Family Ties. When I was a child this was the show to watch. The adults in my life couldn't stop yammering about it. Thirty years later and about the only thing people remember about Family Ties is that in one episode Tom Hanks played a drunk who tried to get a buzz by chugging down an entire bottle of vanilla extract.
shareDon't forget about Nick. Mallory's boy friend.
"Hey, Mal-o-ree"
Two shows that weren't that big but I feel didn't get a fair shake and were good.
Logan's Run
Space 1999
Logan's Run got screwed because it put on opposite of Monday Night Football.
I remember both of these being very good. It also could be a bit of nostalgia.
Two other ones from the 90's
Friday the 13th: The Series
War of the Worlds - The Series
I thought both were good. Especially Friday the 13th.
Never knew about a Logans Run TV show
I loved the movie so ill look up the show thx!
I dunno. I forgot about them.
π
thirtysomething
shareThe A-Team
The Addams Family
The Avengers
The Brady Bunch
But all of them did get made into one or two movies!
"The Addams Family" and "The Avengers" should be remembered since they were both class. "The Brady Bunch" and "The A-Team," on the other hand, deserve to be forgotten -- but, I think we can all agree "The A-Team" theme is awesome and will live forever.
shareI think "The Untouchables," "The Fugitive," "Firefly" and "Mission Impossible" probably were the only TV shows that made a fairly smooth transition to the big screen.
shareDon't forget the duct tape. Every Act 3 of The A-Team had the boys building some contraption that was held together with duct tape.
shareDidn't MacGyver depend on duct tape as well?
Even today, if you're in the right of frame of mind, The A-Team can be fun -- third grade-level fun but still fun.
Yes, they should be--Gomez, Mortitia, Mr. Steed, Mrs. Peel--but they are not, at least not in popular culture; also The Prisoner.
shareAnything with Patrick McGoohan -- like all the "Columbo" episodes he starred in -- is always worth one's time.
shareWhat about Monk? Shaloob make that character outstanding!
shareLike Peter Falk, Tony Shalhoub created a persona worth watching, even if the show around him didn't always gel.
shareSpeaking of Tony, another show he was on, Wings, fits the category in question. I never put Wings or Cheers in the Must Flee category, though they were part of NBC's Thursday-night lineup. Wings was created from the get-go to complement Cheers. Both shows were based in Massachusetts; Cheers, in Boston, Wings, on Nantucket. Both had strong casts and sharp writing. Neither show depended on topical humor, and each show would be entertaining today.
shareI haven't seen "Wings" in a while (what a cast that show had) but I've been binging "Cheers" on Netflix lately and the show indeed holds up. What makes it timeless was the canny decision on the part of its creators to root its humor in character and not in pop culture. Pop culture is fine -- you can't ignore the period your show takes place in -- but too much of it can really date a show badly. I used to watch "30 Rock" years back but worry about revisiting it since it was so driven by pop culture references --- many of which, ten years later, probably don't hold up very well (if at all).
shareAnd don't forget anything featuring the talented Diana Rigg!
shareAmong her many accomplishments she's the best Bond girl ever.
shareEver. Ever. EVER! Dame Diana, also, at her advanced age, has stolen every scene she has been in on Game of Thrones. I am a proud elitist, and Dame Diana is living evidence that Class Will Tell.
sharePeople like Diana Rigg and Helen Mirren will always find work, well into the winter of their years, because the industry needs their incredible talent.
shareyes
shareI loved the Addams Family, and The Avengers.
Thought The Munsters was, well, stupid.
I never watched either The Brady Bunch or that other show I always mix up with it that came on around the same time. Do you think I can remember its name? No. Do you?
It was another lots of kids, stupid sitcom show.
It was the Partridge Family I was trying to think of.
shareNot surprising "Thirtysomething" star Ken Olin produced "This Is Us" since it, and a lot of sudsers like it, owe a ton to yuppie fare like "Thirtysomething."
shareNCIS
shareAll the "Law and Order" spin-offs are also starting to slowly sink into oblivion as well (I personally never watched a "Law and Order" if my boy Sam Waterston wasn't front and center).,
shareI love Sam Waterston. But never saw Law and Order, or any of the umpteen spin-offs.
The worst for me was Hillstreet Blues, which I never saw a single episode of. Probably due to LA Law burn-out. But there was a time when it was on virtually 24/7 and all I had to do was hear those first few notes of the theme song before I'd lunge for the remote.
I think all of those shows are doomed to obscurity.
I've always wanted to watch "St. Elsewhere" since it was huge when I was growing up. But, only the First Season was ever released. Probably for the best -- there's every likelihood, after all, that it aged as badly as other '80s dramas like "LA Law" have.
shareDewey says it's his favourite show, so I figure it's got to be worthwhile, although I never saw it.
I suspect a lot of shows from the 70s and 80s have aged badly. Anything, basically, before the Golden Age of TV. For me, that means anything that isn't as good as Mad Men, as that's my gold standard.
"Mad Men" was a masterpiece until Don re-married. I increasingly lost interest after that. Still, those first few seasons are as good as anything TV has done.
shareYes, Weiner made a big mistake taking Megan's character from somewhat charming gawky secretary as a very minor role (which worked), and expanding it to where Jessica Pare was clearly out of her depth, and the character didn't work either.
I struggled through that season, despite Megan, only because there were so many other good things in it.
He should have married Faye Miller. She might have been awkward with kids but, refreshingly, she wasn't a kid herself -- unlike Betty and Megan.
shareHave you seen HBO's The Newsroom series, Cat? It's available on demand, and the impressive cast includes your man, Sam. I thought the series was tantamount to brilliant.
shareNo, haven't even heard of it until now. I'm not much of a fan of HBO's fare, but if Sam is in it, I'll have to reconsider.
shareIt was done by Aaron Sorkin, producer of The West Wing. I hope that you enjoy it, my friend.
shareI tried getting into The West Wing, since so many people whose tastes I like said it was excellent. But I couldn't get into it. For one, I dislike politics, so it had that going against it right out of the gate.
shareI understand. I despise politics. American democracy gives the electorate the illusion that they can influence their future. You, Cat, may not enjoy The Newsroom. Bring it up On Demand, watch Jeff Daniels' five-minute harangue about why
America is not the greatest country in the world, but that it could be, AGAIN, and if you are not solidly hooked in after those first 10 minutes, then move on. Sam Waterston is the icing atop this cake. Plus the cherry.
Ill always remember Magnum P.I.
What a blast...it was so cool every week
But not too many people mention it anymore which is too bad
Imo it was a classic detective/drama/action show with some fun humor
I never watched it, except perhaps an episode here and there, but Tom Selleck is a damned charming guy.
shareMagnum and Higgins made that show; their chemistry was magical then and still works today. I hope the reboot finds two actors who have as much chemistry in the roles of Magnum and Higgins as Hillerman and Selleck demonstrated.
shareI didn't watch it enough to know who Higgins is, but I DO love it when there's chemistry between actors.
shareHe's introduced in the first few minutes of the pilot -- which is available online. Along with Magnum he's the heart of the show ... and completely awesome.
shareI don't think I can watch the show now that there have been so many truly outstanding shows on. Which doesn't mean I still can't appreciate what a doll Selleck was and probably still is.
shareHiggins was the English 'butler' guy of the huge estate that they lived on who had a cool backstory and he treated Magnum like a dopey manchild because he sort of was...it was a great dynamic between two fun characters
He was so cool in it
What a 'STACHE!
lol!
The Detroit Tigers cap, the pornstache and the shorts that made thongs look modest all added up to the lovable Thomas Magnum.
shareYup!
And the borrowed Ferrari and awesome Guesthouse that all the ladies thought were his...dont leave that out!
He was a charming rogue that Magnum
Don't forget all the idiosyncratic peripheral characters like Luther Gillis, Ice Pick, Agnes, and Carol that made Magnum's world what it was.
shareI've never been a fan of staches, but, c'mon, TOM SELLECK! Anyone who didn't like him couldn't have had a beating heart.
shareHe was a modest, loyal, friendly man who rarely got the girl and who frequently made mistakes. He was, despite his matinee-idol looks, relatable.
shareI'd say lovable. A great guy ... huge stache aside.
ETA: I just noticed you said lovable up yonder :)
The early seasons of "Magnum PI" were solid and deserve to be remembered. The show, IMHO, got rather stale around Season Four or so.
"Hawaii Five-O" and "The Rockford Files" rarely get mentioned nowadays (which is tragic in the latter's case since it displayed pretty smart writing throughout).
"The OC." I don't think an "it" show disappeared faster.
shareThose were good ones too
Stuff mom and pop watched and i kind of sat on the rug and got into
I couldn't imagine watching "Magnum" without my parents at my side. Even when "Magnum" was going up against juggernauts like "Cosby" we still made time for Thomas.
shareYes
Mom and Pop in their chairs and all the kids flopped on the rug watching whatever the folks put on...
Different, maybe better times
Nowadays, the family might be in the same room together but each member is on a phone watching something completely different. The days of gathering around a Zenith and watching a good show like "Magnum" together are, sadly, over.
shareYes
Im guilty of that too
It's harder and harder nowadays to get everyone to agree on something. For instance, I may want to watch "Black Mirror," while my sis is obsessing over some Ken Burn-helmed documentary and my brother-in-law is hell-bent on catching his Green Bay Packers. During times like these, admittedly, those phones can come in handy.
shareI hate to admit it now, but at the time I liked the Cosby Show. It's another one that hasn't aged well at all. And then there's the serial rapist thing that's just a *bit* off-putting.
shareYeah, with Cosby a veritable Freddy Krueger today it's hard to watch anything with this man in it -- unless it was a horror film or something along those lines.
shareAnd then there are some who are willing to forgive OJ Simpson, because his part in Naked Gun was just *that* good, and hey, brutally slaughtering two people wasn't all that bad!
shareI know what you mean. Such a talented guy who threw it all away because he couldn't control his 'urges.' Sicko.
shareAnd who would have thought it in the '80s, when audiences and critics adored "The Cosby Show," that the name Cosby would one day be shorthand for "boogey-man."
shareThere was always an undertone of self-satisfied smugness about The Cosby Show that made me want to pummel the TV screen. I am conforted and soothed that no one who was on that show went on to a consequential career after it.
shareHonestly, I never thought he was all that talented. His early comedy albums were good, and for a sitcom, The Cosby show was pretty good. But beyond that, the show didn't rise much above the normal fare.
shareHe had good chemistry with the kids and his wife. I thought the show, while hardly exemplary, made for pleasant fare ... for a well. Then, around Season Five, Olivia was introduced and this grating child's presence pretty much killed the show for good.
If you ask me the best thing about "The Cosby Show" was the sexy and supremely gifted Phyllicia Rashad. She's still around -- I recently saw her in "Creed" (contributing excellent work as you might expect).
I agree, it went on too long.
shareI do think Phyllicia was the best part of the show, although at the time Cosby's goofy yet strict father schtick was entertaining enough and everything revolved around it.
shareOn the other hand, a show that I think stands the test of time is The Dick Van Dyke Show. It holds up because it doesn't use topical humor ( i.e. the humor isn't based on current events). This was intentionally done. One reason it's not more popular today is because it's in black & white and a lot of younger people dismiss anything B&W.
share"The Dick Van Dyke Show," "The Andy Griffith Show," and "The Twilight Zone" are thankfully all on Netflix, which is good since it gives millennials an opportunity to watch some timeless shows from the first Golden Age of Television.
Now, if only Netflix could bring "Columbo" back.
I agree, it and the Twilight Zone were unusually good shows for their time.
shareDark Shadows (1966-1971). It was wildly popular during its heyday. It continues to have dedicated fans, but I think a lot of people nowadays know about it through Tim Burton's film that's based on it.
shareWings.
For some reason, this show seems to be all but forgotten. We loved it and we still do, but most people seem to not know what you're talking about when you mention Wings.
Come to think about it, I had to explain it even back when it aired on TV during it's first run!π