Best show . . . ever?

[maggiethecat]

housemouse said:

Welcome Maggie - to the best show on television. Might I even say (at the risk of offending one or two people on this board): The. Best. Show. Ever.

This was my darling Mouse's response to my tentative foray into the world of Friday Night Lights, and boy! did it get me going.

Them's fightin' words . . . and them's thinkin' words. If, for the sake of argument, we remove Blind Justice from the equation, what would you all say was the best TV show ever?

I have a very personal list, so I'll start:

E. R.: The first five or six years before George Clooney left, before they killed off Anthony Edwards with that soap opera brain tumor, and before the writers turned Noah Wyle into the most boring billionnaire on the planet.

Upstairs, Downstairs: The granddaddy of them all, and how many years did they keep us glued to PBS every Sunday night? Dear Rose, dear Mrs. Hudson, and oh no! has Lady Marjorie really booked passage on the Titanic?

West Wing: The first two or three seasons. Writing, writing, writing, and at its heyday, this show had it to spare.

Magnum PI: Call me shallow, but for eight years running I never went anywhere on Thursday nights at 9:00 if it meant I'd miss the chance to see Thomas Sullivan Magnum jogging along the beach in his teeny tiny little shorts. (Zeus, Apollo -- heel!)

Maybe we need two categories: drama and comedy. After all, we can't forget Lucy and Viv, or Mary and Rhoda . . . .

Thoughts, anyone?

Mags

[anna]

Best Drama: ER. I've had an on-again, off-again relationship with the show, and, as maggie says, the early years were the best. Even now, though, when an episode is running on all cylinders, I can't take my eyes away from it.

Best Comedy: Chef!. I watched the original US telecast; I watched all of the reruns; I watched the DVD when it was finally released. I've always found it side-splittingly, gasping-for-air funny.

[Chris]

maggiethecat said:

E. R.: The first five or six years before George Clooney left, before they killed off Anthony Edwards with that soap opera brain tumor, and before the writers turned Noah Wyle into the most boring billionnaire on the planet.

maggiethecat said:

West Wing: The first two or three seasons. Writing, writing, writing, and at its heyday, this show had it to spare.

Maggie I agree, these two shows are definitely among the best shows ever.

I also loved "Reasonable Doubts" where Marlee Matlin played a District Attorney. I taped all the episodes and watched them over and over, but last summer I watched them again and didn't like them as much anymore - too much lecturing and too politically correct.

The. Best. Show. Ever:

That would be a Danish show called "Matador"

Matador is the name of a board-game much like Monopoly and a "matador" is also what you would call a "magnate"

It is set in a small town in Denmark during the years 1929 through 1946 and is about the lives of the people living in this town. The main characters are those of one of the well-respected families in town and of a new-comer and how he settles in town.

It is well written with characters that are real human beings, they are good and they are bad just like we all are. It gives a fairly correct image of small-town-living in Denmark in the 1930s and 1940s and has it all, drama, humor, the German occupation during WWII, people getting married, divorced, giving births, dying and all the little scandals that happens in every small town.

This show is loved by almost everybody in Denmark, right now it's on Saturday night at 8 pm. for the fifth time (I think) with ratings of almost one million viewers per episode - and there are only five million of us.
When it was released on VHS it sold about one million copies and the DVD also sold in more than one million copies which makes it the best selling show in Denmark ever.

As for best comedy show, I don't know which one is the best ever, there are so many great ones to choose from but none that stands out as the very best...

Take care and keep smiling
- Chris

[mlm828]

"Matador" sounds wonderful. I don't think there's been anything comparable on the tube here -- at least, I can't remember anything off the top of my head.

Here are my candidates. For best drama, I'd go all the way back to the early 1960s for The Defenders -- well-written, wonderfully acted, and it didn't hesitate to take on controversial issues, which was extraordinary for a TV show of that era. I'm not a big sitcom watcher, but my vote would have to go to MASH -- when it originally aired, it spoke quite eloquently about what was happening at the time, even though it ostensibly took place at a different time and place. Finally, my choice for best "reality show" -- the Watergate hearings. No one who lived through that time will ever forget Senator Sam Ervin, or the "cancer on the Presidency," or the bombshell dropped by Alexander Butterfield when he revealed Nixon taped himself.

[Chris]

mlm828 said:

Finally, my choice for best "reality show" -- the Watergate hearings. No one who lived through that time will ever forget Senator Sam Ervin, or the "cancer on the Presidency," or the bombshell dropped by Alexander Butterfield when he revealed Nixon taped himself.

Karma!!!

You are right about MASH. I had completely forgotten about that show but that is absolutely the best comedy ever

- Chris

[maggiethecat]

mlm828 said:

For best drama, I'd go all the way back to the early 1960s for The Defenders -- well-written, wonderfully acted, and it didn't hesitate to take on controversial issues, which was extraordinary for a TV show of that era.

Oh, mlm, how could I have forgotten The Defenders? Maybe the last show in which the defense and not the prosecution was the focus. And how we loved E. G. Marshall. That show is forever linked in my mind with the other black & white classic of the era, Perry Mason. Why doesn't TVLand pull that one out of the vault? The last time I saw them, maybe ten years ago, they stood up beautifully, much better than the 90-minute Perry Masons done in the late 80s.

mlm828 said:

I'm not a big sitcom watcher, but my vote would have to go to MASH -- when it originally aired, it spoke quite eloquently about what was happening at the time, even though it ostensibly took place at a different time and place.

Korea? We all knew it was really about Vietnam, and that show was important. That one, at least, is in rotation now on TVLand, and, with Iraq, what it has to say seems as fresh as the day it was filmed.

mlm828 said:

Finally, my choice for best "reality show" -- the Watergate hearings. No one who lived through that time will ever forget Senator Sam Ervin, or the "cancer on the Presidency," or the bombshell dropped by Alexander Butterfield when he revealed Nixon taped himself.

I loved Watergate, I ate Watergate with a spoon. That was the most fascinating summer of my life, being glued to those hearings. (I must pause for a moment and remember the glorious and righteous Barbara Jordan.) Maybe why -- even though I've seen it so many times I have it memorized -- when I came across All the President's Men the other night on AMC, I stopped, watched, and was in until the end. (And it was not like I didn't know how it would end.) Favorite line? "Surely you don't think this is all the work of little Don Segretti." Back when journalism meant something, by gum!

Watergate was the most stunning and important example of how, when all is said and done, democracy works. You cannot subvert the Constitution and get away with it . . . not for long. So thank you, mlm88, for taking me down a Memory Lane I love to travel.

Now, for something completely different -- was I Love Lucy as important to anyone else as it was to me?

[mlm828]

maggiethecat said:

I loved Watergate, I ate Watergate with a spoon. That was the most fascinating summer of my life, being glued to those hearings.

I recall one of Nixon's minions complaining that people (the media, probably) were "wallowing in Watergate." Well, I'm proud to say I definitely "wallowed." As I recall, the PBS station in New York (where I lived at the time) re-ran the hearings in the evening, and my roommate and I, our upstairs neighbors, and sometimes other friends would gather in our "tiny-ass apartment" on West End Avenue and watch the hearings on my little black-and-white TV set. They were riveting.

[housemouse]

Best show... ever? That is a good question, here are some of my thoughts.

Let me begin by saying that Friday Night Lights is hands down, the best show on TV right now. There is nothing out there that even comes close. On to the topic at hand...

My vote for best television show of all time would have to go to St. Elsewhere. The show that paved the way for Chicago Hope and ER. This show was well written, supremely cast (Denzel Washington, Alfre Woodard, David Morse, Ed Flanders, Edward Hermann, even Eric Stoltz Inuvik! - the list goes on and on). The plot lines were ahead of their time - remember Dr. Craig's artificial heart? The stories were intricate, the characters well written, and the show was top notch all the way. Nothing before or since even compares to St. Elsewhere.

Another couple of shows I would consider: Wiseguy, Highlander, I Love Lucy, Newhart (or The Bob Newhart Show - whichever you prefer). I'm sure there are more - but that's the list off the top of my head.

Modified to Add:

I know I did not include a show about a certain blond dude, but I will say, that I might put Bakersfield PD on the list - now there was a show that was ahead of its time.

[maggiethecat]

Oh yes, Mouse -- St. Elsewhere! Brilliantly cast, wonderfully well written, and I had forgotten that it truly paved the way for E.R. And who can forget Florence Huffnagel, the ever-complaining patient from Hell, who met her demise when her hospital bed clamped shut like a clamshell?

For groundbreaking, never-miss dramas, I would also nominate the first Bochco hit Hill Street Blues. Hard to remember, but prior to Hill Street TV cops were all pretty much clench-jawed stereotypes like Jack Webb on Dragnet. Hill Street was the first show to give us quirky cops with personal lives.

And . . . I admit I will have to give up all pretense of intellectualism with this suggestion . . . for sheer entertainment value and for characters that kept us coming back week after week after week: Dallas. Just the first seven or eight years but what a run! Also the first show to establish the tradition of the season-ending cliffhanger, and they did it better than any show before or since with Who shot J.R.? (BTW, if there are any old Dallas fans out there, may I please say here and now that Shrub has always reminded me of Cliff Barnes? The only other man who couldn't make a go in the oil bidness in Texas in the 1980s. )

[inuvik]

This is a fun but difficult question!

It depends on how you define best. In reading over everyone's responses, some of the shows like MASH seem to have been mentioned because of social commentary (which of course is important!)

But going by best meaning our favourite, what we enjoyed the most, etc., here's some of mine.

My all time favorite show is still Blind Justice--I'm true to the Board! (just teasing, Mouse!)

Other dramas: Chicago Hope (from the start, not just because of a certain redhead), Everwood, and I'm sure there's more but I can't think of them right now.

Current drama is Gilmore Girls or Monk--not sure what Monk is--comedy or drama?

Comedies: looking back, most of my faves have been British.

Monty Python's Flying Circus
Keeping Up Appearances
Are You Being Served?

And, my fave of the English bunch, half comedy and half drama-- Waiting for God. This was about two lifelong friends in a care home (hence the title). She never married, he is a widower. Very moving--I really miss this one!

Current comedy--Canada's own Corner Gas. Its ratings aren't quite as good as yours, Chris, but are still great for this country. 1-2 million an episode, 30 million people here. It is so funny, unabashedly Canadian, and never an off colour laugh!

[shmeep]

I love so much television that it will be hard to come up with a list because it will change, but I'm going to put down shows (other than Blind Justice, of course) I couldn't wait to see every week and that were groundbreaking in some way.

These are in no particular order because I really couldn't choose a favorite from among them.

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel—I'm putting both shows together because Angel is a spin-off. These shows are new to me. I only watched Buffy once or twice while it was on and I never watched Angel. Kenina is quite the Buffy fan and she started lending me her Buffy/Angel DVDs a few months ago and I got completely caught up. There has never been anything like it on television before or since. If you’ve never sat down to watch it, you’ll think it’s ridiculous, but once you give it a chance, you’re hooked. It’s ageless and timeless and fun—but with such heart that you’ll find yourself shocked by what kinds of characters you end up relating to.

• China Beach—This is a show that broke my heart but made me laugh almost every week. The characters were so real and their situation so dire that I felt I was living it all with them. The juxtaposition of a recreational facility in the middle of the Vietnam War—with a hospital attached—provided a rollercoaster of fun mixed with life-and-death situations. Dana Delany was at her best and could practically speak with her eyes. She was so tough and yet so vulnerable. I wanted China Beach to last forever.

• Seinfeld—Cracks me up to this day.

• Arrested Development—Some people believe that Bakersfield PD set the stage for a comedy like Arrested Development and that it was sadly before its time. Unfortunately, Arrested Development was before its time as well. It’s quirky and twisted and wrong and each episode is cleverly spun and full of references to past episodes that are completely missed unless you watch closely so each episode is more clever and amusing than the one before. I’m glad it stayed on the air as long as it did and received so much critical acclaim, but it ended far too soon.

• Little House on the Prairie—I’ll always love this show, no matter how the material veered from the books. It’s a brilliant combination of genuinely good and genuinely bad and the bad is such fun to mock that I almost prefer the horrible episodes (of which there were many). My Little House on the Prairie board, which is really a spin-off of a snarky thread at TWoP, is going strong and people are still having a ball making fun of the show while still honoring it.

• Star Trek/Star Trek: The Next Generation—I was never into any sci-fi until I started watching Star Trek. The original series is still fun to watch because of its bad special effects and over-the-top acting (and where do we start on the costumes?) and The Next Generation was a genuinely good show that is only now starting to look a little silly in the special effects department. The world created for these and all the other Star Trek spin-offs was creative and believable and it was fun to imagine it to be true. And who wouldn’t have a crush on Captain Jean Luc Picard? I know I did.

Modified to Add:

Aaagh! I forgot to put Friday Night Lights on my list. It definitely belongs there. I know it's just the first season, but I look forward to it more than to anything else on TV and it strikes just the right cord with me emotionally but is never sappy.

[housemouse]

admin said:

China Beach—This is a show that broke my heart but made me laugh almost every week. The characters were so real and their situation so dire that I felt I was living it all with them. The juxtaposition of a recreational facility in the middle of the Vietnam War—with a hospital attached—provided a rollercoaster of fun mixed with life-and-death situations. Dana Delany was at her best and could practically speak with her eyes. She was so tough and yet so vulnerable. I wanted China Beach to last forever.

I can't believe I forgot China Beach. What a great show. There are two things that stick out to me. The first was the episode where Dana Delany's character had leave and went home for a couple of weeks. Her there in her parent's house trying to live her old life if only for a little while - very powerful. The second was the story arc where Boonie lost his leg. I can still picture the entire scene where he gets out of the hospital bed and lands flat on his face. I agree Shmeep, I would count this among the best ever.

admin said:

Seinfeld—Cracks me up to this day.

This makes me kind of sad. I loved Seinfeld when it aired, and I watched it in reruns for a long time. Ever since Michael Richards' tirade on stage, I can't watch it anymore. I turned it on a couple of weeks ago and as soon as Kramer walked in, that was all I could think of and it ruined the whole thing for me. Bummer.

admin said:

Arrested Development—Some people believe that Bakersfield PD set the stage for a comedy like Arrested Development and that it was sadly before its time. Unfortunately, Arrested Development was before its time as well. It’s quirky and twisted and wrong and each episode is cleverly spun and full of references to past episodes that are completely missed unless you watch closely so each episode is more clever and amusing than the one before. I’m glad it stayed on the air as long as it did and received so much critical acclaim, but it ended far too soon.

Laugh out loud funny. I do think it was BPD that set the stage for a show like Arrested Development. This show ended way too soon. Wil Arnett, David Silver, wow! And who would have thought Jason Bateman could act? I also loved the voice over by Ron Howard.

Another comedy I loved and looked forward to every week was Grounded for Life. Now that was a hilarious sitcom that no one watched. It was on either WB or UPN and it was great pretty much from start to finish. Donal Logue who is in Knights of Prosperity, starred.

The crap that stays on while stuff like that is canceled continues to blow me away. How long was Yes Dear on? Unbelievable.

admin said:

Aaagh! I forgot to put Friday Night Lights on my list. It definitely belongs there. I know it's just the first season, but I look forward to it more than to anything else on TV and it strikes just the right cord with me emotionally but is never sappy.

You know I agree with you here. This show will quite possibly go down as one of the best ever - especially if it gets more than one season.

P.S. That little hottie Taylor Kitsch is on the cover of February's Men's Health Magazine.

[Eyphur]

admin said:

•Arrested Development—Some people believe that Bakersfield PD set the stage for a comedy like Arrested Development and that it was sadly before its time. Unfortunately, Arrested Development was before its time as well. It’s quirky and twisted and wrong and each episode is cleverly spun and full of references to past episodes that are completely missed unless you watch closely so each episode is more clever and amusing than the one before. I’m glad it stayed on the air as long as it did and received so much critical acclaim, but it ended far too soon.

• Little House on the Prairie—I’ll always love this show, no matter how the material veered from the books. It’s a brilliant combination of genuinely good and genuinely bad and the bad is such fun to mock that I almost prefer the horrible episodes (of which there were many). My Little House on the Prairie board, which is really a spin-off of a snarky thread at TWoP, is going strong and people are still having a ball making fun of the show while still honoring it.

Arrested Development is my new obsession. It is one of the funniest things I have ever watched. And unline Blind Justice and Bakersfield it is out on DVD. (I bought the first season a couple weeks ago at Circuit City -$29.99. and if your really bored, I rambled about AD in my blog yesterday).

Little House on the Prarie- I never knew a show could be so much fun to make fun of.

[mlm828]

I totally agree with those who mentioned St. Elsewhere, China Beach, and Hill Street Blues -- all great shows. There have also been a lot of great British imports on PBS over the years. Upstairs, Downstairs, of course. Another one I always made a point of watching was All Creatures Great and Small. And I absolutely loved two homegrown PBS programs: the Ken Burns series on the Civil War and baseball.

There are several current programs I watch regularly and enjoy, but I wouldn't be distressed if I missed an episode now and then (unlike a certain show about a blind blond dude). In no particular order, they are:

Prison Break -- pure and simple edge-of-your-seat escapist (pun intended) entertainment.

House, M.D. -- Hugh Laurie is brilliant, but I have to confess Dr. House the character is beginning to get a tad tiresome. Nothing seems to get through to the man, not even his recent brush with the law. (The legal part of that story line was truly absurd, by the way). I would like to see some growth, or at least some movement, in the character.

Heroes -- not my usual thing, and the way it jumps around sometimes makes it difficult to keep track of all the characters, but it keeps me watching.

Battlestar Galactica -- the Friday Night Lights folks would probably disagree, but of the shows I'm currently watching, it's the best drama on TV.

[hoosier]

Best Show Ever? Its really hard to decide. You love certain shows for being pure fluff and escapism, others for the story and characters, etc. Here are a few of mine...

Twilight Zone--the original by Rod Serling. So well written. Just when you thought you knew what an episode was about he would pull that little quirk that had you almost gasping because it was so unexpected.

Centennial--the miniseries based on the James Michener book of the same name. It had a cast of hundreds--Robert Conrad, Richard Chamberlain, Raymond Burr, Alex Karras, Andy Griffith, Chad Everett, Lynn Redgrave to name but a few. It showed how the different people (fur traders, Native Americans, Hispanics, Japanese, Russians, English cattle barons) all contributed to the growth and development of the town of Centennial.

Shogun--another miniseries, this time based on the book by James Clavell. Richard Chamberlain as a survivor of a wrecked English ship in Japan. I preferred the original with the Japanese actors speaking all their lines in Japanese. You felt as lost as Blackthorn did, a real stranger in a strange land, but after a while you began to pick up a few words just as he did.

The Andy Griffith Show--Andy, Barney, Opie, Aunt Bee. A gentle little show whose lessons still ring true.

X-Files--Mulder and Scully and the search for the Truth which is out there. Government conspiracies abounded but that never stopped the intrepid duo!

War of the Worlds--Season One only. For some weird reason, they fired the brothers that developed and wrote the show and it tanked but season one, wow! The brothers took the premise from the movie (the one with Gene Barry not Tom Cruise!) and took it a step forward, with the aliens surviving due to radiation and searching for a way to defeat earth's bacteria so they could still conquer the world