# Why do I find old TV sit-com reruns silly?



## debodun (May 25, 2016)

The TV sit-coms I loved as a kid seem inane and silly when I see reruns of them now (e.g. Gilligan's Island, F Troop, Gomer Pyle, etc). I wonder why?


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## SeaBreeze (May 25, 2016)

The really old ones were good back in the day when I was a youngster, but our tastes change as we age and also the times change.  Those shows are quaint in a way, but too simple for me, so seeing a rerun now is not something I want.  I do sometimes watch old Seinfeld episodes on the small kitchen TV when I'm in there eating, still get some smiles out of that show, good writers and cast.  Just individual taste Deb.


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## Son_of_Perdition (May 25, 2016)

There was a time during the late 60's & early 70's that defy reason, it was during the 'acid' trips, psychedelic, Timothy Leary days.  I watch movies from that time, usually turn them off realizing how dated they are, most of them still assault my senses.  I had just returned from the service, gung-ho to defeat communism & was offended by the 'flower' children's protests.  I got over that, started a career, family,,,etc.  But, still never could get into the entertainment genre of those days.  

I didn't like long hair bothered my ears, did try the platform shoes for a day, sat in my closet until discarding, shins recovering from the strain.  Didn't wear bell-bottoms, smoked 'dope' or wore beads either.  Recently since retirement, we've sat down several times to do a little marathon watching of TV reruns on Hulu & Netflix.  Seinfeld, Cheers, Dick Van Dyke, Andy Griffith & the more current fare, 'Breaking Bad'.  Those still hold up today.  I watch TCM for the older classics, some are great, some are fluff, but they make more sense than the aforementioned time.

I usually find that remakes lack.  There are a few who have actually done a better job at it.  I watched 'Man in the Wilderness' with Richard Harris, good movie, interesting.  Last night I got a DVD copy of 'The Revenant' with Leonardo.  Intense, great movie.  Much more realistic than Harris's orginal.  Also, on AMC was the remake of 'True Grit', I am a fan of John Wayne, but that remake was much better.


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## Ruthanne (May 25, 2016)

I still watch some of them (Andy Griffith) but find other ones out dated.


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## debodun (May 25, 2016)

_M*A*S*H_ is usually good unless it one of those "preachy, anti-war" episodes.


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## Cookie (May 25, 2016)

Television was very simple in those days, writing for TV audiences was in its very elementary stage and sets, costumes and everything else really low budget. Also there were a lot of restrictions and censorship, people seemed to be much more conservative then. Needless to say, today's audiences are huge and very sophisticated and also very intelligent.  Television has come a long way since the 50s. 

I very rarely watch those old classic TV shows, but some of them are interesting to me for the costumes, sets, and locations.


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## SifuPhil (May 25, 2016)

Cookie said:


> Television was very simple in those days, writing for TV audiences was in its very elementary stage and sets, costumes and everything else really low budget. Also there were a lot of restrictions and censorship, people seemed to be much more conservative then. *Needless to say, today's audiences are huge and very sophisticated and also very intelligent.* Television has come a long way since the 50s.
> 
> I very rarely watch those old classic TV shows, but some of them are interesting to me for the costumes, sets, and locations.



Ooh, I beg to differ. 

Judging by what is new on the tube, today's audiences are shallow, mean and lack intelligence.

There are no more shows with morality plays written into them; now it's all jokes about bodily functions, divorce and sex. 

At least Andy never got too steamy when Barney was around.

Yes, I still prefer the "classics" - I watch _The Honeymooners, The Andy Griffith Show, I Love Lucy _- they're universally and consistently funny, but they're not filthy. Was never a fan of _F Troop, Gilligan's Island _or_ Gomer Pyle_ - not saying they weren't funny - they just weren't to my taste. 

Johnny Carson - The King. All the subsequent hosts were pretenders to the throne. 

The old crime dramas were well-written and had plots. The new ones? All blood and guts.


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## debodun (May 25, 2016)

SifuPhil said:


> Was never a fan of _F Troop, Gilligan's Island _or_ Gomer Pyle_ - not saying they weren't funny - they just weren't to my taste.



Just using those as examples.


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## SifuPhil (May 25, 2016)

debodun said:


> Just using those as examples.



Oh, I know - there were a lot of others I wasn't crazy about - _Hazel_, etc.


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## Cookie (May 25, 2016)

Phil, there's no accounting for viewer's tastes.  I think the old shows that my parents used to like were a bit on the mundane two dimensional side. 

I don't watch actual TV shows on television set - but get TV shows on Netflix and have seen some really high quality British mysteries, detective shows (no profanity) and have enjoyed some great American TV too.  I choose.  And we have a lot to choose from now, unlike in the old days. 

There is such a broad audience spectrum now, I really wouldn't want to generalize and say its all bad, there's something for everyone, much of it doesn't appeal to me either.


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## Underock1 (May 25, 2016)

I'm not sure how far back some of these go. Loved the Mary Tyler Moore Show, WKRP in Cincinnati, Taxi, and All in the Family. I guess  Everybody Loves Raymond is too recent. Yeah, Lucy was great. If the early shows seem simpler, lets remember there were many restrictions on what they were allowed to write. Maybe that was a good thing, but then again, maybe not. The shows are written for the audience that watches them. Most of us are no longer the target audience.


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## Guitarist (May 25, 2016)

SifuPhil said:


> Ooh, I beg to differ.
> 
> Judging by what is new on the tube, today's audiences are shallow, mean and lack intelligence.
> 
> ...


 
I'll just pretty much second this without writing my own post. 

I will add _The Man from U.N.C.L.E._, good westerns, and some Saturday-morning cartoons. _Mission Impossible_ was good too; I didn't care for it, but looking back I think it was very popular and well done.  

What '60s and '70s movies, son?  I'm drawing a blank other than James Bond (I still enjoy those occasionally if I can catch one without commercials.  I honestly can't think of any others right off the bat).


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## Son_of_Perdition (May 25, 2016)

Guitarist said:


> What '60s and '70s movies, son?  I'm drawing a blank other than James Bond (I still enjoy those occasionally if I can catch one without commercials.  I honestly can't think of any others right off the bat).


Valley of the Dolls
To Sir, with Love 
The Born Losers 
I Am Curious 
In Like Flint     
The Trip 
Our Man Flint
The Alamo
The Green Berets
Convoy
White Lightening    
W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings
Smokey and the Bandit
Once Upon a Time in the West
The Ballad of Cable Hogue
Anything with Tom Laughlin

To name a few, actually the James Bond movies were ok, it was spoofs that came later on.  The original Pink Panther was good, but the next 25 Pinks were really lame.


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## SifuPhil (May 25, 2016)

Cookie said:


> Phil, there's no accounting for viewer's tastes. I think the old shows that my parents used to like were a bit on the mundane two dimensional side.



I prefer mundane over forced stylishness and complexity. 



> I don't watch actual TV shows on television set - but get TV shows on Netflix and have seen some really high quality British mysteries, detective shows (no profanity) and have enjoyed some great American TV too. I choose. And we have a lot to choose from now, unlike in the old days.



I agree there is some great Brit stuff, but American? Sorry, I'll hold my position. Sure, if you have Netflix/etc. you can be choosy - I meant broadcast / cable TV, the Great Wasteland.


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## Cookie (May 25, 2016)

SifuPhil said:


> I prefer mundane over forced stylishness and complexity.   I agree there is some great Brit stuff, but American? Sorry, I'll hold my position. Sure, if you have Netflix/etc. you can be choosy - I meant broadcast / cable TV, the Great Wasteland.



I watched TV like everyone else when I was growing up (starting in the 50s when television was just a toddler) and sure there was some pretty good stuff on.  But I think I'm past the point where I would be satisfied watching re-runs of Andy Griffith or the Beverly Hillbillies or Gilligan's Island, although I loved them back then. 

When I didn't see anything worth watching back in 2003, I knew it was time to throw out the TV and do something else and only got Netflix last year Sometimes the pickins are pretty slim there too. OK I admit it, I really enjoyed Gossip Girl (on Netflix) which is very American, and its pretty stylish and maybe even a little complex.  Sometimes a bit of escapism is a good thing.  I find reading reviews helpful to sift through it all.


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## SifuPhil (May 25, 2016)

Cookie said:


> I watched TV like everyone else when I was growing up (starting in the 50s when television was just a toddler) and sure there was some pretty good stuff on. But I think I'm past the point where I would be satisfied watching re-runs of Andy Griffith or the Beverly Hillbillies or Gilligan's Island, although I loved them back then.



Do you think your tastes have changed, or you've become more sophisticated, or programming has become better, or ... ?



> When I didn't see anything worth watching back in 2003, I knew it was time to throw out the TV and do something else and only got Netflix last year Sometimes the pickins are pretty slim there too. OK I admit it, I really enjoyed Gossip Girl (on Netflix) which is very American, and its pretty stylish and maybe even a little complex. Sometimes a bit of escapism is a good thing. I find reading reviews helpful to sift through it all.



Well, at least you went without for a while. It doesn't sound like you're one of those people who had it going 24/7. 

I know escapism can be a good thing - I regularly indulge in it with Andy and Barney and Aunt Bea.


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## Ruthanne (May 25, 2016)

I really enjoy watching some of the old 60s shows once in awhile, like Petticoat Junction, Beverly Hillbillies, I love Lucy, Green Acres.  Those are so stupid they are funny!! Well, at least the hillbillies and Green Acres are!!


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## Shalimar (May 25, 2016)

I think that perhaps nostalgia for the good old days when simplicity reigned supreme, via Andy Griffith et al, is far more palatable if one enjoyed their life during that era. Otherwise it becomes a bitter reminder of how fantasmagorical such an existence was for many.


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## Cookie (May 25, 2016)

Phil, Yes, I think some of the programming is better quality, it has to be, the technology is much more advanced now.  If you think TV is bad, its just a reflection of what appeals to the mass audiences. 

Of course our tastes change from when we were kids and young adults. I'd like to think I'm more sophisticated, having been around the block a few times, worked in various places, read a book or two and been to some places in the world and met a few people. As we age we probably don't relate to a lot of the stuff that is geared towards the younger crowd.  I'm finding that.

There was a show on when I was a kid that I really loved, called Topper, about a man who could see ghosts and some of the situations he's get into, based on a movie from the 40s.


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## AprilT (May 27, 2016)

I have no idea why I just sat through two episodes of The Andy Griffith show.  I was channel surfing was surprised to see it pop up though I would take a quick peek for old times sake, and there I am. Two full episodes later.


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## NancyNGA (May 27, 2016)

Cookie said:


> ...There was a show on when I was a kid that I really loved, called Topper, about a man who could see ghosts and some of the situations he's get into, based on a movie from the 40s.



Yeah, Topper, I used to watch that, too.  Forgot about it.


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## fureverywhere (May 27, 2016)

It reminds us of the shows...perhaps already in syndication at the time...we watched growing up. "Dennis the Menace" with Jay North. In today's world he would be on meds or possibly juvie hall by now. But back then he had a slingshot and could drive Mr. Wilson batty...oh and Mr. Wilson didn't start any lawsuits...how about those innocent days?


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## Ruthanne (May 27, 2016)

fureverywhere said:


> It reminds us of the shows...perhaps already in syndication at the time...we watched growing up. "Dennis the Menace" with Jay North. In today's world he would be on meds or possibly juvie hall by now. But back then he had a slingshot and could drive Mr. Wilson batty...oh and Mr. Wilson didn't start any lawsuits...how about those innocent days?


Hahahaha


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## Ruthanne (May 27, 2016)

A person can still be sophisticated and watch a few oldie shows!!  Just for the heck of it!  No need to analyze it to death.


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## fureverywhere (May 27, 2016)

"Petticoat Junction"...don't overthink it, "Green Acres" too, just a lot of fun.


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## Underock1 (May 28, 2016)

Anybody here remember "Foodini the Great" and Pinhead ? No? "Kukla, Fran and Ollie"? Anyone? Am I off topic? Where the Hell am I anyway? ld:


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## NancyNGA (May 28, 2016)

Underock1 said:


> Anybody here remember ...Pinhead ? No?



 I had a Pinhead hand puppet!!!      My dad used to tease me about it all the time.  It was so ugly.


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## RadishRose (May 28, 2016)

debodun said:


> The TV sit-coms I loved as a kid seem inane and silly when I see reruns of them now (e.g. Gilligan's Island, F Troop, Gomer Pyle, etc). I wonder why?



Those particular ones you mentioned....I didn't even like them then.


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## SifuPhil (May 28, 2016)

AprilT said:


> I have no idea why I just sat through two episodes of The Andy Griffith show.  I was channel surfing was surprised to see it pop up though I would take a quick peek for old times sake, and there I am. Two full episodes later.



Addictive, in a Quaalude-ish way, isn't it?


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## AprilT (May 28, 2016)

SifuPhil said:


> Addictive, in a Quaalude-ish way, isn't it?



LOL!  I just guess I like some of those old shows, that was always a favorite except when Barney made an appearance, though surprising I wasn't as annoyed by him in the episodes I watched.


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## tnthomas (May 28, 2016)

SifuPhil said:


> Addictive, in a Quaalude-ish way, isn't it?



'ludes, yea. 
Sorta like watching a string of Gomer Pyle: USMC episodes on Youtube.


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## Underock1 (May 28, 2016)

SifuPhil said:


> Addictive, in a Quaalude-ish way, isn't it?



Many a true word spoken in jest. :laugh:


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## AprilT (May 28, 2016)

Well being I've never done ludes or quualudes I can't really vouch, but how dare you all equate the griffith show with gomer.  Hmphf!


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## SifuPhil (May 29, 2016)

AprilT said:


> Well being I've never done ludes or quualudes I can't really vouch, but how dare you all equate the griffith show with gomer. Hmphf!



Andy could kick Gomer's butt.

Heck, even _Barney_ would give Gomer a tough fight!


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## AprilT (May 29, 2016)

Well, golly.


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## tnthomas (May 29, 2016)

Hey- Andy, Barney and Gomer have all(at one time or another) sat down at Aunt Bee's kitchen table together, said "grace" and had fried chicken on Sundays for supper.

Andy can kick anybody's butt...Barney and Gomer, maybe together can fight their way out of a wet paper bag.


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## Cookie (May 29, 2016)

Any Griffith not my go to place when feeling the need for some comfort TV.  Of course it was there alongside other sit coms available in the 60s and 70s that I might watch if there was nothing else on. My mom liked the show though. I was, however, a very loyal fan of Laugh In and The Smothers Brother Show later on and never missed it.   Now those were some excellent laughs.


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## Butterfly (May 29, 2016)

I still LOVE M.A.S.H!  I had forgotten about WKRP in Cincinnati -- that one had some great episodes.  

And yes, I remember Topper.  I especially liked the martini-drinking St. Bernard.  

Green Acres was so absurd it was funny.  Lisa Douglas always plugging in too many electric things and blowing the electricity and finally Oliver putting numbers on everything so she didn't do that really struck a chord with us.  When we were in Germany not long after that, we had to use (220 to 110) transformers for our electric stuff and kept plugging  in too much and blowing transformers (expensive to replace)  -- so we also put numbers on things so we didn't  plug in too much -- "You can't plug that in -- it's an 8 and I'm using a 6 in the kitchen!"


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## Butterfly (May 29, 2016)

Cookie said:


> Any Griffith not my go to place when feeling the need for some comfort TV.  Of course it was there alongside other sit coms available in the 60s and 70s that I might watch if there was nothing else on. My mom liked the show though. I was, however, a very loyal fan of Laugh In and The Smothers Brother Show later on and never missed it.   Now those were some excellent laughs.



Smothers Brothers were great.  I recently watched some of them on YouTube and still enjoyed them immensely.


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## AprilT (May 29, 2016)

Mash is on a different dimension, that was a great show as a young girl I watched it regularly and will watch if I it pops up during my surfing channel moments.  I pretty much didn't choose most of what we would watch when the other shows were on I was the middle sibling and like between Ages five and eight when some of those shows was first airing.  I watched a lot of TV including I love Lucy, petticoat junction and most of what has been mentioned. Some shows were more annoying than others, but, at times I still enjoyed even the irksome ones,what else was I to do in the evening at such an age besides get picked on by my older siblings.  . I couldn't stand that military comedy show of which I recall the name at the moment, the one with the German or Russian officers, but, sometimes got stuck watching that too.  I think that military show was my parents watching pleasure


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## Butterfly (May 29, 2016)

April, was that military show Hogan's Heroes?


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## AprilT (May 30, 2016)

Butterfly said:


> April, was that military show Hogan's Heroes?



. Thanks bunches, yes that's the one, I've been trying ever since mentioning it to remember the name of the show. There were moments it made me giggle, but mostly, I found it annoying


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## Son_of_Perdition (May 30, 2016)

My parents bought our first TV in 1953, I was 8.  The first show on was Howdy Doody.  I think we could have fried eggs on top of the TV afterwards, I remember getting up turning on the cartoons on Sat. watching 'Buster Brown'.  One of my favorites was 'The Millionaire' had a smooth talking gent giving out $1M checks to unsuspecting recipients from John Beresford Tipton.  Kept watching for him to show up, never happened.


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