The one hundred and sixty-second TV show: #1 The Ed Sullivan Show
When it came to picking a show yesterday, I went for the earliest one in existence. It's a show that I wasn't expecting to be amazed by, but as the first show it feels it will help define early American television. It lasted until 1971, at which point its audience was too old for the advertisers, but seeing it promote I Love Lucy was an interesting way to set its place in history.
The Ed Sullivan Show is a variety show, and it really seems to be there. Ed Sullivan isn't a major presence that you see, on regular shows doing little more than introducing the show and possibly having a short interview with one or two of the guests. While probably known at the time and working for that, he doesn't have the charisma to pull this off for a modern audience. The acts are the most interesting part then, but while it gets the occasional youth-focused rock song, it also has a number of songs that do feel dated. It's not quite as intentional as the Good Old Days, but to the contemporary viewer there's not as much to this show as its reputation may suggest. It's best preserved through clips and compilations, rather than full episodes.