Favorite TV Shows, Skits, Plots, One-Liners, Moments, or Events

[Ivan Seeking]

Okay, we all know that TV is the spawn of satan and that no thinking person would be caught watching that garbage. With that said, what are your favorite or most memorable shows, skits, plots, one-liners, moments, or events.

Personally, I was a complete TV kid and still am. I really watch very little, except NOVA and the like, but I have it on all the time while I work. I do still like some of cheesy sit-coms from the early 70s, and earlier. I hate to even say much more about that point...let's just say that the great Mary Ann vs. Ginger debate continues.

For me, the most memorable moment is easy; The moon landing, up until 911.

The Brady Bunch was a legend in our house. I remember reading some years ago, when the Bradys were a more recent memory, that more people knew the Brady theme song than the national anthem.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

After all these years I learn that the Skipper has a name; that is his character did...Jonas Grumby (The Skipper).
http://www.tvtome.com/GilligansIsland/

 

[ph]

!aha

Ivan,

yes i agree "best tv" oxymooron ...

not movies, trash tv we're talking, okay...

The Big Valley!

Lost in Space!

The Jerry Springer Show!

I miss all my fav shows as I don't have/make time for TV. I did manage to catch a preview to what looked like a great Springer.

The show was supposed to have been "I Married My Cousin (or some relative)

Jerry says in this clip I caught a few seconds of only (bummer), "WHY your COUSIN? Was your sister TOO BUSY?"

(!xck)

 

[Smurf]

I used to be a TV aholic, but then I lived without a TV for 3 years and I havn't gotten back into it, especially in north america all the shows are so freaking boring. But then I wasn't even born when Gilligans Island was being aired so *meh*

 

[check]

I miss the sitcoms of the late 80s / early 90s like Perfect Strangers, The Cosby Show even Full House. There doesn’t seem to be any good family shows on anymore and it’s a shame really.

Last few years I’ve become a CNN junkie but my favourite shows now are The Simpsons, Daily Planet (a daily Canadian science show), Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

 

[BobG]

WKRP's Happy Thanksgiving episode was the all-time best sitcom moment.

BTW, this was based on a true incident - Ted Stepien threw softballs off of the tallest building in Cleveland to celebrate buying the Cavaliers basketball team (I don't know what the big deal was - he was the fourth owner in less than a month). The balls blew into the crowd and fractured a man's cheek, a woman's wrist, smashed the windshield of a car, and then there the numerous minor injuries sustained as the crowd fled in panic.

 

[Evo]

Shows I watched growing up were the Flinstones, The Jetsons, Bugs Bunny, I Love Lucy (they were reruns, not the originals), My Favorite Martian, The Beverly Hillbillies, Mr Ed, The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, Bewitched, Dick Van Dyke show, Star Trek,The Adams Family, Green Acres, I dream of Jeannie, Get Smart, Hogan's Heros, Mission Impossible, The Avengers, Bob Newhart, Rowan & Martin's Laugh In, Taxi, Mork & Mindy, The Man from UNCLE, Cheers, Fantasy Island, ALF, Three's Company, St Elsewhere, Night Court, Moonlighting, Who's The Boss, WKRP in Cincinnati, Soap, Frasier, Friends, Married with Children, Home Improvement, Quantum Leap, Wiseguy, Twin Peaks, Star Trek the Next Generation, Wings (that has got to be one of the funniest shows I've ever watched, I'll never forget the episode where Tony Shalhoub sings "My goat knows the bowling scores, hallelujah - to the tune of "Michael row your boat ashore)

I rarely watch anything on tv anymore unless it's a documentary or The Iron Chef.

 

[motai]

I mainly watch The Simpsons and NOVA.

Too many reality shows on nowadays, they all suck.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Any other Northern Exposure fans? I thought that show was awesome.

When I was a kid, I loved Emergency!, The Six Million Dollar Man, Star Trek(TOS), and Night Gallery.

 

[Janitor]

I admit to having seen about half of the Married With Children episodes. I have never laughed as hard at a TV show as I did at the one where Peggy and Kelly formed a country singing group, 'The Jugs,' and Al managed them under the name 'Colonel Jugs.' (It helps if you know who the 'The Judds' and 'Colonel Parker' are, okay?)

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Shows I watched growing up were the Flinstones, The Jetsons, Bugs Bunny, I Love Lucy (they were reruns, not the originals), My Favorite Martian, The Beverly Hillbillies, Mr Ed, The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, Bewitched, Dick Van Dyke show, Star Trek,The Adams Family, Green Acres, I dream of Jeannie, Get Smart, Hogan's Heros, Mission Impossible, The Avengers, Bob Newhart, Rowan & Martin's Laugh In, Taxi, Mork & Mindy, The Man from UNCLE, Cheers, Fantasy Island, ALF, Three's Company, St Elsewhere, Night Court, Moonlighting, Who's The Boss, WKRP in Cincinnati, Soap, Frasier, Friends, Married with Children, Home Improvement, Quantum Leap, Wiseguy, Twin Peaks, Star Trek the Next Generation, Wings

ditto

(that has got to be one of the funniest shows I've ever watched, I'll never forget the episode where Tony Shalhoub sings "My goat knows the bowling scores, hallelujah - to the tune of "Michael row your boat ashore)

I had fogotten about that. That was hillarious!

For me, Artmans WKRP Turkey drop was the greatest.

I swear to God, I thought turkeys could fly

 

[Andy]

Star Trek, The simpsons, Stargate sg-1, quantum leap, Fawlty Towers, Mork and Mindy and Married with Children.

All fantastic shows, especially married with children.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Any other Northern Exposure fans? I thought that show was awesome.

When I was a kid, I loved Emergency!, The Six Million Dollar Man, Star Trek(TOS), and Night Gallery.

God this is scary. I watched all of those too.

I thought Northern Exposure was one of the best shows in recent years. It is an all time favorite of ours. The first episode that I saw was where Chris meets his brother for the first time. Great stuff!

 

[BobG]

For me, the most memorable moment is easy; The moon landing, up until 911.

I'd rate the moon landing as being the closest to what you'd really like TV to be.

9/11 is also right up there.

Other memorable events:

David Bloom's reports from Iraq. His were the best of what was a huge leap in allowing viewers to see what the war was really like.

Bernard Shaw's reports from Baghdad the first night of the Gulf War.

Ronald Reagan's "I paid for this microphone ... " outburst in the 1980 campaign. Kennedy's appearance on TV as compared to Nixon's may have won him the 1960 presidential elections, but the 1980 New Hampshire primary was the biggest set-up and exploitation of TV news coverage by a candidate.

The Olympics of 1968 and 1972.

1968 was the first Olympics I watched and it had 3 big events. The 'Black Power' salute of Lee Evans and John Carlos and Bob Beamon's long jump both were right up there. The best images of the '68 Olympics started with the 10,000, when one of the African runners collapsed in the infield with a couple of laps to go. They were about to load him on the stretcher when he leapt up and finished the race (never mind that he was well back by this time and disqualified, to boot, it was still a pretty neat moment). A few days later, the same Kenyan runner wins the silver in the 5,000 km. His name was Kip Keino and a few days later, he pulled the biggest upset of the Olympics - he upset Jim Ryun in the 1500. A big dissappointment since I lived in Jim Ryun's home town at the time, but it was also a feeling of "Wow, who is that guy? The Energizer Bunny?" (except they hadn't invented the Energizer Bunny, yet). Later on I found out the reason he collapsed in the first race was because he was suffering from gall stones - throughout the entire Olympics. He's also one of the few sports stars that truly are good people - he's adopted and raised 68 abandoned or orphaned children on a policeman's salary.

1972 had the Israeli hostages as the shocker. It also had Olga Korbut. In an era where we were beginning to explore US-USSR detente, what better image of the USSR could there be than Olga Korbut?

 

[FulhamFan3]

For me, the most memorable moment is easy; The moon landing...

I don't want to sound like a conspiracy theorist but I wonder how they filmed them coming out of the lander. Especially if it was the first landing. It just seemed too convienient to have a camera showing them walking out.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Does anyone remember Reagans little slip when he thought the mic was off?

We start bombing Moscow in five minutes

LOL! The Soviets didn't seem to see the humor in this.

 

[BobG]

I don't want to sound like a conspiracy theorist but I wonder how they filmed them coming out of the lander. Especially if it was the first landing. It just seemed too convienient to have a camera showing them walking out.

http://www.apolloarchive.com/apollo_gallery.html

This link shows pre-launch pictures of the Modular Equipment Stowage Assembly of the Lunar Module. Look at pictures S69-31571 through S69-31585.

The first few are of the bracket prior to the camera being mounted or the back side of the camera. They don't make much sense until you get to 31575 which shows the lens side of the camera.

The camera assembly folded outward to give a better view of the ladder (that's why the camera assembly appears to be 'strapped' down to the MESA). Even so, it didn't fold out far enough to give a real good angle. After landing, the camera was removable and was used for the other videos the astronauts filmed (which is why a couple of the photos show spare lenses on the MESA).

 

[Dagenais]

I liked television more in the 90's, before reality tv shows took over primetime.

My favourite shows include Seinfeld and Simpsons. I also liked Family Matters and Fresh Prince. Of course, I watch a lot of sports, mostly NBA and NHL. On occasions I'll watch the NFL. Right now, the only thing that interests me aside from sports is the Amazing Race.

Best moment had to be when Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer went on trial, and all the people they've screwed over the years testify against them. That was hilarious and a brilliant way to end the show.

Seeing the Soup Nazi, the Low Talker and Apu (is that his name?) take the stand was classic!

The Simpsons Halloween Special where Homer was stuck in a 3D world was pretty memorable.

Watching Bill Parcells talk to the press is always hilarious. The things he says always leaves the media in shock, "No disrespect for the Orientals, but what we call Jap plays. OK. Surprise things." or "I like linebackers. I collect 'em. You can't have too many good ones."

Jerry and George are always interesting to watch:


"So you feel 'women and children first' in this day and age is somewhat of an antiquated notion."
"To some degree."
"So, basically, it's every man, woman, child and invalid for themselves."
"In a manner of speaking."
"Well, that's honest."
"She should be commending me for treating everyone like equals."
"Well, perhaps when she's released from the burn center she'll see things more clearly."
- Jerry and George, in "The Fire"

The worst moments I've seen on TV had to be the 911 incident.

In sports, watching Todd Bertuzzi threaten, then attack Steve Moore tops it. The Detroit Meelee comes in 2nd.

 

[marlon]

BEST SHOW ON TV WAS THE A-TEAM...
THE SIMPSONS COME CLOSE...

regards
marlon

 

[tribdog]

I used to watch the perfect trilogy every night: Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven.
other most memorable shows:
MASH: when henry dies and when radar gives the horse to Potter.
South Park:I laughed so hard in the episode where they counted the number of times they said the word "Sh*T"
Bob Ross The Joy of Painting:Wow, this guy was goofy but I watch it every time I see it. I try so hard to be a good painter, but suck.
HBOs Real Sex: There's a show you'll NEVER see me switching channels on.
to Evo:i Love Lucy(they were reruns)-sure they were
To MIH:Emergency-don't you got to love any show staring someone named Randolph Mantooth

 

[Math Is Hard]

Randolph Mantooth!? Was that his name?? Good lord!

Bob Ross The Joy of Painting:Wow, this guy was goofy but I watch it every time I see it. I try so hard to be a good painter, but suck.

oh, I loved Bob Ross! You just brought a sentimental tear to my eye. Remember what he used to say...

"There are no mistakes - just happy accidents."

 

[mattmns]

Simpsons here as well. Also, Married w/ Children, Fresh Prince, Home Improvment, Family Matters. However, The Simpsons is the only show that I will watch the same re-runs over and over. For recent shows, I love Law & Order: Criminal Intent; I like the regular one too, but not as much. Also, Fear Factor, and sometimes, the CBS monday night shows (Everybody loves Raymond, 2 + 1/2 men, CSI: Miami).

 

[Evo]

oh, I loved Bob Ross! You just brought a sentimental tear to my eye. Remember what he used to say...

"There are no mistakes - just happy accidents."

My Bob Ross favorite is "happy blue" in that lilting voice of his. Wih the accent on "hap", several of us still imitate that. He was one happy painter. It was fun to watch.

 

[Kerrie]

okay, the #2 funniest PF topic...

Evo, your TV programs you listed are ones i loved, especially Quantum Leap! There is just something about smart men that gets my attention. As of the last week, I acquired my second TV in my home, which is weird, because I am a internet junkie So, I am a true fan of Curb your Enthusiam, Mad TV, and Seinfeld. Any programs offered on The Discovery Channel and National Geographic totally catch my attention.

 

[tribdog]

My Bob Ross favorite is "happy blue" in that lilting voice of his. Wih the accent on "hap", several of us still imitate that. He was one happy painter. It was fun to watch.

Wasn't it that happy blue that gave him the brain tumor?

Simpsons here as well. Also, Married w/ Children, Fresh Prince, Home Improvment, Family Matters. However, The Simpsons is the only show that I will watch the same re-runs over and over. For recent shows, I love Law & Order: Criminal Intent; I like the regular one too, but not as much. Also, Fear Factor, and sometimes, the CBS monday night shows (Everybody loves Raymond, 2 + 1/2 men, CSI: Miami).

Fear Factor is horrible. I watched for the shock value a couple of times, but I just can't handle the eating. Makes me sick to watch someone eating rotten, maggoty cheese, eyes watering, snot running out their nose, gagging noises. If I wanted to see that I could just go back to my ex.

 

[Evo]

Evo, your TV programs you listed are ones i loved, especially Quantum Leap!

That was a really great show, I wish they'd show reruns of it.

There is just something about smart men that gets my attention.

Yep, me too. About time tv execs figured that out

Any programs offered on The Discovery Channel and National Geographic totally catch my attention.

We're kindred spirits.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Quantum Leap is currently running on the Sci Fi Channel.

It tends to run in spurts.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

As for public awareness and important social and political issues, I think Meet The Press, first and foremost, then Face The Nation, WW in Review and so on, and many PBS shows like Frontline, and The News Hour, are the best that TV has to offer.

 

[tumor]

"Get Smart" was hilarious( my absolute # 1 cimedy series), and show for kids called "You Can't Do That On TV".

 

[Ivan Seeking]

WKRP's Happy Thanksgiving episode was the all-time best sitcom moment.

BTW, this was based on a true incident - Ted Stepien threw softballs off of the tallest building in Cleveland to celebrate buying the Cavaliers basketball team (I don't know what the big deal was - he was the fourth owner in less than a month). The balls blew into the crowd and fractured a man's cheek, a woman's wrist, smashed the windshield of a car, and then there the numerous minor injuries sustained as the crowd fled in panic.

Whoops, I credited Artman with that reference. I think he and I have agreed on this point before. Out of curiosity I checked to see if anyone else agrees with us here. Sure enough!

WKRP also features what many people consider to be the funniest moment in television history... "For those of you who've just tuned in, the Pinedale Shopping Mall has just been bombed with live turkeys. Film at eleven."

http://tvsothertenpercent.tripod.com/wkrp/

 

[Ivan Seeking]

"Get Smart" was hilarious( my absolute # 1 cimedy series), and show for kids called "You Can't Do That On TV".

I loved Get Smart! I recently had to explain what the cone of silence is used for. I received a PM requesting information after I mentioned it in another thread.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

TAKEN, anyone? I thought this was the best TV Sci Fi ever made. Of course they raised conspiracy theories to an art form, but still, we could hardly wait for the next episode each week. It was really fun and entertaining, IMO.

 

[Evo]

I loved Get Smart! I recently had to explain what the cone of silence is used for. I received a PM requesting information after I mentioned it in another thread.

I LOVED the cone of silence! I'm always bringing it up and no one gets it. When I tell them everyone except the people inside it can hear what's being said they don't get it.

 

[tumor]

Is it possible to buy "Get Smart " on DVD's ? at Amazon or elsewhere?I pay millions!

 

[Smurf]

I know I'm going to regret this but: What's the cone of silence?

 

[tumor]

Don't fall of the chair Smurf, this is pretty funny;

http://www.cinerhama.com/getsmart/innovatiions.html

 

[Tsu]

MASH, Northern Exposure and The West Wing are the reruns I prefer to watch. Also PBS, History, Science and Discovery channels are frequently watched.

 

[omicron]

Bewitched, I dream of genie(not sure of the spelling) , Flinstones, Spider-Man and friends, X-men, Fraiser, Friends, Everybody loves Raymond, Charmed, The practice, CSI, Monk, Becker, Explorations, Alias(why is season4 taking so long! Argh )

 

[mathwonk]

some of my favorites were sid ceasar's show of shows, maverick ("a fellow's brother"), jack benny, red skelton, tomorrowland on the disney hour with werner von braun, and (with my dad) watching abbott and costello or old westerns staring people like bob steele and hoot gibson, oh yes "you bet your life" with groucho marx and george fenneman, the "quiz kids", and ted mack's amateur hour (my brother was a contestant one night with his band), i love lucy, our ms brooks, dragnet (my dad was an investigator and loved it when jack webb said "just the facts ma'am"). paul winchell and jerry mahoney (Paul was the best ventriloquist ever, then retired and became a mechanical heart inventor).

sid caesar was probably my favorite, although sometimes he made my stomach hurt from laughing so hard, like when he played the saxophone with glasses 3 inches thick and hair higher than marge simpson.

oh yes, alfred hitchcock! every week.

 

[Jelfish]

I watched a lot of TV when I was very young. My favorite shows were those educational PBS shows, like SquareOne TV and Ghostwriter. Those were the days

 

[PerennialII]

No Carnivale or MillenniuM fans? You people are too positive .

 

[scorpa]

MASH, Simpsons, Everybody Loves Raymond, Rick Mercer Report just cause he's so stupid, CSI LV and Miami, ER.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

...red skelton...abbott and costello...

check, check, great stuff!

oh yes "you bet your life" with groucho marx and george fenneman,

I loved that duck!

amateur hour (my brother was a contestant one night with his band),

My uncle danced on Truth on Consequences, and then they caught granny on camera playing with her dentures.

i love lucy, our ms brooks, dragnet (my dad was an investigator and loved it when jack webb said "just the facts ma'am").

.

I met Webb once at a anti-drug thingy.

oh yes, alfred hitchcock! every week.

Yep, a real favorite of mine as well. That, the Twilight Zone, and Outer Limits. But watching the old Outer Limits shows can be painful now.

 

[Azael]

Mission Impossible(both the original and the 80's).
V.
X files!
Babylon 5(easily the best sci-fi show ever made).
Star trex-next generation.
Tour of duty.
Simpsons.
Macgyver.
Twin Peaks!

 

[Astronuc]

Way to resurrect a thread mathwonk.

Shows I watched growing up were the Flinstones, The Jetsons, Bugs Bunny, I Love Lucy (they were reruns, not the originals), My Favorite Martian, The Beverly Hillbillies, Mr Ed, The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, Bewitched, Dick Van Dyke show, Star Trek,The Adams Family, Green Acres, I dream of Jeannie, Get Smart, Hogan's Heros, Mission Impossible, The Avengers, Bob Newhart, Rowan & Martin's Laugh In, Taxi, Mork & Mindy, The Man from UNCLE, Cheers, Fantasy Island, ALF, Three's Company, St Elsewhere, Night Court, Moonlighting, Who's The Boss, WKRP in Cincinnati, Soap, Frasier, . . . , Quantum Leap, . . . , Star Trek the Next Generation, Wings

Most of these. There's another thread somewhere about favorite TV shows.

Get Smart was a favorite.

After I left my parents home in 1975, I didn't watch TV much, if at all - too busy with academics and on the streets/outdoors. Didn't really start watching TV again until the late 1980's, and that was mostly science and documentary programs like Beyond 2000, and the Discovery Channel.

I have rarely watch TV in years, actually since I left grad school.

 

[Manchot]

Without a doubt, my favorite show is Arrested Development. Alias and Seinfeld are tied for second. Other shows that are up there: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, The Practice, Boston Legal, Lost, MacGyver, The Simpsons, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, My Name is Earl, The Office (US version), and Stargate SG-1.

 

[edward]

some of my favorites were sid ceasar's show of shows, maverick ("a fellow's brother"), jack benny, red skelton, tomorrowland on the disney hour with werner von braun, and (with my dad) watching abbott and costello or old westerns staring people like bob steele and hoot gibson, oh yes "you bet your life" with groucho marx and george fenneman, the "quiz kids", and ted mack's amateur hour (my brother was a contestant one night with his band), i love lucy, our ms brooks, dragnet (my dad was an investigator and loved it when jack webb said "just the facts ma'am"). paul winchell and jerry mahoney (Paul was the best ventriloquist ever, then retired and became a mechanical heart inventor).

sid caesar was probably my favorite, although sometimes he made my stomach hurt from laughing so hard, like when he played the saxophone with glasses 3 inches thick and hair higher than marge simpson.


oh yes, alfred hitchcock! every week.

Those were all great shows and many of them were done live. Mr. Wizard was also a great science show for kids.
The first show I really got hooked on was the original Star Trek, it first aired in the fall of 66. Man my age is showing.

The comedy variety hour shows had some of the best comedy and entertainment on American television. (Laugh In, Smothers Brothers, The Carol Burnett Show ect)

Currently I mostly watch PBS and The History Channel. About the only prime time show I watch is "Lost", and I do that mostly because I have nephew who writes for the show. I like to tease him and tell him that it is the writers who are lost.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Hill Street Blues
Northern Exposure
Cheers
Friends
ER
Picket Fences (I may be the only person in the world who was adicted to this.)
And the amazing HBO series:

Six Feet Under
2001-2005

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Northern Exposure

Did you catch Rick's funeral?

Did we already discuss that here or somewhere else...

 

[zoobyshoe]

Did you catch Rick's funeral?

Did we already discuss that here or somewhere else...

Is that the one where they went and fetched the dead body from way out in the boonies, or is that the Jewish funeral where they were trying to find enough jews to do the prayer ceremony?