Top Ten Television Shows
As many of you know, I am a compulsive list-maker. That is I love "top ten" lists of all kinds. I love reading them. I love making them. I love ranking things. When my family is driving in the car, often we'll play a game we call "Either, Or" which means you just roate asking questions and everybody answers. For example, "If you had to choose to give up either ice cream or steak for a year, which would you choose?" You get the idea.
Driving back from Arizona over Christmas break, somebody asked: "If you had to choose to give up television or music for the rest of your life, which would you give up?" As often happens, our family split down the middle: Wes and Dad would give up TV whereas Max and Mom would give up music. (The girls don't really play yet). Although I would never change that answer, and, like I read on a bumper sticker once, "Life without music would be a mistake," I did get to thinking about television shows since then. Thus, here is my top ten television shows of all-time list. Keep in mind, these lists are always fluid and they can change on any given day. Also, I am excluding variety shows such as "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" which would make my list or "Saturday Night Live" because I'd have to specify a time period like 1975-1979 only; so, I'm talking "episodic television" here. You know the "Academy Awards" may be my Superbowl, but I can't say watching the Oscars being handed out is a favorite show. And, I may be totally hooked on "Survivor" but I'm not ready to put reality TV on a list like this yet. Best comment you could give me is your own top ten list, that is if you like this sort of thing.
DOAH'S TOP TEN TV SHOWS OF ALL-TIME
1. PICKET FENCES
2. TWIN PEAKS
3. THE ROCKFORD FILES
4. SEINFELD
5. THE X-FILES
6. LOST
7. L.A. LAW
8. THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW
9. THE TWILIGHT ZONE
10. STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
Driving back from Arizona over Christmas break, somebody asked: "If you had to choose to give up television or music for the rest of your life, which would you give up?" As often happens, our family split down the middle: Wes and Dad would give up TV whereas Max and Mom would give up music. (The girls don't really play yet). Although I would never change that answer, and, like I read on a bumper sticker once, "Life without music would be a mistake," I did get to thinking about television shows since then. Thus, here is my top ten television shows of all-time list. Keep in mind, these lists are always fluid and they can change on any given day. Also, I am excluding variety shows such as "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" which would make my list or "Saturday Night Live" because I'd have to specify a time period like 1975-1979 only; so, I'm talking "episodic television" here. You know the "Academy Awards" may be my Superbowl, but I can't say watching the Oscars being handed out is a favorite show. And, I may be totally hooked on "Survivor" but I'm not ready to put reality TV on a list like this yet. Best comment you could give me is your own top ten list, that is if you like this sort of thing.
DOAH'S TOP TEN TV SHOWS OF ALL-TIME
1. PICKET FENCES
2. TWIN PEAKS
3. THE ROCKFORD FILES
4. SEINFELD
5. THE X-FILES
6. LOST
7. L.A. LAW
8. THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW
9. THE TWILIGHT ZONE
10. STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
Labels: lists, television
posted by Doah at 1:35 PM
3 Comments:
1) You have admitted that you are powerless over top ten making and that your life had become unmangeable.
Just kidding. Great list. And I am glad to see you left reality TV off the list. I still have yet to see a full episode of Survior. I fell alseep during a thanksgiving episode and began snoring loudly. I was not at mt house and was jabbed in the ribs to stop my snoring. Those you of you that have been in the same room when I snore know what hell that can be (Sorry Shenan, I know you lost a lot of sleep that summer in New Mexico when we had to share a hotel room)
I'm lame with my TV experience, just don't watch that much. Rockford was the coolest private-eye ever, though, wasn't he? Was the limp real? I dug his dad, Rocky.
Since I'm a TV novice, I can only come up with four...
1. Hobo Kelly
A free Blockbuster rental to you if you've even HEARD of it (mid 60's). Used to watch it the morning before school. Hobo Kelly came along around the same time as Bozo the Clown and Captain Kangaroo (remember those?). Hobo Kelly had this cool trick, where she'd paint a blank wall with blue-screen paint. The effect was that she'd instantly create this artistic masterpiece. Ridiculous TV trickery, but to a 6 year old, it was MAGIC! I still think it had something to do with me pursuing art with my life.
2. Gilligan's Island
Come on!... how can you NOT list this? The Desert Isle? The Professor making a radio out of coconuts and bamboo (but can't patch a hole in the S.S. Minnow)? Marianne and Ginger? Dude... this was captivating situation comedy at it's finest!
3. 24
If ever there was a case for Tivo, this is it. I was hooked on the first season, haven't really watched since. I'd be up for a 24 hour marathon sometime, though. I hear they're out on DVD!
4. Nightline
Okay, this breaks from the entertainment theme of lists here, but when Ted Koppel hosted, Nightline was one of the best uses of the medium there ever was. ABC recently gave him the boot, and have apparently relegated Nightline the myriad of other "News Magazine" shows. Unlike other news shows, Koppel would choose just one topic and dive deep. He is one tough SOB interviewer, and never slid into the Geraldo Rivera self promotion ditch. I have a lot of respect for a guy who stuck to his guns, valued old-school journalism, and exited in style. He's launching a new show on the Discovery channel, I'm interested to see how that goes.
I wanted to post my friend, Don Wersky's top TV shows:
1. M*A*S*H
2. I LOVE LUCY
3. THE HONEYMOONERS
4. ALL IN THE FAMILY
5. MORK AND MINDY
6. L.A. LAW
7. SEINFELD
Good picks Don. Had to post them!
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