Sell By Date Expiration: Old Shows That Don't Stand Up To The Test Of Time

[Actionmage]

I have found Bachelor Father fun and funny sometimes. I think partly why it doesn't feel too dated to me, is that it presents a family that isn't "typical": a single uncle, his niece, and the housekeeper (an Asian man).

 

From what I am reading, and forgive me if this has been pointed out, the dramas that emphasize the characters- as long as they are fleshed-out and relatable-and the comedies that emphasize the commonalities in certain situations tend to hold up better, decades down the line.

 

An example of the drama side, I guess, is Perry Mason. Yes, it's a procedural, but Perry, Della, Paul, Hamilton, and Lt. Tragg are not static characters. I have come to respect Mr. Berger for continually taking the fight to Perry and actually not being as out-of-line or as hopeless as pop culture has made him out to be. (There are times that I'd gladly pop Tragg in the mouth, I'm not proud to say. He seemed to really enjoy trying to screw over Perry.)

 

For the comedy side, I'd say WKRP in Cincinnati has done okay is because, like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, it focuses mainly on the workplace. Folks in general have worked at jobs and dealt with the various Types, so we understand the humor.  Les' "office", Bailey's crush, The Big Guy (though I like Mr. Carlton), the failed publicity events, dealing with rival stations/stores/companies, and on and on.

 

I'm not claiming this as definitive because personal taste comes into play heavily. It seems to be like this from what folks here have posted.

[SpencerHawk]

Murder, She Wrote. It's an ok enough show. but at times it seems as if it doesn't hold up that well anymore. Still watch it from time to time though.

[Princess Sparkle]

I Love Lucy is still funny, but what's with all the wife-beating that went on? Lucy rubbing her sore behind because Ricky gave her a spanking for spending too much money. That's not only kinky, but spousal abuse. Even Laura was given an "allowance" by Rob. Gee, what a sport. And here all she had to do to earn that probably five bucks was sleep with him, cook for him, clean his house, bear his son, periodically do a tap dance in the living room to entertain him as well as Buddy and Sally...

My Mom LOVES I Love Lucy and had me watch them when I was a kid, but I distinctly remember her using one of the episodes as a "very special talk" episode.  

There's an episode where most of the episode (and the main joke) hinges around Fred and Ethel thinking that Ricky punched Lucy (he didn't, but Lucy says he did as a joke) and I remember my Mom drilling into me that Ricky hitting Lucy isn't a joke, and it's not something we should find funny.  I do remember there being other episodes where Ricky threatened to hit her and it was supposed to be funny, but yeesh - really doesn't hold up well.      

 

As for more recent shows, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Buffy doesn't hold up nearly as well as I remember, especially those early seasons.  I still like it, but some of it is just so cringeworthy.  Whereas Angel, I think, holds up much, much better.  

[GreekGeek]

There's an episode where most of the episode (and the main joke) hinges around Fred and Ethel thinking that Ricky punched Lucy (he didn't, but Lucy says he did as a joke) and I remember my Mom drilling into me that Ricky hitting Lucy isn't a joke, and it's not something we should find funny.

 

If I recall the episode correctly, Fred and Ethel didn't laugh either. They believed Lucy and were angry at Ricky. Ethel urged Lucy to leave him, and Fred--usually always ready with a misogynist quip--shamed Ricky for hitting a woman. 

[Princess Sparkle]

If I recall the episode correctly, Fred and Ethel didn't laugh either. They believed Lucy and were angry at Ricky. Ethel urged Lucy to leave him, and Fred--usually always ready with a misogynist quip--shamed Ricky for hitting a woman. 

 

They didn't laugh, but we (the audience) I believe are supposed to think it's funny that this crazy misunderstanding took place.  And I believe what my Mom was trying to ping is that Lucy initially made the joke that Ricky hit her, and the point was "don't joke about someone hitting you, because it's not funny."

 

Though, for all of Fred's anger, he did try to get the two back together by sending Lucy apology flowers in Ricky's name, because I remember that he messes up and puts his own name on the card (instead of Ricky's), which is what makes Ethel think Lucy is seeing another man.  Which is very of the time, but it still is a little cringeworthy to watch.

Edited August 27, 2014 by Princess Sparkle

[AntiBeeSpray]

 

 

An example of the drama side, I guess, is Perry Mason. Yes, it's a procedural, but Perry, Della, Paul, Hamilton, and Lt. Tragg are not static characters. I have come to respect Mr. Berger for continually taking the fight to Perry and actually not being as out-of-line or as hopeless as pop culture has made him out to be. (There are times that I'd gladly pop Tragg in the mouth, I'm not proud to say. He seemed to really enjoy trying to screw over Perry.)

 

 

Yea in some ways it's rather dated... with some of the female characters being too over the top or too melodramatic. Those are my biggest issues with it. Also, any episode dealing with the 60's to a point. Not all of those are bad, just some are rather out there.

[Gudzilla]

As someone who lived through the 80's in Miami I still can't remember anyone dressing 'Miami Vice' style until the show had aired.

That being said I did have a white jacket and pink undershirt.

 

The only thing that still works for me from All In the Family is calling people Meathead.

 

I find that most of the political stuff on shows have a small shelf life, even some of the jokes I see on 30 Rock reruns fall flat and that show just ended.

[anstar]

I'm watching Starsky and Hutch and loving it for the most part, but it's nearly 40 years old and there are some misogynistic clunker lines and scenes that have me cringing.  It's hard to adore the heroes of the show when they call the female officers "honey" or pat them on the rear! after they've given them an assignment. The blatant sexual harassment isn't even funny, but it's played for laughs, so I guess it used to be. Or maybe women were supposed to be flattered by the attention. <shrug> The women were very nearly treated as second class citizens, and when they weren't, it was in a self-congratulatory, aren't we progressive, tone.  Because I work in law enforcement (and I'm female) it plucks a nerve, and I find myself muttering, "It was a different era.  40 years ago. They don't mean to be misogynistic asses."

Edited August 27, 2014 by anstar

[GHScorpiosRule]

Regarding I Love Lucy--I freaking LOVE this show. I grew up watching it in Syndication. Lucy/Lucille never failed to make me laugh.

 

As for the spanking episodes...they don't bother me. And even as an adult, I don't see it as abusive. The first time, the episode name escapes me, but it has to do with moving furniture...at the very end, Ricky has Lucy over his lap and he spanks her. But I can see that it's fake spanking, by the way his hand moves.  The other one was when Lucy was making fun of Ricky during a show, where she sat behind him with a rose in her mouth. At the end, when Ricky realizes that Fred is manipulating the strings that allow her to "fly" etc., and it gets stuck, he brings her down and tells the audience of Babaloo, and uses Lucy's bottom as the drum. It wasn't a recurring, regular thing, so it didn't bother me.

 

What does bother me, and it's more recent, is how the public/viewers were okay with wives belittling their husbands and sometimes physical. Like Jill on Home Improvement and how Claire Huxtable would have Cliff in a chokehold because he couldn't remember the dates of when they first dated or whatever on The Cosby Show; or when they just make the husbands, who are smart, professionals, look like bloody idiots/morons.

[Sandman87]

With all the talk so far of shows where the clothing looks really dated, I'm surprised no one has mentioned Space 1999. Jumpsuits with bell-bottoms? Yeah, sure. That was dated even when the show was brand new.

[BatmanBeatles]

Star Trek had mini skirts, go go boots, and beehive hair-dos.

[Actionmage]

Star Trek had mini skirts, go go boots, and beehive hair-dos.

 

I always marveled at Yeoman Janice Rand's weaved beehive; I sort of disliked it and sort of thought it was cool.

Here's a link, in case you haven't beheld the marvel: http://pdxretro.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/yeoman-rand.jpg

[BatmanBeatles]

It was the only interesting thing about her character.

[Aquarius]

It was the only interesting thing about her character.

 

So true.  I always hated Yeoman Janice.  The soft focus always drove me crazy, so it may have contributed to the hatred.

[Irlandesa]

I never related to Frasier and still don't. He's the type of lead you laugh at and feel sorry for because he is so over the top. I think a lot of the humor holds well or at least the moments between Niles and Frasier. A lot of us on the Frasier board still watch it for comfort.

 

 

I would hazard a guess that the character Frasier, with so many specific pretensions, will be completely unrelatable in a few more years.

 

I agree that Frasier was never relatable on a superficial level.  A lot of the humor came from Frasier and Niles clashing with their more blue collar father and physical therapist. 

 

I think the reason it will stand the test of time is that a lot of the humor is derived from classic themes and methods of comedy.  While Frasier was pretentious, his human desires were pretty basic.  He wanted love. He wanted to be a good father, brother and he wanted to be a good son.  Dealing with living with a parent as an adult isn't something that is going to go away.  And very few comedies recreated theatrical farce the way Frasier was able to. 

 

But then, that's my preference for comedy. I wish more sitcoms were done by people with a background in theater.

 

I find very few shows don't stand up well for me because of things like clothes, jewelry or language.  I can accept them as a product of their times. 

What makes something not hold up well for me is my age more than the show's age.  I was more receptive to family comedies and shows with "very special episodes" when I was younger. 

[GreekGeek]

While Frasier was pretentious, his human desires were pretty basic.  He wanted love. He wanted to be a good father, brother and he wanted to be a good son.  Dealing with living with a parent as an adult isn't something that is going to go away.  And very few comedies recreated theatrical farce the way Frasier was able to.

 

What made Frasier (the character and the show) relatable, at least to me, was that it explored something I hadn't seen before on TV: It showed what happens when children are better educated than their parents. It didn't shy away from showing Frasier and Niles cringing at Martin's plebeian tastes, and Martin wishing his sons could just be regular guys with whom he could have a beer and talk sports.

[Sandman87]

It didn't shy away from showing Frasier and Niles cringing at Martin's plebeian tastes, and Martin wishing his sons could just be regular guys with whom he could have a beer and talk sports.

Which is what made it such a warm fuzzy moment when they discovered that they all enjoyed watching Antiques Roadshow. And hilarious that Niles and Frasier knew the drinking game.

[Tabbyclaw]

It didn't shy away from showing Frasier and Niles cringing at Martin's plebeian tastes, and Martin wishing his sons could just be regular guys with whom he could have a beer and talk sports.

 

Nor did it try to say that one viewpoint was inherently wrong or right. Everyone was allowed to be who they were unless they got nasty about it and refused to coexist, and then it was always clear that that was the problem and not what someone does or doesn't like.

[Growsonwalls]

I know I'm about to wade into a minefield here, but when I watch old episodes of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, it looks really dated. Johnny Carson's brand of humor seems so slick while we're used to edgier humor from late night hosts now. The episodes where he had guest hosts like Joan Rivers seem less dated because their brand of comedy is more like what we're used to seeing now. Plus some of the cheesy stunt guests he had ... and the toupee ... and Ed McMahon guffawing at everything ...

 

I'm not saying that it wasn't a great show, but I don't actually find Johnny Carson's Tonight Show to be funny. It was more of an old-style variety show with occasional quips thrown in. Plus I'm wondering if someone as reserved and distant as Johnny could make it in the current talk show circuit. He keeps such a distance (physical and emotional) from people and that's more obvious when watching the re-runs. 

[Jipijapa]

I was flabbergasted to recently learn that Mannix lasted *eight seasons*.  And was fairly well rated for most of them.  I started watching some episodes on Youtube and the show just does not hold up well at all - what must have been "serious" and "hardbitten" back in the 60s-70s just comes off as terribly histrionic today.  

 

The Rockford Files holds up tremendously well (despite the occasional slow pacing) for a number of reasons (besides James Garner, whose appeal is timeless): it was tightly written, progressive for its time, the female characters weren't idiots, the guest cast each week was almost uniformly excellent (when there was a bad one, they stuck out like a sore thumb).  And most importantly, it had a light touch without being superficial.  The writers picked their tone early on and completely stuck with it through the end of the series, too, which meant it didn't suffer as much from end-of-series-suck as some other shows did.

 

Also, The Rockford Files was arguably the first TV show with a 1980s sensibility, even though it barely made it into the 80s (cancelled in January 1980).  There's something about it that feels very fresh despite the phone booths and the clothes and the weird repeat casting (the hardest thing for me to get used to - that the same actress could show up 3 times a season playing different characters, etc.)

Edited December 8, 2014 by Jipijapa

[MulletorHater]

Upon rewatching All In The Family, I'm starting to feel a lot more sympathy for Archie. Sure, he had ignorant, wrong-headed views about race and gender roles, but he was the only one in that household who had a job. Meathead was a lazy moocher with a ridiculously naïve worldview who constantly insulted the man who was providing a roof over his ungrateful head.

 

Shockingly, my husband and I, who are both Black, feel a lot more sympathy for Archie for the very reasons highlighted.  Not only was Mike a moocher, but he was ungrateful that his wife's parents were willing to let them live there while he finished his education.  He was also an arrogant know-it-all, who frequently belittled his wife's intelligence (sometimes in front of his intellectual friends) or refused to consider that his father-in-law was a simple man from a different time.  As Edith said, Archie was never going to be much more than he already was.  Yes, Archie's treatment of Edith is difficult to stomach, along with his political and racist views, but Mike's preachy attitudes wore thin.  For instance, there was an episode where he practically beat Gloria over the head about his beliefs regarding the environment and overpopulation.  Yet, she was supposed to give up her dream of giving birth to a child of her own because of his beliefs.  I won't even touch on Mike's hypocrisy re: how Gloria "tricked" him by not taking her birth control pills while not considering that maybe he should be a vasectomy.

 

As for a show that doesn't stand up to the test of time, for me it would have to be Hogan's Heroes.  Given what we know about Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, it makes me extremely uncomfortable to watch the reruns and accept the show as a campy comedy

.

[magicdog]

One thing we have to understand about the show ... it was the beginning of the media making parents look bad. Notice how Wally always talked about Ward clobbering him and the Beav; all the kids in the show did. They always alluded to being afraid being beaten even though they never showed it and never even mentioned that Ward had done so.

 

 

 

While I do not approve of adults constantly made to look bad or outright stupid compared to their kids, I don't think that was it.  Back then, kids automatically feared their parents' wrath and a lot of us growing up always thought Mom & Dad were going to "kill" us for some perceived screw up.  Most times, it was never as bad as we thought it was. 

 

 

As for a show that doesn't stand up to the test of time, for me it would have to be Hogan's Heroes.  Given what we know about Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, it makes me extremely uncomfortable to watch the reruns and accept the show as a campy comedy

 

 

See I don't see it that way.  HH didn't take place in a concentration camp anyway - it was a POW camp.  While IRL, that wouldn't have been a picnic, this was a sitcom which aired only 20 years removed from WW2.  Most viewers of the show in first run were likely vets of the war.  They seemed to like it fine despite those times.   Many of the actors from the show were Jewish and/or had real life run ins with the regime (Robert Clary lost almost his entire family in the Holocaust, John Banner had family in Austria who were at risk).

 

 Plus, the show was all about putting one over on the Nazis.  Werner Klemperer famously said he insisted he'd play the role of a camp Commandant as long as it was agreed he'd NEVER win over Hogan.  

 

The only thing about the show that bugs me are the 60s hair and [women's] fashions when they should have had a more 40s feel.  Not to mention I think every episode took place in the wintertime!  There were always patches of snow on the ground!! 

[Mulva]

I watched an episode of Columbo recently, and dear lord, it was sooooo slooooow. It was a two hour movie with about 45 minutes of plot. Endless scene after endless scene, with obvious padding of people walking down corridors. There's no way that show would be successful these days.

[BatmanBeatles]

 

The only thing about the show that bugs me are the 60s hair and [women's] fashions when they should have had a more 40s feel.

I hate when I see 60's fashion in western TV shows.

[MulletorHater]

Leave it Beaver is one of my favorite retro shows. Since having the DVR I've managed to watch every single episode that ran. There is, however, a lot of stifling expectations in the show. June. Gosh, she was always cleaning, cooking and deferring to Ward in "tough" situations. Never out of high heels. That, I assure everyone in younger generations, was a myth and only done on TV. Housecoats, ballet slippers, muu-muus, jeans etc were the norm. I think the closest we got to cleaning dressed up were a pair of jeans and a big white man's shirt with sneakers! At least in my neighborhook those are the things our moms wore. But I love the way she dressed (and Lucy and Ethel too). In those days one could not be dressed properly unless one had gloves and a hat. I grew up with the show in first run and never tired of it.

 

One thing we have to understand about the show ... it was the beginning of the media making parents look bad. Notice how Wally always talked about Ward clobbering him and the Beav; all the kids in the show did. They always alluded to being afraid being beaten even though they never showed it and never even mentioned that Ward had done so.

 

My husband and I watch it Leave It to Beaver on MeTV every morning while getting dressed.  We love the show because it's still hilarious and there are typically some really great lessons without being preachy.

 

I suspect, too, at that time corporal punishment was quite an acceptable form of discipline for many parents.  Ward alluded to his own father "taking the strap" to him when he got out of line which was something he didn't want to do to his own boys.  Even Fred Rutherford mentioned to Ward that he once popped poor Lumpy right in the mouth for daring to sass him.  I always thought Fred was overbearing and verbally abusive to Lumpy, which is why the lad was so hapless.  One particularly painful episode was when Lumpy was awarded an athletic scholarship only to find out that it was being rescinded because of his grades.

[Jipijapa]

On the slow visual pacing of old shows (Columbo, and Rockford Files with its endless car maneuvers - one episode has a seven minute car chase with no music!)...

 

I have never been able to stomach the modern day CSI shows.  I tried to watch CSI:NOLA the other night (just for Dean Stockwell's sake, being an old QL fan) and I nearly wound up gnawing my leg off to escape.  The dialogue and storytelling in these shows is sooooooo pedestrian.  It's like it's aimed at the lowest common denominator (apparently, viewers who have recently had lobotomies).  And yet these are the most popular things on the tube.

 

But that's a problem I just don't have with many of the better older shows.  (The Rockford Files' dialogue was particularly snappy, at all times, without being cutesy.)  So, yeah, long walks down the hall and such, but these shows "moved" more quickly in other ways, when they were good.

 

Of course, Columbo had a unique premise anyway, which was -- usually -- that the viewer knew who the killer was before Columbo did, by design.  (Didn't ABC recently try a show with a similar premise just the other year?  it bombed?) The show still seems to be popular enough in reruns, and not just with people who grew up with it, so, something about it must still appeal.

 

 

With all the talk so far of shows where the clothing looks really dated, I'm surprised no one has mentioned Space 1999. Jumpsuits with bell-bottoms? Yeah, sure. That was dated even when the show was brand new.

 

Yeah. that's the thing... television was not a trendsetter back then (is it now?) - it was a trend follower, and usually 2-3 years out of date, if not more.  I cringe when I hear disco playing at "trendy" parties in early 80s shows... because kids today are gonna get the wrong idea.  Disco was popular for like, a year, in 1976 or something.  If I'm not mistaken, it was already on its way out -- in the clubs, at least -- when Saturday Night Fever hit theaters in '77 or '78. 

Edited December 9, 2014 by Jipijapa

[giovannif7]

 

Disco was popular for like, a year, in 1976 or something.  If I'm not mistaken, it was already on its way out -- in the clubs, at least -- when Saturday Night Fever hit theaters in '77 or '78.

Caution - [rant]

 

Not true. Disco started catching on in the mid 70s, then remained mainstream through 1980, when the beat was driven back underground by a not-so-subtle racist, misogynistic & homophobic crowd of bullies. Many of the top pop hits from the years '77 (I Just Want To Be Your Everything, Don't Leave Me This Way, I'm Your Boogie Man), '78 (Shadow Dancing, Stayin' Alive, Boogie Oogie Oogie), '79 (Bad Girls, Le Freak, YMCA) and '80 (Call Me, Funkytown, Working My Way Back To You) are pure Disco, and many of the top dance hits each year between then and now owe their success (through direct sampling, inspiration or outright theft) to those Disco pioneers. Not to mention all the sporting events and weddings that have continued to use songs from that era (YMCA, We Are Family, etc) to get crowds on their feet. The use of pure Disco music in mainstream party scenes on TV from the mid 70s to early 80s is in no way out of place - and while actual clubs were shifting away from disco in the US around 1980, it has remained popular in some US clubs on theme nights, and in many world-wide clubs that wisely never paid attention to the anti-Disco backlash.

 

[/rant]

[Wax Lion]

 

I think Happy Days, at least the seasons with Ron Howard, holds up fine because it is a 70's show, but was not set in the 70's.  

 

It is though, quite different from real 50's shows which I love.  The times of Leave It to Beaver, Donna Reed, etc were all so nice and happy.  I think that is why  I like old shows better.  By the time the early 70's came, it had all changed.

 

Along those lines, I'm curious how The Carrie Diaries will appear in a few years. It was interesting to watch because I realized that while the show captured trendy 80s teens with restraint, a show like that would have been a huge scandal in the 80s. Teens discussing when they're ready to have sex was a reliable way for a show to get panicked articles discussing the upcoming storyline.

 

And speaking of 80s teen shows, I remember loving Square Pegs when it aired originally but when I tried to watch it again it all seemed to clunky. The pacing was odd and the characters felt like they came from a loud community theatre original production.

 

I found a station that had reruns of Knots Landing, I couldn't watch it for the make-up. I can handle the ridiculous styling on Dynasty because it's so OTT. But Knots was the more realistic and grounded soap so when Michelle Lee (whose character was supposed to be the most down-to-earth character, aside from Val's mom) wears a fur coat, a huge smear of blush and bright blue eye shadow, it looks strange and requires a reminder of how common that look was. Every little bit of those Carrington women's hair, wardrobe and makeup is ridiculous as well as their situations so it kinda comes together. That said, I have a hard time with Al Corey's frosted hair.

[Anna Yolei]

Shockingly, my husband and I, who are both Black, feel a lot more sympathy for Archie for the very reasons highlighted. Not only was Mike a moocher, but he was ungrateful that his wife's parents were willing to let them live there while he finished his education. He was also an arrogant know-it-all, who frequently belittled his wife's intelligence (sometimes in front of his intellectual friends) or refused to consider that his father-in-law was a simple man from a different time. As Edith said, Archie was never going to be much more than he already was. Yes, Archie's treatment of Edith is difficult to stomach, along with his political and racist views, but Mike's preachy attitudes wore thin. For instance, there was an episode where he practically beat Gloria over the head about his beliefs regarding the environment and overpopulation. Yet, she was supposed to give up her dream of giving birth to a child of her own because of his beliefs. I won't even touch on Mike's hypocrisy re: how Gloria "tricked" him by not taking her birth control pills while not considering that maybe he should be a vasectomy.

.

Wow, I thought maybe I was the only black person that felt that way! As a k8d, my mom always talked about what a horrible show it was because the star character said such bigoted things....but then I watched reruns one summer when we were without cable and realized the entire point of the show had gone sailing over her head at Warp speed. It was also the first time I realized adults could be wrong, but that is neither here nor there.

Back to the point: even the first time I watched the show, it was clear that Mike was a know it all hypocrite that promoted social justice until it incovinienced him. Gloria' attack is one of the better examples, but the constant nagging on her about birth control was an ongoing thing in their marriage till she told him to get snipped if it meant so much.

[Mulva]

I hate when I see 60's fashion in western TV shows.

You mean Linda Evans in The Big Valley with her blue eyeshadow and her 'flip' hairdo wasn't historically accurate? Umpossible!

[kassa]

Love All in the Family and it stands up just fine for me, though I do notice the more obvious stuff, like references to Nixon and Ford, inflation, etc. and the less obvious stuff, like colored Kleenex to match the bathroom decor, which is something I don't think they make any more!

 

The genius of the thing is that the Archie types could watch and roll their eyes at Mike's pomposity, and the Mike types could watch and roll their eyes at Archie's lunacy, and each set missed the fact that both of them were pigheaded parrots.

 

I was astonished when I figured out that Edith and Archie are only in their early-mid 40s when the show started.  I asked my mom why Edith seemed so old and she said at the time it bothered her even in first run -- they weren't that old but Edith dressed like she was 60.

 

LA Law and St. Elsewhere did not stand up at ALL.  

 

How come the nostalgia channels never pick up The Rookies, or Get Christie Love, or Police Woman?  Even if they just rotated them in some floating 70s Crimedrama Cinema! format, I'd check them out.  Or Room 222 (my parents said I wasn't old enough for that one but I snuck watched it when they weren't home).  

 

 

I'm not saying they'd be any good, but they'd be fun to check out!

[MyAimIsTrue]

 Or Room 222 (my parents said I wasn't old enough for that one but I snuck watched it when they weren't home). 

 

I loved that show! 

 

Anyone else from that era remember 'Bridget Loves Bernie' starring Meredith Baxter and her future husband David Birney?

[Jipijapa]

Yes, I remember Bridget Loves Bernie!  Didn't last too long, as I recall.

 

 

I think what contributes to shows not standing up well, is if they take themselves too seriously.   Also, curiously, many top-rated shows of the past - the shows "everyone" watched - retain little of their charm 20 years on.  Shows with "legs" tend not to be discovered by the general audience right away.

Edited December 11, 2014 by Jipijapa

[Mulva]

The whole premise of Maude was that even though Maude was an old woman, there was still life in her, and she wasn't ready to be put on the shelf. She was 47!

[topanga]

I used to think that New York Undercover was the hippest, smartest, and sexiest show in town. Now when I try to watch it, I'm amazed at how bad the writing and acting are. I still think it's cutting edge TV to have two POC as leads on a hit drama. And I like the musical guests. But the show is just so bad.

[Aquarius]

The whole premise of Maude was that even though Maude was an old woman, there was still life in her, and she wasn't ready to be put on the shelf. She was 47!

 

I thought the whole premise of Maude was that she was the left-wing equivalent of Archie Bunker - different viewpoint but equally as clueless and strident in her own way.  But yeah, she was 47 and looked soooo old.  I'm 46 now and I don't plan to look like Maude until I am in my 70s.  At least.

[Princess Sparkle]

That's what always used to throw me about the Golden Girls - they (minus Sophia) were clearly supposed to be in their 50s, but dressed as if they were much, much older.  

[BatmanBeatles]

Yeah. I see a lot of 50/60 year old women these days that dress a lot less frumpy.

[FormerMod-a1]

Some of was fashions for "older" women back then were very limited.  Much like plus size was, too.  For these "older" women they had a choice of juniors to 20-ish something clothing, trendy, etc or frump.  I'm sure there were exceptions and ways around it.  I was a kid in the 80s so I'm just going on memory.  I also think the hair styles are very aging.  Not just the color, since Blanche and Rose were not gray, but that poofy, short to mid length style seems to age them.  If you look at just their faces, they really don't look that old.

[Kel Varnsen]

Some of was fashions for "older" women back then were very limited.  Much like plus size was, too.  For these "older" women they had a choice of juniors to 20-ish something clothing, trendy, etc or frump.  I'm sure there were exceptions and ways around it.  I was a kid in the 80s so I'm just going on memory.  I also think the hair styles are very aging.  Not just the color, since Blanche and Rose were not gray, but that poofy, short to mid length style seems to age them.  If you look at just their faces, they really don't look that old.

Yea it is weird. I looked it up and Betty White was 63 for the first season of Golden Girls. Wendy Malick from Hot in Cleveland is 63 now. 

[kassa]

Bridget Loves Bernie!  Family (Meredith Baxter Birnie, Kristie McNichol!  James Broderick!)  James at 15!  

 

All so "edgy" in their time -- I'd love an evening of those earnest shows!  

[dalek]

All so "edgy" in their time -- I'd love an evening of those earnest shows!

 

 

In some ways, I'm almost afraid to watch some of those shows.  The level of earnestness and the histrionics that sometimes accompanied it might make shows I used to like unwatchable.  For instance, I have no idea what my reaction would be watching a show like Family now.  It was forward thinking for its time and dealt with a lot of serious issues, but I suspect in a lot of cases, I would find people's reactions and attitudes over the top or unreasonable now.

[HonestlyWTF]

Does anyone remember a show called The Second Hundred Years"? I remembered it fondly but I recently found the pilot episode on YouTube and it was so lame.

[kassygreene]

The whole premise of Maude was that even though Maude was an old woman, there was still life in her, and she wasn't ready to be put on the shelf. She was 47!

 

Yikes.

 

I remember Maude as being old, but I didn't remember that she was 47.  I'm 58.  My overall health isn't ideal, but sheesh I still look, sound, and move younger then Maude did.

 

Another ground-breaking thing about Maude was that she got pregnant, and got an abortion.

[kassygreene]

I'm surprised at some of the shows that haven't worn well.  Thanks to the various nostalgia channels, I have the chance to affirm some good memories and destroy others.

 

The Dick van Dyke Show still works for me.  Blue Foot, Head-of-Lettuce Hair, Hypnosis, ROSEBUD.  Best episode for me goes back and forth between Walnuts and Inflatable Dinghy.  (If you know the show, you've recognized all of these.)

 

Combat! still works beautifully (Shecky Greene notwithstanding).  And I think Garrison's Gorillas has held up.  I can only enjoy Hogan's Heroes as an artifact of the sixties.

 

I like the original Mission Impossible and the original Hawaii Five-O, but a lot of that is the theme music.  Jack Lord was a good actor and a successful showrunner (he kept that show going years after Leonard Freeman's death), but he was also A Star and the scripts usually reflected that.  I can still watch, and it's fun to compare/contrast with the reboot.

 

The biggest surprise to me was It Takes A Thief.  I remember loving the show, loving Wagner, and losing my mind over Fred Astaire, but I tried to re-watch recently and I just couldn't.  A show that shot exteriors internationally still couldn't build decent interior sets, and the scripts were only as good as the actors could make them (Fred Astaire!  as RJ Wagner's dad!!  who was disappointed in his son the Failed Thief because he got caught!!!)

[Haleth]

I was astonished when I figured out that Edith and Archie are only in their early-mid 40s when the show started.  I asked my mom why Edith seemed so old and she said at the time it bothered her even in first run -- they weren't that old but Edith dressed like she was 60.

 

Edith was 52 when she died.

 

Several years ago I bought some Mission Impossible dvds.  They were still just as fun to watch, although I may be biased since my dad sort of looked like Peter Graves.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Well, here's one that works for me, that stands the test of time, despite the hair, clothes, and well, plots...

 

Original Charlie's Angels--First season being the best, because it was a show about women, who were friends, who kicked ass, and the real life friendships among Kate, Farrah and Jaclyn shined through the characters. Such wonderful chemistry.  No cattiness or fighting over men (exception being the fourth season finale), but they didn't need men to save them.

 

I would love METv or Cozi to air Police Woman or Baretta to see how that stands up, as I watched those two as a kid.

[ABay]

The biggest surprise to me was It Takes A Thief.  I remember loving the show, loving Wagner, and losing my mind over Fred Astaire, but I tried to re-watch recently and I just couldn't.

That happened to me as well. Loved it when I was growing up, cannot watch it now. When White Collar began, I was annoyed they didn't acknowledge that it was essentially an ITAT reboot. But given the unwatchability of ITAT now, it was probably just as well.

[Princess Sparkle]

Some of was fashions for "older" women back then were very limited.  Much like plus size was, too.  For these "older" women they had a choice of juniors to 20-ish something clothing, trendy, etc or frump.  I'm sure there were exceptions and ways around it.  I was a kid in the 80s so I'm just going on memory.  I also think the hair styles are very aging.  Not just the color, since Blanche and Rose were not gray, but that poofy, short to mid length style seems to age them.  If you look at just their faces, they really don't look that old.

Hee - well, the facelifts they all got after the first season probably helped too : )

[FormerMod-a1]

I knew Betty White got a face lift, I didn't know the others did, too.  However, even if the first season, if you just look at their faces and block out the hair and clothes, I still think they don't look as old.