http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/28/arts/television/a-case-of-retro-tv-overload.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=nytimesarts&_r=0

Television
Sure, You Loved Lucy, but Vintage Has Limits
A Case of Retro TV Overload

JULY 27, 2014



Critic’s Notebook

By NEIL GENZLINGER

Maybe you’re one of those irritating people prone to complaining, “Why can’t they make shows as good as [name of a vintage TV series] anymore?”

For years, that was a safe whine because the shows existed only in the memories of those who had seen them the first time around. But then, in addition to releases on videotape and DVD, came cable. Outlets like Nick at Nite and TV Land discovered that they could live off rebroadcasts of ancient series, and now, in case you haven’t noticed, all sorts of imitators have discovered that, too.

This past Saturday afternoon at 1:30, a Comcast customer in central New Jersey like me could choose from among “7th Heaven” (on a channel called Up that promises “uplifting entertainment”), “Good Times” (TV One), “The Virginian” (Inspire), “The Bill Cosby Show” (Aspire), “The Golden Girls” (TV Land), “Maverick” (Encore Westerns) and others. Expecting to feel nostalgic on Thursday night at 10:30? Cozi has “Magnum P.I.,” Antenna TV has “Sanford and Son,” and Aspire offers “The Flip Wilson Show.”

The problem with the ready availability of this old stuff — don’t even get me started on Internet streaming — is that it forces us into a wistful but abstract longing for what was. And the reality is: All this retro TV is too much of a good thing, or, more correctly, too much of a thing that wasn’t really as good as memory makes it seem. It’s fine to pay respect to the shows of yore, to acknowledge and admire them for delineating and expanding the form and so on. But to actually watch 50-year-old shows all day? I’d rather rip out my eyeballs.

Sure, it’s fun to indulge occasionally — once a week, say. Maybe you’ll get lucky and stumble on a 1966 episode of “Bewitched” called “Man’s Best Friend,” where a young actor named Richard Dreyfuss, still a teenager, made one of his first appearances. Or perhaps you’ll hit upon one of the two “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” episodes from the 1950s directed by the unknown Robert Altman.

But if you’re watching this fare all day, every day, you need help, because “venerable” doesn’t necessarily mean “still watchable.” Sluggish pacing, wooden acting, wince-inducing jokes and obvious plot twists abound in the television of the distant and even not-so-distant past. Too much of this will turn your brain to mush as surely as too much of today’s reality TV will.

I know this is heresy to some, but since I’m in this far, I might as well go whole hog. Here are nine great, important, fabulous vintage (or soon to be) shows that I never want to see again. I don’t know if they are currently being shown on any of the channels mentioned above, but surely somebody has programmed them or plans to in the future. No! Back in the vault, please:

‘I LOVE LUCY’ (premiere: 1951) Yeah, I know; it’s at or near the top of a lot of Best TV Series of All Time lists, and rightly so. In its time, it was defining. But today the broad humor draws only the occasional chuckle. The show is like your high school girlfriend: Just because you loved Lucy once doesn’t mean you still do.


‘THE HONEYMOONERS’ (1955) Same problem, only louder. Couples defined by screaming seem more sad than funny today.

THE MANY LOVES OF DOBIE GILLIS’ (1959) Considering that it gave us one of the most memorable characters in television’s first half-century, the beatnik Maynard G. Krebs (Bob Denver), this series is remarkably drab. Teenagers perhaps found that it spoke to them. If those same people, with a lifetime of perspective now in their heads, were to watch it today, the memory of that would make them flush with embarrassment. At their age, that would constitute a health risk.




‘GILLIGAN’S ISLAND’ (1964) Considering the cultural impact it had, this show wasn’t around for long, but if you were a child when it was on, it looms large. Such characters! Such a predicament! Preserve that innocence by not watching it again, because most of the episodes were actually kind of lame, and some dismaying stereotypes floated through the island from time to time.

‘GREEN ACRES’ (1965) Speaking of stereotypes, there was this empty-headed series. Along with “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “Gomer Pyle” and a few others, it made sure “rural” and “stupid” would be wrongly linked for years to come.

‘WELCOME BACK, KOTTER’ (1975) Love the John Sebastian song; hate the hair and the sight of John Travolta. Even if Mr. Travolta hadn’t mangled Idina Menzel’s name at the Oscars, I don’t think I could take hearing the phrase “up your nose with a rubber hose” again.

‘DALLAS’ (1978) What’s dismaying isn’t so much that this series was ever on, it’s that it ran for 13 years and then was revived in 2012.

‘BOY MEETS WORLD’ (1993) This was and still is a wonderful show. I just don’t want to see it on TV again, because its mere presence might remind me of the sequel that just started, “Girl Meets World,” which doesn’t come close to clearing the bar the original set.

‘SEX AND THE CITY’ (1998) It’s perhaps not quite “vintage” yet, but this series already has the feel of a show whose original fans, when they’re older and wiser, might upon revisiting it say: “Gosh, I really didn’t know anything back then, did I? And some of those clothing choices didn’t age well.”

i fail to see how the majority of current shows are any better in terms of lazy writing, wooden acting, old/recycled jokes etc - the only real difference is that today's shows are aimed at an audience that is used to mind-numbingly fast pacing and absolutely zero tolerance for any lull in the action and EXPLOSIONS.

I think the problem with the classic shows they are airing on TV now is that they have a small handful of them that they run into the ground and they edit and cut them so badly that they sometimes don't even make sense.

I totally disagree with the author of this article. If you could pick what cable/over the air channels I could receive, I would pick: Me-TV, Antenna TV and Cozi TV and that's probably about it. Those three channels and my DVD collection which consists of everything from The Addams Family to Dallas, to the Cosby Show to old episodes of Days of Our Lives. I love the past! What can I say!?

I agree with robyrob, the issue here is that certain networks run classic shows into the ground. TV Land, Nick at Nite and even Antenna TV to an extent, run the same shows over and over.

i fail to see how the majority of current shows are any better in terms of lazy writing, wooden acting, old/recycled jokes etc - the only real difference is that today's shows are aimed at an audience that is used to mind-numbingly fast pacing and absolutely zero tolerance for any lull in the action and EXPLOSIONS.

I think the problem with the classic shows they are airing on TV now is that they have a small handful of them that they run into the ground and they edit and cut them so badly that they sometimes don't even make sense.

I totally disagree with the author of this article. If you could pick what cable/over the air channels I could receive, I would pick: Me-TV, Antenna TV and Cozi TV and that's probably about it. Those three channels and my DVD collection which consists of everything from The Addams Family to Dallas, to the Cosby Show to old episodes of Days of Our Lives. I love the past! What can I say!?

Likewise! I have Shout!'s complete release of Barney Miller, and I'm a third of the way through season 4, and that ABC police comedy has had more laughs than pretty much everything today.

I have a strongly opposite view from this author. Oh, I agree that there are some vintage 'warhorse' shows that have been run to death of which I don't particularly crave to see again anytime soon. And some of the shows he cites have never necessarily been favorites of mine. But given the chance of limiting my tv viewing-time to exclusively old-time shows versus exclusively modern-day shows, I'd choose the former with immediate and emphatic certitude.

In fact, the notion of somehow living my life with a daily diet of watching only current fare is something I'd regard as a horrifying torture... the trashy talk-shows, the crime-shows wallowing in dark perversions, the reality shows with their pathetic look-at-me self-absorbed characters, the sitcoms' reliance on sleaze and uber-cynical 'ironic' humor, and everything in-between. I find the whole modern-tv landscape incredibly bleak and depressing. It imparts with me a very, very negative view of both society and humanity. A really sour taste, that lingers and drags me down. Older shows might admittedly vary in quality, but they (in contrast) leave me feeling upbeat and energized. Anything from an old black-and-white western to Quinn Martin crime-dramas to "Cosby." Vintage fare exudes a different attitude, different mindset. Regardless of genre. It boosts my spirits, almost always leaving me in a good mood and positive frame-of-mind. So I obviously don't agree with the author of this piece. Not even remotely.

I also disagree with his opinion, though I understand where he's coming from. Sometimes, when living in the past, you can lose focus on the present and future.

That said, I don't think people watch older shows for just the nostalgia. But they also watch it because those shows were simply of better quality, and original for their time. I wish he would have perhaps suggested some shows that are in production that he thinks are entertaining to support his opinion.

Ken Levine (who was a writer on Cheers and Frasier) actually had a good blog entry on the decline in the quality of TV shows. Basically, he concluded by saying he refuses to write TV shows for children, which is how he views the quality of many present day shows.

http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2014/07/has-studio-comedies-really-sunk-this-low.html

He also had a direct response to the NY Times Editorial...

http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2014/07/have-we-loved-lucy-enough.html

Yea when I hear that today's tv is so much better I just shake my head. There are hundreds of channels and 90% of the stuff that is on it is crap. Sure there are still some good shows if you look hard enough.

I would rather watch reruns of shows that will make me laugh, like Night Court, The Love Boat and numerous other shows than most of the "reality" garbage that's on now. :wave:

I would rather watch reruns of shows that will make me laugh, like Night Court, The Love Boat and numerous other shows than most of the "reality" garbage that's on now. :wave:

-Seconded

I don't watch a lot of today's TV, except for Once Upon a Time, Doctor Who, current British crime dramas that PBS airs, Salem, true crime shows and most recently, Fargo. But I also don't watch the bulk of retro TV because it's the same shows over and over again. Maybe it's because stations can't get access, but the bulk of my retro viewing is on You Tube. They have the obscure horror anthologies I love, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and the Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and well-known retro TV that isn't on cable, like Punky Brewster, and vintage soap opera. I get what the author is saying, but the majority of modern TV just doesn't cut it for me and there's no shame in admitting that.

I love older tv shows and current tv shows. I don't agree with the article that we should just stop watching older shows so much. I can laugh out loud while watching shows like I Love Lucy all day. But I do love the great humor that is The Big Bang Theory as well. Fact is there has always been crap shows from each decade and great shows from each decade.

The author and the article is a joke because none of these shows was on the list


All in the Family
Good Times
Sanford and Son


:lol: :lol: :lol:

The author and the article is a joke because none of these shows was on the list


All in the Family
Good Times
Sanford and Son


:lol: :lol: :lol:

What about The Jeffersons? It goes with all 3 of them! :lol:



As for the article itself, I also believe that the authour is full of horse testicles. If today's TV prime time shows overall were of a better quality then it would make more sense to watch a reasonable amount of both old classic series and new favourites and not feel cheated about it. Right now, the nightly shows as a whole are so bad I would rather spend those prime time hours watching sports live or classic sitcoms online and on DVD since I can't find any of them on any channel. Also, if you get tired of watching a certain older show over and over again (like "I Love Lucy", for example) there are plenty of others to choose from that you can turn to instead and enjoy as often as you like and you can always go back to "Lucy" anytime. That way, it will seem a little fresher even if you know what's about to happen. (SPOILER ALERT: The Castaways never leave the island! :lol: ) On my Classic TV links page there are over 100 classic sitcoms and counting to watch online. If that sounds like "retro TV overload" to you, then pass me a shovel and I'll keep the load coming!

What about The Jeffersons? It goes with all 3 of them! :lol:



As for the article itself, I also believe that the authour is full of horse testicles. If today's TV prime time shows overall were of a better quality then it would make more sense to watch a reasonable amount of both old classic series and new favourites and not feel cheated about it. Right now, the nightly shows as a whole are so bad I would rather spend those prime time hours watching sports live or classic sitcoms online and on DVD since I can't find any of them on any channel. Also, if you get tired of watching a certain older show over and over again (like "I Love Lucy", for example) there are plenty of others to choose from that you can turn to instead and enjoy as often as you like and you can always go back to "Lucy" anytime. That way, it will seem a little fresher even if you know what's about to happen. (SPOILER ALERT: The Castaways never leave the island! :lol: ) On my Classic TV links page there are over 100 classic sitcoms and counting to watch online. If that sounds like "retro TV overload" to you, then pass me a shovel and I'll keep the load coming!



The Jeffersons hasn't had a marathon every saturday for the past year like Good Times or aired on cable for 11 straight years like Sanford and Son or in syndication since 2000 like All in the Family

The Jeffersons hasn't had a marathon every saturday for the past year like Good Times or aired on cable for 11 straight years like Sanford and Son or in syndication since 2000 like All in the Family


There's a Jeffersons marathon this holiday Monday on DejaView starting at 11 am and running all day, and I know it won't be the last one. So there you go.

There's a Jeffersons marathon this holiday Monday on DejaView starting at 11 am and running all day, and I know it won't be the last one. So there you go.


I am talking about in the US

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/28/arts/television/a-case-of-retro-tv-overload.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=nytimesarts&_r=0

Television
Sure, You Loved Lucy, but Vintage Has Limits
A Case of Retro TV Overload

The problem with the ready availability of this old stuff — don’t even get me started on Internet streaming — is that it forces us into a wistful but abstract longing for what was. And the reality is: All this retro TV is too much of a good thing, or, more correctly, too much of a thing that wasn’t really as good as memory makes it seem. It’s fine to pay respect to the shows of yore, to acknowledge and admire them for delineating and expanding the form and so on. But to actually watch 50-year-old shows all day? I’d rather rip out my eyeballs.

Sure, it’s fun to indulge occasionally — once a week, say. Maybe you’ll get lucky and stumble on a 1966 episode of “Bewitched” called “Man’s Best Friend,” where a young actor named Richard Dreyfuss, still a teenager, made one of his first appearances. Or perhaps you’ll hit upon one of the two “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” episodes from the 1950s directed by the unknown Robert Altman.

But if you’re watching this fare all day, every day, you need help, because “venerable” doesn’t necessarily mean “still watchable.” Sluggish pacing, wooden acting, wince-inducing jokes and obvious plot twists abound in the television of the distant and even not-so-distant past. Too much of this will turn your brain to mush as surely as too much of today’s reality TV will.

I know this is heresy to some, but since I’m in this far, I might as well go whole hog. Here are nine great, important, fabulous vintage (or soon to be) shows that I never want to see again. I don’t know if they are currently being shown on any of the channels mentioned above, but surely somebody has programmed them or plans to in the future. No! Back in the vault, please:

‘I LOVE LUCY’ (premiere: 1951) Yeah, I know; it’s at or near the top of a lot of Best TV Series of All Time lists, and rightly so. In its time, it was defining. But today the broad humor draws only the occasional chuckle. The show is like your high school girlfriend: Just because you loved Lucy once doesn’t mean you still do.


‘THE HONEYMOONERS’ (1955) Same problem, only louder. Couples defined by screaming seem more sad than funny today.

Vintage overload? I think NOT! I'll rewatch these retro shows over and over until I'm 6 feet under, they're way better than what's on today! The author should probably take his advice and gouge his eyes out then.:D

I've been watching Retro TV in my own manner, and if someone doesn't like the way I get my programming tough s:censored:t. You can have my DVDs after you pry my cold, dead fingers from around them! :angryfire

This author is an idiot...

Lol, I see the comments section is closed..:lol:

The article is a joke,just like modern television is.--The real problem as far as tv channels go, is there's not nearly enough older tv shows,cartoons etc. on the air.

Retro TV overload?

This statement: “They can’t make shows as good as (vintage TV show X) anymore.” Everyone has to whine about current scripted TV shows not being “good” or “great”. Actually watching only scripted TV shows from the 1950s and 1960s all of the time? That would be considered overrating those TV shows from that one period, and it will get boring. Some of those TV shows will eventually enter, or have already entered, the public domain.

Some common clichés and gripes are: Sluggish pacing; Wooden acting; wince-inducing jokes; obvious plot twists; lazy writing; clothing choices and other stuff not aging well; prints of the TV shows being cut/edited; etc.

Every Sitcoms Online Message Boards user has to prefer the pre-1970s scripted broadcast TV shows over the current programs (and practically overrate them). Logically, I wouldn't get so attached to or favor/prefer certain stuff just because it is old. The 1950s/1960s TV shows have to be all “positive” compared to any of the sitcoms that reflect the issues of their time, such as all the Norman Lear sitcoms and various other satirical shows. That article is probably a sign that we need to stop overrating the “classic” TV shows. By “overrating”, I mean watching the classic/vintage TV shows almost exclusively, stating that classic/vintage TV show X is way better than 1980s/1990s/current TV show X, etc. Whether classic/vintage TV shows really are better than today's shows, that is a subject of heated debate in this forum.

It is all a war of personal tastes.

Retro TV overload?

This statement: “They can’t make shows as good as (vintage TV show X) anymore.” Everyone has to whine about current scripted TV shows not being “good” or “great”. Actually watching only scripted TV shows from the 1950s and 1960s all of the time? That would be considered overrating those TV shows from that one period, and it will get boring. Some of those TV shows will eventually enter, or have already entered, the public domain.

Some common clichés and gripes are: Sluggish pacing; Wooden acting; wince-inducing jokes; obvious plot twists; lazy writing; clothing choices and other stuff not aging well; prints of the TV shows being cut/edited; etc.

Every Sitcoms Online Message Boards user has to prefer the pre-1970s scripted broadcast TV shows over the current programs (and practically overrate them). Logically, I wouldn't get so attached to or favor/prefer certain stuff just because it is old. The 1950s/1960s TV shows have to be all “positive” compared to any of the sitcoms that reflect the issues of their time, such as all the Norman Lear sitcoms and various other satirical shows. That article is probably a sign that we need to stop overrating the “classic” TV shows. By “overrating”, I mean watching the classic/vintage TV shows almost exclusively, stating that classic/vintage TV show X is way better than 1980s/1990s/current TV show X, etc. Whether classic/vintage TV shows really are better than today's shows, that is a subject of heated debate in this forum.

It is all a war of personal tastes.

Yes and we all have the right to like what we like without someone saying it is dumb and forcing their own dislikes onto us. I like the common cliches and I don't care about the clothing choices. Most of today's television is pure garbage. So yeah, I'll take my steady dose of 60s-80s television. You can have your "sophisticated" garbage.

If there's another thing SitcomsOnline Message Board users do, it's bash current scripted TV shows one way or another. Forcing such opinions as "Retro TV shows are 'way' better than any current scripted TV show." or "The critically-praised stuff that you're a big ban of is pure garbage compared to the retro shows." That is something a fan of some of the good current TV shows will take personally, and that will almost certainly result in heated arguments, mostly those in which a fan of 80s/90s current TV shows tries to defend said shows.

I, myself, have learned to embrace some of the current scripted TV shows, such as The Big Bang Theory, NCIS, and some top cable shows like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead. The shows are not "garbage" in any way. The only real garbage on television right now is all these reality shows, especially those with premeditated scripting/acting and deception, such as Jersey Shore.

I'll rewatch these retro shows over and over until I'm 6 feet under, they're way better than what's on today!

If I were to literally do that myself, then that's exactly what the definition of "Retro TV 'Overload'" is.

Retro TV Overload?? Having tons of reality crap, tons of commericals, end credit crunch and off the clock programming. THATS what's on overload!!

If there's another thing SitcomsOnline Message Board users do, it's bash current scripted TV shows one way or another. Forcing such opinions as "Retro TV shows are 'way' better than any current scripted TV show." or "The critically-praised stuff that you're a big ban of is pure garbage compared to the retro shows." That is something a fan of some of the good current TV shows will take personally, and that will almost certainly result in heated arguments, mostly those in which a fan of 80s/90s current TV shows tries to defend said shows.

I, myself, have learned to embrace some of the current scripted TV shows, such as The Big Bang Theory, NCIS, and some top cable shows like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead. The shows are not "garbage" in any way. The only real garbage on television right now is all these reality shows, especially those with premeditated scripting/acting and deception, such as Jersey Shore.



If I were to literally do that myself, then that's exactly what the definition of "Retro TV 'Overload'" is.

Well TV nowadays is pure garbage. A sitcom plot consists of how many times you can make a sex joke in 30 minutes. A Drama/crime drama is just the same lame plots that have been done 500x before. Reality shows. Need I say more?

Anyways, you can continue to watch these horrible and trashy shows. I prefer to watch the better classic shows. Ones that you can actually watch with your children. Classic shows have and always will reign Superior to modern shows.

Well TV nowadays is pure garbage. A sitcom plot consists of how many times you can make a sex joke in 30 minutes. A Drama/crime drama is just the same lame plots that have been done 500x before. Reality shows. Need I say more?

Anyways, you can continue to watch these horrible and trashy shows. I prefer to watch the better classic shows. Ones that you can actually watch with your children. Classic shows have and always will reign Superior to modern shows.

See, that comment right there is why people can't have a right to be a fan of/enjoy a current scripted TV show without being bullied for enjoying that current scripted TV show. NCIS is NOT "horrible and trashy" in any way. And Gilligan's Island is NOT better than The Big Bang Theory.


As long as SitcomsOnline members keep insisting that these old, pre-1970 "classic" TV shows are better than even the best current TV shows, then these heated debates/arguments are unlikely to stop, ever. A SitcomsOnline user member just likes to use these statements to bully fans of current (or 1990s or after) scripted TV shows. If I were to watch pre 1970-classic shows exclusively, then I will get bored with those shows. No current scripted show (no matter how "good" critics or fans think they are) is going to be worth defending to any SitcomsOnline member anymore. I really am taking this "Retro TV Overload" issue personally. :(

Different strokes for different folks.

I love the classics but I also enjoy a few current shows like "2 Broke Girls", "Scandal", "Fresh Off the Boat", "The Myseries of Laura"...and a few more.

But when it's all said and done I come back to the classics like "I Love Lucy" and dare I call "Mama's Family" a classic.

Taste is a wonderful thing.

[QUOTE=James28]See, that comment right there is why people can't have a right to be a fan of/enjoy a current scripted TV show without being bullied for enjoying that current scripted TV show. NCIS is NOT "horrible and trashy" in any way. And Gilligan's Island is NOT better than The Big Bang Theory.


As long as SitcomsOnline members keep insisting that these old, pre-1970 "classic" TV shows are better than even the best current TV shows, then these heated debates/arguments are unlikely to stop, ever. A SitcomsOnline user member just likes to use these statements to bully fans of current (or 1990s or after) scripted TV shows. If I were to watch pre 1970-classic shows exclusively, then I will get bored with those shows. No current scripted show (no matter how "good" critics or fans think they are) is going to be worth defending to any SitcomsOnline member anymore. I really am taking this "Retro TV Overload" issue personally. :([/QUOTE

Gilligans island is FAR better than, The Big Bang Theory. It's a matter of personal taste. I like Gilligans island and hate The Big Bang Theory. While you like The Big Bang Theory, more than Gilligans island. It all has to do with what you like And dislike. I just so happen to hate modern shows. But I like classic tv shows. I don't see what's so bad about watching classic shows.

But like I said in a previous post, the classics will Always be better than these modern shows

And by the way, I watch plenty of 1980s-1990s shows.

Gilligans island is FAR better than, The Big Bang Theory. It's a matter of personal taste. I like Gilligans island and hate The Big Bang Theory. While you like The Big Bang Theory, more than Gilligans island. It all has to do with what you like And dislike. I just so happen to hate modern shows. But I like classic tv shows. I don't see what's so bad about watching classic shows.

But like I said in a previous post, the classics will Always be better than these modern shows

"I don't see what's so bad about watching classic shows." Because the classic shows are just overrated in this forum, that's why.

Gilligan's Island is NOT "far better" than The Big Bang Theory. If that's true, then Is Gilligan's Island better than Seinfeld? Gilligan's Island is just overrated because people like to state that it is "better" than any good long-running sitcom, while Gilligan's Island ran for only three seasons.

Also, what if people said that The Brady Bunch is better than The Mary Tyler Moore Show? The Brady Bunch is not "better" than The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Gilligans island isn't as good as Seinfeld, but I still love it though.

You know I dont watch really anything from today. Breaking Bad, 2 Broke Girls, NCIS, CSI etc. I mean I dont think there trash by any means but I just dont watch it. Not to say that people who do are trash. I think it has to do with what someone's prefrence is.

Also, what if people said that The Brady Bunch is better than The Mary Tyler Moore Show? The Brady Bunch is not "better" than The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
I actually do think TBB is better than TMTMS.

"I don't see what's so bad about watching classic shows." Because the classic shows are just overrated in this forum, that's why.

Gilligan's Island is NOT "far better" than The Big Bang Theory. If that's true, then Is Gilligan's Island better than Seinfeld? Gilligan's Island is just overrated because people like to state that it is "better" than any good long-running sitcom, while Gilligan's Island ran for only three seasons.

Also, what if people said that The Brady Bunch is better than The Mary Tyler Moore Show? The Brady Bunch is not "better" than The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Number of seasons doesn't always equal quality. I'll take Gilligan's Island over Seinfeld any day.
And if people want to say The Brady Bunch is better than Mary Tyler Moore, then they can, because there's this word (some seem to fell to grasp) called subjectivity.

I actually do think TBB is better than TMTMS.

Any reason why that's possible (Brady Bunch being "better" than Mary Tyler Moore)?

Any reason why that's possible (Brady Bunch being "better" than Mary Tyler Moore)?
I like both, I just think TBB is better because I enjoy it more. Just my opinion. And I don't like "Big Bang" at all...never unserstood the fuss about it.

I actually do think TBB is better than TMTMS.

I do too! I mean, I do like TMTMS but I don't love it

If there's another thing SitcomsOnline Message Board users do, it's bash current scripted TV shows one way or another. Forcing such opinions as "Retro TV shows are 'way' better than any current scripted TV show." or "The critically-praised stuff that you're a big ban of is pure garbage compared to the retro shows." That is something a fan of some of the good current TV shows will take personally, and that will almost certainly result in heated arguments, mostly those in which a fan of 80s/90s current TV shows tries to defend said shows.

I, myself, have learned to embrace some of the current scripted TV shows, such as The Big Bang Theory, NCIS, and some top cable shows like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead. The shows are not "garbage" in any way. The only real garbage on television right now is all these reality shows, especially those with premeditated scripting/acting and deception, such as Jersey Shore.



If I were to literally do that myself, then that's exactly what the definition of "Retro TV 'Overload'" is.

Game Of Thrones is crap and severely overrated. Breaking Bad is RIDICULOUSLY overrated and garbage. The Walking Dead: Blech. You can have your tv shows that appeal to the lowest common denominator

I don't watch any of those shows but I have heard there really good.

I personally don't think there good, but those series are EXTREMELY overrated