SHE MADE ME WATCH THIS! The New TV Classics

I'll watch it later, gotta work :(

 

Dawson’s creek season 1, 2 and a part of 3 was amazing, I grew up with this show and it turned me into a dreamy teenager. The reason why it became something that it wasn’t in the beginning is because Kevin Williamson quit writing for the show.  He was also working on Scream 3 and started a new show Wasteland. Dawson’s creek showed a positive image to teenagers. It also had a gay character in its second season in 1998/1999. I’m a big fan of Kevin Williamson and the first two season of Dawsons creek. Kevin Williamson did however make the mistake of giving the majority of the fans what they wanted than to write the final in his style of season 1 by writing the final in Joey ending with Pacey, which when you look at season 1 and 2 it’s not something he would given us in the end. I also believe that Dawson’s creek should of ended with its 4^th season, shows that go to college never work (saved by the bell, 90210). The music was used in a brilliant way, I also loved the opening song in the first season “run like mad” and the song used in the season finale “broken road” I still know all the lines. Sarah, Dawson’s creek is nothing to be ashamed of.

I don't get friends either! Finally someone else who agrees!

Anyway...all my classics are British tv, and are basically already classics! French and Saunders (the earlier stuff), Acorn Antiques...Watching Peep Show at the moment - that deserves to be a classic in the future :D Basically a lot of British comedy. I could go on for aaages. Cartoons also, if I listen to the X Men theme tune it takes me back.

I never really watched the Office (British version) I was probably too young to really appreciate it at the time - if I watched it now I'd probably really like it. But I love Gervais's other programme Extras - I can watch that again and again. 

Buffy will definately be a classic - but when you look back on it it feels so 90s. And the musical was season 6 because that was when Tara first found out about being brainwashed...and I agree on the "dark" theme in that season, so annoying, too many deaths, betrayals etc etc. I never watched the earlier stuf though, I was more forcibly made to watch it because of my friends fandom, then got hooked on Willow/Tara.

L word season 1 was definately the best (no theme song!!) but i also liked season 2 quite a bit as well, with evil Helana before she became randomly naive. I wonder what I'll think of it when I look back on it in 10 years or so...

1. Living Single (with Queen Latifah, Kim Coles, Kim Fields, and Ericka Alexander)

2. New York Undercover (even though it can be a little dated; the last season was a disappointment).

3. MadTv (i do not know if comedy skit shows can be added; I like the seasons 1 to late 90s)

4. Cops

5. Are You Afraid of the Dark?

I use to watch "Golden Girls" when younger.

Bartman: http://youtube.com/watch?v=1JWqBC8gdwk

one you maybe forgot is the puppy episode (even if the name of the web site is a good reminder 0

i think it was clearly an impotant step for america in general to have a lesbian character comming out on natinal television but also the episode was also very funny and very good

but i dont know if only one episode is a classic so ill let u choose

I would have to put MASH on any list of classic television shows.  It was a great ensemble sitcom that had a good balance of funny and dark moments.

Some of my new classics crossed over your lists too.

1)My So Called Life

2)Simpsons

3)SouthPark

4)The Cosby Show

5)Family ties

6)Arrested Development

7)Stargate SG-1/Stargate Atlantis

8)BattleStar Galactica

9)Ally McBeal

9)Quantum Leap

10)Charmed

11)Melrose Place (First time besides MSCL it had an episode about a  Gay hate crime)

12)The Boondocks (Not many people watch or read AAron McGruder's comic .Aaron McGruder's comics was so controversial that many newspapers pulled it). I am a BIG BIG fan of his. His comics became animated on adult swim really late a night.

13)X-Files

i had a rubbish monday but this made it much better =] and i still love dee but friends rocked , i agree with sarah i didn't think joey was funny but i loved monica and rachael, its jennifer need i say more? Buffy was the best and i loved that it wasen't guy centred but i missed angel i wanted him to come back sooooo badly!

ha! i agree about scrappy doo you knew that he was going to get scooby and shaggy caught when they were hiding i was always like - why dont they just let the monster catch and kill him it would have made me so happy :P Maybe i took him a bit too seriously...

" i *Heart* Oy oy lady"

I really like the simpsons, and used to watch the x files all the time . the l words first season was great, but my favorite tv show has to be seinfeld, from third season onwards...

i really like almost all the shows that were disscused, but i would have liked to listen to ya'lls take on greys annatomy, and ugly betty.... and saturday night live.

1. SEINFELD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Forget Friends, I think Seinfeld's actually aged better than Friends has. It wasn't so trendy and about the hair and fashion ... it was about these four insane friends that just did nothing and yet manage to do so much. I've watched this show on television, I've watched it on VHS and now I have all the DVDs which I've watched a few dozen times each season (there's 9)... and it.never.gets.old.

2. X-Files

No matter how many years go by, the creepyness stays. The show's been rerun quite a few times here in Finland and I still love it as much as I did back in 1993-94. I remember watching the pilot episode and I couldn't believe how good it was. I'd never seen anything quite like it and I was so hooked on the show that I remember I watched the pilot about a dozen times before they aired the second one. Then I watched those two episodes over and over until a new one came :D this is how fanatical I was about this show. And this is the reason there's 9 seasons of X-Files DVDs on my shelf now :D

3. Stargate SG-1

Any sci-fi fan worth a dime has Stargate SG-1 on their list! Come on. The show ran for 10 seasons. I don't think any other sci-fi show's ran that many seasons. Fantastic cast, great epic stories and excellent standalone episodes... this has it all.

4. Futurama

I'm sorry but this show is awesome! I've watched it, rewatched it and rewatched it over and over and over again and it it still holds up and it'll still hold up years from now. It's the Simpsons for sci-fi fans.

5. Star Trek: The Next Generation

I agree with Lori and Dee, this show was awesome! It rules my tween and teen years. This show had my first female crush (Dr. Crusher, hello! :D), it got me excited about science and computer technology and it was just a pure joy to watch. And the show actually holds up pretty well even now. Okay, so if you start counting from like season 3 and onward, that's where the show really shines. Best of Both Worlds part 1 & 2 is like the best TV ever created!

Strong female character that were right there next to the men, great storylines that spoke of diplomacy instead of war, great action, great characters and fantastic acting. Sci-fi at its best.

6. Dead Like Me

I cannot believe you guys forgot this show or didn't include it intentionally. This show... I'm still upset that they cancelled this show after all these years. It has some of the best lines ever uttered in tv history and some of the funniest characters. I loved this show when it was on and I still love it. I watch the DVD boxsets every once in a while and they still work. George, the main character, uttered some seriously awesome lines like:

"I'd say I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not. I excel at not giving a shit. Experience has taught me that interest begets expectation, and expectation beget disappointment, so the key to avoiding disappointment is to avoid interest. A equals B equals C Equals A, or whatever. I also don't have a lot of interest in being a good person or a bad person. From what I can tell, either way, you're screwed. Bad people are punished by society's laws, and good people are punished by Murphy's Law. So you see my dilemma. "

I <3 Dead Like Me and I miss it so.

7. The Office (US)

New era in sitcoms... a non sitcom if you will. The Office took some time to really sink in for me but once it did, no turning back. I've watched and rewatched the past four seasons about a million times and it never.gets.old. The jokes, they are as funny as they were when I first heard them and it's just amazing writing, casting and everything.

8. Band of Brothers (miniseries)

I don't know if this is allowed, but Band of Brothers was some seriously epic TV, you guys. It was just... I have the DVD set and I can watch it over and over again and be just amazed at how good it was and continues to be. So it's on my list whether it's allowed or not :D

..:Between Angels and Insects:..

 What about Ally Mcbeal, House, Csi, and of course Stargate-SG1 (which is officially in the Guiness Book of World Records since 2007 for the Longest Consecutive Running Sci-Fi TV Show from 1992 to 2002)

I agree with most of these. Minus Star Treck (never did get it, not even voyager) and Veronica Mars (eh, boring).

Have to add BSG to the list though. Deals with so many things that you just don't see on TV. A lot of strong female characters, it's dark, gritty, psychological, list goes on. And it set a high bar for sci-fi.

The X Files for all the reasons you all mentioned but also because it changed the definition of online fandoms. Yes, Star Treck did that as well to some extent, but it's with the X files that they really took off. The X files invented 'ships y'all. And internet batshitidness. It invented that as well *g*

Xena. The show that launched a thousand lesbian fiction writers :D

Alias. Though you really had to get into it to appreciate it I think. It's still on my list. Kick-ass female lead. Loved the father/daughter and later mother/daughter relationships. Also? Irina fucking Derevko. Lena Olin. Sill one of my favorite TV characters ever. Sure, the later seasons sucked but still.

Twin Peaks. I was really really young when that came out. And I still watched it and it scared the shit out of me and the theme song still gives me the creeps.

Farscape. If you managed to get past the muppets in space part, it was a really good show. Great writing, great acting, strong characters, well planned out storylines and probably the only show where continuity actually mattered throughout all the seasons. Not to mention the fan support. A lot of shows had a lot of fan campaigns but they were nothing like the farscape one. It's a classic for that alone.

I got to say Seinfeld is a new classic, when it first came out I didn't watch it, I went against the grain, but now i'm completely obsessed with the show. It has great writing well developed characters, great guest stars and awesome storylines. The episode when a reporter thinks george and jerry are a couple is priceless.

 

POPULAR... I watch it again again and never tire.

i agree with most of the shows on your lists, and it took me all the strength in the world to not write a thesis-like respond to this topic (what can i say? i love my tv). anyways, i guess i'll just mention a few that weren't on your list & should be...

1. Popular - Freaks & Geeks who? both of these shows aired around the same time & i think they even shared the same timeslot, and while freaks & geeks is more critically acclaimed, Popular just won my heart. There is no other teen show, ever, in my opinion, that dealt with teen issues with such brilliance & depth like Popular, while so effortlessly make it hilarious & campy at the same time. I felt that this show was ahead of it's time, much like Arrested Development, which is why it only went for 2 seasons. Just the mere existence of a character like Merry Cherry proved the genius of this show.

2. The Inside - alright, i'll bet no one ever heard of this show. But it's brilliant, i tell ya, brilliant!!! i love psychological thrillers, & this show provided that with much suspense & depth. you can't help but be drawn into Rachel Nichols' character Rebecca Locke. Her dark & sketchy past plus the mind games between her & the 'mentor' Virgil Webster, would kept you on your friggin' toes. It's like CSI but in your mind. Very dark & wicked cool, I wish it went longer than 1 season. :(

3. Lost - although it's still going, i definitely think Lost would be one of the new tv classic. The plot is amazing (though frustrating at times), the characters would keep you sucked in, and the cinematography & just plain editing is beyond brilliant. this show is the master of cliffhangers & would never stop keeping you guessing (or even trying to make sense of it all). the title says it all, you'll always be lost... plus evangeline lilly is OH.SO.HOT.

alright, i tried but i can't. i must say something about some of the shows on your lists, i just have to..

Friends - i agree with sarah. i i think the reason why this show was so succesful, besides it's brilliant writing & great ensemble, is that you feel a deep connection to the characters & actually genuinely cared for them. they're more than mere characters, they've actually become your friends.

Buffy - oh my, what can i say? no words can express how much this show meant to me while i was growing up & even now, as an adult. this is the best tv show ever in television history, and i don't think there will ever be something as mesmerizing & all-around awesome as this one.. joss whedon, you're a freaking GENIUS!! (i'm crapping in my pants anxiously waiting for dollhouse)

Gilmore Girls - this show holds a very special place in my heart, because of how much i could relate to the storylines. it's very humane in nature & it captured the mother-daughter relationship beautifully. it's witty & also moving, i bawled my eyes out at the finale. of all the tv shows in the world, this is the one show that i truly miss & wish it could go on forever.

Veronica Mars - it still pains me to this day, to have this show cancelled. again, i agree with sarah, the first season was AMAZING. i think that was one of the best written, well-plotted season of any tv show. season 2 & 3 although not bad, were a little sidetracked. but you just can't stop watching, mainly because of Veronica. this character is so witty, snarky & layered and is only second to Buffy, at least imo, though very close. plus, i can't help but love Logan & his relationship with Veronica. gesshhh... i miss LoVe :(

alright, this post is way too long. i apologize. and Arrested Development rocks!!! that is all.

I still watch the reruns, along with the Charmed reruns (Piper is sooo hot).

Dawson´s Creek was great at first but then it got kinda weird. I too can relate to the Gilmore Girls mothe/daughter dynamic, me being an only child raised by a single mom and having a really open relationship.

Dee´s comments on South of Nowhere where priceless "But it´s ok cause we had Spashley and it made us feel better". Also thank you for giving Sharmen an honorable mention.

I love, love Once and Again and was glad it made the list. I need to get more than just the first season DVDs. I hate it when interesting shows don't last long, the other one that comes to mind was "Relativity" by the same team.

1. Six Feet Under (brilliant and unconventional from beginning to end)

 

2. Queer as Folk (sans melanie and lindsay's scenes)

 

3. ER (pre- Dr. Greene's death)

 

4. Living Single (pre- Kyle's departure)

 

I could be wrong but wasn't the crossover episode with the tribbles on DS9? Seem to remember Dax and Sisko been in that one.

I'll admit... I love Scooby Doo. It's funny, it's wholesome (that makes me sound ancient, but really, it's something you can watch without endless streams of violence or sex or sex jokes), and it doesn't take much energy to watch. Although if you do put energy in the subtext is hilarious... heh.

Whereas the Cosby Show on the other hand, was still funny and still somewhat wholesome, but it didn't ignore everyday life. I think I once heard the parents referred to as the "Horny Huxtables"- and, really, they were doing it. All.the.time. But it didn't overplay sex, just like it didn't overplay race.

As for Charmed, I really did like it. Magic and attractive women, what's not great? But I'm really not down with Rose McGowan. Somehow she just rubs me the wrong way. Also, Rose, WHY THE FUCK are you on TCM hosting the Essentials with Robert Osborne?! (I take my TCM seriously.)

The X-Files rocks my socks. The last two seasons sucked (hence why they do not address it in the second film), but the first seven were amazing. And "The Host"- Lori's Flukeman- was probably one of the single scariest things ever. Just... ugh... see it and you will understand the fear. You know it's an incredible show when you become scared of vents (vis a vis "Tooms") and pipes.

The Golden Girls!- but not Golden Palace. Truly the best ensemble cast ever. It never gets old. I love every character. I find myself telling St. Olaf and Sicily stories, playing Dorothy trying to get on Jeopardy!, and enjoying (but not relating to) Blanche's sexcapades.

Oh, the L-Word. I have to agree with everything that was said- from Season 3, to the relative diversity, to Bette's power suits. And let me just say that Jennifer Beals has a truly remarkable hold on that character. It may be the most intense portrayal I have ever seen.

There are quite a few shows on this list that don't do anything for me: Friends, Star Trek, 90210, Buffy, Dawson's Creek, My So-Called Life, Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, South of Nowhere... There's a pattern there. I can't do teenage. I mean, I may be 17, but I've been 30 since 1985 and am going to have this mindset until I actually turn 30. The one big exception here is Star Trek, but I just haven't gotten to it yet; there's so much of it that I can't start now.

That being said, there are lots of shows on here that I intend to watch, eventually: more of the Simpons (been in and out on this one, and the new seasons suck), Bones, The Office, 30 Rock... I just don't have the time now, with college, to sit down and work through them. Especially since I accidentally got hooked on Stargate SG-1 and still have three seasons (and a spinoff, maybe) to watch before I can get to anything else.

Others I would include: Designing Women, Mad About You, Absolutely Fabulous, the non-Noth episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and the first eight (maybe nine) seasons of ER.

It's always a great day when I can watch you!

I agree with a lot of your choices, particularly The L Word and The X Files. The L Word has made a tremendous impact in all countries where it aired and despite the fact that it wasn't perfect, it was really important for lesbians. Once and Again has to be one of my favorite shows ever, it had so many good actors and the story line was really compelling, it was a pity that it ended so soon. 

Obviously your reviews are completely American-centered but to me one of the best shows ever that will certainly still be good and funny in 20 years is Absolutely Fabulous (or Ab Fab for the fans). I still watch it when I want to really laugh hard! Jennifer Saunders is one of the best female comedians of all time!

Hope to see you again soon!

I read throught the comments and remember my family sitting around watching our favorite TV shows together. My sister and I taped the Cosby Show and watched them over and over again- to the point where we could act them all out!

I own:

Veronic Mars

The West Wing (Season 1-4)

Buffy (seasons 4-7)

so i think those are pretty good shows. I did love Deisgning Women too. Dixie Carter had some of the best rants!

Check out and upload great lesbian videos on www.tellofilms.com

Should I be worried that a TV addict like myself hasn't watched more than a handful of the classic shows you mentioned? Probably. I can count on one hand the number of episodes of Friends, Veronica Mars, X Files and Buffy that I've seen. I've tried, but I've just never been able to get that invested in any of those shows.

I loved the first few seasons of Dawson's Creek, but I think if I had to pick a show from that time period on television, I'd probably go with Felicity over DC. I related to the characters on Felicity more and thought the writing was more adept and consistent. To date, I don't think there's been another show that's profiled the college experience as realistically as Felicity did.

Among the shows I'd include on my list:

- The West Wing: I'm a political junkie, so it goes almost without saying that this is my favorite show of all time (well, except the 5th season, which was not up to par). Is it sometimes jarring to see what's behind the curtain of how government works? Yes, but I think it's also comforting to know that there's heart--a genuine interest in doing the right thing--in our political system, despite all "real world" evidence to the contrary.

Besides, if through the last eight years of a Bush presidency, I can escape to the safe liberal confines of a Bartlet administration...well, that's a good thing.

- The Wire: I feel like in 10 years or so, TV audiences, critics and writers will stumble upon this gem of a show and kick themselves for not having fully appreciated it's brilliance. At it's best, The Wire rivaled The Sopranos and, at times, it exceeded the more oft-discussed HBO gangster series (which, admittedly, I'd also classify as a new classic).

- The Daily Show/The Colbert Report: It took a perfect storm--the meshing of a bitterly divided political process with a mainstream media unwilling to report actual truth and cable punditry more interested in fights than discussion of the issues--to allow a space for shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report to exist. As other mediums suffer because of the ease of the Internet, Comedy Central's managed to share news (and get ratings) in the most unanticipated of ways.

- Yo! MTV Raps: Remember back when MTV actually played videos? Yeah, those were good times.As a fan of hip hop, the impact that this show had--being the first to showcase the soundtrack to my life on television--is really indescribable.To call it a classic seems like a terrible understatement.

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Geoffrey: You fool! As if it matters how a man falls down.
Richard: When the fall is all that is left, it matters a great deal.

- The Lion in Winter

Hey, Justwanted to say awsome selection of cult and main-stream modern day classics which I (on the whole) completely adore, though I must admit there were quite a few I had'nt heard of, but maybe that's cos im a brit. And on the subj. of the whole cross-atlantic thing, I dono if you get this series but "SUGAR RUSH" is a British programme based in (the Uk's gay capitol) Brighton. It's like the english version of South of Nowhere, and was I think, made before it which was why I was suprised when I heard that you thought there were no programmes that had a main character who was gay.

It's a great 2 series, unfortuntly the 3rd season never got made and so you end up with alot of loose ends but it made a huge impact on me and I think a large number of people. I'm a big SoN fan so I'm torn between the two but SR defintly has a wicked sense of humour, hot girls and the first good representation of the gay community (espescially from a first hand perspective) that I'd seen on mainstream telly. Definitly worth checkin out, love the vlog,

Lovexxx

P.S GILMORE GIRLS ARE LEGEND!

You guys really should've done some fact-checking before you put your comments on camera. A few things that bothered me:

- I've gotta say that I'm glad you put Buffy on your lists, although I question whether or not you truly know why it will go down in history as a classic. The two things that really irked me about what you said were your comments about Season 5 and the musical episode. Season 5 is widely considered to be the second-best season of the series, second only to Season 3, and the musical episode is almost universally reocgnized as one of the areas in which Buffy was truly groundbreaking TV (along with the Season 4 episodes 'Hush' and 'Restless' and the Season 5 episode 'The Body').

 - Voyager was NOT the only Star Trek series to feature strong female characters. When it comes right down to it, DS9 had way more strong female characters than either TNG or Voyager, and did more with those characters as well.

- The tribble crossover episode was a DS9 episode, not a TNG episode; also, Enterprise is the series that explained why the Klingons in the original Star Trek didn't have bumps on their heads and the Klingons from the spin-off series do, not TNG.

- There's no real justification for ignoring what Buffy did vis a vis lesbians and television. Yes, Willow and Tara were in college when their relationship started, but, even so, Willow was, I believe, still a teenager (albeit in her late teens), age-wise, when she recognized herself as lesbian/bisexual and began defining herself as such.

Ok my list. In no particular Order.

 

1,Buffy (This was my show i grew up with i was obsessed(rightfully) with this show for 7yrs.)

2,CSI Vegas (The earlier season's we're just crazy good, i had to watch and buy those first 5 seasons each week.)

3,Popular (again just a great show mixing comedy with real-life problems.)

4, Xena (Just funny and an arse-kicking show set in one of my favourite time periods)

5,Firefly (What moron cancelled this show??? Awesome sci-fi show with characters you actully cared about)

Also shows like AbFab and French and Saunders shows,SG1,QAF (UK & US).

And i think to answer the Use of music in as eries question it was the first season of buffy in 97 that really captured what a great sense of music and how to use it could do for a show. But then Joss Whedon is a genius. Dawson's creek followed in 98 i think. Have to say i wasn't that much of a fan.

-I Aim To Misbehave-

I'm in the "I love Friends" camp but I do understand how their huge success might annoy some people as of course, there are other great shows out there. 

I agree with the comment from Kreigen regarding Ab Fab and The Peep Show - to be honest, I thought that last seasons of PS was a bit weak but the new one is great!

How about Doctor Who, the season with Billie Piper in it? I was never a fan of the old Dr Who but that season was really great.

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Taking off - the novel, coming soon. Starring Katie, a lesbian in London...

In the meanwhile, you can read reviews of films and books with lesbian/bi characters and/or taking place in London at www.takingoff.org

 

I admit Enterprise wasn't the greatest, but Dee they DID explain the forehead thing with the Klingons.   It was in the Brent Spiner(playing Data's great grandfather) eps in the fourth(?) season.

 

"Bad jokes are us, ur me."

Golden Girls now!  It's definitely on my list.  As are Freaks and Geeks, Malcolm in the Middle (the early seasons), Law and Order franchise, House, The Wire, and several you all mentioned (Arrested Dev., Simpsons, Dawson, and West Wing).

My list could go on forever but I think Malcolm in the Middle started the new era of single camera, no audience, no laugh track, comedy and for that it is definitely ground breaking.  Law and Order basically paved the way for the evolution of law enforcement drama ala CSI, Bones, Life, The Closer, etc.  House is probably the best antihero ever on television.  The Wire showed the ins and outs of life in the projects, the police force, the media, etc. like nothing I've ever seen.  I hope future shows take a page from those scripts.  And Freaks and Geeks launched the career of Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, Linda Cardellini, James Franco, and Busy Phillipps.  The End.

And the ones that I don't agree with are simply the ones I don't know. And all of THOSE are shows I've been meaning to check out for awhile! :P

Television is one of my favorite mediums of entertainment, simply because I feel the character development can be so satisfying. One of my favorite aspects of a show is when the creators employ stellar worldbuilding to create a fully-formed, believable environment, because that's when shows don't fall flat. That's when you really care about what happens to each and every person, and that's why I love Joss Whedon so much (along with other great television, like Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies and Friends, and the always-underappreciated How I Met Your Mother).

I totally agree with you on Buffy. That show will be a show I give my kids. It has such an incredible morality and every character is truthful. Seasons 3 and 5 are definitely my favorite. In Season 3, I'm OBSESSED with the episode enemies, so much that my best friend mocks me endlessly. (That's the one where Buffy and Angel trick Faith into thinking that Angel has turned again when he hasn't, in order to get information) I get so excited whenever I watch it. :) And in Season 5, The Body, the episode where her mom dies, never fails to hit me in the gut. Joss's decision to not use music was arguably one of the greatest decisions made on TV because it has so much emotional impact. And then the Season 5 finale is stunning.

I could literally talk about Buffy for pages, but I won't. I'll just leave it with the fact that everyone I've ever shared Buffy with has loved it, every part of it, and I think that's what makes a classic show.

 

Up until the punching, it was a real nice party...

 

in a later episode of enterprise they did tackle the Klingon forhead thing that explanes  what happened to them.

 

 

Kappa Kappa Eat My Pi till I die