More listware from a publication where every third article pitch
is yet another fucking list.
Link here, article credited to Alan Sepinwall. Article was
revealed in reverse order. I've straightened that out because I
wanted to let HTML do the numbering. I start each with an estimate
of the percentage of episodes I've seen, sometimes followed by +L
for shows I know Laura watched without me.
The Sopranos (HBO, 1999-2007): 100%. I gave up on
this fairly quick in the first season, returned around the third,
saw it through, then later went back to rewatch the beginning.
The Simpsons (Fox, 1989- ): 60%. I'm not at all clear
how many seasons I watched how many episodes, but in total I must
have seen hundreds, and as the characters never age or evolve, it
shouldn't matter when you see what.
Breaking Bad (AMC, 2008-13): 60%. May have just missed
the second season, but did a fair amount of hate-watching both before
and after. It did get more tolerable after Walter White had broken
quite bad, not that the showrunners didn't keep looking for new and
ever more gruesome levels to explore. Unlikable characters abounded,
including his DEA agent brother-in-law and their wives -- innocence
was rarely allowed any appeal. And then there was the fascination
with Rube Goldberg contraptions, which usually got tedious before
they worked out. White himself was a creature with terrible instincts
who was nonetheless capable of amazingly intricate planning. The two
spheres shouldn't have co-existed.
The Wire (HBO, 2002-08): 100%. Had no interest in
this at the time, but went back much later and was duly impressed.
Each season refocuses, keeping a few theads from the previous one
while adding new perspective, winding up with a broad view of the
city (Baltimore). Still, I hate the War on Drugs, so that wasn't
the ideal foot to get off on -- even though in the end this shows
the futility and corruption as well as any.
Fleabag (BBC/Amazon, 2016-19): 100%. Seems slight to
rate so high on an all-time list.
Seinfeld (NBC, 1989-98): 3%. As best I recall: rarely
funny, a trait he shares with co-creator Larry David, but his co-stars
fare better.
Mad Men (AMC, 2007-15): 100%. A decade I lived through,
but not as an adult, so it complemented my experience in interesting
ways.
Cheers (NBC, 1982-93): 5%. Not a decade when I
watched much, and rarely stumbled onto this by accident.
Atlanta (FX, 2016- ): 10%. Another one where I
started and lost interest. Can't exactly say why.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS, 1970-77): 5%. This
was from a time when I stopped watching TV, before I moved in with
someone else who watched, but I wasn't unaware of this. I did love
her in The Dick Van Dyke Show, but I never got into this --
perhaps her male co-stars had something to do with that?
Succession (HBO, 2018- ): 100%. Every character here
is reprehensible, most are complete failures as human being, none
deserve the least bit of sympathy. Hence, I have no interest in
watching, yet for some reason I do anyway.
The Twilight Zone (CBS, 1959-64): 30%. I remember
watching this anthology of separate stories, and remember a couple
plot twists, but not much, but I can't say I ever got into it.
Veep (HBO, 2012-19): 100%. The politics advocated and
opposed here are pretty meh, enmeshed in an alternative universe
that was hard to imagine much less maintain given increasingly dire
polarity in this one. But it did succeed as comedy, because deprived
of purpose politicians are pretty ridiculous people.
The Americans (FX, 2013-18): 80% +L. I decided I
didn't like this show early on, left it, but eventually came
back and just decided to enjoy its weirdness, which includes the
opportunity to root for the hard-working, idealistic Russians
against the dull weight of the FBI -- especially toward the end,
when glasnost is starting to split Russia.
The Larry Sanders Show (HBO, 1992-98): 10%. Yet
another show about a show.
Twin Peaks (ABC, 1990-91; Showtime, 2017): 10%. Maybe
more, but the only thing I remember was the FBI agent opening a door,
getting shot in the chest, and surviving thanks to his vest. Not
enough to bother with the sequel.
The Leftovers (HBO, 2014-17): 70% +L. Seems like I
picked this up with the second season, after occasional bits of
the first. By then it was settling into its rut, recovering from
the shocks of the first season. It always struck me as interesting
that it only took a 2% disappearance to set off such trauma.
Saturday Night Live (NBC, 1975- ): 10%. I watched it
most intensively in the first couple seasons, very hit and miss
over the following decades. Recently, we've been watching all the
new ones (and rarely a rerun), but usually skip the skits, so we
get the opening, the music, and "Weekend Update." Even the latter
has stuff I wish we could unsee.
I May Destroy You (BBC/HBO, 2020): 0%.
30 Rock (NBC, 2006-13): 10%, +L. What little I've
seen is pretty funny.
All in the Family (CBS, 1971-79): 75%. Funnier
before irony died.
Star Trek (NBC, 1966-69): 100%. Watched it all in
real time, then watched it all again in reruns (possibly several
times over). Essential fables of the not-quite-woke-yet 1960s,
sometimes a little on the corny side.
Watchmen (HBO, 2019): 100%. I hit reject real quick
here, then went back and gave it another chance. I'm not sure it
ever made sense, but it does have a weird surrealism to it, which
is something one can go with the flow of.
Freaks and Geeks (NBC, 1999-2000): 0%.
M*A*S*H (CBS, 1972-83): 80%. The Robert Altman movie
focused on a football game that this series proved to be irrelevant,
almost as useless as a war that marked time by the steady flow of
mangled bodies. Another case where time allowed the characters to
develop as people, until they actually mattered. Especially memorable
were the occasional documentary episodes, where the sitcom subsided
and everyone reflected on reality. After those, it helped to get
funny again.
Sesame Street (PBS, 1969- ; HBO, 2016-20; HBO Max,
2020- ): 2%.
Deadwood (HBO, 2004-06): 100%. "A case study of how
communities and civilizations are built," out of the "bestial acts"
Bertolt Brecht wrote about, but also higher aspirations. HBO killed
this while it was still getting better. The later movie was welcome,
but what we wanted wasn't a ribbon tied around the story line so
much as more of the daily grind. One of the best casts ever, in
large part because they had so much to work with.
Friday Night Lights (NBC, 2006-08, The 101/NBC, 2008-11):
0% +L.
Roots (ABC, 1977): 0%.
Parks and Recreation (NBC, 2009-15): 80%. One of the
funniest group comedies ever, with every character, no matter how
ridiculous at first, deepening over time, and a hopeful view of the
real value of government in pubic service the should educate more of
us than mandatory Civics 101. Unfortunately, more people seemed to
have watched The Apprentice during these years.
Game of Thrones (HBO, 2011-19): 100%. I can't think
of any other show that tried to cover more ground, or did so with
a larger and more idiosyncratic cast. (That diversity is sorely
lacking in the House of the Dragon prequel, which seems so
anxious to burn through its story line before you can realize how
little there is to it.) For all the fantasy, this is locked so
inextricably in the dark ages that everyone comes off as warped
and useless -- even the women, who are often the real movers and
shakers.
Better Call Saul (AMC, 2015-22): 100%. Can't say
this was much fun, but it went down easier than Breaking
Bad. Last season in black and white was especially tough,
although I suppose it made sense in the end.
Monty Python's Flying Circus (BBC, 1969-74): 1%.
Not really sure even about that, but there's probably been a
movie or two in there somewhere.
The Office (NBC, 2005-13): 2% +L.
Lost (ABC, 2004-10): 0% +L.
I Love Lucy (CBS, 1951-57): 30%. Mostly through
reruns, although I could be merging memories the later The
Lucy Show (1962-68), or less likely Here's Lucy
(1968-74). Still, I have fairly ancient memories of Desi Arnaz.
Arrested Development (Fox, 2003-06; Netflix, 2013-19):
0%.
Hill Street Blues (1981-87, NBC): 5%. Cop series
regarded as state-of-the-art at the time.
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO, 2000- ): 1%. Tried it.
Didn't like it.
The Good Place (NBC, 2016-20): 0% +L.
BoJack Horseman (Netflix, 2014-20): 100%.
Battlestar Galactica (SCI-FI, 2003-09): 100%.
I remember watching the original 1978-79 series, even though I
didn't watch much TV at the time. We got to this one a bit late,
and caught up with DVDs. This one was better, although the humanoid
cylons (especially the "five") never made much sense.
Insecure (HBO, 2016-21): 0%.
Late Night With David Letterman (NBC, 1982-93): 2%.
I saw more of his Late Show With David Letterman (CBS,
1993-2015), but still the share wasn't very high.
Columbo (NBC, 1971-78; ABC, 1989-2003): 50%. Could
be less, or maybe even more, as they are all basically the same.
L's aunt had them all on VHS.
The West Wing (NBC, 1999-2006): 20% +L. Presents an
idealized view of a Clinton-like president who always has a handy
Bible quote, and anticipated Bush's Iraq War by bombing the place
whenever he got into a political jam.
My So-Called Life (ABC, 1995-96): 0%.
The Shield (FX, 2002-08): 100%. L talked me into
watching this well after the fact, so Walton Goggins had defined
himself in Justified, and other were met out of sync. I
can't say as I was pleased by "the best drama finale ever." Could
be that it ultimately ran against the long trend of rescuing and
redeeming criminals as all-American heroes.
Friends (NBC, 1994-2004): 20% +L.
Jeopardy! (1984- ): 2%. Not sure I've ever watched
a whole show during this time frame ("Alex Trebek era"), but I
remember it from way back, probably from its 1964-75 daytime run
on NBC, hosted by Art Fleming. I watched a fair number of game
shows back then, at least in the early 1960s.
The X-Files (Fox, 1993-2002,2016-18): 1%. Tried
watching the reboot, but didn't get very far.
Barry (HBO, 2018- ): 100%.
The Office (U.K.) (BBC, 2001-03): 0%.
ER (NBC, 1994-2009): 0% +L (I think; it kinda blurs
into other medical shows, especially Grey's Anatomy).
Halt and Catch Fire (AMC, 2014-17): 100%. Stopped
after a couple episodes at the start, then went back to it after
it showed up on Netflix. Reminded me of all the Byte magazines
I used to have (and schlepped through at least one move, though
they're long gone now). It was quite a trick to anticipate so
many of the industry's breakthrough milestones yet never quite
be ridiculously successful from any of them. I guess the knack
for self-destruction was something else I identified with.
Community (NBC, 2009-14; Yahoo!, 2015): 2%.
Russian Doll (Netflix, 2019- ): 0%.
Six Feet Under (HBO, 2001-05): 5% +L (who's tried
to talk me into revisiting it).
Key & Peele (Comedy Central, 2012-15): 2%.
I remember the "Obama anger translator" bit, but I'm not sure
where I saw it.
Taxi (ABC, 1978-82; NBC, 1982-83): 10%.
The Underground Railroad (Amazon, 2021): 0%. No
idea why we didn't watch this. L read the novel, and thought
it was pretty great.
The Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS, 1961-66): 95%. Saw
this at the time and thought everything in it was just brilliant,
except for the twin beds.
South Park (Comedy Central, 1997- ): 12% +L.
The Golden Girls (NBC, 1985-92): 20%. Probably less,
but you could drop in at any moment and never wonder what you had
missed.
Girls (HBO, 2012-17): 100%. L gave up on this, but I
stayed to the end, which eventually gave Shoshanna a big break in
Japan (and a terrific bit part for Aidy Bryant). It took a lot of
bracketing, and many of the best parts were on the margins.
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (Comedy Central,
1999-2015): 20% +L. Could be high, since I definitely came to it
late, and even then not that regularly.
NYPD Blue (ABC, 1993-2005): 2% +L.
Fawlty Towers (BBC, 1975-79): 0%. John Cleese. Seems
like I meant to watch this, but I don't recall it ever happening.
Chappelle's Show (Comedy Central, 2003-06): 0%.
SCTV (Global, 1976-79; CBS, 1980-83; Superchannel,
1983-84): 0%.
Better Things (FX, 2016-2022): 0% +L (I think).
Good Times (CBS, 1974-79): 0%.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB, 1997-2001; UPN, 2001-03):
0%.
The Honeymooners (CBS, 1955-56): 80%. Probably in
reruns, so it's hard to be certain.
Frasier (NBC, 1993-2004): 1%.
Justified (FX, 2010-15): 100%. Looked at first like
Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant, fresh from Deadwood) was
going to end every episode killing some lowlife (and, long before
"stand your ground" laws, proclaiming the shooting "justified").
Then Ava (Joelle Carter) threw his timing off and he only winged
Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins), creating a triangle that extended
to six seasons. Along the way we meet numerous memorable characters
on both sides of the law (and sometimes on the fence). I developed
a fascination with Kentucky after a cousin moved there. This is the
only show that ever made that resonance pay off.
The Jeffersons (CBS, 1975-85): 5%. I remember George
Jefferson from All in the Family.
Sex and the City (HBO, 1998-2004): 10%. Or maybe I
just got the gist from the movie.
Mr. Show with Bob and David (HBO, 1995-98): 0%.
Band of Brothers (HBO, 2001): 0%. First thought this
was a movie, but I guess that was Saving Private Ryan.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX, 2005- ): 1%.
Party Down (Starz, 2009-10): 0%.
I'm Alan Partridge (BBC, 1997-2002): 0%.
Fargo (FX, 2014- ): 100%. Four seasons, each with its
own cast and story, each unique and brilliant, the first diverging
from the namesake Coen Brothers film. As I recall, the third sesaon
introduced us to operatives from the Kansas City mob. Then the fourth
season moved from Minnesota to Kansas City, dropping us in the middle
of their own wars, tipping the balance of villains and innocents (and
a few others weighing their options). That season was less gratifying,
but remarkable nonetheless.
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix, 2013-19): 100%.
Went much broader and deeper than the title memoir promised,
eventually establishing careers for at least a dozen actors --
who will go far beyond their characters, who even if not doomed
are certainly stuck. Few shows have shown more understanding of
their characters without giving in to the temptation to show
them some slack.
The Bob Newhart Show (CBS, 1972-78): 5%.
The Kids in the Hall (CBC, 1988-95; Amazon 2022):
0%.
The Crown (Netflix, 2016- ): 100%. Some historical
interest, although the closer it gets to things I think I know, the
less dependable it becomes. Some interesting casting, although John
Lithgow as Winston Churchill and Gillian Anderson as Margaret
Thatcher does those figures too much credit. Claire Foy and Olivia
Colman rang true, as dull and dutiful as the queen they played.
The Carol Burnett Show (CBS, 1967-78): 20%. I never
was much for sketch comedy shows, although if I had to identify
the best she would rival Red Skelton.
The Wonder Years (ABC, 1988-93): 0%.
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (NBC, 1962-92):
15%. Mostly 1966-72, unless I watched Dick Cavett instead, though
I must have watched on occasion later. Remember his timing and stock
bits well, as well as Ed McMahon and Doc Severinsen. Of the other
Tonight Show hosts, I remember Jack Paar but not Steve Allen
(who I associate with some game show, after which I was surprised
to find him on The Realist's board). Have on rare occasions
seen Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon, but don't recall Conan O'Brien in
that roll (I think he did a later show).
The Muppet Show (syndicated, 1976-81): 3%.
The Rockford Files (NBC, 1974-80): 10%. A James Garner
fan since Maverick.
NewsRadio (NBC, 1995-99): 0%.
Squid Game (Netflix, 2021- ): 0% +L.
Rick and Morty (Adult Swim, 2013- ): 0%
The Odd Couple (ABC, 1970-75): 50%.
The Good Fight (CBS All Access/Paramount+, 2017- ):
50%. Sequel to The Good Wife, in some ways better (dropped
the political campaign/office side, though not the politics).
Oz (HBO, 1997-2003): 1% +L. Just enough to be aware of
JK Simmons.
What We Do in the Shadows (FX, 2019-present): 0%.
