Back in 2013 I posted a piece about some of the ways classic TV fans watch their DVD collections. One of the most intriguing methods is recreating an evening of network television as it was broadcast 30 or 40 years ago. It’s a way to vicariously travel back into the past and watch the programs that people watched back then, in the order in which they watched them.
Since then, more classic series have become available on DVD, as well as via such nostalgia channels as Me-TV and Antenna. That means it’s now possible to enjoy even more retro TV nights.
Journey back with me to a time when there were just three networks, TV Guide was a quality publication, and you’d never see a commercial that contained the phrase “Ask your doctor about…”
NBC: Wednesday, 1971
Adam-12
NBC Mystery Movie
Night Gallery
One of the benefits of this lineup is variety, as with the Mystery Movie you can alternate as NBC did between Columbo, McMillan & Wifeand McCloud. Adam-12 is one of the better police procedurals, and as you’d expect from a Jack Webb series finds much to respect in the job of law enforcement. Rod Serling’s Night Gallerywas inconsistent, but its best installments make the series a worthy successor to The Twilight Zone.
CBS: Monday, 1974
Gunsmoke
Maude
Rhoda
Medical Center
I’d be curious to hear the strategy behind these pairings – if indeed there was any. How many viewers of a traditional western like Gunsmoke, now nearing the end of its 20-year run, did CBS believe would stick around for the liberal politics of Maude? That’s like following The Lawrence Welk Showwith MTV’s Headbangers Ball.
From there it’s an easier transition to Rhoda, another sitcom with a strong-willed and charismatic female lead, before delving into disease of the week drama with Chad Everett on Medical Center.
ABC: Tuesday, 1987
Who’s the Boss
Growing Pains
Moonlighting
Thirtysomething
The theme for this evening could be “shows that didn’t age as well as we expected.” Who’s the Boss and Growing Pains ran eight seasons and seven seasons, respectively, and together still provide a likable hour of family sitcom fun. Classics? Not on my scorecard but yours may vary. Moonlighting was a revelation in its day – a brilliant speedball of detective fiction and fourth-wall breaking anarchy. The magic was short-lived (barely three seasons, though the show ran five) and the series ended awkwardly amidst declining quality and star ego turmoil. Thirtysomething, likewise, seemed like something brand new when it debuted – a postmodern baby boomer domestic drama. It was popular and critically acclaimed, but was also derided for too much navel-gazing. I wouldn’t revisit this lineup often, but it makes an interesting diversion from the warhorses in my collection.
NBC: Thursday, 1964
Daniel Boone
Dr. Kildare
Hazel
Here you have three shows with absolutely nothing in common, begging the question of why some long-forgotten NBC programmer decided to put them together. I tried this rotation once and it didn’t really work for me. But if your tastes run to the eclectic you may enjoy an evening that starts in 18th century Kentucky, segues into medical crises in 20th century Blair General Hospital, then lightens the mood with a mouthy maid, Missy and Mr. B.
ABC: Tuesday, 1975
Happy Days
Welcome Back, Kotter
The Rookies
Marcus Welby, M.D.
It’s Tiger Beat night! Henry Winkler and Scott Baio were always in the teen magazines, as was John Travolta in his Barbarino days. And Michael Ontkean was considered quite the dreamboat on The Rookies (he left before the 1975 season, but if you're going to try this lineup it's acceptable to cheat with a 1974 episode). With Marcus Welby it wasn’t Robert Young that made the girls swoon but costar James Brolin as motorcycle-riding surgeon Steven Kiley. Back in the day he was cooler than Clooney on E.R.
CBS: Friday, 1981
The Incredible Hulk
The Dukes of Hazzard
Dallas
Now we’re talking. Happy memories for me here, as in 1981 Friday meant sleeping late the next morning and no school for two days. I was primed for escapist entertainment and CBS obliged. The Incredible Hulk found an audience in an era when comic book adaptations were scarce, thanks mainly to Bill Bixby’s poignant portrayal of David Banner. The Dukes of Hazzard wasn’t based on a comic book but it might as well have been, while Dallas offered a more upscale take on Southern pride. For different reasons none of these shows could be taken seriously – just the way I liked them.