Old TV Shows

Some years ago, we started to purchase old TV shows and watch them. I believe that it began with a British series called "The Prisoner" and lately, we have watched "The Muppet Show". The shows have survived the years and are now on DVD.

"The Prisoner" was a great early sci-fi show that was made at about the same time as "The Avengers". British spies are held captive in this village where everyone is assigned a number that matches their apartment number. Two things have stuck in my mind since I watched this show as a teenager. The first is that if any of the spies try to leave the village, a gigantic bubble floats out from somewhere(???) and swallows them up. They awake back in their assigned apartment. The other thing I remembered over the years is a life-size chess set. The prisoners are assigned chess piece positions. The two players sit in tall chairs (like they use in Wimbledon tennis matches for the primary judges) and tell the pieces where to move with each play.

"The Avengers" is an old black and white, and later color, British sci-fi show. The plots were usually extremely weird and the women could defend themselves with martial arts. The female star also wore cool black leather outfits!

"The Muppet Show" is absolutely delightful! With creatures that come in all different colors and species, Jim Henson's sense of humor is one of a kind. Some examples are: "Kermit, Kermit I have a wire for you." "Okay, hand it to me." And Fozie the bear hands Kermit the frog some wire. Hahahaha! "Kermit, Kermit. I have a letter for you." "Okay. Give it to me so I can read it." And Fozie hands Kermit a large green capital "R". Love it!

"Northern Exposure" is a show about a NY doctor who ends up living in a small Alaskan town right after graduating medical school. Rich characterization and culture clashes fill this show. We have enjoyed all six seasons completely. Wonderfully funny show.

We also have "The Best of Laugh-In" with an incredibly young Goldie Hawn in the cast. The first season of "Picket Fences" has been released and we have finished it. Set in a small Wisconsin town, the program deals with a variety of social issues often with great humor and staunch opinions. "Soap" is a humorous take-off on soap operas!

Old programs are great; and even our youngest family member, who is seeing them for the first time, enjoys discovering the various reasons why someone somewhere decided that the show was worth releasing on DVD.