For a moment, imagine a world in which “The Dick Van Dyke Show” only existed for one season. How would popular culture be different?

Well, first of all, the version of “Mary Poppins” that babysat millions of us wouldn’t exist. The film’s producers certainly would have found someone else to play Bert the chimney sweep. But would his performance match Van Dyke’s soaring merriment and nimble footwork, those grace notes cementing the film’s status as an intergenerational classic? Doubtful.

Without “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter of “The Big Bang Theory” would have different monikers, since they were named after Van Dyke’s executive producer Sheldon Leonard. Paul Reiser might not have been inspired to make “Mad About You.” Neither Conan O’Brien nor Jim Carrey w

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