Is the Brady Bunch considered a 60's show? I would consider it the ultimate Gen X rerun show in the 80's. By 1992, there were several Brady Bunch Live productions in large cities drawing in the social Gen X crowd.
Thanks for putting Three's Company at 1. I still love it.
I’ll say what I said to your Instagram post on this topic:
While these, admittedly, are good to great shows that I loved watching, a list of the 16 (!) “best” shows from the 70s that doesn’t include Barney Miller, isn’t a valid list. If you have to, make it a list of 17. Barney Miller was (and still is) too good to be excluded.
Barney Miller had an extremely strong cast that had incredible chemistry, sharp writing, real life situations (played for humor or drama), and an amazingly huge roster of talented guest stars and character actors who made up the 12th Precinct’s “clientele.”
I’ve rewatched it a couple times over the last 5 years and it (for the most part) holds up incredibly well. Better than some of the other beloved shows on the list. Plus, without Barney Miller, Brooklyn Nine-Nine doesn’t exist!
As always, lists are pretty subjective. I never viewed Barney Miller as a mostly comedy sitcom, like all the others I listed. To me, it was more like a drama play with comedy elements. That said, I also never really got into it. The actors were all much older and just didn't appeal to me personally. That's not to say it wasn't a great show, it just didn't interest me like the others. When I create lists, I lean on my personal experience also, and those may be different than programs others watched. I'll need to give Barney Miller a viewing some time soon - I think I've come across full episodes on youtube. Cheers!
Apologies for the combative tone of my comment. It’s been kind of a bad decade (or so) for me and, as a result, I tend to get up on my soapbox every now and then.
There’s a channel on Pluto TV that was showing episodes of Barney Miller in order, either two or four a night. They may still do it. I saw it there, remembered liking it as a kid (my dad loved it), and started watching. Some of the episodes and plot lines I kind of recalled, and I found that I was still drawn to the same characters I’d liked as a kid.
The difference this time was that I actually understood what was going on. I appreciated characters I didn’t like/get as a child, and was amazed at the chemistry of the cast- not to mention how snappy the dialogue often was. Plus, there was an in-your-face and realistic griminess to their little corner of 1970s New York, the squad room, and the squad itself.
Maybe I loved it so much on rewatch because it just hit me at the perfect time in my life for a dramedy. On January 16th, 2018, I texted my dad to tell him that I was watching it from the beginning. In that same conversation, I asked if he realized that it had been six months since my wife Kelly died. My head, understandably, was all over the place and Barney Miller was something familiar and comforting from my (extremely chaotic) childhood.
This time, though, I was getting to experience it as an adult.
I looked it up and the pilot (which I’m not sure I’ve seen- a lot of the cast was changed when the series started in 1975) aired August 22, 1974- a little over a month after I was born. Hal Linden (Barney) was 43 when Barney and his ragtag squad first graced our television screens. When I started my rewatch of the series in 2018, I was 43 years old.
Since then, I’ve watched the misadventures of Captain Miller and the various incarnations of the 12 Precinct’s squad of detectives (plus beat cops and the unforgettable Inspector Luger- I liked him a lot more, watching as an adult) several times. I guess watching fictional characters deal with their crazy problems with educated wit (Dietrich), style (Harris), earnestness (Wojo), wisecracks (Fish or Yemana), or the compassionate leadership and perspective that Barney brought to the team, provided a welcome and often hilarious distraction from my own problems.
Wow. Didn’t realize I was writing an essay when I started this three hours ago. Long comment short: Give Barney and the men and women of the 12th Precinct another chance. You might be surprised.
I remember watching Three's Company with my parents when I was little. Like, way too young to even understand the premise of the show. I always felt it was a little weird when Mr. Roper would come around. The audience would react a lot more, there'd be more pauses between line deliveries and I just didn't get it. It was YEARS before I figured out what the show was about and it blew my mind.
Oh man, Mr. Roper was hilarious. I agree, some things went over my head early on, but I kept watching the show and as I got older I definitely began to understand. I just loved the cast and the physical comedy of John Ritter was so great!
The absolute best show on your list, John, was Taxi. The forebearer of Cheers and James Burrows' launch into legend. Still holds up, just rewatched the whole series last year. :)
I've caught a few episodes of Fantasy Island, but I never truly got into it like the others. I'm sure it was a great show, but all the shows I've listed I actually watched for a long long time. Taxi was absolutely brilliant for sure!
Loved All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Taxi, Bob Newhart, and Sanford & Son. I'd add Mary Tyler Moore, Rhoda, Phyllis, Maude, and the Brady Bunch. I recorded many of these on cassette tapes and listened to them as I fell asleep at night!
Loved Brady Bunch also. That was right on the cusp of 70s, I believe it started in '69, but I watched it too. Some other ones I watched that were older were I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Gilligan's Island, and The Monkees! We just had great television back then!
Is the Brady Bunch considered a 60's show? I would consider it the ultimate Gen X rerun show in the 80's. By 1992, there were several Brady Bunch Live productions in large cities drawing in the social Gen X crowd.
Thanks for putting Three's Company at 1. I still love it.
Thanks Shawn! I didn't put these in ranking but naturally wanted to place Three's Company as the first because it was my personal favorite :)
Brady Bunch premiered in '69 but I would agree with you, it really hit it's mark later, and yes, I watched it all the time as a rerun :)
All great shows👍🏻
Indeed!
I’ll say what I said to your Instagram post on this topic:
While these, admittedly, are good to great shows that I loved watching, a list of the 16 (!) “best” shows from the 70s that doesn’t include Barney Miller, isn’t a valid list. If you have to, make it a list of 17. Barney Miller was (and still is) too good to be excluded.
Barney Miller had an extremely strong cast that had incredible chemistry, sharp writing, real life situations (played for humor or drama), and an amazingly huge roster of talented guest stars and character actors who made up the 12th Precinct’s “clientele.”
I’ve rewatched it a couple times over the last 5 years and it (for the most part) holds up incredibly well. Better than some of the other beloved shows on the list. Plus, without Barney Miller, Brooklyn Nine-Nine doesn’t exist!
As always, lists are pretty subjective. I never viewed Barney Miller as a mostly comedy sitcom, like all the others I listed. To me, it was more like a drama play with comedy elements. That said, I also never really got into it. The actors were all much older and just didn't appeal to me personally. That's not to say it wasn't a great show, it just didn't interest me like the others. When I create lists, I lean on my personal experience also, and those may be different than programs others watched. I'll need to give Barney Miller a viewing some time soon - I think I've come across full episodes on youtube. Cheers!
Apologies for the combative tone of my comment. It’s been kind of a bad decade (or so) for me and, as a result, I tend to get up on my soapbox every now and then.
There’s a channel on Pluto TV that was showing episodes of Barney Miller in order, either two or four a night. They may still do it. I saw it there, remembered liking it as a kid (my dad loved it), and started watching. Some of the episodes and plot lines I kind of recalled, and I found that I was still drawn to the same characters I’d liked as a kid.
The difference this time was that I actually understood what was going on. I appreciated characters I didn’t like/get as a child, and was amazed at the chemistry of the cast- not to mention how snappy the dialogue often was. Plus, there was an in-your-face and realistic griminess to their little corner of 1970s New York, the squad room, and the squad itself.
Maybe I loved it so much on rewatch because it just hit me at the perfect time in my life for a dramedy. On January 16th, 2018, I texted my dad to tell him that I was watching it from the beginning. In that same conversation, I asked if he realized that it had been six months since my wife Kelly died. My head, understandably, was all over the place and Barney Miller was something familiar and comforting from my (extremely chaotic) childhood.
This time, though, I was getting to experience it as an adult.
I looked it up and the pilot (which I’m not sure I’ve seen- a lot of the cast was changed when the series started in 1975) aired August 22, 1974- a little over a month after I was born. Hal Linden (Barney) was 43 when Barney and his ragtag squad first graced our television screens. When I started my rewatch of the series in 2018, I was 43 years old.
Since then, I’ve watched the misadventures of Captain Miller and the various incarnations of the 12 Precinct’s squad of detectives (plus beat cops and the unforgettable Inspector Luger- I liked him a lot more, watching as an adult) several times. I guess watching fictional characters deal with their crazy problems with educated wit (Dietrich), style (Harris), earnestness (Wojo), wisecracks (Fish or Yemana), or the compassionate leadership and perspective that Barney brought to the team, provided a welcome and often hilarious distraction from my own problems.
Wow. Didn’t realize I was writing an essay when I started this three hours ago. Long comment short: Give Barney and the men and women of the 12th Precinct another chance. You might be surprised.
I remember watching Three's Company with my parents when I was little. Like, way too young to even understand the premise of the show. I always felt it was a little weird when Mr. Roper would come around. The audience would react a lot more, there'd be more pauses between line deliveries and I just didn't get it. It was YEARS before I figured out what the show was about and it blew my mind.
Oh man, Mr. Roper was hilarious. I agree, some things went over my head early on, but I kept watching the show and as I got older I definitely began to understand. I just loved the cast and the physical comedy of John Ritter was so great!
I still throw on Sanford and Son. It's a great show. Still gets me giggling every now and then. Love it.
Such a great show. I throw on a few episodes now and again to bring back some great memories. Highly underrated show in my opinion.
No Fantasy Island?
The absolute best show on your list, John, was Taxi. The forebearer of Cheers and James Burrows' launch into legend. Still holds up, just rewatched the whole series last year. :)
I've caught a few episodes of Fantasy Island, but I never truly got into it like the others. I'm sure it was a great show, but all the shows I've listed I actually watched for a long long time. Taxi was absolutely brilliant for sure!
Loved All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Taxi, Bob Newhart, and Sanford & Son. I'd add Mary Tyler Moore, Rhoda, Phyllis, Maude, and the Brady Bunch. I recorded many of these on cassette tapes and listened to them as I fell asleep at night!
Loved Brady Bunch also. That was right on the cusp of 70s, I believe it started in '69, but I watched it too. Some other ones I watched that were older were I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Gilligan's Island, and The Monkees! We just had great television back then!
Yes! I'd add Get Smart to that late 60s but ended in 70 series.