"Great" Television

Today, the fall television season really begins. Oh, a couple shows debuted last week, but most of the ones I'll be watching are still forthcoming. So, Time magazine had their list of Top 100 shows. Really? We'll see about that. Thanks to Tosy and Mary; this was also tackled by Jaquandor.

24
Watched religiously the first season. First 13 shows created as great arc, then it floundered. First episode of the second season really turned me off, but I followed it sporadically. Now, I just read about it, rather than watching it, though I did see part of the great 5th season finale. I discovered recently that the very first monthly post about Lydia, back on May 26, 2005, was about not watching 24.

60 Minutes
Have watched religiously for most of its nearly 40 years(!) Now always recorded, and always have to "tape" the show after it in the fall when CBS has a "4 pm" NFL game, which never starts at 4, and certainly never ends at 7; I also have to be aware of the US Open tennis, or the Masters golf tournament for similar reasons. I don't know why I seldom watched 60 Minutes II, which got folded into the mothership a couple years ago.

The Abbott and Costello Show
Saw occasionally in reruns as a kid; would probably appreciate more now.

ABC's Wide World of Sports
Used to watch in its early years.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents
This was in reruns when I saw it, but Hitch, even more than the stories, scared me to death.

All in the Family
A great show, though it went downhill when the Stivic kid was born, and became largely irrelevant after Mike and Gloria moved to California.
Favorite moment: Archie begin kissed by Sammy Davis, Jr.

An American Family
Watched it at the time - devastating. Wonder how it'd play now.

American Idol
Season 1: saw last 4 weeks.
Season 2: saw whole season.
Season 3: saw whole season.
Season 4: watched after they got to the final 12.
I've given it up. What season are they on now, anyway? The "bad" auditions are unwatchable, because, of the thousands of people who try out, only a relative handful are chosen by the screeners, I think, to humiliate; it's so manipulated. Even if I go back to watching the talent portion some day, I'll pass on the early weeks.

Arrested Development
I tried to watch the first season, which people swore by, couldn't get into it. I tried again for the second season and it clicked. I watched it to the end; maybe I should try the first season DVD.

Battlestar Galactica
I assume this is the current series; have never seen.

The Beavis and Butt-Head Show
I tried to watch, failed.

The Bob Newhart Show
Classic.
I was going to say the best scene was the end, but then I realized it was from Newhart's NEXT show.

Brideshead Revisited
Tried to watch, failed.

Buffalo Bill
As I recall, loved.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Watched very rarely; saw some of the special episodes. Seemed pretty good.

The Carol Burnett Show
Classic.
Favorite scene: Gone with the Wind curtain dress.

The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite
I tended to watch Huntley-Brinkley a bit more, but when they split in 1970, it was Uncle Walter until he retired nearly a decade later.

A Charlie Brown Christmas
Yeah, though I'd argue with it even being on the list, I do watch it.

Cheers
This show not only survived the loss of one of its early stars (Coach), but thrived. I watched a little less when Rebecca replaced Diane and Robin Colcord was around, but yes, a classic.
Favorite moment: Sam is despairing that everything he does, he does to please the ladies. Then he's reminded that he likes the Three Stooges, even though "women hate the Stooges." He does that for himself; he's NOT shallow!

The Cosby Show
Tosy said: "Funnier in the early seasons than you may remember." About right.
Favorite moment: Rudy lipscynching to a Ray Charles song.

The Daily Show
I like it when I watch it, but I seldom watch it.

Dallas
I saw two episodes: "Who Shot J.R." and the resolution, for which I correctly picked the shooter. That was enough.

The Day After
Recall that it was powerful in 1983, or whenever; haven't seen since.

Deadwood
On pay cable. Have never seen.

The Dick Van Dyke Show
Classic. Quite possibly my favorite television show.
Favorite moment: Rob's convinced he and Laura got the wrong child at the hospital.

Dragnet
Really? I've seen at least two iterations of this. The early version was bland, the second, with Harry Morgan, was so corny, it was schtick.

The Ed Sullivan Show
Sure. Saw that Italian mouse WAY too often, though.

The Ernie Kovacs Show
Saw an episode or two as a kid; guess you would have had to have been there.

Felicity
Saw a handful of episodes, pre-haircut, not enough to remember.

Freaks and Geeks
Found this show a quarter of the way through and became a religious convert. I'm not one to say a show went on for too short a time - to everything, there is a season, and all that - but if I were to pick one show that suffered a premature death, it'd be My So-Called Life. Or maybe this.

The French Chef
The Ackroyd parody worked because it was so spot-on. It'd be on at 2 pm on Saturday afternoons, and I found it surreal.

Friends
Watched it for some seasons, gave up on it for a season, get sucked back in, get turned off. I was there at the end.

General Hospital
Never seen.

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
I saw this in reruns as a kid. Actually, as I recall, quite funny, in a corny way.

Gilmore Girls
Loved the core relationship: Rory-Lorelai-Emily. Loved the townspeople. especially loved Mrs. Kim, when she developed as a character. Sure, the show would get off track - Rory's refrain with Dean, e.g. I never believed. But I watched all seven seasons, and we even have Season 1 on DVD, albeit unwatched. The subject of one of my earliest posts, and undoubtedly others.

Gunsmoke
This show was on 20 years, and I probably saw half of them, from Dennis Weaver's Chester, to Burt Reynolds' Quint to Ken Curtis' Festus. Doc was always the same. Matt Dillon (James Arness, the brother of Peter Graves from Mission: Impossible) was larger than life. And what WAS his relationship with Miss Kitty? This was better than Bonanza, that's for certain.

Hill Street Blues
Probably lost it a bit near the end, but out of the gate, a great show.
Favorite moment: the off-screen death of Sgt. Phil Esterhaus.

Homicide: Life on the Street
Great show. Occasionally tough to take, such as the Vincent D'Onofrio episode.

The Honeymooners
I recognize its greatness, yet don't particularly appreciate it.

I, Claudius
Tried; failed.

I Love Lucy
I've seen any number of episodes. (Tosy, this has been in reruns for 50 YEARS and you haven't seen it?) It's of its time, so some of it is still hysterically funny, while other bits are dated. But Lucy WAS a great physical actor.

King of the Hill
Tosy: "I like King of the Hill and yet never, ever watch it (seriously, I think I've seen maybe five episodes). Not sure why that is." I've seen more like 20 episodes, but, no I don't watch it, yet I've appreciated what I've seen.

The Larry Sanders Show
When I had HBO, I watched it and liked it, then I didn't, and I didn't, except for the last episode, which I saw on rerun the night before I was to tape my JEOPARDY! episodes.

Late Night with David Letterman (NBC)
VERY occasional. Don't record it, don't stay up for it. (Though I did see the episode with Oprah, after his surgery, after 9/11...)

Leave It to Beaver
Watched in reruns as a kid. Never engaged me.

Lost
Have never seen, except bits and pieces. Yet follow avidly the storyline in TV Guide, etc.

Married... With Children
I watched one episode, hated it, never saw it again.

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
Thought it was very funny, yet wonder if it would age well.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Classic, from "I hate spunk" to the group retrieval of the Kleenex box.

M*A*S*H
A great show for six or seven years. Should have ended with Radar going home, early in season 8 (I think).
Favorite episode, rerun recently: a documentary being filmed.

The Monkees
Watched, liked well enough, didn't love.

Monty Python's Flying Circus
Watched occasionally. When it comes to comedy, I may be a Britophobe.

Moonlighting
The arc of this show has been well-documented; early was great, later was awful. I went to Jump the Shark and fully 2/3s of the voters picked when David and Maddie "did it" that did in the show.

MTV 1981-1992
Eh, this isn't a "show". Yeah, I watched videos a lot for much of that time.


My So-Called Life
Sob. I really liked this show, and it really felt like it was really finding its voice when it was cut off.

Mystery Science Theater 3000
Did people actually WATCH this? I'd flip through the channels, hit upon this for three minutes, laugh (or more often, not), and move on.

The Odd Couple
Classic.
Favorite episode: Password.

The Office [American]
Watch religiously. How has Michael not been fired, I'll never know.

The Office [British]
Haven't seen; I will, I will. I do recall, though, that there was a lot of badmouthing of the U.S. series before it even aired, which have largely gone away.

The Oprah Winfrey Show
I saw Oprah when she had Paul McCartney on, or when the Little Rock black kids who integrated the schools in 1957 and the white kids who taunted them reconciled. That is to say, rarely.

Pee Wee's Playhouse
Watched this. It was weird. Sorta liked it.

Playhouse 90
I probably saw this as a wee kid, but don't remember.

The Price Is Right
There was probably a year or two in college when I watched it more than I should have.

Prime Suspect
Saw at least a couple full seasons of this, but not lately. It was excellent.

The Prisoner
Watched religiously. Gordon, are you familiar with this show?

The Real World
Watched maybe three seasons of, I'm afraid to say, before I bailed. Season 3 was he infamous Pedro vs. Puck, with Judd referring.

Rocky and His Friends
Well, yeah! Mr. Peabody,and Sherman, and Fractured Fairy Tales.

Roots
Watched all eight episodes. Appointment TV, good, though occasionally tough to take.

Roseanne
Watched it early on, but it lost me somewhere along the way.

Sanford and Son
I watched it, but I was never sure why.

Saturday Night Live
I happen to think that Phil Hartman was the greatest performer ever on the show, and I was watching it from the beginning. Watch it far less now.

Second City Television
Saw it often after SNL. I liked the characters and actors more than the actual skits ofttimes.

See It Now
Saw, mostly in clips in TV obits.

Seinfeld
Watched for a few years regularly, always recorded -Thursday night is choir night. Pretty much gave up on it after Susan (George's finacee) died, though I'd catch a show here and there. Saw the last few episodes; was not impressed.

Sesame Street
I was in high school when this started. I watched this almost religiously for a couple years while I was in college, along with Electric Company and Zoom.
In fact, I have the 10th Anniversary Album, complete with "12 autographed photos suitable for framing", which I bought only because an earlier album went in the great Album Theft of 1972. Both albums had my theme song. Unfortunately, the early album had, and the latter doesn't have:


Sex and the City
Never saw it on HBO, only on the TNT version. Occasionally too precious, but I got enough enjoyment out of it.

The Shield
Watched big chunks of this the first and second seasons, not so much now. It was great show.

The Simpsons
Watched religious for nine years, off and on for the next nine.

The Singing Detective
Never saw.

Six Feet Under
Never saw. Based on the cast, probably would have liked.

Soap
I was watching the Tonys recently - yes, I know they aired in June - and Jay Johnson, who was on Soap, won a Tony for The Two and Only. A surreal series where Billy Crystal was actually funny. Lost its way at the end, certainly after the character of Benson left, but had a couple good years.

The Sopranos
Never seen, unless you count the last three minutes that I saw on YouTube.

South Park
I watched it three or four times, wanting to like it, but never really did.

SpongeBob SquarePants
Don't know why I don't watch; I like it on the rare times I see it.

SportsCenter
I could watch SportsCenter at least daily, preferably on tape immediately after it ends, so I can miss the lengthy teases and especially dopey segments such as "Who Is More Now?" - who commands the bigger buzz. But I don't, though I've been known to watch a half hour early Monday morning.

Star Trek
My father loved this show. I didn't get it until I started watching it in reruns.

St. Elsewhere
At least at the time I was watching it, my favorite dramatic television show. Have the first season DVD, of which I've seen two episodes that still look good. People are always surprised when I tell them Denzel Washington was on the show for its entire six-year run. One of the great series enders.

The Super Bowl (and the Ads)
Another odd choice - I've seen at least XXXVII of them.

Survivor
Watched the first season, which I rather liked. Saw the second season, which bored me. Saw part of the third season, gave up. May have seen the first and/or last episodes of a couple other seasons, but it's off my radar.

Taxi
Classic. Particularly loved the Reverend Jim.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Saw now and then. Did see the last two episodes.

The Twilight Zone
I'm from Binghamton. I've met Rod Serling. I'm constitutionally required to not only watch Twilight Zone, but to like it.

Twin Peaks
I started watching it, but it got too weird.

The West Wing
I watched first three or four seasons, then lost interest. But did watch the last season, which was a suitable ending.

What's My Line?
Watched it a lot given the fact that I think it was on 10:30 on Sunday nights, as I recall. It was a great game show in its simplicity, so much so that a live version, not on TV, exists.

WKRP in Cincinnati
Classic.
"Oh, the humanity!"

The Wire
HBO show. Never seen.

Wiseguy
Did see at least some of it. Very good show, as I recall.

The X-Files
Saw maybe a half dozen episodes, which I liked and didn't in equal number.

Your Show of Shows
Even I'm not that old.
***
Alice Ghostley and Marcel Marceau both died recently. From her Internet Movie database page, I realize that I'd seen Ms. Ghostley in a LOT of stuff, not just Bewitched, Designing Women and Evening Shade, probably from at least one episode of half the television shows listed. Mr. Marceau I saw mostly in TV variety shows such as Ed Sullivan; sure, he was the "greatest mime ever", but name two others.

ROG