20/20 Hindsight (For Better or Worse)

[Stanislav]

Time marches on, and often changes our opinions and feelings about things. So, I wonder: can you name a "classic" TV show that you did not particularly like when it was first run but, over the years, you grew to appreciate more and more? And, conversely, is there a show that you absolutely adored in your younger days that now makes you embarassed to admit you ever watched it?

Let's try to limit this to shows at least 10-15 years old (this is the "Classic TV" forum, after all). :

 

[Corky Marlowe]

When "Welcome Back, Kotter" first aired, I thought it was the shiz, but whenever I see it now, I have a major Dierks Bentley moment (What Was I Thinkin'?)

 

[Newname]

Shows I used to like, but couldn't stand in reruns included 'Laverne and Shirley', 'Alice', 'Full House'...and those are just the sitcoms!

I became a fan of 'That 70s Show' years after it started, through reruns.

 

[bpatrick]

Two shows I watched religiously and hate now:
Three's Company and The Flintstones. I can't
think of one I hated then but like now.

 

[ShawnHill1]

I loved Full House as a youngster (it hit the air when I was 7), but pretty much hated it since high school. Pretty much the same feeling I have for Hangin' With Mr. Cooper (reruns currently air on TV One), liked it as a kid, refuse to watch it now. Same with 227 and Step by Step (and didn't like Step by Step that much to begin with).

On the flip side of that, King of Queens (to a lesser extent) and That '70s Show are two shows I paid no attention during to during their network runs, but got into it since they hit syndication.

 

[bhayes1016]

I watched Happy Days as a kid but can't stand it now.

 

[Tim-In-Houston]

Full House
Family Matters
Aww hell, pretty much the entire ABC TGiF line-up, now in re-runs.

Fresh Prince of Bel Air
Will & Grace

Unfortunately, most of the late-70s and 80s "family" sitcoms just do not hold-up well over time, most of the humor is extremely dated, which is a shame.

One show that I'm finding an appreciation for, but used to would not touch, is "Still Standing." Reruns on Lifetime are often hysterical, which i was totally unprepared for.

 

[Al Timiter]

I watched Happy Days as a kid but can't stand it now.

I agree. Would add the Cosby show (the one from the 80's), geez it si boring now.

I also agree with a previous poster about King of Queens--ignored it in Prime time...love it in syndication.

 

[Stanislav]

I agree. Would add the Cosby show (the one from the 80's), geez it si boring now.

I know what you mean. I've been a fan of Cosby from the start, going way back to his first LPs, "I Spy," etc. And the first time through "The Cosby Show" was enjoyable simply for Bill's charm and rubbery mug. But then when you start watching the reruns, you realize that's about all the show had going for it. Bland or overly cute and cloying co-stars, preachy/moralistic attitude, basic situations that go back to "The Brady Bunch" or before. Even Cos couldn't make filet mignon out of tuna fish.....

 

[dhett]

I'll probably get thrown off Radio-Info for posting this, but I absolutely hated WKRP in Cincinnati when it first aired. When it got into syndication (the earlier syndication with the real music), I began watching it and loved it.

Same with Cheers.

When I was a kid, I used to love to watch Dark Shadows. Some years later, a local station began showing it again and I watched - it was tedious.

"Hello, my name is David H. and I used to enjoy The Love Boat". You'll never know how painful it was to post that. 8)

 

[LKellerIII]

As a kid in the early and mid 60s, I loved the Warner Bros detective shows - particularly 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, and Surfside 6. "77" in particular was a giant hit and a cultural phenomenon - Edd "Kookie" Burns, and all that. Part of my love for these shows was the forbidden factor - my father thought they were junk and wouldn't let me watch them, so I could only see them if he wasn't home, or at friends' houses.

A cable channel was running them a couple of years ago, so I watched them again with great anticipation and nostalgia. I was expecting them to seem dated, but I was shocked at how awful they were. Slowly plotted, badly written with laughable dialogue and REALLY low budget. By comparison, the Quinn Martin type cops shows of the 70s (just a decade later) were big budget epics.

The action scenes were amateuirshly and cheaply staged - you could see the actors throw obviously pulled punches. One long chase sequence on 77 (Roger Smith in his T-Bird) included a short clip repeated 4 or 5 times. On Hawaiian Eye, a jungle chase scene with Robert Conrad on foot wasn't even filmed outdoors, but was obviously done on a sound-stage. As Conrad ran through the "jungle," you could see some of the pots that the fake tropical trees were planted in.

My father was right - these shows were awful.

 

[Kurt Toy]

The Golden Girls. Used to look forward to it on NBC Saturday Nights, but now, YAWWNN!

 

[Corky Marlowe]

When I was a kid, I used to love to watch Dark Shadows. Some years later, a local station began showing it again and I watched - it was tedious.
The Sci-Fi Channel reran "DS" a few years ago. Back in the day, it was one of the few "cool" soaps, what with vampires, monsters, and such, but now it looks a little amateurish, with flubbed lines, visible boom mikes, bad sfx, etc.

 

[paulsecic]

I loved Full House as a youngster (it hit the air when I was 7), but pretty much hated it since high school. Pretty much the same feeling I have for Hangin' With Mr. Cooper (reruns currently air on TV One), liked it as a kid, refuse to watch it now. Same with 227 and Step by Step (and didn't like Step by Step that much to begin with).

On the flip side of that, King of Queens (to a lesser extent) and That '70s Show are two shows I paid no attention during to during their network runs, but got into it since they hit syndication.

What's Radio One & where can I get it? It's not on Dish Network.

 

[bpatrick]

TV1 is on DirecTV on Channel 241.

When I was a kid I thought Burke's Law was
pretty cool; Burke rode around in a Rolls-Royce
and lived a life most guys would probably envy
(he's a cop, has lots of girlfriends, etc.). Then
I saw the '90s revival--once. I never realized
until then how corny the dialogue and acting were;
in retrospect, I believe Gene Barry was better as
Bat Masterson. On top of that, Amos Burke now
had a son! (When did he get married?)

But come to think of it, I think most Aaron Spelling
shows are pretty corny, especially The Love Boat
and the original Fantasy Island (although I hated the
remake of that one, too--too downbeat to suit me).

 

[Stanislav]

When I was a kid, I used to love to watch Dark Shadows. Some years later, a local station began showing it again and I watched - it was tedious.
The Sci-Fi Channel reran "DS" a few years ago. Back in the day, it was one of the few "cool" soaps, what with vampires, monsters, and such, but now it looks a little amateurish, with flubbed lines, visible boom mikes, bad sfx, etc.

It's hard to divorce shows from the context of when they were conceived. In the 60's, DS was like a breath of fresh air -- someone finally tried something different. ABC was so far behind in the ratings that they had nothing to lose by going out on a limb. Part of the reason the show worked so well was the novelty factor.

In all fairness, it was also a product of ABC's low budget. It was shot live on tape in one run-through, and things had to break down pretty badly to justify a retake. For me, I don't think DS went from "good" to "bad" in retrospect -- more like "good" to "camp."

 

[LKellerIII]

'In all fairness, it was also a product of ABC's low budget. It was shot live on tape in one run-through, and things had to break down pretty badly to justify a retake. For me, I don't think DS went from "good" to "bad" in retrospect -- more like "good" to "camp."'

Yes - the early soaps were laughable in some respects. In the late 60s, Carol Burnett had a regular skit that was a send-up on the soaps - called "As the Stomach Turns," I think. It included purposely missed cues, out of place special effects, falling boom mikes, etc.

 

[Braves2005]

I can't stand Who's The Boss either when it was on ABC and in reruns and the same goes for Growing Pains, couldn't stand that show either. Roseanne is yet another show that I can't stomach.

I would like to see shows like My Three Sons, Donna Reed, Dennis The Menace, Father Knows Best and The Patty Duke Show back on TV again or on DVD. Now those were REAL family shows.

 

[radiorob2.0]

My nomination goes to "Charlie's Angels", I loved the show when it first aired. Of course I was in their demo, pubescent teen. Today, I might watch part of an episode and that's about it.

 

[genius]

I couldn't stand many of the 80s sitcoms then and I can't stand them now; this includes Family Ties, Cosby Show, Who's The Boss?, Growing Pains, and Valerie/Hogan Family. I did think Night Court was funny, but now not so much...like others have said, the humor is outdated.

I liked Columbo, as well as MacGuyver...now not so much...