“Flight of the Conchords” did it with satiric tracks, while “American Dreams” relied on oldies nostalgia. The 1990s animation boom incorporated music in shows like “The Simpsons” and “Animaniacs.” But not until the 21st century did scripted series really figure out how to make musical numbers work as part of the narrative. Should TV Episode Count Matter When It Comes to the Emmys? 'Ted Lasso' Star James Lance 'Cried' When He Learned About His Arc in Season 3: 'It Changed the Course of My Life' Inside the Emmys Uproar Over 'From the Earth to the Moon' That Upended the Limited Series Category 25 Years Ago And then “Cop Rock” scared people off the concept. Music has been a part of the TV landscape going back to the 1950s and shows like “Your Hit Parade.” But few series have successfully integrated regular music performances into their storytelling: “The Monkees” and “The Partridge Family” worked in the 1960s and ’70s. It was a colossal flop that we still talk about three decades later, and a reminder that musicals are hard. The Steven Bochco musical drama, which premiered in fall 1990, was a big swing: marrying original music with procedural storytelling.

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