What's your favorite old time show?

Question

like Full house or Family Matters

Answer 1

I have so many favorites: All In the Family, Maude, The Odd Couple, The Golden Girls, Fresh Prince, Seinfeld, Family Matters (the earlier ones with Urkel on them).

There are more, i just can't remember anymore.

Answer 2

God I do feel old when 80s and 90s programs are listed as "old time" (these were shows I watched when they were first aired---yeesh)

Anyway, might as well put my vote in (for sitcoms):
50s--The Honeymooners (one of the finest sitcoms ever written with the best trio ever)

60s--tough one here since this decade was "eech" with bad shows that became nostalgia favorites ("I Dream of Jeannie", "Green Acres", "Beverly Hillbillies", "Bewitched", etc.)My pick would have to be the sitcom that, thankfully, has NOT been remade (it would be almost impossible to reproduce)--The Dick Van Dyke Show with scene stealing performances from Morey Amsterdam and Carl Reiner.

70s--Also a tough one since there were so many classics (MASH before it got preachy, The Odd Couple, All in the Family, Happy Days, Mary Tyler Moore Show) but my pick would have to be "WKRP in Cinncinnati" which had a brilliant ensemble and managed to give all of them their chance to shine ("Friends" bragged about how they did a true ensemble without any leads but "WKRP" did it first).

80s--Hands down easy pick--"Cheers". Once again, a great ensemble that were in perfect synch with each other. This was also one of the few series that didn't get lousy at the end (most shows tend to overstay their welcome) and, in fact, got a new burst of energy its last season. A show that has truly obtained "classic" status for good reason.

90s--Another easy pick--"Seinfeld". 10 years later, the shows are just as fresh and funny as they were the first time they aired. By keeping it restricted to just 4 main characters, it kept the writing tight and focused. It doesn't matter how many times you see the episode, it's hard not to laugh at "Master of my domain", "Yadda yadda yadda", and "NO SOUP FOR YOU!" Not that there's anything wrong that, of course :)

As for dramas--3 shows I want to give a special shoutout to:

60s--The Prisoner. An underseen, under-appreciated science fiction program. It only ran for 17 episodes but that was because the creator (and star and director and writer and theme song writer---ALL THE SAME GUY) Patrick McGoohan insisted on a maximum of 17 (he actually wanted to do less but the BBC convinced to do more). A little dated in terms of technology and costumes but the themes covered (privacy vs. community good) are even more relevant today than they were 40 years ago.

80s--St. Elsewhere. A medical show that managed to go beyond it's genre. It covered all the same plots that other shows have done before and since but it did it in a fresh and imaginitive way that kept you wondering what would happen next (one episode ended with 2 characters appearing as puppets while talking to each other). The reason was that, for its entire 5 years, it never got out of the bottom half of the ratings and was constantly in danger of being cancelled. Thus, the producers went with a "what the hell" attitude and just left their imaginations run wild. It still has one of the most devisive series finales ever (was a it a pretentious copout or a brilliant allegorie--I vote for the latter).

90s--Easy one here--"Buffy the Vampire Slayer". It's easy to rip on the show based on it's title, premise and origin (the movie was hideous and even the screenwriter Joss Whedon has disowned it). But the original screenwriter did what was previously thought impossible--he took a cheesy movie and made it into a brilliant television series. Whenever I use "brilliant" and "artistic" with the show, people (who have never actually watched the show) usually roll their eyes but their episodes ("The Body", "Becoming Part 2", "Hush" "Passion" and "The Grave" and "Once More with Feeling") that can compare with anything from more legitimate shows like "The West Wing" and "Sopranos". As a challenge--sit through "The Body" (where the main character's mother dies and we see the single most realistic depiction of people's reactions to death) and NOT say that you are watching something that exceeded the genre and medium.

Answer 3

All In The Family
I Love Lucy
Mama's Family

Answer 4

Get Smart was a favorite of mine if you are talking 80's 90's like family house and family matters that would be Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Answer 5

Family matters. I cant stand full house. Im sorry i just hate that little girl.

Answer 6

50s - I love Lucy
60s - Andy Griffith
70-s Brady Bunch
80's Family Ties/Growing Pains
90's - Roseanne/ Cosby Show

~Maxie

Answer 7

The Brady Bunch

Answer 8

full house family matters all in the family 90210 melrose place

Answer 9

Hr puffenstuff , land of the lost , planet of the apes, space 1999, twilight zone , Theres lots

Answer 10

Scooby-Doo and The Cosby Show

Answer 11

I like both of those, but I can't get enough of Little House on the Prairie.