Happy 81st Birthday, Lee Majors Turns 81 - and My Top Ten List of Favorite TV Shows (of All Time)
Happy 81st Birthday to Lee Majors!
And to help celebrate, I’ve included his best-known TV series, The Six Million Dollar Man, in my Top Ten list of favorite TV shows of all time. See below.
Stay safe. Stay healthy. And stay UPBEAT!
HJP
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My Top Ten Favorite TV Shows
An Objective List In Alphabetical Order
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Due to opinion, taste, age, and mindset, it’s pretty much impossible to come up with the ideal mainstream list of what may be considered the best of anything, much less an optimum lineup of favorite television shows. But here’s my personal take on the Top Ten TV series from the primetime schedules of all time, most of which hail from (although not limited to) the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s, including dramas, comedies, and sci-fi/fantasy — presented in alphabetical order.
“Bewitched” (ABC, 1964–1972)
The scripts were superior, particularly the first two black and white seasons. The themes were ahead of its time (prejudice, strong work ethic, true love). And Elizabeth Montgomery made you like and believe in witches because she was so likable and believable in the role of twitch-witch Samantha Stephens. Into this magic mix, Dick York and Dick Sargent’s double-take on Sam’s mortal husband Darrin remains historic, as does a host of supporting, recurring and special guest stars including Agnes Moorehead’s fiercely appealing performance as Endora, Samantha’s mystical mom, and David White’s no-holds-barred interpretation of Larry Tate, Darrin’s self-absorbed ad-man boss.
“The Bionic Woman” (ABC/NBC, 1976–1978)
Lee Majors thinks The Six Million Dollar Man, a.k.a. Steve Austin, needs to have a girlfriend. ABC hires Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Sommers, The Five Million Dollar Woman (because her parts are cheaper). The character is originally killed off in a two-part episode of Six, and the viewers are outraged. Amidst tense negotiations by Wagner’s ace manager (Ron Samuels, who also manages (and is married to) ABC’s other super female Lynda Wonder Woman Carter), The Bionic Woman returns for a second two-part episode of Six, and then ultimately her own weekly series. Wagner goes on to win an Emmy for her credible performance of an incredible character, and her acting charms and chops lead to further fame as one of TV’s first “Queen of TV-Movies” (following Elizabeth Montgomery and Jane Seymour). But her interpretation as Jaime Sommers marks the sci-fi genre’s first realistic portrayal of a superhero and supergeeks around the universe continue to rejoice at the accomplishment.
“The Dick Van Dyke Show” (CBS, 1961–1966)
The sophisticated, gorgeous, and talented dynamic duo of Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore charm the capri-pants off the viewers in Carl Reiner’s comedic genius creation of what is arguably the best TV sitcom in history. Along with Reiner in a periodic fashion, the supporting cast is equally unstoppable, including Rose Marie, More Amsterdam, Richard Deacon, Ann Morgan Gilbert, Jerry Paris, and Larry Mathews. beyond the clothes and the sets, and minus any pop-culture references of its time, The Dick Van Dyke Show’s appeal remains timeless.
“Kung Fu” (ABC, 1972–1975)
While President Nixon was holding historic talks with China’s Chairman Mao, David Carradine’s half-Chinese/half-American’s Kwai Chang Caine was introducing mainstream America to Asian culture and philosophy on a weekly basis. Radames Pera’s take on Young Grasshopper/Young Caine in the show’s famed flashback sequences remains indelible, as do many of the show’s trademark sequences and catchphrases: taking the pebble from the hand; the rice paper, and more. Legendary actors Keye Luke and Philip Ahn, as Masters Po and Kahn, respectively, rounded out a remarkable cast that allowed Asian-American actors to break-out from the stereotypical “house-boy” mold of how they were usually presented beforehand. And for the record: Ed Spielman and Howard Friedlander — and not Bruce Lee — created this series from a script they originally envisioned as a feature film in the 1960s, long before martial arts legend Lee was even considered for the role that he ultimately lost out on because he was considered “too tough” for the part. (Side-note: as a result of being rejected for the role of Kwai Chang Caine, Lee returned to his homeland China, where he ignited his hit series of feature films.)
“Life Goes On” (ABC, 1989–1993)
The first show to present a character with a disability, this series made a star of actor Chris Burke, who played Corky Thacher, who just so happens to have Down syndrome. He is not defined by his disability, but rather his humanity. Corky’s parents, portrayed by Bill Smitrovich and Patti Lupone, treat their son equally to their other children, Becca (Kellie Martin) and Paige (first played by Monique Lanier, then Tracey Needham). Chad Lowe later joins the series in with his Emmy-winning performance as Jesse McKenna, a young teen stricken with AIDS, just as basketball legend Magic Johnson is diagnosed with the disease in real life. A monumental television show.
“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (CBS, 1970–1977)
Who could turn the world on with her smile? Mary Tyler Moore, of course, which she had already done as Laura Petrie for five years on The Dick Van Dyke Show. After her feature film career stalled, post-Van Dyke, and following a small-screen special reunion with her former leading man, Moore returns to TV as Mary Richards. The Moore Show surrounds with a stellar supporting cast including Ed Asner, Valerie Harper, Ted Knight, Cloris Leachman, Betty White, and Georgia Engel, and provides its star with the opportunity to form (with husband Grant Tinker) MTM Enterprises, which becomes a powerhouse production company that churns out countless other hits. Whereas Marlo Thomas on That Girl paved the way as one of TV’s first independent females, Moore as Mary Richards picked up the baton and tosses her blue knit beret into a whole other level — because she had “spunk”!
“The Six Million Dollar Man” (ABC, 1973–1979)
Running in slow-motion. Terrific sound effects. Solid scripts from those like D.C. Fontana (Star Trek), and leisure suits. What’s not to like about this Lee Majors-led series which was the first to portray superheroes as real people with flaws and limitations. In this case, Steve Austin, a former astronaut, and test-pilot whose near-fatal aircraft accident ignites his resurrection as the world’s first bionic man. “We can rebuild him, make him stronger, faster, better,” or so said Richard Anderson as OSI G-man and Austin’s boss “Oscar Goldman” in the show’s iconic opening credits, who gave the go-ahead to invest six million dollars in Steve’s super reconstruction.
“Star Trek” (NBC, 1966–1969)
The granddaddy of ’em all, and not just of other Star Trek spin-offs, etc., but of other science-fiction/fantasy series in general. While other sci-fi shows like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits explored strange new worlds (literally or ephemerally) with eclectic aplomb, those programs are classified as anthologies. The original Star Trek series featured the same characters on different weekly adventures — and ain’t nobody did it better than Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy (the triad of stability, logic, and emotion), and company in what series creator Gene Roddenberry (the “Great Bird of the Galaxy”) referred to as Wagon Train to the Stars).
“The Twilight Zone” (CBS, 1959–1964)
As opposed to any of its revamps over the years (either for television or the big screen), Rod Serling’s original creation of The Twilight Zone anthology series remains a stand-out because most of its scripts were based on source material that stemmed from published novels, novellas, or published articles. Either way or Serling himself and an elite list of well-trained writers ignited original material. In either case, no new edition of this show (with vulgarities of every ilk) will never compare to the initial series, which never needed to stoop to vulgar levels to deliver nothing less than pure genius.
Honorable Mentions (in Alphabetical Order)
(including documentaries, musical/variety shows, game shows, and animated series of all time periods):
Alice, The Andy Griffith Show, The Archies, Arnie, All in the Family, Batman, The Brady Bunch, Barnaby Jones, The Bob Hope Specials, The Bob Newhart Show, The Carol Burnett Show, Charlie’s Angels, Dallas, Dark Shadows, The Donna Reed Show, The Doris Day Show, Dynasty, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Edge of Night, Family Affair, Father Knows Best, Frasier, The Flintstones, The Fugitive, General Hospital, Good Times, The Golden Girls, Green Acres, Happy Days (the first season), Here’s Lucy, The Herculoids, The Hollywood Palace, I Dream of Jeannie, I Love Lucy, Jacque Cousteau, The Jeffersons (the first season), The Jimmy Stewart Show, Jonny Quest, Little House on the Prairie, Lost in Space, The Lucy Show, Mannix, Marcus Welby, M.D., M*A*S*H (the first two seasons), Match Game ’73, Maude, The Mod Squad, My Three Sons, Murder, She Wrote, The Partridge Family, Password, Petticoat Junction, Reba, The Red Skelton Show, Room 222, Seinfeld (the first four seasons), Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, The Time Tunnel, That Girl, The Waltons, The Wild, Wild West, The Wonder Years, Wonder Woman (the first season), and probably about a billion others.
[Note: See link below for the original posting of this list on my blog at Medium.com.]