Friday, March 4, 2011

Gone But Not Forgotten!

Today is the Gone But Not Forgotten Blogfest, hosted by the lovely Erinn Alicia, Holly, Pam and Quinta.  As Erinn explains on her blog, "Nothing is meant to last forever...Sadly there are many AMAZING shows no longer on the air.  Does this mean we forget them? No!...List your top 5 TV shows no longer making NEW episodes. They may still be on the air but in syndication.  These shows may be GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN."

Here's my List of Top 5 Favorite TV Shows No Longer in Production:



5.  ROSEANNE -- Every character: hilarious. Every episode: hilarious.  This cast never shied away from hard-core issues facing working class American families.  But while they tackled topics like teen pregnancy, debt, infidelity and masturbation, they infused every scene with irresistible humor.  If a syndicated episode is airing on TV Land today, my channel surfing halts and I watch, even if there's only seven minutes left in the show, to the end.  Still so good!   

 


4.  FRIENDS -- I'll never forget the first episode I ever saw of Friends.  I was in Bangui, the capital city of the Central African Republic, welcoming in the new group of Peace Corps volunteers, fresh off the plane from the States.  I'd been in the bush without electricity or running water for a year, so things like standing under a running shower or watching a television were bizarre luxuries.  The new recruits had brought a VHS tape with three episodes of Friends. "What's Friends?" I asked.  Their jaws dropped.  "YOU don't know FRIENDS??" they gasped.  I realized that day what a difference a year makes.



3. SEINFELD -- Thursday nights, all six of us 'house-mates' in Washington D.C. got together for the best TV line-up of the 90s: Northern Exposure (which was actually on CBS, I think...after which we'd switch to NBC), then The Simpsons, then Seinfeld.  We may or may not have partied through those evenings....all I remember is LMAO during Seinfeld.  Funniest show about nothing, evah.



2.  GUIDING LIGHT -- I started watching Guiding Light with my aunt, my cousin and my grandmother the summer I was ten.  In 33 years, I rarely missed an episode -- with the exception of the stretch between early 1994 and late 2000, when I lived overseas.  Even when I was a college student, I made sure I never scheduled a class between 3:00 and 4:00.  Some may say it's silly, but a cast you've known for so long, whose children you see born and raised, become your extended family.  I cried like a baby on September 18, 2009 when the final episode aired.  Still so sad...



1. LOST -- I watched the pilot of LOST in September 2004.  I was moved, mesmerized, and completely hooked on the show.  I never missed an episode, but I can't claim to have figured out, or even remember, a majority of the story-lines.  Everything about this show appealed to me: how at the outset the viewer was as much a stranger to the characters as they were to each other; how each character's layers were peeled away through flashbacks; how the themes of science and faith collided over and over.  I loved watching for "Easter Eggs," the important clues, images, and people inconspicuously present in the background of different scenes.  And to mark the turning point in the series, the writers introduced flash-forwards, where instead of seeing into a character's past, we saw him in the future.  As if that didn't twist our perceptions enough, the writers created flash-sideways, which offered glimpses into alternate realities.  The viewer was left, disoriented at times, to figure out what was really going on.  For me, it was all brilliant.  LOVED it!  Can't wait to watch the whole series again on DVD.




Any of your favorites appear on my list?  What shows would you add?

And to hop to the other participating blogs, check out Erinn's Mr. Linky list at Something to Distract Me.
                                    

46 comments:

Trisha said...

Very nice picks, though I don't know one of them - Guiding Light. The rest are shows I've watched and very much enjoyed! hehe

Amparo Ortiz said...

*fist pump* Friends!!!! Love, love, love :)

I've watched bits and pieces of Seinfeld and have laughed my face off. Sitcoms nowadays should really check these ones out--they were SUCH amazing shows.

And yeah, it's about time I finally watch Lost... *hangs head in shame*

Awesome list!!

Gina Ciocca said...

OMG- Guiding Light went off the air? Where have I been?!

Anonymous said...

Seinfeld and Friends seem to be everybody's favorites!

Nice to meet you, Nicole :-)

Erinn said...

I loved Seinfeld, smart comedy done RIGHT. Kramer and George, Jerry and Eleine will live on forever on syndication.

Great List. Thanks for joining in on the fun!

Heather M. Gardner said...

Roseanne was a great show. I loved Laurie Metcalf as her sister, Jackie. Funniest part from an episode that sticks with me...Roseanne's mother dies and Jackie has to tell a hard of hearing family member that she passed away over the phone. I thought I would pee myself!

Who would have though that Johnny Galecki aka David would be starring in his own comedy The Big Bang Theory now!

Great list!

Unknown said...

Love Friends. I was just talking about Guiding Light and how my babysitter gave up on making me take a nap and just let me stay awake and watch her stories with her. One of her stories was Guiding Light.

Hart Johnson said...

Ha! Nice list! I have a couple guilty pleasure soaps I watch, and I imagine, were they no longer on the air, they'd make my list, too...

Teralyn Rose Pilgrim said...

I've never heard of Guiding Light. I'll have to look into it -- I'm always on the lookout for good shows.

Big Bang Theory is AWESOME! I never miss an episode.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

My list would be all science fiction - Firefly, Stargate SG1, Stargate: Atlantis, Enterprise...

Linda G. said...

Firefly. *sighs* I really miss that show...

Summer Frey said...

Evan and I watched LOST in a span of about 4 weeks. And I mean the entire series. We'd have weekends where we'd watch 11 episodes one day, 8 the next. We were pretty hardcore. The thing is, we didn't really love it all that much. We liked the first two seasons, but then we thought it started getting wayyyy off kilter, and we really hated the ending. But by George, we watched the hell out of it. :)

I always stop on Friends when I'm channel-surfing.

Christopher said...

I used to make fun of coworkers that would talk endlessly about their Lost theories. Then it got on Netflix and I started watching it from the beginning and my god, I got so hooked. I think I watched the first 5 seasons in a few weeks. Then I had to wait for the final one for what seemed like forever. Definitely one of my guilty pleasures.

Hannah said...

Friends, Seinfeld and Lost!! Woot!!

I still watch Seinfeld and laugh my ass off!

I haven't watched Rosanne in years but when I was living with my parents me and my sister would watch reruns every night! Good times.

KatOwens: Insect Collector said...

The cast of Roseanne was recently on Oprah-- it was so great. I had forgotten what a good show that was.
I also picked Lost. I loved it.

Jules said...

I loved Roseanne and the Guiding Light is the only soap opera I ever watched. :)

Nice list. Have a great weekend!
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

Claire Robyns said...

Ah, Roseanne, another show I used to watch religiously but haven't thought about in ages

Lola Sharp said...

I'm with Linda...Firefly. Really, anything by Whedon would make my list.

Also, Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars.

Have a fabulous weekend, Nic!
Love you,
Lola

Matthew MacNish said...

Funny story: I actually went to boarding school (read: reform school) with two of Roseanne's daughters. They were wonderful people, very sweet girls. Apparently she isn't.

Still, I did love the show as a kid, so funny, and so honest!

Donea Lee said...

Ahh, Friends is SUCH a great one! I think I watch far too much tv...my list could go on and on, but I'd add: Wonderfalls, Veronica Mars, and Pushing Daisies to the list. :)

New follower and fellow crusader here, just finally making the rounds. Happy Friday!

Misha Gerrick said...

Hahaha I love Friends!

:-)

Alicia Gregoire said...

Loved Roseanne. Loved. It.

Laura S. said...

Friends is my absolute favorite show!!! I didn't start watching it until the end of season 7 though. I have all the seasons on DVD now and never get tired of rewatching them. They're good to watch when I'm feeling sick or having a bad day. It always cheers me up!

It's hard to pick favorite episodes, I love them all, but I'd have to say that these two make me laugh the loudest: in season 3, The One Where No One's Ready, and in season 10, The Late Thanksgiving. So hilarious!

Marquita Hockaday said...

Aaah! Loved Roseanne and Friends---I used to stay up late at night during high school and watch re-runs of both shows. Great choices! And Lost is always gonna be one of the best shows evah- so unique and smart :D

Laura Howard said...

Friends was and is one of my favorites! I had a really hard time narrowing it down to five, there are just so many. I didn't even think of Roseanne somehow, even though I've probably seen all of the episodes at least twice...go figure!

J.C. Martin said...

Roseanne, Friends and Seinfeld are great choices! Not heard of Guiding Light. As for Lost, I enjoyed the first season, but then it kinda got a bit too surreal for me. :)

Ricki Schultz said...

Friends and Seinfeld fo sheezy!! Both almost made my list. Both written so well!

I must admit I haven't finished LOST yet -- I know, I know. But I intend to get the rest of the DVDs and start over from the beginning. You can't get too much Sawyer, right? ;)

Mo said...

I like the variety on your list! I do think LOST ended right where it needed to, and I liked the earlier seasons best. I'm right there with you on Friends and Seinfeld, even though I watched too much of both in college :)

Murees Dupè said...

Yeah, friends was good. Seinfeld is just a classic.

Thanks for following my blog.

Kimberly said...

These are all great ones! I didn't realize Guiding Light was done. Wow.

Jennifer Hoffine said...

I'm with you and Rosanne and Friends. Both so great.

Maryannwrites said...

I, too, miss Seinfeld. I never could get into Rosanne or Friends. Two shows that I do miss a lot are Without a Trace and Judging Judy.

Anstice Brown said...

Nice choices. Lost really was a great show!

Myne said...

I loved Seinfeld and Friends. Reba was good too...

May Torres said...

Oh I agree with all but one. I never got to watch Guiding Light, but I do enjoy a good soap opera! I'm glad we can still watch these shows in syndication.

Michael Di Gesu said...

I know all these.... YAY!

Friends was a great show. I was born and raised in NYC, so It felt like being home.

Not very realistic though. No one in NYC could afford the apts they had. ESPECIALLY the size and Rachels and Monica's NO WAY! That would be about $5000 a month back in the 90's ...

Michael

Jenn said...

Oh, Friends is my absolute favorite show! :) I'll admit my jaw dropped when I read that you didn't know what Friends was either lol

Kari Marie said...

How did I miss this blogfest? Friends is a favorite of mine, but I own all the seasons on DVD. I really loved Eli Stone and ER. Lost was the most addicting show I've ever watched.

J.L. Campbell said...

I still watch Roseanne on T.V. land.

DiscConnected said...

Seinfeld gets my vote for best comedy ever.

Is it too soon to start missing Lost?

For some reason I never got into Friends. Well made, well cast. I could never get past the fact that they'd never be able to afford those big apartments in NYC!

Larry

Tracy said...

Ahhh, these are good shows, but I have a couple:
American Dreams and Joan of Arcadia...I loved those shows!

Jai Joshi said...

X-Files. Only Fools and Horses (Brit comedy). The Vicar of Dibley (Brit comedy).

There's a whole list of shows I adore and can't forget even though they cancelled them.

Jai

Missed Periods said...

Seinfeld was the best. I miss Golden Girls and Arrested Development.

Jessica A. Briones said...

I still wtach the freinds reruns, as for Sienfeld, i think I am the only person in teh world who never watched it... *shrugs*

I gave you the Stylish Blogger Award. Pop over to my page to see what you need to do

Melissa Sarno said...

Oh wow, I love this post! I was a big fan of Rosanne too. I especially liked their Halloween episodes-- I remember looking forward to them every year. I miss Seinfeld but am grateful it's always on in reruns.
I miss Veronica Mars and My So Called Life.

Danette said...

This looked like a fun blogfest! I can't believe I missed it either! I came to Seinfeld when it hit reruns so I don't miss it on Network television, but I miss Friends. I would have picked 'Cheers' and 'M*A*S*H' and... well, that's just me! I don't watch TV much anymore though. Have a nice day!