tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post1233201733238596209..comments2024-01-02T20:31:43.915-06:00Comments on In Medias Res: Ten Television Shows That Changed My LifeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-3013355341452553502010-02-18T13:45:10.948-06:002010-02-18T13:45:10.948-06:00in chronological order: Electric Company (I have n...in chronological order: Electric Company (I have no memories of watching Sesame Street though I knew all the songs and had several albums) Bugs Bunny Cartoons (the old ones on after school, not the Saturday morning ones); Carol Burnett Show (if parents would let me stay up to watch); Star Trek original (for recreating episodes on the playground) Saturday Night Live (ditto); Northern Exposure (explained my life in New Mexico to myself); Star Trek TNG (in reruns in grad school with my housemates late at night); Buffy; Homicide; Survivor especially the first season when it felt like Lori and I were the only ones watching and were also following it on Survivorsucks.com.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08545549190776436804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-40095096298915285892010-02-11T10:55:35.485-06:002010-02-11T10:55:35.485-06:00The Goodies I know, and Dr. Who, of course (I had ...The Goodies I know, and Dr. Who, of course (I had a couple of friends who were passionate about the Tom Baker episodes on PBS in my youth 25 years ago, and I watched a few and like them, but I never became a big fan myself). But Morecambe and Wise...that's completely new to me. More stuff to look up on Youtube, I guess!Russell Arben Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03366800726360134194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-18225048846838803102010-02-11T10:28:56.201-06:002010-02-11T10:28:56.201-06:00I loved television, and loved a lot of shows. But ...I loved television, and loved a lot of shows. But of all of them, just three.<br /><br />The Goodies<br /><br />Morecambe and Wise<br /><br />and most of all<br /><br />Doctor Who which I continue to adore, and find it completely, completely bizarre that having spend my whole childhood regarded as a nerd for liking it I have a teenage daughter who is regarded as the epitome of cool for having found it so long before any of her friends.Harry Bhttp://www.crookedtimber.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-55733393315744657032010-02-06T08:18:59.458-06:002010-02-06T08:18:59.458-06:00While I am sure that you give great allegiance to ...While I am sure that you give great allegiance to Sunday School, the real RAF is more a creation of these influences than anything that happened once a week and was frequently incompetent on a production values basis.<br /><br />deashiAloysiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13858618410784962169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-40408978368934913872010-02-05T09:14:08.687-06:002010-02-05T09:14:08.687-06:00Well, I can't vouch for how well Cosmos has ag...Well, I can't vouch for how well Cosmos has aged. The FX were very low-budget, and I'm sure after 30 years some of the science is out of date. I think what impressed me most, though, was its sense of wonder at the universe. Since I grew up in a non-religious household, that was my version of "the heavens proclaim the glory of God" and so on.<br /><br />I think I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the Oprah Winfrey Show. Yes, it's easy to look back now and blame her for New Age and Jerry Springer and the whole culture of emotional voyeurism. But back in the first few seasons, when I was in the taboo-laden environment of high school, it was amazing to see someone talk about things like domestic violence and child molestation in a forthright and compassionate way.<br /><br />Mostly, though, I remember music videos from that era in more detail than the TV shows. As you know, that was the Golden Age. Though your postings here have called back some videos that I'd successfully repressed...Camassiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09183087564923218343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-14808283890314615662010-02-05T09:00:48.386-06:002010-02-05T09:00:48.386-06:00The early MASH seasons were the good ones. It went...<i>The early MASH seasons were the good ones. It went downhill pretty quickly without Henry and dropped like a rock without Frank.</i><br /><br />I agree with Henry's departure being a loss to the show; I think his character could have developed in some wonderful ways, and would have kept a degree of whimsy in the show. But I didn't miss Frank, MH; he was such a thoroughly stock character, the complete idiot straight man, that--as the years went by and the reruns filled me in on what I'd missed--I just found him boring. Winchester was an infinitely more fun character, capable of being used in far more ways by the writers than Frank ever was. Also, Frank's departure meant Margaret's character could be developed further. No, I think his leaving made for a better show.Russell Arben Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03366800726360134194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-75326633122374231002010-02-05T08:34:06.847-06:002010-02-05T08:34:06.847-06:00The early MASH seasons were the good ones. It wen...The early MASH seasons were the good ones. It went downhill pretty quickly without Henry and dropped like a rock without Frank. People who can play those types of parts well are apparently hard to come by.MHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-66725640392255420292010-02-05T01:09:58.886-06:002010-02-05T01:09:58.886-06:00Just sent you an FB invitation to something about ...Just sent you an FB invitation to something about Strange Women Lying in Ponds...Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08347959329330918114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-58396372269334820612010-02-04T22:59:37.114-06:002010-02-04T22:59:37.114-06:00Thanks for the comments, everyone. (Even you, Aloy...Thanks for the comments, everyone. (Even you, Aloysius. It's nice to have a troll of my own, after all these years. You're probably correct that my parents should have done more to control my television watching. Silly people, having nine children, and then not disciplining them properly. They ought to be ashamed. I still love 'em, though.)<br /><br />Rob, I watched about five or six episodes of the first season of Babylon 5 (which my brother sent me on tape, after the show had finished its run) and I liked what I saw, but it did really grab me. Perhaps someday I'll give it another shot. (And, of course, you guys have been all on my case about Firefly.)<br /><br />Tracy, nice to learn you were a Northern Exposure fan too.<br /><br />Jacob, by the next-to-last season of DS9, the war with the Dominion had absorbed so many other decent plotlines, and yet the whole story with the Founders and Odo and Section 31 and all the rest felt like it was being thrown together--and of course, it was in the sixth season that Gul Dukat lost all shades of grey and turned into a Pah-Wraith demon. Granted, it could have come together in the final season, but with Dax recast and Sisko suddenly the Messiah, there was probably no way to save it. No, I cared about DS9 until the end, but--despite the frequent fine episodes--I was never really happy with it after the awesome fifth season.<br /><br />Camassia, some of my friends--like Rob, up above--have urged me to check out Cosmos. I did watch one episode, and found it fascinating; I'll have to find the time to check out the whole thing one of these days. As for cartoons and sitcoms, I had my favorites. I had Superfriends bed sheets, just like every other kid. And I did watch The Brady Bunch in after school reruns. But my favorite of those reruns, by far? Hogan's Heroes, absolutely.Russell Arben Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03366800726360134194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-73114719413747811372010-02-04T21:59:03.279-06:002010-02-04T21:59:03.279-06:00I am definitely with you on the first three, thoug...I am definitely with you on the first three, though it sounds like I didn't start watching Star Trek until I was older than you were -- I was about 12, as I recall. Actually I was big on all the Star Treks up to Enterprise. I even have fond memories of Voyager, which no one else seems to admit to liking. As you say, the social aspect is part of it -- when Voyager came out I was just moving out on my own, got my first real job, and made a friend there who was even geekier than I was.<br /><br />My first hardcore geek show, though, was Cosmos. Do you remember that? I was eight or nine, and I thought it was the most awesome thing ever. Even though I realized even then that Carl Sagan talked a little funny.<br /><br />I guess Superfriends must have had an impact on me, because that's the first superhero show I remember watching, and I'm still fascinated by superheroes. Given how big superhero films are these days, maybe my whole generation was brainwashed.<br /><br />My whole generation was also brainwashed by The Brady Bunch. On the distaff side of the playground anyway, everybody seemed to know every episode. Though precisely because it was so universal, it doesn't seem that personal to me now.<br /><br />I was definitely more into TV as a child than as an adult. I followed Buffy the Vampire Slayer up to the end, and I was also fairly avid about Farscape, until it was abruptly canceled. That was when I canceled my cable actually, because that was the last cable show I really was interested in. I was interested in Lost for a while but bailed out in the second season.Camassiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09183087564923218343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-34901896350219342912010-02-04T21:53:41.429-06:002010-02-04T21:53:41.429-06:00Nothing could explain you better than your list. I...Nothing could explain you better than your list. Its an object lesson in the benefits of controlling your child's TV viewing time.<br /><br />omstioAloysiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13858618410784962169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-15342602135290795072010-02-04T18:10:08.844-06:002010-02-04T18:10:08.844-06:00I've discovered two very important differences...I've discovered two very important differences between you and me:<br /><br />1) In *my* house, we couldn't afford no fancy Commodore 64. We had the C64's idiot cousin, the Commodore Vic-20!<br /><br />2) I think that DS9 collapsed in the final season, not the final two seasons; I still think the second-to-last season is part of the great run of the show.<br /><br />Otherwise, I'm really with you on basically everything (right down to that 2-3 times per day Sesame Street habit) until Homicide and Holmes (neither of which I've ever watched at all).Jacob T. Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02575549001627195334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-19521497216684450282010-02-04T17:26:38.359-06:002010-02-04T17:26:38.359-06:00Northern Exposure is one of my all-time favorite s...Northern Exposure is one of my all-time favorite shows. And Homicide- wow, what a cast/show that was...Tracy Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00313599613564358326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-79795210920023281792010-02-04T17:17:19.869-06:002010-02-04T17:17:19.869-06:00Gah, I nearly forgot:
Doctor Who. Does it really ...Gah, I nearly forgot:<br /><br />Doctor Who. Does it really need an introduction or a reason why?Rob Perkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15618647194288598056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-5310524344263213022010-02-04T17:15:43.092-06:002010-02-04T17:15:43.092-06:00-- Babylon 5 (which, among its fans, is considered...-- Babylon 5 (which, among its fans, is considered the show DS9 was supposed to be, what with its producer floating the idea to Paramount before Warner Brothers picked it up)<br /><br />-- Firefly, which only has 13 episodes, but it was the only way (apparently!) that I'd ever have taken interest in a Western. <br /><br />-- We used to watch a lot of Law and Order, back when there was only one variant. NBC overdid it, though. <br /><br />-- First two seasons of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which went further than most crime shows to showcase forensic sciences. And then CBS overdid it.<br /><br />-- Heroes, until it was clear that Sylar was never going to actually be killed. Never went back to that one after the writer's strike.<br /><br />-- Seinfeld and Friends, of course, even though in hindsight they just made us cringe, all the time. <br /><br />-- The "A" Team. Again, in hindsight, it was to see that car crash stunt they did, all the time.Rob Perkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15618647194288598056noreply@blogger.com