Star Trek To Receive Pop Culture Award

Star Trek will be honoured with a special tribute award at next month's inaugural TV Land Awards.

The Original Series has been selected as the winner of the Pop Culture Award, which "is presented to a show which has crossed the line from television series to pop culture phenomenon," according to a TV Land press release.

The cable network highlighted the franchise's longevity and large fan base as reasons for the honour. "Launched in 1966, the legendary sci-fi series Star Trek has spawned a billion dollar franchise and a loyal legion of die-hard fans, known as Trekkies. Overall, the indomitable Star Trek brand has launched 10 theatrical films, five major television series, and has become part of today's cultural lexicon."

John Ritter, star of Three's Company and, more recently, 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter, will host the ceremony, to be broadcast on TV Land and Nick at Nite on Wednesday, March 12, from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Other classic shows to be recognised include The Dick Van Dyke Show (Legend Award), All in the Family (Innovator Award), Julia (Groundbreaking Role Award) and SCTV (Unsung Hero Award).

"TV Land is the network of record for television's glorious past - and the most logical place to honor these indelible series that have withstood the test of time," said TV Land executive vice-president Larry W. Jones. "These programs have earned the right to be celebrated in such a fashion and we feel we have come up with the perfect awards show to do it."

In addition to the tribute awards, viewers can vote for their favourite classic television shows at the TV Land web site. The tongue-in-cheek categories include 'Favourite "Heard but Not Seen" Character,' 'Nosiest Neighbour,' 'Superest Superhero' and more. Some winners of these awards will be announced via the live webcast.

The original press release can be found here at Yahoo! News.

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