I tend to try checking out the posts on here before Top Gear is on. I won't go on till later in the evening and I try to avoid some of the more repetive blatant "n00b" threads.
1997 gave us the premieres of King of the Hill, Daria, Stargate SG-1, La Femme Nikita, Lexx, and South Park.
It also featured Farrah Fawcett's infamous Letterman interview, Ellen DeGeneres using an episode of her sitcom to announce she was a lesbian, The Montreal Screwjob (it's only relevant if you watch wrestling), Chris Farley's fatal drug overdose, and round-the-clock coverage of the death of Princess Diana.