Yup, time to break out the big guns.  The Oprah Winfrey Show has been a daytime staple for over twenty years, its host/star now on a first name only basis across the world.  Oprah doesn’t really need a huge introduction, does she?  Let’s move to the tale of the tape…

Relevance:  While her detractors will still at times refer to her as “America’s Mammy”, there can be no argument that this black woman through her show has made a connection with her generation/her audience that could not possibly have been predicted before (because there was no precedent in daytime television).

Legacy:  The Book Club.  Oprah’s Favorite Things.  Dr. Phil.  O Magazine. OWN.  And those are just the off shoots from the show!

Craft:  When you’ve been doing it as long as Oprah has, people pick up the patterns and start parodying you.  The “Very Special” interviews, the ‘Relationship” shows, even her speech/vocal elements.  It is still essentially a talk show so there’s not as much to pick apart craft-wise, but at this point it is a smooth, polished machine.

Crossover:  Not going to dignify this category with a response…

Apollo:  I guess the Tom Cruise episode is the most ‘Wow’ episode ever, but before there was YouTube I’d say the craziest thing Oprah herself ever did was wheel out a wagon of fat to show how much weight she lost (yeah you have to be a certain age to remember that one).  It’s not as funny, but at the time it was a career and show defining moment.

The top 5 starts next month with another show that’s still on the air…