I asked this type of question in the music forum.

This time, it's regarding TV shows.

A family of four are somehow transported to the year 2012. Two parents, about 40 years old and two teenage kids, let's an 18-year-old boy and girl. They can be from anywhere you choose. I will choose a family from the west (Old West, 1870).

They are at your house or apartment and can only stay long enough to watch 5 TV shows.

Which shows would you run for them and why? As with the music thread, you can list a few "extras" if you have trouble narrowing it down to 5 shows.

Here is my list:

1. I Love Lucy. Because of the genuine comedy and the fun-to-watch characters.

2. Bonanza. They obviously would find it familiar and would probably like the show and the colorful characters.

3. The Rifleman. They would like this show overall and would probably like to see Lucas' Winchester rifle and how it works.

4. Star Trek. To use Spock's word, they would certainly find this fascinating. There were aware back then of the planets and the moon and even the solar systems, so this show hopefully wouldn't scare them or anything. I would love to see their reaction when they see Mr. Spock and his ears!

5. The Dukes of Hazzard. I want to put in a show which has cars. Also, the show it set in a rural area so it wouldn't seem too out of place. I bet the boy would really like the General Lee, 1969 Dodge Charger! The girl would like the Duke boys! The parents would like and respect Uncle Jesse and disapprove of Boss Hogg and Rosco.

Extras...

- Some type of police show. Maybe Adam-12. Or Starsky & Hutch.

- Bewitched. It would be in my top 5, but a show about witches and witchcraft might not get approval from an 1870s family! They might like Aunt Clara a lot, though. But not Endora!

- Happy Days (an episode from season 1-3). So they can see what life was like in the '50s. And so they can get a taste of The Fonz. The girl would most likely become a fan of him!

- The Flintstones. So they can see something from even before their time! And so they can sample an animated cartoon.

Well, after they get over the culture shock of abundant electricity, flying machines, and the various cars and mobile light screens that seem to be attached to human hands.

My family would be from Great Britain. Upper crusty, the perfect snobby Victorian family.

I would make them some tea, and while munching on cookies we would watch...

Gilligan's Island - It's slapstick and hijinks, they would get a kick out of it. Plus, Gilligan and crew have to adapt to a new place, similar to my time traveling friends.

Frasier - I think they would find Mr. Crane charming and snobbish. Plus, the evolved father-son and brother-brother relationships are very compelling.

Wings - They would probably collapse after the opening intro. A few episodes of wings use boats, planes and cars, so I would have to find the perfect episode.

The Gilmore Girls - Seeing a mother-daughter relationship hundreds of years in time, as frank as this might alarm them a bit.

and lastly, Goodtimes - Seeing this would be a complete reversal of fortune for my visitors. Seeing the Evans' fight to get $72 for rent money might be funny to them.

Cool thread Fleet!

I'd go with
1. GI because it is fun and non offensive
2. Gunsmoke - Similar reasons as Bonanza and the Rifleman
3. The Honeymooners- combining a little bit of your reason for Happy Days (50s) as well as Ant-Lox's reason for Good Times (little money). plus it is funny.
4. The Simpsons - Long running, animated, lots of references to popular culture.
5. Saved by the Bell - kind of kiddy, maybe good for the teens, see what it was like in the 90s.

Extras -
Cops - doesn't get more real that that. Sees our crime.
Twilight Zone - as an anthology series they'd be able to see a lot of different things and be a little spooked out at the same time