-LRB- Mental Floss -RRB- -- Have you ever been watching television and thought , `` Wow , this soap opera is so good it could cause the downfall of a corrupt communist regime , '' or even , `` I bet one day this show is going to send the first woman into space '' ? Well , maybe you 're not giving the boob tube enough credit . Popular television shows have influenced politics in the United States and around the world . While others are busy blaming television for all of society 's downfalls , we think it 's time someone stood up for ye olde idiot box . After all , these 10 television shows did n't just entertain , they helped convince the world to get with the program . 1 . `` DALLAS '' The Show that Overthrew a Dictator -LRB- Well , kind of . -RRB- `` Dallas '' was one of the most popular TV shows in history -- and nowhere was it more talked about than in Nicolae Ceausescu 's communist Romania . How did the soap opera get past Romanian censors ? With help from `` Dallas '' leading man , J.R. Ewing , of course . Because J.R. was portrayed as a despicable oil baron , Ceausescu 's government presumably decided the show must be anti-capitalist . Whatever the reasoning , `` Dallas '' became a runaway hit when it arrived in Romania in 1979 . A series about wealthy , beautiful people -LRB- evil or not -RRB- was an inspiration to Romania 's poor and dejected masses . Eventually , the government decided such Western television was a bad influence , and `` Dallas '' was taken off the air in 1981 . But by then , it was too late . The fantasies of Western life lived on in the imaginations of Romanians , and in 1989 , Ceausescu was overthrown during a public uprising . Not incidentally , the actor who played J.R. , Larry Hagman , visited Romania some years later and was treated as a hero . In an interview following the experience , Hagman said , `` People from Bucharest came up to me in the street with tears in their eyes saying , ` J.R. saved our country . ' '' 2 . `` SEE IT NOW '' The Show that Ended McCarthyism If you know your 1950s history -LRB- or if you saw the movie `` Good Night , and Good Luck '' -RRB- , you know the impact crusading journalist Edward R. Murrow had on American politics . His vehicle for galvanizing change ? The current affairs show , `` See It Now , '' which premiered in 1951 . Well known as a World War II radio correspondent , Murrow was n't a fan of television initially . He wanted to go beyond the talking-head discussions and newsreels that filled most nightly news shows at the time . So when he finally decided to move forward with `` See It Now , '' he did so on his own terms . The show 's debut episode featured television 's first live coast-to-coast transmission , which included a split-screen of the Brooklyn Bridge on one side and the Golden Gate on the other . Murrow also broke new ground by airing a day in the lives of Korean War soldiers . Of course , the show 's most influential role was in exposing Senator Joseph McCarthy 's anti-communist fear campaign and opening Americans ' eyes to the many lives and careers it was ruining . Thanks in part to fallout from Murrow 's broadcast on March 9 , 1954 , the U.S. Senate reprimanded McCarthy for abusing his power , and McCarthyism came to an abrupt end . Murrow was n't afraid to take on rogue senators , and later , he proved he was n't scared to take on Big Tobacco , either . Two episodes of `` See It Now '' explored the link between cigarettes and cancer -- a brave move , considering television depended heavily on tobacco sponsorships at the time . But perhaps Murrow had a personal interest in the story . A three-pack-a-day smoker who regularly appeared on camera with a cigarette in hand , Murrow died of lung cancer in 1965 . 3 . `` GENERAL ELECTRIC THEATER '' The Show that Turned Ronald Reagan into a Republican In the early 1950s , film actor Ronald Reagan was at a low point in his career . So when Taft Schreiber , of the Music Corporation of America , got him a gig as the host of the anthology series `` General Electric Theater , '' Reagan jumped at the opportunity . For $ 125,000 a year and part-ownership of the program , he not only hosted the show , but also toured America as a `` goodwill ambassador '' for the electricity giant , giving speeches to plant employees and acting as its public spokesperson . By the time `` General Electric Theater '' was cancelled in 1962 , Reagan was a new man . Turns out , all those years defending free enterprise for one of the nation 's biggest multinational companies had transformed Reagan into one of America 's leading conservative speakers . Although the actor had long been a Democrat , the Republican Schreiber convinced Reagan to change political parties . Four years later , the newly Republican Reagan was elected governor of California , and the rest is presidential history . 4 . `` CATHY COME HOME '' The Drama that Transformed the Welfare State Directed by Ken Loach -LRB- who later became one of Britain 's most respected filmmakers -RRB- , the drama `` Cathy Come Home '' was a poignant episode of the BBC-1 anthology series The Wednesday Play . It told the tragic story of Cathy Ward , a young wife and mother who becomes the victim of Britain 's welfare state . Going from working-class struggle to dire poverty , Cathy 's journey begins when her husband loses his job following an accident and becomes unable to support the family . In a painful spiral toward destitution , Cathy suffers through various states of homelessness , separates from her husband , and eventually , has her children forcibly taken away from her by government council workers . A truly horrifying story , its impact was compounded by the fact that `` Cathy Come Home '' was filmed in such a realistic style that some viewers thought it was a documentary . And although the Conservative Party government claimed the movie was `` full of blunders , '' Labour Party politician Anthony Greenwood said the show should be `` compulsory viewing once a month for the next five years . '' British audiences agreed , and `` Cathy Come Home '' was aired again shortly after . The ensuing public outrage helped bring major changes to British welfare law . Other nations followed suit , with similar reforms and charities . 5 . `` THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS COMEDY HOUR '' The Show that Swung an Election `` The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour '' was many things . It was the first network TV show to make fun of the Establishment , support America 's counterculture , and have enough nerve to put blacklisted singers -LRB- such as Joan Baez and Pete Seeger -RRB- back on the air . Ironically , however , the show 's major achievement might have been making Richard Nixon president . As a gag , show star Pat Paulsen ran for office during the 1968 presidential election . `` I 'm consistently vague on the issues , '' announced Paulsen on national television , `` and I 'm continuing to make promises that I 'll be unable to fulfill . '' Regardless of his humorous motives , Paulsen seemed to have a `` Ralph Nader Effect , '' stealing 200,000 votes from the Democrats and helping to swing one of the closest elections in history . Thanks to Paulsen 's efforts , Nixon narrowly defeated Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey . `` Hubert Humphrey told me I cost him the election , '' recalled Paulsen , `` and he was n't smiling when he said it . 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