TV series of my life (1951 - 2024)
The shows I loved, the ones that made me, and the ones I regret... (as of 2024, this list covers twice my lifespan.)
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- StarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceThe wife of a band leader constantly tries to become a star - in spite of her having no talent, and gets herself (along with her best friend) into the funniest predicaments.I feel lucky that I'm a person who is not confined to my one small era of film, TV, novel, music, theatre, art, or poetry history. Still, as a millennial, I don't have much of a yearning for 1950s shows, despite some obvious classics (Phil Silvers, anyone?). Lucy stands head and shoulders above the rest, though, as the most likely to survive after a century. She did many follow-up series, of varying esteem, but the original is the best.
- StarsNorman HetheringtonPatricia LovellJane FennellMr. Squiggle is a marionette with a pencil for a nose, who visits his friends from his home at 93 Crater Crescent on the Moon, flying in his pet rocket (named Rocket).Running for forty years, Mr Squiggle was a staple of both my parents' childhoods and mine. Many characters surrounded the central idea - drawing some marks on a blackboard and then connecting them into something unexpected - that would lure in children. Whenever I say "hurry up", it is always in Blackboard's voice. And always will be!
- CreatorJoseph BarberaWilliam HannaStarsAlan ReedMel BlancJean Vander PylThe misadventures of two modern-day Stone Age families, the Flintstones and the Rubbles.The first classic era of TV animation aimed for audiences of all ages, with warm-hearted satire of contemporary mores. The Flintstones are instantly identifiable to every person in the English-speaking world, and they remain prominent with several follow-up series and movies, including my favourite: the one-season only 'Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show' (1971-72).
- StarsJohn Murray ScottFrank WindsorDavid AndrewsA linking together of Shakespeare's history plays chronicling the rise and fall of monarchs over the eighty-six years between Richard II and Richard III.The first major Shakespeare project for television (although the BBC and American networks had been adapting his plays in condensed versions the whole time), this 15-episode series covers the great history plays with a dynamite cast. Still special after all these years.
- StarsJohn WoodBarbara HicksNewton BlickMurder mystery interwoven with the historical events of England's Gordon riots of 1780, based on the novel by Charles Dickens.The BBC commenced Dickens adaptations in February 1948, and the early ones are special if patchy in terms of our contemporary quality standards. But this remains the only significant TV adaptation of Barnaby Rudge, and deserves recognition for that at the very least. (Other early survivors - some are lost - include a 1958 Our Mutual Friend, a 1959 Bleak House, a 1962 Oliver Twist, a 1967 Great Expectations, a 1968 Nicholas Nickleby, and a 1969 Dombey and Son.)
- StarsKerry O'BrienSarah FergusonQuentin McDermottAn Australian current affairs documentary television programme, the longest running of its kind nationally, produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).The most important Australian investigative journalism programme is now in its 7th decade. What an achievement.
- CreatorCarl ReinerStarsDick Van DykeMary Tyler MooreRose MarieThe misadventures of a TV writer both at work and at home.A true wonder of a series. If "Lucy" is the matriarch of one branch of the sitcom family tree, "Van Dyke" is the patriarch of another. Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie are endlessly hilarious, as are the remaining supporting cast, while Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore create a warm and funny homelife, portraying a clearly intimate and passionate couple through their gestures and chemistry, even at a time when the network insisted they sleep in separate beds!
- CreatorSydney NewmanStarsPatrick MacneeDiana RiggHonor BlackmanA quirky spy show of the adventures of eccentrically suave British Agent John Steed and his predominantly female partners.A beautiful, quirky, full-throttle spy series that showed that creativity and panache could be as broadly utilised on the small screen as they could in the cinema. The Diana Rigg seasons are (rightly) the most beloved, but mega-fans discover much joy in the other stories. The missing first season has been recreated in loving (if, to my mind, cloyingly imitative) audio dramas by Big Finish.
- StarsJeremy PaxmanRoger TillingBamber GascoigneAmol Rajan hosts this trivia quiz show where colleges from around the UK compete against each other. Originally presented by Bamber Gascoigne from 1962 to 1987, and Jeremy Paxman from 1994 to 2023.One of the truly great quiz shows, as British university teams compete in a round-robin style competition each year. The joy of this program is in two competing vibes: being amazed by the knowledge that some young people possess while at the same time feeling a certain smugness for the questions these young folk have no idea about. Notably presented by Bamber Gascoigne for its first 25 years, and Jeremy Paxman for the next 30.
- CreatorJoseph BarberaWilliam HannaStarsGeorge O'HanlonJanet WaldoMel BlancThe misadventures of a futuristic family.The retro-futuristic cousin of The Flintstones has always had a special place in my heart. Perhaps it's not - episode by episode - as inventive or as long-lasting as the denizens of Bedrock, but this is the future I want to live in, hovercraft and all. Perhaps this is why everyone born after 1965 is disappointed all the time.
- CreatorDonald WilsonSydney NewmanStarsWilliam HartnellPatrick TroughtonJon PertweeThe adventures in time and space of the Doctor, a Time Lord who changes appearance and personality by regenerating when near death, and is joined by companions in battles against aliens and other megalomaniacs.This beloved British sci-fi series has been running in one form or another (TV, novel, comic, audio) for sixty years now. The first 26 years (the 'classic' seasons) challenge a lot of viewers my age and younger, as they work at a slower pace and feature a low budget and delightfully primitive production techniques. But that's part of the thrill for me. How rare is it to have a series with this depth of continuity and world-building (as much as any sense of 'canon' is constantly up-ended by new writers!)? A series I hold close to my heart.
- CreatorSol SaksStarsElizabeth MontgomeryDick YorkDick SargentA witch married to an ordinary man cannot resist using her magic powers to solve the problems her family faces.The 1960s was the peak era of 'wacky' sitcoms, and this tale of a witch living in suburbia is right at the head of the class. Perfect cast, amusing situations, and an indefinable charm.
- StarsMichael RedgraveRalph RichardsonEmlyn WilliamsOne of the greatest achievements of television - aired in 26 episodes from 1964. Use of extensive archival material and sound effects combined with contemporary classical music from this area.One of the series that showed what television documentary could do. Clocking in at nearly 20 hours, the series tracked the four years of WWI with interviews from many veterans (including a few Germans) and a precise overview of the path of the war.
- CreatorDavid LevyStarsJohn AstinCarolyn JonesJackie CooganThe misadventures of a blissfully macabre but extremely loving family.An obvious addition to the kooky sitcom era, The Addams Family brought to life the beloved cartoons and pushed the figures into international popular culture, where they remain sixty years after its premiere.
- CreatorSherwood SchwartzStarsBob DenverAlan Hale Jr.Jim BackusFour men and three women are stranded on an uncharted island following a torrential storm.A dreamlike, kooky but unforgettable piece of ephemera from the '60s which proved hard to get rid of. Followed by an animated spin-off series and multiple specials. Quite why they never got off the island is a mystery, given how many guest stars were featured, but it was an iconic series nevertheless.
- DirectorPaul AlmondStarsDouglas KeayBruce BaldenJacqueline BassettIn this the first installment, we get a chance to meet some of the individuals who took on the responsibility of the 7 Up project, 21-years-ago - Tony, Bruce, Suzi, Nick and Peter.From 1964 to 2019, Michael Apted visited the same group of British people every year, ranging from a boy growing up in a foster home to posh kids who could talk about the stock market (adorably) at seven. This documentary has become an indelible part of British culture and a deeply fascinating insight into how humans grow and live.
- CreatorSidney SheldonStarsBarbara EdenLarry HagmanBill DailyA United States astronaut finds his life vastly complicated when he stumbles on to a bottle containing a female genie.Somehow even more bonkers than "Bewitched", I feel that "Jeannie" is not quite so etched in the public memory but it boasts the highly watchable duo of Larry Hagman and Barbara Eden, and a love story for the ages.
- Short adventures starring Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang.A series in a different format, I count here the 45 or so specials that aired on television from 1965 to 2011, bringing to life my favourite series of comic strips. The early specials have a dreamlike quality that puts them completely at odds with popular entertainment (now and even perhaps then), capturing the thoughtful style of Charles M Schulz's strips.
- CreatorJay SommersStarsEddie AlbertEva GaborTom LesterA New York City attorney and his wife attempt to live as genteel farmers in the bizarre community of Hooterville.Maybe the king of the 'wacky sitcom' era, Green Acres is a delightfully absurd little number that first caught my attention in my teens. Completely light and devoid of any substance, it nonetheless has a unique comic sensibility. Also, in the way TV shows don't do now outside of comic book adaptations, it tied in to the Beverly Hillbillies and other sitcoms by utilising cross-over characters and locations.
- CreatorMel BrooksBuck HenryStarsDon AdamsBarbara FeldonEdward PlattMaxwell Smart, a highly intellectual but bumbling spy working for the CONTROL agency, battles the evil forces of rival spy agency KAOS with the help of his competent partner Agent 99.A classic of the genre, Get Smart was a favourite of my father's growing up, and thus a regular watch in my household. Completely lunatic and yet savvily scripted, rarely going for a cheap laugh when you could go for the laugh a couple of pennies more expensive.
- StarsCharles GrayEric PorterJeremy BrettMonthly anthology series featuring televised versions of plays.One of the most important TV endeavours of the box's first generation, the BBC ran regular plays for twenty years, screening everyone from Chekhov and Shakespeare to Shaw and Aeschylus, alongside a series of directly commissioned works by the great British playwrights of the mid-20th century, often in the accompanying program "Play for Today".
- StarsDavid WarnerPeggy AshcroftDonald BurtonA filmed theatre production of four of Shakespeare's historical plays condensed down into a trilogy.The Royal Shakespeare Company began to reach its golden age in the mid-1960s, with Peter Hall and John Barton leading a group of incredible, dedicated, magnetic actors. Their 'Wars of the Roses' helped bring Shakespeare's early tetralogy of plays to prominence, with Barton's considerable editing and additional dialogue. It's a one of a kind experience, and still a worthy contribution to the gallery of Shakespeare on screen.
- CreatorDan CurtisStarsJonathan FridGrayson HallAlexandra IslesThe rich Collins family of Collinsport, Maine is tormented by strange occurrences.Daytime soap opera is not my thing, but I make an exception for this grand, gothic feast. Dan Curtis' original idea for a soap with a gothic sensibility was changed when low ratings led him to throw a ghost into the proceedings. The public response was hot, and the program would run for over 1,200 episodes with vampires, werewolves, phoenixes, and more. Notably, the series would travel through time, allowing actors to play multiple characters, giving the series both a dangerous willingness to kill people off (compared to most daytime soap operas where they linger!) and the actors a reason to show up. The program is full of errors and flubs that delight fans, but there really is something palpable and engaging here - for serious TV nerds only. Two campy horror movies were made, and two attempts at sequel series appeared in later decades, followed by Tim Burton's rather dreadful film.
- StarsEric PorterMargaret TyzackNyree Dawn PorterSpanning decades, the saga contrasts obsessive Soames, clinging to wife Irene, and Jolyon, leaving for his kids' governess. Their diverging paths intertwine, bringing highs and lows to the upper-class Forsyte clan.Television became exciting throughout the 1960s as networks discovered the possibilities of the medium. The BBC struck gold with its 26 episode serial of John Galsworthy's beloved novels, charting the lives of a large upper-middle-class family. Led by Eric Porter and the miraculous Nyree Dawn Porter, this was a drama that captivated the UK and sold all around the world. (It was reported that some churches rescheduled their Sunday evening services so people could be home for the next episode.) The novels were adapted again for a shorter, tighter 2002 adaptation, which is also functionally good, but the original is in a class of its own.
- CreatorPatrick McGoohanStarsPatrick McGoohanAngelo MuscatPeter SwanwickAfter he resigns, a secret agent is abducted and taken to what looks like an idyllic village, but is actually a bizarre prison. He refuses to give his warders information while attempting to escape.The "first wave" of television innovation lasted until the end of the 1960s, and Patrick McGoohan's arthouse caper was one of the peaks. Still beloved as a cult classic, this reflection on society and conformity boasts stylish guest cast members, a '60s hallucinogenic colour palate, and an impassioned lead performance by McGoohan. His decision to cut the series short was a suitable artistic flourish although I must admit I've always longed for at least a handful more episodes of this surreal gem. (An unsatisfying and unsettling 2009 remake with Ian McKellen and Jim Caviezel does not bear mention.)