Changing Channels: Television's Journey from Three Networks to Infinite Streaming

A comprehensive exploration of television's remarkable evolution across five transformative decades. This presentation chronicles the medium's journey from the socially conscious programming of the 1970s through the quality revolution of the 1980s, the genre expansion of the 1990s, the reality TV boom of the 2000s, and the streaming transformation of the 2010s to today.
Rather than focusing on the same popular shows repeatedly mentioned in most TV histories, this guide highlights diverse and influential programming that demonstrates television's continuous reinvention. From groundbreaking sitcoms that challenged social norms to complex dramas that elevated the medium's artistic credibility, each year brought innovations that pushed television forward.
Covering both American and international programming, this timeline reveals how television evolved from three broadcast networks delivering shared national experiences to hundreds of streaming platforms serving every conceivable interest. The presentation examines not just what we watched, but how changing technology, cultural shifts, and audience expectations transformed television from simple entertainment into sophisticated storytelling that rivals cinema in production value and cultural impact.
A fascinating journey through the medium that has served as our cultural mirror, reflecting society's changes while simultaneously helping to shape them