All language subtitles for remux-The.Eighties.S01E01.Part2.WEBRip.x264-ION10_track3_[eng]

♪♪

Jensen: It's a time
of enormous turmoil.

Shut up in here.
[ Both scream ]

Cagney:
So, we're a terrific team.
Lacey: This is true.

What do you say we go out and
celebrate how terrific we are?

Turner: We intend to cover
all the news all the time.

We won't be signing off
until the world ends.

Isn't that special?

Man: I know a doctor who can
take care of it right away.

That will never happen.

We have seen the news,
and it is us.

♪♪

[ Cheers and applause ]

Troy:
There are two parts to 1980s.

On the one hand, the 1980s
is really a time of change,

a time of excess,
a time of novelty,

but there's also a desire
for comfort.

There's a desire for tradition.

And Johnny Carson is able
to combine them all,

and he does it night after night
with that brilliant,

non-threatening,
non-edgy edginess.

You are in a good mood tonight.

And I tell you, we have put
a great show together.

It'll be on a week
from Thursday.

[ Laughter ]

Connelly: Johnny Carson in the
'80s is making the transition

from being
the king of late night

to being a national treasure.

He was a throwback to that
old show biz stuff.

I haven't been on with you
for some time.

You, you've been --
-It's been a long time.

Yeah, well, you've been
busy with other things.

That's --
[ Chuckles ]

[ Laughter ]

Connelly: The tide is starting
to turn in terms of

where late-night television
is gonna go.

But Johnny is kind of
holding out.

He was not necessarily
of his time in the '80s.

But he did sustain
a certain timelessness.

He's the king.

On your chair.

[ Laughter ]

Whoa!

Hyah!

He's all right.
He's just playing.

Playing my [bleep]

[ Laughter ]

My next guest not only has
a college degree,

but he also has
a high-school degree.

-That's right, I do. Yes.
-As well, uh-huh.

Hartley:
He's hosted "The Tonight Show"
practically as often

as Johnny Carson and now
he has his very own show,

Weekday Mornings at 10:00
on NBC.

Ladies and gentleman
what you're witnessing here

is a good idea gone awry.

Yes, and a fun-filled surprise

turning into an incredible
screw up right here.

David Letterman originally
had a one-hour daytime show.

And NBC, after like 13 weeks,
decided to cancel it.

Today is our last show
on the air.

Monday, Las Vegas.

[ Crowd booing ]

Have these people been
frisked before they...

It was a dismal failure
in terms of the ratings.

But not in terms of introducing
us to Letterman.

David, thank you for being
with us tonight.

Thank you very much for
having me, I appreciate it.

And in spite of all
this nonsense

that goes around in
the background, stay with it.

Don't give up. And stay with us
here in New York.

We like having you.
I like being here.
Thank you very much.

Dave is back in New York.
You're going to host

a late-night television program
that premieres Monday night.

What are, what are critics
likely to say Tuesday morning?

I don't much care because I
found a way to deal with that --

pills and whiskey.
-[ Laughs ]

-[ Laughs ]
-[ Snorts ]

[ Chuckles ] You're on.

Oh, I'm on. I'm sorry, I was
enjoying listening to you snort.

[ Laughs ]

Levine:
They gave him the "Late Night"
show after "The Tonight Show,"

and at the time, people thought,

who's gonna watch television
at 12:30 at night?

Who's up?
I'll tell you who's up.

Young people. College people.

Is it going well?
I know this is the first show

and I think this guy
needs a little support.

Dave Letterman.

Mandabach: He was
antiestablishment at his core.

He was thumbing his nose to
any existing social structures.

Lettermen: Who are those women
out there, by the way?
Woman: Neighbors.

I'll get rid of them.
Hey, excuse me.

Just keep it moving,
come on.

He kind of spoofed
the whole notion of talk shows.

It's the "Late Night" guest cam.

Please say hello to Tom Hanks.
Here he is.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Hanks: No one can go
on the "David Letterman Show"

and try to steer it towards
a point of view

or push something in particular.

He just wouldn't stand for it.

You're on to do one thing
and one thing only --

be as funny as the rest
of the show.

You know, we could get in
a two shot here, Dave.

We could actually send
the crew home, couldn't we?

[ Laughter ]

Steinberg:
You know, as a comedian,

you want the biggest audience
that you could get.

For Dave, he knew a lot of
things that he would do

were gonna alienate people,
and he didn't care.

He wanted his thumbprint
out there,

and that's the most important
thing.

It's time for "Small Town News."
Paul?

Paul Shaffer,
ladies and gentlemen.

Shales: The show making fun
of itself and turning itself

inside out that way
was something kind of new.

I mean,
don't we look like guys

that you'd see hanging around
together?

Absolutely.
Would you like to
hang around with me?

Nope.

I've said it before
and I'll say it again.

This is the stupidest show
I've...

I thought that I would never
want to do this show with you.

Now why?

Because you thought
I was a...

An [bleep]

[ Laughter ]

There's one rule I keep
trying to abide by

and unfortunately I only get
to it about 12% of the time.

And that is,
it's only television.

We're not doing
cancer research.

If the 40 year-odd history
of commercial broadcasting

has taught us one thing, there's
nothing sacred about television.

Hey Dave,
I was just curious,

is there any way I can get
MTV on this...

Actually, Steve, that's a --
that's just a monitor

and all you can get
on that is our show.

Oh. That's okay.

Hanks:
There was a degree of cynicism

that was needed in the art form
at that time.

And it's a cynicism
that just became common sense

after a while,
because it never got old.

I've watched
Johnny Carson,

and you are no
Johnny Carson.

[ Cheers and applause ]

[ Whooping ]

Good day, welcome to the Great
White North Canadian Corner.

I'm Bob McKenzie,
this is my brother Doug.

And today we got a real big show
'cause we got a...

Bianculli: There was
a Second City Chicago company,

there was a Second City
Toronto company.

The Toronto one is the one
that fueled the SCTV series,

which originally was syndicated
and got to the States that way.

-Hail Caesar!
-Hail Caesar!

Hail, hail. Thank you very much
for that marvelous reception.

I particularly want to thank
my supporters over there

in the Caesarian section.
[ Laughter ]

Steinberg: It's healthy to be
an outsider, you know,

as a comedian, and Canadians
are always outsiders

But they're looking at
the other culture,

which is right next door
to them.

I love you Sammy Maudlin!
I want to bear your children!

[ Laughs ]

Hanks: It was the type of comedy
that had only been accessible

if you could have gotten into
the improv clubs

in Chicago or Toronto.

I had never seen anything like
Second City TV.

Trembel:
James Bridgeman, Parkdale.

[ Laughter ]

I'm sorry. No, never mind.
I'm sorry.

Yost: It was far more conceptual
in its humor

because it didn't have to be
performed

in front of an audience.

And there was also just the idea

that it was this
sort of low-rent thing.

It was this sort of
by the seat of their pants

kind of operation
that gave it an authenticity.

Now that our programming day
has been extended,

I'm gonna be spending a lot...

Where do you want me to
put the kielbasa Mrs. Prickley?

Put it in the fridge, Butch.

Yost:
You were rooting for the show

and the characters
that they had created.

There was just something
that you got behind.

Whereas, you know,
"SNL" right from the --

from the gate
and through the '80s

was this big enterprise.

Franken:
After five golden years,

Lorne decided to leave
and so did those close to him,

including me, Al Franken.

So NBC had to pick
a new producer.

Now most knowledgeable people,
as you might imagine,

hoped it would be me,
Al Franken.

Shales:
Well, there was a real question

of whether "Saturday Night Live"
would continue at all

or whether it would just die.

The press hasn't been
overly kind.

Yeah, I read that stuff.

"Saturday Night Live"
is Saturday Night Dead.

Man:
Oh, man, come on. Geez.

From yucks to yech.
[ All groan ]

My favorite, though,
is "Vile From New York."

-Please, Bill, come on.
-It's funny, it's funny.

Shales:
They were having a hard time

and then came the man that saved
the show, Eddie Murphy.

♪ Wookin' pa nub ♪

Shales: There was buzz about him
so you tuned in

and there was this
kind of explosion of talent

in front of your eyes.

[ As James Brown ] Hey!
Too hot in the hot tub!

Burn myself!

It really kind of
rejuvenated the show.

I am Gumby, damn it!
You don't talk to me that way.

Shales: After a while,

the show regained its status
and its clout

and became even more of
an institution than it had been.

Hey Bob.
[ Chuckles ]

Hey, penis looks great
today.

Listen, Harry, if you're unhappy
with my work, tell me now!

You're through,
do you hear me?

Through! You'll never work
in this town again.

Don't leave me hanging
by a thread! Let me
know where I stand!

We were a little worried at
first because we had a new cast,

but everyone loves us.

You guys have been so nice
to us during our stay.

Isn't that special?

I am Hans.

And I am Franz. And we just
want to pump you up!

Levine: A lot of things
that they could do

on "Saturday Night Live"
they couldn't do on a sitcom.

The humor was more daring
and more satirical.

And it was political.

You still have, uh, 50 seconds
left Mr. Vice President.

Well let me just sum up,
on track,

stay the course,
a thousand points of light.

Stay the course.

Governor Dukakis, rebuttal?

I can't believe I'm losing
to this guy.

[ Laughter ]

This is my last broadcast

as the anchorman
of the "CBS Evening News."

For me, it's a moment
for which I long have planned,

but which nevertheless
comes with some sadness.

For almost two decades
after all,

we've been meeting like this
in the evenings,

and I'll miss that.

And that's the way it is,
Friday, March 6, 1981.

I'll be away on assignment
and Dan Rather

will be sitting in here
for the next few years.

Good night.

Uncle Walter had dominated
certainly CBS,

but in a way, the country.

People used to say

that he was the most trusted man
in the country.

Bianculli:
Once Walter Cronkite retires,

all three network news anchors

within a period of a couple
of years

switch over to a new generation.

The '80s may have been
the last gasp

where people watching the media
liked and trusted the media.

Nuclear arms and how to prevent
global destruction

are expected to be
the major topic

of President Reagan's
news conference tonight.

That conference
will be nationally televised

within the hour.

Lesley Stahl
is at the White House.

Stahl: The White House
is hoping that tomorrow's...

In the '80s,
women came into the newsroom.

When I first joined, it was '72,
and there were very few.

By the '80s,
there were more and more.

Woodruff: The decade of the '80s

was still a time
of sink or swim.

You had to be resilient
in your own way

to survive in a period
when you were going up against

a lot of people who still didn't
think women had what it took.

These are some of the most
famous faces in broadcasting,

all of whom happen to be women.

The best producers,
I'm gonna get fired --

the best producers at CBS News
are women.

And they are at the level
of taking hold

and making decisions
about individual pieces.

They're not yet
executive producers

of all the news shows,
but they will be.

Clayton: For the past 24 hours,

Christine Craft has taken
her cause

to many of the nation's news
and talk programs.

I didn't set out to be
Joan of Arc,

but I think that what happened
to me deserves some attention.

Woodruff: Christine Craft
had a very successful career,

but there she was
in her late 30s

and the TV station said to her,

"We're taking you off the air
because you've gotten older

and you're not as attractive
as you once were,"

which was outrageous.

And she decided to make
an issue of it.

She filed a lawsuit,

and it became a huge
national topic of discussion.

Woman: A jury said she got a raw
deal because she is a woman.

Woodruff:
And so women in television news
everywhere were asked,

"What do you think about
Christine Craft?"

I think unfortunately
in recent years,

the emphasis has been
increasingly

on physical appearance,
and to the extent.

This decision helped swing
the emphasis back

to substance
and to good journalism.

I think we've got something
to be happy about.

It was important to make
the point that what mattered

was what kind of reporter
are you?

But it took
the Christine Craft incident,

I think, to bring that
conversation out into the open.

This coming Sunday,

a new television network
opens for business -- CNN.

Cable News Network.

You're throwing all the dice
on this one?

Why not? Nothing ventured,
nothing gained.

Faint heart never
won fair lady.

Well on that original point,
Mr. Turner,

thank you very much indeed.

Turner: I wanted to see
what was going on in the world.

And there was no way
that you could do it

watching the regular television
stations.

The news only comes on
at 6:00 and 10:00.

But if there was news on
24 hours,

people could watch it any time.

We sign on on June 1
and barring satellite problems

in the future,
we won't be signing off

until the world ends.

Greenfield:
There was a widespread belief

this was a fool's errand.

How can this possibly
find an audience?

Well, he did.

Ready Camera three.
One center up.

Good evening.
I'm David Walker.

And I'm Lois Harp.
Now here's the news.

President Carter
has arrived...

Television news before this was
stuff that had already happened.

For the first time,

CNN brought the world
to people in real time.

Announcer: CNN -- the world's
most important network.

Turner:
I didn't do Cable News Network

because somebody told me it
couldn't be done.

I figured it was
a very viable concept

and I went ahead and did it.

It was after we announced
that we were going to do it

that the detractors showed up.

Gumbel: Is Cable News Network
just gonna be a new means

of delivering the same kind
of fare?

No.

It already does
provide different fare

and Cable News Network
is a perfect

and maybe the best example
of that.

People love news
and we had lots of it.

And the other guys
had not very much.

So choice and quantity won out.

New York City, hello.

Mintier: A major catastrophe
in America's space program...

I'm Lou Dobbs along with
Financial Editor Myron Kandel.

Jessica McClure trapped
for almost three days now

in a dry artesian well.

Miller: The Iron Curtain
between East Germany

and West Berlin
has come tumbling down.

Good evening I'm Pat Buchanan
the conservative in "Crossfire."

Buchanan: The American people
appreciated the new television.

They certainly came to --
came to CNN in droves.

Mr. Gorbachev and I both agree
on the desirability of freer

and more extensive personal
contact between the peoples

of the Soviet Union
and the United States.

We began to realize
that the best way

to get a message to a foreign
leader was to have the President

go in the rose garden
and make a statement.

Because everybody
was watching CNN.

Turner:
CNN was a breakthrough.

It changed the whole world.

Stahl: It changed quickly,
the network news business.

That business
that we weren't the only ones.

And it was hard, you know.

It's hard to be
on the top little perch

and have to come down off it.

A special segment tonight,
the network news.

The first in a two-part series
on the profound changes

taking place in television news.

Changes being brought about
by business,

competition, and technology.

Heilemann: There are a variety
of reasons why people who worked

at the broadcast networks
were freaked out in the 1980s.

One of them was CNN
and the rise of cable.

Another was being taken over

by foreign entities
in corporate America.

Hart: New owners spent billions
buying the networks recently,

and all of them want
their money's worth.

People began to find out that
news could be a profit center.

And that focused a lot
of attention on us.

A lot from people
in Wall Street, for instance.

If you think about the news
divisions of CBS, NBC, and ABC,

they were part of
a really proud tradition --

a journalistic tradition
that really matters.

We serve the public.

This is not about
profit and loss.

And the people who worked
at those news divisions

were totally freaked out
by what it meant

that they were now owned by
these larger corporate entities.

If the television news
isn't profitable at some point,

there won't be any more
television news on the networks.

Shales: I worry about people
who are interested only in money

and power getting ahold
of television.

It has higher purposes
than that.

We have seen the news
and it is us.

Collins:
Sometimes ambition in a woman

is considered to be a dirty word
unfortunately.

Bloodworth-Thomason: I don't
hear a lot of female voices

reverberating in the halls
of power in this business.

Well, I'm surprised there aren't
more shows about women

that are talking about
who they are.

Directing seems to be an area

that is almost impossible
to break through.

I think the '80s were the era

when women were being looked at

with a little skepticism,

but definitely
with more acceptability.

You could see the door opening,
but it wasn't wide open.

Stahl:
"Cagney & Lacey" was huge.

That there would be two women
and they had a serious job

and they solved crimes and they
were out on the streets.

They were tough.

That was emblematic
or maybe out in front a little

of what was actually happening
in the country.

So, we're a terrific team.
This is true.

What do you say we go out and
celebrate how terrific we are?

Bianculli:
There had been by that point
hundreds of buddy cop shows,

but these buddies were women.

That had never been done
before.

I didn't go after this job

because I couldn't find
anything else.

All right? I did not come here
because I needed

some kind of work to help pay
the orthodontist.

This means something to me.
What the hell are we
talking about here?

Corday: We didn't even realize
that this was gonna be

such a big deal, and strangely,

all these guys would say to us,

"Well yeah, I mean,
it's a good script,

but who's gonna save them
in the end?"

All right, come on.
We're taking you out of here.

-[ Sobbing ]
-Come on.

You're taking my wife?!

You don't take one step.
You understand me?

Sergeant Nelson, you have
until 8:00 tomorrow morning

to turn yourself into IAD.

-Phyllis!
-If you don't, I will.

Hart: It was a time where you
really saw an emergence of women

on television
who were not necessarily

just 20 and blond
and had a small role.

But women who had
substantial roles.

♪ Thank you for being a friend ♪

♪ Traveled down the road
and back again ♪

It was unpredictable
that an audience,

a young audience,
a not-so-young audience

and lots in between could relate
to those older ladies.

Ma, if you couldn't see,

why didn't you call me
to come get you?

I tried to but every time
I put in a dime and dialed,

a condom popped out.

[ Laughter ]

I got five in my pocket.
Here Dorothy.

[ Laughter ]

A lifetime supply.

Mitchell:
She was recently named

along with Norman Lear
and Jim Brooks

as one of television's
most gifted creator/writers.

And when you look back
at the past women role models

on television, well, it's easy
to see Susan Harris' impact.

Mandabach: Susan Harris was the
greatest writer, in my opinion,

of her generation, of that time.

Singularly, so, you know,

all credit to her for coming up
with so many iterations

of something so amazing.

Mitchell: Do you think there is
a woman's voice as a writer?

Woman's voice -- well generally
they speak higher, softer.

[ Laughter ]

I should have known not
to ask that of a writer.

Yes, of course,
there's a woman's voice.

Women have
a different perspective.

Women laugh
at different things.

So, yes, they're very definitely
is a woman's voice.

Oh, do you know how
many problems we have solved

over a cheesecake
at this kitchen table?

No, Dorothy,
exactly how many?

147, Rose!

Oh.

Hi, Bryant. It's cutthroat
primetime time this fall,

as some 23 new shows compete

in one of the hottest
ratings races in years.

Here's one just about everybody
predicts will be a big hit.

"Designing Women" on CBS.

Four femmes forming
an interior decorating business

and giving each other
the business.

Suzanne,
if sex were fast food,

there'd be an arch
over your bed.

Corday:
Linda Bloodworth-Thomason
created one of the funniest,

most unusual shows
in "Designing Women."

They were a different group
of women

than you really saw
on television.

They were feisty,
they were sexy,

and Linda's voice
came through shining.

A man can get away
with anything.

I mean, look at Reagan's neck.
It sags down to here.

Everybody raves about
how great he looks.

Can you imagine if Nancy
had that neck?

They'd be putting her in
a nursing home for turkeys.

[ Cheers and applause ]

They'd given me this 23 minutes

to address whatever topic
I want.

And it's such a privilege.

It's more than the President
of the United States gets,

and it's kind of thrilling
to have that every week.

I would lying if I said I didn't
put my opinions in the show.

Excuse me, but you lovely ladies
look like you're in need

of a little male
companionship here.

Trust me when I tell you
that you have completely

mis-assessed the situation
at this table.

Man: All right.
Moving onto scene B.

English:
I am a woman and I am a writer,

but I don't really enjoy
being called a woman's writer.

I think labels
are harmful to us.

Mitchell:
With "Murphy Brown,"

just about everything
about that program felt new.

The civil rights movement
and the women's movement

had just begun to sort of be
reflected in the programming

that you saw on television
in the '80s.

Murphy, you know the Dunfries
Club is for men only?

And they have great dinners
with great guests

and I don't get to go for
one reason and one reason only.

And it has to do with something
you've got and I don't.

A tiny, pathetic,
little Y chromosome.

Stahl:
"Murphy Brown" was sea change
because she was so popular

and such a strong, independent,
tough woman.

No matter what you think
of a guest or their views,

you are obligated to ask the
questions in a dignified manner.

Jim, she was unprofessional,
am I right?

-Well, I, uh...
-Do you believe this Jim?

He thinks it's neat that
his office chair swivels

and he's calling me
unprofessional.

[ Jazz music plays ]

Troy: The big thing
that changes in the '80s

is the number of hours spent
watching television.

[ Whistles ] Goes up.

The number of hours spent

talking about television
goes up.

One of the symbols
of this phenomenon

is "Entertainment Tonight."

Hi, I'm Tom Hallick, and welcome
to our opening night --

the premiere edition
of "Entertainment Tonight."

Hart: All of the critics
were kind of unanimous

in that they said,
"It'll never last

because there simply isn't
enough entertainment news

to fill a half-hour every night.

"Entertainment Tonight"
has surveyed TV critics

in the United States and Canada

to find out which television
shows had the most impact

on viewers over the years.

Now, up until this time, nobody
had done television like this.

Nobody.

Burt Reynolds,
the hottest actor in Hollywood.

I'm surprised
to see you here.

-Well, I'm glad to see you.
-Well, thank you.

We can meet here every night
if you'd like.
Thank you. I'd love it.

Leach: A lot of what makes

successful television
programming

is being in the right place
at the right time.

And it was the right time.

Mitchell: Entertainment
journalism evolved

as the audience got more curious
and had more access.

Until that point,

the entertainment business
had been something

that we didn't know
all that much about.

Hart: We could go behind
the scenes in our effort

to really give
an insider's look.

The crafty old J.R. of "Dallas"
fame was with his mother,

actress Mary Martin
as he was presented with a star

on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

It was very honorific
of the industry.

They would do serious coverage
of it.

It wasn't salacious
and you would see actors

speaking as actors instead of
on a Johnny Carson show.

Man: What are you like
off camera?

I'm like this.
Oh, this is on camera.
This is on camera.

Hanks: It was the beginning
of a lot of money being made

talking about entertainment
and celebrities.

Robert Redford plays
the good guy in the movies,

but don't tell that to
his neighbors in Utah.

They are still bitter

and Redford is the target
of their ire.

Hart:
The audience grew and grew.

And that was showing us
that the appetite

for celebrity news was big.
It was big.

Leach: Get ready for "Lifestyles
of the Rich and Famous,"

television's most dazzling hour
of excitement!

Hi, I'm Robin Leach in Monaco,

the glittering gem
of the Riviera.

And you've got a VIP ticket to
Prince Rainier's private party.

Your Sunday newspaper
is still delivered

with the comics around the news.

And that was what I always
thought "Lifestyles" was.

We were the comic
around the news.

Except we did it as seriously
as they did news.

Finally in the driving seat
of his own career,

he burned rubber
in a new direction.

David Hasselhoff -- rock idol.

Hart: It was a time where
pushing the limits with wealth

and ostentatiousness in a lot
of cases was very comfortable.

One of the earliest stories
that we presented to you

on "Lifestyles" was about
the amazing real-estate wizard

Donald Trump.

If he didn't shock and surprise
you back then,

he's had plenty of time since.

With all of this costing
billions, not millions,

do the figures
ever frighten you?

The answer is no.
It's my business.

It's my life.
It's my lifestyle.

I love it.
The good, the bad.

Does this bring with it
political aspirations?

No political aspiration.

Brown: Your show has gotten
a lot of ridicule.

There are people who say
it's nothing more than trash.

That doesn't upset me
because I think

it's the best trash
there is on television.

I am not in the business
of brain surgery.

I am in the business
of fluff.

Connelly:
It's the fantasy element

at a time when the access
is possible.

It's escapism
and it's aspirational.

You want to stand in a hot tub
with a glass of champagne?

Rock on!

Leach: We'd never seen that
kind of wealth ever before.

We didn't mock it,
we didn't say it was right,

and we didn't say it was wrong.

We were just through
the keyhole.

Sometimes, you know,
it absolutely amazes me.

I walk away from a shoot and I
think, "Well, we did it again."

There was more of everything
in TV by the '80s.

Your opportunities for watching
stuff is increasingly vast.

Announcer:
NBC presents "Real People."

My name's Michael B. Wilson.

The thought dawned on me
that the application

of a small motor on a pair
of roller skates

might really be a great thing.

Barbour: Somebody once said
that each one of us

will be a star for 15 minutes.

And I think that that's
probably going to happen.

Troy: American culture used to
be a culture that celebrated

privacy, and in the 1980s,
as we're watching celebrities

sort of play out onstage,
"Hey, I want to join, too."

All the world becomes a stage
and you start seeing shows

like "Real People"
or "The People's Court."

Announcer: The People's Court --

Where reality television
is taken one step further.

To see more TV, producers had to
come up with

new and different ways
to give them television.

Don't. Be. Stupid.

Carl, get over here!

[ Screams ] I told you
not to be stupid!

Bianculli: What "Cops" did
was it took away the script

and just brought the camera
people and the crews on location

to try and catch
actual things happening.

Cocaine...

Possession of
a stolen firearm no less.

What else are you gonna do?

[ Richard Wagner's
"Bridal Chorus" plays ]

-With this ring...
-With this ring...

-...I thee wed.
-...I thee wed.

-...with my body...
-...with my body...

-...I thee bond.
-...I thee bond.

Connelly: The biggest television
event of the 1980s

is the marriage
of Charles and Diana.

It's like the world stops
when that happened.

I mean, that was, like,
just massive.

Reporter: This was the final act
of a spectacle

that may never again be seen
in this century, if ever.

Rather: The Archbishop
of Canterbury called the wedding

of Prince Charles
and Lady Diana Spencer today

the stuff of fairy tales.

Chancellor: Good evening.
The royal couple at this hour

is off on the honeymoon,

while a lot of people
here in London tonight

are still talking about
the events of the day.

Troy: When you have great
moments like the royal wedding,

they're a part of history
and it's done beautifully

and everybody has a chance
to watch it all on television.

Everybody just wants to drink
a toast to Chuck and Di.

Jennings: A princess who must
now be aware as it was

on this day that every single
move she makes in public

will be recorded and observed.

A very difficult life indeed.

We'll be back in just a moment
with some closing observations

and one final look at
what has justifiably been called

the wedding of the century.

Officiant: By the authority
of the state of New York,

I pronounce that they
are husband and wife.

You may kiss the bride.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Your wedding was seen by an
astonishing number of people --

16 to 19 million viewers.

How do you account for
that kind of popularity?

Oh, I can't. I can't.

The way it's grown, it's just --
it's amazing to me.

Connelly: It did appear in
the '80s that it was a good time

for daytime soap operas,

especially for a show
like "General Hospital,"

which had that huge success
with Luke and Laura's wedding.

Duffy: I remember
when Luke and Laura got married

because it was nighttime
newsworthy.

The soap opera discovers
the blockbuster mentality,

the sweeps month mentality.

Like, what can we do to get
even more people watching.

You have a wedding.
You have a kidnapping.

You have an evil twin.

And primetime stole
from daytime.

Reporter: After "Dallas" proved
that Ewing Oil was better

than real oil for CBS,

the networks rushed
to give the public more.

Troy: The great prime-time
soap operas of the 1980s.

"Dallas," "Dynasty --"
they're all about excess.

This is about being
over the top,

stabbing each other in the back,

going for the gusto,
and having fun.

I know what's wrong with you.
The empty armed Madonna.

Mourning the baby
that she couldn't have

and the baby that she
almost got to adopt.

That is it, isn't it?

Oh, you miserable bitch!

Yost: There was a bigness
to the stories.

And that they could afford
to do on a network,

if you're doing one episode
a week.

Now you can't do that
if you're doing five episodes

a week for a daytime show.

So just the production value
gave it that pizzazz.

Reporter: If you can't have it,
watch other people with it.

Or so say the three networks
who are programming

nearly 40%
of their primetime fare

with series about the very rich.

And the public is devouring it
at such a rate

that make believe money
has become ratings gold.

[ Screams ]

Hart: The characters
were larger than life.

They were more evil and more
cunning and manipulative.

And more gorgeous.
I mean, really.

Look at the way
they were dressed.

Look at the way they lived.
Everything, it was fascinating.

-Alexis?
-Yes.

I didn't thank you
for your present.

[ Gasps ]

[ Sighs ]

It's he you should
slap, dear, not I.

Brown: We all wanted
to live like, you know,

we were on "Dynasty,"
like the Carringtons.

And it all just ended up
being a wonderful picture

of fun and debauchery.

Yost: Greed was encouraged
in the '80s.

There was a sense of conspicuous
consumption as being okay.

And those shows
kind of exploited that.

Mann: Prime-time families
like the Carringtons

who live here in luxury
on the "Dynasty" sound stage

are not the only rich folk
on TV.

In the last five years,

more than half of all new shows
have featured the wealthy.

10 years ago,
that figure was zero.

There was an accident.
Your father's dead.

Connelly: "Falcon Crest"
was a wine family.

There's Lorenzo Lamas

and there's Ronald Reagan's
first wife,

Jane Wyman is on that show.

Emma is pregnant.

I know a doctor who can
take care of it right away.

That will never happen.

All of those shows were,
"Oh, my God, what's next?

What's gonna happen with that?
He can't get away with that."

And then you tune in.
It was appointment television.

Announcer: What will
become of the missing twins

on "Knots Landing?"
What?

Connelly:
They all had spin-offs.

"Dallas" had the spin-off
"Knots Landing."

"The Colbys" was the spin-off
for "Dynasty."

They were seeing how much
they could max this stuff out.

'Cause it was
really successful.

Where's your son Miles?

Isn't he going to be a part
of this venture,

or is he just playing polo
as usual?

[ Laughter ]

The Colbys can always find room
for another trophy.

[ Laughter ]

Corday: You had these people
fighting over oil

and mansions,
and it was fantasy,

but in a kind of so-over-the-top
way that it was fun.

There's nothing devious
about using your femininity.

Bianculli:
These shows took themselves

so unseriously
that they were camp.

But that was okay
with the central audience

that was loving them.

Duffy: It was entertainment.

We weren't trying to do
high drama.

We were there to entertain.
We were glossy.

There was no getting around it.

We knew what we were there for
and we did it as best we could.

Gumbel: Australia's most
important export

may be neither its animals
nor its beer nor its films.

Could in fact be
one Rupert Murdoch.

55-year-old Mr. Murdoch
is in the midst of building

what Forbes magazine says is
the most extensive media empire

in history.

Heilemann: A huge development
in television.

The gemini
of the three broadcast networks

was presumed to be complete
and Rupert Murdoch

having disrupted the newspaper
business in Australia,

the television business
in Britain.

He arrives in America
and basically says,

"I don't really see why
there should only be

three broadcast networks.
I'm gonna make another one."

This was a big, bold bet.

Jensen: Meantime,
he will have to become

an American citizen if he
is to own TV stations here.

Something Murdoch says
he is willing to do.

Gumbel: There are some people
who are saying

that it'll take you 20 years
to get your Fox network

on a par with the big three.

Are you prepared
to wait that long?

Sure, I certainly intend
to live that long.

But I don't believe
in the 20 years.

Auletta:
The reaction to Murdoch's idea

for a fourth network was similar
to the reaction at Ted Turner

starting CNN --
it's ridiculous, you know.

What does he know
about television?

We don't think of ourselves
as ABC, CBS, or NBC.

We don't have to reach everyone.

There's no question
we have an inferior lineup

of stations to our counterparts.

That means we'll all have
to work harder

to get our message across
and get shows sampled.

Auletta: They had an idea that,
"In order to succeed

we have to differentiate
ourselves from the networks.

We have to do things
they would not do."

Fox started throwing anything
against the wall,

not knowing what was gonna go.

First shows were things like
"21 Jump Street"...

What exactly are we
looking for here?

...Joan Rivers
in terms of late night...

We have been banned in Boston,
which I think is wonderful.

WXNE, so pick a finger WXNE.

Bianculli:
...and "The Tracey Ullman Show."

Oh, Polly!

Levine: It was a sketch show,

and they needed something
to go between the sketches.

And again, they were looking
for something different.

I gotta have
those candy bars.

You better not be thinking
of stealing those candy bars.

That's it!

"The Simpsons"
would never have come along

had it not been for
"The Tracey Ullman Show."

Ultimately, crime hurts
the criminal.

But that's not true Mom.
I got a free ride home didn't I?

Bart!

Levine: Fox was thrilled

that it was different.

They said, "Sure.

Be experimental.
Do whatever you want."

We're just happy to have
a show on the air.

[ Laughter ]
I'm home!

Bianculli:
"Married With Children"

was their first big, big hit

in that way that said
if all the rest of television

is going this way,
we're going that way.

Bud, Kelly, you want to come
down and help me in the kitchen?

[ Doors slam ]

[ Chuckles ]

There, that should buy us
about 10 minutes.

7 more than we'll need.
[ Chuckles ]

Mandabach: The title of
"Married With Children"

on the script
was "Not The Cosby Show."

How great. I mean, you know,
you have to love that.

They just were taking the piss
out of American families.

Fun, great fun.

Hurry up Bud.

Never wanted to get married,
I'm married.

Never wanted to have kids,
I got two of them.

How the hell did this happen?

The Bundys were almost like
a purposeful reaction

to the perfection
of the Huxtables.

And it was funny because,
you know,

you had this wonderful,
perfect black family

and these horrible,
miserable white people.

And each show worked
on its own terms

because you could find things
to relate to in both.

Howdy neighbor.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I hate these people.

Why don't we sit down?

There was a lot of fun to be had
in, you know, Al and Peg Bundy.

Bianculli: After Fox introduces
"Married With Children,"

it does very, very well,
then back on ABC,

they came up with another
major hit, "Roseanne."

You think this is
a magic kingdom

where you just sit up here
on your throne.
Oh yeah?

Yeah, and you think
everything gets done

by some wonderful wizard.

Oh, poof,
the laundry's folded.

Poof,
dinner's on the table.

You want me to fix dinner?
I'll fix dinner.

I'm fixing dinner!

Oh, but, honey, you just
fixed dinner three years ago.

Bianculli:
Typical American families

weren't on television
for the longest time.

The Donna Reed days, you know,
the early days,

the "Father Knows Best," hardly
anybody really lived like that.

That was the way advertisers
wanted you to live.

I know what just might
make you feel better.

Me too, but I bet
it's a different list

than what you got.

The ideal situation
is if you can subvert

whatever common stuff
is said about families

and about parenting.

What's in this, lead?

Oh, I got you kids
new leg irons.

Her loudness
and her unfilteredness

were key to why we liked her.

She was saying stuff
about working class people,

she was saying stuff
about men and women.

So it was about marriage
and about raising kids

and about how hard it is.

Oh, great, I'm just gonna
look like a freak, that's all.

-What else is new?
-Shut up!

This is why some animals
eat their young.

TV in the '80s was a big decade
for the evolution of comedy,

for the evolution of drama.

It just pushed everything
forward.

Shriver: Do you think perhaps
this generation

are paying more attention
to the dialogue,

to the relationships
that they see on television

than in years previous?

Well, clearly the people
that are watching our shows are.

And "Thirtysomething"

and "Cheers"
and "St. Elsewhere."

These are shows
that are smartly written.

It's their words
that define them.

And I think that's
what people like.

I love you guys.

That decade spawned
an extraordinary number

of shows that really carved out
a unique niche for themselves.

We began to turn television
into an art form.

And for the first time,
people were proud to say,

"I write for television."

Yost: Up until that point,
television was second class.

In the '80s,
it was something else entirely

and it was new and it was
kind of interesting.

Connelly:
It's like everyone in the '80s

starts to want to tell
their stories.

That's what really changes
things.

Shales: The unexpected
was more welcome in the '80s.

Predictability lost its cache.

Television has an impact
on every era, every decade.

Gumbel: Television still shapes
the thinking of America like

no other element
in our country.

Sometimes for the better,
sometimes for the worse.

Duffy: It gave rise to people
pursuing artistic content

in a way that I think
has raised the bar

in television production
exponentially.

Bianculli: There's a shift
in the '80s from just wanting

to placate the audience
to wanting to please

and challenge the audience.

And that's the decade
when it happened.

We had one hell of a run.
Didn't we partner?

Yeah. We sure did, sonny.

I'm gonna miss you man.

I'm gonna miss you,
too, sonny.

Can I give you a ride
to the airport?

Why not?

♪♪