How Television Rewired Entertainment

Lucille Ball proved in 1951 with I Love Lucy that television could rival film for national attention, and the show pioneered the three camera sitcom format still used today. Johnny Carson defined late night from 1962 to 1992, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show advanced the ensemble workplace comedy in the 1970s.

Cable and then streaming eras brought serialized prestige drama to the center, with Breaking Bad as a defining example. From four networks to on demand catalogs, television stardom evolved from broad mass appeal to intense global fandom..