YMMV / Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In

• Germans Love David Hasselhoff: It was a huge hit in the UK when it debuted on the BBC at the start of 1969. The Beatles loved it; much of the between-song banter on the bootlegged tapes of the Get Back sessions has them spouting various catchphrases from the show.
• Harsher in Hindsight: From their Cocktail Party segment: Judy Carne is kissing Robert Culp but doesn't know who he is. Robert gives her a hint by mentioning his I Spy costar Bill Cosby, but Judy mistakes him for Bing Crosby by singing his song "White Christmas". Since then, the joke took on a whole new meaning.
• Heartwarming in Hindsight: A "News of the Future" segment flashes forward to the year 1989 for the rejoicing of East Germany tearing down the Berlin Wall.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • The "News from the Future" segment from 1968 set 20 years later in 1988 that says President Ronald Reagan denies that he is a candidate for Governor of California. In 1988, Reagan was actually finishing up his second term as U.S. president.
  • Johnny Brown (an African-American man) portrayed an NBC news anchor for season four's 9th episode about the news, possibly predating Lester Holt's rise to the main anchor spot in NBC Nightly News by 50 years.
  • Richard Crenna at the end of season four playing a commanding officer overseeing Alan Sues' lesser army character in a sketch foreshadows him playing Col. Sam Trautman in the Rambo films, as well.
  • In her guest appearance in season one, Sally Field holds an Oscar and thanks the Academy, about a decade before she won an actual Oscar for Best Actress.
  • Dick Martin mentions a "Dr. Evil" in the last episode of season four, which a certain man of mystery of the '60s would know.
  • Charles Fleischer would later be known for playing a very screwy rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but in season six's 17th episode he was first seen literally playing different sink pipes and hoses.
• Memetic Molester: Tyrone F. Horneigh, who was always making crude come-ons to Gladys Ormphby and invading her personal space.
• Older Than They Think: Hellzapoppin' (more the stage version than the film) was a very strong influence on the show despite being three decades older.
• Once Original, Now Common: The show's rapid-fire humor and Smash Cut pacing were groundbreaking in its day, but will probably seem downright stodgy to subsequent generations who've grown up with an entire pop culture immersed in that style. (And that's not even counting the dated topical content.)
• Seasonal Rot: The series suffered this in the '70s after many of its notable cast members left (Judy Carne, Jo Anne Worley, Goldie Hawn, Arte Johnson, Henry Gibson, Alan Sues) and its once-cutting edge style quickly became dated. By its final season it was incorporating more traditional variety show elements in-between the rapid fire comedy.

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