Despite its late entry into the field of anthology dramas, many considered, and still consider, Playhouse 90 as the standard against which all other drama anthology programs are to be judged. Although its debut show, a Rod Serling adaptation of the novel Forbidden Area, failed to garner much critical interest, the following week’s presentation of an original teleplay by Serling, Requiem for a Heavyweight, was quite notable, with the story becoming an enormous success both in this initial television broadcast and later as a feature film. Requiem swept the 1956 Emmys, winning awards in all six categories in which it was nominated, including Best Direction, Best Teleplay, and Best Actor. Playhouse 90 established its reputation with this show and continued to maintain it throughout the remainder of its run.

The success of Playhouse 90 continued into the 1957–58 season with productions of The Miracle Worker, The Comedian, and The Helen Morgan Story. Although these shows, along with Requiem and Judgment at Nuremberg, were enough to ensure the historical importance of Playhouse 90, the program also stood out because of its emergence in the “film era” of television broadcasting evolution. By 1956 much of television production had moved from the East to the West Coast, and from live performances to filmed series. Most of the drama anthologies, a staple of the evening schedule to this point, fell victim to the newer types of programs being developed. Playhouse 90 stands in contrast to the prevailing trend, and its reputation benefited from both the growing nostalgia for the waning live period and a universal distaste for Hollywood on the part of New York television critics. It is also probable that since the use of videotape (not widespread at the time) preserved a “live” feel, discussion of the programs could be easily adapted to the standards introduced by the New York television critics.

It has been argued that Playhouse 90 in fact contributed to the demise of live television drama by making the genre too expensive to produce. The program’s lavish budget was undoubtedly a factor in the quality of its productions, but its cost was enormous when compared with that of filmed series, against which it could not compete in the newly introduced ratings system. Playhouse 90 stood out as an anomaly in its time, and its short run of less than four seasons suggested that a program of its kind could not survive in a changing production environment, regardless of its acclaim. Although Playhouse 90 was an outstanding program, and representative of the best that drama anthology programs could offer, it was also the last of its genre to be shown as part of a regular network schedule.