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

[mansonlamps]

I'm thinking that shows set in the past when they were new, like "The Waltons," may hold up better than shows set in their own time.

 

 

That would seem logical, but of three shows that were some of my favorites from way back, Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons and Eight is Enough, I find them all equally annoying now in re-runs despite two being set in another time and one being current.

 

The one show I find interesting to watch even though it is totally dated is Family.  I think it was the most realistic dramatic portrayal of the 70's and it's really jarring (to me anyway) how different times and attitudes were then in a regular middle/upper class family compared to now. 

[Anna Yolei]

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.

As little as I care for Voyager, I've gotta agree with that.

Ethan Philips was wasted as Neelix, IMO. When he got some meaty material or something other than being Tuvok's foil he knocked it out the part. "Riddles" is on the short list on Voyager episodes that I'll sit down for on reruns.

[hoosier80]

Logo's showing reruns now of 227.  I had totally forgotten about that show, but I remember watching it, and everyone being crazy for the character of Sondra.  

 

It's okay upon watching it again, but nothing more than background noise.   It's either a life lesson learned, or madcap scheme adventures.  Not a show where I really laugh out loud, not now at least.  

 

They're also showing a Different World.  Not a bad show, but not exactly a laugh out loud comedy.  Might have done better as a full on drama - there's an idea for a reboot, bring it back as a drama.

 

Now I will watch Golden Girls and some Roseanne episodes and still laugh.  (Still not a fan of the later Roseanne shows, too bitter).

[whatsatool]

With Perry Mason, the older the better.

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 partially agree, butalso if you rewatch the original, you may not like it as much, either. Still I watch pretty much anything Masterpiece slings at me.

[roseha]

Interesting, I deliberately went through this thread to find reactions to The Man from Uncle.  I hadn't watched the show since I was maybe twelve years old.  All these years, I wondered if there was a reason that it never seemed to show up on re-runs.  So tonight I watched two straight episodes on Decades.  Which leaves me wondering - honest - was this show supposed to be a satire?  Napoleon and Ilya are always getting into dangerous situations in a major city, right out in the open; in the first one I saw, set in Hong Kong, blond Ilya twice tries to pass himself off as an asian; Napoleon is peering out an office window with a huge pair of binoculars (not exactly subtle), they take in some random guy they meet to work for them without telling them who they are and of course he falls in love with the evil (?) woman who speaks English in a halting tone and dresses as an asian though she's obviously caucasian?  Huh?  The second one fared better because it was more deliberately funny, with a mousy female translator wanting a little excitement so Napoleon makes her think she's on a dangerous courier assignment so of course she ends up with the real secret object to be transported.  Fortunately the guest star was Barbara Feldon, who showed her comic gifts throughout, though it brings up the point that if Uncle were indeed meant to be a satire, Get Smart did it way better. 

These shows were punctuated with really phony fist fights, which reminds me that my mother insisted I stop watching this show because she had read it was "too violent."  From what I saw these fight scenes are as scary as a Roadrunner cartoon (although seeing the stars getting into a gunfight in a movie theater was not good to see  given events of recent years).  Still yes, David McCallum was gorgeous and Leo G. Carroll a fine character actor so it had that going for it.

[Haleth]

As I recall there were a number of, well, not comedic but certainly lighthearted spy series in the 60's:  The Avengers, The Saint, I Spy come to mind.  UNCLE was definitely in the same vein.  Ah, the Cold War!  Such an age of innocence!  Secret Agent/The Prisoner was somewhat darker.

[peggy06]

As I recall there were a number of, well, not comedic but certainly lighthearted spy series in the 60's:  The Avengers, The Saint, I Spy come to mind.  UNCLE was definitely in the same vein.  Ah, the Cold War!  Such an age of innocence!  Secret Agent/The Prisoner was somewhat darker.

Since you mentioned The Avengers, I'll  take this cue to say it holds up well. Cozi TV was showing it last year. No doubt there are some outdated attitudes, but much less so than many old series, because the female lead was a strong character.

[Wax Lion]

Does that apply to all the female leads? I love the Emma Peel run but I never got to the Honor Blackman, Venus Smith and Tara King eras.

Edited February 29, 2016 by Wax Lion

[methodwriter85]

Fantasy Island and Love Boat are pretty terrible, but in an enjoyable way.

[ABay]

Re: The Avengers: Tara King was horrible, especially after the brilliant coolness of Emma Peel. Cathy Gale was foreshadowing Mrs. Peel. I've never heard of Venus Smith. There was Purdy (Joanna Lumley) in the New Avengers who was an improvement on Tara but really mostly tolerable because Joanna Lumley is who she is.

[topanga]

Fantasy Island and Love Boat are pretty terrible, but in an enjoyable way.

I don't want to watch them now. They are such an integral part of my childhood memories.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I don't want to watch them now. They are such an integral part of my childhood memories.

 

 

And yet, I find myself waiting for The Love Boat episode that featured The Pointer Sisters who were maids on the ship, only to be discovered when they helped Isaac out and went on to become STAHS!

[topanga]

 

 

And yet, I find myself waiting for The Love Boat episode that featured The Pointer Sisters who were maids on the ship, only to be discovered when they helped Isaac out and went on to become STAHS!

And I secretly long to watch the episode with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Or any episode with Charo, who I just learned is 74 years old and whose birth name is María del Rosario Mercedes Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza (thanks, Wikipedia). 

[Irlandesa]

The Decades channel did a Love Boat binge recently.  And MeTV has been showing two-parters on Sundays for a while now.  Even if the stories might be corny as hell (and they are) the scenery always holds up for me.  Some of the cultural "recognition" not as much.

[bmoore4026]

On ‎4‎/‎18‎/‎2015 at 1:06 AM, bmoore4026 said:

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).

Damn, you beat me to the punch.  Every thing you just said is, more or less, what I think.

Yeah, Daria's firmly dated  in the 90s, what with Quinn and the fashion club's midriffs (are those even a thing anymore), Jane making a comment about "those ugly blue M&Ms" which have since become firmly established, one of the teachers being obsessed with a Beanie Babies knock-off in an episode about the characters going to a brand spanking new mall.  How many more ways can I count?  It's still a really funny show, though.

Rocky and Bullwinkle holds up surprisingly well and I think the espionage intrigues may have to do with it.  We're always hearing about data hacks and spy rings and whatnot, plus Russia has been rather shady of late.  Also, spy and counterterrorist shows are still very much a thing nowadays.  So all that, along with the satires about the government (Bullwinkle and Rocky get into so much bureaucratic crap) and intellectuals (The Goof Gas Story Arc, the Kirwood Derby arc) and plots involving the characters getting their hands on a new secret formula for fuel or something like that rings as true today as it did in the early 60s.

The references to Mel Gibson, Tanya Harding, 2 Live Crew, Roseanne Barr being fat, and Barney that permeated Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs does not.  They're still funny (mostly) but both shows, along with Freakazoid and Pinky and The Brain (later with Elmyra), are like TV show time capsules.  A lot of the stuff they reference is not relevant anymore.  Yet, for some reason, The Looney Tunes cartoons, which made references to celebrities and movies from the 40s and 50s, still hold up.  Maybe it's because the movies and celebrities and shows they referenced and parodied have become so culturally ingrained or the writing doesn't get too specific that they endure so well...still don't know why Cartoon Network airs The Looney Tunes  on Boomerang and at hours new generations of kids won't see them, but I digress.

Classic westerns, which I am a fan of, I see as an acquired taste nowadays.  One of the reasons is as you said - the pacing might seem a bit slow.  I will take my Maverick and Laramie (The Ambiguously Gay Western) over dull ass Hell on Wheels or other modern "deconstructions" any day.  Yes, there was institutionalized racism back in Old West Times.  I don't need it shoved down my throat.  The main characters in classic TV westerns were usually above such things, and whenever there was some racist on one of those shows denying services to, say, Native Americans or treating Chinese immigrants like crap, they either saw the wrong in such thinking and changed by the end or got shot dead. 

One thing that might be problematic about old westerns is how women are sometimes portrayed.  I find it frustrating whenever someone like Cheyenne or one or more of the Cartwrights are almost hanged on the lies of or withholding of the truth from a woman who is (usually) the girlfriend the real killer and believes the bad guy's word that they'll be happy together once the innocent main character(s) are killed by the yokels.  Still, female characters like The Barkley women, Miss Kitty, and Dr. Quinn are much more stronger and a hell of a lot more interesting than any of the women characters on Hell on Wheels or Deadwood.  Yeah, I hate Deadwood.  Nothing but tits and saloons.

[bmoore4026]

On ‎8‎/‎31‎/‎2015 at 11:16 AM, A Boston Gal said:

Oh my God, I couldn't sleep for a week after "The Sin Eaters" (title?) episode, with Richard "John Boy" Thomas agonizingly sobbing while forcing himself eating a feast off the corpse of his father.

Don't forget the horrible screams and the look on his face which suggests eating sins is like getting an unbelievably painful orgasm.  And his mother is watching from the corner tearfully because a) she can't help her baby boy and b) she's relieved that her dead husband (the previous sin eater) won't go to Hell for other people's sins.

So, yeah, Night Gallery is pretty hit and miss for me.  Twilight Zone is perfection, though.

[hoosier80]

Logo is now airing Three's Company.  John Ritter was fabulous, but the storylines themselves are not so great.  Norman Fell was good, too.  The rest of the cast was ok, with Suzanne providing the eye candy for the guys.  I don't think I've been able to watch an entire episode as I find it incredibly boring now.

MTV is airing season 1 Jersey Shore, the best season, as they were closer to acting like their real un-celebrity selves.  I also liked the other show MTV had done, more documentary style, following a group of girls at the Jersey Shore for an entire summer; the girls had rented a house together.  More realistic reality - none of the contrived stuff.

[selkie]

After really enjoying the Mary Tyler Moore Show, we've found The Bob Newhart Show on the Hulu, and there's nothing awful on it through the first few episodes of season 2, it's just kind of meh. Newhart is a reaction comic, and what he's reacting to just isn't terribly interesting most of the time, (I think I'd welcome an early appearance by Larry, Darryl, and Darryl at this point) and the writing in general tends to fall back on the cliches of sitcom writing of the era. With MTM, they were always trying to find a new way to get me to laugh and usually worked, even if occasionally what was presented as funny in 1974 seems like creepy stalker through modern eyes.

[Blergh]

Actually, I consider "Bob Newhart" to be a timeless classic (even with its relentless 70's setting) whereas "Newhart" IMO seems to embody the least pleasant aspects of the 1980's. Seriously, if they released an edit of nothing but Larry and the Two Darryls, there'd be no reason for me to bother with watching another second of "Newhart". Maybe in part because ALL the sweaters in the world cannot erase the fact that the late Mary Frann's character had the depth of an oil spot on a mud puddle whereas the late Suzanne Pleshette played one of the (if not THE) coolest of sitcom characters as Emily Hartley -and even all those sweaters couldn't muster up the tiniest spark of chemistry between Mr.  Newhart and Miss Frann whereas it was downright atomic re him and Miss Pleshette.

[Marsupial]

Quote

I watch pretty much anything Masterpiece slings at me

LOL me too. I have no quality control when it comes to the BBC or Masterpiece.

With the revival of "American Gothic" I am wondering if the original show, which I was nuts about, would stand up to a rewatch? I tried to watch the new one but couldn't get into it.

Edited July 10, 2016 by Marsupial
spelling

[bmasters9]

2 hours ago, Blergh said:

Actually, I consider "Bob Newhart" to be a timeless classic (even with its relentless 70's setting) whereas "Newhart" IMO seems to embody the least pleasant aspects of the 1980's. Seriously, if they released an edit of nothing but Larry and the Two Darryls, there'd be no reason for me to bother with watching another second of "Newhart". Maybe in part because ALL the sweaters in the world cannot erase the fact that the late Mary Frann's character had the depth of an oil spot on a mud puddle whereas the late Suzanne Pleshette played one of the (if not THE) coolest of sitcom characters as Emily Hartley -and even all those sweaters couldn't muster up the tiniest spark of chemistry between Mr.  Newhart and Miss Frann whereas it was downright atomic re him and Miss Pleshette.

I agree with everything you said, and this is why Shout!'s full-series release of The Bob Newhart Show sits on one of my shelves proudly beside another 70s classic called Barney Miller, whereas the three releases that I had of the 80s Newhart went to my nephew Eli in Alabama; he likes the 80s Newhart more than I do. Not that I don't think the 80s version had anything funny--it did from time to time--but Steven Kampmann's Kirk character and of course Mary Frann's Joanna brought that one way down in my opinion. 

[ratgirlagogo]

On 5/20/2016 at 7:07 PM, bmoore4026 said:

whenever there was some racist on one of those shows denying services to, say, Native Americans or treating Chinese immigrants like crap, they either saw the wrong in such thinking and changed by the end or got shot dead. 

I wish more people realized this.  It's also true of the juvenile Westerns like Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.  I do like Deadwood but it's a spaghetti Western, not an American Western.

[Haleth]

19 hours ago, Blergh said:

Actually, I consider "Bob Newhart" to be a timeless classic (even with its relentless 70's setting) whereas "Newhart" IMO seems to embody the least pleasant aspects of the 1980's. Seriously, if they released an edit of nothing but Larry and the Two Darryls, there'd be no reason for me to bother with watching another second of "Newhart". Maybe in part because ALL the sweaters in the world cannot erase the fact that the late Mary Frann's character had the depth of an oil spot on a mud puddle whereas the late Suzanne Pleshette played one of the (if not THE) coolest of sitcom characters as Emily Hartley -and even all those sweaters couldn't muster up the tiniest spark of chemistry between Mr.  Newhart and Miss Frann whereas it was downright atomic re him and Miss Pleshette.

Spoiler

That must be because Joanna was just a dream.

Spoiler tagged just in case. ;)

[bmoore4026]

On ‎5‎/‎20‎/‎2016 at 6:07 PM, bmoore4026 said:

Damn, you beat me to the punch.  Every thing you just said is, more or less, what I think.

Yeah, Daria's firmly dated  in the 90s, what with Quinn and the fashion club's midriffs (are those even a thing anymore), Jane making a comment about "those ugly blue M&Ms" which have since become firmly established, one of the teachers being obsessed with a Beanie Babies knock-off in an episode about the characters going to a brand spanking new mall.  How many more ways can I count?  It's still a really funny show, though.

Rocky and Bullwinkle holds up surprisingly well and I think the espionage intrigues may have to do with it.  We're always hearing about data hacks and spy rings and whatnot, plus Russia has been rather shady of late.  Also, spy and counterterrorist shows are still very much a thing nowadays.  So all that, along with the satires about the government (Bullwinkle and Rocky get into so much bureaucratic crap) and intellectuals (The Goof Gas Story Arc, the Kirwood Derby arc) and plots involving the characters getting their hands on a new secret formula for fuel or something like that rings as true today as it did in the early 60s.

The references to Mel Gibson, Tanya Harding, 2 Live Crew, Roseanne Barr being fat, and Barney that permeated Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs does not.  They're still funny (mostly) but both shows, along with Freakazoid and Pinky and The Brain (later with Elmyra), are like TV show time capsules.  A lot of the stuff they reference is not relevant anymore.  Yet, for some reason, The Looney Tunes cartoons, which made references to celebrities and movies from the 40s and 50s, still hold up.  Maybe it's because the movies and celebrities and shows they referenced and parodied have become so culturally ingrained or the writing doesn't get too specific that they endure so well...still don't know why Cartoon Network airs The Looney Tunes  on Boomerang and at hours new generations of kids won't see them, but I digress.

Classic westerns, which I am a fan of, I see as an acquired taste nowadays.  One of the reasons is as you said - the pacing might seem a bit slow.  I will take my Maverick and Laramie (The Ambiguously Gay Western) over dull ass Hell on Wheels or other modern "deconstructions" any day.  Yes, there was institutionalized racism back in Old West Times.  I don't need it shoved down my throat.  The main characters in classic TV westerns were usually above such things, and whenever there was some racist on one of those shows denying services to, say, Native Americans or treating Chinese immigrants like crap, they either saw the wrong in such thinking and changed by the end or got shot dead. 

One thing that might be problematic about old westerns is how women are sometimes portrayed.  I find it frustrating whenever someone like Cheyenne or one or more of the Cartwrights are almost hanged on the lies of or withholding of the truth from a woman who is (usually) the girlfriend the real killer and believes the bad guy's word that they'll be happy together once the innocent main character(s) are killed by the yokels.  Still, female characters like The Barkley women, Miss Kitty, and Dr. Quinn are much more stronger and a hell of a lot more interesting than any of the women characters on Hell on Wheels or Deadwood.  Yeah, I hate Deadwood.  Nothing but tits and saloons.

I just realized I this quote was one I to a previous post of mine without realizing; I'm intensely stupid.  Well, that's what I get for scrolling through too fast and without thinking.  Will I change?  Nope, probably not.

[Chaos Theory]

I think very few shows stand the test of time but that really isn't the point.  It's like watching a window to your childhood.  I laugh now at how show like the A-Team and Air Wolf were pseudo violent.  They crashed cars and shot guns and flew planes into mountains and yet no one seemed to get hurt....ah the eighties.

[Raja]

2 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

I think very few shows stand the test of time but that really isn't the point.  It's like watching a window to your childhood.  I laugh now at how show like the A-Team and Air Wolf were pseudo violent.  They crashed cars and shot guns and flew planes into mountains and yet no one seemed to get hurt....ah the eighties.

All kinds of people were killed on Air Wolf they just didn't show the blood flying and limbs torn off by canon and heavy machine gun fire. The A-Tram was a different animal with their guns being used to trigger a fear response 

[atomationage]

Many old shows were just terrible, but I think the Westerns stand up better than most shows.   I love to watch The Lone Ranger occasionally.  It's so predictable, and the ending is always the same.   I like the Rifleman too.  Some of the other dramas are only interesting to see people earlier in their careers, or in different roles than you might be used to seeing them.   The stars of the show are often terrible, I'm thinking of CHIPS and the other shows on that network that shows only old stuff. 

[Lola16]

Agree that The Bob Newhart Show is way better than Newhart.  I saw Dr. Hartley in repeats only but watched the Vermont Inn live and never cared for Darryl and Larry etc. Couldn't stand any of the characters except Bob. The wife was bland. Poston was annoying as were the blonde maid and her beau.  Watching The Bob Newhart Show again - I feel the same way except for the last 2 seasons where it lost its way.  Also didn't care much for Howard Borden back then, care much less for him now.  I do appreciate Carol more and my <3 for Emily (and Ms. Pleshette) hasn't wavered

Loved Barney Miller when it first ran.  Still enjoy it now.  My appreciation grew for Dietrich, not so much for Levitt. Always loved Jack Soo, Abe Vigoda, Hal Linden the most. Hated the spin-off of Fish.

Ones I never saw the first time around that I dvr now:

Julia - can't watch some episodes repeatedly but others I like

Room 222 - Just getting into this show

The Dick Cavett Show - what a mixed bag

Tattletales - Love me some Bert Convy

Sale of the Century - They gotta remake this one

Ones that I cringe at:

Card Sharks - maybe it's just me but I don't want to hear contestants thoughts about some random survey to random groups of people

3's Company & any spin-offs - didn't really like them the first time around

Belvedere - loved it the first time, now not so much

Jokers Wild - That whammy nonsense is almost as bad as listening to the contestants

Let's Make a Deal - Monty seems cranky.  Beat the Clock is lame and contrived.

I Dream of Jeannie / F-Troop / Hogan's Heros / Partridge Family / Brady Bunch / Maude / San Pedro Beach Bums (I thought I dreamt that up!)

It is interesting to see which shows that focused on issues back in the 60s and 70s -- how those same issues are still our issues today.

[bmasters9]

3 hours ago, Lola16 said:

Loved Barney Miller when it first ran.  Still enjoy it now.  My appreciation grew for Dietrich, not so much for Levitt. Always loved Jack Soo, Abe Vigoda, Hal Linden the most. Hated the spin-off of Fish.

Ones that I cringe at:

Card Sharks - maybe it's just me but I don't want to hear contestants thoughts about some random survey to random groups of people

Per Barney Miller, the only thing I've left untouched in my copy of Shout!'s full-series release is the first season's worth of Fish. I don't think it'll hold up as well as Barney did. 

And per Card Sharks, I agree, and I believe personally that the card playing (higher-lower) is more exciting than the survey questions.

[Lola16]

18 minutes ago, bmasters9 said:

Per Barney Miller, the only thing I've left untouched in my copy of Shout!'s full-series release is the first season's worth of Fish. I don't think it'll hold up as well as Barney did. 

And per Card Sharks, I agree, and I believe personally that the card playing (higher-lower) is more exciting than the survey questions.

I loved the character of Fish and enjoyed him interacting with his colleagues, criminals, his family... those "kids" not so much. I'd have enjoyed a Fish spin-off if it didn't feel like Different Strokes meets Facts of Life meets All in the Family.

My grandmother loved Card Sharks! I didn't like it then and still don't :)  I like the hi-lo card game aspect and later they added a car to it which helped. But the questions... meh.  I think on Family Feud and Match Game, they handled survey questions well. Probably because they didn't ask contestants to expound on their own reasons why.

[bmoore4026]

I recently caught a bit of an episode of Leave it to Beaver and I realized that it didn't stand the test of time even when it first aired!  How the hell did this show stay on for as long as it did!?  And the fact that some people hold The Cleavers up as the pinnacle of what an American family should be boggles my mind!

[cpcathy]

I haven't seen a Leave it to Beaver in at least fifteen years, but one thing I know: I am NOT wearing a dress and pearls around the house!

[UYI]

Aw, I love Card Sharks. Jim Perry, anyway. He just died late last year. :(

And the theme song is one of the best:

[GreekGeek]

6 hours ago, bmoore4026 said:

I recently caught a bit of an episode of Leave it to Beaver and I realized that it didn't stand the test of time even when it first aired!  How the hell did this show stay on for as long as it did!?  And the fact that some people hold The Cleavers up as the pinnacle of what an American family should be boggles my mind!

I think that what kept Leave it to Beaver from being hopelessly corny was the fact that it was the first show to depict life from the perspective of a child. A kid trying to figure out how the world works will always be relatable. People in the 1950s/early 1960s weren't naive, either; I'm sure they recognized that the Cleavers were idealized and that problems weren't resolved in a half hour. There were plenty of plays and films around depicting the darker side of family life.

[Maherjunkie]

On 12/8/2014 at 3:55 PM, MulletorHater said:

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

Oh I have to disagree.  Yes it was awful but humor is what helped them survive, especially at the expense of the Nazis

[Blergh]

27 minutes ago, Maherjunkie said:

Oh I have to disagree.  Yes it was awful but humor is what helped them survive, especially at the expense of the Nazis

  Oddly enough, I can only watch when Bob Crane is NOT on the screen. I know he's dead and didn't deserve the violent murder. However; it seems as though he put everyone around him through the wringer for many years via his . . . hobbies and try as I have, I can't pretend that the likable character onscreen is anything like the performer evidently was.

 

 The OTHER performers such as Robert Clary, John Banner and Werner Klemperer who themselves DID flee the NAZIs were admirable and had more interesting lives than their characters would have indicated.

[Maherjunkie]

I never heard he was a diva exactly.  It was unusual but he was a good guy who did a lot for charity.  Not everyone's ideal husband of course.

Quote

I don't get it either.  Not only was it not funny, I didn't like Cosby's character.  I only caught one or two episodes but the way Cliff was with his kids didn't seem cute or warm.  It seemed...odd.  I can't explain it.  I just didn't like his parenting style. 

Would you be referring to his supposed weird glee upon finding out Denise was a virgin when she was married?

[Neurochick]

I think a lot of shows don't stand the test of time because sensibilities change.  What seemed normal in say, the 1970's is now seem as creepy.  I never remember hearing the phrase "age appropriate."  I sometimes wonder if we're more uptight today, or if were we more ignorant back then.

[Chaos Theory]

I got board and rewatched the A-Team.  I can't decide if it stands the test of time or not.  The show premise still mostly works but the "all guys all the time" thing annoys me.

[Maherjunkie]

Probably a combo, depending on the topic.

[selkie]

10 hours ago, Blergh said:

   The OTHER performers such as Robert Clary, John Banner and Werner Klemperer who themselves DID flee the NAZIs were admirable and had more interesting lives than their characters would have indicated.

Klemperer took the role of Colonel Klink on the condition that the character would always be the incompetent buffoon, and said he'd walk from the show if they ever tried to write Klink as the hero.

[ratgirlagogo]

On 12/13/2016 at 0:05 PM, Maherjunkie said:

On 12/8/2014 at 3:55 PM, MulletorHater said:

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

 

On 12/13/2016 at 1:43 PM, Neurochick said:

I think a lot of shows don't stand the test of time because sensibilities change.  What seemed normal in say, the 1970's is now seem as creepy

Even in the 1960's many people had a problem with Hogan's Heroes - WW2 itself was only twenty years previous (!).  In fact one of the complaints about the show that  I remember the most vividly from my childhood was this one, from  MAD Magazine:

https://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/1713137.html

[dalek]

With Hogan's Heroes, keep in mind it was set in a POW camp and not a concentration camp.  Not that the POW camps were nice, but they were certainly a lot better than being in a death camp or forced labor camp.

Also, Robert Clary, who was actually in Auschwitz as a child, had no problem acting in Hogan's Heroes, and my feeling has always been, if he didn't have a problem with it, who am I to criticize.

[praeceptrix]

Oddly enough, Hogan's Heroes has also spawned some of the best fanfiction I have ever read. Well-written, interesting, and able to tackle some of the darker themes which the show could not.

[iMonrey]

CBS recently aired colorized versions of 2 episodes of The Dick Van Dyke show, and I didn't feel either held up very well. The humor was pretty tame by today's standards.

Then again, what we consider has "held up" versus what hasn't is entirely subjective. For some, it's the look of the thing, but for me it's the writing. If the writing was good enough to get me interested in the story, then by my standards it has "held up." I actually saw an old episode of The Patty Duke Show awhile back and it was pretty darn funny even by today's standards. The writing was genuinely funny and Patty Duke acted the hell out of it. 

We've talked about Dark Shadows and the sets were God-awful and cheap looking and the special effects were non-existent, but the writing - especially in the first three years - was excellent, considering they put on a new show five days a week. It's like watching a well-written play. I don't mind the flubs and the cheap scenery because the story is engrossing.

I'm really jealous because I have AT&T U-Verse and they don't carry MeTV or Antenna TV.

[ennui]

On 12/13/2016 at 11:24 AM, Chaos Theory said:

I got board and rewatched the A-Team.  I can't decide if it stands the test of time or not.  The show premise still mostly works but the "all guys all the time" thing annoys me.

I've been watching the A-Team, since I didn't see it the first time around. It works because of the stars, not the plots (brother and sister lumberjacks? Really?). There's usually an attractive woman for one of the guys to flirt with; one of the best was Stepfanie Kramer, who had the hots for Hannibal.

I watch for Face's Corvette. For people who are hiding, they drove some flashy vehicles. 

[Chaos Theory]

2 hours ago, ennui said:

I've been watching the A-Team, since I didn't see it the first time around. It works because of the stars, not the plots (brother and sister lumberjacks? Really?). There's usually an attractive woman for one of the guys to flirt with; one of the best was Stepfanie Kramer, who had the hots for Hannibal.

I watch for Face's Corvette. For people who are hiding, they drove some flashy vehicles. 

The first few seasons worked for me.  After awhile though I think it just got repetitive.  I guess not made for binging.  Plus when it was bad it was aweful.  And yeah for guys who were supposed to be on the run they didn't keep a particularly low profile.  Hell I think BA lived in his old neighborhood for awhile.

[bmasters9]

On 5/20/2016 at 7:21 PM, bmoore4026 said:

So, yeah, Night Gallery is pretty hit and miss for me.  Twilight Zone is perfection, though.

Glad you think so! Why? Because the lot of the original 1959-64 series (all 156 episodes) is out in a 25-disc condensed keepcase release from CBS DVD, and I've been considering getting it.

https://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Zone-Complete-Rod-Serling/dp/B01KOCNQUO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482398509&sr=8-1&keywords=Twilight+Zone+complete+series

[Goldmoon]

RE: Night Gallery, I remember being TERRIFIED when Donna Douglas was being stalked by that statue in the garden.  I had to go hide beside the refrigerator!  The scariest thing in the world to me is an object that moves, like the doll in the Telly Savalas ep of TTZ.

No one has mentioned Cagney and Lacey which I still adore.  I would say I agree that it is dated in a couple of ways, however that doesn't diminish my enjoyment.  Christine and Mary Beth didn't have access to cell phones and always had to find a phone to call the precinct or emergency services which always stands out to me now.  They had to wait in line for computer use, and were still some of the most effective cops on the TV beat!  I have all the eps on DVD, and hulu may still be running the series with the Meg Foster episodes.  The acting was fantastic and the writing was stellar.  It hurts to see that some of the feminist issues that they are addressing thirty years ago are still being addressed today.  At least we don't look at female detectives as being an impossibility any longer.

I disagree that Buffy is dated.  I was thirty-seven when the show first aired, and may not have been its target audience, but although there were things I didn't like about it then I was and am a fan.  The bad: Buffy's neediness concerning Angel, David B's atrocious acting, and as the poster upthread mentioned, Alyson Hannigan's line delivery.  I never did like Willow though I think the audience was supposed to.  When I watch favorite episodes now, I am still impressed by the inventiveness of the scripts and the distinctiveness of the dialogue, the "Buffy speak." I learned about "unmix-y things" via Joss and I thank him. On of the anachronisms that was in effect while the series was on the air is that none of the characters carried a cell phone, although they were available and popular by that time.  It didn't make sense that they would be without, yet the scripts needed them to be out of communication when apart.

I am going to disagree with the posters who find Frasier dated.  I rewatched much of that last year and was impressed all over again by the level of intelligence of the scripts.  In the early seasons especially, Niles and Frasier were gold when on screen together.  The writers didn't write down to the audience, and the snobbishness of both Frasier and Niles was the point.  I never thought about the apartment set, although now you mention it, I didn't really know why the fireplace was behind the couch. It was an odd set, wasn't it?

Caught an early ep of Family Affair with twins Buffy and Jody recently and couldn't stand it.

[Chaos Theory]

woukd the lack of cell phones on a show and/or terrible special FX mean the show is badly dated or just has bad FX?  I watched Xena recently and that show is like 20 years old and has some terrible FX but I think the show still resonates (at least with me).  The same goes with Buffy.  So the show may be stuck a bit in the 90s so what?  The ideas it took on still resonates today as it did back then and i would still think Buffy would resonate with people who felt like outsiders.  I think noticing things like lack of cellphones is just nitpicking.