Getting Reacquainted with The New Avengers

Last year I mentioned a company in Australia called Imprint that has been putting out some impressive Blu-rays of classic television shows. One of their more recent releases was The New Avengers, which I was eager to revisit as I hadn’t watched an episode in decades.

I’ve had the Emma Peel episodes of The Avengers in my DVD collection since they were first released, and I vaguely recall enjoying this revival, but sometimes the memory can cheat on such things. However, I’m happy to report that if anything these 26 episodes surpassed my expectations, and once again Imprint did an outstanding job on picture and sound quality, as well as providing a generous selection of extra features.

No, it wasn’t as good as the Steed-Peel years – but what could be? Replicating the impeccable chemistry between Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg hardly seems possible. But there is great chemistry as well in this new trio of heroes, and I would rewatch their adventures over any of the Tara King episodes.

It’s 1976 – seven years have passed since we last saw John Steed. In The New Avengers he has not yet retired but has clearly moved up to a more senior role within the British government. He’s still capable of knocking out an enemy agent with his steel-lined bowler, but now leaves most of the fighting to Mike Gambit, played with suave James Bond charm by Gareth Hunt.

Casting a new female agent had to be the show’s toughest challenge, as Honor Blackman and Diana Rigg were tough acts to follow. But the series struck gold in Joanna Lumley as Purdey, who had the same mix of sass, sophistication and sex appeal as her predecessors.

This may be sacrilegious, but to me Lumley was more convincing in her fight scenes than Rigg or Blackman. In episodes like “The Midas Touch” it’s clear she’s doing many of her own stunts; I can only imagine what those who first met her on Absolutely Fabulous would think of seeing the always sloshed Patsy running, jumping and high kicking bad guys with the lithe grace of a ballerina. With these two series and Sapphire and Steel on her resume, I hope Lumley has been afforded the status of national treasure in what’s left of British England.

In every incarnation this series is known for its cool, detached approach to dangerous circumstances, but behind the scenes things were more chaotic. A second season was only made possible through foreign financing, which resulted in episodes being filmed in Canada and then in Paris. For such a quintessentially British show that might have been disappointing, but regardless of the change in scenery it still feels like The Avengers.

Much of the credit belongs to Patrick Macnee, who inhabits Steed so naturally that one wonders if there really was any distinction between the actor and the character. But we must also extol the irreplaceable contributions of Brian Clemens, a virtual script-writing machine.

If you had a favorite episode, chances are Clemens wrote it (“The Cybernauts,” “The House That Jack Built,” “Honey for the Prince,” “From Venus with Love”). He knew the precise tone that best served this property and carried it into the revival in episodes like “The Eagle’s Nest” and “Faces.” Dennis Spooner’s episodes were not always as good, but he did give us the unforgettable “Gnaws,” an homage to Jaws in which our heroes face off against a giant rat.

Imprint Blu-rays are pricey limited editions, a sales strategy that seems out of step when fewer stores even stock physical media, and streaming has replaced DVDs as a primary source for classic shows. But I will always prefer to own the shows I like, and this is a purchase I do not regret. Even in lesser episodes there will be a line, a look, a reaction, a flirtatious exchange between Gambit and Purdey, that could only emerge from the unique world of The Avengers. 

As with British classics Doctor Who and Monty Python’s Flying Circus, it’s a show like nothing else on TV before or since. And that’s worth raising a glass (champagne, or course) to celebrate.

Remember? Specialty Acts of the Comfort TV Era

Last week's review of 1978 programs on Sunday nights included Mary Tyler Moore’s return to television in a variety show that was canceled after just three episodes. A sign, surely, that audiences had grown tired of the comedy-variety format after a decade of oversaturation.

That was sad news for the specialty act performers who made their living doing guest spots on these series. 

The best of them always delivered a highlight moment – the worst offered viewers an opportunity for a snack run without waiting for a commercial. Here are the first five I recalled from that era, ranked from worst to best.

5. Bill Saluga as Raymond J. Johnson Jr.

Most variety performers brought fresh material to the gimmick they had created so audiences wouldn’t tire of them. Not so Bill Saluga, who did the exact same bit every time, to the delight of those who loved it and the frustration of everyone else. And if you’re around my age, you’re probably already reciting it in your head.

Saluga would appear in the same brown suit, fedora hat and big cigar, and someone would always address him as Mr. Johnson, at which time he’d launch into this response:

And then he’d repeat it a second time, and sometimes a third. Was it funny? I don’t know – humor is highly subjective. But Saluga got more mileage out of one 30-second monologue than many comics achieve in 20 years. He created the character in 1969, performed it in the famous Lite Beer from Miller commercials, and then on variety shows featuring Redd Foxx, Tom Jones and David Steinberg.

Bob Dylan referenced the bit in his song “Gotta Serve Somebody” (“You may call me Bobby or you may call me Zimmy”) – how’s that for a tribute? But it was also referenced on The Simpsons and King of the Hill – though not in the same flattering terms. 

As Krusty the clown observed, “That thing was funny for about three seconds.”


4. Rod Hull and Emu

Long before the Liberty Mutual insurance commercials, the most famous emu on television belonged to puppeteer Rod Hull, whose slapstick-heavy act made him a star in Australia and the UK before he began appearing on American variety shows, most notably The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show.

Credit Hull for this – he always went full speed ahead with this act no matter who was in his proximity. He famously destroyed the Queen Mother’s bouquet of flowers at a Royal Variety Performance, and it takes real guts to assault Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. 

This is one of his subtler routines that spotlights how, like the best of puppeteers, he could make an audience believe that puppet was real.

3. Shields & Yarnell

Mimes are so often mocked, even by other entertainers, but for a brief moment in the ‘70s the team of Robert Shields and Lorene Yarnell became so popular they were given their own variety show.

The duo first rose to fame after appearances on The Mac Davis Show and The Sonny and Cher Show, playing robotic characters dubbed “The Clinkers.” I can still recall the first time I watched this routine, and being absolutely fascinated by it. Their blank wide-eyed stares and mechanical movements, accompanied by motorized sound effects, was like nothing anyone had ever seen before. The novelty wore off eventually, but not the appreciation for how they had mastered this one aspect of their craft. It’s still remarkably impressive now.




2. Foster Brooks

Though he had largely retired from performing by the late 1980s and passed away in 2001, Foster Brooks is probably the best-remembered of the acts mentioned here.

Dozens of content reactors on YouTube have discovered him through his appearances on The Dean Martin Show and The Dean Martin Roasts. I always enjoy watching those who at first don’t get it: “Is he really drunk? How sad! Oh, the tragedy of alcoholism!” But most find him hysterical, which is reassuring given how a sense of humor was the first casualty of this millennium.

Funny drunks are rarely considered funny anymore, but they’ve been around as long as film and television, from Jimmy Stewart in The Philadelphia Story to Otis in The Andy Griffith Show. But Brooks set a new standard for the archetype. That he was such a distinguished looking man only added to the comedic impact of his slurred speech and halting mannerisms, all of which he clearly prepped meticulously to make the most of every word. Plus, his material was always A-list as well.

1. Bob Einstein as Super Dave Osborne

I don’t know if this will elevate or diminish my readers’ opinion of my taste in humor, but in my 50 or so years of television viewing the Super Dave Osborne skits are some of the funniest things I have ever watched.

On the surface it’s just updating physical humor that goes back to the silent era. And a skit with a 6-9-minute set-up for a payoff that lasts maybe three seconds shouldn’t theoretically work. But every aspect of these presentations is so well-conceived that the build-up is at least half the fun.

For the uninitiated, Super Dave is a daredevil stuntman clearly modeled after Evel Knievel. Each segment features Dave, sportscaster Mike Walden, and Dave’s stunt coordinator Fuji, who somehow keeps his job despite nearly killing his boss. Einstein explains each stunt with a low-key deadpan delivery and faux earnestness, always emphasizing safety. One of the best running jokes is how his protective gear is always comprised of genuine Saskatchewan sealskin bindings. But despite such careful preparation, something always goes wrong.

Einstein was asked for his favorite Super Dave moment, and he selected “King of the Hill.” If you’ve never seen it, here it is. Enjoy!

My Journey Through 1970s TV: Sunday Nights, 1978

As we start a new year in our journey through the prime-time schedules of the 1970s, we find that Sundays in 1978 delivered an intriguing selection of new shows that didn’t last, but in some cases had an impact far beyond what their brief runs would suggest.

ABC
The Hardy Boys
Battlestar: Galactica
ABC Sunday Night Movie

I can’t say I remember much from 1978 with perfect clarity, but I do recall the build-up for Battlestar: Galactica. This was going to be Star Wars for television, and the glimpses we were shown prior to its debut seemed to back up that lofty ambition.

The special effects were a breakthrough for TV at the time, dazzling viewers even if they were watching on a 16” Zenith. The merchandising tie-ins were ready to go, in anticipation of a profitable holiday season – action figures, Viper and Cylon Raider spaceships, lunchboxes, comic books, trading cards.

And then the show debuted. It still looked good, and there were a lot of pretty people in the cast (Richard Hatch, Maren Jensen, Dirk Benedict, Laurette Spang), but that wasn’t enough to compensate for the dull adventures of a ragtag fugitive fleet, led by Ben Cartwright, pursued by evil robots as they searched for the “paradise planet” called earth.

It was gone after one season but obviously not forgotten. Twenty-five years later the Sci-Fi Channel launched a critically acclaimed new version of the show that became the network’s most successful original series, and popularized “frack” as substitute profanity for a word you still can’t say on basic cable.

The Hardy Boys returned for a shortened third season, this time without the alternating stories featuring Nancy Drew. 

Frank and Joe were now working for the government, looking into cases that apparently couldn’t be solved by a well-funded Department of Justice and FBI. I still enjoyed these episodes, especially the two-parter “Defection to Paradise” featuring David Gates, who performs several songs from his band Bread.

CBS
60 Minutes
Mary
All in the Family
Alice
Kaz

For decades 60 Minutes was the gold standard for investigative broadcast journalism. That’s not the case anymore, following widespread accusations of biased reporting and deceptive editing of taped interviews. But in 1978 the newsmagazine was still in the capable hands of producer Don Hewitt and correspondents Mike Wallace, Morley Safer and Harry Reasoner, and at #6 in the Nielsens it was the highest-rated show of the night.

Just one year after shutting the doors to the WJM newsroom for the last time, Mary Tyler Moore returned to prime time in Mary, a comedy variety series. Its supporting cast included David Letterman, Michael Keaton, James Hampton, Dick Shawn and Swoosie Kurtz. 

How could it miss? Check out this episode online and judge for yourself.

Maybe she didn’t stay away long enough for the public to miss her, or maybe the variety format was already on life support by 1978, and any attempt to revive what had stopped working even for Carol Burnett was doomed from the start. Still, given all the good will Mary had built up with the TV audience after starring in two of the medium’s greatest sitcoms, you’d think they would have given her more of a chance. They didn’t – and despite being sandwiched between two top-ten hits, 60 Minutes and All in the Family (#9), Mary was canceled after just three episodes.

In its third season, Alice (#13) delivered another hit that helped CBS win the night. But that lead-in didn’t do much for Kaz, a pretty good show starring Ron Leibman as car thief Martin Kazinski, who studies law in prison, passes the bar, and joins a prestigious law firm as a criminal defense attorney.

The show was canceled after one season, but Leibman won the Emmy as Best Actor in a Drama Series, over such distinguished competition as Ed Asner in Lou Grant and James Garner in The Rockford Files. I could see how some viewers might have found his character too abrasive, but I’m a sucker for a good courtroom drama, and this was one I hoped would have lasted longer.

NBC
Wonderful World of Disney
The Big Event
Lifeline

All three of NBC’s offerings, two of which were covered here in previous blogs, finished outside of the top 30. But Lifeline deserves more acknowledgment than it ever received for being one of the first reality TV programs on a major network. Film crews followed real doctors at hospitals in different cities for months, waiting for something dramatic to happen, which it always eventually did.

Why did viewers not show more interest? I think the temperament of the TV audience was different then. People didn’t have the same morbid curiosity in watching real life-and-death crises unfold. That has changed now, when you can find the most gruesome footage imaginable online, which has only rendered such moments less shocking, reducing them to just another form of video ‘entertainment.’ Just my opinion, but I think we were a better people and a better country before the internet turned us all into voyeurs.

Shows Missed:
The Don Knotts Show (1970)
San Francisco International Airport (1970)
Nancy (1970)
The Headmaster (1970)
The Man and the City (1971)
Search (1972)
Assignment: Vienna (1972)
The Delphi Bureau (1972)
Jigsaw (1972)
The Little People (1972)
The Sixth Sense (1972)
Faraday & Company (1973)
Kodiak (1974)
The New Land (1974)
McCoy (1975)
Joe and Sons (1975)
Beacon Hill (1975)
Mobile One (1975)
Big Eddie (1975)
Executive Suite (1976)
Ball Four (1976)
Young Dan’l Boone (1977)
Rafferty (1977)
Mulligan’s Stew (1977)
Big Hawaii (1977)
We’ve Got Each Other (1977)
Lifeline (1978)

Top TV Moments: Lee Meriwether

I saw a post on Facebook recently about Lee Meriwether, who turned 91 a few days ago, and it reminded me of how she always seemed to be on television in the Comfort TV era, either as a series regular, a guest star, or as herself, helping contestants win cash and prizes on different game shows.

Her IMDB page lists more than 125 credits from every conceivable television genre. Casting directors clearly had her near the top of their lists for roles that required both beauty and brains, not just one or the other.

The best part of putting together these Top TV Moments features is spending a couple of evenings enjoying a marathon of one actor’s memorable work, thanks to DVDs and online streaming. What I discovered again in watching these performances is how naturally Meriwether adapted to the aesthetic of each series and role, from the broadest farce to the most sobering drama. What a pleasure it was to be in her virtual company.

Miss America Pageant (1954)
Few television debuts are as grand as that of Lee Ann Meriwether, who progressed from Miss San Francisco to Miss California, and then to Miss America, back when that title still meant something.

The Today Show (1955)
Following her year’s reign as Miss America, Lee joined The Today Show as the first official “Today Girl,” which mostly meant handling the lighter lifestyle features alongside host Dave Garroway. During her stint she was also studying acting and had already made her debut in an installment of The Philco Television Playhouse entitled “Middle of the Night.”

The Time Tunnel (1966)
Meriwether’s first recurring TV role was as “electrobiologist” Dr. Ann MacGregor in this troubled but impressive sci-fi series that, like all the Irwin Allen shows of the 1960s, still has a cult following. Saddled with bickering leads and huge cost overruns The Time Tunnel only lasted 30 episodes, but in that time, it delivered clever stories set in different historic eras, and some of the coolest sets viewers had likely ever seen - the glowing spiral tunnel itself still looks amazing. 

Unfortunately, just as Allen’s Lost in Space was canceled before the Robinsons returned home, The Time Tunnel also disappeared with our two protagonists “lost in the swirling maze of past and future ages.”

Batman (1967)
Yes, she played Catwoman in the (disappointing) movie, but to me she was more memorable as socialite Lisa Carson, who was to be Bruce Wayne’s date before she was kidnapped by King Tut (“King Tut’s Coup/Batman’s Waterloo”). Batman foils Tut’s scheme to make Lisa his queen of the Nile. 

The final scene has Lisa inviting Bruce into her apartment for some milk and cookies. It’s Meriwether at her most bewitching, so much so that even Bruce gives into temptation.

Family Affair (1967)
In “First Love” Meriwether plays Lise Lowell, a geologist working with Bill on a construction project. While Bill tries to mix business with pleasure, Buffy Is dealing with her first crush on an older boy. Since Family Affair often dealt in the harsh realities of life more than other sitcoms of its day, these would-be romances were doomed to fail. Buffy’s crush falls for Cissy instead, and Bill is shut down after learning Lise is already engaged. 

The episode’s final scene is one of those sublime moments that make this show so special. “It kind of hurts inside, doesn’t it?” Buffy asks. “Yeah,” Uncle Bill replies. “But you know, now that we can share the hurt, it doesn’t hurt so much.”

Mission: Impossible (1969)
When Barbara Bain departed this series along with Martin Landau after three seasons, the show opted against bringing in a full-time female replacement on the IMF team. The remaining cast members wanted Lee Meriwether, according to Patrick White’s book The Mission: Impossible Dossier, and she wanted the job as well. “Not getting that role was one of the biggest disappointments of my life,” she said. However, Meriwether did join the team for six episodes in season four, including “The Submarine,” arguably the season’s best outing.

Star Trek (1969)
“That Which Survives” has a reputation as a clunker only slightly above “Spock’s Brain” among Trekkers, but it’s a pleasant enough mystery and the crew does its best to make it work. Meriwether plays Losira, a woman who kills whomever she touches – finally, someone Kirk doesn’t try to bring back to his cabin.

My World and Welcome to It (1970)
With his wife and daughter out of town, John (William Windom) begins fantasizing about his sexy neighbor, Miss Bessinger (Meriwether). And on this series, John’s fantasies always come to life, albeit in unexpected ways. “The Middle Years” is one of the funnier episodes in this sadly short-lived series, and Meriwether seems to be having fun playing in its silly sandbox.

Barnaby Jones (1973)
Meriwether earned both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her portrayal of Barnaby’s daughter-in-law, Betty Jones. 

When Buddy Ebsen began cutting back on his workload in the show’s latter seasons, Betty and J.R. (Mark Shera) took on bigger roles in his cases, and the audience didn’t seem to find. The Quinn Martin detective shows of the ’70s are certainly prime Comfort TV, and viewers liked this one enough to keep it around for 178 episodes.

The $10,000 Pyramid (1974-1977)
Lee Meriwether was a frequent guest on several game shows, including Password, Match Game and Hollywood Squares. I’ve singled out the $10,000 Pyramid because she was a partner contestants knew would improve their odds in the winner’s circle.

The Munsters Today (1988)
It isn’t remembered much now, but this revival of the classic ‘60s series lasted three years and 73 episodes, so I guess that qualifies as a hit. Meriwether played Lily Munster opposite John Schuck as Herman. A game effort but best to stick with the original.

My 50 Favorite Classic TV Characters: James Garner as Jim Rockford

You may have heard that a reboot of The Rockford Files has been picked up by NBC and will debut in January, with David Boreanaz playing ex-con turned private investigator Jim Rockford. Boreanaz has an impressive TV track record, and as a fan of both Buffy and Angel I think that casting is about the best we could hope for – given the current state of entertainment media we should just be glad it’s not Kevin Hart.

There was probably a time I would have been excited, or at least intrigued, by the prospect of a new take on a classic show. But after the reboots of Magnum and Matlock and Walker I no longer trust today’s crop of writers and producers to deliver a series that would capture even 10% of the appeal of the original.

Could Boreanaz still make it watchable? Perhaps – but it’s hard to imagine he could achieve the same indelible impression as James Garner’s portrayal of Jim Rockford.

One reason it worked so well is that Garner already had experience in the same type of character. In Maverick he played the antithesis of a rough-and-tumble cowboy hero. He tapped into that same persona here: the anti-hero, clever but cynical, smart-tongued and always preferring to talk himself out of a fight than start one. And never averse to bending or breaking a law to suit his purpose.

Once asked if there was anything he wouldn’t do for money, he replied that he wouldn’t kill for it or marry for it. “Other than that, I’m open to about anything.”

Initially he became a detective because he served time for a robbery he didn’t commit and wanted to take on cases that had been closed by the police. But series creators Stephen J. Cannell and Roy Huggins gradually moved away from that premise as it seemed too noble a pursuit for such an ambiguous character. Cannell and Garner both enjoyed exploiting the hard-luck aspects or Rockford, who didn’t always reap the rewards from solving his cases. I doubt any TV detective was stiffed more often by his clients.

The Rockford Files surrounded its star with quality performances and quality touches, starting with the answering machine messages that opened each episode, followed by that funky Mike Post theme. 

There were fights and car chase scenes for those who preferred a traditional private eye series – Jim really knew how to handle that Pontiac Firebird - but there was a welcome component of comedy as well. 

Like Maverick, Rockford was a con man at heart, taking on phony identities to catch opponents off-guard and intimidate or trick them into giving up the information he needed. Those scenes were the highlight of every episode.

Great support was provided by Noah Beery, Jr. as his father, who never gave up hoping Jim would become a truck driver, and Joe Santos as one of the few cops who could stand him. I looked forward to Gretchen Corbett’s appearances as the lawyer always bailing him out of trouble (and jail), but I couldn’t stand Stuart Margolin as Rockford’s skeezy former cellmate Angel. Clearly, I’m in the minority on that one because Margolin won two Emmys for that performance.

The show also had some wonderful guest stars –Lindsay Wagner, Isaac Hayes, Diana Muldaur, and recurring appearances from Tom Selleck as dim but perfect detective Lance White, and Dennis Dugan as Richie Brockelman, whose spinoff series disappeared after five episodes.

But without Garner I doubt anything else would have mattered. Few shows have been so successfully fueled by the charisma of one lead actor. That will be the challenge facing David Boreanaz. 

Rockford wasn’t John Wayne or John Wick – he was the first TV private eye to break his hand when he hit someone. But he still projected a strength and resilience, with a healthy dose of swag, that belied his insistence that he was never a tough guy.

Can today’s television pull that off? I wish them luck, but I don’t think they understand masculinity without the word “toxic” in front of it.

My Journey Through 1970s TV: Saturday Nights, 1977

The Saturday night supremacy of CBS in the seventies has finally ceased (how’s that for alliteration?). This would be the final year for both The Bob Newhart Show and The Carol Burnett Show, classics that once dominated in the ratings but had now dropped out of the top 30. Only one series ranked that high on this night, and it belonged to the network that would reign supreme throughout the second half of the decade. Come aboard – they’re expecting you…

ABC
Fish
Operation Petticoat
Starsky & Hutch
The Love Boat

As I wrote in my book When Television Brought Us Together (revised and expanded edition coming soon!) escapism was always one of The Love Boat’s selling points, even if viewers were escaping something as mundane as winter. From 1977 to 1987, the show embarked on each new season as autumn leaves began to fall and sailed through the months when days were shorter and weather forecasts promised blizzards and cold, bleak temperatures. To someone growing up outside of Chicago, those virtual vacations on Saturday nights were always welcome.

Add in one of the most likable casts of any ‘70s, series, exotic locations, and guest stars from other classic shows and the Golden Age of Hollywood, and it’s not surprising audiences liked The Love Boat enough to make it the #14 show in its first year.

Fish was a Barney Miller spinoff in which Abe Vigoda’s New York detective now went home to five racially mixed foster kids (two of them played by Todd Bridges and Denise Miller). The less said the better. 

Operation Petticoat seemed to have more promise with its mix of familar TV vets (John Astin) and comely newcomers (Jamie Lee Curtis, Melinda Naud), but it proved to be another example of a good film adapted into a watered-down series. It sank in less than two seasons.



CBS
The Bob Newhart Show
We’ve Got Each Other
The Jeffersons
The Tony Randall Show
The Carol Burnett Show

There may have been fewer folks watching The Bob Newhart Show in its final season, but that doesn’t mean the quality of the series dropped as well. Episodes like “Who Was That Masked Man?” and “’Twas the Pie Before Christmas” were as smart and funny as any shows from previous seasons. 

Likewise, the final year of The Carol Burnett Show was blessed by the addition of Dick Van Dyke as a series regular and featured the “Family” skit with Tim Conway’s now legendary elephant story, which has racked up more than 47 million views on YouTube.

We’ve Got Each Other starred Oliver Clark and Beverly Archer as newlyweds, with the twist being he worked at home and she went to work in an office. Adding this one to the ‘missed’ list, but from the few clips available online it looked like a strange show that proved once again why some actors are better suited to character parts than leads.

NBC
The Bionic Woman
NBC Saturday Night Movie

This was the third and final season for The Bionic Woman. It still surprises me that the series didn’t last longer given its popularity at the time. 

Lindsay Wagner would later play Jaime Sommers in three TV movies alongside Lee Majors as Steve Austin, the last in 1994 when the two characters were finally married.


Shows Missed:
The Don Knotts Show (1970)
San Francisco International Airport (1970)
Nancy (1970)
The Headmaster (1970)
The Man and the City (1971)
Search (1972)
Assignment: Vienna (1972)
The Delphi Bureau (1972)
Jigsaw (1972)
The Little People (1972)
The Sixth Sense (1972)
Faraday & Company (1973)
Kodiak (1974)
The New Land (1974)
McCoy (1975)
Joe and Sons (1975)
Beacon Hill (1975)
Mobile One (1975)
Big Eddie (1975)
Executive Suite (1976)
Ball Four (1976)
Young Dan’l Boone (1977)
Rafferty (1977)
Mulligan’s Stew (1977)
Big Hawaii (1977)
We’ve Got Each Other (1977)

The Psychology Behind Classic TV Viewing

I was perusing YouTube recently (a more enjoyable exercise than perusing network television these days), and I came across a video with 1.6 million views called “The Psychology of People Who Rewatch the Same Shows and Movies.” It was posted by “SketchPsyche,” which purports to be a channel that provides “deep dives into the psychology behind everyday behavior.”

“We live in a world obsessed with what’s new,” the video relates. “But some people just ignore it all.” Something in our psyche pushes us to choose the vintage over the contemporary: “They know every line, ever scene, every joke and yet they press play again.”

The video, just under six minutes, offers four descriptions of people who would rather rewatch The Fugitive for the 50th time than check out The Pitt. Can you see Dr. Bob Hartley sharing these insights with his therapy group?

Type One: The Comfort Seeker
We are told that for these people life feels unpredictable because of work problems and relationship issues and a world that’s changing too quickly. They watch old shows because they are predictable – they know the crisis in that episode will be resolved and everything will be okay. The certainty of that serves the emotional safety they seek.

There’s some merit to this, though seeking comfort in the familiar is hardly new or limited to television. I’m semi-retired now, but when I was working full-time, I often took solace in activity that I knew would reduce my stress level. For some that’s listening to Brahms, for others reading the Bible, and for others an evening spent with Lucy or Jeannie or Marshal Matt Dillon.

Type Two: The Cognitive Restorer
People in this category have exceptionally stressful jobs that require a lot of thought and problem solving. As a result, their brains are not up to the challenge of grasping new shows with new characters and stories. Familiar material allows the brain to relax and experience what psychologists call cognitive load reduction.

This is so closely related to the previous category that I’m not sure it needs its own designation. Once again, the objective is to reduce real-world stress through a recreational activity that is guaranteed to not cause anxiety.

Type Three: The Nostalgic Anchor
In this group are people who rewatch shows not as much for the show itself, but for the memories they attach to it. It reminds them of a better time in their life, and friends and family members who may now be gone. They can’t bring those moments back, but they can experience once again the shows that were a part of those moments.

If I had to put myself into one of these four categories, this is the one that is most applicable. I do watch my favorite classics repeatedly because I genuinely enjoy them, but there is also within that experience a subconscious recognition of what my life was like when those shows were new, and how it is much different now. That perception has intensified in recent years from a series of major life changes, but it was there even before those events transpired.

I also think for me it’s not just an association with personal memories and relationships that is fed by classic shows – but also a chance to reconnect through these shows to an America that no longer exists. Not one free from challenges or tragedies, as there has never been such a place. But through all we endured in generations past there remained a bedrock that not only sustained but helped us get through such turbulent times. That bedrock is in jeopardy now from a systematic dismantling of western culture by enemies both foreign and domestic.

Not everyone shares that view, I know, but for those that do, we like our virtual visits to Minneapolis when Ted Baxter was delivering the news on WJM, and prefer them to what’s transpiring there now.

Type Four: The Detail Hunter
These are the people that enjoy uncovering small details and hidden layers that only can be discovered through repeat viewings. “For them,” we’re told, “a show isn’t just a story, it’s a world, and they want to see every corner of it.”

While it’s always fun to notice something in a favorite show that we had not noticed before, this one is not applicable to me. How about you?

There is one other reason I still prefer comfort TV to what’s new. I find these shows and their characters to be inspiring, and helpful in keeping me on the right path in this life. Such lessons originate from my religious faith, but it’s nice to see them validated in a more modern setting than 1st century Judea.

The good news from all this, according to SketchPsyche, is that there is nothing wrong with people who stick with the classics. “They’re not stuck in the past,” the video says. “They’re choosing what their mind needs.” And if classic TV shows really provide emotional security, reduce stress, and convey a reminder of happier times, my only question is “Why isn’t everyone doing this?”