TV Envy: Characters, Lifestyles And Things We Want

[cynicat]

I wanted Julie Barnes' apartment from the Mod Squad.  I also wanted her long hair, cool clothes and to have 2 great guys as my best friends.  OK, I wanted to BE Julie Barnes.  I would have settled for the apartment though.

[meep.meep]

On 6/3/2017 at 5:02 PM, Macbeth said:

Not me.  I didn't want to live in that cramped attic.

No Mary's apartment...  Those loft ceilings and all that light.  That was different. 

Who wants to spend every night on a hide-a-bed?  Her's looked like the horrible kind with the bar in the middle.

[Macbeth]

3 hours ago, meep.meep said:

Who wants to spend every night on a hide-a-bed?  Her's looked like the horrible kind with the bar in the middle.

I love the apartment not the bed.  Her studio apartment is larger than my one bedroom.  There are always screen dividers. 

I didn't like when she moved to her one bedroom apartment.  It was dark and ordinary.

[memememe76]

I am always jealous of characters who eat and drink whatever they want and never gain weight. 

[NutMeg]

I am in awe of Charlotte's appartment in Sex and the City. All that space! and right in the city!

[Rosiejuliemom]

I always wanted Luka Kovac's apartment on ER, Canny Tanner's mustang, and any sleigh beds I saw.

Also, watching The Tudors and Victoria usually have me drooling at all the costumes and jewelry I want.

[MaggieG]

Add me to the Big Little Lies club, I covet Madeline's house and her wardrobe. 

I also loved Serena'a wardrobe on Gossip Girl.

[Princess Sparkle]

When I was a kid, I desperately wanted Clarissa Darling's room, including her ability to make her own personalized video games. As an adult, all I want is Carrie Bradshaw's shoe collection.

[slf]

Rick Castle has a pretty cool apartment. I mean it is kind of flashy but I still want it.

[catlover79]

I want to live in the Stephens house (Bewitched), Mary Richards' first apartment in the Victorian house (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) AND Hayden Fox's cabin in the woods of Minnesota (Coach). Right now!! 😂

[Blergh]

16 minutes ago, catlover79 said:

I want to live in the Stephens house (Bewitched), Mary Richards' first apartment in the Victorian house (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) AND Hayden Fox's cabin in the woods of Minnesota (Coach). Right now!! 😂

Well, as long as one could imagine that single pot-bellied stove somehow heating Mary Richards's entire apartment even in the worst Minnesota winters, that would be good!  Somehow, I could imagine Phyllis making sure Mary stayed warm in the bay-window apartment while Rhoda likely froze all winter in her tiny attic cubbyhole! 

[Annber03]

3 hours ago, catlover79 said:

I want to live in the Stephens house (Bewitched)

You and my mom would get on well :p. She loves that house, too. 

She also wants the Monkeemobile. 

[shapeshifter]

On April 9, 2017 at 2:15 PM, amaranta said:

Agreed on the fabulous beach house, except I want Grace and Frankie's

Oohh. Please don't remind me. I need to relocate closer to family, but if I had Grace and Frankie's beach house (including the art studio), they would all flock to me. And if they didn't, who cares?

On April 9, 2017 at 9:21 PM, selkie said:

From . . . Elementary . . . I want . . . Watson's wardrobe

Yes, Joan Watson's wardrobe, please. And Fran's from The Nanny.

And I want a fully functional time machine with no accidents waiting to happen.

And I might want to be able to body swap at will with myself in alternate universes where I made other life choices. 

[ramble]

If we’re talking wardrobes I want Cam’s from Bones. Sometimes I’ll watch reruns just to catch what she’s wearing.  

[andromeda331]

On 6/25/2019 at 3:03 PM, shapeshifter said:

Yes, Joan Watson's wardrobe, please. And Fran's from The Nanny.

Me too along with Cara's wardrobe from God Friended Me.

Edited June 28, 2019 by andromeda331

[festivus]

I always wanted to live in the Monkee's loft. I blame them for the fact that I'm now a hoarder collector of interesting items and I have a houseful! When I watched I was always looking at the background at all the cool stuff they had. I just now tried to google and I can't find many pictures of the loft.

On 6/25/2019 at 4:08 PM, ramble said:

If we’re talking wardrobes I want Cam’s from Bones. Sometimes I’ll watch reruns just to catch what she’s wearing.  

Yeah, I never pay that much attention to what people are wearing unless it's hideous but I always noticed Cam. She just looked so good all the time.

[Archery]

I know it had to have been so uncomfortable and challenging to get dressed, or sit, or lie down, or pee, what with the corsets and panniers and crinolines, but Claire Fraser's Paris wardrobe from Outlander's season two makes my mouth water.  Stunning.

[cynicat]

5 hours ago, festivus said:

I always wanted to live in the Monkee's loft. I blame them for the fact that I'm now a hoarder collector of interesting items and I have a houseful! When I watched I was always looking at the background at all the cool stuff they had. I just now tried to google and I can't find many pictures of the loft.

I'm with you on this.  I wanted the spiral staircase.

[Popples]

Phryne Fisher's wardrobe from Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

[Bort]

5 minutes ago, cynicat said:

I'm with you on this.  I wanted the spiral staircase.

My brother has a spiral staircase and I hate it. It looks cool but it's completely awful in practical use. 

[RealHousewife]

On 6/3/2017 at 6:21 PM, ABay said:

I'm sure I've said this before, but I've always wanted to live in a soap opera. When you're in Oakdale, Springfield, Genoa City, Pine Valley, wherever, you are guaranteed to be gorgeous, with gorgeous clothes, a gorgeous house, and many gorgeous lovers. You'll have a fabulous, glamorous job for which you have no discernible qualifications and only have to spend 2 hours a day working at. Any children you have will develop Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome and disappear for years so they don't get under foot. Yes, you will occasionally go blind, get amnesia, go to jail, and/or contract a rare tropical disease but only for 6 weeks. Any crimes you're accused of will ultimately be discovered to be the work of your evil twin.

Days of Our Lives fan here, and ditto Salem! It’s supposed to be a small town in the middle of nowhere, but everyone and everything is beautiful, and they don’t seem to put in more than an hour or two of work a week. You even have a good chance of coming back from death! 

I also loved Charlotte York’s apartment.

As a child I wanted so badly to look like Kelly Kapowski. I also wanted Cher Howoritz’ closet! 

[Bort]

3 minutes ago, RealHousewife said:

Days of Our Lives fan here, and ditto Salem! It’s supposed to be a small town in the middle of nowhere, but everyone and everything is beautiful, and they don’t seem to put in more than an hour or two of work a week. You even have a good chance of coming back from death! 

And being possessed by the devil makes you look savage!

[festivus]

1 hour ago, cynicat said:

I'm with you on this.  I wanted the spiral staircase.

Me too. I used to try to think of ways I could work one in my home but it was not to be. Now I'm too old to have one. 😄

[Dr.OO7]

On 6/3/2017 at 7:21 PM, ABay said:

I'm sure I've said this before, but I've always wanted to live in a soap opera. When you're in Oakdale, Springfield, Genoa City, Pine Valley, wherever, you are guaranteed to be gorgeous, with gorgeous clothes, a gorgeous house, and many gorgeous lovers. You'll have a fabulous, glamorous job for which you have no discernible qualifications and only have to spend 2 hours a day working at. Any children you have will develop Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome and disappear for years so they don't get under foot. Yes, you will occasionally go blind, get amnesia, go to jail, and/or contract a rare tropical disease but only for 6 weeks. Any crimes you're accused of will ultimately be discovered to be the work of your evil twin.

Same here. Along with being able to be married 4 times before I turn 30 and have no one bat an eye.

I also envy the One Hour Work Week that enables characters to be doctors/lawyers/teachers, etc., yet always be anywhere except their job.

Edited June 28, 2019 by Camille

[Annber03]

7 hours ago, festivus said:

I always wanted to live in the Monkee's loft. 

Again, same with my mom :D. 

Quote

When I watched I was always looking at the background at all the cool stuff they had.

My mom loves to do this with TV shows, too. She's always interested in the layout of the characters' homes, the set design, the kinds of furniture and trinkets and whatnot that they own, stuff like that. I always tell her that she missed her calling as an interior decorator 😛. 

Edited June 28, 2019 by Annber03

[topanga]

High School: I wanted to go to West Beverly High School (90210), Bayside High (Saved By the Bell), any boarding school (Facts of Life), and most recently, Neptune High (Veronica Mars)--I would've hung out with Veronica, Wallace, and Mac. Definitely not the 09ers. 

And this isn't a TV show, but I wanted to be an East Compton High Clover (Bring It On). Although I'm sure the rest of the high school wasn't as cool as the cheerleading squad. 

[Bort]

I always wanted a house with a front and back staircase. I've never seen this in real life, but many sitcom houses seem to have this design.

[festivus]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

My mom loves to do this with TV shows, too. She's always interested in the layout of the characters' homes, the set design, the kinds of furniture and trinkets and whatnot that they own, stuff like that. I always tell her that she missed her calling as an interior decorator 😛. 

Yep, that's me. Sometimes I miss half the show if there's some interesting decor going on in the background.

[Dr.OO7]

47 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

I always wanted a house with a front and back staircase. I've never seen this in real life, but many sitcom houses seem to have this design.

My junior year of college, I actually did live in a house like that. The first thing I thought when I moved in was "just like on TV!" 😄

(The staircase that led down from the top floor split at the midpoint. One side indeed led into the kitchen, the other into the living room)

[andromeda331]

2 hours ago, topanga said:

And this isn't a TV show, but I wanted to be an East Compton High Clover (Bring It On). Although I'm sure the rest of the high school wasn't as cool as the cheerleading squad. 

I wanted to go that school and go to Chilton with Rory, and the same school Shannon from Babysitters Club went to they had classes in astronomy and philosophy! And almost every TV show with teens went to a school that had a school newspaper and was such a big deal everyone read it. I wanted to go a school that had a newspaper to work on. They also seemed to have a lot of power at student council to make actual big decisions and changes to the school. We didn't really get to do much of anything.

[BaggythePanther]

4 hours ago, kariyaki said:

I always wanted a house with a front and back staircase. I've never seen this in real life, but many sitcom houses seem to have this design.

I always thought that was so cool when I was a little kid. Then when I was in middle school my Dad got remarried and bought a house with that design. What’s funny is that 9 times out of 10 we all use the front staircase. If the back one disappeared it’d be a while before anyone noticed. 😋

[Miss Dee]

*small voice* I just wanna go live on the Waverider. Especially in the current climate.

[BaggythePanther]

1 minute ago, Miss Dee said:

*small voice* I just wanna go live on the Waverider. Especially in the current climate.

I’d join you if they can add in another bathroom. 😉

What I really want is the machine on the Waverider that makes you whatever clothes you want. I’d probably just make a bunch of different types of jeans, but still, the option is there.

[RealHousewife]

6 hours ago, topanga said:

High School: I wanted to go to West Beverly High School (90210), Bayside High (Saved By the Bell), any boarding school (Facts of Life), and most recently, Neptune High (Veronica Mars)--I would've hung out with Veronica, Wallace, and Mac. Definitely not the 09ers. 

And this isn't a TV show, but I wanted to be an East Compton High Clover (Bring It On). Although I'm sure the rest of the high school wasn't as cool as the cheerleading squad. 

I also loved West Beverly! I wanted to be beautiful and live in Beverly Hills and have Dylan be my boyfriend and drive around in convertibles. 

Facts of Life also made boarding school seem so warm and cozy. Mrs. Garrett was was so loving and sweet, and the girls got along for the most part. I haven't seen Veronica Mars, and it's been awhile since I've seen Bring It On.

I also remembered drooling over the Charmed manor and all the Fresh Prince, Full House, and Clueless homes.

I also kind of wanted to be on Baywatch. Everyone is so good-looking and just lives on the beach. Good times! Overall, I seem to want to live the glamorous life in California. 😂

[catlover79]

Getting back to NBC soaps, I watch the reruns of The Doctors (which taped at 30 Rock and aired from 1963 to 1982). The dedicated staff of Hope Memorial Hospital, Madison, USA, can do all of their professional duties and still get home in time to cook scrumptious meals with no household help. They work full-time and have invisible/little seen babysitters for their minor children. They get to take long breaks and chat with their friends over endless cups of coffee. They can open up a new department or position without funding, permission from the hospital board, or even much time!! One day they are going to do it, the next day everything is settled in. You can get a loved one a job at Hope, even if they have been out of the medical profession for years and don't even need to take refresher courses or even renew a license!! When they are not guzzling down caffeine on the clock, they spend their free hours knocking back the scotch at the local bar/restaurant/living room. The patients are mostly invisible - referred to but mostly not seen - unless, of course, the patient is a staff member or a family member of a staff member. It also goes without saying that many of the doctors and nurses, ahem, often play doctor and nurse.

All that being said, I wasn't even born for much of the time this soap was on the air originally and I love almost every second of it. It's also heads and shoulders above pretty much anything that passes for the American soap genre today.

[danderson400]

A lot of times, I'll watch what I have downloaded of The Doctors or Concentration- and both shows seem predictable.  The dedicated staff of Hope Memorial Hospital, Madison, USA, can do all of their professional duties and still get home in time to cook scrumptious meals with no household help. They work full-time and have invisible/little seen babysitters for their minor children. They get to take long breaks and chat with their friends over endless cups of coffee. They can open up a new department or position without funding, permission from the hospital board, or even much time!! One day they are going to do it, the next day everything is settled in. You can get a loved one a job at Hope, even if they have been out of the medical profession for years and don't even need to take refresher courses or even renew a license!! On the other show, it seems that the contestants call out numbers and Trebek says "no match" a lot.

Edited June 29, 2019 by danderson400

[Ceindreadh]

11 hours ago, festivus said:

Yep, that's me. Sometimes I miss half the show if there's some interesting decor going on in the background.

I get distracted sometimes when I can tell a character has furnished their house from IKEA!

[ramble]

6 hours ago, BaggythePanther said:

What I really want is the machine on the Waverider that makes you whatever clothes you want. I’d probably just make a bunch of different types of jeans, but still, the option is there.

That makes me think of the gadget where you punch in the food you want, whatever it may be, open the magic door and it’s there. I remember first seeing it on Star Trek, but I think it’s used in various sci-fi shows. That would be amazing. 

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, ramble said:

That makes me think of the gadget where you punch in the food you want, whatever it may be, open the magic door and it’s there. I remember first seeing it on Star Trek, but I think it’s used in various sci-fi shows. That would be amazing. 

The Orville has something like that. I'm now realizing that they were probably inspired by those vending machines with little windowed compartments, each containing a sandwich or brownie or maybe a piece of pie — not sure if they still exist.

[ABay]

The Automat.

From "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend":

A kiss may be grand but it won't pay the rental
On your humble flat, or help you at the Automat

[Anduin]

3 hours ago, ramble said:

That makes me think of the gadget where you punch in the food you want, whatever it may be, open the magic door and it’s there. I remember first seeing it on Star Trek, but I think it’s used in various sci-fi shows. That would be amazing. 

Replicator.

[BaggythePanther]

5 hours ago, ramble said:

That makes me think of the gadget where you punch in the food you want, whatever it may be, open the magic door and it’s there. I remember first seeing it on Star Trek, but I think it’s used in various sci-fi shows. That would be amazing. 

Legends also has a machine like that on the Waverider. I was really wishing I had a machine like that last night because I wanted a home cooked meal, but I didn’t want to actually cook.

[blueray]

It's movies and books but: High School: I'd go to Hogwarts.

As for TV Shows, I would love to live in a town like Star's Hollow.

Edited June 29, 2019 by blueray

[FormerMod-a1]

I wanted 2 houses - the house in Silver Spoon with the remote controlled door and train through the living room, and the Addam's family house with all the trap doors, crazy oddities, dungeons, etc. 

[ratgirlagogo]

On 6/28/2019 at 11:10 PM, BaggythePanther said:

What I really want is the machine on the Waverider that makes you whatever clothes you want. I’d probably just make a bunch of different types of jeans, but still, the option is there.

18 hours ago, ramble said:

That makes me think of the gadget where you punch in the food you want, whatever it may be, open the magic door and it’s there. I remember first seeing it on Star Trek, but I think it’s used in various sci-fi shows. That would be amazing. 

14 hours ago, Anduin said:

Replicator.

Yes!

16 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

The Orville has something like that. I'm now realizing that they were probably inspired by those vending machines with little windowed compartments, each containing a sandwich or brownie or maybe a piece of pie — not sure if they still exist.

Oh The Orville they are called synthesizers so as not to get into legal trouble with the Star Trek folks.  I don't know if the Legends machine actually has a name - I think they just lump it in along with all the other things Gideon does for the crew.

12 hours ago, BaggythePanther said:

Legends also has a machine like that on the Waverider. I was really wishing I had a machine like that last night because I wanted a home cooked meal, but I didn’t want to actually cook.

15 hours ago, ABay said:

The Automat.

From "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend":

A kiss may be grand but it won't pay the rental
On your humble flat, or help you at the Automat

Woof.  I ate a few times at the last Automat in NYC (just to do it, you know)  and all I can say is that the Automat definitely did not provide a replicator-like experience, LOL.  It was like school cafeteria/diner food at best, and usually more like vending machine food. My mom grew up in NYC and according to her it was like that even when it was a thing.  Also you could clearly see all the stressed out women in pink uniforms behind the little doors, preparing the little plates of food and then shoving them into the compartments.  There was a Flintstones element to the whole experience.

The dream of having a device that could  just manifest a delicious meal, or a great outfit, must go back as far as the first human being (a woman I'm sure) who was too tired to build the fire and cook the roast beast, or twist the fiber into the thread that she'd have to weave into cloth.

[biakbiak]

Sonic showers from Star Trek because I often hate getting wet but still need to shower!

[BookWoman56]

I absolutely covet the library/study that Hannibal Lecter had on the Hannibal series. It's my ideal combination of a study with lots of space, some seating for work or reading, and an open library accessible by a ladder. It looks incredibly calm and peaceful. 

ETA: View of the library/study from a different angle.

Edited July 4, 2019 by BookWoman56

[Annber03]

1 minute ago, BookWoman56 said:

I absolutely covet the library/study that Hannibal Lecter had on the Hannibal series. It's my ideal combination of a study with lots of space, some seating for work or reading, and an open library accessible by a ladder. It looks incredibly calm and peaceful. 

Okay, I've never seen this show but I'm totally on board with this, too. That is cool. 

[methodwriter85]

I would have loved to live in the world of Avonlea:

[andromeda331]

5 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I would have loved to live in the world of Avonlea:

I love that show!