Classic TV Shows

[Bartmanhomer]

I've been watching a lot of classic TV shows such as That Girl, I Dream Of Jeannie, Bewitched, Facts Of Life and other classic TV shows while in quarantine. It brings nostalgia to my childhood. Does anybody watch classic TV shows, if so what classic TV shows do you watch? :smile:

[understatement]

Does BtVS count? If so, then BtVS.

[Bartmanhomer]

Does BtVS count? If so, then BtVS.

What's BtVS stands for? :confused:

[thompur]

What's BtVS stands for? :confused:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 1997-2003. It's my favorite show of all time, but I personally don't put it into the "classic" category. That's usually reserved for shows from my youth. But then, I'm 58, so my idea of "classic TV" is probably different than those much younger than I.

As to the ones I watch: Twilight Zone(from the '50's & '60's), Hogan's Heroes, The **** Van Dyke Show, , F Troop, Get Smart, Star Trek, The Odd Couple, M*A*S*H, Mission: Impossible...just to name a few.

[Sinewmire]

I Claudius (1976) is pretty good, although higher definition has not been kind to some of the aging effects.

[brionl]

Last year, thanks to my DVR I watched through the entire series of My Favorite Martian. I hadn't watched it in a loooooong time, and it actually wasn't as dreadful as I had been fearing. The first two seasons were actually pretty funny. Then it kind of went downhill in the third season with the repeated time travel episodes, introduction of "Cousin Oliver" (and then swift "Chuck Cunninghamization"). Not binging though, only a few episodes a day so it took me a while to go through it.

I tried rewatching Space: 1999, and it was even more dreadful than I remembered, I couldn't make it through more than 3 episodes.

I've also been watching Animaniacs, Tiny Toons, My Little Pony, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Dragon Ball Z. And probably a few others I'm not remembering right now. I've got The Addams Family (TV series), Robotech, I Dream of Jeannie, Get Smart and many others on DVD. But they are all packed away since my last move, and in preparation for my next move so I don't want to dig them out now. Also, I haven't gotten around to hooking up my BluRay player since I moved.

Side tangent, my theory on why I Dream of Jeannie is a better series then Bewitched:
If we stick with the basic premise that they can't just "go public". In IDoJ, Jeannie gets Tony in trouble because she's trying to help him. In Bewitched, trouble comes because Darrin is being a jerk to Endora for no reason, or Endora is tormenting Darrin for no reason.

[Aedilred]

Depends how you define "classic". I'm old enough that shows I could have watched when they were first released are now more than ten years old and if they're any good, could legitimately be considered classics. Then again, I would be loath to call any Doctor Who after The Curse of Fatal Death "classic", and NuWho started around the same time as some of the shows I would consider classics. Nothing wrong with rewatching classic Who if you can get it though.

I am one of those people who would argue that the classic era of drama began in the 90s, in particular with E.R. and a bit later, The West Wing. There were good dramas before that, but they were less common, and frequently British, which means short runs (like I, Claudius). The West Wing was one of the first shows to do long-form drama well.

With that in mind, The Sopranos, The Wire, Battlestar (TRIS). early 24, Buffy and arguably Lost fall into this category, along with TWW itself. I would happily rewatch any of them. Spooks is pretty decent. Boardwalk Empire and Breaking Bad probably don't qualify on age grounds.

In comedy, the first eight-and-a-bit seasons of The Simpsons, all of Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, the various Alan Partridge shows (including The Day Today), and Yes Minister can I think all be considered classics, perhaps excluding the newer Partridge stuff. The Thick of It is just as high-quality but again, perhaps a bit "new". I never watched Friends or Seinfeld or really any other non-animated American sitcoms other than the occasional episode but I'm sure some would call them classics and possibly even be right.

The BBC did some great documentaries back in the day, and sometimes still does. The World at War stands out, as does Kenneth Clark's Civilisation. Later, Human Century was very good. Pretty much any nature documentary helmed by David Attenborough is a classic regardless of age.

So which of the above have I been watching? Er… almost none. Rather, the classic stuff I've been watching has been movies, and the TV has been more contemporary.

[Willie the Duck]

I could sit down and watch an episode of M*A*S*H or Mary Tyler Moore any time, and not feel I should have been partaking in any other type of entertainment. Same with Looney Tunes/Merry Melodies (although there's a big caveat with these, in that the episodes I am likely presented with have been purged of problematic content).

[thompur]

I Claudius (1976) is pretty good, although higher definition has not been kind to some of the aging effects.

I actually consider "I, Claudius" to be the greatest show ever created for television! The writing, the cast, the acting...all superlative!!

[Bartmanhomer]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 1997-2003. It's my favorite show of all time, but I personally don't put it into the "classic" category. That's usually reserved for shows from my youth. But then, I'm 58, so my idea of "classic TV" is probably different than those much younger than I.

As to the ones I watch: Twilight Zone(from the '50's & '60's), Hogan's Heroes, The **** Van Dyke Show, , F Troop, Get Smart, Star Trek, The Odd Couple, M*A*S*H, Mission: Impossible...just to name a few.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer is an old show so yes. It's a classic. :wink:

[Sinewmire]

I actually consider "I, Claudius" to be the greatest show ever created for television! The writing, the cast, the acting...all superlative!!

It makes a good companion piece to HBO's Rome, which I absolutely love.

[farothel]

They're doing reruns of 'Allo Allo' and 'Blackadder' on Belgian TV, so I try to catch those.

And I hope to see reruns of 'Yes, Minister' and 'yes, Prime Minister' someday. I've only seen clips no youtube and those are amazing.

[HandofShadows]

Don't watch a lot of TV, but I try to catch Gunsmoke of all things. Yeah, it's a western, but it has a lot of the plot lines with themes that you would see in more modern shows. Tamer to sure, but still very much there. Maybe that's why it lasted 10 years and had 4 movies.

[The Shoeless]

And I hope to see reruns of 'Yes, Minister' and 'yes, Prime Minister' someday. I've only seen clips no youtube and those are amazing.

Oh yes! Do so by any means, those are very good.

I did rewatch Invader Zim, and planning to dust off my Catweazle DVDs this weekend. Also, I could have sworn I had the Neverwhere series lying around somewhere, but I must have lent it to a friend and can't remember to whom.

[Aedilred]

It makes a good companion piece to HBO's Rome, which I absolutely love.

How did I forget that.

It's one of my favourite shows.

I bear a deep and burning shame, but in the spirit of Vorenus I'll just repress it in a really unhealthy way.