Which network television era was better, old, middle or new?

I think 84-Present was the best, thats when all my favorite series aired.
I think TV got better with each decade, until 2000, and it all began to fall.

I'm gonna say new, 'coz it includes all the shows from the late 80's as well.
The 90's was a good era for sitcoms. :D

I picked mid-generation because most of my favorite shows aired then or were at their highest point then...

Mid-generation

Mid Generation. I like a lot of shows since but theirs also a lot of crap on as well.

All of them. Let's see which shows came during the periods

Old Aged: I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, Maverick, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Dragnet, The Brady Bunch, Room 222.

Mid Generation: All In the Family, The Jeffersons, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Three's Company, Charlie's Angels, Happy Days, Starsky and Hutch, Lou Grant, Soap.

The New Blood (1984-1990): The Cosby Show, Benson, Perfect Strangers, Hill Street Blues, The Golden Girls, Roseanne, LA Law, Cagney and Lacey, St. Elsewhere, Family Ties, MacGyver, Murphy Brown.

The New Blood (1990-Present): Seinfeld, Law and Order, Northern Exposure, Picket Fences, Ally McBeal, Friends, The Nanny, Wings, The X Files, The Practice, ER, Desperate Housewives, My So Called Life, thirtysomething, Ellen, Newsradio, Jack and Bobby, etc. etc. etc.

They were all great.

All of them. Let's see which shows came during the periods

The New Blood (1984-1990): The Cosby Show, Benson, Perfect Strangers, Hill Street Blues, The Golden Girls, Roseanne, LA Law, Cagney and Lacey, St. Elsewhere, Family Ties, MacGyver, Murphy Brown.

They were all great.

By the Spring of '86, "Benson" was dead.

I'll show you:
Benson's 7th season: #71

I would've said '76 to '86... that would include everything from Good Times to Punky Brewster. I loved the early seasons of a lot of 80's sitcoms. After '86 they all became so commercial if that's the right word.

I like TV in the 1980's best. When you watched a program the V-Chip
didn't come on to tell you a program's rating like it does today. And
you could always find a show to watch with your family.
The sitcoms were so cool and those sucky reality shows didn't
come on either.You had a chance to escape from reality then!

Late 60s-70s. Early-mid 90s. That's about it.

I wouldn't lump in the 90's with today, I think the 90's (mainly early 90's) had some of the best Television and also brought some of the best.

I would have to say that 1985-1999 were probably the best years of TV for me, mainly before the death of the Family Sitcom.

Yeah,Alot of people whom I know where against the 90's-200's sitcoms
because they said that they mentioned the word sex alot and they
didn't want their kids to watch that kind of stuff. Some of the sitcoms
today bore me because they all basically have an episode topic that
reminds you of one you saw on another show.

they are Five Era's of TV
Sitcoms
1946-58 The Housewives & Men work Hard
1958-70 The Hilliblillie Life & The Perfect Family Life
1970-82 The Bluecollar Family Life, The 50s & Be on your Own Life
1982-94 The Family Life & Worked Life
1994-06 The Single Life & Sex Life

Dramas
1946-58 Sweet Westerns & More Westerns
1958-70 Western Life & The Perfect Cops Life
1970-82 The Cops Life & Family Pre 1970s Life
1982-94 The Rich Greedy Family Life & Cops & Lawyers Life
1994-06 The Sercet Agents Life & Teen Life

Reality
1946-58 The Game Show Era
1958-70 The Skits Comedy Era
1970-82 The Varitey Show Era
1982-94 The Home Video Era
1994-06 The Contest Era

Assuming the 70-80's are the middle I pick that era as the best
mid 90's and up suck to much reality and Forensic, Medical, and Law shows have dominated the prime time hours. I do like the CSI and Law and Order series but will trade all the reality for 80's type sitcoms anyday.

they are Five Era's of TV
Sitcoms
1946-58 The Housewives & Men work Hard
1958-70 The Hilliblillie Life & The Perfect Family Life
1970-82 The Bluecollar Family Life, The 50s & Be on your Own Life
1982-94 The Family Life & Worked Life
1994-06 The Single Life & Sex Life

Dramas
1946-58 Sweet Westerns & More Westerns
1958-70 Western Life & The Perfect Cops Life
1970-82 The Cops Life & Family Pre 1970s Life
1982-94 The Rich Greedy Family Life & Cops & Lawyers Life
1994-06 The Sercet Agents Life & Teen Life

Reality
1946-58 The Game Show Era
1958-70 The Skits Comedy Era
1970-82 The Varitey Show Era
1982-94 The Home Video Era
1994-06 The Contest Era
If I had a choice, for sitcoms, I'd take 1970-1982, for dramas, 1982-1994, and for reality, 1970-1982.

they are Five Era's of TV
Sitcoms
1946-58 The Housewives & Men work Hard
1958-70 The Hilliblillie Life & The Perfect Family Life
1970-82 The Bluecollar Family Life, The 50s & Be on your Own Life
1982-94 The Family Life & Worked Life
1994-06 The Single Life & Sex Life

Dramas
1946-58 Sweet Westerns & More Westerns
1958-70 Western Life & The Perfect Cops Life
1970-82 The Cops Life & Family Pre 1970s Life
1982-94 The Rich Greedy Family Life & Cops & Lawyers Life
1994-06 The Sercet Agents Life & Teen Life

Reality
1946-58 The Game Show Era
1958-70 The Skits Comedy Era
1970-82 The Varitey Show Era
1982-94 The Home Video Era
1994-06 The Contest Era

For sitcoms I'd take 1982-1994, for dramas I'd go with 1994-2006, and for reality 1970-1982.

I pick the Mid Generation from 1970-1984. The Old Aged is O.K. But The New Blood can bite on my @$$, them NBC stars from 1985 really piss me off.

I pick the Mid Generation from 1970-1984. The Old Aged is O.K. But The New Blood can bite on my @$$, them NBC stars from 1985 really piss me off.
But don't you just love the ones from 1986?

But don't you just love the ones from 1986?

Damn Bill Cosby, Charlotte Rae, Michael J. Fox and Bea Arthur to hell.... but ALF is just da bomb diggity, lol

Damn Bill Cosby, Charlotte Rae, Michael J. Fox and Bea Arthur to hell.... but ALF is just da bomb diggity, lol

:lol: That made me laugh.

But don't you just love the ones from 1986?

Look man, 1985 & 1986 do have simularites when it comes to TV & Celebs. NBC was still on top with the rich family bull$***, MTV was all about pop, and hair metal, and the celebs at the time thought they were cool. So the answer is "ugh" no.

Look man, 1985 & 1986 do have simularites when it comes to TV & Celebs. NBC was still on top with the rich family bull$***, MTV was all about pop, and hair metal, and the celebs at the time thought they were cool. So the answer is "ugh" no.
Um, actually, NBC didn't have "rich family bull$***" in 1985 or 1986. That would be CBS with "Dallas" and "Falcon Crest" and ABC with "Dynasty" and "Dynasty II: The Colbys".....

And in regards to MTV...it's a music station...isn't it supposed to have pop and hair metal? Or do you expect chess championships and exciting footage of flowers blooming in April?

Um, actually, NBC didn't have "rich family bull$***" in 1985 or 1986. That would be CBS with "Dallas" and "Falcon Crest" and ABC with "Dynasty" and "Dynasty II: The Colbys".....

And in regards to MTV...it's a music station...isn't it supposed to have pop and hair metal? Or do you expect chess championships and exciting footage of flowers blooming in April?

You don't get it do ya! Let me tell you something. NBC was all about them overrated sitcoms, The Cosby Show & Family Ties at numbers #1 & #2 in 1985 & 1986, booyah! Where the f*** was Spenser: For Hire & Webster on ABC.

However, MTV didn't even play rap music until Run D.M.C. hooked up with rock band Aerosmith, and they've never had any hardcore/punk bands on their station until the 90s started.

However, MTV didn't even play rap music until Run D.M.C. hooked up with rock band Aerosmith, and they've never had any hardcore/punk bands on their station until the 90s started.

I thought the music industry was infinately better before rap music took over and put everything else into a stranglehold. Give me any top 40 chart from 1983-1987 before the stuff out today. It's sad to see people like Mariah hooking up with rappers because they think it'll help make them look cooler.

Anyways, you're telling me if Cosby and Family Ties were #31 and #32, you'd like them, but you can't because they were #1 and #2?

NBC and MTV were both infinately better 20 years ago than today.

Give me Duran Duran, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna and all that other "bad 80's pop and hair metal" over 50 Cent, Simple Plan and all the other crap rap, teen junk and reality shows they air.

Nothing on NBC present-day is as good as Cosby, Family Ties, Cheers or ANYTHING ELSE that they had in 1985.

NBC and MTV were both infinately better 20 years ago than today.

Give me Duran Duran, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna and all that other "bad 80's pop and hair metal" over 50 Cent, Simple Plan and all the other crap rap, teen junk and reality shows they air.

Nothing on NBC present-day is as good as Cosby, Family Ties, Cheers or ANYTHING ELSE that they had in 1985.
Yes, and loves me some rich family bull$***.

Yes, and loves me some rich family bull$***.

yep, it doesn't bother me so much that some people dislike that era, but when they tell us we're wrong if we prefer the era, and that MTV sucked because they didn't overplay hip hop music like they ended up doing (I prefered the days when rap was a nice little niche and that r&b was a lot more uptempo and didn't rely on hip hop to succeed), then all they're doing is ticking

At least NBC had an audience when it relied on "overrated sitcoms", now that Joey (which sucks) and Will And Grace (which hasn't been funny in four years) is all they have to rely on, NBC's as dead as the Dumont network. Anyways, why do some people feel like they need to live by the ratings instead of just liking what THEY like, instead of "this is popular, I can't like this because I wanna look cool because I'll look different". If you don't like a show, don't like it because you don't like the cast, writing, whatever, not because it's "overrated" and you wanna make a stand.

well, we know you hate mid-80's NBC sitcoms and pop music, what do you actually like? It's always better to emphasize on what you like instead of what you dislike. I don't like Raymond, so I've never posted on the board, but I do post on boards for shows I do like.

yep, it doesn't bother me so much that some people dislike that era, but when they tell us we're wrong if we prefer the era, and that MTV sucked because they didn't overplay hip hop music like they ended up doing (I prefered the days when rap was a nice little niche and that r&b was a lot more uptempo and didn't rely on hip hop to succeed), then all they're doing is ticking

At least NBC had an audience when it relied on "overrated sitcoms", now that Joey (which sucks) and Will And Grace (which hasn't been funny in four years) is all they have to rely on, NBC's as dead as the Dumont network. Anyways, why do some people feel like they need to live by the ratings instead of just liking what THEY like, instead of "this is popular, I can't like this because I wanna look cool because I'll look different". If you don't like a show, don't like it because you don't like the cast, writing, whatever, not because it's "overrated" and you wanna make a stand.

Oh Buffy! OH BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER! You're favorites vs. my favorites at my new thread! ABC & Underground vs. NBC & MTV '85-'86. Be there!

lol, ok.

Well, Roseanne is an ABC sitcom that started in the 1980's and I'd have it over any NBC show from the 80's (even Facts Of Life), so does that count at all?

As much as I love some of the sitcoms from the 70's, My heart lies with the new stuff. TV programming has changed alot in the last 15 years.

I wonder how many people are voting based on when they were young? For some reason, my favorite shows are all from my youth. I think if they tried to put Gimmie A Break on tv today I would puke. But 20 years ago I could not get enough of it and the middle girl Samantha.

I should add, that back then I would have picked a Big Mac for dinner over a lobster.

I wish I could have stayed stuck in my pre-pubescent years.

Magnum, you're probably right.

While I think if Roseanne was to premiere today, I'd still be a fan. There are 80's shows I love as a kid and still love now, like Gimme A Break, Facts Of Life, Diff'rent Strokes, etc... that I'm sure I wouldn't bother giving a chance if they premiered today, but yet I still love and enjoy those shows because I have all the childhood memories of them.

I think kids of every generation are like that, you see people in their 20's who still watch Saved By The Bell, it's doubtful if it premiered today they'd like it. Every generation has their shows.

Yes it's weird how people cling to their actual childhood years. I mean I've loved and watched I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Kenan & Kel, Fresh Prince, Seinfeld, King of Queens religiously and rave about them, yet I only "obsess" on my late 70's - mid 80's ones... i.e. buy the dvds, visit websites, forums etc. In fact I'll concede that there are hundreds of shows I find 100% funnier than my two faves Punky and Good Times, yet there's some strange pull towards what you watched as a kid... maybe it's like a comfort zone. Like I'd be in hysterics over The Nanny and not Good Times, yet I'd buy Good Times on dvd. Weird!

I'd like to put in a vote for the 'old' generation, even though most of the shows that make up that era were on before I was born and I had to discover them through reruns. I'm willing to go on record and say that I would rather watch a terrible episode of "Gilligan's Island" than an outstanding one of "Seinfeld" any day, any year. My reasons are as follows:


---The shows existed in a simpler, less stressful, era.

---Families were modeled on what we wanted ours to be like, rather than what we were already like. Parents were treated with respect, even when they were wrong.

---Plots dealt with fantasy and escapism, rather than reality and truth.

---They were also creative and imaginative. Each week, the viewer felt like he was watching an exciting bedtime story, rather than a standard stand-up routine.

---Nobody ever died, nobody ever got hurt. Violence was strictly of the cartoon variety. The most serious problems anyone ever faced was whether they could get dates for Saturday night. Not having one constituted a major crisis.

---We can emphatize and feel for the characters, even the bad guys, and we can laugh with them, instead of at them.

---Speaking of bad guys, there was always a clear distinction between good and evil, right and wrong. Good always triumphed over evil and evil was always punished. Today, it seems like the bad guys are the heroes.

---Sex and other adult themes were implied rather than demonstrated, which sometimes added to the humour.

---In the 50s and 60s, there were NO REALITY SERIES!!!!

---Or maybe, the shows as a whole were simply better and funnier. There was more quantity and quality than there is now. As an example, consider the year 1965, which featured the following sitcoms:

The Addams Family
Bewitched
Mr Ed
McHale's Navy
The Munsters
I Dream Of Jeannie
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Petticoat Junction
Get Smart
Green Acres
Gilligan's Island
Gomer Pyle USMC
My Three Sons
The Andy Griffith Show
The Lucy Show
The Donna Reed Show
Ozzie and Harriet
Hogan's Heroes
The Flinstones

That's 20 shows in all! Look at what ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX have out today. Some weeks, you won't find 20 sitcoms combined, and not too many good ones either.

To be fair, I also have many favorites from the 70s to the present, and that will never change, but for me, give me the 'oldies' any day. I will never get tired of watching them, even now that some of them are on DVD, which only adds to the fun and, more importantly, subtracts from the ratings of the 4 networks.

Today, the sitcom may not be dying completely, but a few weeks in intensive care can't hurt. Even so, I'll still be watching the old stuff---and, loving it!!

NBC and MTV were both infinately better 20 years ago than today.

Give me Duran Duran, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna and all that other "bad 80's pop and hair metal" over 50 Cent, Simple Plan and all the other crap rap, teen junk and reality shows they air.

Nothing on NBC present-day is as good as Cosby, Family Ties, Cheers or ANYTHING ELSE that they had in 1985.

Sorry Buffy, But I have to agree on the NBC and MTV hater, and I'll tell you why. Because MTV had always suck, and I always hated the music they play like REO Speedwagon. Why can't anybody listen to bands like Sex Pistols, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and the Bad Brains.

And about NBC, if you think that the stars from that network at the time are popular & yet overrated, you're right. I really don't give a rats about NBC's hit shows of 1985, and where was the rest of the cast of It's Your Move (besides Jason Bateman)? NOWHERE!

So my pick is the Mid-Generation (1970-1984). At least the CBS & ABC shows like All In The Family, Jeffersons, Happy Days, and Three's Company had the power to take out The Cosby Show, and the rest of those other shows on NBC. The NBC network stars think they're all cool but they're not.

Sorry Buffy, But I have to agree on the NBC and MTV hater, and I'll tell you why. Because MTV had always suck, and I always hated the music they play like REO Speedwagon. Why can't anybody listen to bands like Sex Pistols, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and the Bad Brains.

I understand exactly what you're saying (I agree, I hate the fact that MTV tries to dictate what is "cool" and what "sucks" instead of giving the audience the freewill to choose for themselves), but I'd say that MTV's showed a lot more Chili Peppers videos than REO Speedwagon actually. When did people last hear from REO outside of the "free concert at the state fair" circuit, 1987 or so? RHCP continue to receive MTV support with each passing album, I even remember when MTV had the 20th anniversary special, there was a big deal that "somebody really big and important to MTV is going to give a surprise performance", and a lot of people assumed it was going to be someone like Michael Jackson, Madonna or maybe a reunited Guns N Roses, but then it was the Chili Peppers. I definately would say they've broke big when MTV considers them in that league.

I agree a number of the NBC shows in the 80's were overrated (but for every Cosby Show there's three Gimme A Break's), but for the most part, they were still good. Scrubs is the only current sitcom on NBC that is decent IMO and NBC basically gave it the kiss of death by relegating it to midseason, Will And Grace stopped being funny about four years ago and Joey was a disaster from the start (ok, all my opinion). None of those shows will be as widely popular in 20 years what Cosby, Cheers or The Golden Girls are today, that's just IMO of course.

Mid Generation. I like a lot of shows since but theirs also a lot of crap on as well.
I agree!

I liked sitcoms best fro 1984-2000

I liked the ones after 1984 since they are the only thing I have really seen.

I def say 1946-1984

I picked Mid generation on the p0ll :)

I would group it differently.

To me 40's-50's was TV in its infancy experimenting.

60's-70's was TV at its bright pop culture peak. (my favorite era)

80's-90's was adult TV aged like whisky or wine.

Post 2000's is past its prime, cranky, post apocalyptic.

I like New Blood during its early years and mid generation era