Teen dramas and adult cartoons

Many of the decade’s most innovative programs came from cable and the three new networks. Early in its history, the Fox network had established a distinct identity by airing programs that would probably not have found a place on the schedules of ABC, CBS, or NBC. The Simpsons (begun 1989), the first animated prime-time series since The Flintstones (ABC, 1960–66) to succeed in prime time, was Fox’s biggest and longest-running hit and became the longest-running animated program in television history. With its densely packed social satire and self-reflexive references to American popular culture, The Simpsons set a new standard for television comedy, and, by the end of the 1990s, many critics were calling it the best TV comedy in history. The Fox network focused on young audiences, as ABC had done in the late 1970s, with such teen-oriented series as 21 Jump Street (1987–91), the story of youthful cops working undercover in Los Angeles high schools, which introduced Johnny Depp, and Beverly Hills 90210 (1990–2000), a prime-time soap opera set in the fictional West Beverly Hills High School. The latter inspired an entire new genre of “teensploitation” series, many of which became the anchors of the WB network a few years later. Among these WB teen series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003), Dawson’s Creek (1998–2003), and Felicity (1998–2002) met with surprising critical acclaim. Professional wrestling, which had been a staple genre in the earliest days of television, made a major comeback in the 1990s in syndication and was later picked up by UPN as the first hit for that new network. All three of the newly formed broadcast networks—Fox, the WB, and UPN—depended on these signature shows to differentiate themselves for younger viewers from the old, established networks.

Throughout the 1990s, television content continued to move into areas that made many viewers and special interest groups uncomfortable. Strong language and explicit sexual topics became common both on cable and on broadcast TV, even in the early evening hours. Two of the more controversial series of the decade were cable products: MTV’s Beavis and Butt-Head (1993–97, 2011) and Comedy Central’s South Park (begun 1997). Both animated series that challenged traditional notions of taste, and both part of a new wave of adult cartoons inspired by the success of The Simpsons, these programs demonstrated that the bulk of the experimentation on television was taking place off the major networks. This was especially true of premium channels such as HBO, to which viewers could subscribe for an additional fee. As a pay service, HBO had considerably more latitude with regard to content than commercially supported cable channels and broadcast television. HBO and other pay services do not use the public airwaves, nor do they come into the home unbidden, and they need not worry about advertisers skittish about offending viewers. Furthermore, pay channels are not concerned with ratings. As long as viewers like the service well enough not to cancel their subscriptions, pay cable channels will thrive.

New boundaries: the growth of cable

Premiering in 1972, HBO, as its full name, Home Box Office, implied, originally presented uncut and commercial-free movies as its exclusive offering. In the 1980s, however, HBO began to experiment with the original series format. Some of these series, such as the suspense anthology The Hitchhiker (1983–91) and the sports sitcom 1st & Ten (1984–90), were of little note save for their adult language and some nudity. Others, such as Tanner ’88 (1988), hinted at the high levels of quality that could be achieved on pay services. Created and produced by comic-strip artist Garry Trudeau and film director Robert Altman, Tanner ’88 satirically followed, documentary-style, a fictional candidate for president. Some of the show was shot on the campaign trail itself, and several real political figures made cameo appearances.

HBO moved even farther into its own TV productions in the 1990s. The Larry Sanders Show (1992–98), starring comedian Garry Shandling, did to late-night talk shows what Tanner ’88 had done to political campaigns, to great critical acclaim. Throughout the decade and into the next, HBO presented a range of such adult-oriented, conceptually groundbreaking, and critically well-received series as Oz (1997–2003); The Sopranos (1999–2007); Sex and the City (1998–2004), an adult romantic comedy focused on four women friends in New York City; Six Feet Under (2001–05), the saga of a dysfunctional-family-run mortuary business; Deadwood (2004–06), a hard-edged western; and Curb Your Enthusiasm (begun 2000), an improvisation-based comedy inspired by the real life of its star, Larry David, cocreator of Seinfeld. Ambitious miniseries and made-for-TV movies also became an important part of HBO’s programming mix.

It is worth noting that HBO was not the only cable service to begin with a very specific product only to later diversify its offerings. This practice, in fact, became the norm for specialized cable channels. For example, as mentioned earlier, MTV, which started out as a 24-hour-a-day music video provider, would eventually introduce specials, documentary series, comedies, game shows, and a wide variety of other program types. Court TV, which was designed as a venue for coverage of significant trials, very early in its history added reruns of crime-oriented movies and old TV series to its schedule. By the end of the 1990s, very few cable channels were still based on the original notion of providing a single type of programming around the clock.