The Sad Truth: Classic Television Shows Aren't as Good as You Remember Them - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Zoneboy · 10-11-2011, 09:02 PM

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There have been so many shows that are awesome when you first watch them, and then when you revisit them years later it has become painfully obvious how terrible they really are. One of the best examples of this is ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’.

First and foremost the fashion in this show is a rich tapestry of heinous patterns and an offensive visual assault of colors. Why people rich enough to live in Bel-Air would ever wear any of the clothing the wardrobe consultants picked is beyond us -especially oldest daughter Hilary whose entire raison d’etre was to shop.

The show ran for six years based almost entirely on Uncle Phil fat jokes and Carlton’s dumb dance. Not to mention the most memorable thing about the show is it’s theme song. We dare you to find someone who can’t recite the entire thing off the top of their head, even now, 15 years after it was originally on the air.

Another show we watch in syndication and wonder how it could have run for so long is ‘Cheers’. We realize it is a beloved classic, but it’s die hard fans have to admit that it really is just a bunch of ugly people who have turned to the company of the bottle and others like them in a dark, dank bar.

It’s most popular characters are a blow-hard, one-upping, know-it-all mailman and a washed-up-baseball-star bartender. Sam Malone is essentially Uncle Rico from ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ and we’re supposed to believe his endless rants about his glory days get him laid more often than Captain Kirk.

Speaking of getting laid, whoever thought a show about a group of geriatric dames sitting around their retirement community talking about sex should be shot. Now we love Betty White, she’s like the original SurlyGurl, but ‘The Golden Girls’ is like walking in on your grandparents having sex: awkward and you wish you’d never seen it.

It wasn’t just the 80’s and 90’s that gave us shows that were wildly popular at the time and then showed their true colours in syndication. ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ and ‘Bewitched’ are essentially the same show. One quirky wife is a genie and the other is a witch. Somehow they both seemed to find the same chauvinist husband. As dreamy as American hero, astronaut Major Nelson was, we would rather not have a husband who shoves us in a bottle and hides us in a closet anytime company arrives. Samantha’s husband Darren treated her like a dog that wouldn’t stop peeing on the carpet any time she used her witchy powers to cook him dinner.

Sadly, it’s only a matter of time that we look back on shows that we currently love and realize just how ridiculous they truly are. Damn you T.V. on DVD box sets!

Adamantium · 10-11-2011, 09:27 PM

I disagree with this.

Vahan · 10-11-2011, 09:42 PM

The problem is that they expect EVERYTHING they loved to be on par with today's standards, instead of just enjoying them for what they are.

benjamoon · 10-11-2011, 09:53 PM

I think some shows don't age well but others are timeless... including some that were mentioned in that article

Marvo301 · 10-11-2011, 10:17 PM

I don't consider shows from the 80's and 90's classics. I reserve that term for shows from the 50's and 60's. And the majority of those shows do hold up very well.

MrCleveland · 10-11-2011, 10:26 PM

Some shows, yes. But the ones you mentioned...no. (Well, maybe "Fresh Prince", but it's sooooo campy now it wants you to go back to 1993).

It just makes me want to sing this....

Retro4Life · 10-11-2011, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vahan

The problem is that they expect EVERYTHING they loved to be on par with today's standards, instead of just enjoying them for what they are.

Honestly, I wouldn't want my old favs to be measured by today's standards, because today there don't really seem to BE any.

The post is interesting, but flawed. Some shows don't hold up, others do. The writer is really generalizing too much, I think.

Shows I liked as a kid that don't hold up now, in terms of comedy include Gilligan's Island, the Brady Bunch, Welcome Back, Kotter, Alice, Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley.

That doesn't mean I can't still enjoy them as good old fashioned nostalgia, however.

floyd2006 · 10-12-2011, 12:22 AM

True that shows I grew up on aren't gonna hold up, but who says they're not entertaining.No one but myself can say what's entertaining. I'm not gonna take much from the article, if you'd call it that.

GQ28 · 10-12-2011, 01:30 AM

I disagree , Some Classic TV shows are timeless ,they are apart of America's cinema .Classics like The Honeymooners and I Love Lucy, has a huge fan base adored by millions! These to shows is the equalvalent of what Gone With The Wind and Cassablanca,is to movie lovers ........TIMELESS CLASSICS.....!!

mystery_daisy · 10-12-2011, 01:37 AM

I have to agree with you Zoneboy. Nice article btw

born2late · 10-12-2011, 01:43 AM

Yeah, I don't think of shows from the 80s & 90s as classic either. I agree that the 50s & 60s are the classics. Even the 70s had some great shows. Years ago, with only 3 channels, there was something good on every night, unlike today's garbage.

Zoneboy · 10-12-2011, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mystery_daisy

I have to agree with you Zoneboy. Nice article btw

Thanks but I didn't write the article and it doesn't necessarily reflect my views. I just found the article and thought it might get some good response.

tiredmike59 · 10-12-2011, 02:07 AM

Think of all the shows that will never be seen again, either destroyed,being kept under lock and key for copyright reasons or they were so obscure that they have been forgotten.

Schmoopie · 10-12-2011, 03:43 AM

I agree that there are some shows I watch now and wonder how I ever liked them in the first place but you have to remember that there weren't as many choices back then. I'm sure this is just a big shock but this is why I love Frasier and Seinfeld so much. Current event references withstanding, I think both of these shows are timeless. I can watch an episode from Season 1 of Frasier and it always amazes me when I realize how long ago they were taped. They look like they could have been taped weeks ago.

Regulus · 10-12-2011, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tiredmike59

Think of all the shows that will never be seen again, either destroyed,being kept under lock and key for copyright reasons or they were so obscure that they have been forgotten.

There are ways around this.

10-11-2011, 09:02 PM	#1
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,349	The Sad Truth: Classic Television Shows Aren't as Good as You Remember Them Link There have been so many shows that are awesome when you first watch them, and then when you revisit them years later it has become painfully obvious how terrible they really are. One of the best examples of this is ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’. First and foremost the fashion in this show is a rich tapestry of heinous patterns and an offensive visual assault of colors. Why people rich enough to live in Bel-Air would ever wear any of the clothing the wardrobe consultants picked is beyond us -especially oldest daughter Hilary whose entire raison d’etre was to shop. The show ran for six years based almost entirely on Uncle Phil fat jokes and Carlton’s dumb dance. Not to mention the most memorable thing about the show is it’s theme song. We dare you to find someone who can’t recite the entire thing off the top of their head, even now, 15 years after it was originally on the air. Another show we watch in syndication and wonder how it could have run for so long is ‘Cheers’. We realize it is a beloved classic, but it’s die hard fans have to admit that it really is just a bunch of ugly people who have turned to the company of the bottle and others like them in a dark, dank bar. It’s most popular characters are a blow-hard, one-upping, know-it-all mailman and a washed-up-baseball-star bartender. Sam Malone is essentially Uncle Rico from ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ and we’re supposed to believe his endless rants about his glory days get him laid more often than Captain Kirk. Speaking of getting laid, whoever thought a show about a group of geriatric dames sitting around their retirement community talking about sex should be shot. Now we love Betty White, she’s like the original SurlyGurl, but ‘The Golden Girls’ is like walking in on your grandparents having sex: awkward and you wish you’d never seen it. It wasn’t just the 80’s and 90’s that gave us shows that were wildly popular at the time and then showed their true colours in syndication. ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ and ‘Bewitched’ are essentially the same show. One quirky wife is a genie and the other is a witch. Somehow they both seemed to find the same chauvinist husband. As dreamy as American hero, astronaut Major Nelson was, we would rather not have a husband who shoves us in a bottle and hides us in a closet anytime company arrives. Samantha’s husband Darren treated her like a dog that wouldn’t stop peeing on the carpet any time she used her witchy powers to cook him dinner. Sadly, it’s only a matter of time that we look back on shows that we currently love and realize just how ridiculous they truly are. Damn you T.V. on DVD box sets!
	__________________ 'Twas The Night Before Christmas And All Through The Full House Not A Creature Was Stirring, Not Even Mighty Mouse. All My Children We're Nestled All Snug In Their Beds While Visions Of Sugarbakers Danced In Their Heads.

10-11-2011, 09:53 PM	#4
benjamoon Bewitched Senior Member Join Date: Jun 15, 2000 Location: New York Posts: 1,450	I think some shows don't age well but others are timeless... including some that were mentioned in that article
	__________________ My Blog: http://benjamonsterstv.blogspot.com/ My Site: peaktvdatabase.weebly.com My favorite TV shows: Bewitched, I Love Lucy, American Dreams, Mary Tyler Moore, The Office, Happy Days, The West Wing, Modern Family, Friday Night Lights, Friends, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation, and Parenthood

10-11-2011, 10:17 PM	#5
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,452	I don't consider shows from the 80's and 90's classics. I reserve that term for shows from the 50's and 60's. And the majority of those shows do hold up very well.
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10-11-2011, 10:26 PM	#6
MrCleveland Drew Carey from Hell Forum Star Join Date: Nov 10, 2007 Location: The City of Cleveland, in The State of Cleveland, in The United States of Cleveland Posts: 14,222	Some shows, yes. But the ones you mentioned...no. (Well, maybe "Fresh Prince", but it's sooooo campy now it wants you to go back to 1993). It just makes me want to sing this....
	__________________ Thank God for kids that love Obscure Things. Lee Hazlewood (1929-2007) You ARE Special to God! Rev. Ernest Angely (August 1921-May 2021)

10-12-2011, 12:22 AM	#8
floyd2006 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Apr 19, 2006 Location: Alabama Posts: 518	True that shows I grew up on aren't gonna hold up, but who says they're not entertaining.No one but myself can say what's entertaining. I'm not gonna take much from the article, if you'd call it that.
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10-11-2011, 09:27 PM	#2
Adamantium TVAdam No More Forum Veteran Join Date: Sep 11, 2002 Location: Springfield, Ohio Posts: 7,824	I disagree with this.

10-11-2011, 09:42 PM	#3
Vahan Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 14, 2008 Posts: 2,712	The problem is that they expect EVERYTHING they loved to be on par with today's standards, instead of just enjoying them for what they are.

10-12-2011, 01:30 AM	#9
GQ28 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 13, 2008 Location: Philadelphia,PA Posts: 211	I disagree , Some Classic TV shows are timeless ,they are apart of America's cinema .Classics like The Honeymooners and I Love Lucy, has a huge fan base adored by millions! These to shows is the equalvalent of what Gone With The Wind and Cassablanca,is to movie lovers ........TIMELESS CLASSICS.....!!

10-12-2011, 01:37 AM	#10
mystery_daisy True Crime Buff Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 14, 2006 Location: Galveston Bay Posts: 3,118	I have to agree with you Zoneboy. Nice article btw

10-12-2011, 01:43 AM	#11
born2late Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 01, 2011 Location: Tn Posts: 360	Yeah, I don't think of shows from the 80s & 90s as classic either. I agree that the 50s & 60s are the classics. Even the 70s had some great shows. Years ago, with only 3 channels, there was something good on every night, unlike today's garbage.

10-12-2011, 02:07 AM	#13
tiredmike59 Member Senior Member Join Date: Jun 05, 2010 Location: OUTLAW STATE {MO} Posts: 1,868	Think of all the shows that will never be seen again, either destroyed,being kept under lock and key for copyright reasons or they were so obscure that they have been forgotten.

10-12-2011, 03:43 AM	#14
Schmoopie Keep Calm and Love Snoopy Forum Star Join Date: Jul 13, 2008 Location: Lynnwood, Washington Posts: 15,697	I agree that there are some shows I watch now and wonder how I ever liked them in the first place but you have to remember that there weren't as many choices back then. I'm sure this is just a big shock but this is why I love Frasier and Seinfeld so much. Current event references withstanding, I think both of these shows are timeless. I can watch an episode from Season 1 of Frasier and it always amazes me when I realize how long ago they were taped. They look like they could have been taped weeks ago.
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