It’s hard to know when the good old days are until they’re over. The Golden Age of Television felt like it would last forever during the height of The Sopranos, and the “Peak TV” era felt the same. But everything ends eventually. Hollywood shuts down, leading to the rise of reality TV, or Game of Thrones Season 8 comes out, reminding viewers that the TV gods giveth and taketh.
In 2013, there was a moment that did feel like the definitive end of an era. It was the last time we’d see risky broadcast television that could capture audiences the old-fashioned way: once a week, on linear TV, all while (barely) aligning with FCC standards.
