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

[spaceytraci1208]

My favorite show way back when was New York Undercover which used to air on Fox on Thursdays following Martin and Living Single. BET started airing reruns for a little while last year, and I was shocked at how terrible it was. The only thing that holds up about that show is the soundtrack. It just screams "I was cool in the early 90's!"

[GreekGeek]

I have been watching the old "Superman" TV series on MeTV (the one with George Reeves.  When this originally aired, did people recognize how stupid it is? Was it just supposed to be a kid's show? 

 

But George Reeves in those 50s (business) suits - yum!

Yes, I think it was supposed to be a kid's show. According to the book Hollywood Kryptonite (made into the movie Hollywoodland), Reeves was intensely frustrated that he finally starred in a hit--and his fanbase was kids. So not only was he shut out of serious adult roles, he had to behave in a squeaky clean way offscreen. 

[Neurochick]

One thing, as an adult I never got is how the kids on the Cosby show didn't have any kind of toughness, street smarts, or self-awareness (or whatever you want to call it). I mean they just seemed so sheltered to the point where it seemed like it made them stupid. Wikipedia tells me that Theo was 14 in the first season, living in New York City i 1984 (back when it was a lot rougher of a city). Yet I wonder where he could function on his own as an adult. There was one episode of the show where he was hanging out with his university buddies, at some coffee house or something, and I swear they were all drinking milk. Vanessa is just as bad. In the famous Retched episode, after their car is stolen, they decide that when they go back to New York, they will just file a police report saying it was stolen in New York there so that no one knows they left. How does someone even get old enough to leave the house without knowing that filing a false police report and insurance fraud are serious crimes. No wonder an ongoing theme was the kids always moving back to the house.

I think that was the point of the show.  That black children COULD be sheltered.  At 14 I wouldn't know that filing a false police report was a serious crime either.  

[Kel Varnsen]

I think that was the point of the show.  That black children COULD be sheltered.  At 14 I wouldn't know that filing a false police report was a serious crime either.  

Interesting take on it. Looking back I kind of find it funny, that Cliff was always complaining about how his kids kept moving back into his house. Now I wonder whose fault do you think it is Cliff, if your children can't handle living on their own?

[Actionmage]

In the run up to it's big premiere, the network Decades will be showing "binges" of several shows from the past. I had to bail on Burke's Law. It was a show for three seasons ( 1963-66) and featured Gene Barry as Amos Burke, the millionaire captain of the homicide division of the LAPD. Or a branch of the LAPD.  It had rich white folks killing each other for various reasons.

 

Mostly POC were background or servants, like Henry, Captain Burke's chauffeur/cook/housekeeper/phone message taker.  Once, Burke kicked/shoved Henry with his foot into the pool. Amos had opened his eyes to find Henry instead of the pretty lady he'd been a jackass to and who had left Amos' house. He'd mock Henry for getting upset at Burke; Henry would get threatened with being fired for interrupting make-out sessions. One episode showed Henry interrupting with a bucket and mop. There was a leak and two inches of water in the kitchen. We eventually have a murder pull Amos back to work and as he was leaving, of course, the attractive lady was the plumber!  *sigh*

 

One black gentleman with a speaking part was a cop who accidently gave away Burke's rank to a suspect/victim ( her house was robbed, but she was suspect in a murder). Another was a butler who bald-faced lied about his employer. From how legit her diamond-encrusted horseshoe game was to where she was/ what he knew.

 

The women were not given much consideration outside of victim/suspect. Even then, Burke dated some murder suspects during the investigation, and not strictly in a "let's see how sketchy they might be" way. One character specifically, literally, ran into Burke because she couldn't see him over her very filled grocery bags. They go into her apartment-- after she tells Amos not to come in-- and he is all 'Let's go to dinner. now" and she's "Okay!" They exit her apartment with both bags of groceries still not put up. Yes, there may have been no frozen/perishables, but just leaving food out to go somewhere with a guy you don't really know, even if he's a homicide cop and a millionaire? Whatever, show.

 

It was the constant denigrating of Henry that got to me, even more than the period sexism.  Burke is a grown-ass man; he can drive his own Rolls to crime scenes. He can take every damn call that comes in to his mansion. He can eat at a restaurant every night if he refuses to cook for himself. Let Henry find better employment if you're so sore at him doing the job you hired him to fulfill! The mocking seems like it was supposed to be jokey between The Men, but it just reads as juvenile, unnecessary and assy.  Over on Bachelor Father, Peter (another Asian male housekeeper) has run-ins with Bentley( his white employer) , but in the episodes I've seen, I don't remember Peter being treated as a pain for actually doing his job.

[magicdog]

There was a revival of the series back in the early 90s (circa 1994) in which Burke (Gene Barry back in his old role) was now a widower and had a son (played by Peter Barton) who was also a detective.

 

It wasn't bad - a bit on par with similar shows with classic actors like Dick Van Dyke (Diagnosis Murder).  I never did see the original series but it sounds gimmicky in the extreme.

Edited February 5, 2015 by magicdog

[memememe76]

I don't think I have ever had a problem with things like hair and clothes when watching an older show. I can easily accept how that was the way it was and so be it. 

 

As one who grew up in the 90s, I find it interesting how people view it as so extreme in their stylings. I suppose grunge was a very OTP style, but very few shows featured many grungy characters. I don't view the Rachel as being all that extreme a hairstyling--not like the huge bangs of the 80s or the awful shaggy haircuts of male adolescents these days. I don't think the cast of BH 90210 is that far off from your normal CW show. 

 

I do think that while I generally will like a show that I always enjoyed, I find that when it comes to less liked certain seasons or episodes of a show, I may not exactly loved them at the time, I now have no patience for. I guess it's me not having to be so defensive of my favourite shows anymore. 

Edited February 6, 2015 by memememe76

[joelene]

I loved Cold Feet during its run but when I was settling in for a rewatch recently I couldn't even finish the first episode. The women were always my favorite part of the show but I remember liking men too, but now the men were all so insufferable. And Jenny, who was my favorite character, doesn't fair much better. Pilots are usually rough though so maybe it'll be like the show I remember if I give it a couple of more episodes. But I don't know if I can stomach to try.

[Actionmage]

I never did see the original series but it sounds gimmicky in the extreme.

 

The gimmick was that Burke was a millionaire who also was a Homicide Captain on the police force. He drove around in a chauffeured Rolls with a wet bar and a tape recorder. And lived in a mansion.  (For anime fans, I think he was an old man proto-type for Tenchi because he had to shake the ladies off with a stick. Poor Amos.)

 

It was very much a mash-up of blah procedural and Love Boat-ian in that the suspects were usually well-known stars or celebrities. It's just that taken in a binge, like the channel Decades is doing, the era-appropriate sexism and racism start to give you a concussion. Or your eyes roll out of your skull.  *g*

 

Added: Also, don't binge Route 66; it'll depress you worse than a current news report.  Great acting and probably ground-breaking stories for the time, but damn. Even the episode I like best had a downer ending.

 

I do like Honey West because Honey never listens to anyone telling her she can't hack a job, even her own business partner! Sadly, that makes Honey a still-relevant TV icon. *sigh*

 

 

 

Edited February 12, 2015 by Actionmage

[magicdog]

 

I used to love [Maude], now it just sounds like a bunch of unfunny people fighting all the time.

 

I must agree.  I caught some eps on Antenna TV and I can't imagine this show lasting as long as it did.  Bea Arthur was way funnier on "Golden Girls" (which IMO was written better and didn't make her Norman Lear's mouthpiece) and much more likeable.  Maude was great to watch when she was dueling directly with Archie (as she did in her original appearance and in the Maude pilot) but the rest of the series was about people I couldn't stand.

 

Another show I find a bit outdated is, "Hazel".  It's not a bad show really but a bit pedestrian compared to some sitcoms at the time.  Other sitcoms were going into supernatural/fantasy territory ("Bewitched" & "I Dream of Jeannie") or appealing to teens by touching on unique premises ("Batman" and "The Monkees") which seemed to set them apart more.  This show wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for Shirley Booth in the title role. 

[giovannif7]

Another show I find a bit outdated is, "Hazel".  It's not a bad show really but a bit pedestrian compared to some sitcoms at the time.  Other sitcoms were going into supernatural/fantasy territory ("Bewitched" & "I Dream of Jeannie") or appealing to teens by touching on unique premises ("Batman" and "The Monkees") which seemed to set them apart more.  This show wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for Shirley Booth in the title role. 

To be fair to Hazel, which began in 1961, it has more in common with 50s "typical American family" sitcoms like Make Room For Daddy, Leave It To Beaver and 1960's My Three Sons. Bewitched started in 1964, I Dream Of Jeannie in 1965 and Batman in 1966 - they were part of the broadening of the previous narrow scope of successful television shows.

Edited April 16, 2015 by giovannif7

[Mulva]

I loved the original Poldark during its first run in the 70's. I caught a repeat on the UK PBS station and it was unwatchable. The women all had 70's makeup and the acting was unbearably stilted.

[ToxicUnicorn]

1960's My Three Sons. Bewitched started in 1964, I Dream Of Jeannie in 1965 and Batman in 1966 - they were part of the broadening of the previous narrow scope of successful television shows. 

 

This inspired me to look up some more dates: The Brady Bunch - the first blended family on tv (1969) and The Partridge Family - the first single mom (1970).  And Ryan Murphy thinks he is groundbreaking!  (I presume.  Modern Family will one day look as dated as those do.)

[DittyDotDot]

I loved the original Poldark during its first run in the 70's. I caught a repeat on the UK PBS station and it was unwatchable. The women all had 70's makeup and the acting was unbearably stilted.

 

I'm sometimes I'm so wary of re-watching something I loved so long ago for just this reason. I don't mind dabbling into things I watched, but wasn't in love with, but something I have such fond memories of like say, The Rockford Files. I recently watched the pilot of that show and was so happy it still holds up...mostly, but I had to stop for fear of shattering my childhood memories.

 

This inspired me to look up some more dates: The Brady Bunch - the first blended family on tv (1969) and The Partridge Family - the first single mom (1970).  And Ryan Murphy thinks he is groundbreaking!  (I presume.  Modern Family will one day look as dated as those do.)

 

I think Modern Family already looks dated, IMO. Probably a mistake to title it "modern" anyway.

[DeLurker]

Dark Shadows - I was not allowed to watch this show as a little kid because it was deemed too scary.  My Mom would sometimes watch it with my older brothers, but not usually because it gave her nightmares.  In college, one of the local stations played it and I totally watched.  It was cheesy and silly, with the special effects consisting of a hand poking out from behind a dark curtain (which you totally could see).

[Chaos Theory]

You can't really expect "old shows" to stand the test of time. I like to watch some of the older shows for the historical context. Bewitched was one of the first shows (if not the first) to have married couples sleep in the same bed, the original Star Trek actually helped to invent real stuff. I find stuff like that interesting.

Edited April 17, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[magicdog]

The Partridge Family - the first single mom (1970).

 

 

Technically I think the first single mom (widowed) was Ellen Miller from the Lassie series (1954).

 

 

the original Star Trek actually helped to invent real stuff

 

 

Gene Roddenberry based much of ST technology from a contact at NASA.  Much of what turned up on the show was in development for use by astronauts.  Eventually many of them turned up in mainstream use (like flip phones which were "communicators" on the show). 

 

 

Dark Shadows

 

 

Despite the now laughable SFX, I still found the show itself very interesting and addicting.  I remember seeing it for the first time in the fall of 86 I think - airing on PBS.

 

The Rockford Files isn't the only show that holds up well.  The first movie featuring Lt. Frank Colombo, Prescription: Murder (1968) seems almost current - if you can ignore the rotary dial phones!

 

To be fair to Hazel, which began in 1961, it has more in common with 50s "typical American family" sitcoms like Make Room For Daddy, Leave It To Beaver and 1960's My Three Sons.

 

 

Fair enough.  Although I find reruns of the other shows mentioned a bit more "alive".  Perhaps it's due to having more than one standout character actor.  MRFD I've been catching on ME-TV and many of those eps are still really funny to me.  M3S is also a bit livelier - maybe because  William Frawley & William Demarest worked so  well off of Fred MacMurray and the boys.  As for Hazel, I am currently watching the last season when the series was winding down.  Perhaps when Antenna TV rolls back to the earlier seasons (pre-1964) I'll feel differently.  I don't hate the series mind you,  and he character herself I adore.   I credit Shirley Booth for that. 

[HalcyonDays]

Any of the 50's housewife type shows - by this I mean Father Knows Best, I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners. No, Father does NOT know best. There was a rerun of the Honeymooners on recently whereas the women were pissed off that Ralph and Ed didn't help out around the house, did not treat the ladies like "gentlemen." Then they did (pulling out chairs, making food for the ladies), and the women protested and everyone went back to their "proper place". Bothered the hell out of me.

 

Same with the "sirs" and the allowances. Just bothers me. Also the perfect kids who learn they lesson and sit at dinnertime with suits on...yeah no.

 

You know what does stand up? A 50s Western called The Rifleman. It really goes and is gritty for it's time but fares well today. Good show.

 

Anything with obviously fashion from the 80s (the shoulderpads, teased hair, pastels) just looks wrong and very dated. But I swear my niece is now wearing the exact same flannel shirts, ripped jeans, Docs and hippie hair from the grunge 90s that i wore as a teen in the 90s - and actually still do :')

 

The first two years of TNG were extremely dated - the hair styles, overuse of makeup and shoulder-padded clothes again being the problem. On the flip side, DS9 totally stands the test of time against it for every year. Crazy.

[bmoore4026]

I still like Daria, however a lot of the references in that series, especially to mall culture and the newness of the Internet along with Daria's parents flashing back often to the late 60s-early 70s, dates it horribly.  More of a late 90s time capsule than a series.

 

Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs, while still funny, also don't hold up well in comparison to the classic Looney Tunes.  A lot of 90s references and people that burned-out fast or later became unappealing (Dot's obsession with Mel Gibson makes me cringe now) trap both series in that 90s bubble and seem better off left there, while references made in the Looney Tunes cartoons, especially the references to icons still revered today like Katherine Hepburn, Edward G. Robinson, and Frank Sinatra and to movies and the fact that they didn't bog down their cartoons with too many references to the time periods they were made in, still make the enduring.

 

And even though Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends is still very much a product of the 60s, it still holds up better than Tiny Toons (which had the gall to say the former wouldn't have much life in reruns).

 

Some Westerns might not hold up, due to their portrayals of Native Americans and overall whitewashing.  Plus, their slower pace might irritate more modern viewer sensibilities (which is an oxymoron).

[Chaos Theory]

Most of the Star Treks are pure nostalgia watching for me. I don't think they stand the test of time but I don't think they are completely out of touch either. The one exception is DS8 which is the one version that manages to still work even now. I watched it recently and it still worked for me in every way.

[ToxicUnicorn]

Technically I think the first single mom (widowed) was Ellen Miller from the Lassie series (1954).

 

I sit corrected.  :)

[The Crazed Spruce]

Most of the Star Treks are pure nostalgia watching for me. I don't think they stand the test of time but I don't think they are completely out of touch either. The one exception is DS8 which is the one version that manages to still work even now. I watched it recently and it still worked for me in every way.

Pretty sure you mean DS9.  DS8 was the one just around the corner. :)

 

My Star Trek UO is that I actually like Voyager.  I mean sure, Neelix was annoying as hell, and some of the later seasons focused way too much on 7 of 9 (although she was an intriguing new character with a unique background worth exploring, and who looked really good in a shiny catsuit, so I'm willing to let it slide), and, of course, it had the single dumbest episode in Star Trek history, but I'd rather watch an average episode of Voyager than about 90% of the first two seasons of TNG.

[Chaos Theory]

Pretty sure you mean DS9. DS8 was the one just around the corner. :)

My Star Trek UO is that I actually like Voyager. I mean sure, Neelix was annoying as hell, and some of the later seasons focused way too much on 7 of 9 (although she was an intriguing new character with a unique background worth exploring, and who looked really good in a shiny catsuit, so I'm willing to let it slide), and, of course, it had the single dumbest episode in Star Trek history, but I'd rather watch an average episode of Voyager than about 90% of the first two seasons of TNG.

Typo alert. And Voyager was great. Voyager had its moments. I liked The female Captain. The others grew on me eventually. I even kinda liked Nelix. I loved 7 of 9 by the way. I think the scenes between Janway and 7 were some of the best of the series. Edited April 18, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[The Crazed Spruce]

I think the scenes between Janway and 7 were some of the best of the series.

Can't argue that. And the one where 7 has to pilot the ship through a dangerous area of space alone while the rest of the crew is in stasis is probably one of my favourite episodes. Jeri Ryan acted the hell out of that one, and it proved that 7 wasn't just there for geeky boys like me to gawk at.

[ParadoxLost]

My Star Trek UO is that I actually like Voyager.  [snip] it had the single dumbest episode in Star Trek history

 

 So I was wondering if this could be true and which episode it was and from there I did what I always do, I looked for a list.  A top twenty list of the worst Star Trek episodes ever and there was 'Threshold' (but it only made 18 out of 20).  I can't believe I forgot about 'Threshold'.  The episode summary was glorious.  Glorious.  They did a special feature on the DVD apologizing for the episode?  I'm in.  I just rewatched it on Amazon Prime and the memories are coming back, seriously

humans evolve into salamanders to procreate and make Paris-Janeway tadpoles.  

UO but this is the best episode of Star Trek ever.  Comedy Gold.

Edited April 19, 2015 by ParadoxLost

[MyAimIsTrue]

and The Partridge Family - the first single mom (1970). 

 

"Julia," starring Diahann Carroll as a widowed single mother, predated "The Partridge Family" by two years.

[LydiaMoon1]

Dark Shadows - I was not allowed to watch this show as a little kid because it was deemed too scary.  My Mom would sometimes watch it with my older brothers, but not usually because it gave her nightmares.  In college, one of the local stations played it and I totally watched.  It was cheesy and silly, with the special effects consisting of a hand poking out from behind a dark curtain (which you totally could see).

I thought Dark Shadows was scary when I was a kid, but I love it now because it's ridiculously cheesy.  It's like watching a fabulous spoof of a TV show. Some of my favorite episodes featured Dr. Eric Lang, Collinswood's resident Dr. Frankenstein.  He was played by a guy that always struck me as a washed-up has-been of a stage actor who thought he was too good for the fledging medium of tv.  He never bothered to learn his lines; he always seemed to be nursing a hangover; he would often turn his back on his fellow actors in a scene and read lines straight from the cue cards. He obviously did not GAF.  He was HEE-LARIOUS.

[Blergh]

"Julia," starring Diahann Carroll as a widowed single mother, predated "The Partridge Family" by two years.

Lucille Ball on "The Lucy Show" played Lucy Carmichael as a widowed single mother in 1962 and I think there were more obscure ones as far back as the 1950's. To bring this back on topic, Lucy barely interacted with before ditching her kids altogether before the show's run was half-through so, in that regard, it fits in more with sitcoms today than it did with contemporary ones.

[ToxicUnicorn]

My goodness!  Thanks to all the fact checkers.  

 

Here's a question, then - who was the first divorced parent on tv?

[ParadoxLost]

Here's a question, then - who was the first divorced parent on tv?

 

Vivian Bagley on The Lucy Show (1962) was the first divorced woman character and had a son named Sherman.  Not sure if there were any male divorced characters with kids before that.

[magicdog]

 

Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs, while still funny, also don't hold up well in comparison to the classic Looney Tunes.  A lot of 90s references and people that burned-out fast or later became unappealing (Dot's obsession with Mel Gibson makes me cringe now) trap both series in that 90s bubble and seem better off left there, while references made in the Looney Tunes cartoons, especially the references to icons still revered today like Katherine Hepburn, Edward G. Robinson, and Frank Sinatra and to movies and the fact that they didn't bog down their cartoons with too many references to the time periods they were made in, still make the enduring.

 

This is a bit of a conundrum since TTA tried to do what the original Looney Tunes shorts did - use topical situations for humor.  It's true the 90s references are dated but so was Bugs' joke about James Petrillo in "Hurdy Gurdy Hare" (1950).  It wasn't until after Petrillo's death was announced in the media before I got that joke.  Or how about the references to Bing Crosby's horse in "The Old Grey Hare" (1944)?   Did the viewing audience of the original shorts know actors like Bogey, Bacall, Edward G. Robinson, et al were going to be known decades later?  Probably not, although it helps that their performances have lasted the test of time and the Looney Tunes humor can cross generations.  Did the writers for TTA know about Mel Gibson's meltdown?  Obviously not.    Sometimes you just can't tell what will stick and what won't.

[Kel Varnsen]

This is a bit of a conundrum since TTA tried to do what the original Looney Tunes shorts did - use topical situations for humor.  It's true the 90s references are dated but so was Bugs' joke about James Petrillo in "Hurdy Gurdy Hare" (1950).  It wasn't until after Petrillo's death was announced in the media before I got that joke.  Or how about the references to Bing Crosby's horse in "The Old Grey Hare" (1944)?   Did the viewing audience of the original shorts know actors like Bogey, Bacall, Edward G. Robinson, et al were going to be known decades later?  Probably not, although it helps that their performances have lasted the test of time and the Looney Tunes humor can cross generations.  Did the writers for TTA know about Mel Gibson's meltdown?  Obviously not.    Sometimes you just can't tell what will stick and what won't.

I think a big difference is that the original looney tunes shorts weren't necessarily made for kids while tiny toon adventures clerly was. Since the looney tunes shorts were little movies playing before features a lot of adults would have seen them and known who Sinarta or Bing Crosby or whoever were. Those actors might actually be in the feature they were seening. But how many kids watching tiny toons really knew who Prince or Mel Gibson really were to the point where they would get the joke?

[bmasters9]

I thought Dark Shadows was scary when I was a kid, but I love it now because it's ridiculously cheesy.  It's like watching a fabulous spoof of a TV show. Some of my favorite episodes featured Dr. Eric Lang, Collinswood's resident Dr. Frankenstein.  He was played by a guy that always struck me as a washed-up has-been of a stage actor who thought he was too good for the fledging medium of tv.  He never bothered to learn his lines; he always seemed to be nursing a hangover; he would often turn his back on his fellow actors in a scene and read lines straight from the cue cards. He obviously did not GAF.  He was HEE-LARIOUS.

And IINM, Dark Shadows is the only daytime serial to have all of its episodes on DVD. The release might be expensive as heck, but for a Dark Shadows fan, it would be very much worth it. 

[magicdog]

Dark Shadows is the only daytime serial to have all of its episodes on DVD

 

How many episodes is that?  Must have been at least 400!

[bmasters9]

How many episodes is that?  Must have been at least 400!

3 times that, to be exact, and a few left over-- per Amazon, that Dark Shadows release has 1,225 episodes on 131 discs. 

[Wax Lion]

And IINM, Dark Shadows is the only daytime serial to have all of its episodes on DVD. The release might be expensive as heck, but for a Dark Shadows fan, it would be very much worth it.

 

Is it all episodes? I thought the first set started just before Barnabas' intro with an episode recapping the first couple storylines? Plus, IIRC there's one "lost" episode that used to air in syndication as a slide show with audio.

 

There's one episode of Dark Shadows I remember, it must have been after they switched from airing live to pre-taping and editing the show. It went from having long scenes that would either last the entire break or have two scenes on two sets in between ad breaks to having all sorts of cuts. The one scene I remember had a character walk in to Colins Manor ask about the location of another character and promptly walk out after being told they were elsewhere, it lasted less then a minute, a contrast to the 10 minute scenes.

 

It's a different kind of TV show aging, the style is very different and the switch is really hard to miss.

Edited April 28, 2015 by Wax Lion

[bmasters9]

Is it all episodes? I thought the first set started just before Barnabas' intro with an episode recapping the first couple storylines? Plus, IIRC there's one "lost" episode that used to air in syndication as a slide show with audio.

Per DVD Talk, this release actually has 126 of its 131 discs that contain the episodes, and the last 5 have copious bonuses, IIRC. 

 

Here's the review:

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/54328/dark-shadows-complete-original-series/

Edited April 28, 2015 by bmasters9

[LydiaMoon1]

One of my favorite scenes from all of Dark Shadows came towards the end of it's run (I think).  In the scene, Barnabas Collins passionately kissed Angelique, and after he had pulled back from her, they remained tethered by a thin stream of spittle that remained between them. They continued acting throughout that entire scene with that spittle suspended between them in midair. Back in the day, all the kids in the neighborhood used to watch the show together after school.  I still remember the chorus of EWWWs and howls of laughter from all the kids that were watching. It was AWESOME! You just don't get that kind of thing nowadays. 

 

AHHHHH.  Good times.

Edited April 28, 2015 by LydiaMoon1

[Wax Lion]

Wow. That really is the entire series. Thanks bmasters9!

[Wings]

Krom, thanks for linking this thread from Celebrity News.  

 

I may have more examples that escaped my memory when I take the time to read the entire thread. 

 

Columbo probably stands the test of time but I have not seen it in years.  Loved it. 

The Carole Burnett Show.   The humor is not dated at all.  Tim, Harvey and Vicki are cutting edge, even today.

Ernie Kovacks.  Re runs do not exist but if they did I feel certain I would enjoy them today.  My parents loved him and I remember some things and saw a clip or two that had been saved. 

 

I Love Lucy is not the kind of humor that catches me.  I was a kid when they first aired so I only saw them in rerun and they were impossibly corny with slapstick.  I have not watched many.   My parents were not all that into it either.  

Edited May 3, 2015 by wings707

[kassygreene]

Krom, thanks for linking this thread from Celebrity News.  

 

I may have more examples that escaped my memory when I take the time to read the entire thread. 

 

Columbo probably stands the test of time but I have not seen it in years.  Loved it. 

The Carole Burnett Show.   The humor is not dated at all.  Tim, Harvey and Vicki are cutting edge, even today.

Ernie Kovacks.  Re runs do not exist but if they did I feel certain I would enjoy them today.  My parents loved him and I remember some things and saw a clip or two that had been saved. 

 

I Love Lucy is not the kind of humor that catches me.  I was a kid when they first aired so I only saw them in rerun and they were impossibly corny with slapstick.  I have not watched many.   My parents were not all that into it either.  

I like most of the Carol Burnett Show - the Eunice stuff always irritated me while apparently Show and its Producers luurvved it.  I think towards the end of the run I started switching off whenever they went to "Raytown" (I had family in the real Raytown, so that also bugged).  I really loved it when she did the Queen (with Harvey as "meh husband").

 

I Love Lucy isn't organically funny for me.  I can look at it and see how it is funny, and Desi Arnaz's book was wonderful documentation of how Desilu re-invented the production of television shows, but apart from the over-yeasted loaf of bread, and the various gags that involved the unusual props (the fish, the eggs, the candy, the pizza dough, the flammable nose), it was too often by the numbers.  I knew my cues to laugh.  I prefer comedy that startles the laughter out of me.

Edited May 4, 2015 by kassygreene

[Wings]

Yes, kassy.  Carol's characters were the least entertaining to me and Eunice definitely did not register with me.  It was a distraction to the better humor that abounded.   

[ShellSeeker]

Sex and the City reruns seem horribly dated to me now, and I don't know why. I absolutely loved that show in its original run, and even bought all the DVD's. Perhaps it's tied in with why the second movie was so roundly criticized...the show really was very shallow and materialistic in so many ways.

 

Interesting to read here that LA Law doesn't stand up to the test of time either. I loved that show in its original run, and then years ago was thrilled to find reruns of it somewhere. But I haven't seen it running anywhere for a long time. I was thinking about it recently, wishing I could do a rewatch.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Well, I don't even think of whether I Love Lucy has stood up to the test of time, because I consider it timeless.

 

I grew up watching it in syndication in the 70s...my mom would watch it as she got ready for work. I've always found it funny.  I can't say how many times I've watched the Bill Holden episode, where, yes, she sets her "nose" on fire or gets drunk, while trying to sell a tonic on television. I keep thinking, I've seen it enough times that I probably won't find it funny; but no. I end up laughing so hard, my tummy aches. I mean, I'm howling. Guess I'm just weird.

 

I consider The Stooges more of slapstick.

Edited May 4, 2015 by GHScorpiosRule

[DeLurker]

The Carol Burnett show stands up well IMO.  We had a dvd of the show with us when we went on a family vacation years ago.  The ages ranged from 4 - 75 and each night after dinner we all sat around and watched 2 episodes for the entire week.  It was a nice thing that all of us could and did do together.  We watched movies later in the evening, but nothing had the universal appeal of Carol Burnett.

[supposebly]

 

Sex and the City reruns seem horribly dated to me now, and I don't know why.

To me, it felt already dated while it was running. Maybe because they celebrated something women IRL had been doing for years and TV finally caught up with them. I thought it was only revolutionary within TV parameters but not compared to RL.

[millennium]

While I am sure Night Court was an accurate and authentic depiction of New York City arraignment courts in the 1980s, I suspect that enough has changed since then to make the show somewhat anachronistic.

[Chaos Theory]

While I am sure Night Court was an accurate and authentic depiction of New York City arraignment courts in the 1980s, I suspect that enough has changed since then to make the show somewhat anachronistic.

But still funny.

[millennium]

But still funny.

 

Really?  I detested that show.   There wasn't a single person I liked.   Harry Anderson, John Larroquette, Ellen Foley, Richard Moll, Selma Diamond ... couldn't stand any of them.  Every year I would think, "This is the year Night Court gets canceled."   But it Would.  Not. Die.  

 

I'm very hit or miss with comedies.   No in between.    I couldn't understand how Scrubs defied death for so long either.    And the Simpsons ... God, do I hate the Simpsons.   

[ABay]

I have fond memories of Night Court and don't want to disturb them by seeing an episode now.