"I apologize. I know I left some of your favorite shows off this list. How do I know that? Because I left some of my favorite shows off this list. The happy and unfortunate fact is that there are far more than 100 great shows, and more created every year. Lists are incredibly important: they are how we define what matters to us, what we want entertainment and art to do, what we expect of our culture." —TIME TV critic James Poniewozik
Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Chris Farley, Dan Aykroyd, Dana Carvey, Eddie Murphy, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, John Belushi, Mike Myers, Phil Hartman, Seth Meyers, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Will Ferrell
For its first couple of years, SNL was a genuine comedic rebellion, with the like of John Belushi affecting a rude mid-’70s punk-rock pose. With success, SNL went from playing CBGB to stadiums, but as the Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers and Tina Fey peaks proved, mass success doesn’t always mean the death of funny. SNL is not really a TV show anymore so much as a graduate school of American comedy, and it’s been as significant for the kind of artists it didn’t know what to do with (Chris Rock, Sarah Silverman) as for the stars it effortlessly launched (Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler). And every now and then it proves it can still matter, as when Rudolph Giuliani joined producer Lorne Michaels for the show’s pitch-perfect return after 9/11. (Michaels: “Can we be funny?” Giuliani: “Why start now?”) Like a land shark, or a certain organ in a box, SNL can still surprise you.
Like SNL, SCTV had a history of launching comedy’s Next Big Things (John Candy, Rick Moranis, Martin Short)—but without the bothersome distraction of being a massive hit. Originating in Canada, the sketch show had a certain modesty that fit the stereotype of the self-effacing Canadian; even its most popular creation, Bob & Doug McKenzie’s “Great White North,” was a good-natured parody of government-mandated, low-budget “Canadian culture” programs. It was wry where SNL was brash and meta where SNL was direct (each show took place in the context of a fictional low-budget TV network). That’s not to say SCTV was dull and cerebral—what with the Shmenge Brothers and the blowing things up “real good”—but SCTV dared to be little, and was bigger for it.
It’s Fashion Week in New York City and Manhattan is crawling with eccentric designers, stylish socialites and hungry models looking for next season’s big trend. It seems that our invitation to Marc Jacobs’ show got lost in the mail, so to console ourselves we’ve put together a stylish Spotify playlist.
TIME remembers the legacy of Don Cornelius by looking back at the TV shows that brought — and still bring — a rich trove of music into the living rooms of America
In light of the Material Girl performing at Super Bowl XLVI, TIME takes a look at her life and career, both of which have been lived firmly in the public eye.