Dear , ValleyPBS Viewer

Can television help shape a society? The programs featured in Pioneers of Television certainly did.

Few television programs really challenge the genre into which they are delivered, developing cult followings or fundamentally morphing the expectations of viewers. However, the shows in this series did more than light up the small screens with hours of entertainment: they confronted our stereotypes, questioned our core values and made whole generations of viewers re-examine the limits of our humanity.

In the 1950s, '60s and '70s, many female entertainers struggled just to enter the male-dominated world of stand-up and television. On Monday night at 10, see how the original funny ladies of shows like I Love Lucy, The Carol Burnett Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show used self-deprecation, acting dumb and playing down their looks to be taken seriously.

Then on Tuesday night at 8, relive the improbable but exciting storylines of primetime soaps with a look at favorites like Dallas, Dynasty and Knots Landing. These three soaps - with their stories about long-lost relatives, secret affairs and amnesia - rank among the longest-running shows in the history of TV drama.

It's classic TV like you've never seen it before! Tune in for Pioneers of Television on Monday at 10 p.m. and Tuesday at 8 p.m., only on ValleyPBS!

Best Regards,

Andrea Bressel
Chief Content Officer
ValleyPBS