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Many Jews were among the founders of the television industry. NBC, for example, was founded by David Sarnoff, who was born in a shtetl (townlet) in present-day Belarus. CBS was founded by Bill Paley, the son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants. Towards the end of the 20th century, Jewish lead characters began to be dominant in American TV shows, mostly in sitcoms. During that period, Jews starred in numerous popular series, including Seinfeld, which is believed to have defined its decade and is also considered the greatest TV comedy of all time.
Jewish creators and producers have brought some of the top and leading series to TV screens in the last few decades, including Mad Men, The Wire and others. Creators of Israeli TV series have also won international acclaim in recent years.
