although there are great advantages to being on the cusp of young adulthood in this no longer brand new millenium era – i do feel sorry that young adults have missed out on great television. not to diminish what HBO has brought to our screens the last few years and the magic that is 30 rock – but here are some shows that kids today can still see on re-runs, but really, remember their heyday?
in no particular order…
10. LAW & ORDER – yes, still ongoing, but those early years were something else.
9. NYPD BLUE bobby’s death scene? big sniff.
8. ER – see number 10.
7. MASH. not so much the later years, but the earlier years. it was on at 6.30pm.
6. CHEERS. absolutely brilliant dialogue. heck, i’m going to add FRASIER in the mix as well.
5. NORTHERN EXPOSURE. it made our southern friends stop laughing at us for living north of sixty. for a while, anyway.
4. SEINFELD. there’s a little bit of george in all of us, and that’s what kept us watching.
3. the x-files. cannot be duplicated. goodness knows there have been many attempts.
2. MAD ABOUT YOU/SPIN CITY/FRIENDS – is everyone in new york good looking and witty?
1. PICKET FENCES. brilliant.
thank goodness that television networks had the avarice to know that people like me would jump to buy boxed sets of erstwhile series. the other day charles and i were nearly an hour late getting to bed because we were engrossed in an episode of THE PRACTISE. (which also could be on this list).
what is there today for young peeps to watch? thank goodness for hbo and reruns.
what shows am i missing and should i add? the simpsons? the tracey ullman show? saturday night live?
Reader interactions
7 Replies to “when tv was good for you”
My new favorite show is Friday Night Lights. It’s about a football (American football) coach and his family in small-town Texas. Wonderful writing and acting, and one of the most honest portrayals of marriage and family I’ve seen on TV. Love it.
-Christine
i still stand by babylon 5 as one of the all time greats.
We didn’t have a TV but all we really needed was a radio….Lux radio theatre, the Happy Gang and best of all Murray Westgate and Foster Hewitt with Hocket Night in Canada.
Love to all….Dad
I still watch reruns of The Nanny, ER, Mad About You, and Seinfeld. Today I usually stick to Grey’s Anatomy and Big Love.
Married with Children, SCTV are two that popped into my head, mind you I was not allowed to watch tv that much so my choices are limited….
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
(Northern Exposure and Buffy are the only two shows I have on DVD — but I do lust after Star Trek: The Next Generation.)
The new Battle Star Galactica or BSG as my brother calls it. Filmed in Vancouver, the first three seasons are on DVD and the final season (insert cry here) is now on the Space channel. 1,000 times better then the original ’70’s version. A must see if you like sci-fi. Also got hooked on Heroes last year, but it hasn’t come back on tv since the writers strike.
Love watching Law & Order and the spin offs from it. Have Angel (spin off from Buffy) on DVD and do like the comedy “Corner Gas” (another Canadian production), but haven’t bought any DVD’s yet. “House” and “Numb3rs” re-runs from the first year have started on Showcase at 11pm and midnight M-TH, so I can catch up on missed years when I am up that late…