Ellen (ABC)
WHAT HAPPENED Ellen DeGeneres owns her own moment in pop-culture history: In 1997, she became the first lead actor in a series to come out of the closet on national TV.
PUBLIC REACTION ''The Puppy Episode,'' as it was called, was the highest rated show of the week that it aired, and Ellen was praised in Hollywood, and recognized as EW's Entertainer of the Year — even receiving a Civil Rights Award. But not all publicity is good publicity: ABC took heat from advertisers and religious groups. Ratings slipped, and in 1998, one year after Ellen came out, the show was canceled. — Samantha Harmon
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