From 1949 until its cancelation in 1971, the show ran on CBS every Sunday night from 8–9 p.m. E.T., and is one of the few entertainment shows to have run in the same weekly time slot on the same network for more than two decades. (During its first season, it ran from 9–10 p.m. E.T.) Virtually every type of entertainment appeared on the show; opera singers, popular artists, songwriters, comedians, ballet dancers, dramatic actors performing monologues from plays, and circus acts were regularly featured. The format was essentially the same as vaudeville, and although vaudeville had died a generation earlier, Sullivan presented many ex-vaudevillians on his show. Seasons 1-8 can be found listed under the series "Toast of the Town".
| Season | From | To | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Seasons | |||
| Specials | February 1964 | November 2016 | 125 |
| Season 1 | 1 | ||
| Season 2 | 1 | ||
| Season 3 | 1 | ||
| Season 4 | 1 | ||
| Season 5 | 1 | ||
| Season 6 | 1 | ||
| Season 7 | 1 | ||
| Season 8 | 1 | ||
| Season 9 | September 1955 | September 1956 | 52 |
| Season 10 | September 1956 | September 1957 | 51 |
| Season 11 | September 1957 | September 1958 | 50 |
| Season 12 | September 1958 | September 1959 | 52 |
| Season 13 | September 1959 | September 1960 | 49 |
| Season 14 | September 1960 | July 1961 | 40 |
| Season 15 | September 1961 | August 1962 | 45 |
| Season 16 | September 1962 | August 1963 | 42 |
| Season 17 | September 1963 | September 1964 | 42 |
| Season 18 | September 1964 | August 1965 | 40 |
| Season 19 | September 1965 | August 1966 | 42 |
| Season 20 | September 1966 | June 1967 | 42 |
| Season 21 | September 1967 | June 1968 | 39 |
| Season 22 | September 1968 | August 1969 | 40 |
| Season 23 | September 1969 | June 1970 | 36 |
| Season 24 | September 1970 | March 1971 | 25 |
| Unassigned Episodes | 0 |
| Season | From | To | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unassigned Episodes | 820 |
| Season | From | To | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 0 | ||
| Unassigned Episodes | 820 |
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We are what we watch-and over the last half century, we've watched some pretty fabulous TV. From Mary to Jerry, from Tonight to Today, from the sublime (Prime Suspect) to the ridiculous (Gilligan's Island), EW recalls everything you need to know about 100 shows that tell us who we are.
Mike Wallace and a vampire slayer? Letterman and Oprah? Andy Griffith and the Sopranos? On one list? What were we thinking? Simply put, the best of the best, from Day 1 to last night: quality, innovation and the ability to stay in our lives year after year after year. A touch of sentiment? Sure, but nostalgia alone couldn’t make the cut (sorry, Beav). And TV-movies, miniseries and specials will have to wait. These are the series we watched regularly — and will watch again. And again.
So many golden ages, so much brilliance from which to choose. In culling from the "60 Greatest" lists we've compiled during our 60th-anniversary year, we shook things up, blending drama, comedy and other genres to salute the shows with the biggest cultural impact and most enduring influence. What will the next 60 years bring? We can't wait to find out.
From time-capsule sitcoms to cutting-edge Peak-TV dramas — the definitive ranking of the game-changing small-screen classics
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