# "Perfect" television shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [April 22, 2025, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366 "2025-04-22T15:42:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/241 "2025-04-30T00:56:33Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Here i disagree. The show was more a soap opera on the housekeepers love life than Animal stories. The books were mostly silent on Mrs Hall’s love life. Mrs Hall dated one guy for a few episodes and it was as far from being soap opera as you can get. Unless hand holding and picnics are now soap opera. I know there is shipping going on but there has been no romance between her and Seigfried. Yes the new show deviates from the books, the old show and real life but so what? Alf Wight’s kids are happy with the show. The books and the old show still exist if anyone wants to go back to them. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/242 "2025-04-30T01:03:35Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Mrs Hall dated one guy for a few episodes and it was as far from being soap opera as you can get. _S5 E7-Mrs Hall’s world is rocked by bad news. S5 E5- Mrs Hall and Mr Bosworth clash over a warden task. E4- Mrs Hall schemes to bring the boys together and sends them to Pumphrey Mano E2 Mrs Hall referees between Siegfried and her new boss, Mr Bosworth, as they fall out over some of Mr Bosworth’s safety tactics. E1 Mrs Hall and Helen consider their contribution within the community,_ That is just Season 5. Mrs Hall and the air warden, Mrs hall and this, etc etc Mrs Hall is a very minor person in the books ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/243 "2025-04-30T01:06:48Z")
She is a character in the show but wasn’t dating the air raid warden nor were many of the other plot elements about her love life. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/244 "2025-04-30T01:10:08Z")
Saw some love going on for Barney Miller, how could I have forgotten? It belongs on this list no doubt! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/245 "2025-04-30T01:10:15Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > She is a character in the show but wasn’t dating the air raid warden nor were many of the other plot elements about her love life. That’s a quibble. The show has made Mrs Hall- instead of the vets and the animals- a major part of the show, making it a soap opera drama. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/246 "2025-04-30T01:16:41Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Mrs Hall is a very minor person in the books I’m not getting your point. You don’t like the show because they made her character more important than it was in the books? Seems like a silly reason to not like this show. I take it on its own merits. None of the plot points you mention are soap opera. She’s one of the people living in the same house. She’s part of the plots of the show. I don’t see why that’s an issue. So far she became friends with Gerald the wounded WWI veteran. It blossomed into a very sweet innocent in a 1930s way romance. Then he moved away. Not like any soap opera I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/247 "2025-04-30T01:18:05Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > She is a character in the show but wasn’t dating the air raid warden nor were many of the other plot elements about her love life. > > That’s a quibble. The show has made Mrs Hall- instead of the vets and the animals- a major part of the show, making it a soap opera drama. A major part of all versions was the romance, courting and marriage of James and Helen. So I guess it’s always been a soap opera. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/248 "2025-04-30T13:41:25Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The main characters are all the same with the exception of Mrs. Hall, who is a very minor character in the books and definitely never has a romance with Siegfried. It’s implied that Siegfried is a “confirmed bachelor,” if you know what I mean. Tristan is much more of a rake in the books, but still hilarious. I feel the need to point what a bad idea it is to cite some random guy on reddit as a source. There is no implication that Siegfried is gay. He is based on a real man named Donald Sinclair. Sinclair was very much alive and in fact was still partners with the real James Herriot (Wight). They had been friends and partners for 30 years when the books were written. To think someone of Wight’s generation would imply in 1970 that his friend was gay is ridiculous. Especially because there is no indication that he was. Donald Sinclair married in the 30s and she died of tuberculosis before he met Wight. He married a second time in the 40s and they were married for over 50 years. They had two children. Sinclair killed himself a couple of weeks after his wife’s death. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/249 "2025-04-30T13:42:08Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > > [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > > > Ted keeps Mary awake all night on a work night because he thinks his brother got lucky with Rhoda elsewhere in the building and he doesn’t want to be the first of the two to go home. When the sun comes up, he tells Mary “Minnesota is the land of the midnight sun.” She replies "No, Ted, Minnesota is the land of a thousand lakes…_and I think I see one of them!"_ > > Did she really say that? 🤨 If she did, the screenwriter should have known that Minnesota is “The land of **10,000** lakes.” She did. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/250 "2025-04-30T14:27:46Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Mrs Hall dated one guy for a few episodes and it was as far from being soap opera as you can get. Unless hand holding and picnics are now soap opera. I know there is shipping going on but there has been no romance between her and Seigfried. > > Yes the new show deviates from the books, the old show and real life but so what? Alf Wight’s kids are happy with the show. The books and the old show still exist if anyone wants to go back to them. Agree! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/251 "2025-04-30T17:00:32Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > **Fun Fact:** The Catmobile that Eartha Kitt drove as the new Catwoman was featured in both _ **Bewitched** _ (as the concept car Endora stole and gave to Darrin as a birthday present) and _ **Star Trek** _ (as the Jupiter 8 in “Bread and Circuses”). > **[IMCDb.org: Custom Made Reactor Mach II in movies and TV series](https://imcdb.org/vehicles_make-Custom+Made_model-Reactor+Mach+II.html)** ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/252 "2025-04-30T18:44:56Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I’m not getting your point. You don’t like the show because they made her character more important than it was in the books? No, because it is now more drama, and less vets with animals. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2025, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/253 "2025-05-01T01:01:27Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > I’m not getting your point. You don’t like the show because they made her character more important than it was in the books? > > No, because it is now more drama, and less vets with animals. It’s always been about the people. Animals don’t have quirky personalities like Northern farmers. The animals aren’t chasing women. That’s Tristan. The animals aren’t petty tyrants of the office. That’s Siegfried. The animals aren’t raising a family. That’s James and Helen. In both TV versions the practice is the foundation of the show but the show is about the people. The big difference is now there is two main cast members that are women instead of one. I guess two women make it a soap opera. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2025, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/254 "2025-05-01T09:08:49Z")
I’m trying to think of any episode of _Brooklyn 99_ that wasn’t laugh-out-loud funny and coming up blank. So that’s my pick. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2025, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/255 "2025-05-01T13:55:23Z")
I would agree except there were some truly awful episodes in the last season. Not too bad for a show that was gold for almost 150 episodes. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2025, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/256 "2025-05-01T16:05:59Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > there were some truly awful episodes in the last season Could you be more specific? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2025, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/257 "2025-05-01T16:16:37Z")
Darrin had one of the best lines ever in that episode of _ **Bewitched** _: “This makes the Batmobile look like a skateboard!” ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2025, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/258 "2025-05-02T15:00:37Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > there were some truly awful episodes in the last season > > Could you be more specific? Probably not. I looked at the brief descriptions of the episodes and it didn’t help. I remember the final episode because I liked that one. I’m not willing to go bad and rewatch something I disliked 4 years ago just to answer this question. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2025, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/259 "2025-05-02T15:04:22Z")
I do remember that one of the later seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine was delayed while they rewrote the show for the post-George Floyd era, in which not all police were seen as heroes. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2025, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/260 "2025-05-02T15:19:26Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I do remember that one of the later seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine was delayed while they rewrote the show for the post-George Floyd era, in which not all police were seen as heroes. It was renewed for an 8th season in 2019. Then something seemed to have happened in 2020 that delayed filming… Trying to block that out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366.md?page=14)