Pre Internet Viral TV Moments: It's 1984 And Oh My God! You Broke The Internet!

[Chaos Theory]

Before 1947 the number of US homes with television sets could be measured in the thousands.  By the late 1990s 98% of US homes had at least one TV set.   

Commercial Internet ermerged in the late 1980 and early 1990s.  The ARPANETwas decommissioned in 1990.  By 1995 the Internet was fully commercialized.

What are the best tv show moments from 1947 to 1995 that would have "broken the internet"  if it existed back then?  

Have fun!

Edited October 27, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[ChromaKelly]

Michael Jackson's Moonwalk. Would have gone viral, tons of parody videos.

The Dan's death/lottery fakeout on Roseanne.
Jan's wig on The Brady Bunch.

[Anela]

Bobby waking up, and it was all a dream. I think that one did enough damage without the internet. People still mention it. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

23 minutes ago, Anela said:

Bobby waking up, and it was all a dream. I think that one did enough damage without the internet. People still mention it. 

It wasn't Bobby who woke up, but Pam.  It was her dream and I didn't give any fucks because I got Bobby back!

For all I read about how terrible and stupid it was for Dallas to do this, other shows did it too: Roseanne, Newhart, St. Elsewhere.  But Dallas is the only show to get the ???

Other than Victoria Principal's great hair, that entire season sucked and I'm glad it was a dream.

[AgentRXS]

I'm not sure these would be counted as "Best" tv moments, but I can imagine the following going viral on the internet:

 

The "WhoShot JR?" cliffhanger.

Prince's performace in an assless jumpsuit from the 1991 Video Music Awards; of course, Madonna's "Like a Virgin" 1984 VMA performance

 The Cosby show episode that featured Theo Huxtable's Gordon Gatrell shirt

Steve Urkel's "Do the Urkel" dance from Family Matters

Kelly Taylor's "I choose me" moment from Beverly Hills 90210

Also from BH 90210: Dylan's father getting killed in the boat explosion, the whole Brenda/Kelly/Dylan triangle complete with "Teams"

Melrose Place: When Kimberly rips off her wig

Edited October 28, 2016 by AgentRXS

[Irishmaple]

My mother used to watch a show called Dynasty. I mainly remember the monster shoulder pads and Joan Collins, but I have a vague memory about the family scion, Stephen Carrington. I think he came out at a time when there were few, if any, gay characters on the nighttime shows (I don't recalll a gay character on Dallas or the one in California (Falcon Crest?)  If I'm remembering that correctly, it would have broken the Internet, both in support and otherwise, back then.

[Minneapple]

The Wonder Years finale. "Fred Savage dishes on the finale...and the scene that BROKE YOUR HEART!"

33 minutes ago, AgentRXS said:

the whole Brenda/Kelly/Dylan triangle complete with "Teams"

Oh God...I don't even want to think about the shipper names involved. 

[King of Birds]

As noted already - Who Shot J.R would've been a huge disruptor.

Happy Days - Fonzie, not jumping the shark, but jumping the 14 garbage cans on his motorcycle. The "prequel" to the shark moment. Huge moment for our 4th grade class.

The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. 
The Beatles "reunion" rumor connected to Saturday Night Live in 1976.

Because I was a teenage boy, and every teenage girl at the time was SO INTO IT... and I can't even begin to tell you, I thought I had forced this moment out of my brain... General Hospital, and I think the phrase was  "Sally was a left handed boy" -??  If only you knew the shrieks that ravaged the high school halls that day, my friends.

MASH- Henry Blake, RIP.

Battle of the Network Stars, original recipe. Would have been great to have the internet for that!  And HD.

Even though the internet existed, I don't recall chat boards, etc. (mostly ungodly long email threads) but  South Park Season 2 "Terence and Philip" opener instead of the conclusion of the "Cartman's Mom" ep ... where was twitter then? THE OUTRAGE!!!

 

Real world stuff- the crazy period from Dec 1980-summer 1981 when John Lennon was killed, then President Reagan and Pope John Paul II were targets of assassinations. Talk about running home from school and then living next to the TV. 

Also- Neil Armstrong walking on the moon and the Challenger explosion

Princess Diana's wedding.

sports-related: 
1976-  anything and everything to do with Nadia Comaneci
1980-  USA beats Soviet Union in Winter Olympics
1985-  Don Denkinger blows call
1986-  Buckner error, Mookie Wilson and all of that ugliness

My bad on inclusion of non-fictional events.

[ganesh]

1 hour ago, AgentRXS said:

Kelly Taylor's "I choose me" moment from Beverly Hills 90210

Kelly makes her choice and you won't believe who it is!

[Chaos Theory]

Edith Bunker's death

 

My mother said to include the last episode of MASH

[cpcathy]

911 coverage

Princess Diana's funeral

[GaT]

25 minutes ago, King of Birds said:

Because I was a teenage boy, and every teenage girl at the time was SO INTO IT... and I can't even begin to tell you, I thought I had forced this moment out of my brain... General Hospital, and I think the phrase was  "Sally was a left handed boy" -??  If only you knew the shrieks that ravaged the high school halls that day, my friends.

 

I have absolutely no idea what this is, but I'm fascinated. I tried Googling but didn't come up with anything, could you elaborate?

[magicdog]

9 minutes ago, King of Birds said:

sports-related: 
1976-  anything and everything to do with Nadia Comaneci
1980-  USA beats Soviet Union in Winter Olympics
1985-  Don Denkinger blows call
1986-  Buckner error, Mookie Wilson and all of that ugliness

Secretariat being the first horse in 25 years to win the Triple Crown. (1973)

Bobby Riggs vs Billie Jean King (The Battle of the Sexes match) (1973)

When the Brooklyn Dodgers won the World Series (1955) (Who's A Bum??!!)

Non sports:

The Monkees series finale ("Mijacogeo", aka "The Frodis Caper" - 1968) - which was the trippiest of all the episodes and did not try to hide the fact that Frodis was really

Spoiler

marijuana

The Monkees having Frank Zappa and Tim Buckley on the show (1968)  - particularly when Zappa and Mike Nesmith switched roles and played each other for laughs!  

Hurricane Camille - live non stop coverage (1969) 

Lucy Ricardo's pregnancy announcement ("Lucy is Enciente" - 1953)

[cpcathy]

If we're adding sports, then 1984 Winter Olympics, Torvill and Dean perform Bolero.

[callmebetty]

Don't forget the grandaddy of them all the Tanya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan scandal. The rag mags had a field can't imagine wallowing in Internet  amateur  sleuthing. 

[Anela]

2 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

It wasn't Bobby who woke up, but Pam.  It was her dream and I didn't give any fucks because I got Bobby back!

For all I read about how terrible and stupid it was for Dallas to do this, other shows did it too: Roseanne, Newhart, St. Elsewhere.  But Dallas is the only show to get the ???

Other than Victoria Principal's great hair, that entire season sucked and I'm glad it was a dream.

Oh, yes! Bobby was in the shower, LOL. 

I've heard a lot of complaints about St. Elsewhere, but only watched a few episodes when I was up late because I was sick. 

[Anela]

How about Live Aid? 

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 minutes ago, Anela said:

Oh, yes! Bobby was in the shower, LOL. 

I've heard a lot of complaints about St. Elsewhere, but only watched a few episodes when I was up late because I was sick. 

 

And he looked uberly HAWT and SEXAY in that shower! They wanted to keep it a sekrit and even Victoria didn't know. She thought Sleazeballwifestealin'ratbastard Mark was in the shower, and Patrick was doing a commercial for Irish Spring, and there was a Biography special where you see the surprised and happy laughter on her face when it's revealed that it was Patrick/Bobby in the shower.

Regarding St. Elsewhere, it was revealed the ENTIRE show had been in his kid's head, via him staring at some snow globe. I think he was supposed to be autistic or something. Played by Chad Allen.

So that awesome story of Mark Harmon's character diagnosed with AIDS never happened, along with all the other awesome stuff.

[callmebetty]

1 minute ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

 

And he looked uberly HAWT and SEXAY in that shower! They wanted to keep it a sekrit and even Victoria didn't know. She thought Sleazeballwifestealin'ratbastard Mark was in the shower, and Patrick was doing a commercial for Irish Spring, and there was a Biography special where you see the surprised and happy laughter on her face when it's revealed that it was Patrick/Bobby in the shower.

Regarding St. Elsewhere, it was revealed the ENTIRE show had been in his kid's head, via him staring at some snow globe. I think he was supposed to be autistic or something. Played by Chad Allen.

So that awesome story of Mark Harmon's character diagnosed with AIDS never happened, along with all the other awesome stuff.

Could you imagine the uproar heard all around the internet with that ending??!!!

[GHScorpiosRule]

Just now, callmebetty said:

Could you imagine the uproar heard all around the internet with that ending??!!!

Oh, the internet would have broken and remained that way for days! I remember reading all the uproar when it happened!

[Ohwell]

Speaking of Dynasty:  That epic cat fight between Krystle Carrington and Alexis Carrington Colby.  

[GaT]

"Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" the 1980 Olympic hockey game between the US & Russia.

[Sandman87]

You want internet-breaking? Ernie Kovacs' Silent Show special in 1957. By all reports it nearly broke the post office and phone system, so the internet wouldn't have had a chance. Not only did he do something that prime-time audiences had not seen before, he did it immediately following a Jerry Lewis special (JL was one of the biggest names in the universe at the time), and he blew Jerry Lewis out of the water. It launched Ernie's movie career as a result.

[MissAlmond]

I’ll skip the big ones since they pretty much broke whatever was the equivalent of the Internet at the time.   I’ll also skip SHOCKERS!! for shows such as “Perry Mason”, “Mission Impossible”, "Columbo", "The Twilight Zone", etc.  I’m sure in the great beyond these executive producers/creators are happy they missed the Internet.   They would have had to explain “THAT" twist on a weekly basis!

“The Avengers” Steed and Mrs. Peel would have been shipped and the Internet broken with vows of “I’ll never watch again!” when Diana Rigg left the series.  Which, in a more things change, the more they stay the same reminder, it's said pretty much happened at the time. 

TV Line would have been salivating to discuss Dominique Deveraux’s cliffhanger declaration of being a Carrington on “Dynasty”.  THAT'S a tailored made header for them right there.

A couple of forgotten ones that probably would have broken the Internet.

Lauren Tewes being replaced on “The Love Boat” due to her drug addiction.

Jon-Erik Hexum accidentally killing himself on the set of “Cover-Up”.            

Redd Foxx having a heart attack that ended his life on the set of "The Royal Family" during a rehearsal break.

Edited October 27, 2016 by MissAlmond

[DearEvette]

The original airing of Roots.

The OJ white bronco.  I remember going to a restaurant with my now husband on our first date.  And the wait staff (and us) and most of the people in the restaurant watching it.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Back to Dynasty, because we all know how rabid fandoms are...

The recasting of Pamela Sue Martin's Fallon, with...Emma Samms, along with the British Accent.

Recasting of Catherine Oxenberg's Amanda, with the forgettable blonde who didn't have a British Accent.

The fucking, ridonkulous series finale of Dallas--that the Devil (played by Joel Grey), "made" JR shoot himself, with Bobby's "Oh God*." or whatever he said.

*Thank be to the tv gods that the first reunion movie corrected that, because it was the lamest, most stupidest way to end a series, not to mention what they did to that Magnificent Bastard, who was the ORIGINAL MAGNIFICENT BASTARD.

Don't believe me? Here's a taste (starts at the :49 mark):

Edited October 27, 2016 by GHScorpiosRule

[ennui]

1 hour ago, King of Birds said:

The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. 

Elvis Presley on Ed Sullivan. The Rolling Stones on Ed Sullivan. The Doors refusing to change the lyrics of Light My Fire on Ed Sullivan. 

12 minutes ago, MissAlmond said:

Jon-Erik Hexum accidentally killing himself on the set of “Cover-Up”.  

Freddie Prinz committing suicide. Peter Duel committing suicide. 

[GaT]

The space shuttle Challenger exploding during take off. - 1986

John Hinkley attempting to assassinate President Reagan - 1981

The Tate/Labianca murders - 1969

And at the very beginning of 1947, the Black Dahlia murder

[MissAlmond]

The great purge of all rural shows on CBS.  And TVLine would have known they damn well better not ask William Paley to explain himself either. 

Edited October 27, 2016 by MissAlmond

[ennui]

11 minutes ago, GaT said:

The Tate/Labianca murders - 1969

The Night Stalker murders in Los Angeles. Although, if they had the internet, they might have caught Ramirez sooner.

Edited October 27, 2016 by ennui

[GHScorpiosRule]

15 minutes ago, GaT said:

The space shuttle Challenger exploding during take off. - 1986

John Hinkley attempting to assassinate President Reagan - 1981

The Tate/Labianca murders - 1969

And at the very beginning of 1947, the Black Dahlia murder

 

4 minutes ago, ennui said:

The Night Stalker murders in Los Angeles. Although, if they had the internet, they might have caught Ramirez sooner.

The Atlanta Child Murders

[Chaos Theory]

Maude's Abortion is another one that I think would have had the intetenets on overdrive,

 

Yeah anything realted to 90210 OG would have had fandoms and every other kind  ship pairing.

Edited October 27, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[topanga]

6 minutes ago, GaT said:

The space shuttle Challenger exploding during take off. - 1986

John Hinkley attempting to assassinate President Reagan - 1981

The Tate/Labianca murders - 1969

And at the very beginning of 1947, the Black Dahlia murder

Wow. Yours are serious. My are a tad bit more frivolous:

 

What was the name of the movie/mini-series where Phoebe Cates said, "All right. Which one of you bitches is my mother?" I think it was the first time someone said "bitch" on network TV.

When Michael Jackson's hair caught fire while he filmed the Pepsi commercial. It's all we talked about at school for weeks. 

Another Cosby moment: When Denise's boyfriend (?) was at the Huxtable house singing reggae: "I say, Ed-mon. BRRRRRR Ed-mon." Another water cooler moment at school.

When Meggie and Father de Bricassart hooked up on "The Thorn Birds." It's kinda creepy and gross when I think about it now, but at the time, their affair seemed very romantic.

Whitney Houston singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. 

 

4 hours ago, ChromaKelly said:

Michael Jackson's Moonwalk. Would have gone viral, tons of parody videos.

Yes! This was a great TV moment. 

[MissAlmond]

1 minute ago, topanga said:

What was the name of the movie/mini-series where Phoebe Cates said, "All right. Which one of you bitches is my mother?" I think it was the first time someone said "bitch" on network TV.

Lace.  And oh hell yeah; the Internet would have broken for sure. 

[Chaos Theory]

#DonnaMartinGraduates

[cpcathy]

The episode of Cheers where Sam and Diane finally kiss for the first time after a knock-down, drag out fight.

[funandfitpt]

Mark Greene's death on ER. George Clooney leaving ER.

Wedding shooting cliff hanger of Dynasty.

[SyracuseMug]

The Heidi-NFL fiasco of November, 1968.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Natalie loses her virginity on Fact of Life.

 

On Gimme a Break, out of jealousy, Sam(?) tells Joey to put on Black Face when he does his musical number.

[Chaos Theory]

Conspiracy theories galore about the two Darrins on Bewitched.

[Neurochick]

11 minutes ago, topanga said:

What was the name of the movie/mini-series where Phoebe Cates said, "All right. Which one of you bitches is my mother?" I think it was the first time someone said "bitch" on network TV.

Lace.

[funandfitpt]

Heidi Fleiss, Hollywood Madam and all the famous people who used her services. Joey Buttafucco and Amy Fisher, lady who cut off her husband's penis. So many scandals!!

[topanga]

9 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

On Gimme a Break, out of jealousy, Sam(?) tells Joey to put on Black Face when he does his musical number.

Why can't I remember this episode? Man, I wish we did have the Internet back then. 

 

Quote

Lace.  And oh hell yeah; the Internet would have broken for sure. 

I remember the collective gasp in my house when she said it. Not that we'd never heard the word--just not on ABC. 

Edited October 27, 2016 by topanga

[funandfitpt]

Degrassi School's Out movie when Caitlyn said, "You f***ed Tessa Campinelley!"

[ganesh]

23 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

Maude's Abortion is another one that I think would have had the intetenets on overdrive,

You'll never guess was Bea Arthur had to say about THAT episode. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 minute ago, topanga said:

Why can't I remember this episode? Man, I wish we did have the Internet back then. 

It was near the end of the series. 

 

Episode 11 of the fourth season.  And I totally forgot that the N-word was used! Here's a clip I found where Nell tells her what she did was racist:

 

[ennui]

One of those ABC afterschool specials ... I think it was James at 15 and he lost his virginity. Very controversial at the time. (Iirc).

[MissAlmond]

Star Trek: William Shatner (Captain Kirk) and Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) talk about THAT kiss.

[topanga]

17 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

It was near the end of the series. 

 

Episode 11 of the fourth season.  And I totally forgot that the N-word was used! Here's a clip I found where Nell tells her what she did was racist:

Am I wrong for enjoying the way Nell said the N-word? (I'm black, BTW). The way she spit out the word made it sound like the dirty, offensive insult it often is.  I'd forgotten that Nell spend many years on Broadway, but this scene reminded me. 

[Anela]

1 hour ago, funandfitpt said:

Heidi Fleiss, Hollywood Madam and all the famous people who used her services. Joey Buttafucco and Amy Fisher, lady who cut off her husband's penis. So many scandals!!

Lorena Bobbitt?