TV Worth Watching

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 12:23pm

amen beaver. I watch TV Land SO much. NOTHING beats Classic TV.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 12:24pm

In some ways I think the network suits probably figure the Lear shows have done it all already, and better than anybody could do it today. Plus, the culture is so post-modern that none of the actual creative shows on TV today (few and far between though they be) could cover such topics and still include their knowing, ironic winks at the camera.

[BT]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 12:33pm

I would have to agree that All in the Family, Maude and Good Times pushed the envelope in ways that few shows today do - and brought a lot of social issues into the living rooms of American homes. Archie Bunker was such a parody of the biggeted, close minded, conservative man that you laughed at him rather than with him. His was biting social commentary. Ah, when Sammy Davis Junior kissed him, or when Edith was raped - those were moments. I still love to watch those shows.

[Matt_G]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 12:35pm

None of those pushed the envelope like Mr. Belvadere and ALF. Those shows were both about acceptance and bigotry due to illegal aliens coming into our country. But through them, we learned tollerance. We learned compassion. We learned to love each other and hopefully ourselves just a little bit more.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 12:38pm

Amen, Matt. Amen.

[BT]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 12:40pm

Matt, you scare me. I have this odd feeling you actually watched Alf. I guess Alf was the Avenue Q of the 80's. As for Mr. Belevedere, the oldest son KEvin was kind of hot, as i recall... I wonder what ever happend to him.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 12:41pm

BT, are you dissing ALF? Tell me you're not.

[CurtainUp2]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 1:31pm

And the episode where Alf was raped by a female impersonator who looked like Sammy Davis Jr in drag... now that was riveting T.V.!

[orion59]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 2:14pm

There don't seem to be as many envelopes to push these days. I agree with Namo that the older shows mentioned were around during a time when all of this was ground breaking. Lear showed intreracial marriage on The Jeffersons but, now we see that on Verizon commercials every day (I think it's Verizon), gay characters are all over tv in the past few years, shows that are based on people of color are common on tv. This does say a lot about our society that all of these are considred commonplace. It's just too bad that now we want to see Trump fire people, women get total body make overs and C list "celebs" locked in a house together.

I had some hope when HBO started producing quality series that the networks would see that this is what the public prefers, well written shows. Unfortunately, there seems to be more of a market for the "reality" shows.

[Guido Contini]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 2:21pm

speaking of pivotal episodes of AITF, has anyone seen the one where Archie goes off to Meathead and Dingbat's house and Edith is at home alone when a robber comes in and attempts to rape her? That episode still makes me nervous. Everytime I see it, I end up shaking and near tears.

[orion59]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 2:26pm

I remember that episode (BTW, I hesitate to point this out becasue I hate making people publicly look bad but, Edith was the one he called Dingbat). It was one of many AITF episodes that dealt with new topics never before done on television. I remember being very effected by it when I first saw it as a kid.

[Guido Contini]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 2:30pm

ahh...and all these years I thought when he said that he was referring to Mike and Gloria. Learn something new everyday.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 2:33pm

Meathead was Mike, Dingbat was Edith, Little Girl was Gloria.

[Guido Contini]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 2:35pm

OH HELL...i forgot all about "Little Girl"

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 2:37pm

LOL! I can NEVER get enough All In The Family.

I saw the ORIGINAL ORIGINAL pilot on TV once, back when they had a different Mike and Gloria... it was so interesting to see it.

[Guido Contini]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 2:39pm

I didn't like the original mike and gloria much...I like the knuckleheads they ended up with.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 2:43pm

Yeah that was definitely the right recasting decision.

[mominator]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 2:43pm

To this day I still love "All in the Family." It so broke my heart when Edith died, and Archie was left to raise Stephie on his own.

[Matt_G]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 2:44pm

You want to talk about real envelope pushing, all you have to do is look back to the fall of 1984 when a little girl named Punky Brewster walked into our living rooms. And our hearts.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 2:44pm

I saw a very old Will and Grace last night, and Megan Mullally was using her own voice. It just was nowhere near as funny, and reminded me of when Jean Stapleton used her own voice the first season of All In The Family. Also nowhere near as funny.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 2:45pm

I TOTALLY agree about the casting. But it isn't often that you get to compare and contrast casting like that.

[Matt_G]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 2:48pm

Blanche wasn't very Southern at all the first season of THE GOLDEN GIRLS. It takes a while sometimes for these characters to develop.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 2:48pm

Ah yes, Matt. Those were the days. Punky and her gruff old foster father and their dog and their spunky black neighbors. Broke the mold!

Updated On: 9/14/04 at 02:48 PM

[Matt_G]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 2:52pm

Oh, I see. Just because they're black they have to be spunky,huh?

Nice. Real nice.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 9/14/04 at 2:56pm

Hey - I didn't write the show!!