Topic: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....  (Read 6037 times)

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Offline Father Ted

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Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« on: April 23, 2008, 04:04:16 pm »
And no, I'm not talking about "Love Boat" or "Charlie's Angels" a horrid show made even worse by the movie. I'm talking classic TV shows like St. Elsewhere, or Hill Street Blues(both of which narrowly missed out on my list). List your own favorites. It passes the time while waiting for the latest AOTK or the NFL draft. In other words, I'm ranking shows from the end of the 70's till now, which is why "The Beverly Hillbillys" or "Hawaii Five-0" aren't listed. :woot:

10. 'Newhart'. The Britcoms will usually always be better than American sitcoms, but Bob Newhart's dry humor, the late Tom Poston, & Larry, Darryl, and Darryl were always fun, plus the series finale was brilliant and hillarious.

9. 'WKRP in Cincinnati'. Two words: Thanksgiving Turkeys. http://radio.about.com/library/blwkrpturkeydropaudio.htm. Still one of the funniest shows of the late 70's-early 80's, which CBS cancelled, it was revealed many years later, by a mistake. BYW: I always thought Bailey(Jan Smithers) was WAY hotter than Jennifer(Loni Anderson), who got most of the attention.

8.'NCIS'. One of my favorite shows to watch these days, it has a sense of humor, though Donozo is pretty annoying, and the Israeli chick isn't nearly as hot as Sasha Alexander, who either quit or was written out of the series.

7.'L&O: Criminal Intent'. The original 'Law and Order' is dead. Just stick a fork in it. But when you get to Vince DiNofrio or Chris Noth getting the murderer in interrogation in the last few minutes, you know what's going to happen. Some episodes are kinda pedestrian, but the great episodes are the ones you record on your DVR or Tivo. When you see them break a suspect, it's worth watching.

6. 'The X-Files'. The coolest show of the '90s. I had 'Monk' in this spot before being reminded by Sarek that it had indeed existed(I confess, I completely forgot about Mulder and Scully). I don't think there has ever been a cooler TV villain than the Cigarette Smoking Man, and that includes JR Ewing.

5. 'House'. If you'd never seen "Blackadder" 3 or 4, you'd never realize that Hugh Laurie is British. Like NYPD Blue and Hill St. Blues before I threw them both out for my next pick, I juggled this one with St. Elsewhere, for about a second. This is the funniest medical drama on television now, or for the last 30-40 years. Where else do you get to see a pretty good looking babe called "Cutthroat B*tch" by everybody else on the show, or replace one hottie with another, even sexier one: Cameron says bye, wheel in 13.

4. 'Homicide: Life on the Street'. Baltimore PD show(and I think the inspiration for L&O: CI). Great actors, great scripts, and NBC stuck it in a Friday night slot where nobody would ever watch it. Shame on them, because whenever Frank Pembleton(Andre Brauer) took somebody into "The Box" you knew it was going to be better than NYPD Blue could ever hope to achieve. Don't get me wrong, NYPD Blue was good, but Homicide was brilliant. Just watch the fireworks when he squares off with Steve Buschemi, which is amazing from both sides, if you ever happen on that episode.

3. 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'. As a TOS fan, it's hard to admit, but Jean-Luc and his crew did grow on me, but it took me, and a lot of other fans to see "The Best of Both Worlds I & II" before we finally gave in and admitted that TNG was a pretty good show.

1. Tie. 'Magnum PI' and the new 'Battlestar Galactica'. I'll leave the rest to you other folks, but it's hard for me seperate how much I enjoyed 'Magnum' when I was growing up or now, when BSG is the most intense show on TV now. Best episodes are "Did You See the Sun Rise? I & II" and the original ep of BSG.

True Magnum fans will remember that as one of the most intense episodes they ever did, but it's hard to stand up to the Cylons nuking Caprica. Tough call, but I can't decide.
« Last Edit: May 15, 2008, 09:33:41 pm by Father Ted »

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Offline Panzergranate

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #1 on: April 23, 2008, 04:20:22 pm »
What about "Married With Children" and "Sledge Hammer"??

Both chocked full of great memorable onliners, gags like Hammer's "I love violence" bumper sticker. Then there is Al's "A fat woman came into the shoe shop today...." lines.

Then there's America's dumbest blonde.... Kelly Bundy to drool over.

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Offline Vipre

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #2 on: April 23, 2008, 04:35:21 pm »
Quote
...the Israeli chick isn't nearly as hot as Sasha Alexander


I think you need a new TV, yours sounds broken.  ;)
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Offline TheJudge

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #3 on: April 23, 2008, 08:15:02 pm »
I hate top ten lists like this.  It's so hard to pick just ten shows, but here's my shot:


10.  Magnum P.I.  - Okay I didn't like it as much as some people, but I did watch it regularly.
09.  Six Million Dollar Man - I LOVED those sound effects as a kid.
08.  Bionic Woman - Man I tried to be straight for her!
07.  Married with Children - Yeah, well eat your heart out boys, I've met Christina Applegate in a gay bar.
06.  China Beach - Man I CRIED my eyes out almost every episode.
05.  Space Above and Beyond - Marines, sailors, WWII in space.  Can't beat that.
04.  24 - Gotta love some Jack!
03.  Babylon 5 - What can I say?  I loved it.
02.  TOS/TNG/DS9 - I loved all three and they tie at #2
01.  This is a tie for me as well.  M*A*S*H* was the show I grew up on, and really affected my outlook on the world around me.  The new Battlestar Galactica, well it's the best frakkin show on television.  Oh, and I have a poster titled "How to Spot a Cylon" next to my television, and I have a set of BSG dog tags with my name and service # of them.  No, I am not joking!
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Offline Father Ted

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #4 on: April 23, 2008, 10:41:20 pm »
What about "Married With Children" and "Sledge Hammer"??

Both chocked full of great memorable onliners, gags like Hammer's "I love violence" bumper sticker. Then there is Al's "A fat woman came into the shoe shop today...." lines.

Then there's America's dumbest blonde.... Kelly Bundy to drool over.



I loved 'Sledgehammer'(Dirty Harry meets Police Squad), but they cancelled it before it ever really got going(best ep: Slag and the Satanic Worshippers). As for 'Married With Children', that one jumped the shark the moment Ted McGinley stepped on stage, but Christina Applegate is still a babe, even though the show's been gone for years. One of the reasons I never married was this show, because I would have gone postal on Peg and the rest of them if they ever tried to put me in Al's smelly shoes.

There were many shows that I considered, but threw out because they just weren't as good as the list I gave, IMO. 5 years ago, before NCIS and House, Miami Vice probably would have made the list, but it pales in comparison to those two now.

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Offline Father Ted

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #5 on: April 23, 2008, 10:53:51 pm »
I hate top ten lists like this.  It's so hard to pick just ten shows, but here's my shot:


10.  Magnum P.I.  - Okay I didn't like it as much as some people, but I did watch it regularly.
09.  Six Million Dollar Man - I LOVED those sound effects as a kid.
08.  Bionic Woman - Man I tried to be straight for her!
07.  Married with Children - Yeah, well eat your heart out boys, I've met Christina Applegate in a gay bar.
06.  China Beach - Man I CRIED my eyes out almost every episode.
05.  Space Above and Beyond - Marines, sailors, WWII in space.  Can't beat that.
04.  24 - Gotta love some Jack!
03.  Babylon 5 - What can I say?  I loved it.
02.  TOS/TNG/DS9 - I loved all three and they tie at #2
01.  This is a tie for me as well.  M*A*S*H* was the show I grew up on, and really affected my outlook on the world around me.  The new Battlestar Galactica, well it's the best frakkin show on television.  Oh, and I have a poster titled "How to Spot a Cylon" next to my television, and I have a set of BSG dog tags with my name and service # of them.  No, I am not joking!

I didn't list '24' for three reasons: 1. they move it around so much I don't even know when or if it comes on anymore; 2. They killed off Michelle and Tony, President Palmer, and Edgar leaving us with Jack and Chloe; 3. It's unfair to rank alltime intensity classics like '24' with more pedestrian shows, though the new BSG is a few steps away from ascending into the TV heavens on that scale.

China Beach?

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Offline Sirgod

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #6 on: April 24, 2008, 12:35:38 am »
Quote
6. 'Monk'. They may be close to ending this one, because the writers seem to be linking Monk and Natalie just a tad more romantically, IMO. My assumption has always been that after he solved his wife's death and caught the killer, he and Natalie would sail into the sunset. Monk fans, don't look now, but it's starting to happen. At least he didn't run off with Sherona, though "Mr. Monk Goes to Mexico" is probably the funniest episode they've ever done.

Sadly the actor who played monks doctor (Can't remember his name) Died April 9th. But I love this show. One of the best out there.

Stephen
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Offline Panzergranate

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #7 on: April 25, 2008, 09:59:01 am »
Ted.... what were you doing in a Gay bar??

Geez, after that "Lost In The Largest Lingerie Department In Ireland" incident, with all those other Priests, I thought that you'd be more careful.

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Offline TheJudge

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #8 on: April 25, 2008, 11:08:44 am »
He followed what he thought were a bunch of nuns, but they turned out to be nothing but the Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence.


Poor Father Ted. 


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Offline Nemesis

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #9 on: April 26, 2008, 07:00:03 am »
I always thought Bailey(Jan Smithers) was WAY hotter than Jennifer(Loni Anderson), who got most of the attention.

Thats two of us.   :thumbsup:
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Offline Soreyes

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #10 on: April 26, 2008, 09:41:12 am »
OK jumping in with my top ten........ even though one or two may be bit older then 30 years :)

10. NOVA- Always did like this PBS show
9. Married with Children- The 1st rude and crude show to make it big. Very funny
8. Magnum PI- Hey it was Hawaii
7. The World at War- One of the best things ever put out by the BBC
6. Have Gun Will Travel- Great Western Drama of a Hired Gun
5. All In The Family. Archie....nuff said
4. Star Trek
3. Red Dwarf- Rimmer Rules..... yes he does.
2. Deadliest Catch- At times funny and at times gut wrenching
1. Battlestar Galactica-  :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:


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Offline Sarek

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #11 on: April 26, 2008, 10:12:58 am »
10. Miami Vice - It epitomized the '80s.
9. Survivor Borneo - Put reality TV on the map, both the audience and the players were naive in regards to how to play the game, but Richard Hatch had it figured out.
8. Millennium (Seasons 1 & 2) - Terry O'Quinn and Lance Henrickson.
7. The Wonder Years - I remember those years.
6. X Files - Best Sci-Fi/Horror since The Twilight Zone.
5. TNG/DS9 - I can't have two Star Treks on the list and I can't decide which is better.
4. Babylon 5 - Good story telling without the technobabble.
3. Arrested Development - I don't usually watch much comedy but this was different.
1 & 2. Lost and BSG - My favorite is whichever I watched last.
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Offline Father Ted

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #12 on: April 26, 2008, 07:45:21 pm »
6. X Files - Best Sci-Fi/Horror since The Twilight Zone.

I can't believe I missed that one. I used to love that show in the 90's. One week would be a monster, next week it was government conspiracy, and then the next was comedy. I would have probably knocked 'Monk' off the list because it was definitely a must see in my house when it came on. Gillian Anderson was a complete hottie, the Lone Gunmen were always entertaining, and they had, IMO, the coolest TV villain of all time: the Cigarette Smoking Man.

Edit: May 15. I dropped 'Monk' from my list and went ahead and put 'X-Files' in its slot. If there's a marathon of either show, I'll take Mulder and Scully over Monk's phobias everytime. Adrian and Natalie go into the "Honorable Mention" category.

BTW Stephen: Dr. Kroger, his psychiatrist, who recently passed away, was Stanley Kamel.
« Last Edit: May 15, 2008, 09:46:40 pm by Father Ted »

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Offline Panzergranate

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #13 on: April 27, 2008, 03:20:50 pm »
I liked Space Above And Beyond as it put the expanding Terran Empire as possibly being in the wrong as it gradually became apparent that it was Humans that were the initial aggressors in the war. Add to that that the enemy was revealed as not being very threatening in appearance and more on the "cute" side, they seemed to be putting up a stiff fight.

Just like all decent Sci-Fi series of the era back then..... some idiot axed it.

The US is the poorer for never having "Father Ted" on TV.

"Now Dougal, I'll explain it again..... this toy cow is small but those are far away..... small....far away....small....far away...."

Priceless!!

Also introduced the safe to use on TV pseudo- swear word "Feck" into the world.

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Offline jualdeaux

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #14 on: April 28, 2008, 05:57:11 pm »
I have to admit that I loved Space: Above and Beyond. I've picked up the box at the store quite a few times but just never seems to take it home. I really liked how they showed the fighters actually using the different thrusters to rotate and change direction. it was the best, and most accurate, portrayal of how fighters would fly in space.
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Offline TheJudge

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #15 on: April 29, 2008, 12:55:37 am »
I picked up Space about two years ago and watched it with my partner who had never seen it.  He loved it as much as I did.


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Offline Panzergranate

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #16 on: April 29, 2008, 02:30:44 pm »
Nobody metioned "Lost In Space" or "Land Of The Giants".

The writers for "Lost In Space" always popped an acid tab,snored some coke and then started to write an episode.

Jonathan Harris as Doctor Smith.... priceless!!

Gary Oldman spent 3 months with Jonathan Harris learning how to play Jonathan playing Doctor Smith, as he explained to a film reviewer on a BBC film preview show.

The Robot was clearly built and programmed by Microsoft because whenever it was needed during a sticky situation, it would freak out and blow a fuse.

There was going to be a "Land Of The Giants" movie made back in the 1990's, set decades after the original crash of the "Spendthrift", but it was shelved. It was going to star some of the original cast members.

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Offline GDA-S'Cipio

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #17 on: May 13, 2008, 10:54:52 pm »
9. 'WKRP in Cincinnati'. Two words: Thanksgiving Turkeys.

I've got two better words for you:  Phone Cops!

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #18 on: May 13, 2008, 11:33:57 pm »
9. 'WKRP in Cincinnati'. Two words: Thanksgiving Turkeys.

I've got two better words for you:  Phone Cops!

-S'Cipio

ahh, but you have to have the one word.   

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Offline SSCF-Patterson

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #19 on: May 14, 2008, 12:18:26 am »
Well if curious and in no particular order :

Babylon 5 (always liked Michael Garibaldi)
Quantum Leap (Ziggy say's there is a 65 % probability....)
Herman's Head
Star Trek (TOS, ENT, TNG, DS9, VOY)
Night Court (but I'm feeling much better now...)
BSG (both old and new)
The Muppet Show (put the Chickie in the pot Bork, Bork, Bork)
Seaquest DSV
and though British from ITC or ITV (can't remember which)  Space 1999


Offline KBF MalaK

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #20 on: May 14, 2008, 10:17:54 am »
Wow, it's SOOO nice to see Space:Above and Beyone FINALLY getting it's dues. I KNEW from the second episode it was something special and have finally replaced my aged videotaped episodes with the DVD boxed set. I plan on replacing the 40+ videotapes of B5 soon also with the DVD's.

30 years is quite a span, and 'best' is subjective especially when there's no catagory so I won't litter the thread with my likes/dislikes as there's always someone that won't agree. I'll throw a few of my fav's out tho (that weren't mentioned).


SOAP
The Shield
Desperate Houswives
Wiseguy
Carl Sagan's Cosmos
The Rockford files
Twin Peaks
Moonlighting
The Carol Burnett show
BJ's Gigglesnort Hotel

...And thats not going into cartoons

Speed Racer
Exo Squad
Transformers: Beast wars
Rocky and Bullwinkle
Underdog
« Last Edit: May 14, 2008, 11:01:09 am by KBF K MalaK »
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Offline Lieutenant_Q

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Re: Best American TV shows of the last 30 years or so....
« Reply #21 on: May 14, 2008, 11:05:11 am »
Someone finally mentioned SeaQuest!

I seem to remember in the mid 90's there was three Sci-Fi programs that was on Saturday Night.  Friday Night was Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.  Still my favorite Trek Show.

Then on Saturday it went: SeaQuest, Earth 2, and Space: Above and Beyond.  It was Saturday so my parents let me stay up late to catch S:A&B at 10 pm.

What drew me about Earth 2, and still would today, is that my number one fantasy is colonizing a new planet.  I just think that would be so cool, I wouldn't even mind if the planet was a barren dust-ball like Mars, exploring a strange new world would be the height of awesome!

My Top Ten List:

10: M*A*S*H*
9: The A- Team
8: Star Trek: Voyager
7: SeaQuest DSV (2032)
6: Home Improvement
5: Stargate SG-1 (If they had ended it at Season 7 it would be much higher up the list)
4: Earth 2
3: Enterprise
2: Space Above and Beyond
1: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
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