TV series that were ahead of their time and why (television, shows)
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I'm sure they would censor certain words, or just edit the line out for reruns on typical broadcast/cable, but I've seen reruns of The Jeffersons on Starz Black where they leave everything in--even George's infrequent (but weaponized) use of the n-word. Perhaps Starz has a policy on airing "original" versions rather than edited versions, warts and all.
I certainly would add The Mary Tyler Moore Show to this "groundbreaking" list. Hers was the first show of its type who popularized the idea of friends behaving as "a family you choose", and of course made an effort to reflect the changing roles of women in the workplace.
The Jeffersons are currently running on Antenna TV and they leave in the N word.
The Twilight Zone's use of fantasy to comment on human situations was ahead of its time, was a forerunner of witty, adult-oriented sitcoms that became popular in the 1970s.
You beat me to the punch with The Twilight Zone.
I watched most of the episodes recently on either Netflix or Amazon, all of the old B&W shows hold up as relevant today as they did back then!
The Twilight Zone's use of fantasy to comment on human situations was ahead of its time, paving the way for another show that did the same - Star Trek. The Dick Van Dyke Show was a forerunner of witty, adult-oriented sitcoms that became popular in the 1970s.
Twilight Zone didn't invent fantasy, but it is one of the best experssions of it in video format. And they used a number of well known and revered stories written by well known authors. TZ actually portrayed Fantasy as it was often written, where it said much, but not everything, and depending on your perception, maybe something unique. But it is one of the most unique shows ever to light a tv screen, and in true form, did not always give you the answer.
Much of this was the genius of Rod Sterling and his tender loving care of his show.
I'm sure they would censor certain words, or just edit the line out for reruns on typical broadcast/cable, but I've seen reruns of The Jeffersons on Starz Black where they leave everything in--even George's infrequent (but weaponized) use of the n-word. Perhaps Starz has a policy on airing "original" versions rather than edited versions, warts and all.
I certainly would add The Mary Tyler Moore Show to this "groundbreaking" list. Hers was the first show of its type who popularized the idea of friends behaving as "a family you choose", and of course made an effort to reflect the changing roles of women in the workplace.
MTM also came to mind. While That Girl and Julia came earlier, those shows seemed to focus on romance and home life versus career and workplace experiences.
Beverly Garland had the lead role (Casey Jones) in this gritty TV series about a New York City undercover policewoman 17 years (1957 and 1958) before Angie Dickinson graced the screen as the vacuous Pepper Anderson (1974).
Casey Jones was a tough, no-nonsense cop, the equal of her peers and colleagues. No sexism. No condescension.
Stories were written and filmed in a noir style similar to The Naked City TV series of the same era.
There are several episodes on youtube and there is a DVD on Amazon.
Check it out and you'll see why "Decoy" was ahead of its time.
Lost in Space was nothing but Z-grade creature of the week junk. It wasn't ahead of anything.
I'll nominate Peter Gunn -- sophisticated adult fare -- and the gritty cop show Naked City.
Great selection. Peter Gunn music was fantastic in the background and Naked City grew over the years to introduce many new actors to successful TV careers.
OK here's one.....
Burns, and Allen show. Because George had this TV set in his room upstairs and he could watch what was going on elsewhere - usually Gracie doing some crazy thing. We thought it was amazing. Of course today people have video set ups like that...seemed like magic to us kids in the early 1960's
I think it portrayed teenagers more realistically than many shows had up to that point, and it also had adults who weren't caricatures. The kids were not stereotypes or one-dimensional.
It also didn't rely on the usual storylines but had surprises along the way.
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