The Bear - accurate portrayal of a working kitchen.
The Sopranos - reportedly watched by real made men for its portrayal of mob life.
Roseanne - spot-on depiction of the realities of the Lower Middle Class in the Midwest
Switched at Birth – could use a few tweaks, and still a soap opera, but head & shoulders above any other depiction of Deaf people ever, and the captioned ASL gets 4 stars.
Mom - Looks at alcoholism recovering from it, and how it can continue down through the generations. A family member who knows about this gives his endorsement and says the meetings the main characters go to are accurate as depicted.
Generation Kill - Fairly accurate portrayal of a US Marine unit during the Iraq War.
Northwood - Canadian teen drama from the early 90s that fairly accurately showed what could happen in situations like driving under the influence, being date raped, shoplifting, and so on.
The Pitt - No scripted show can truly capture what it’s like to work an ER shift, but I’ve seen multiple reviews from ER docs/nurses that this comes pretty close (or, at least, isn’t laughably wrong)
Hill Street Blues - With a few nitpicks, a pretty accurate cop show, from all I’ve heard
The Bear - accurate portrayal of a working kitchen.
The Sopranos - reportedly watched by real made men for its portrayal of mob life.
Roseanne - spot-on depiction of the realities of the Lower Middle Class in the Midwest
Switched at Birth – could use a few tweaks, and still a soap opera, but head & shoulders above any other depiction of Deaf people ever, and the captioned ASL gets 4 stars.
Mom - Looks at alcoholism recovering from it, and how it can continue down through the generations. A family member who knows about this gives his endorsement and says the meetings the main characters go to are accurate as depicted.
Generation Kill - Fairly accurate portrayal of a US Marine unit during the Iraq War.
Northwood - Canadian teen drama from the early 90s that fairly accurately showed what could happen in situations like driving under the influence, being date raped, shoplifting, and so on.
The Pitt - No scripted show can truly capture what it’s like to work an ER shift, but I’ve seen multiple reviews from ER docs/nurses that this comes pretty close (or, at least, isn’t laughably wrong)
Hill Street Blues - With a few nitpicks, a pretty accurate cop show, from all I’ve heard
Mad Men - a meticulous recreation of life over the course of a decade (1960 -1970), as seen through the eyes of those who work in advertising, and their families.
Disease of the Week movies the 80s were full of them, and there were some in the late 70s and early 90s.
First, You Cry, Breast Cancer, 1978
Not the first “DotW” movie, but it had major stars, and really got the trend rolling
Brian’s Song, embryonal cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of testicular cancer, 1971
Thirty years after its original airing, a remake starring Mekhi Phifer as Gale Sayers and Sean Maher as Brian Piccolo.was aired on ABC’s The Wonderful World of Disney
Disease of the Week movies the 80s were full of them, and there were some in the late 70s and early 90s.
First, You Cry, Breast Cancer, 1978
Not the first “DotW” movie, but it had major stars, and really got the trend rolling
Brian’s Song, embryonal cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of testicular cancer, 1971
Quarantined, about a cholera outbreak, a 1970 ABC Movie of the Week
An Early Frost one of the first movies about AIDS 1985
The Boy in The Plastic Bubble, an earnest film about a lad with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), and it became the source of jokes, parodies and spoofs.
Disease of the Week movies the 80s were full of them, and there were some in the late 70s and early 90s.
First, You Cry, Breast Cancer, 1978
Not the first “DotW” movie, but it had major stars, and really got the trend rolling
Brian’s Song, embryonal cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of testicular cancer, 1971
Quarantined, about a cholera outbreak, a 1970 ABC Movie of the Week
An Early Frost one of the first movies about AIDS 1985
The Boy in The Plastic Bubble, an earnest film about a lad with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), and it became the source of jokes, parodies and spoofs.
Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic, a 1975 TV movie with Linda Blair and Mark Hamill, where alcoholism is the disease.
Disease of the Week movies the 80s were full of them, and there were some in the late 70s and early 90s.
First, You Cry, Breast Cancer, 1978
Not the first “DotW” movie, but it had major stars, and really got the trend rolling
Brian’s Song, embryonal cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of testicular cancer, 1971
Quarantined, about a cholera outbreak, a 1970 ABC Movie of the Week
An Early Frost one of the first movies about AIDS 1985
The Boy in The Plastic Bubble, an earnest film about a lad with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), and it became the source of jokes, parodies and spoofs.
Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic, a 1975 TV movie with Linda Blair and Mark Hamill, where alcoholism is the disease.
In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan, brain damage, 1977. Based on a true story about a legal battle to have a comatose patient removed from artificial respiration, after which she lived 9 more years, starring Brian Keith and Piper Laurie.
Disease of the Week movies the 80s were full of them, and there were some in the late 70s and early 90s.
First, You Cry, Breast Cancer, 1978
Not the first “DotW” movie, but it had major stars, and really got the trend rolling
Brian’s Song, embryonal cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of testicular cancer, 1971
Quarantined, about a cholera outbreak, a 1970 ABC Movie of the Week
An Early Frost one of the first movies about AIDS 1985
The Boy in The Plastic Bubble, an earnest film about a lad with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), and it became the source of jokes, parodies and spoofs.
Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic, a 1975 TV movie with Linda Blair and Mark Hamill, where alcoholism is the disease.
In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan, brain damage, 1977. Based on a true story about a legal battle to have a comatose patient removed from artificial respiration, after which she lived 9 more years, starring Brian Keith and Piper Laurie.
Quarantined, cholera outbreak, 1970. A family of doctors battle against a cholera epidepmic.
Disease of the Week movies the 80s were full of them, and there were some in the late 70s and early 90s.
First, You Cry, Breast Cancer, 1978
Not the first “DotW” movie, but it had major stars, and really got the trend rolling
Brian’s Song, embryonal cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of testicular cancer, 1971
Quarantined, about a cholera outbreak, a 1970 ABC Movie of the Week
An Early Frost one of the first movies about AIDS 1985
The Boy in The Plastic Bubble, an earnest film about a lad with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), and it became the source of jokes, parodies and spoofs.
Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic, a 1975 TV movie with Linda Blair and Mark Hamill, where alcoholism is the disease.
In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan, brain damage, 1977. Based on a true story about a legal battle to have a comatose patient removed from artificial respiration, after which she lived 9 more years, starring Brian Keith and Piper Laurie.
She Lives!; Hodgkin’s Disease, 1973. You’ll never hear Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle” again, without thinking of this one.
Disease of the Week movies the 80s were full of them, and there were some in the late 70s and early 90s.
First, You Cry, Breast Cancer, 1978
Not the first “DotW” movie, but it had major stars, and really got the trend rolling
Brian’s Song, embryonal cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of testicular cancer, 1971
Quarantined, about a cholera outbreak, a 1970 ABC Movie of the Week
An Early Frost one of the first movies about AIDS 1985
The Boy in The Plastic Bubble, an earnest film about a lad with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), and it became the source of jokes, parodies and spoofs.
Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic, a 1975 TV movie with Linda Blair and Mark Hamill, where alcoholism is the disease.
In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan, brain damage, 1977. Based on a true story about a legal battle to have a comatose patient removed from artificial respiration, after which she lived 9 more years, starring Brian Keith and Piper Laurie.
She Lives!; Hodgkin’s Disease, 1973. You’ll never hear Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle” again, without thinking of this one.
Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole, 1972. A recently widowed research doctor joins a Chicago clinic to try to escape her grief, where she befriends a young girl dying of leukemia.
Disease of the Week movies the 80s were full of them, and there were some in the late 70s and early 90s.
First, You Cry, Breast Cancer, 1978
Not the first “DotW” movie, but it had major stars, and really got the trend rolling
Brian’s Song, embryonal cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of testicular cancer, 1971
Quarantined, about a cholera outbreak, a 1970 ABC Movie of the Week
An Early Frost one of the first movies about AIDS 1985
The Boy in The Plastic Bubble, an earnest film about a lad with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), and it became the source of jokes, parodies and spoofs.
Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic, a 1975 TV movie with Linda Blair and Mark Hamill, where alcoholism is the disease.
In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan, brain damage, 1977. Based on a true story about a legal battle to have a comatose patient removed from artificial respiration, after which she lived 9 more years, starring Brian Keith and Piper Laurie.
She Lives!; Hodgkin’s Disease, 1973. You’ll never hear Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle” again, without thinking of this one.
Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole, 1972. A recently widowed research doctor joins a Chicago clinic to try to escape her grief, where she befriends a young girl dying of leukemia.
Why, Charlie Brown, Why?, 1990. In this Peanuts special, the gang’s new classmate Janice comes down with leukemia. Linus – who evidently feels puppy love toward Janice, is very distressed about it. Janice, while patently suffering, seems to be trying to remain stoic, providing explanation in simple terms of what she is going through.
Cleaned up for TV (theatrical films shown on TV also apply)
In this live appearance, Tom Waits sings “The Piano Has Been Drinking.” The line “Jukebox’s been busted for sev’ral weeks” is substituted for “The jukebox has to take a leak.”
Cleaned up for TV (theatrical films shown on TV also apply)
In this live appearance, Tom Waits sings “The Piano Has Been Drinking.” The line “Jukebox’s been busted for sev’ral weeks” is substituted for “The jukebox has to take a leak.”
Blue Brothers, the broadcast version has the swearing edited out, including Jake telling the Penguin that she’s “I guess you’re really up shit creek” was changed to “I guess you’re really up the creek.”
Cleaned up for TV (theatrical films shown on TV also apply)
In this live appearance, Tom Waits sings “The Piano Has Been Drinking.” The line “Jukebox’s been busted for sev’ral weeks” is substituted for “The jukebox has to take a leak.”
The Blue Brothers, the broadcast version has the swearing edited out, including Jake telling the Penguin that she’s “I guess you’re really up shit creek” was changed to “I guess you’re really up the creek.”
The Big Lebowski: in some broadcasts, Walter’s enraged question “You see what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass?” became “You see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?”
Cleaned up for TV (theatrical films shown on TV also apply)
In this live appearance, Tom Waits sings “The Piano Has Been Drinking.” The line “Jukebox’s been busted for sev’ral weeks” is substituted for “The jukebox has to take a leak.”
The Blue Brothers, the broadcast version has the swearing edited out, including Jake telling the Penguin that she’s “I guess you’re really up shit creek” was changed to “I guess you’re really up the creek.”
The Big Lebowski: in some broadcasts, Walter’s enraged question “You see what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass?” became “You see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?”
The Jerk: Navin Johnson’s dog, Shithead, has a name change to “Stupid” for television releases.
Cleaned up for TV (theatrical films shown on TV also apply)
In this live appearance, Tom Waits sings “The Piano Has Been Drinking.” The line “Jukebox’s been busted for sev’ral weeks” is substituted for “The jukebox has to take a leak.”
The Blue Brothers, the broadcast version has the swearing edited out, including Jake telling the Penguin that she’s “I guess you’re really up shit creek” was changed to “I guess you’re really up the creek.”
The Big Lebowski: in some broadcasts, Walter’s enraged question “You see what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass?” became “You see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?”
The Jerk: Navin Johnson’s dog, Shithead, has a name change to “Stupid” for television releases.
Repo Man: “I call bullshit on that” overdubbed with “I call no way on that.”
In this live appearance, Tom Waits sings “The Piano Has Been Drinking.” The line “Jukebox’s been busted for sev’ral weeks” is substituted for “The jukebox has to take a leak.”
The Blue Brothers, the broadcast version has the swearing edited out, including Jake telling the Penguin that she’s “I guess you’re really up shit creek” was changed to “I guess you’re really up the creek.”
The Big Lebowski: in some broadcasts, Walter’s enraged question “You see what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass?” became “You see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?”
The Jerk: Navin Johnson’s dog, Shithead, has a name change to “Stupid” for television releases.
Repo Man: “I call bullshit on that” overdubbed with “I call no way on that.”
The word “hell” silenced out of the TV version of Eddie and the Cruisers. Unfortunate, because the fictional band had a frequently-referenced album titled “A Season in ------” Sometimes the ------ was preceded by a aspiration as they cut off the “H,” so you got, more of less, "A Season in H-----* with the H vivisected, making it even more obvious.