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40 Television Shows That Broke Surprising New Ground

Some of these took place later than we would have thought

40 Television Shows That Broke Surprising New Ground

August 20, 2023

We all watch a little TV now and then. But no matter how much TV we watch, we all want our favorite shows to be successful so that we may continue to watch them week in and week out, without any fear of cancellation. These shows, however, take things even a step further — they haven’t only been successful, they’ve also broken records.

Obviously, everything mentioned below had to make its initial appearance on television at some point, but you might be shocked at how recently some of them occurred.

40

TV Firsts

The first network condom commercial 1991 CRACKED.COM The big networks wouldn't air an ad for jimmy hats until Fox aired a Trojan spot that reminded us that these days, some pretty terrible things are happening to some really nice people. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

39

Love of Life

The first b@stard 1976 DVP L life CRACKED.COM On daytime soap opera Love of Life, evil sister and main antagonist calls her new granddaughter The в Word. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

38

Dawson’s Creek

The first male kiss 2001 CRACKED.COM Actors Kerr Smith and Adam Kaufman shared the first dude-dude smooch on an episode of Dawson's Creek. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

37

Ellen

The first lesbian main character 1997 CRACKED.COM When Ellen Morgan accidentally yelled Susan, I'm gay! into a microphone, Ellen became the first show to feature an out and proud lesbian as a protagonist. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

36

Billions

The first non- binary character 2017 CRACKED.COM Non-binary actor Asia Kate Dillon's character on Billions, Taylor Mason, is a highly-intelligent go-getter. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

35

The first son-of-a-b* 1979 Os GRACKED.COM Hawkeye calls a Korean intelligence officer an SOB on an episode of M*A*S*H. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

34

The first condom commercial 1975 TROJANS CRACKED.COM A local station in San Jose ran a Trojan ad promoting responsible parenthood. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

33

The first s#!t 1999 CRACKED.COM Dr. Jack McNeil says s#!t happens in a 1999 episode of Chicago Hope. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

32

The first US f-bomb 1980 CRACKED.COM Paul Shaffer accidentaly said f*ing when he meant flogging on an episode of SNL. Не thought he was ruined; instead, Lorne Michaels told him You broke down the last barrier. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

31

The First Belly Button After half a decade being denied Barbara Eden's navel in I Dream of Jeannie, America got to see Cher's, like, all the time, on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

30

The First Color Broadcast Gibson Epplolage Marchall A 1951 variety show called Premiere finally validated anyone who, for whatever reason, bought a color TV before TV was in color. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

29

Jean Hagen

The First Major Character Death 570 Jean Hagen Actress Jean Hagen left The Danny Thomas Show in 1956. Producers decided an unexplained death would be less controversial than divorce. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

28

The First Couple to Share a Bed Mary Kay and Johnny got away with sharing a bed - and the first on-screen pregnancy in 1948 - because the titular couple were actually married. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

27

The First Toilet In an episode of Leave It To Beaver, the boys hide an illicit pet alligator in the toilet. The network thought America wasn't ready to see a shitter, so they allowed the tank only to appear on screen. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

26

The Corner Bar

The first recurring gay character 1972 CRACKED.COM Vincent Schiavelli's portrayal of set designer Peter Panama on The Corner Bar was the first gay character to get regular screen time. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

25

The first UK f-bomb DANGER 1976 US CLOSE GRACKED.COM The Sex Pistols were banned from live TV after calling the host of ITV's Today a dirty f*er, when he pretentiously asked them if they were serious about their music. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

24

The first abortion mention 1964 ANOTHER WORLD CRACKED.COM Soap opera Another World had a storyline where a woman's abortion drives her to illness, madness, and murder. Not exactly progressive. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

23

The first content warning 1971 The program you are about to see is ALL IN THE FAMILY. It seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices and concerns. CRACKED.COM All in the Family featured several of the first slurs to appear on TV, and was preempted by this warning to contextualize them-kind of like how Disney+ warns kids about their racist crows and cats. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

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22

The first openly gay teenager 1993 onelife tolive CRACKED.COM Ryan Phillippe's Billy Douglas on One Life to Live was the first young role model for LGBTQ youth. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

21

The first female kiss 1991 CRACKED.COM Actors Michelle Greene and Amanda Donohoe shared the first brief, tentative girl-girl smooch on an episode of L.A. Law. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

20

TV’s First Interracial Kiss

The first interracial kiss 1959 CRACKED.COM Star Trek often gets the credit for this, but the first televised interracial kis actually occurred 9 years earlier on the televised UK production of Hot Summer Night. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

19

Star Trek

The First JV Cuss Word William Shatner had to fight hard to keep his big line Let's get the hell outta here from being cut in season one of Star Trek. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

18

JFK

The First Presidential Debate The 1960 debate between Nixon and JFK was the first time America collectively decided we want a hot president. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

17

Male Nudity

The First Male Nudity Radar went whole-hog on a 1973 episode of M*A*S*H, when he lost his towel while evading a sniper. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

16

The First Birth I Love Lucy would never say the word pregnant, only that Lucy was expecting. But it still featured the first (semi-) on-screen birth, in 1953. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

15

The First Cartoon CRUSADER RABBIT 1950's Crusader Rabbit was the first animation designed for television. One producer would later create The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

14

The First Real Swear In 1999, Mark Harmon delivered the first-ever scripted cuss on Chicago Hope: Shit happens. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

13

The First Interracial Kiss Everyone thinks Star Trek did it first, but a British televised play called Hot Summer Night broke that ground in 1959. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

12

The Lonesome Dove

The first penis 1989 THE EPIC FILM AS BIG AS THE WEST May be the best western ever made whout Lonesome Dove there night nx hne been a Daves CRACKED.COM Several cowhands' baby arms can be seen in the mini-series The Lonesome Dove. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

11

Cagney & Lacey

The first in-show mention of condoms 1987 CRACKED.COM Cagney & & Lacey was the first prime-time drama to break the latex barrier and mention contraceptives. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

10

Dirty Sexy Money

The first recurring trans character 2007 CRACKED.COM Candis Cayne's trans mistress character on Dirty Sexy Money, Carmelita, is a landmark for transness not being played just for laughs. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

9

The first goddammit 1973 GRACKED.COM On All in the Family, Archie defends his cussing thusly: The first word is God. How can that be a swear word? Edith, beautiful words right out of the Holy Book. Don't show your ignorance! — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

8

TV Firsts

The first decision to get an abortion 1972 CRACKED COM 2 months before Roe v. Wade, Bea Arthur's titular character on Maude chose to get an abortion at age 47. Or, actually, her husband decided on the abortion. Baby steps. — Source: 22 Television History Once-Taboo Firsts

7

The First Gay Couple are HOTEL BACTIMORE George and Gordon from Hot I Baltimore, a short-lived but groundbreaking show in 1975, were the first gay couple on screen. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

6

The First Female Nudity Wardrobe malfunctions date back to at least the 1950's, but the first scripted nudity was on PBS' Steambath in 1973. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

5

TV Firsts

The First Live Studio Audience SHARP I Love Lucy beat All In The Family to the punch by 20 years. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

4

The First Female Same-Sex Kiss SHARP Women were allowed to kiss on screen as early as 1991, on L.A. Law. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

3

The First Reality TV Show 1956's Queen for a Day had women take turns talking about their struggles. One was crowned the winner, seated on a throne, and showered with gifts. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

2

The First Cooking Show

The First Cooking Show SHARP Cook's Night Out in 1937 walked so that Gordon Ramsay could scream. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

1

TV Firsts

The First Commercial BU OVA In 1941, nine years before Dunkin' Donuts existed, a 10-second spot interrupted a baseball game to declare that America runs on Bulova time. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 TV Groundbreaking Firsts (That Seem Pretty Mundane Now)

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