Anything like The Cosby Show

[ladybug1980]

Sorry but I have one final question lol but it's embarrassing to ask.

I know you don't like I Spy and that's totally OK but in the event I want to check it out, I'm wondering - the series is Unrated but what is the amount of violence and/or sexual content of this? I hate sounding like an uptight person because I can deal with some of it to a degree but I don't like raunchy amounts of either component LOL.

Anyway in a previous post I said I didn't like The Green Eyed Monster episode but upon a second viewing of it I ask myself how did I not like that one? That was a funny episode. I don't get how Chet managed to bring that kid to dinner with him because I don't remember Chet planning to do so and I thought it was hilarious when that kid tried to pronounce the French foods on the menu.

[1960'sTVfan]

I Spy was produced by Sheldon Leonard, he also produced Andy Griffith Show, Dick Van Dyke Show, and Gomer Pyle USMC. I don't think the sex/violence is amped up any higher compared to other 60's cop/spy shows. It's a well made show, worth checking out if you can find the DVD's at a good price, Bill Cosby and Robert Culp perform well together. I'm just generally not a fan of drama, cop/spy shows, I prefer sitcoms.

[ladybug1980]

Speaking of I Spy - I am not sure if you still follow this thread, but I happened to try out I Spy and it's been many weeks since I've had it, but I can't seem to make it past the 5th episode because I can't get into it. I got it at a low price ($35, with the help of Amazon Rewards card), so at least I got it for far lower than average. But I'm struggling to get into it, as I said. I found a site that gives a decent detailed summary of each episode, but to me, the episodes have events in them that contradict each other and make the episodes confusing for me, and I can't enjoy them under those circumstances. There's like 80-something episodes and if I have only watched 5 episodes within the past month or two, it's going to be a long, long time before I reach the end.

I find it frustrating. For example, in one of the episodes, this Chinese guy claims that he truly doesn't have any money and that his son-in-laws are after his money because they think he's rich, but then leaves to another island and Kelly and Scott find him all wealthy, etc.

Then the episode where the French guy thinks he captured stolen plans...OK why did that one guy gave Kelly and Scott the assignment to retrieve stolen plans if the plans were fake? What was the point of this? And where were the real plans?

And the Blue Drag society one was unnerving. I didn't get the end. First, Serengi fakes his death, then finds out that the society wants to kill him? I thought that society was in on him faking his death, and the next thing I know, his wife shoots him dead...I'm thinking...huh?

these are just a few examples of what I'm facing. It drives me nuts. I know this isn't the right forum for this, but I thought that you may understand my frustration.

[TVFactFan]

[QUOTE=Alan Brady's Hair]Amazon reviews can usually be edited.

I always liked this show when I was a kid. Some people have said it might be an early version of a "dramedy." A similar show from that era was "My World and Welcome To It," with William Windom.

It's a very quiet show, but it could be like Seinfeld in that it could devote a great deal of attention to a small matter. I remember one episode where Chet Kincaid spent the whole show working his way through the school bureaucracy, to obtain a needle to blow up his basketballs.[/QUOTE


It was a dramedy

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Alan Brady's Hair

Could be. My earliest memory of "dramedy" being used to describe a show was for Days and Nights of Molly Dodd and for Hooperman around 1987, but of course the mixing of serious and comic material goes back to the earliest storytelling.

I don;t even hearing a laugh track when I watched it so I always thought it was a dramedy

[1960'sTVfan]

Originally Posted by ladybug1980

Speaking of I Spy - I am not sure if you still follow this thread, but I happened to try out I Spy and it's been many weeks since I've had it, but I can't seem to make it past the 5th episode because I can't get into it. I got it at a low price ($35, with the help of Amazon Rewards card), so at least I got it for far lower than average. But I'm struggling to get into it, as I said. I found a site that gives a decent detailed summary of each episode, but to me, the episodes have events in them that contradict each other and make the episodes confusing for me, and I can't enjoy them under those circumstances. There's like 80-something episodes and if I have only watched 5 episodes within the past month or two, it's going to be a long, long time before I reach the end.

I find it frustrating. For example, in one of the episodes, this Chinese guy claims that he truly doesn't have any money and that his son-in-laws are after his money because they think he's rich, but then leaves to another island and Kelly and Scott find him all wealthy, etc.

Then the episode where the French guy thinks he captured stolen plans...OK why did that one guy gave Kelly and Scott the assignment to retrieve stolen plans if the plans were fake? What was the point of this? And where were the real plans?

And the Blue Drag society one was unnerving. I didn't get the end. First, Serengi fakes his death, then finds out that the society wants to kill him? I thought that society was in on him faking his death, and the next thing I know, his wife shoots him dead...I'm thinking...huh?

these are just a few examples of what I'm facing. It drives me nuts. I know this isn't the right forum for this, but I thought that you may understand my frustration.

I pretty much agree with you. I Spy is a well made show, the acting is professional, but the writing tends to be disjointed, plots and stories can be confusing to follow. I find this to be a problem with many cop shows, not just I Spy, that's why I'm not a big fan of the genre. Cop shows tend to be confusing. Try watching the episodes again, maybe there is something you missed the first time around, and the events will make more sense. But overall, I recommend The Bill Cosby Show over I Spy. I don't post here often these days, not much to say lately, but I do read the boards on occasion.

[ladybug1980]

Originally Posted by retroTVfan4ever

I pretty much agree with you. I Spy is a well made show, the acting is professional, but the writing tends to be disjointed, plots and stories can be confusing to follow. I find this to be a problem with many cop shows, not just I Spy, that's why I'm not a big fan of the genre. Cop shows tend to be confusing. Try watching the episodes again, maybe there is something you missed the first time around, and the events will make more sense. But overall, I recommend The Bill Cosby Show over I Spy. I don't post here often these days, not much to say lately, but I do read the boards on occasion.

Although I have been subscribed to this thread, there must have been a glitch, because although I receive email notifications for responses to this thread, I didn't somehow receive such notifications the last time, making me believe that this thread was never bumped. That's why I never came back for a long time.

Anyway, I think I've only watched 3 episodes of I Spy since the last time I was in this thread. It really pains me to say this, but I don't know how long I can continue watching this show or if I can watch it at all anymore. I did not want to stop watching it because even though I paid only $35 for all 3 Seasons, I would feel like I wasted my money even more if I didn't persevere in finishing the series. But 82 episodes IS quite a lot of episodes when you're annoyed with a show. The problems I have are the same as I described in my last post.

The thing is, I really do enjoy Cosby and Culp playing off each other. If there is only thing that could remotely help me finish watching this stuff, it is Cosby. If Cosby were not in this show, I may not have thought of finishing this show in the future. Also, the scenery is good, and there is an "energy" to this show that I like, but the plots fall short of appealing to me.

I'm tempted to go back and watch some "The Bill Cosby Show" episodes again, instead of continuing with this, but I'm apprehensive of the possibility that if I do that, I won't go back to I Spy again. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but I Spy has proven to be a frustrating show for me after the near completion of the 2nd disc thus far. The silver lining in this is that I sometimes can understand a little better the 2nd time around watching an episode. I also read an Amazon review somewhere (I wish I could find which one it was) that the first 8 episodes or so are not that interesting, but that it gets better. I don't know...I'll see.

[1960'sTVfan]

It's possible that I Spy improves a little as the series goes along, perhaps it took the writers a few episodes to get in the groove of things. See what you think after watching a few more episodes.

I'm currently enjoying watching DVD's of Mary Hartman Mary Hartman the complete series. I hadn't seen the series since it originally aired, it's fun to see the show again.

[ladybug1980]

Originally Posted by retroTVfan4ever

It's possible that I Spy improves a little as the series goes along, perhaps it took the writers a few episodes to get in the groove of things. See what you think after watching a few more episodes.

I'm currently enjoying watching DVD's of Mary Hartman Mary Hartman the complete series. I hadn't seen the series since it originally aired, it's fun to see the show again.

In retrospect, I think I may have overreacted a bit in my last post.

Yes, I Spy can be frustrating due to confusions in the plots sometimes, but it is getting a little better from the 7th episode on. I'm about to watch the 12th one, and I'm trying to take it easy this time. So from 7 onwards, the show seems to be more engaging. A couple of the episodes were also more straightforward than previous ones. By episode 7, I think that the writers are injecting more humor between Cosby and Culp, and that is helping. There is a newfound energy that seems to be emerging. That's not to say that the show won't have its moments, but I'll try to be patient. I have a better feeling now about this show. I may not ever like it as much as TBCS, but it's too soon to tell.

I do like how it is filmed in different countries. They started out in Hong Kong, now they're in Japan. I like how they're filming different scenery. They're going to film in more countries as the series progresses.

Thankfully, I have a website that gives a detailed plot of each episode. That also "kinda sorta" helps out. It's not a magic panacea, but it sure beats nothing at all.

Perhaps the biggest downside is how long it may take me to finish the series. I am only on Disc 3 of Season 1. I have a long, long way to go and I just don't know how I'm going to finish this, among all the other distractions of life. It may take months.

Once this is done, I may go back to The Bill Cosby Show. I miss that show so much. But one thing at a time.

[1960'sTVfan]

I Spy is a drama, The Bill Cosby Show is a comedy. So it's difficult to compare the two since they are different types of shows. If having to pick one over the other, I'd go with The Bill Cosby Show as I think that show overall has better script writing. I Spy has it's moments, just fewer and farther between. I also don't really like Cosby's visual appearance in the I Spy episodes, he looks cooler and more hip in The Bill Cosby Show.

[1960'sTVfan]

It's good that both seasons of The Bill Cosby Show have already had a DVD release. With all the negative publicity lately regarding Mr. Cosby, it's possible the series wouldn't get released on DVD now.

[gopyle]

As much as I like Bill Cosby as a standup comedian, I have not liked any of his series, including I Spy, the Bill Cosby Show, or Cosby.