Trending badgeTrendingPosted 55 minutes agoSubscribe to Screen Time NewsletterCaret Down16 Moments From Old Shows And Sitcoms That Were Way Ahead Of Their Time And Actually Hold Up TodayFrom I Love Lucy to Sesame Street, here are the shows that were part of big cultural shifts.by Jenna GuillaumeBuzzFeed ContributorFacebookPinterestLink TV as a medium has the ability to reflect our culture back to us, but also move it forward in both small and big ways. Here are some shows that felt way ahead of their time, whether that be in one-off moments or the overall arc of the show. 1. I Love Lucy was groundbreaking in many ways, but one particularly important plot was when Lucille Ball's real-life pregnancy was written into her character's arc, at a time when talking about and depicting the subject was still taboo. Desilu Productions , CBS You can watch a clip from the show here: View this video on YouTube Desilu Productions , CBS , youtube.com 2. On her talk show Sally, Sally Jessy Raphael interviewed an asexual non-binary autistic person named Toby in 1988. While Sally's questions weren't perfect, her sincerity and seemingly genuine desire to understand feel notable even today (perhaps especially today). Toby, meanwhile, was open, direct and unashamed in sharing their thoughts and experiences. Multimedia Entertainment You can watch a clip from the show here: View this video on YouTube Multimedia Entertainment , youtube.com 3. Billy Crystal played Jodie, one of the first out gay characters on TV, on SOAP in 1977. While there are certainly flaws in the representation, especially in hindsight, the character was nevertheless groundbreaking. ABC You can watch a clip from the show here: View this video on YouTube ABC , youtube.com 4. Geri Jewell was the first disabled actor to have a recurring role on a TV series when she played a disabled character, also named Geri, on The Facts of Life in 1980. It was an early case of authentic casting in an industry that still has nondisabled actors playing disabled characters to this day. Embassy Communications , NBC You can watch a clip from the show here: View this video on YouTube Embassy Communications , NBC , youtube.com 5. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was a hilarious sitcom that didn't shy away from darker topics, tackling them with both seriousness and humor. Racism was a subject that came up repeatedly, with one notable instance being the 1993 episode in which a comedic moment featuring DJ Jazzy Jeff highlights police brutality. NBC You can watch a clip from the show here: View this video on YouTube NBC , youtube.com 6. The Golden Girls explored many topics that were serious and progressive when it aired in the 1980s and early '90s, and its sensitivity and humor still hold up well. One area it was consistently ahead of its time was in its depiction of the active sexual lives of women over 50. All of the characters were shown to be desiring and desirable in real and meaningful (and often hilarious) ways - something that even now can feel all-too-rare. NBC You can watch a clip from the show here: View this video on YouTube NBC , youtube.com 7. An earlier Bea Arthur and Rue McLanahan show, Maude, was also incredibly forward-thinking and unafraid to delve into controversial topics. Bea's character Maude was a liberal feminist, and while there were many plots that felt ahead of their time, one in particular remains extraordinary even now - in 1972, a two-part episode arc involved Maude accidentally getting pregnant at age 47 and then getting an abortion. Tandem Productions , CBS You can watch the show here: View this video on YouTube Tandem Productions , CBS , youtube.com 8. Good Times was a spin-off from Maude that focused on former maid Florida and her family. With a lot of humor and heart, it explored the struggles of the Black, working-class family, and its earlier seasons in the mid '70s in particular delved into serious issues relating to poverty and race. Tandem Productions , CBS You can watch a clip from the show here: View this video on YouTube Tandem Productions , CBS , youtube.com 9. Roseanne was another sitcom about working-class life, this time with a white family in the '90s. It covered a lot of serious topics - such as when Jackie, a cop, was the victim of domestic violence, a story that highlighted the fact that even "unexpected" people can be victims. Wind Dancer Productions , ABC You can watch a clip from the show here: View this video on YouTube Wind Dancer Productions , ABC , youtube.com 10. ER was ahead of its time in many ways, including its frequent exploration of social issues. One standout plot that began in 1996 involved Gloria Rueben's character Jeanie Boulet finding out she's HIV-positive and going on to continue to work at the hospital and live a full life, eventually adopting a HIV-positive baby. Warner Bros. Television , TNT You can watch a clip from the show here: View this video on YouTube Warner Bros. Television , TNT , youtube.com 11. The Degrassi