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Six shows you need to seeHave you ever found yourself in the midst of a discussion about a hugely popular television show you’ve never watched? Well, this happens to me. I’m often embarrassed that I haven’t watched enough television (which is something I never thought I was capable of feeling). A friend of mine sent me an email the other day with the subject line, “Mary Tyler Moore is on DVD, yeah baby!!!!!!!!!!!” Her 11 punctuation marks of jubilation led me to believe this was news to really get excited over, only I couldn’t. You see, I have a confession to make: I have never seen an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show — not a one. It has been on numerous countdowns as one of the funniest and most groundbreaking shows ever, and still I have neglected to see it, despite the existence of the syndication time capsule Nick at Nite. Thankfully, for people like me, complete series of programs such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show are now available on box set. DVD boxed sets give us the chance to sit down at our convenience in our comfiest pajamas for hours on end to catch up with devoted fans. It takes me two days to do what took others years. The boxed set is a crash course in television. There are so many long-running shows that so many of us have not seen at all or seen in their entirety, but now, thanks to the DVD box set, we can. Here is a short list of series that I think, if you haven’t seen yet, you should, because they are hilarious. (Oh, and they helped knock down a whole bunch of walls for women in entertainment.) 6 Complete Series Available on DVD You Should See: 1.The Mary Tyler Moore Show All I know about The Mary Tyler Moore Show is that in the opening credits, she famously throws her beret-looking hat in the air, and then freeze frame. Of course there is more to this series than that, so I (along with some of you) will own up to my Moore-less life and settle in to watch this award-winning series. We owe it to Mary Tyler Moore to take time to watch her All-American-girl antics in this groundbreaking sitcom of the 1970s. This show was so important because the writing was sharp and the plot focused on an independent woman in the workplace. Unlike the archetypal shows of that time (which focused on women finding love or raising a family), Ms. Moore bucked the trend and blazed the trail for sitcom women of today. 2. The Golden Girls With the loss of Estelle Getty this summer, watching The Golden Girls is bittersweet. This show truly redefined family dynamics by focusing on the loving friendship between four women. Blanche, Rose, Dorothy and Sophia didn’t spend their golden years sitting in rocking chairs knitting scarves; these sassy ladies had more of a swinging dating life in their senior years than I ever did in my 20s. Their sharp quips, put-downs and sexual humor put the show on the map as one of the funniest sitcoms ever created. 3. Absolutely Fabulous I know I’ve blogged before about my excitement about the release of the Absolutely Fabulous box set, and I must still be just as excited because I’m going to mention it again. The drunken adventures of Edina (Jennifer Saunders) and Patsy (Joanna Lumley) are not to be missed. It’s not every day that you find a television show with lines like this: Edina: Inside of me there's a thin woman trying to get out. This British comedy dared to make fun of sex, drugs, booze and family matters, all in the same series. Somehow you still you walk away from the show completely endeared to both Patsy and Edina, despite their addictions and obsessions. The comedy broke ground while making Le Croix a household name. 4. The Carol Burnett Show Before Tina Fey and Ellen DeGeneres were considered TV’s funniest women, there was Burnett. When women weren’t hired to do comic variety shows, Carol Burnett proved that women could be just as funny (and she was the funniest). Her series was considered the best of that genre of television. See where the ear tugging began by watching this boxed set. 5. Sex and the City Even if Carrie and Co. weren’t exactly your cup of tea (or if you never liked cosmopolitans), you have to appreciate how Sex and the City empowered women. The series opened a lot of eyes to the shocking idea that women are gasp! independent and sexual beings and they do not need a man to make them happy. (Shoot, we could have told them that.) 6. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Who would have thought that a movie that was a box-office flop could turn into one of the best television series of our time? A butt-kicking vampire killer with wit and sass to spare — that is how I like my heroines. The show also broke ground with the inception of the first lesbian character (Willow) to enter prime time. Are there any shows that you have missed that are on your must watch list? Submitted by on September 10, 2008 - 3:00pm. |
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sex and the city, empowering women????
I agree (with most of what you said)
The only thing empowering about women in SATC is that women are shown to enjoy sex and that the main characters are women. Other than that, the show totally revolves around the main characters' relationships with men, and sometimes about shopping (presumably to land/keep a man). Once in a while the friendships between the women are explored, and I'm sure we agree those are the best moments, but otherwise, it's more of the same. Also, the only POC were extras (except for Blair Underwood who appeared in a couple of episodes) and the classism was off the charts.
This show breaks all "The Rules."
Totally agree with
Totally agree with that.
I couldn't abide SATC for the very reason that all they seemed to do was chase men and want nice shoes. Not my idea of an interesting or ground breaking show.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Dylan_Femslash/ - Dylan Femslash Yahoo Group
http://www.femslashfanfiction.com/ - Femslash Fanfiction
Xena
I've tried and tried with both SatC and Buffy, but I've never been able to like either. More like distinctly dislike both, there were never any characters that I could even remotely connect with. The others I'm definitely willing to try. I watched a lot of Golden Girls when I was a kid, and liked it well enough, it would be interesting to watch as an adult and see what differences there are.
At the top of my must-watch list is Xena; now there's a show that's empowering to women. Xena is feminine, and still defies pretty much all gender stereotypes there are. It's campy and insane and not everyone's cup of tea, but if watched in it's entirety raises some really good questions with its main themes of whether redemption is possible and true love and friendship.
agree all the way!
Xena was the first show that I had to tune into every week and the first show I ever got on DVD. My little sister and I have Xena marathon weekends. I'm even thinking about getting a Xena related tattoo.
Maybe I've said too much...
"Apparently, some people have a problem with me saying awesome things"- Olivia Munn
You should own these...
I agree with Absolutely Fabulous, Buffy and even Golden Girls.
Not sure about the other 3 though....Sex and the City never really could hold my interest.
What else should you own on DVD?
Battlestar Gallactica
Six Feet Under
Firefly
Twin Peaks
- - - - - - - - - -
-Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.
I blog, therefore, I am
six feet under
six feet under changed my life forever.......it is to date the most interesting tv show ever to be produced, and I was sad to see it go, but yet incredibly happy they found a good way of ending it and leave the viewers with a truely empowering message.
Lacroix
The complete series of MTM
The complete series of MTM has yet to be released the final 3 seasons are in talks for a release but no set date yet.
I recently bought all 3 seasons of Arrested Development and am going to watch them soon
Not all these shows completed but must haves on my DVD list that am currently collecting or have completed
Buffy
Angel
CSI
CSI: Miami
CSI: New York
Law & Order
Law & Order: SVU
Law & Order: CI
Law & Order: Trial By Jury
Criminal Minds
Profiler
Heroes
Supernatural
Prison Break
Lois & Clark
Medium
ER
Hill Street Blues
NYPD Blue
Queer As Folk
The L Word
Sugar Rush
Bad Girls
How I Met Your Mother
At Home With the Braithwaites
Family Guy
American Dad
The Simpsons
Gilmore Girls
Quincy
Blood Ties
Alias
Waking the Dead
Bones
Silent Witness
Cold Squad
A Touch Of Frost
Murder She Wrote
Little Britain
Tittybangbang
Little Mosque On the Prairie
Robson Arms
Babylon 5
Ellen
The Ellen Show
Doc
Danger Mouse
Sex & the City
Veronica Mars
Soap
All in the Family
Degrassi Junior High
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Stargate SG-1
Alien Nation
Weeds
House M.D.
24
Jeremiah
Las Vegas
Gimme Gimme Gimme
Carrie & Barry
William & Mary
Boomtown
The Dead Zone
Without A Trace
Will & Grace
Invasion
Tenko
Butterflies
America's Next Top Model
Poltergeist: The Legacy
She Spies
The Girls Next Door (Girls Of the Playboy Mansion)
Grey's Anatomy
Monarch Of the Glenn
Hetty Wainthrop Investigates
Commander-In-Chief
Black Books
Battlestar Galactica
1st & Ten
JAG
Dante's Cove
Roseanne
Everwood
Three's Company
Sliders
Afterlife
Missing aka 1-800 Missing
Dawson's Creek
Sea Of Souls
Ally McBeal
The Royle Family
The X Files
The West Wing
Smallville
Tru Calling
Touched By An Angel
Joan Of Arcadia
Popular
The O.C.
Millennium
Footballer's Wives
Dead Like Me
Dark Angel
Charmed
Band Of Gold
Don't get me started on the shows I haven't even started collecting
Holy Crap...
...do you sleep? LOL. Almost all of them are shows that I enjoy or like but wow that's a lot of TV.
wow
i have over 900 dvds and
Hmm...
Awesome
LOL! I knew I wasn't the only DVD 'freak' (I use the term affectionately) out there!!
That's a great collection! I love Tenko, it's nice to see it on there. I don't think it's well known to people outside the UK because it's not out on DVD in North America.
- PKiddo
Tell me about it am a dvd
What gets on my nerves
I read somewhere
I read somewhere that we watch old television shows and movies we've already seen because life it so unpredictable that it's comforting sometimes to already know how something will end.
With that in mind, it's interesting to me what shows/movies I'll gravitate to at certain periods of my life. If there is such a thing as comfort-food, then does that also mean that there is such a thing as comfort-shows and movies?
www.SeekingSaraSummers.com
Too much
Babylon 5
I started to write about one show and then I ended up with a massive list.. I didn't even realise I'd watched that much TV. I wonder how many hours of my life I've spent on TV shows that might otherwise have gone into productive things. Anyway, I won't share the list. It's too depressing. But if I could have one boxed set right now that I've been yearning for for years? Babylon 5. That show was awesome and so underrated (even though they wimped out on the lesbian relationship and just left it as glaringly obvious, smack me across the head with a big gay stick subtext).
Susan Gabriel, there's definitely such a thing as comfort movies and TV shows. Sometimes I'll watch the same movie every night for weeks. I don't even really need to watch it, I just have it playing in the background whilst I'm doing other stuff. I guess people write/read fanfiction for the same reason. You get way too invested in the characters and then, when it's all over, you start to miss them.
I watched the whole series
OMG!
Ms Peel
I whole-heartedly
I whole-heartedly agree!!!
The Avengers - The Complete Emma Peel Megaset is available on Amazon.com
Rosanne
I swear that show never gets any credit for anything! No mom on Tv was like her..you know real.
absolutely fabulous
makes life so much more enjoyable :')
if you like that you should also watch French & Saunders but i don't know if that has any box sets or anything
hilarious!
oh and i am on season 2 of six feet under
working my way through them all
i LOVE it
so does my mum :D
it's amazing
Add on
The Vicar of Dibley (Not really a series but SO funny) to the large list also Black Adder, The Sarah Connor Chronicles and the only episodes they made of Birds of Prey.
My wife also liked Witchblade
DVD Must Haves....
...For me it's anything with Olivia Wilde or Lena Headey(so Band of Gold, The O.C., House, M.D., Terminator) As well as others:
Law & Order:SVU(Alex and Olivia, DUH!)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation(Sara Sidle)
Birds of Prey(Dina Meyer as Oracle was hot!)
p.s. on a mission to embarass myself as much as possible:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vG_sF-yhKE
If homophobes always think what they've always thought, then they'll always get what they've always got...my foot have way up their
Yes!
Completely agree with Buffy and SATC, 2 of my absolute favorite shows! And Arrested Development never fails to split my sides. The L Word commentaries are hilarious (especially the ones with Leisha, Erin, and Kate) but there aren't too many other extras, which is a bit disappointing. And I marathoned the first 3 seasons of House in 1 weekend (which amounted to very little sleep, lots of coffee and candy, and a ginormous crush on Jennifer Morrison). SVU is also fantastic, and Crossing Jordan's first season is FINALLY on dvd! Yay! 30 Rock is hilarious too! And, of course, Exes & Ohs: Uh-mazing. Anyone else completely in love with Marnie Alton? Maeve, you have a bit of competition for your title of "gayest straight woman" lol.
Yes, I know I watch far too much tv. And my family owns all 10 seasons of friends which has become a bonding activity when we all go home haha.
"It might make Elizabeth Hasselbeck cry, but we're gonna do it." - Tina Fey
Finally!
I used to watch MTM on Life network when I was little (reruns) of course.
Golden girls I agree is absolutely fantastic!
To add to the list of must see:
Maude
Full House
Dead like me
Soap
Empty Nest
Wonderfalls
" I used to watch MTM on
" I used to watch MTM on Life network when I was little (reruns) of course."
I remember when The MTM Show was on CBS in the '70s
I'm OOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Family Ties.
Farscape
I agree, Battlestar: Gallactica (the reimagined one) needs to be there...
So does Farscape! The pop references were inscredible, situations so bizarre... I just wish they didn't have to pull the plug on it so soon and the movies that followed helped, but didn't leave me witha sense of closure that entirely worked.
Deep Space Nine - in my opinion, the best of the Trek Franchises.
I <3 TV
Absolutely Fabulous is a treasure trove of classic lines. Jennifer Saunders is one hell of a writer. I think I'm in love with her. One of my favorite lines, from the episode "Birthday" - "I'm sorry if that sounds selfish, but it's me, me, ME!" As a leo, I can appreciate this sentiment. As it happens, in the episode "France" we get a glimpse of Edina's passport.. guess what? A leo! Perfect.
Also, thumbs up to The Carol Burnett Show. The woman holds a very special place in my heart. The one and only fan letter I have ever written was to her, when I was in the 5th grade, way back in the day. She wrote back! More accurately, someone wrote me back on her behalf, but she did sign it, so I have her autograph. :)
Love me some Buffy, too.
The shows I would add to the list have already been mentioned by others, but what the hell.
Battlestar Galactica (reimagined)
Firefly
Wonderfalls
There are others, but these are the three that spring to mind. Susan Gabriel, I absolutely believe there are comfort shows. All the ones I've mentioned do the trick for me. Star Trek: TNG is another comfort show, but a box set of that one might be a little overwhelming, not to mention pricey. So, I just watch it over and over in re-runs. Picard = Best. Captain. Ever.
Rosemary and Thyme
WHAT ABOUT POPULAR????
Absolutely what?
Um.. I feel so lost and confused. Lol. What the heck is "Absolutely Fabulous"? I've never heard of that.. Ever...
I may be too young? But I know what MTM is, I used to watch it all the time on Nick at Nite. Lol...
I feel like a dork. Lol. But when was that on even?
Tutto Succede Per Una Ragione
ab fab
I agree with Buffy and The
I agree with Buffy and The Golden Girls totally. SATC not so much. I would add:
Charmed (3 hot witches)
Xena (needs no comment)
The L Word (again no comment needed)
Arrested Development (funny and starts our lovely Portia)
Samantha Who? (great premise and stars Christina Applegate - she's so cute!)
Dexter (I just love the premise)
Moonlighting
The groundbreaking show that chanced TV is made and watched. On the surface, it's a dramedy about two private detectives, played by Bruce Willis and Cybill Shephed. But already in the pilot it's uniqueness comes through: the witty and overlapping dialogues, the quickness of the conversations and events, the self reference (they keep refering to themselves as characters on a TV show) and constantly pushing the envelope on all levels. This show was the first one to produce a real black and white episode in the age of colour (on real film from the 40s), to present an irreverant intrppretation of Shakespeare and to mix genres, often in the same episode. Without Moonlighting, I'm sure there would be no Ally McBeal or any of the David E Kelly shows and many others.
Must see TV.
5 out of 6 ain't bad
I've watched all those except for Sex and the City. It's pretty much fish out of water for me. I'd replace SATC with either Rosanne or Xena.
Xena's approach to addressing real world issues is a little more transcendent and philosophical. It's set in an imaginary land of what would happen if all religions were actually true and all the gods existed, women didn't have hurdles to overcome for being women and falling in love didn't mean having a label. Answer: We'd have faith in ourselves to choose our own way.
AB FAB!
Absolutely Fabulous is one of the best things since sliced bread.
God save the QueenI too agree with Buffy and
You lost me at ...
SATC? No way would I list this show. It would not even make my top 100.
Then again, it's apples and oranges. What is ground breaking or life changing for some, is not so much for others.
To be fair and allow you to poke a stick at my top six:
Buffy
Six Feet Under
Battlestar Galactica
Firefly
Xena
Dark Angel
Is there a...
French & Saunders comprehensive box set out somewhere? That would certainly make my list...
Oh Yoshimi, they don't believe me...
My 6
Rome
The Wire
Bad Girls
Taggart
Ab Fab
Catherine Tate