How many TV shows are worth owning?

[Rackhir]

I would avoid most stuff that you loved as a child. Esp stuff like "Battle of the Planets", "Thundercats", "The Incredible Hulk", etc... Stuff that was a fond childhood memory is generally better left as fond childhood memories. A lot of it does not, hold up well to a repeat viewing as an adult.

Then there's the "projection" factor. I've noticed that with some series fans tend to project their hopes/dreams/fantasies onto series that had some interesting aspect and then ignore the cringe inducing stupidity and/or sillyness of the rest of the show. Usually these are also the ones that generate a lot of fan fic.

If you can watch a single episode of the series and not wince or recoil in horror then it might be worth getting. So rent disks or get netflix to test out old series, especially if they are something that you haven't seen in decades.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Lost is a great example of a very good DVD collection of a show that I love that I will never buy. Maybe years from now, but right now, other than the extras, I have no desire to watch it again. Lost, for me, is about going forward, not revisiting what was.

Shows have to have an inherent rewatchability. The good seasons of Buffy I can and do rewatch. The few episodes of Angel I enjoy are the same way (if they put out a Buffy-watcher's Angel collection, with all the crossover episodes, as well as the most Buffy-centric Spike stuff, I'd grab that in a heartbeat). American Chopper, perhaps improbably, I find fun to watch again on DVD.

For the rest, it's mostly miniseries like Lonesome Dove or, for my wife, the 10th Kingdom.

I have no idea who's buying the What's Happening or The Ropers DVD sets, but I hope they don't reproduce.

 

[Silver Moon]

Been watching "24" season one lately, I agree, it's a good way to watch this series and things that didn't seem to quite fit before now do watched this way.

 

[Tuzenbach]

I would avoid most stuff that you loved as a child. Esp stuff like "Battle of the Planets", "Thundercats", "The Incredible Hulk", etc... Stuff that was a fond childhood memory is generally better left as fond childhood memories. A lot of it does not, hold up well to a repeat viewing as an adult.

For the most part, I completely agree with this. However, there are a few exceptions. Back in the day, I'd watch The Smurfs, GI Joe, Transformers, Thundercats, He-Man, Voltron, and crap like that on a regular basis. However, I'm blessed with an intriguingly accurate audio/visual memory. For whatever the reason, though those shows were cool 20-25 years ago, I somehow *know* that I'd no longer find them cool. Except maybe for Skeletor's campy evilness!

OTOH.....

Battle Of The Planets & Robotech are STILL cool. Why? Well, I'd have to say it has something to do with the respective soundtracks to the shows. In fact, I own these soundtracks and they're amongst the best of my CD collection! Also, the plot elements, voice artists, and visuals all seemed to come together magically to create truly enduring animated television.

Then there's the "projection" factor. I've noticed that with some series fans tend to project their hopes/dreams/fantasies onto series that had some interesting aspect and then ignore the cringe inducing stupidity and/or sillyness of the rest of the show. Usually these are also the ones that generate a lot of fan fic.

I'm under the impression that this is what has been happening with the new Doctor Who series. After viewing the first season, I can honestly say that only 3 of 13 episodes are worth owning. Yet, everybody across the pond swears that this is currently England's finest show. Sorry, I just don't see it!

 

[Tuzenbach]

Lost is a great example of a very good DVD collection of a show that I love that I will never buy. Maybe years from now, but right now, other than the extras, I have no desire to watch it again. Lost, for me, is about going forward, not revisiting what was.

Shows have to have an inherent rewatchability.

Do you know what's sad? In the history of science fiction television shows, I'd have to say that the New Battlestar Galactica has been the most expensive to create. Unfortunately, I've found re-runs of this series to be unwatchable. The trouble is, it's sci-fi/drama ratio = 10%/90%. I.e., all the entertainment value of the show comes from not knowing how a dramatic conflict gets resolved. However, once we know, it's no longer important.

If most other New BSG fans share my view, then the creators of the show aren't going to get a very good return on their massive investment from the sale of the series on DVD.

In other words, I view the new BSG the same way you view Lost.

 

[Arnwyn]

10-20... maybe... and that's leaving room for 'future-proofing'.

I can't even think of 10 right now.

 

[Starman]

If you don't own all four seasons (so far) of

you are wrong!

 

[Rackhir]

10-20... maybe... and that's leaving room for 'future-proofing'.

I can't even think of 10 right now.

You're just not trying very hard. Even counting the complete collection as one "Show" and in no particular order.

1) Blackadder
2) Coupling
3) Monty Python (Could REALLY use a cleaning of the source material)
4) Babylon 5
5) The Tick (animated)
6) Ultraviolet (BBC Series - No relationship to the recent movie)
7) The Prisoner
8) Police Squad!
9) Venture Brothers
10) Ghost in the Shell (Two TV/OVA Series - Very thought provoking and interesting look at a possible future). You need to watch this series if you have any interest in SF and the future.

 

[Arnwyn]

You're just not trying very hard. Even counting the complete collection as one "Show" and in no particular order.

Looking at your list, I'm trying plenty hard. Bleh.

10) Ghost in the Shell (Two TV/OVA Series - Very thought provoking and interesting look at a possible future).

Oh, we were to include anime in our lists?

Point taken.

 

[Tuzenbach]

Monty Python (Could REALLY use a cleaning of the source material)

Too true! Unlike how Doctor Who has the "Doctor Who Restoration Team" (http://www.rtforum.co.uk/), it's sad that so many other classic televsion shows don't have their own restoration teams. Monty Python would be my first choice of a show in dire need of a restoration team.