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TV Catchphrases That Are So Popular We’ve Added Them to Our Vocabulary

TV Catchphrases That Are So Popular We’ve Added Them to Our Vocabulary

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We live in a world where technology is constantly changing.  From our cars, phones, and computers to the way we view television programs and movies. TV in particular has had a dramatic shift from when it was first introduced in the early part of the 20th century.

Often hailed as the greatest invention of all time, television started with black-and-white television sets, eventually giving way to color TV, and is now far advanced from the early days with hand-held devices allowing us the freedom to watch on the go. Although the way we view has shifted significantly, one thing that has remained the same is the impact the programs we view have had on us.

TV still reigns as one of the most transformative and culturally impactful innovations of the 20th century. The characters we watch and the various issues they experience have had large impacts on many of our lives. Nowhere is this more evident than in our vocabulary. Many iconic characters have left us with catchphrases that are so famous, that they have become ingrained in our everyday dialogues.

Thanks to the genius of two inventors who have both been credited with the invention of the small screen, the world was given the gift of at-home entertainment. In 1927, at the age of 21, Philo Taylor Farnsworth successfully showed this new electronic gadget, while Scotsman John Logie Baird, credited with being the “Father of Television,” demonstrated the first working set.

It wasn’t until decades later that this new creation took off. In American homes, there were only 6,000 television sets in the late 1940s. This exploded to over 12 million by the beginning of the 1950s. By the middle of this decade, about half of all homes had a TV in their homes. No other new invention has entered American homes as fast as the “boob tube,” which gave way to what historians called the “Golden Age” of television. Today, these are the states where people watch the most TV.

Television’s dominance may have been challenged in the last two decades by the internet and social media, but there is no denying the mark it has made on our language. 24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of well-known TV catchphrases we’ve added to our vocabulary. Some catchphrases are so ingrained that you may be quoting a TV show without realizing it.

The truth is out there, whether you’re aware of it or not. By the way, that’s a quote from the “X-Files.” And if you didn’t recognize it, you might say, “D’oh!” That’s from “The Simpsons.” (Click here for the most binge-worthy series you can stream now.)

Here are well-known TV catchphrases we’ve Added to our vocabulary

Make it work

Source: Courtesy of Bravo Cable

Source: Courtesy of Bravo Cable
  • Show: Project Runway
  • Seasons: 20 (still in production)

Sashay away

Source: Courtesy of Amazon Studios

Source: Courtesy of Logo
  • Show: RuPaul’s Drag Race
  • Seasons: 16 (still in production)

More cowbell

Saturday Night Live | Kate McKinnon in Saturday Night Live (1975)
Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company

N/A

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company
  • Show: Saturday Night Live
  • Seasons: 49 (still in production)

It’s handled.

Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
  • Show: Scandal
  • Seasons: Seven

Eww!

Source: Courtesy of Pop TV

Source: Courtesy of Pop TV
  • Show: Schitt’s Creek
  • Seasons: six

Zoinks

Source: Courtesy of Hanna-Barbera Productions

Source: Courtesy of Hanna-Barbera Productions
  • Show: Scooby Doo
  • Seasons: The original ran for two seasons; together with spinoffs, it’s still in production

Yada yada yada

Seinfeld, "The Finale" | Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards in Seinfeld (1989)
Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company

N/A

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company
  • Show: Seinfeld
  • Seasons: nine

I couldn’t help but wonder…

Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office (HBO)

Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office (HBO)
  • Show: Sex and the City
  • Seasons: six

I thought this was America

South Park | South Park (1997)
Source: Courtesy of Comedy Central

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Comedy Central
  • Show: South Park
  • Seasons: 26 (still in production)

I’m ready!

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Television

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Television
  • Show: SpongeBob SquarePants
  • Seasons: 14 (still in production)

The tribe has spoken

Source: Courtesy of CBS All Access

Source: Courtesy of CBS All Access
  • Show: Survivor
  • Seasons: 46 (still in production)

I believe in Believe

Ted Lasso | Jason Sudeikis in Ted Lasso (2020)
Source: Courtesy of Apple TV+

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Apple TV+
  • Show: Ted Lasso
  • Seasons: Three

Bazinga

Source: Courtesy of CBS

Source: Courtesy of CBS
  • Show: The Big Bang Theory
  • Seasons: 12

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Television

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Television
  • Show: The Brady Bunch
  • Seasons: Five

Hey now!

Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office (HBO)

Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office (HBO)
  • Show: The Larry Sanders Show
  • Seasons: Six

That’s what she said

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
  • Show: The Office
  • Seasons: Nine

Come on Down!

Source: Mark Davis / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Source: Mark Davis / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
  • Show: The Price Is Right
  • Seasons: 52 (still in production with Drew Carey as host)

D’oh

Source: courtesy of 20th Century Fox Television

Source: courtesy of 20th Century Fox Television
  • Show: The Simpsons
  • Seasons: Currently in its 35th season

Madone

Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office (HBO)

Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office (HBO)
  • Show: The Sopranos
  • Seasons: Six

Heeeeere’s Johnny!

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
  • Show: The Tonight Show
  • Seasons: debuted in 1954 with host Steve Allen; 30 seasons with Carson; 22 seasons with Leno; one season with O’Brien; currently in its 11th season with Fallon.

You come at the king, you best not miss

Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office (HBO)

Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office (HBO)
  • Show: The Wire
  • Seasons: Five

The truth is out there

Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
  • Show: The X-Files
  • Seasons: 11

Is that your final answer?

Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
  • Show: Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
  • Seasons: 

Just Jack

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
  • Show: Will & Grace
  • Seasons: 11

Smarter than your average bear.

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
  • Show: Yogi Bear
  • Seasons: Two
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