Stephen J. Cannell Quotes

I feel like I'm part of television history.

'Grey's' is just a machine. I wasn't really prepared for the epic nature of how popular the show is.

I grew up watching 'The Tonight Show' and Jimmy Fallon on 'SNL.'

I'd always thought that 'NYPD Blue' really would open those doors. While I think it created a much broader template for cable, I don't think it really did that much for network television.

And we do talk a lot about my past and my impression of things and how it relates to what we're doing now. The Brady Bunch, in its heyday, was really the genesis of when TV started to become the force that it is today.

I think the amazing thing about 'Twin Peaks' was that it completely changed television from that point forward.

I've had a lot of writers, in particular, who said they got into writing because of the 'Van Dyke Show.' They said it looked like fun.

I used to love 'Murphy Brown' as a kid. I didn't even understand half of the jokes that were going on, but I loved the character so much that they stood out.

'The Dick Van Dyke Show' was a huge influence on me as a kid. It looked like a really fun job.

Growing up, I remember my parents feeling a little wary of 'The Simpsons.' This was the late eighties, and there was a wave of articles about TV shows that were bad for America. Then we all started watching it and loved it.

When I was growing up my favorite show was 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show', and I loved all the stuff that Norman Lear did.

I got an early education from television.

I think watching TV has influenced my books, but I don't think writing TV has.

I think that 'Family Guy' and 'The Critic' come from some of the same kind of seed. I don't know what it is.

'Survivor' is one of CBS's signature series and symbol of enduring quality and entertainment on prime time television.

When I was young, it was television that was taking off, and so you had people worried that people were spending too much time watching television.

Certainly, shows like 'Black Mirror' helped me. I should send them a fruit basket.

I really watch reruns of 'The Golden Girls' to get all my style tips.

'Gilmore Girls' was a passion of mine, to the point where Lennon actually can't watch it because if she does, then we might be fully ripping them off.

Everyone thinks I'm lying when I say how much 'Baywatch' was a part of our lives.

I think I got my education as a young boy from things I saw on TV.

Most shows get dumped by the networks, do a couple of years in syndication, then they're in the vault. 'Mission: Impossible' has never been off the screen.

Those rosy memories we all share are actually memories from our favorite TV shows. We've confused our own childhoods with episodes of "Ozzie and Harriet," "Father Knows Best," and "The Brady Bunch." In real life, Ozzie had a very visible mistress for years, Bud and Kitten on "Father Knows Best" grew up to become major druggies, and Mom on "The Brady Bunch" dated her fifteen-year-old fictional son.

Much of the conversation in the country consisted of lines from television shows, both past and present.

I watch America's Next Top Model in the gym and go, 'If I stay an extra 15 minutes, I will look like that girl!'