We have the benefit of hindsight with old media. We get the sampled pick of the best of the best. Most of the crap is forgotten. There's more crap now than there was before. But that doesn't mean in 50 years our media era won't be remembered for the few gems.

Everyone tries to copy the successful show and you see it happen. Cartoons all try to copy family guy. Action movies all try to copy marvel. In the past everyone tried to copy star wars. Before that there was the great disaster movie tsunami of the 1970's of which we more or less only have the brilliant satire "Airplane" which has endured in the cultural consciousness. And even much of that the references are lost to the modern viewer. (Though most are timeless enough to be funny).