So…in a sure sign of continuing mental and emotional regression, I decided the other night to accessorize a drunk by watching a little cable…only to foggily re-discover we haven’t had cable in years (my first clue? No suitcase-sized box on top of a TV not made to support an envelope). I had been reminiscing about how much I had enjoyed those early years of cable and the rise of specialty channels catering to narrowcasting desires, and I thought: “Why not watch a little Nick at Nite?”
Continue reading ‘The Patty Duke Show’ (Season 1): A light, perfectly pitched time capsule back to a sweeter timeTag Archives: sitcoms
‘Mister Ed’ (Season 5): The solid laughs continue – an impressive feat!
A solid season of laughs for this beloved sitcom’s penultimate season, with a handful of classic moments. A few years back, Shout! Factory released Mister Ed: The Complete Fifth Season, a four-disc, 26-episode collection that gathered together the CBS sitcom’s last full schedule of shows for the 1964-1965 season. Simply put: hefty laughs throughout most of the episodes here…and that’s saying something for a high-concept fantasy/sitcom that should have burnt out long, long before this point.
Continue reading ‘Mister Ed’ (Season 5): The solid laughs continue – an impressive feat!
‘The Odd Couple’ (Season 3): Every episode is a treat in this exceptional season
Continuing my goal of tying up all the loose ends in my life by December 2025 (don’t particularly care about a will…but I am gonna fix that guy at the paramutial who keeps “accidentally” printing the wrong program number on my track tickets), let’s keep rolling on series reviews, including one of my top five favorite sitcoms, The Odd Couple, starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. Simply put: it’s bright, sophisticated, urbane TV farce, at its very best.
Continue reading ‘The Odd Couple’ (Season 3): Every episode is a treat in this exceptional season
‘The Odd Couple’ (Season 2): Sitcom undergoes drastic production changes. Do they work?
This time of year always brings (drunken) promises of tying up loose ends and making things “right” (how many times can a bookie break your arm? Apparently…lots), so when I sobered up after the holidays (and figured out how to type one-handed), I went back and looked at partially-reviewed titles here on Drunk TV that needed to be completed. And sure enough, one of my top 5 favorite sitcoms, The Odd Couple, had somehow been abandoned after a measly season one review.
Continue reading ‘The Odd Couple’ (Season 2): Sitcom undergoes drastic production changes. Do they work?
‘Dennis the Menace’ (Season 4): Dennis is an older menace in boomer sitcom’s final season
Sooo looooooooooong, Dennis…and not a moment too soon.
Continue reading ‘Dennis the Menace’ (Season 4): Dennis is an older menace in boomer sitcom’s final season
‘Mister Ed’ (Season 4): Despite cast changes, sitcom returns to form in funny season
“Bless you, buddy boy; that’s why I love you: you think like a dumb animal.”
Continue reading ‘Mister Ed’ (Season 4): Despite cast changes, sitcom returns to form in funny season
‘Dennis the Menace’ (Season 3): With Mr. Wilson’s sudden exit, who will replace him?
“We sure are going to miss good ol’ Mr. Wilson.”
Continue reading ‘Dennis the Menace’ (Season 3): With Mr. Wilson’s sudden exit, who will replace him?
‘Mister Ed’ (Season 3): Classic sitcom is still funny, but its rigid structure begins to show
Wilbur: “Read one of your comic books.”
Mr. Ed: “They depress me.”
‘I Dream of Jeannie’ (Season 1): Classic sitcom will always please its Master – the audience
When are they coming for I Dream of Jeannie? I mean…the word “master” is thrown out at least ten times an episode by that scantily-clad genie slave Jeannie. Hasn’t this by now aroused the ire of some pajama-clad soy latte-drinking non-binary “pop culture author” who needs their “they/them” tantrum to be noticed today on Twitter? Isn’t a reckoning coming for this racist/sexist sitcom, and for all those who participated in it and who watch it today? Can’t someone please cancel 90-year-old Barbara Eden before it’s goddamn too late?
Continue reading ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ (Season 1): Classic sitcom will always please its Master – the audience
‘My Three Sons’ (Season 1): A remarkably complex, innovative American sitcom
Escape is the only option today, I fear (if you’re lucky enough to be able to escape, I should add). So if you’re going to retreat, you should go somewhere extraordinary.
Continue reading ‘My Three Sons’ (Season 1): A remarkably complex, innovative American sitcom
‘Mister Ed’ (Season 2): Popular sitcom moves from syndication to CBS
Horse talks. Makes smartass joke. Human master flustered. Viewer laughs. Repeat.
Continue reading ‘Mister Ed’ (Season 2): Popular sitcom moves from syndication to CBS
‘Dennis the Menace’ (Season 2): ’60s sitcom’s highest rated season
More of the same this second time around…and that means more laughs from this witty, perfectly-crafted family sitcom.
Continue reading ‘Dennis the Menace’ (Season 2): ’60s sitcom’s highest rated season
‘The Donna Reed Show’ (Season 1): A charming, misunderstood gem
You think the Stone family would make you wear a mask? Please.
Continue reading ‘The Donna Reed Show’ (Season 1): A charming, misunderstood gem
‘Mister Ed’ (Season 1): Classic 60s sitcom still delivers the funny
“Why did you talk to me?” “The whole thing is fantastic! I just don’t understand it!”
“Don’t try…it’s bigger than both of us.”
‘The Courtship of Eddie’s Father’ (Season 1): Understated performances keep sitcom fresh & touching
“When you were a little boy, did you want to be what you are now?”
“No.”
“How come, Dad?”
“Well, because I guess when I was a little boy, I didn’t know that one day there would be a little boy like you that I would be the father of.”
“Is that the most important thing you are? A father?”
“That is the most important thing I am.”
‘Welcome Back, Kotter’ (Season 1): It’s back to school—70s style
Welcome back,
Your dreams were your ticket out.
Welcome back,
To that same old place that you laughed about.
Well, the names have all changed since you hung around,
But those dreams have remained and they’ve turned around.
Who’d have thought they’d lead ya,
Who’d have thought they’d lead ya,
Back here where we need ya?
Back here where we need ya?
Yeah, we tease him a lot,
‘Cause we got him on the spot,
Welcome back.
Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.
Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.
‘Dennis the Menace’ (Season 1): Comic strip-turned-sitcom remains delightfully fun
‘Mama’s Family’: Underdog sitcom a flyover country favorite
Good Lord the “Joe Hamilton” cuts are finally here!
Continue reading ‘Mama’s Family’: Underdog sitcom a flyover country favorite
‘Good Times’: Enjoyably messy! A fondly remembered 70s sitcom
“Let’s face it, James: this family ain’t Ozzie and Harriet.”
Continue reading ‘Good Times’: Enjoyably messy! A fondly remembered 70s sitcom
‘M*A*S*H’: A remarkable artistic achievement – thanks to its early years
If you’re like me (poor you), you keep your remote handy to check out the local digital stations that air old-timey television, channels like MeTV, Cozi, and Antenna (don’t even mention Retro TV to me—they ditched my city right when the Althea and Nick Bellini fights were getting good on The Doctors). Twenty years ago, if you had told me I’d actively seek out television showing edited classics interspersed with commercials, I’d have said you were crazy.
Continue reading ‘M*A*S*H’: A remarkable artistic achievement – thanks to its early years
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