I was having a discussion today at work about old TV shows, (much more fun than actual real work), and we were talking about how TV today turns out some decent shows like Dexter, Fringe, The Shield but nothing that I would consider to be really memorable television that will stick in peoples minds in the same way that some of the 80's stuff did. Maybe its just because I was so young and things tend to stick in kids minds but to me there was some great television in that decade and tonight I went back and watched some clips for some old TV. Some are obviously enjoyable cheese like Knight Rider, Airwolf and Street Hawk but there were some really great Drama/Action shows too. You might not be old enough to remember too much from the 80's so we'll take some early 90s shows as well. What are your favourites? These are the ones that REALLY stand out for me. Miami Vice Just the coolest show ever. It actually stands up well today if you can get past the insane "big hair" and actually believe that people dressed like that. Although I think 80's fashion is coming back..It had awesome music, Ferrari's and Lambourghini's, Phil Collins as a villain at one point too. Magnum PI - It was actually semi-serious and had some great scenes in. The Equalizer - A Jag driving Englishman protects the citizens of New York? Sign me up for some of that. There was a rumour that this show was getting a remake.. Obviously there's some missing but what would you recommend? What else could I go out an downloa...i mean buy in an expensive collectors DVD boxset?
The Fall Guy. Simon and Simon I was an Elvira fan before I knew what boobs were. I'm not sure if this is the original opening or not.
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Easily the best Trek show, and one of the greatest Sci-Fi series of all time. Makes the original series look like a joke by comparison. Pretty weak during the first two seasons, but it really picks up in season three, and from then on it's almost consistently awesome. Characters are all pretty likeable/memorable, especially Picard and Data. Lots of great episodes. Generally pretty well written and acted. Some very cool concepts like the Borg collective that others have copied. It spawned three mediocre to downright awful spinoffs, but TNG itself was great. Lots of people who weren't Trekkies loved this show and it won a bunch of Emmys. This show has become iconic in a lot of ways, and is the gold standard by which other Sci-Fi TV series are judged. It's almost hard to put into words just how amazingly good and influential this show was, especially at the time. The Twilight Zone - This is high concept horror and sci-fi at its very best. I love watching marathons of this around the holidays. The Simpsons (pre-1998) - This used to be the funniest show on TV in the mid 90s. Now it blows goats. I don't think the show ever recovered from the death of Phil Hartman.
Twin Peaks, 1990-91 Merely the precursor to every quirky episodic drama with a large ensemble cast on cable TV. Easily one of the most influential TV shows ever made. Rockford Files, 1974-80 Probably the best detective show made for television, period. Great humor, characters, location shooting, and car chases! Remington Steele, 1982-87 One of the biggest sleeper hits of the 1980's. Pierce Brosnan was a complete unknown, and the show delivered an entertaining mix of humor, intrigue, and romance.
How on earth did I forget Twin Peaks?? The Rockford Files used to be shown over here really late at night on BBC 2. I always remember that if I saw the intro to Rockford Files or Cagney and Lacey I knew I was up really late on a school night.
It was basically the same here in the U.S. My introduction to the show was seeing syndicated repeats after the local 10 PM news was over. I think one channel in my local area always showed M*A*S*H (which could easily have made my list), and the other did Rockford Files.
I have to add these...my three favorite classic TV mini-series. Shogun, 1980 Despite an ending that doesn't quite live up to the buildup that comes before, this is a high watermark for American historical series. Richard Chamberlain is actually a pretty good actor when he has the right role, and the location shooting is great. Reilly: Ace of Spies, 1983 Truly great installment in the espionage genre from the UK, but was also shown in the U.S. on PBS. Sam Neill nails it as the anti-hero Sidney Reilly, who alternates from hero to complete bastard throughout the series. Classic ending as well... Lonesome Dove, 1989 I had mistakenly avoided this one for years thinking it was going to be melodramatic and/or schmaltzy, but it is a legitimate classic in the western genre. Powerful story and a great acting performance turned in by Duvall and others.
I'm going real old school for some of these: The Avengers (1965-1968ish) Obviously I never caught this back in the day (I'm not that old. I think.) but I saw repeats in the 90s and really enjoyed them. Sure, it's cheesy as hell but it's just so unique and charming. Got the DVDs a while back and still very entertaining indeed. Columbo (late 60s onwards) I hated this as a kid but now I've really grown to like it. I do enjoy a good detective show and Columbo is a great character. With the right guest star then it's a real treat; I keep meaning to watch the one with William Shatner. Should be ham-tastic. Jonathan Creek (1997 onwards) Hard to say if this qualifies as they still do occasional specials. The first couple of series were my favourites but it's always been very good. A nice mixture of mystery with comedy.