--- description: 25 TV insiders tell TIME about the small-screen moments that define America now—from moon launches to meltdowns. title: The TV Moments That Revealed the Truth About America image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5652e499f5951052/6a15af43d028ca7e608975be/TVMomentsAmerica250.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- May 27, 2026 # The TV Moments That Revealed the Truth About America  _As the United States approaches its_ [250th birthday](https://time.com/collection/our-america-250/2026/ "undefined")_, we're asking TV insiders—actors,_ [creators](https://time.com/collections/time100-creators-2025/ "undefined")_, critics, and enthusiasts—to tell us about small-screen moments they think capture something essential about America right now. For TIME TV critic Judy Berman, for example, insight can be found in the atomic opus that is the centerpiece of_ Twin Peaks: The Return_, the 2017 coda to David Lynch's saga, which recreates, in majestic and surreal slow motion, the first_ [nuclear detonation](https://time.com/4712223/nuclear-test-videos/ "undefined")_. "Born in that Nevada desert in 1945 is a uniquely American form of evil that festers behind the quaint, small-town facades built in the decades that followed to help us forget it," she says. "But Lynch was no fatalist;_ The Return _insists that good still exists in our nation’s soul, if we could only defeat our denial and fight for it."_ _The 25 responses below range across genres, from reality TV to classic sitcoms to era-defining live news broadcasts; they take us from real-life California to fictional Queens, N.Y., and even, in a moment that spoke to several of our respondents, to outer space. Here, they explain how TV holds up a mirror to this moment._  Bad Bunny performs in the Apple Music Halftime Show during the NFL Super Bowl 60 Kevin Sabitus—Getty Images ## **Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show** **Selected by** **Kathryn Hahn** [Bad Bunny](https://time.com/7373018/bad-bunny-super-bowl-halftime-show-analysis/ "undefined")’s 2026 [Super Bowl halftime show](https://time.com/7373250/bad-bunny-super-bowl-halftime-show-immigrants-puerto-rico/ "undefined") felt like watching the sunrise: It glowed with optimism and faith. It was a joyful, generous reminder of the dream that is America—the one that we deserve to live in, each and every one of us. As the sign behind him flashed: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” Indeed. _Hahn is an actor who can be seen in_ [The Studio _on Apple TV_](https://time.com/7264756/the-studio-review-seth-rogen-apple/ "undefined")[_+_](https://time.com/7264756/the-studio-review-seth-rogen-apple/ "undefined") _and in the upcoming movies_ Tangled _and_ Madden.  Members of the New York Fire Department, New York Police Department, Port Authority Police Department, with Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, Mayor Rudy Guiliani, and Fire Commissioner Tom Von Essen on SNL on Sept. 29, 2001 Dana Edelson—NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images ## **_Saturday Night Live_** **’s first show post-9/11** **Selected by** **Tony Hale** My wife was a makeup artist on [_Saturday Night Live_](https://time.com/7225399/snl-most-controversial-moments/ "undefined"), and there is still much for the country to learn from the show’s return after [9/11](https://time.com/7316515/9-11-video-footage/ "undefined")—firefighters onstage, Paul Simon singing “The Boxer,” and Lorne Michaels asking Rudy Giuliani if it was okay to be funny (prompting the response, “Why start now?”). It captured a moment when the country felt briefly, genuinely united. Watching it now, it feels less like history and more like something we’re trying to find our way back to. _Hale is an actor who can be seen in the upcoming movies_ [Toy Story 5](https://time.com/7342338/most-anticipated-movies-2026/ "undefined") _and_ Office Romance.  Stephen Colbert on the "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" Scott Kowalchyk—CBS/Getty Images ## **The attack on funny** **Selected by** **Alan Alda** The push to silence political humor on television is a pretty good snapshot of where we are right now. [Jimmy Kimmel almost lost his program](https://time.com/article/2026/04/27/melania-trump-jimmy-kimmel-ABC-joke/ "undefined") but was saved, as everyday people pointedly stopped paying money to the company that owns his network. [Stephen Colbert’s late-night show](https://time.com/article/2026/05/19/stephen-colbert-made-hard-parts-being-human-watchable/ "undefined") has been shut down for, the network says, “financial" reasons. This is not such a trivial thing. It’s a cycle we’ve seen before. First, they take your [jokes](https://time.com/article/2026/04/28/jimmy-kimmel-melania-trump-widow-joke-fired-response/ "undefined") away. Then they take your thoughts away. And then they take you away. _Alda is an actor, filmmaker, and the host of the_ Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda _podcast._  Demonstrators deploy a giant banner reading "We the People," the first three words of the U.S. Constitution's preamble, during the "No Kings" rally in Los Angeles on June 14, 2025 Etienne Laurent—AFP/Getty Images ## **News broadcasts of the No Kings marches** **Selected by** **Liza Colón-Zayas** An estimated eight million people nationwide showed up to [No Kings rallies](https://time.com/article/2026/03/28/no-kings-protesters-take-to-streets-in-towns-and-cities-across-the-u-s-/ "undefined") on March 28, 2026\. As I was flipping through cable news channels that day, I was so blown away and heartened by the turnout across the country, and the world. I had been taking a break from the 24-hour news cycle because it was too depressing, but seeing the country [stand up](https://time.com/article/2026/03/24/no-kings-protests-march-28-biggest-anti-trump-crowds-ever/ "undefined") gave me hope. _Colón-Zayas is an actor who can be seen in_ [The Bear](https://time.com/7297584/the-bear-season-4-finale-recap/ "undefined") _on FX and in the upcoming movie_ Spider-Man: Brand New Day_._  Everett Collection ## **_The Simpsons_** **: Season 4, Episode 21 — “Marge in Chains”** **Selected by** **Gillian Anderson** There’s a reason so many academics love [_The Simpsons_](https://time.com/4667462/simpsons-predictions-donald-trump-lady-gaga/ "undefined"): Few works of satire capture social realities so succinctly. When the show reaches for the most absurd joke imaginable, it often ends up predicting the future. “Marge in Chains” remains eerily relevant 33 years after it aired. From Bart writing “I do not have diplomatic immunity” on the chalkboard to absurd consumer products (a car chandelier, sunscreen that doubles as a laxative), [pandemic misinformation](https://time.com/5870464/coronavirus-pandemic-misinformation/ "undefined"), and performative leadership—the President delivering a public-health address from a beach holiday—the episode feels uncomfortably contemporary. Add a rioter convinced that swallowing a bee will ward off illness, Ned Flanders blaming _Married... with Children_ for God giving his son the [flu](https://time.com/5421886/cold-flu-symptoms/ "undefined"), a women’s prison presented like a lifestyle brand, Marge shoplifting her way out of hardship, and a household collapsing without unpaid domestic labor, and the satire still lands with startling precision. _Anderson is an actor who stars in the film_ Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma_, in theaters Aug. 7; her new book_ [More: Sexual Fantasies by Anonymous](https://www.amazon.com/More-Fantasies-Submitted-Gillian-Anderson/dp/1419777319/ "undefined") _will be available Sept. 15._  Bill Clinton plays saxophone in the musical opening of "The Arsenio Hall Show" Reed Saxon—AP ## **Bill Clinton playing sax on** **_The Arsenio Hall Show_** **Selected by** **Daymond John** When I saw Bill Clinton play the saxophone on _The Arsenio Hall Show_, it was the first time I felt like a President could also be just a regular American. He came from Little Rock, Ark., a place that understood struggle and everyday people. He showed up on a Black late-night show, not as a politician, but as one of us. That moment made America feel more connected, and reminded me that what makes this country powerful is not our differences, but the moments when we recognize ourselves in one another. _John is an investor on ABC’s_ Shark Tank_, CEO and founder of branding firm The Shark Group, and co-founder and CEO of Fubu._  NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026 Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images ## **NASA’s televised Artemis II launch** **Selected by** **Lester Holt** The successful April 1 launch of [NASA’s Artemis II mission](https://time.com/article/2026/04/10/artemis-ii-historic-splashdown/ "undefined") to the moon ushers in a new era of possibilities and an American future where big things suddenly feel within reach. Though the [mission](https://time.com/article/2026/04/01/artemis-launch-best-photos/ "undefined") was in many ways an encore of the Apollo days, this feels different, as we extend our reach to not just the moon but what lies beyond, igniting the imaginations of those who watched—and shaping the America we are today. _Holt is the anchor of Dateline NBC._  Lisa Kudrow as Valerie Cherish on The Comeback HBO ## **_The Comeback_** **finale** **Selected by** **Lena Waithe** _The Comeback_ ends its third and final season with a message: _No AI was used in the writing of this series_. The show has always been ahead of its time, but this episode is both a goodbye and a warning. Valerie Cherish is a mirror for us, and for our society that pretends to be OK even though it’s not. AI is here and we're all pretending as if everything is OK—even though we know it's not and probably never will be again. _Waithe is a writer, producer, actor, and the creator of_ [The Chi](https://time.com/collections/american-voices-2017/5015810/american-voices-lena-waithe/ "undefined") _on Paramount+._  Kamala Harris speaks on stage during the final day of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 22, 2024 Andrew Harnik—Getty Images ## **Kamala Harris' televised 2024 DNC speech** **Selected by** **Phoebe Robinson** Despite the daily chaos we find ourselves in, that [moment from 2024](https://time.com/7014155/democratic-convention-best-photos/ "undefined") speaks to the possibility and the potential of who we can be as a country: the positivity, hope, intelligence. It's easy to get cynical, which is why it's important to remember and celebrate what's uplifting and not just what's inflammatory. _Robinson is an actor, writer, and comedian. Her fall stand-up tour is_ Feral and Fired Up!  Noah Wyle as Dr. Robby, Katherine LaNasa as Dana Evans, Josell Mariano as ICE Agent Correa, Ramona DuBarry as Pranita Shah on Season 2, Episode 11 of "The Pitt" Warrick Page—MAX ## **ICE agents invade HBO Max's** **_The Pitt_** **Selected by** **Henry Jenkins** [_The Pitt_ ](https://time.com/7276040/the-pitt-nicholas-cozzi-essay/ "undefined")represents what is best about contemporary American television: a cast that reflects the diversity of today's health care workers, story lines that deal fearlessly with topical concerns, scripts that respect the intelligence of their audience, and performances that bring nuanced characters to life. The sequences during which masked and hulking [ICE officers](https://time.com/article/2026/05/15/ICE-Director-David-Venturella-DHS-Mullin-immigration/ "undefined") bring one battered woman to the hospital for emergency attention, causing other patients and some workers to flee out of anxiety, after which a nurse gets arrested for standing up for the rights of the patient, mirror the divisiveness that surrounds immigration policy today. The producers created this story line despite [anticipating](https://www.avclub.com/the-pitt-ice-storyline-balanced "undefined") pressure from their network and backlash from more conservative fans, suggesting the ways that popular media becomes a battleground in a polarized country. _Jenkins is a media scholar, author, and professor at the University of Southern California._  Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson, and Noma Dumezweni as Chief Tynan in the Season 27 finale of “Law & Order: SVU” Virginia Sherwood—NBC ## **_Law & Order: SVU_** **’s Season 27 finale** **Selected by** **Peter Jankowski** We could all use more hope and heroism these days, and no one embodies these two qualities more than Mariska Hargitay. She is one of our better angels, both on and[ off the screen](https://people.com/mariska-hargitay-milestone-rape-kit-reform-advocacy-11964384 "undefined"). The finale of her 27th season portraying Captain Olivia Benson on _Law & Order: SVU_ continues to make her an indelible part of the cultural landscape—and it aired just weeks after she announced that her campaign for rape-kit reform had successfully led to legislation in all 50 states, a reminder of the connection between life and art. Mariska always delivers. _Jankowski is president and COO of Wolf Entertainment._  Tim Robinson in “I Think You Should Leave” Netflix ## **The “Hot-Dog Car” sketch from** **_I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson_** **Selected by** **Ali Barthwell** I know it might seem like a stretch that a three-minute sketch about a man in a hot-dog costume driving a hot-dog-shaped car into a men’s clothing store represents what Alexis de Tocqueville called “The Great Experiment.” But, honestly, what is more American than pretending we don’t know exactly who caused all this wreckage, letting that person wax poetic about the grace and leniency they should receive and the ills of society, and then watching them escape arrest? Plus, everybody loves hot dogs. _Barthwell is a writer for HBO’s_ Last Week Tonight with John Oliver _and the author of_ Reality TV Snobs: Everything You Need to Know About the Shows You’re Too Intellectual to Watch, _available Aug. 25._  Will Smith slaps Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Oscars on March 27, 2022 Robyn Beck—AFP/Getty Images ## **Will Smith slaps Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars** **Selected by** **Danzy Senna** Will Smith walked on stage, [struck another man on live television](https://time.com/6161372/will-smith-chris-rock-oscars-2022/ "undefined"), returned to his seat, and won the [Oscar](https://time.com/6161310/oscars-recap-2022/ "undefined"). The audience gave him a standing ovation. That's the American moment—not the violence itself, but the bystander effect writ large: our continuation of business as usual in the face of power unchecked. All of us back to our popcorn. _Senna is a novelist and essayist. Her latest book is_ Colored Television.  U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 28, 2025 Andrew Harnik—Getty Images ## **Zelensky's televised Oval Office meeting (Feb. 28, 2025)** **Selected by** **Mary-Louise Parker** Demanding thanks from someone you’ve humiliated is the move of any sniveling lacky—a LeFou, a Smithers, or our Vice President, JD Vance, who[ commanded gratitude](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/28/us/politics/trump-zelensky-us-ukraine-russia.html "undefined") from [Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky](https://time.com/6551657/6551657/ "undefined") during their televised meeting. "Have you said 'thank you' once?" Vance[ snarled](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-trump-and-zelenskyy-said-during-their-heated-argument-in-the-oval-office "undefined"). The government seemed run by two frat brothers, as it did when the President referred to Somalis as "[garbage](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/us/politics/trump-somalia.html "undefined")" and Vance was seen banging on the table in agreement before giving a[ fist pump](https://www.wwnytv.com/2025/12/05/trump-calls-people-somalia-garbage-says-we-dont-want-em-our-country/ "undefined"). This moment in history needs a grown-up to challenge Trump's inhumanity, but no one calls out the head of the fraternity. They only chug what they're handed. _Parker is an actor who can be seen in the upcoming movie_ Young George Washington_._  President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act in 1964 Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Images ## **President Lyndon Baines Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act into law on July 2, 1964** **Selected by** **Connie Chung** When [President LBJ](https://time.com/6248416/lyndon-b-johnson-legacy-social-reforms/ "undefined") signed the Civil Rights Act into law in 1964, live on television, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was created to enforce Title VII, which declared job discrimination unlawful. That busted the barriers for women and minorities such as myself who were entering white male-dominated professions. I hope that impact carries forth today and in the future. _Chung is a journalist, author, and the first co-anchor of the CBS Evening News._  NASA's Orion spacecraft with Artemis II crew members lands in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on April 10, 2026 Bill Ingalls—NASA/Getty Images ## **The Artemis II splashdown** **Selected by** **Katie Couric** At a time when diversity has been demonized, the crew of [Artemis II](https://time.com/article/2026/04/07/artemis-ii-moon-earth-photos/ "undefined") actually looked like America. Their mission unified the country, demonstrated the power of teamwork, and watching it made us believe we can reach for the stars and the moon. _Couric is the founder of Katie Couric Media and host of_ Next Question_._  The cast of season 1 of "Big Brother" Lucy Nicholson—AFP/Getty Images ## **The July 5, 2000, premiere of** **_Big Brother_** **Selected by** **Susan Murray** This kicks off the [American obsession](https://time.com/collections/reality-tv-most-influential-seasons/6197749/big-brother/ "undefined") with not just reality television but also a new type of celebrity, self-branding, a new openness to surveillance and engagement with the attention economy, and, ultimately, a new form of politician and political discourse that defines our current moment. _Murray is a professor of media, culture, and communication at New York University and the author of_ Bright Signals: A History of Color Television.  Jennifer Aniston as Alex Levy in Season 4, Episode 1 of "The Morning Show," Erin Simkin—Apple TV ## **_The Morning Show_** **’s take on current events** **Selected by** **Retta** [_The Morning Show_](https://time.com/5708304/the-morning-show-true-story/ "undefined") as a series is one of the more obvious reflections of where we are right now in the United States: It tackles real-world subjects like sexual misconduct and the [#MeToo movement](https://time.com/7305402/epstein-scandal-metoo-movement/ "undefined"), the [pandemic](https://time.com/6898943/is-covid-19-still-pandemic-2024/ "undefined"), the changing media landscape, [Jan. 6](https://time.com/7343370/5-years-since-jan-6-insurrection/ "undefined"), corporate greed, and the perils of AI. _The Morning Show_ takes advantage of great writers and storytellers to paint a picture of some of the mess we are currently trudging through. _Retta is an actor, comedian, and the host of HGTV’s_ Ugliest House in America_._  Carroll O'Connor as Archie Bunker, Rob Reiner as Michael Stivic and Sally Struthers as Gloria Bunker Stivic in “All in the Family” CBS/Getty Images ## **The 1971 debut of** **_All in the Family_** **Selected by** **Alan Sepinwall** Norman Lear's adaptation of the British generation-gap sitcom _Till Death Us Do Part_ transformed the way television talked about current events, as well as the kinds of characters seen on TV. (Tony Soprano and Walter White don't exist without Archie Bunker.) But in its depiction of the stubborn war of words between bigoted conservative Archie and liberal son-in-law Mike—and in the way viewers applied their own political affiliations to determine whose side they thought Lear was on—_All in the Family_ was one of the earliest pop culture depictions of the kind of completely siloed sociopolitical hellscape in which we live today. _Sepinwall is a television critic and author. He runs the site_ What's Alan Watching? _His biography of_ Twilight Zone _creator Rod Serling will be released in October._  The Artemis II crew, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Pilot Victor Glover, and Commander Reid Wiseman pause for a group photo inside the Orion spacecraft NASA/Getty Images ## **Broadcasts of the Artemis II mission** **Selected by** **Ted Danson** On April 2, 2026, while traveling toward the moon during the Artemis II mission, astronaut Victor Glover [reflected to Gio Benitez of ABC News](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaTHdCJtYlk "undefined"), “From up here, you look like one thing: Homo sapiens…all of us…we’re all one people.” It was especially inspiring considering that, down here, there were Homo sapiens who were threatening that “a whole civilization will die tonight.” _Danson is an actor who can be seen in the Netflix series_ A Man on the Inside_._  Antony Starr as Homelander in “The Boys” Amazon ## **_The Boys_** **comes to Amazon Prime** **Selected by** **Trixie Mattel** I read these books and watched [the show](https://time.com/article/2026/05/20/the-boys-series-finale/ "undefined"), about corrupt superheroes whose crimes are hidden by a huge corporation, and they definitely spoke to this moment. This series is really deep-frying America. _Mattel is a drag queen, cosmetics entrepreneur, reality TV star, musician, and DJ._  Noah Wyle as Dr. Robby in Season 1, Episode 4 of "The Pitt" Warrick Page—Max ## **Dr. Robby explains Ho’oponopono on HBO Max’s** **_The Pitt_** **Selected by** **Constance Wu** In Season 1, Episode 4 of [_The Pitt_](https://time.com/7378075/the-pitt-season-2-ai-hospitals/ "undefined"), Dr. Robby explains _Ho'oponopono_, a Hawaiian phrase describing the four things that matter most when saying goodbye to a loved one. As he relays it: _I love you. Thank you. I forgive you. Please forgive me._ [Technology's](https://time.com/collection/our-america-250/2026/tech-innovations-that-define-america/ "undefined") rapid growth is accelerating the death of our old ways, and so America is in a stage of grief. Noah Wyle's character’s words represent the best we can do for one another in this time. _Wu is an actor who can be seen in the series_ Not Suitable for Work _on Hulu and Prime Video’s_ The Terminal List_, as well as the upcoming movie_ Happy Hours.  Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window NASA/Getty Images ## **The Earth setting behind the moon, filmed from the Artemis II** **Selected by** **David Benioff** Watching the Earthset, filmed by astronaut Reid Wiseman—on an iPhone!—made me proud of our country (and our species). Despite our deep divisions, we launched a ship that sailed behind the moon and came all the way home, carrying three American heroes. (And a Canadian one—maybe we should be friends?) In a season of bad news, it somehow made sense that astronauts showed us how to rise above the chaos and see the world anew. _Benioff is a screenwriter, novelist, and the co-creator of_ Game of Thrones_. He is currently a showrunner on Netflix’s_ [3 Body Problem](https://time.com/6898428/3-body-problem-review-netflix/ "undefined") _and recently executive produced the limited series_ Death by Lightning_._  Supporters of the Same Sex Marriage bill rally at the California Supreme Court building in San Francisco on Sept. 8, 2005 David Paul Morris—Getty Images ## **Coverage of Governor Schwarzenegger’s 2005 veto of California’s marriage equality bill** **Selected by** **George Takei** On Thursday, Sept. 29, 2005, my partner Brad and I—we would not be legally married until 2008—sat in the kitchen of our Los Angeles home watching CNN as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a fellow actor who had courted gay and lesbian voters, vetoed AB 849, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, the first marriage equality bill ever passed by a U.S. state legislature. I was so enraged by that televised act of political cowardice and hypocrisy that I sat down with _Frontiers_ magazine, used the interview to publicly blast the veto, and—at the age of 68, after a lifetime [in the closet](https://time.com/4975404/national-coming-out-day-closet-metaphor-history/ "undefined")—came out as a [gay](https://time.com/5610410/stonewall-anniversary-lgbtq-activists-interview/ "undefined") man, knowing full well that such a disclosure could have ended my career as a working actor in an industry that was still deeply wary of out gay performers. That is what feels essentially American about where this country is going: A single cable news broadcast can still move a citizen to risk everything for the truth, and our democracy moves forward only when ordinary people decide they will no longer be silent. _Takei is an actor, activist, and author of, among other books, the graphic memoir_ It Rhymes With Takei.  Donald Trump and Joe Biden during the CNN Presidential Debate on June 27, 2024 Andrew Harnik—Getty Images ## **The Biden-Trump Debate of 2024** **Selected by** **D.B. Weiss** It’s hard to think of a television event that had a bigger impact on U.S. and world history than the [Biden-Trump debate of 2024](https://time.com/6993360/first-presidential-debate-biggest-moments-2024/ "undefined"). Of course, there’s no way of knowing what would have happened had it gone differently. But within an hour—if it even took that long—the end of a sitting President’s campaign in a close re-election race became inevitable. It’s enough to make you think twice before going on television. Or even doing a magazine interview. _D. B. Weiss is a producer and screenwriter who co-created_ Game of Thrones._He is currently a showrunner_ _on Netflix's_ 3 Body Problem _and recently executive produced the limited series_ Death by Lightning. 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