Right now Girls is being touted as the most important and groundbreaking thing on television, and probably deservedly so. But how's it going to hold up in ten years? Will Hannah's nudity still be brave and honest? Will the conversations between "the ladies" still be an accurate portrayal of the 20-something female experience? Duh, we don't have a crystal ball! We have no idea.
We thought we'd have a look back at water cooler TV of the past, and see if it's just as shocking as it once was:
Sex and the City
Then: "They're talking about sex over brunch! They all have multiple sexual partners! They're blowing my mind with their courageous fashion/vagina choices!"
Now: "How can Carrie afford to buy all those things? Is she a prostitute on the side? Why does she keep entering the same emotionally abusive relationship?"
Dawson's Creek
Then: "They're not talking down to teens! They're discussing sex in a mature and balanced way! They have incredible vocabularies!"
Now: "No-one talks like that! Why is Jen always punished for having sex! Why is their only one gay student in Capeside?"
The Cosby Show
Then: "It's challenging stereotypes of African American families! It's providing greater visibility! It paved the way for Fresh Prince of Bel-Air!"
Now: "Why is it so weirdly moralistic? Why is it kind of sexist? Is Bill Cosby suffering some kind of stroke?"
Murphy Brown
Then: "She's a woman working in a man's world! She decided to be a single mother! She's a former alcoholic!"
Now: "None of that is unusual now!"
M.A.S.H
Then: "It's a drama but also a comedy! I'm laughing one minute and crying the next!"
Now: "Why has Hawkeye been in Korea for 11 years?"
Big Brother
Then: "It's like The Real World but we can control it! We can directly control our viewing experience! It's an experiment in human nature!"
Now: "Ratings control viewing experiences more than 55c SMS votes! The naked bits are cut out!"
Queer As Folk
Then: "They are all gay! Every one of them! And that's normal!"
Now: "WHERE THE LESBIANS AND BISEXUALS AT?"
24
Then: "OMG it's happening in real time! I feel like I'm actually fighting terrorists as each weekly episode goes to air!"
Now: "This concept is stale!"
Seinfeld
Then: "It's about nothing! They talk about masturbation! Pretzels!"
Now: "It's still kind of impressive, except the masturbation bit!"
The Sopranos
Then: "It has so much subtext! So much goes unsaid! It has multiple layers of meaning!"
Now: "It's every HBO/AMC show!"