Oldies Discontent

As a friend and I had a conversation last night, which by the way cracked me up, I realized a very sad fact: TV Land just isn't what it set out to be. I used to watch Nick at Nite religiously because they always had the absolute best old shows on--I Love Lucy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mister Ed, Bob Newhart, The Dick Van Dyke Show. Now, you tune into Nick at Nite, and you get Full House, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Cosby Show, etc. These are not classics yet! As a 24-year-old, I should not be seeing shows that were on the regular networks as I grew up on Nick at Nite--a spot for the oldies but goodies. And I would also argue that shows like Full House have absolutely no business being slated there. Wonder Years? Possibly.

TV Land seems to be suffering from the same sort of nostalgic bust--in a slightly different context. I just think that the shows they are showing time and again are "bottom of the barrel" types from the classic TV era. While I'm sure Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie and the Jeffersons are all held in high regards in the minds of some, I happen to think they're "off hour" type shows. Primetime on TV Land should not include this lineup. Primetime should be those shows that I like! And I also disagree with having the same lineup every weeknight. This lacks variety, creativity and entertainment value.

Some shows have apparently slipped through the cracks completely. As I discussed Halloween costumes with my friend, Leslie, last night, we were laughing at some of her ideas, not so much because they're funny within themselves...more because they seem antiquated. And the inspiration was what seemed more antiquated than any other part of her ideas. The one that she brought up that got me on this TV Land kick was her mention of a hideous waitress costume she has. I made a random comment that if we had two, we could be a pair of waitresses from an old show...but that I didn't think there were any pairs of two waitresses. She begged to differ and asked if I hadn't ever heard of Alice. Alice? No. Mel's Diner? Vera? Flo? No. I had never even heard mention of this show! How could this be? The ignorance was well worth the laugh, but this helps to prove my point that a network like TV Land really owes it to its viewers to branch out!

Bottom line: I think TV Land and Nick at Nite need to both work to keep the real classics alive for sprouting generations. Just like some other priceless aspects of our 20th century culture (literature, history, etc.), this, too, will be lost if it's not kept alive.