Greatest TV Shows Ever

Nobody's mentioned Barney Miller, the one police show cops admitted was actually close to reality.  It was a comedy, btw. The theme music alone is hall of fame material.



Hal Linden discussing the late great Abe Vigoda:

I've always heard really good things about Band of Brothers but haven't gotten around to it yet. Thanks for posting your thoughts on it, Malick!

I'm brooding over Barney Miller being snubbed since I posted it yesterday. I don't think I sold it well enough. Here's another look:

"Police detectives often cite this as the best cop show ever seen on television. Dennis Farina, who really worked as a policeman before becoming an actor, says it's the most realistic. In 2014, it was called the most intelligent and literate U.S. sitcom ever made. The detectives were made honorary members of the NYPD. The chalkboard roster and Jack Soo's coffee cup now reside in the Smithsonian." - TV Tropes

halfwise wrote:I'm brooding over Barney Miller being snubbed since I posted it yesterday.

I'll give some love for Barney and the gang! It was a window into a completely foreign culture for me back then, but the humor was universal enough to still play to a farm kid. ( The live audience helped a lot! )

halfwise wrote:I'm brooding over Barney Miller being snubbed since I posted it yesterday.

I'll give some love for Barney and the gang!  It was a window into a completely foreign culture for me back then, but the humor was universal enough to still play to a farm kid. ( The live audience helped a lot! )

{{{We've started harvest now, so my posts will be more sporadic than usual... .}}}

Abe Vigoda is in Joe Versus the Volcano!

Now there's one i haven't seen.

{{{ I want to watch a whole episode Halfy rather than a clip to get a better feel for it- there seems a fair few of them on youtube- any particular suggestions or should I just dive in at random? }}}

Look at my first post about it: that's a full episode.

{{{{Cheers Halfy- will try to give it a watch later tonight }}}

Just remember it's 1970's/early 80's American sitcom circa the MASH era - much gentler and more character-driven then we've become accustomed to these days.  The boisterous comedy of the first half of the 20th century was a black and white memory, and the taboo-testing of Seinfeld still a decade away.  Off-kilter British humor was sampled via cautious forays into public television, like one might take a tentative nibble to test what a "blood pudding" was all about.

"blood pudding" - Halfy

{{Do you mean black pudding? And not to worry Halfy- I grew up in that era watching MASH ect so should be ok on the pacing of the time }}}

In our shrinking imagination blood sausage and black pudding are all of the same sort of terror.