Starting from when I was kid and up until present day I've loved to lose myself in television shows. Today we have so many options due to so many networks and channels but when I was young the options were limited yet good shows were made. Here are some memories of some of my faves throughout the years (in no particular order).
There were the classics when I really little. Canadian masterpieces like Mr. Dressup. Who didn't love Casey and Finnegan and the Tickle Trunk? I remember when I was a bit older and driving to Toronto with my parents in the car. They were listening to CBC and Ernie Coombs was one of the guests on some panel. When they informed me that he was Mr. Dressup I was amazed. Mr. Dressup had a different name? Kinda of like in grade school when you run into a teacher outside of school. You're whole world is shattered. Another mind blowing fact I just learned when googling Ernie Coombs (wanted to make sure I spelled his name correct) is that he was born in Lewiston, Maine. A fave I had as a child was the Canadian classic The Friendly Giant. I also was an avid viewer of Uncle Bobby (I know, I know, "did you know he was an alcoholic?". There was Romper Room which I still think was based on drugs. You had the mascot Doobie and a magic mystical, smokey, mirror that allowed the lady holding it to see you through the TV set. Mind blowing indeed!!! Of course, you had the ever classic Sesame Street with Big Bird, Mr. Hooper, Kermit (before the Muppets), Oscar, et al. To this day I'm upset that they made Snufflelufpagus visible to everyone.
As I grew my tastes changed. The aforementioned Muppet Show was a classic and when I became a fan of Alice Cooper's music in my teens I was amazed that I had viewed him on the show. There was Eight is Enough, The Donny and Marie Show (I'm a little bit rock'n'roll) and who could forget Miami Vice. I had a Miami Vice, Don Johnson, suit - wish I had it today. That show was awesome who can forget that pilot with Phil Collins' In The Air Tonight playing int he background? I still get shivers.
One of my all time favourite shows of the mid 80s was The A-Team (loved the movie too with Liam Neeson taking on George Peppard's Hannibal role - back when Hannibal was a good guy). My brother, always the sarcastic realist, didn't like the show and argued with me over the items they made to get out of their situations. One such argument involved them using a hair dryer to blow up garbage bags, with hot air, allowing them to escape a prison by floating over its walls. He said that was impossible. I bet him that I could float off of our roof using the same method. Unfortunately (or perhaps in hindsight fortunately) I couldn't get the garbage bags to seal tight enough for the air from the dryer to go in. I was very disappointed. Hannibal would have been upset that my plan hadn't come together.
I have fond memories of watching reruns of shows upon returning home from school. I grew to love such shows as Barney Miller, Taxi, Mary Tyler Moore, Wonder Woman, WKRP in Cincinnati and Cheers (which was still running). Cheers would become one of my favourite shows of all time. My first year of university the majority of people on my floor in residence would gather in the TV room to watch the show. Beer in hand we would all sing the theme song and yell out "NORM" whenever was appropriate. I went to the SkyDome to watch the series finale and knowing that with everyone screaming and the bad acoustics in the Dome I wouldn't be able to hear properly I taped it at home to watch again. Thursday night was the big night back then with The Cosby Show, Night Court and Cheers. Then there were the dramas. I loved NYPD Blue with Sipowicz (with his short-sleeved dress shirts) and his ever changing partners. It was great but it wouldn't have come to fruition without NYPD Blue - "hey, hey - be careful out there". ER which skyrocketed the career of George Clooney (who started off on Facts of Life and then was on Roseanne). And yes I did watch the original Beverley Hills 90210 and Melrose Place - "oh that Michael he's so smug" - classic Seinfeld episode.
Seinfeld now there's one of my all time favourites. It would spawn another show that I love Curb Your Enthusiasm. Seinfeld, a show about nothing, had one of the best ensemble casts ever. Other ensembles that I love (and have not mentioned yet) are All In The Family and Friends (yes Friends!).
I've already done a whole blog about Star Trek so if you're an avid reader of One Dave At A Time you know where I stand, if not go back and read it you green blooded fool.
I've gotten into many shows over the last few years. I think one of the best cop drama shows ever is The Wire. I love Omar!!!! The Wire had the best series finale I have ever seen - and I've seen a lot. Speaking of which here's a few series finales that I was disappointed in: the aforementioned Cheers; Lost (what the heck?); St. Elsewhere; Roseanne (why did they kill of Dan and not her?). Those are just a few. Dexter is awesome. Way better than Six Feet Under which I stopped watching after a few seasons because I sincerely hated every character. They were a bunch of whiners. Loved Rescue Me - somehow I watched all the seasons but didn't realize it was over. Sons of Anarchy rocks. Arrested Development was great and I am awaiting enthusiastically for NetFlix to finish filming the long awaited fourth season. Fringe was a modern day X-Files (loved them both - except the last season of the X-Files and all of the movies). Love Duchovny's show Califnornication. I didn't pay much attention to the name of that show until I was into about the fifth episode and said to myself, "they sure do have a lot sex". Cue music of enlightenment - ahh that's where they get the name from. Breaking Bad was interesting. I liked the first few seasons of Sanctuary but then it became just plain silly.
Shows I've enjoyed watched recently are The Mindy Project (starring Mindy Kaling from The Office); New Girl; Happy Endings; The Following (although even that started to become silly); Seed (dumb but funny - you need that once in awhile); The Middle; Mr. D. I love The Big Bang Theory and feel it's still growing strong,.
I know I've missed a bunch so feel to leave me comments on your favourite or not so favourite shows. I'm going to end here because I after much humming and hawwing I've finally decided to watch Shameless (the American one). I know a bunch of the awesome shows we watch were first made in Britain but that's a whole different blog.
Dave the Dude
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