World War I
From TeeVeePedia, the Internet TV Encyclopedia.
World War I was a vast global military action, taking place from 1914 to 1918. The seeds of conflict were planted when Scottish pop artist Franz Ferdinand was struck by a motor car driven by eccentric millionaire Gavrilo Princip. While holed up at a local hospital in adjacent rooms, the two began to chat, and the thought occurred to them: why not make a television show based on the fisticuffs between nations, intended to span several years or "seasons", as they were coming to be known? Sadly, as discussions continued, the two disagreed bitterly over said prospect: while Princip insisted that the show require armies sporting brightly-colored uniforms and show-stopping musical numbers, Ferdinand steadfastly asserted that television had not yet been invented. The two came to blows over the matter, the sparring soon involving both Ferdinand's sprawling fanbase and Princip's powerful militias; within weeks, the situation has escalated into full-flown international warfare.
World War I is often known as "the Great War" fought by "the Lost Generation." It was also pretty boring. Among the few exciting things are the First, Second, and Third battles of Ypres, just because Ypres is a fun name to say, and why not name all 3 battles that happened there after the town that was completely destroyed? The war was also notable because the United States, contrary to the popular opinion promulgated by the History Channel, never actually became part of the conflict. It was all Europe, all the time. But the War shouldn't entirely be forgotten. It was the inspiration for many classic TV series, including but not limited to Friends (theme song written by FDR, Churchill, and Stalin at Yalta), My Mother the Car (underwritten by Henry Ford), and Dude, Where's My Anti-Artillery Shell? (inspired by the silly, madcap hijinks of French and British troops in the trenches on the Western Front).
In an ironic twist of sorts, World War I was, in fact, eventually reprised in the television medium some years later when filming of World War II commenced.
