May 23, 2004 09:50 AM
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(Updated May 23, 2004 09:50 AM)
We still live in an era of the-same-old Ekta?s soaps, run-off freak shows, reality TV and all the weird stuff that AXN calls adventure. I have to admit that I watch TV a little too much and used to be pampered, brainsick and baffled over the years watching these shows. But I have learned to be sensitive to the change the homo sapiens are most susceptible to. The sense of aesthetic. And the trend is that the aesthetic curve (time on X-axis and aesthetic on Y-axis) slops downward! Not convinced? Take today?s movies and those of the past, the older version is sure to outweigh the latter among today?s viewers in substance.
Take the remakes of older movies. Look how Tim Burton ruined the amazing classic adventure Planet of the Apes and how Sanjay Leela Bansali demolished Devadas (Pardon SRK, you were helpless. In fact no one can match up Dileep Kumar anyway) And TV shows are no different. I am not jumbling a new scientific theory. I don?t have enough expertise. So looking through the frail viewers? eyes, there are a few really funny, and touching classic TV(English) shows that gave me exactly what they are made out for. i.e. true entertainment. Note that I am ranking the shows based on how much I enjoyed watching them, and not how much I enjoy now because all these shows are old and now off-air.
My other favorites include Newhart, Happy Days, The Brady Bunch and Different Strokes which are known to be the most popular TV shows of all time.
#3
Family Ties (1982-1989, NBC)
The show is about the ups and downs of the Keatons. Steve Keaton (Michael Gross) works at a broadcasting station and lives with his wife Elise (Meredith Braxton) and their four kids. The eldest is Alex P. Keaton, played by Michael J. Fox who has his share of problems in handling the teen age. Mallory played by the beautiful Justine Bateman, just can?t find a perfect man and when he?s perfect for her, he is not, for Alex. Tina Yothers plays Jennifer who is the funniest and cutest of all Keatons. Andrew is the youngest of all. There?s also one character that needs special mention. That?s Irwin ?Skippy? Handleman (Mark Price), Alex?s best friend. He has a crush on Mallory but she thinks he?s the worst guy she could think of. The show is all about the problems of everyday life of the Keatons family and how they handle them. The series has some hilarious episodes like the one in which Mallory and Skippy get trapped in the underground closet when no one was home (Cold Storage,?85) The last episode name was ?Alex don?t live here anymore!?
#2
Small Wonder(1985-1989, Fox)
This one?s also about a family, the Lawsons. Well This mindless but hilarious comedy has been a runaway success in India. I have been watching this show ever since I started watching satellite TV. It was one of the first shows that star Plus brought in when it was first aired India way back in ?94. Even today, I enjoy watching it as much I did then. The series is about Ted Lawson( Dick Christie) and Joanne Lawson( Marla Pennington), their son Jamie played by then famous child model Jerry Supiran and a cute robot named VICI (Voice Input Child Identity) who look exactly like a human girl child played by Tiffany Brissette. It was built by Ted who?s a robotic engineer and kept it home for beta testing. This sci-fi comedy is full of misadventures of this lovely family when VICI, who takes everything literally has become one of them. To add more fun, there?s this whacky and nutty neighbors Mr. & Mrs. Brindle and their daughter Harriet whose after Jamie.
My most favorite TV classic of all time
The wonder Years(1988-1993, NBC, The Nick et al)
Starring Fred Savage as Kevin Arnold
And
Danica Mackellar as Winnie Cooper, Kevin?s first love and crush
Josh Saviano as Paul Pfeiffer, Kevin?s best friend
Dan Lauria as Jack Arnold, Kevin?s Dad
Olivia D?Abo as Karen Arnold, Kevin?s radicalist sister
Alley Mills as Norma Arnold, Kevin?s Mom
Jason Harvy as Wayne Arnold, Kevin?s the bullying brother
About:
The series is about a young man looking back to his wonder years i.e. the younger days. The highlight of the series is that it is realistic. It features the trials and tribulations a teenager faces and how he tackles them. There are more than one occasions in which I could identify myself with Kevin. It starts with a video footage of some of the important events in the ?60s like the Korean War and how it touches the ordinary American lives. Kevin is just a boy next door.
Throughout its airtime(1988-93), the series showcased just about everything in Kevin?s teenage, from his encounter with puberty and his love interest Winnie?s football star boyfriend in high school to his bullying older brother Wayne. All he have is the company of a-little-geeky Paul, his best friend. All episodes are narrated by the grown-up Kevin(Voice of Daniel Stern) There are a lot about the Wonder Years, that many would call its USP(s). But I think its Kevin because he is just like you and me and his problems come in just about everyone?s life.
An anecdote from The Wonder Years:
Paul: Well, I guess I'll see you at the bus-stop.
Kevin: Yeah.
Paul: Last night I had a dream that when I got to school, I realized I had no clothes on.
Kevin: If you're naked when you got to the bus-stop, I'll tell you.
Paul: Thanks.
