Are old shows better or is that just Nolstalgia talking? And how can you tell the difference?

[Jim Kelly]

My prime time years of television watching were in the '60s and '70s and given most of that time I was a stupid kid, a lot of those shows were right over my head. Sure, as a kid I might have got a lot of entertainment from rather simplistic TV shows--but when I go back to watch the regular prime time TV shows, I get a lot more out of them because I'm not so stupid anymore.

I recently rediscoverd ROOM 222 (unfortunately youtube took it down before I could get through the first season). I was blown away by this show (the creative talent behind it would go on to create THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW). It was only a year after MLK was assassinated that ROOM 222 made its debut. Here is a show with an African-American actor in the lead, as a strong, intelligent and inspiring figure. The cast is evenly divided between male and female. All races and religions are represented. It's funny but informative and never talks down to its audience. We don't see this kind of integration on TV anymore. It's a shame because ROOM 222 shows a path forward for America that could have brought greater understanding and harmony.

As a kid I just thought Karen Valentine was really cute.

Now not every show is likely to be better on second viewing. However, there were only three networks with three hours a night of prime time TV in the U.S in the old days. So for that low output of shows, I think American TV did quite well in producing quality programming. Compare that to today with thousands of channels plus the internet--it seems like there's a much higher percentage of schlock coming out of the sausage factories. For every show like BREAKING BAD there are hundreds like SELFIE--just because all those channels need content to fill their hours.

*Edit: I just checked youtube and ROOM 222 (season one) seems to be up again. But keep it under your hat--who knows how long these eps will stay up. I'm going to watch as many as I can before that happens.

[Kyer]

*Edit: I just checked youtube and ROOM 222 (season one) seems to be up again. But keep it under your hat--who knows how long these eps will stay up. I'm going to watch as many as I can before that happens.

Ah---I'd better go check that one out too along with The Ghost & Mrs. Muir. Last few months with more 'time off' I've spent some time rediscovering old favorites: Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Star Trek, McHale's Navy, Thunderbirds, Get Smart, Lassie. MN and Lassie...have not held up well for me, but the others have.
Usually I prefer the originals to remakes (oh dear lord Thunderbirds the Movie was horrible as was Dr. Doolittle.) However, the new Flash is much better though (even if some of the material is making me p.o'd.)

[simbob4000]

Could be nostalgia. I think the 1960's Batman was the best version ever. Guess what I grew up on and what my introduction to Batman was?

Then again, some of the shows of the 1990's like Hercules and Xena are my favorite shows of all-time and I was in my mid to late thirties when they started so I don't think it's just nostalgia.

Also, how long ago does a show have to be from to be an "old show"? How recent does it have to be to be a "new show"? I'll bet you think of Hercules and Xena as old shows while I think of them as new shows. To me, old shows are stuff like the Andy Griffith show or the original Star Trek.

My own tastes in television are all over the place. While I think the overall path shows have trod has improved them, particularly in not being entirely episodic and getting deeply into the ongoing situations, I also love some old shows.

Plus, as I said, even the very definitions of old and new are relative to the person and how old he or she is. Last vacation visiting my mother, I channel surfed trying to find something I could watch that I could watch with her there and settled on "Superman the Movie" only to get to the "How big are you?" scene and have her comment that they sure don't make movies like they used to. Yes, to her, a movie from 35 years ago is a "new movie".

'60s Batman basically is the best version. It's a comedy show, and in that it's damn near pitch perfect.

[Randumbz]

I watch old shows for the first time years after they're cancelled, so I can say with certainty that they are in fact better.

[Vworp Vworp]

Old telly had good and bad shows.

New telly has good and bad shows.

It's not period specific.