10 Shows a Lasting Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sesame Street

At the time of its debut on November 10, 1969, it was believed that children had short attention spans and could not follow a continuing story. So the show's co-founders, Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett designed a program with that in mind. Jim Henson's incredible Muppets did not initially interact with human characters on the show, because child psychologists at the time advised that this would be confusing. Time has shown that children were underestimated and the show has undergone many changes in format. "Sesame Street" ran in an hour-long format until 2015 when it was reduced to 30 minutes.

Answer: Wheel of Fortune

It was Merv Griffin who in 1975 conceived of the idea of "Wheel of Fortune" (originally a daytime game show) which has been compared to the old, pen and paper game of Hangman. Contestants spin a wheel which tells them how much money they are awarded for each of the letters uncovered by their guess and are encouraged to spend some of that money on buying vowels.

There are also a couple of Bankrupt spots on the wheel and occasionally, a special prize. The show went into syndication in 1983, earning a evening time slot and helmed by Pat Sajak and "the lovely Vanna White". Versions of "Wheel of Fortune" have sprung up in many countries.

Answer: Grey's Anatomy

Conceived by Shonda Rhimes the show first aired on March 5, 2005. It centres around the character of Dr. Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo) and the name is a reference to "Gray's Anatomy", a book on human anatomy that was first published in 1858, with revised versions still in use.

The 41st edition was published in September, 2015. The show follows the young residents through personal and professional growth and, while sometimes seeming to jump the shark with the number of disastrous things that happen to the staff, it continues to entertain.

The 13th season started on Sept 22, 2016.

Answer: American Idol

Conceived by Simon Fueller, "American Idol" first aired on June 11, 2002 with its last show airing on April 7, 2016. Over the course of its 15 seasons the show discovered such talent as Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Kelly Clarkson and Rueben Stoddard, to name only a few.

Some of the celebrity judges included Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres and Steve Tyler. Input from the audience and viewers (via phone-ins and texts) was taken into account once the judges had selected the group of semi-finalists.

Answer: Saturday Night Live

Created by Lorne Michaels, "Saturday Night Live", or "SNL" as it is frequently called, first aired on October 11, 1975. It is a late-night show that refers to its cast as the "Not Ready for Prime-Time Players". The original cast included such legends as Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Gilda Radner and Chevy Chase.

This is only a small sampling of the talent that got its start on this program. George Carlin served as the first celebrity host while Billy Preston and Janis Ian each performed musical numbers. Skits are written largely by cast members and there isn't a lot that's taboo.

Answer: The Simpsons

Created by Matt Groening, "The Simpsons" has, for years, given us a glimpse into one of the most dysfunctional families you'd ever want to meet. First shown as a short on "The Tracy Ullman Show" in 1987, "The Simpsons" was given its own hour-long time slot in December of 1989.

The beer-guzzling patriarch of the family is outsmarted at every turn by just about everybody but especially by his smart-mouthed son, Bart. I heard a rumour, years ago, that, on becoming a parent, Groening apologised to parents everywhere for the creation of Bart as a bad role model for kids allowed to watch the show.

Answer: The Oprah Winfrey Show

"The Oprah Winfrey Show", hosted by Oprah Winfrey, ran from September 8, 1986 until May 25, 2011. It was a talk show in format, with segments about book clubs, self-improvement and philanthropy. Many guests have been interviewed over the years with regulars, like psychologist Dr. Phil, carving out names for themselves. Oprah's frank handling of many difficult subjects, including some from her personal life, made her a favourite with viewers.

Answer: The Young and the Restless

Created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, "The Young and the Restless" ("Y&R" to its fans), began in 1973 as a half hour program that focused on two families - the wealthy Brooks family and the not-so-wealthy Foster family. Many changes to cast and characters followed over the years, as well as a change, on February 4, 1980, to a one hour format. Of the many, long running soap operas I chose to include this one because it was one that my one-time roommate was hooked on. I tried watching it with her for a week but it never grabbed me.

Answer: Law and Order

Created by Dick Wolf, the original "Law and Order" series premiered on Sept. 30, 1990 and ended on May 24, 2010. The first half of the program showed us the New York City Police Department's investigation of the crime up to the apprehension of the suspect. From there we followed the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in their, sometimes unsuccessful, attempts to prosecute said suspects. Of course it wasn't always that clear cut and some interaction often happened between the two sets of characters outside of their allotted time frames.

There have been many spin-offs including, but not limited to "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Law and Order: Criminal Intent". The quote from the question was said by the narrator at the beginning of the show.

Answer: America's Funniest Home Videos

"America's Funniest Home Videos" started as a special in 1989 and became a weekly show in 1990. It was created by Vin Di Bona and was hosted by Bob Saget for the first eight years. People sent in video clips of what essentially was embarrassing moments in their lives (spectacular fails, falls and getting hit in the groin), or their children or pets doing something cute). Saget provided a voice-over for the clips which was sometimes funny and sometimes distracting.

Then someone chose the top three for the audience to vote on with the winner being awarded $10,000 and a chance to return for a chance at $100,000.

These were chosen in advance so that the submitting families could be there at taping. The show has had several hosts in its run, with Alfonso Ribeiro taking over from Tom Bergeron in May of 2015.