Swansons wasn't the first company to produce a frozen, compartmented dinner by any means, but theirs came out in 1953 and was the first to gain widespread popularity. Early versions were in aluminum containers and had to be heated in an oven. Microwaves were just becoming available as a consumer product then not yet available as a consumer product, and most homes didn't have one yet anyway. Later, the packaging became plastic so it could be microwaved.

Swansons saw such success that in North America, "TV Dinner" has become a genercized term, like Kleenex, Xerox, or Jell-o.

1963 ad,