My old blogger buddy, J. Eric Smith , made note of the New York Times essay The 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century. But for reasons, he ended up compiling his All-Time Favorite Television.
I’ve been pretty clear that I haven’t seen nearly enough 21st-century telly. Several shows I’ve seen exactly one episode of (The Wire, Mad Men, Watchmen, Ted Lasso) , but never got back to them. I haven’t seen others (Breaking Bad, Succession, and tons of others) at all. I had no interest in watching some (Game of Thrones especially).
Initially, I didn’t want to sign up for various streaming services. But even though my cable company is adding more platforms at no extra charge, I’m just not in the habit.
As for the rewatchability of some shows, I’m largely guessing for most, since I haven’t seen some of these in decades.
But what the heck. I’ll attempt the JES thing. From 27 to 1, because that’s what I thought of.
Hill Street Blues – I loved the show at the time. I’ve read that it doesn’t hold up by a few sources, but it was the root of a lot of what followed in crime dramas
The Office (US) – often cringeworthy, especially after Michael Scott departed. But when my wife and I were away this summer, we ended up viewing several episodes
Taxi – I liked Reverend Jim; Latka, not so much. But seeing the movie Man in the Moon helped put Andy Kaufman in context.
Two Sides of Manhattan
East Side, West Side – an early 1960s show with George C. Scott and Cicely Tyson
Arrested Development – my watching was spotty, but I liked it when I saw it
The Good Place – I liked the pseudo-theological motif
30 Rock – the quasi-documentary
The Associates – a short-lived 1980s comedy
Perry Mason – late-night; if I’m channel surfing, I’ll end up watching it. It was one of the shows that made me want to be a lawyer
The Defenders – 1960s show with E.G. Marshall and Robert Reed; another lawyer show
Rocky and Bullwinkle – my favorite cartoon show
Cagney and Lacey – I literally had dreams about the show
St. Elsewhere -so what if it’s a kid fever dream?
Once and Again – a couple, he divorced, she almost, and family complications
Brothers and Sisters – adult children of a matriarch played by Sally Field
The Good Wife – I liked how it evolved from an Eliot Spitzer “stand by your man” motif
Star Trek: The Next Generation – the one I connected with, more than the original series
The Johnny Cash Show – he had such a variety of pop and country singers on his show c. 1970; it was when I first realized how cool he was
Pushing Daisies – a two-season series about life and death and life
My Name Is Earl – a show about redemption which ended too early
Law and Order: Criminal Intent – two very quirky male leads in Vincent D’Onofrio and Jeff Goldblum
Barney Miller – I liked most of the cops, but the criminals and victims of crime made it for me.
Freaks and Geeks – I could relate
My So-Called Life – ditto
The Bold Ones: The Senator – this was a rotating series on NBC that lasted one season, then won a bunch of Emmys
The Twilight Zone – I own the series on DVD
The Dick Van Dyke Show – I watched our DVDs with my daughter, so I know it holds up