TV At Its Finest
I was talking to someone today who didn’t know who Bob Newhart was. I cut him some slack because he’s a youngster and didn’t grow up in the U.S. I told him about The Bob Newhart show and how it became a college drinking game and about Newhart, "Hi, I'm Larry; this is my brother Darryl, and this is my other brother Darryl." He was going to go to Wikipedia and do some research.
The conversation got me thinking.
Back in the day (like when dinosaurs were alive and I was young and there were only four channels on TV), we caught a lot of reruns of what are now considered classic TV. Especially, if you were a latchkey kid like I was, there wasn’t a lot going on in the afternoon/early evening so it was either soap operas or reruns unless you were allowed to be outside and play. And, of course, during summer vacation you had even more time to watch the boob tube.
Here’s what I remember watching during those years: Gilligan’s Island, Big Valley (I’m still looking for my very own Nick Barkley), Hogan’s Heroes, The Andy Griffith Show, Bonanza, I Dream of Jeannie, The Munsters, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, The Brady Bunch, Bewitched, The Addams Family and I Love Lucy.
I wouldn’t call those all great shows but they were what everyone else was watching, too. That built a common culture for discussion. You could compare someone to Opie Taylor and they’d know you meant a young Ron Howard. (Oh, yeah, I just remembered Gomer Pyle, too.)
I think the one with the most staying power is Gilligan’s Island. I bet you could ask guys, “Ginger or MaryAnn?” and the majority would know what you’re getting at. Though I suspect there’s an age floor on that where the ones below the floor would be clueless.
There are other shows from years past that I think did a great job of creating a common culture and, in some cases, providing poignant views on society. All In The Family and it’s associated spinoffs: The Jeffersons, Maude and Good Times. M*A*S*H. Hill Street Blues. Family. Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. The Mary Tyler Moore Show. There are so many other great ones that I’m missing, I’m sure.
With today’s abundant entertainment options, I don’t think we’ll ever have another big common culture show again. Who shot JR had more people captivated than who’s going to win Dancing With The Stars. And, sure, there are a lot of people that watch American Idol who can discuss it at the water cooler. But, there are even more people who don’t give a rip.
It all makes me a little sad to be losing some of our tribal knowledge but I have a solution.
Mandatory watching of TV Land for everyone! And, bring a six pack because we’ll be playing “Hi, Bob!”
The conversation got me thinking.
Back in the day (like when dinosaurs were alive and I was young and there were only four channels on TV), we caught a lot of reruns of what are now considered classic TV. Especially, if you were a latchkey kid like I was, there wasn’t a lot going on in the afternoon/early evening so it was either soap operas or reruns unless you were allowed to be outside and play. And, of course, during summer vacation you had even more time to watch the boob tube.
Here’s what I remember watching during those years: Gilligan’s Island, Big Valley (I’m still looking for my very own Nick Barkley), Hogan’s Heroes, The Andy Griffith Show, Bonanza, I Dream of Jeannie, The Munsters, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, The Brady Bunch, Bewitched, The Addams Family and I Love Lucy.
I wouldn’t call those all great shows but they were what everyone else was watching, too. That built a common culture for discussion. You could compare someone to Opie Taylor and they’d know you meant a young Ron Howard. (Oh, yeah, I just remembered Gomer Pyle, too.)
I think the one with the most staying power is Gilligan’s Island. I bet you could ask guys, “Ginger or MaryAnn?” and the majority would know what you’re getting at. Though I suspect there’s an age floor on that where the ones below the floor would be clueless.
There are other shows from years past that I think did a great job of creating a common culture and, in some cases, providing poignant views on society. All In The Family and it’s associated spinoffs: The Jeffersons, Maude and Good Times. M*A*S*H. Hill Street Blues. Family. Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. The Mary Tyler Moore Show. There are so many other great ones that I’m missing, I’m sure.
With today’s abundant entertainment options, I don’t think we’ll ever have another big common culture show again. Who shot JR had more people captivated than who’s going to win Dancing With The Stars. And, sure, there are a lot of people that watch American Idol who can discuss it at the water cooler. But, there are even more people who don’t give a rip.
It all makes me a little sad to be losing some of our tribal knowledge but I have a solution.
Mandatory watching of TV Land for everyone! And, bring a six pack because we’ll be playing “Hi, Bob!”
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~TRS