# What older TV series have aged the best/worst when watched in reruns? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 11, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429 "2010-09-11T20:43:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/21 "2010-09-12T14:26:09Z")
HBO’s **Larry Sanders Show** is still hysterically funny and is about the same age as **Seinfeld** , which has also held up extremely well. Most of the older comedy stuff is very dated, e.g., **MASH** is unwatchable for me, but some of the old westerns, such as **Gunsmoke** , still work. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/22 "2010-09-12T15:34:13Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Aged Well: Wonder Woman (when set in WW2). The ones that fast-forwarded to the 70’s stank. But, the WW2 ones paid great detail to sets and costumes. I could even see it shown in a history class to show how Americans lived during that time period, and I regularly use it in Sociology classes to show both the contrast with sexist attitudes of the 60’s and the birth of the feminist movement of the 70’s. A '70s show set in the '40s illustrates the sexism of the '60s? ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/23 "2010-09-12T15:43:50Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Whenever I happen to catch a “Golden Girls” episode, I’m surprised by how damned funny it still is. > > I also still enjoy “Friends,” but I’m an unabashed “Friends” geek. > > Old “Buck Rogers in the 23rd Century” is bad. Bad bad bad. Why are you surprised how funny ‘Golden Girls’ still is? 😕 That’s what it IS - funny, no politics, no hidden meanings. That’s why you can find it on cable TV practically 24 hours a day, and a good thing, too - there should be SOMETHING worth watching. (the wardrobe is really dated though). ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/24 "2010-09-12T15:58:35Z")
The original series of “Star Trek” obviously looks dated, but nowadays I find those episodes much more watchable than the “Next Generation.” Despite the obvious flaws (woeful FX, female space explorers traipsing around in min-skirts & beehives, space hippies, that computer voice) the original series ep.'s still have a fun, B-movie quality to them. They look ridiculously implausible, but they’re fun to watch nevertheless. As much as I loved the series when it was in its’ original run, I see TNG now and it’s so static & talky much of the time. It’s also overloaded with useless, annoying characters like Riker, Troi, Guinan & Wesley who take up too much time. The ongoing subplot where Data “investigates” human emotions is annoying. The Enterprise crew behave more like a bunch of middle managers in a mutli-national (or multi-planetary) corporation than a crew of intrepid space explorers. And the technobabble…In retrospect, TNG is more obviously a product of the corporate late 80s, than TOS is a product of the swinging 60s. I haven’t seen “Deep Space Nine” in over ten years so I can’t rate how it holds up. “Voyager” and “Enterprise” weren’t watchable to begin with. But I’d say, “TOS” - holds up. “TNG” - dated. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/25 "2010-09-12T17:20:11Z")
> [@meanoldman](#): > > I’ll have to disagree with the OP. I can’t bear to watch **All in the Family** now. > It seems both sad and mean. Or at least when I tried watching it again. Just not funny. > > **Red Dwarf** on the other hand, still has me chuckling, despite the fact that some of the jokes seem to be set up light-years in advance. You get the feeling that the cast is having fun with their characters. > > I don’t wish to spoil my memory of it by actually watching the episodes again, but I am thinking that **The Avengers** with Diana Rigg as Emma Peel might hold up well. I have the Emma Peel episodes on DVD and they do hold up well. Not so much the plots, but the chemistry between Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg. They gave great banter. One problem watching the DVD is that the stunt doubles on the fight scenes are very obvious. You can stream the 67 season on Netflix. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/26 "2010-09-12T17:23:39Z")
I came in here to nominate **Leave It to Beaver**. Kids will always be kids. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/27 "2010-09-12T19:01:21Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > > > Whenever I happen to catch a “Golden Girls” episode, I’m surprised by how damned funny it still is. > > > > I also still enjoy “Friends,” but I’m an unabashed “Friends” geek. > > > > Old “Buck Rogers in the 23rd Century” is bad. Bad bad bad. > > Why are you surprised how funny ‘Golden Girls’ still is? 😕 That’s what it IS - funny, no politics, no hidden meanings. That’s why you can find it on cable TV practically 24 hours a day, and a good thing, too - there should be SOMETHING worth watching. (the wardrobe is really dated though). Because I expect comedies to get dated and stale quite easily. Tastes move on, and things we thought were hysterically funny 25 years ago often seem stupid today. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/28 "2010-09-12T19:12:23Z")
The first 2 seasons of TNG feel dated, but from Season 3 and on through DS9 still works. My brother recorded a Rocko’s Modern Life marathon awhile back and I went through several episodes one day. Still great. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/29 "2010-09-12T19:40:26Z")
Old episodes of the Simpsons remain awesome. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/30 "2010-09-12T19:41:57Z")
simpsons isn’t old damn kids these days ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/31 "2010-09-12T19:42:33Z")
My brother and I fought over the TV on Thursdays. He wanted to watch Cosby, and I wanted to watch Magnum. I can still watch and enjoy Magnum PI but Cosby is almost unwatchable. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/32 "2010-09-12T19:46:58Z")
I still like Cosby show. I guess the lesson is that time passes has nothing to do with most of the stuff in this topic. do you like it or don’t you? ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/33 "2010-09-12T19:51:45Z")
For my money, **The Addams Family** (even with its now-super-cheesy special effects) still rocks, as does **Night Court** , even with Markie Post’s mall-rat 'do and shoulder pads! ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/34 "2010-09-12T19:53:42Z")
I was gonna nominate SOME episodes of the Outer Limits. Some of them never were any good, but “Demon With A Glass Hand” still has a powerful kick to it after all these years, and others are almost as good (Wolf 359 for example). Most Westerns are as good as they ever were, which mostly isnt saying much, but it’s funny to look back at Gunsmoke from the 50s and realize that one of the lead characters, and a respected leader of the community, was Miss Kitty, a saloon/brothel owner. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/35 "2010-09-12T20:04:16Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > simpsons isn’t old > > damn kids these days Of course it’s not when you’re living in 1995. In the real world, The Simpsons is 21 years old. The teenagers I supervise nowadays weren’t even born when it debuted. It’s officially an “old” show. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/36 "2010-09-12T20:17:03Z")
Magnum, p.i. is still very watchable. Hill Street Blues is forever awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/37 "2010-09-12T20:18:06Z")
Oh, and Quantum Leap, and shit. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/38 "2010-09-12T20:22:20Z")
I don’t see _Friends_ or _Seinfeld_ as having aged. There’s very little in these shows (especially _Friends_) that relates to time period, and _Friends_ rarely did topical humor (_Seinfeld_ did, with references to JFK and Tonya Harding and so on), but they don’t feel beyond reach of modern audiences. The character archetypes still exist today… just neurotic friends in NYC. I suspect that if you didn’t like a series when it first aired, time usually won’t improve it. Even if you don’t like it now where you once did, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s “dated” – maybe your own tastes changed. Look at the shows that are repeated fifty times a day despite being 20, 30, even 60 years old. _I Love Lucy_ being a prime example; it’s nearing its _seventh_ decade, but Hallmark Channel still shows episodes multiple times a day, and airs marathons as well, which certainly implies they’re pretty popular. The show’s certainly of its time, no doubt. But funny is funny. Even with the old fashioned male/female dynamic and a few cringeworthy elements (Ricky “spanking” Lucy, primarily), there’s something fresh and engaging in the stories and characterizations, and the humor isn’t cheap. My niece was addicted to ILL once she hit 10 years old, and its still one of her favorites four years later. Similarly, _M_A_S_H\* probably hasn’t left syndication since 1983. People still find it relevant, because (sadly) war is still relevant. _All in the Family_ ditto – bigotry, intrafamily squabbles, generation gaps, struggling to pay bills… they’re all current and strike nerves in many of us. Indelible performances help, obviously. Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel are all identifiable and relatable as real humans, even as broad as some of the humor could get, thanks both to sharp writing and excellent portrayals. Same with Archie, Edith, Mike and Gloria. I don’t find _Mork and Mindy_\* very funny anymore (admittedly, it was never a huge favorite), but I can still get into _Laverne & Shirley_, which is a period show. _Good Times_ and _Maude_ feel more dated than AITF, I think, but they still elicit laughs (especially the former, thanks largely to John Amos). _Benny Hill_ feels dated to me because it relies on stereotypes and sexism for its humor; _Monty Python_ doesn’t. Tone also can affect whether something holds up. _Charlie’s Angels_ is painfully '70s but still guilty fun because it’s so unbelievably cheesey. '80s-era _thirtysomething_, OTOH, is less enjoyable to me because it’s trying to take itself seriously. - Whoa, just writing this I’m belatedly realizing that Mork could travel through time, since he visited Richie et al. in _Happy Days_ but alighted on Earth in the “present” for his own show. How did I not catch that during its first run? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/39 "2010-09-12T20:24:18Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > Most Westerns are as good as they ever were, which mostly isnt saying much, but it’s funny to look back at Gunsmoke from the 50s and realize that one of the lead characters, and a respected leader of the community, was Miss Kitty, a saloon/brothel owner. the radio version wasn’t as sanitized. it was also way more violent and the characters meaner, especially the Marshall. radio was adult western, tv was prime time western. same with Have Gun Will Travel, though the tv show predated the radio show. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429/40 "2010-09-12T20:39:57Z")
> [@The New and Improved Superman](#): > > As much as I loved the series when it was in its’ original run, I see TNG now and it’s so static & talky much of the time. You see, I _love_ TNG for exactly that reason. No one shoots until we’ve had a nice cup of Earl Grey and a thourough ethical debate. Fantastic. But no, they wouldn’t make 'm like that anymore as sci-fi usually reflects the time in which it was made rather than the time in which it is set. And these days we (not you personally here) tend to prefer warfare to reasoning with the “enemy” and thus sci-fi has got much more trigger-happy and much less multi-cultural peace and harmony. So yes, it has aged, but I kind of preferred that age. ☹ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-older-tv-series-have-aged-the-best-worst-when-watched-in-reruns/553429.md?page=3)