Best vs favorite shows- specifics please - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

jamesanthony · 06-16-2004, 03:57 PM

When we talk about favorite shows on Tv or in a given era are they different from saying what we think are the best? I think they are 2 different things. Favorite is what I may personally like for one reason or another maybe because it fulfills something in my life or brings me a particular joy or satisfaction. To me when we say that a TV series is the best it suggests that it is of a high level of artistic quality based upon some standard outside of my personal preferences and has excellent acting, writing, directing, character development and continuity.

Having said this I was wondering if anyone could tell me why these shows are considered "the BEST" by critics, tv academy etc:

Mary Tyler Moore Show
MASH
Arrested Development

I have never seen the last one. Mary Tyler Moore is boring to me and MASH is very dreary to me.

It would help my understanding if you could use vivid examples to explain. Meaning instead of saying "it has good characters" something like "I think MTM is an excellent show because when I saw the exchange between Mary Richards and Lou Grant when she applied for the job at WJM and he said that he hated her spunk it demonstrated that the writers were creating two realistic characters because I was a woman in my 30s in 1970 and I could relate to that scene when I saw it as being more true to life than any exchange between a female and a boss that I had ever seen in any other sitcom up to that point. Furthermore watching that scene 34 years later it still resonates with authenticity and is more real than any similar exchange that I have seen on a current sitcom".

I'm just trying to get a sense of why these shows are so well regarded because I have no desire to watch them at all and think that MTM's show is a favorite because its about TV and people in TV like critics and emmy voters can relate to the storylines and because its about an urban female with education who is not defined by a man and women who embrace that perspective can relate to this character and promote it as being the "best".

EmoJoe · 06-16-2004, 04:11 PM

They, IMO, are two different things. Like I love Full House, but I agree it wasnt the best show ever made.

db108108 · 06-17-2004, 12:14 AM

Maybe a show just hit you a certain way if you absolutely love it. such was the case for my obsession with Full House about 13 years ago. Maybe I loved it so much because I wanted a life like the Tanner's had. Now I know the difference, but I think this is what drove the ratings for that show- it was an idyllic life depicted every week.

On the other side, I can appreciate Seinfeld for what it is, but it's not one of my favorites. There's just something about the show that strikes me wrong for some reason. I know that it's great, I know it was probably the best written series ever, but still, give me an episode of Less Than Perfect anyday- it's much less pessimistic

06-16-2004, 03:57 PM	#1
jamesanthony Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 30, 2004 Posts: 2,180	Best vs favorite shows- specifics please When we talk about favorite shows on Tv or in a given era are they different from saying what we think are the best? I think they are 2 different things. Favorite is what I may personally like for one reason or another maybe because it fulfills something in my life or brings me a particular joy or satisfaction. To me when we say that a TV series is the best it suggests that it is of a high level of artistic quality based upon some standard outside of my personal preferences and has excellent acting, writing, directing, character development and continuity. Having said this I was wondering if anyone could tell me why these shows are considered "the BEST" by critics, tv academy etc: Mary Tyler Moore Show MASH Arrested Development I have never seen the last one. Mary Tyler Moore is boring to me and MASH is very dreary to me. It would help my understanding if you could use vivid examples to explain. Meaning instead of saying "it has good characters" something like "I think MTM is an excellent show because when I saw the exchange between Mary Richards and Lou Grant when she applied for the job at WJM and he said that he hated her spunk it demonstrated that the writers were creating two realistic characters because I was a woman in my 30s in 1970 and I could relate to that scene when I saw it as being more true to life than any exchange between a female and a boss that I had ever seen in any other sitcom up to that point. Furthermore watching that scene 34 years later it still resonates with authenticity and is more real than any similar exchange that I have seen on a current sitcom". I'm just trying to get a sense of why these shows are so well regarded because I have no desire to watch them at all and think that MTM's show is a favorite because its about TV and people in TV like critics and emmy voters can relate to the storylines and because its about an urban female with education who is not defined by a man and women who embrace that perspective can relate to this character and promote it as being the "best".

06-16-2004, 04:11 PM	#2
EmoJoe Cool cool cool Forum Addict Join Date: Apr 23, 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 71,470	They, IMO, are two different things. Like I love Full House, but I agree it wasnt the best show ever made.
	__________________ "I know the difference between TV and reality, Jeff. TV has structure, it makes sense, there are likable leading men. In real life, we have this. We have you." - Abed Nadir, Community www.sitcomsarestupid.blogspot.com

06-17-2004, 12:14 AM	#3
db108108 Teacher (for now) Senior Member Join Date: Mar 20, 2003 Location: 2 hours north of Detroit, 2 hours south of Toronto Posts: 1,023	Maybe a show just hit you a certain way if you absolutely love it. such was the case for my obsession with Full House about 13 years ago. Maybe I loved it so much because I wanted a life like the Tanner's had. Now I know the difference, but I think this is what drove the ratings for that show- it was an idyllic life depicted every week. On the other side, I can appreciate Seinfeld for what it is, but it's not one of my favorites. There's just something about the show that strikes me wrong for some reason. I know that it's great, I know it was probably the best written series ever, but still, give me an episode of Less Than Perfect anyday- it's much less pessimistic