EW.com's "15 TV Cl=assics You Just Don't Get"
By
Agonus,
Posted on: 2010-09-01 10:37 in Comic and Hero-Villain Culture
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It was certainly written by someone not reading the Batman comic in the 1950s/1960s.
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Originally Posted by DarkGob
 I don't even know how to approach this comment mentally, never mind what I might say in response to it. |
total kick to the gut
This is like having Ra's Al Ghul show up at your birthday party.
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Well, let's be honest, throughout most of television history, sitcoms have been extremely formulaic. Even All in the Family, with as ground-breaking as it was, still kept to the basic format sitcoms have largely been known for.|
Originally Posted by SuperOz
A lot of this is indeed generational, but I think the poll's intent is to try and measure the lasting impact of a given show culturally, and the Lucy series that eventually ran for thirty years is something you can't underestimate, along with Lucille Ball's position in the industry as the person who formed the production company and was its president for much of its life and helped other shows get off the ground (note when you watch original Star Trek, it's filmed in the Desilu studios).
Yes, a lot of the older comedies are formulaic, but it's because the demographic back then was considered to the Midwest and older people, and it wasn't until the 70's that it all shifted to younger, urban comedies like Good Times and All in the Family. I think what they wanted people to consider was that broader impact on society and their lasting iconic status, and I'm surprised that Seinfeld wasn't there also, even though it was probably more appreciated by comedians than a general audience over time. S. |
It's really only been in recent years (like the last 15 years or so), that sitcoms have started trying to experiment with new things (return of the single camera format, ongoing storyarcs, removal of laughtracks, mockumentary style, etc.). I think that largely has to do with the fact that sitcoms started dying out to hour-long dramas, forcing networks to try new things to keep them viable, but even today, there are still a lot of sitcoms that keep close to the original format.
I don't get this article. Maybe it was funny or informative back when there were only one or two web sites available. 
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Yeeeeaaahhh..... I think watching it as a joke is how yer SUPPOSED to watch it. If yer watching it seriously yer not doing it right.
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Originally Posted by Candlestick
The Adam West Batman show was *terrible*. You can watch the whole thing as a joke, but thats about it.
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You know, this list might not have been so full of fail if they could have said more than just "Never got the appeal of the Mary Tyler Moore Show." Really? If you're going out of your way to make a list, at least put some rationality behind the reasons a show would be put on the list. I'm glad some stranger named Lola felt like giving her seemingly valuable opinion, but can we not at least list some short comings of the show to lead to this statement. One person saying something isn't enough to put a hit classic on a list.
As a side note, I never saw the MTM Show, so this isn't just fanboi response.
@Rylas
Kill 'em all. Let XP sort 'em out.
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I see what you did there |
Originally Posted by QuietAmerican
I don't get this article. Maybe it was funny or informative back when there were only one or two web sites available.
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"Ben is short for Frank."
-Baffling Beer-Man, The Tenacious 3: The Movie
[IMG]http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa10/BafflingBeerman/teamjackface1.jpg[/IMG]
I had to stop after they listed Mary Tyler Moore.
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But "Green Acres" was hugely popular when it was on as were the related "Beverly Hillbillies" and "Petticoat Junction." And unlike a lot of series it never got the chance to descend into the mediocrity that most popular series do before finally being canceled. Heck, I'd give it classic status just for tying the 60s Batman series into the Hooterville universe despite being on rival networks.
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Originally Posted by BafflingBeerMan
But would those shows be considered "classics?"
I mean, I remember being unimpressed by the few episodes of "Green Acres" I have seen, but it isn't really considered a classic in the same sense the shows on that list are. |
"Tell my tale to those who ask. Tell it truly, the ill deeds along with the good and let me be judged accordingly. The rest is silence." -- Dinobot
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I have no doubt it was popular, but I don't think people consider it classic in the way that MTM, M*A*S*H, etc. on that list are considered. Save for Batman, I think most critics would point out that those shows changed the TV medium is some way. MTM showed women in the work place for the first significant time, I Love Lucy was the prototype for sitcoms, as was The Honeymooners. And so on. I don't think anyone would say that Green Acres had longterm impact, either culturally or in Hollywood.|
Originally Posted by Wayfarer
But "Green Acres" was hugely popular when it was on as were the related "Beverly Hillbillies" and "Petticoat Junction." And unlike a lot of series it never got the chance to descend into the mediocrity that most popular series do before finally being canceled. Heck, I'd give it classic status just for tying the 60s Batman series into the Hooterville universe despite being on rival networks.
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So, maybe Green Acres would be more suitable for "Popular TV Shows That You Don't Get," but not "TV Classics." This list was meant to generate controversy over shows that are considered iconic.
"Ben is short for Frank."
-Baffling Beer-Man, The Tenacious 3: The Movie
[IMG]http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa10/BafflingBeerman/teamjackface1.jpg[/IMG]
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Originally Posted by GeneralKnowledge
I actually find "Leave it to Beaver" hilarious. However the reason is it's so cornball over the top that I can't help but just laugh at how stupid it is.
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Leave it to Beaver is so dry it never fails to crack me up.
True popularity is when something appeals to the general public long after the original audience is dead. So "getting it" now depends on its universality and subsequent staying power.
I think shows like M*A*S*H and Batman will probably appeal in 50 years' time, whereas shows that surf the zeitgeist (Mary Tyler Moore, Who's The Boss, Diff'rent Strokes) can only be enjoyed by keeping in mind the era in which they were created.
The Alt Alphabet ~ OPC: Other People's Characters ~ Terrific Screenshots of Cool ~ Superhero Fiction
Honestly, the people that were responding about the shows obviously were not around when these shows first aired. Also from the names of the respondents (especially the female names), you could tell those who found shows to be sexist ie The Honeymooner's.....
The thing that most people forget is that was the mindset when those shows aired. Just think in 30-40 years time when people are asked to comment on the shows that aired during the past 10 years, people will think what were they thinking? How could they watch (insert show here), it makes no sense.......
You only fail if you give up. - Dana Scully
Time Jesum Transeuntum Et Non Riverentum - Nick Cave
We're not just destroyers, at the same time we can be saviors. - Allen Walker
I didn't find any of the list hard to get.