold for $ 30,000,The Next Generation ’s strong evaluation let Paramount and its affiliate command $ 115,000 . The studio responded by invest more heavily in the show to keep it at the top of the pile . By 1992 , each episode had a $ 2 million budget — nearly threefold that of a normal electronic internet drama — yet it was still one of TV ’s most lucrative appearance , pulling in $ 90 million a year in ad revenue for Paramount alone .

Other studio notice Paramount ’s 40 percent return on investment funds from its internet - get around model and quickly jumped into the fray with shows likeRenegadeandXena : Warrior Princess . By boldly going where no show had live before , Star Trek : The Next Generationmade TV safe for activity again .

10. Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Show That Improvised Justice

In 2003 , 24 - year - old machinist Juan Catalan faced the last penalty for allegedly shooting a primal informant in a slaying case . Catalan told police that he could n’t have committed the crime — he was at a Los Angeles Dodgers game at the metre . He had the ticket stubs and everything !

When police did n’t grease one’s palms his alibi , Catalan contacted the Dodgers , who point him to an unlikely hero : misanthropic comedian Larry David . On the day in question , David had been filming an episode ofCurb Your Enthusiasmin Dodger Stadium . It was a retentive shot , but maybe Catalan could be seen in the scope . When his lawyer watched the outtakes , it take just 20 hour to find shots of Catalan and his daughter chowing down on ballpark dogs while watching from the stands .

Thanks to the footage , Catalan walked detached after five month behind bars . And Larry David determine one more matter to be ego - deprecating about . “ I tell multitude that I ’ve done one decent thing in my sprightliness , albeit inadvertently , ” joke David .

11. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Show That Spawned An Academic Discipline

The TV set in the ivory towboat only have bunny ears for one show : Joss Whedon’sBuffy the Vampire Slayer . The series has been so endlessly dissected and deconstructed by scholars that it ’s formed its own at large academic discipline , Buffy Studies . It even has its own peer - reviewed academic journal , Slayage , giving new substance to the phrase “ publish or perish . ”

Our favorite erudition from Slayage :

12. Friends: The Show That Launched a One-Hit Wonder

BeforeFriendshit the tune in 1994 , Natalie Merchant and R.E.M. both turned down the fortune to record a subject song write by the show ’s musical managing director . The Rembrandts , however , jumped at the opportunity . As Danny Wilde , front man for the California circle , say , “ We believe , Why not ? Nobody will even love it was us , anyway . ”

It was a saucy move . The rerecorded single spent 11 straight weeks at the top of the charts and helped move more than two million copies of their album . The chemical group admits that it ’s frustrating being know for a birdcall it did n’t spell , but there ’s an top side to being a well - telecast one - hit wonder : The Rembrandts receive performance royal line every time aFriendsrerun airs .

13. CSI: The Show That Gave D.A.’s Headaches

By 2006 , 70 million Americans were tune intoCSIor one of its two whirl - offs each week . That became a actual trouble for prosecutors . As the show ’s popularity grew , jurors part expecting the full CSI handling in every trial . But in the vast absolute majority of cases , law do n’t necessitate CSI - case technology to apprehend the perpetrator . The tests are expensive and can take weeks , and they tax already exploit crime lab . Circumstantial evidence and eyewitness accounts , on the other hand , can be just as damning for far less money .

Most of the evidence is anecdotical , but prosecuting attorney importune that the CSI effect has raise juryman ’ interest in high - technical school forensic methods and led to undeserved acquittals . A study by Michigan justice Donald E. Shelton even come across that police detective were doing unnecessary mental testing just to make it look like they were giving criminal offense scenes a CSI - storey scouring . Real or not , prosecutors fear the burden could cost them an crucial verdict . Some attorneys now ask potential jurors whether they ’re fan of the show as they ’re watch who to weed out during panel survival .

14. How I Met Your Mother: The Show That Revolutionized Product Placement

In July 2011 , something strange take place on a rerun ofHow I Met Your Mother . Although the sequence airing in syndication had been bourgeon in 2006 , a poster in one of the scenes was eerily modern : It was pushingBad instructor , a movie that had been in field of operations only a few weeks . Did Neil Patrick Harris have a time machine ?

AsEntertainment Weeklypointed out , the scheme makes syndicated shows even more profitable , withHow I Met Your Motheropening the floodgates to a whole unexampled world . While the estimation of figure June chopper spread up a electric refrigerator full ofCoke Zeroor the Fonz leaning up against a poster forThe Hangover 3still seems laughable , SeamBI knows it ’s just around the corner .

15. Sex and the City: The Show That Boosted the Pregnancy Rate

In 2008 , a RAND Institute study report that girls between 12 and 17 who watchedSex and the Cityand other shows with “ eminent sexual substance ” were more than twice as likely to become fraught — a call up second for enforcing the Mature Audience valuation . Of of course , all that risqué chatter did some well too . A 2011 Ohio State University study plant that undergraduates who look at an episode ofSex and the Citywere more than twice as probable to verbalize to their partners about sexual - health issue .

16. The Mongolian Cow Sour Yogurt Super Girl Contest: The Show That Gave China the Vote

No show has captured China ’s heart the way theSuper Girl Contesthas . When it debuted in 2004 , few would have prognosticate that the all - femaleAmerican Idolknockoff would string 400 million viewer . But while the Formosan people could n’t get enough of the show , the Chinese authorities catch it as a menace . The most popular contestant tire Western - mode clothes and gave emotional performance that flew in the face of China ’s usual stoicism . What really dash the government , however , was how viewers chose the winner by text substance . In a land where citizen have no say in who will take them , that sort of photo to the democratic process seemed grave .

Government mandarin orange led by culture minister Liu Zhongde blasted the show as “ poisonous substance for our youth . ” And even after governor strip the program of its text balloting , the venom continued . “ We ca n’t have working people reveling all sidereal day in low refinement , ” Liu enunciate .

This being China , you’re able to probably gauge how the report cease . Government censors gave the show the ax following the 2011 time of year finale . Still , Super Girlmanaged to give China a veridical taste of democracy . Not even Simon Cowell could recover fault there .

17. Venice: The Show That Won the Web

AsGuiding Lightsputtered toward cancellation in 2009 , fan were distraught . The show was disappearing just as an unbelievable super couple was come forth . Single mamma characters Olivia Spencer ( Crystal Chappell ) and Natalia Rivera ( Jessica Leccia ) were doomed to go off the zephyr without sharing their first buss .

Luckily , actress Chappell write the brace by launching the WWW seriesVeniceto search the human relationship of two women interchangeable to Olivia and Natalia ( dubbed “ Otalia ” ) . Actors and crew were so hellhole - bent on seeing Otalia ’s romance that they work for free . More radically , Chappell defrayed her price by deal online subscription .

After spending chaste months on the air , Olivia and Natalia ’s Web similitude locked lip in the first second of Venice , and the Daytime Emmy – win serial publication is now in its third season , proving that erotic love can stamp down anything , including looker ’ reluctance to pay for TV .

18. Chuck: The Show That Sold a Lot of Sandwiches

When NBC ’s swot - spy comedyChucklooked doomed in 2009 , rooter embraced mercantilism to keep the show afloat . Rather than set up a letter - writing campaign at the remainder of the 2nd season , die - hard witness attract to a high power : one of the show ’s advertisers . Under cognitive process Finale & Footlong , Chuck ’s “ dweeb ruck ” flood Subway shops to buy sandwich . Even the show ’s star Zachary Levi grow into the action , go 600 fans to a shop class in Birmingham , England .

19. Designing Women: The Show That Transcended Politics

Dixie Carter ’s fibre onDesigning Women , Julia Sugarbaker , was screw for her frequent monologues praise liberal reason . Offscreen , however , Carter was a unswerving Republican and receive the diatribe repugnant . When the actress finally put her foot down , refusing to proclaim Democratic economic value , the show ’s producers crafted a off-the-wall correspondence . Each clip Carter gave one of her role ’s trademark rants , she get down to sing a song in a future episode . If only Congress would learn to make such compromise .

20. Fei Cheng Wu Rao: TV Killed the Energy Star

China’sFei Cheng Wu Rao(“If You Are the One ” ) is a pretty standard date show . It wo n’t find any sexual love with Beijing ’s air - quality reminder , though . On a 2010 episode , a wooer expect 22 - yr - onetime Ma Nuo whether she would hinge on a bike with him on a date . Ma ’s withering answer : “ I ’d rather cry in a BMW than laugh on a bicycle . ” The catchphrase pass viral , and it cemented the bike ’s repute as Beijing ’s ultimate no - status symbol . And with line pollution and auto gridlock both up , there ’s a lot to cry about in your BMW .

21. ER: The Show That Made Us Healthier

ERdid more than make George Clooney a superstar . It also changed the way America ate . In three 2004 episode , the show explore a minor plot spark about a stripling who learns he has mellow blood pressure . The show ’s physician characters counsel the youthful world to work out and eat more fruit and vegetables .

While the plot voice humdrum , it scar viewers straight . In 2007 , researchers from the University of Southern California ’s aesculapian school day publish a paper in theJournal of Health Communicationthat find oneself that viewers who capture these installment of ER had started walking or exercising more , eating more fruits and vegetable , or getting their blood pressing delay . How can anyone say see goggle box is defective for you ?

22. Days of Our Lives: The Show That Slowed Down the Supreme Court

For year before his 1991 retreat , Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall slipped by from deliberations each day to watchDays of Our Lives . The show was n’t just a hangdog joy ; it helped shape the justness ’s intellect of the world . As Marshall once told Justice William Brennan , soaps teach viewers worthful lessons about life .

23. Baywatch: The Show That Proved David Hasselhoff Is a Genius

When NBC putBaywatchon its spill prime - time schedule in 1989 , the internet think it had a strike . How could a showcase for attractive women in swimsuits ever break down ? But after the show scuffled in the ratings and take a critical pounding , NBC extract the plug after just one season .

Nobody knew better than star topology and executive manufacturer David Hasselhoff that parody in the States does n’t preclude succeeder afield . ( commend , this was a man who had top Germany ’s pa chart . ) Hasselhoff and his conscientious objector - manufacturer boughtBaywatchfrom the studio and re - launch it in first - ravel syndication .

It did n’t take recollective forBaywatchto conquer the mankind . By 1995 , the show was being translated into 15 languages and entertaining citizen in 144 countries … include Iran ! In fact , the Earth - spanning collection of slow - motion running and barely garment ladies helpedBaywatchsurpassDallasas the most - watched TV show of all meter . Not a bad bequest for a decisive dud .

24. The 1988 Eurovision Song Contest: The Show That Unleashed Céline Dion on the World

Over 200 million records sold later , her heart is still going on .

25. The Colbert Report: The Show That Won 10 Olympic Medals

On November 2 , 2009 , comedian Stephen Colbert made a surprise declaration that his show was becoming the team ’s primary patron . But instead of forking over the hard currency himself , he ask viewers to make small contribution . The money rain cats and dogs in : The team incur more than $ 300,000 from a pool of 9,000 donors , and it made for a solid investiture , as the team racked up 10 medals at the secret plan .

What prompted Colbert ’s sudden pity for a sport he ’d often lampooned ? He identified with the team ’s ambitious dreams and dwindle banking company account . As Colbert toldThe New York Times , “ consider me , I drop 20 years rack up huge debts pursuing funniness . ”