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Of all the great things about television, the greatest is that it’s on every single day. TV history is being made, day in and day out, in ways big and small. In an effort to better appreciate this history, we’re taking a look back, every day, at one particular TV milestone.
IMPORTANT DATE IN TV HISTORY: July 17, 1952
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: Oh, maybe you haven’t heard of a little show called Baywatch? Or a little show called Knight Rider? Or a little show called America’s Got Talent, seasons 1-4?
David Hasselhoff made his name on TV shows that featured heroism amid unrealistic circumstances, be it a talking car or Pamela Anderson’s line readings. But in many ways, Hasselhoff became a legend via the incredulity with which Saturday Night Live Weekend Update host Norm MacDonald spoke about the odd pockets of popularity that greeted Hasselhoff’s music career.
It’s been a long time since Hasselhoff has been more actor than TV personality.Though he does have Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! coming out next week, so maybe that will work to balance the scales a bit. Still, on his list of acting credits on IMDb, he’s played himself (or a fictionalized version of himself) 13 times, one of which was The West Wing, and another of which was something called Kung Fury, where he played “Hoff 9000.”
Anyway, happy birthday, David Hasselhoff! May Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No be everything your career needs it to be.
Joe Reid (@joereid) is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn. You can find him leaving flowers for Mrs. Landingham at the corner of 18th and Potomac.
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