Plot Synopsis

TV ON THE EDGE: MOMENTS THAT SHAPED OUR CULTURE is a four-part documentary that examines the most impactful moments in television history, exploring how key cultural events impacted a generation of viewers. Each one-hour episode identifies a different TV moment -- whether from a sitcom, a drama, or a live event -- as an entry point to examine salient and deep themes about our culture. Featuring never-before-heard details from those who were there and commentary from celebrities, TV insiders, politicians, journalists, comedians, and culture critics, the series showcases the power of television, the legacy of these iconic events, and the impact they have had on our lives.

Groundbreaking moments explored in TV ON THE EDGE include Vice President Dan Quayle attacking the TV show MURPHY BROWN for its portrayal of single motherhood, featuring a first-time reunion between Candice Bergen, five-time Emmy winner for her portrayal of Murphy Brown, and Emmy winning MURPHY BROWN showrunner Diane English, writer Korby Siamis, and director Barnet Kellman. Another episode features the trailblazing team behind Ellen DeGeneres's sitcom hit ELLEN and the highly anticipated coming out episode that more than 40 million viewers tuned in for. From Kanye West's infamous off-script moment in 2005 on NBC's telethon CONCERT FOR HURRICANE RELIEF to Oprah Winfrey's 1988 weight loss reveal on her iconic talk show, these events and more are uncovered in TV ON THE EDGE. Episodes include:

"Dan Quayle vs. Murphy Brown" (Sunday, September 22, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT): In the midst of the heated 1992 presidential campaign, Vice President Dan Quayle attacks the television show Murphy Brown for its portrayal of single motherhood. Instantly the Bush campaign is catapulted into a national conversation around family values, while the "culture war" playbook is officially born.

"Oprah's Wagon of Fat" (Sunday, September 29, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT): In 1988, Oprah walks on stage wearing slim size 10 Calvin Klein blue jeans, a black turtleneck and...wheeling 67 pounds of animal fat piled into a Radio Flyer red wagon. The stunt not only reveals how much weight she lost but shines a light on our country's obsession with fatness proving that diet culture spares no one.

"Ellen Comes Out" (Sunday, October 6, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT): It's April 30, 1997, and Ellen DeGeneres is about to do something that hasn't been done before, when the title character of her hit sitcom Ellen comes out on primetime television, right after she comes out in real life. More than 40 million viewers tune in for the big reveal that broke barriers and lit the spark for true gay representation on television for decades to come.

"Kanye Breaks the Telethon" fka "Hurricane Kanye" (Sunday, October 13, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT): After Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans in 2005, Kanye West goes on NBC's telethon Concert for Hurricane Relief and famously says, "George Bush doesn't care about Black people" to a live national audience. This becomes one of the very first viral moments, but more importantly, a spark that galvanized a generation laying the groundwork for the Black Lives Matter movement.