http://entertainment.time.com/2013/11/13/is-there-too-much-great-tv-or-too-little

Why these of questions can't be answered now, in the moment. They should be left for history.
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/tv-tattle#sprlTfbHRkGW3yYc.99

I'm definitely going with drought on that question.....:(

Good TV hasnt existed in well over 35 years. Probably longer.

Well, that would mean going back to 1978 and prior. Though I do love a lot of TV shows from those time periods, I also think there are tons of great TV shows from the 1980s along with some select ones from the 1990s and even 2000s and 2010s. But I do think the selection has gotten less and less as time has gone on...

I also think there are tons of great TV shows from the 1980s .

Name them. I was talking with a friend 2 days ago trying to come up with great shows from the 80s that didn't last and we came up with around 5. From the 60s and 70s I can come up with dozens.

Good TV hasnt existed in well over 35 years. Probably longer.

I would go with longer.

Nostalgia is a powerful drug.

Nostalgia is a powerful drug.
It beats being wasted on this crap they try to pass off as good TV today.

Name them. I was talking with a friend 2 days ago trying to come up with great shows from the 80s that didn't last and we came up with around 5. From the 60s and 70s I can come up with dozens. Well, of course, such lists are going to be hugely subjective as everyone has their own personal tastes. For me, some of my favorite 1980s shows [and/or just shows that I think are good and cool] would include [in no particular order- and for the record, I count shows that started in the 1980s]:
MacGyver
The A-Team
Knight Rider
Airwolf
The Greatest American Hero
Superboy
Scarecrow & Mrs. King
Remington Steele
Murder, She Wrote
Matlock
The Fall Guy
Magnum, P.I.
Quantum Leap (ran for a good portion in the '90s too)
Saved By the Bell (ran for a good portion in the '90s too)
Family Matters (ran a large portion in the '90s of course, but started in the 1980s)
Full House
ALF
ALF (cartoon series)
ALF Tales (cartoon series)
The Golden Girls
The Wonder Years
Who's The Boss?
My Two Dads
Small Wonder
Webster
Out of this World
Growing Pains
Family Ties
Perfect Strangers
Mr. Belvedere
Just the Ten of Us
Hunter
Simon & Simon
Whiz Kids
Misfits of Science
The Wizard
Blacke's Magic
The Phoenix
Otherworld
Street Hawk
Voyagers!
Matt Houston
Paradise
My Secret Identity
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Silver Spoons
The Cosby Show
A Different World
Major Dad
The Facts of Life (started in the '70s, but largely ran in the '80s)
Diff'rent Strokes (started in the '70s, but largely ran in the '80s)
Gimme A Break!
Charles in Charge
Doogie Houser, M.D.
227
Amen
Danger Bay
Our House
Mission: Impossible (1980s revival series)
Riptide
Highway to Heaven
T.J. Hooker
Manimal
Automan
The Dukes of Hazzard (started in the '70s, but largely ran in the '80s) Hardcastle and McCormick
Starman
The Powers of Matthew Star
Smurfs
Snorks
Heathcliff (two different versions- "Heathcliff & The Dingbats" [later renamed "Heathcliff and Marmaduke"] and "Heathcliff & The Cattilac Cats") Garfield and Friends
The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show
Dennis The Menace (1980s cartoon)
Muppet Babies
Fraggle Rock (live action puppet series)
Fraggle Rock (cartoon series)
The Jetsons (1980s revival cartoon series)
The Flintstones Comedy Hour
Inspector Gadget
Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds
Peter Pan (Japanese anime series)
The Incredible Hulk (1980s cartoon)
Spider-Man (1980s cartoon)
Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends
Superfriends (ran during '70s, but also had incarnations in the 1980s)
Turbo Teen
Lazer Tag Academy
Kidd Video
ThunderCats
SilverHawks
The Comic Strip (contained cartoons- TigerSharks, Karate Kat, Street Frogs and The Mini Monsters)
Superman (1988 cartoon series)
Bravestarr
Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers
G.I. Joe
Transformers
Gobots
C.O.P.S. (1980s cartoon series)
Police Academy (cartoon series)
DuckTales
Chip 'N' Dale: Rescue Rangers
Adventures of the Gummi Bears
The Wuzzles
The Raccoons
The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin
Droids
Ewoks
Peewee's Playhouse
Galaxy High
Jem
Punky Brewster (live action series)
It's Punky Brewster (cartoon series)
Mr. Wizard
The Littles
The Little Bits
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Pac-Man
Captain N: The Gamemaster
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
Rubik's Cube
Saturday Supercade
The New Archies
Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors
Inhumanoids
Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (started in the '70s but ran in the '80s too)
The New Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo Show (later known as The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries)
The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo
A Pup Named Scooby-Doo
The Flinstone Kids
Fred and Barney Meet The Shmoo
Yogi's Treasure Hunt
SuperTed
The Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Andy
Noozles
Popples
GLO Friends
The Get Along Gang
Shirt Tales
Care Bears
Rainbow Brite
My Little Pony
The Karate Kid (cartoon series)
Camp Candy
Strawberry Shortcake
Alvin & The Chipmunks
Fonz and the Happy Days Gang (cartoon series)
Laverne & Shirley in the Army (cartoon series)
Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour (cartoon series)
Moonlighting
Robocop (cartoon series)
Square One
Rambo (cartoon series)
Chuck Norris and the Karate Kommandos (cartoon series)
Mr. T (cartoon series)
Beauty and the Beast (live action series)
Head of the Class
What's Happening Now?
Bosom Buddies
Flo
Joanie Loves Chachi
Kate & Allie
Police Squad!
Newhart
Living Dolls
Cheers
Valerie/Valerie's Family/The Hogan Family
Sledge Hammer!
Garbage Pail Kids (cartoon series)
In The Heat of the Night (started in '80s)
Dragon's Lair (cartoon series)
Wizards & Warriors
Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future
Max Headroom
Pole Position
My Pet Monster
Cop Rock
Scrabble
Win, Lose or Draw
You Can't Do That on Television
Press Your Luck
That's Incredible!
Too Close for Comfort
It's A Living
Hart to Hart (started in the '70s but largely ran in the '80s)
The White Shadow
Drak Pack J
onny Quest (1980s cartoon revival series)
The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show (and Scrappy Too!)
Thundarr The Barbarian
The Tarzan/Lone Ranger Hour
Father Dowling Mysteries
Herbie, The Love Bug (live action series)
The Little Rascals (cartoon series)
Popeye and Son
Pink Panther and Sons
Goldie Gold and Action Jack
Mousercise
Kwicky Koala
Space Stars
Popeye & Olive Comedy Show
Blackstar
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
She-Ra
The New Adventures of He-Man
Gloria
Bring 'Em Back Alive
Sidekicks
Square Pegs
Cagney & Lacey
St. Elsewhere
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Buntz
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (live action TV series)
Private Benjamin (TV series)
9 to 5 (TV series)
Buffalo Bill
Tales of the Gold Monkey
The $25,000 Pyramid
Wheel of Fortune
Jeopardy! (I think this started in the '70s, but Alex Trebek came on to the series in the 1980s with a revival)
Battle of the Network Stars (I think they did these in the '70s too, but they ran in the '80s too)
After School Specials (ran in the '70s and '80s)
Richie Rich
Flash Gordon (cartoon series)
The Gary Coleman Show
Meatballs & Spaghetti
The Flintstone Funnies
The Dukes (cartoon series)
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Emerald Point, N.A.S.
AfterMASH
a.k.a. Pablo
Kids, Inc.
Kidsongs
Hotel
Night Court
The Duck Factory
Jennifer Slept Here
Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer
Mama's Family
Benson
Benji, Zax and The Alien Prince
The Biskitts
The Puppy's Further Adventures
Monchichis
Three's A Crowd
E/R
It's Your Move
Double Trouble
Cover Up
Amazing Stories
Trapper John, M.D. (started in the '70s but largely ran in the '80s)
Spenser: For Hire
A Man Called Hawk
The Equalizer
Stingray
You Again?
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
The Littlest Hobo (revival version started in the '70s but ran largely in the '80s too)
Berenstain Bears
Hulk Hogan's Rock 'N' Wrestling
ABC's Wide World of Sports
WCW and WWF
Designing Women
21 Jump Street
My Sister Sam
Spies
Snoops
Easy Street
The Tortellis
The Twilight Zone (1980s remake series)
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
Midnight Caller
Gung Ho
The Ellen Burstyn Show
Life with Lucy
Animal Crack-Ups
The New Adventures of Beans Baxter
Werewolf
Photon
Probe
Teen Wolf (cartoon series)
CBS Storybreak
ABC Weekend Special
Foofur
The Real Ghostbusters
Pound Puppies
Kissyfur
Wildfire
Rags to Riches
Day By Day
It's Garry Shandling's Show
Frank's Place
Wiseguy
Jake and the Fatman
J.J. Starbuck
Tour of Duty
The Highwayman
Miami Vice
L.A. Law
Family Double Dare
Double Dare
Classic Concentration
Baywatch (started in the late '80s, but largely ran in the '90s)
Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures
Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater
Bugs Bunny & Tweety
Anything But Love
Thirtysomething
The Van Dyke Show
China Beach
Hooperman
The Robert Guillaume Show
Dolphin Cove
Baby Boom
Empty Nest
Dirty Dancing (TV series)
Fast Times (TV series)
Hey Vern, It's Ernest!
The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley
Life Goes On (ran into '90s, but started in the '80s)
America's Funniest Home Videos (ran into '90s and is still running but started in the '80s)
Tim Conway's Funny America
Elvis
Sister Kate
The Young Riders (ran in '90s, but started in the '80s)
Booker
Totally Hidden Video
The Famous Teddy Z
Encyclopedia Brown (ran in '90s, but started in the '80s)
Alien Nation (ran in '90s, but started in the '80s)
Wolf
Island Son
Rescue 911 (ran in '90s, but started in the '80s)
Dink, The Little Dinosaur
The California Raisins Show
Rude Dog & The Dweebs
Beetlejuice
Denver, The Last Dinosaur
Dinosaucers
The Dino-Riders
The Jim Henson Hour
McGee & Me
........................ and probably more I forgot.

What would the Opposite of Golden Age be called? Maybe contemporary,modern TV should be called something like The Rubbish Age of TV,and even that would be a compliment.

lol- I think I would have to agree with that for the most part. (Believe me, I have only a very few exceptions...)

The glut of lowbrow reality TV that's clogging up the airwaves with no end in sight would make me say that we are not in a golden age of TV. While there have been duds in every decade, goofy stuff like My Mother the Car and The 1.98 Beauty Show do not compare to the crap that makes up the bulk of reality junk like Real Housewives of Whatever, Honey Boo-Boo, Big Brother, The Bachelor/Bachelorette, and the like.

I would still rather watch My Mother The Car and The $1.98 Beauty Show over the other shows you listed.......

DROUGHT!:angryfire
Began noticing it in early 2000, by 2004 I began questioning WHY was i PAYING for it, in 2006 "The Last Straw" occurred and on January of 2007 I "Cut the Cord". What's that? How do you get your news? The same way I correspond with all of you: If something HUGE occurs (Like that little event that happened 50 years ago in Dallas. :rip JFK.

What about they money that I formerly used to pay for cable? just read my signature, I've been able to purchase lots and lots and lots of them! :crazy: :lol: :rofl: :rotflmao: :brent

I think in the last decade until now, we have seen some of the best dramatic series of all-time: "The Sopranos" "Six Feet Under" "Mad Men" "Breaking Bad" "Boardwalk Empire". Just stellar concepts with stellar executions, hands down.

As for sitcoms...well, sitcoms are in MAJOR trouble. I simply can't believe the crapola that is on now. "Veep" on HBO is one exception. Very funny show! However, shows like "2 and 1/2 Men" "Broke Girls" "How I Met Your Mother" "Big Bang Theory" just silly stupidity that appeals to 20-somethings.

For now, sitcoms are dead, but hopefully we can move to the next level and get quality shows....like shows that are NOT produced by Chuck Lorre.

MacLeaper, I would really not consider "Joanie Love Chachi," "Webster," "afterMASH," to mention just a few, "great shows."

Also, "Three's A Crowd," was far inferior to "Three's Company."

I forgot to mention, IMO, the peak of television was the 1960s. So many good shows to choose from. In general, great writing, acting and directing. And a good variety... sitcoms, westerns, sci-fi, drama, etc.

I consider the 1950's through the 1980's as the best era of tv. There were some good shows in the 90's but there were also a lot of awful shows. The 2000's have been hit and miss. There are some good shows but you really have to look for them in the midst of all the reality crap that poisons the airwaves.

I consider the 1950's through the 1980's as the best era of tv. There were some good shows in the 90's but there were also a lot of awful shows. The 2000's have been hit and miss. There are some good shows but you really have to look for them in the midst of all the reality crap that poisons the airwaves.
But I'd argue that's because there's more TV now than there was 30 years ago. The amount of "good shows" is still the same, if you ask me.

I think in the last decade until now, we have seen some of the best dramatic series of all-time: "The Sopranos" "Six Feet Under" "Mad Men" "Breaking Bad" "Boardwalk Empire". Just stellar concepts with stellar executions, hands down.

As for sitcoms...well, sitcoms are in MAJOR trouble. I simply can't believe the crapola that is on now. "Veep" on HBO is one exception. Very funny show! However, shows like "2 and 1/2 Men" "Broke Girls" "How I Met Your Mother" "Big Bang Theory" just silly stupidity that appeals to 20-somethings.

For now, sitcoms are dead, but hopefully we can move to the next level and get quality shows....like shows that are NOT produced by Chuck Lorre.
I agree that the mainstream multi-camera sitcom is dead right now, but it's pretty much the golden age of the "cult" comedy. Shows like 30 Rock, Community, Parks & Rec, New Girl...plus the cable shows like Veep, Girls, Louie. Shows like this wouldn't have lasted for more than half a season even 10 years ago, but all of these shows have managed to run for years.

The highlight of Saturday afternoon was a repeat of Columbo:Lovely But Lethal on ITV3 starring Vera Miles,who I'm pleased to read is still alive,and no doubt did not earn $110,000 an episode like Joan Collins in "Dynasty". In the 1970s I watched Ironside,Cannon,Alias Smith and Jones all from America,and the best of British-made television including Van Der Valk,Upstairs Downstairs and The Forsyte Saga among many others.

Were we just more innocent in those days or did programme makers not try to go for too much with the pressure of shareholders requiring their quick investment return? Was it a happier period in the West where the 24 hour society had not taken hold and Sunday was still a religious day and a time to relax,a day for families to spend together? Whither is television heading when neighbours of mine spent £2000 on an aerial which will receive television from Mexico,yet "there was still nothing on" when I inquired how satisfied they were with their purchase..

MacLeaper, I would really not consider "Joanie Love Chachi," "Webster," "afterMASH," to mention just a few, "great shows."

Also, "Three's A Crowd," was far inferior to "Three's Company."

That's cool.:cool: I like them just fine. I would still take those three and a lot of other shows that many don't consider to be great from earlier times over most of the shows on today.
But yeah, I know- favorites are always subjective because everyone has their own personal tastes. And that's a good thing. Watch what you want.:) :cool:

The highlight of Saturday afternoon was a repeat of Columbo:Lovely But Lethal on ITV3 starring Vera Miles,who I'm pleased to read is still alive,and no doubt did not earn $110,000 an episode like Joan Collins in "Dynasty". In the 1970s I watched Ironside,Cannon,Alias Smith and Jones all from America,and the best of British-made television including Van Der Valk,Upstairs Downstairs and The Forsyte Saga among many others.

Were we just more innocent in those days or did programme makers not try to go for too much with the pressure of shareholders requiring their quick investment return? Was it a happier period in the West where the 24 hour society had not taken hold and Sunday was still a religious day and a time to relax,a day for families to spend together? Whither is television heading when neighbours of mine spent £2000 on an aerial which will receive television from Mexico,yet "there was still nothing on" when I inquired how satisfied they were with their purchase..


Steve, Could you explain to me what the deal is with TV license in your country? I have seen some " TV LICENSE GOONS " videos on Youtube but no one said anything about how and when that started. Do they really send people snooping around and peeking in people's windows to see if they are watching tv without a license?

Definitely DROUGHT! I don't even bother with new sitcoms or dramas anymore, they've let me down so many times that I stopped trying them a few years ago. As opposed to the wealth of great stuff in the past. Also way too many reality shows.