 |
| Behind the scenes of The Honeymooners |
Lists. I'm a sucker for them.
Best baseball players (Babe Ruth, of course). Best bands (The Beatles, of course). Best football players (Jim Brown, of course).
Whatever it is, I'll likely immerse myself in it.
Tonight, I got a look at Variety's 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
As is always the case, I didn't agree. Yet it's not the worst list I've ever seen.
I'll go ahead and cheat for you by listing the top 10 here.
10) Roots
9) The Mary Tyler Moore Show
8) Seinfeld
7) The Wire
6) Sex in the City
5) Breaking Bad
4) The Simpsons
3) The Sopranos
2) Mad Men
1) I Love Lucy
Generally speaking, this is a critic's dream list. These are all critical sweethearts.
The 100 shows on the list are a collection of other critical darlings and, overall, I don't mind what they picked. Admittedly there are a bunch of shows that I've never watched so it's not fair for me to comment on.
As always, I and others will say "What about (insert show here)?"
Two shows that admittedly spring to mind for me are The Odd Couple and, especially, The Honeymooners (or any Jackie Gleason show).
But what show do you pull?
I figure -- if I may speak bluntly -- The Honeymooners isn't appropriate for 2023 and that hurts it. However, with as much bluster as Ralph Kramden may have uttered, it's quite fair to say that his seemingly-beleaguered wife Alice was the one who truly ruled the apartment inside 328 Chauncey Street in Brooklyn.
"Bang! Zoom!" was an empty threat. It was a comic trademark that doesn't fit today.
Ralph was a caricature and his outbursts were necessary for the show, which usually resulted in Alice setting things straight.
So, once we get beyond that, the laughs accumulated in the classic 39 episodes between 1955-1956 are among the hardest I've ever chortled. Watching Ed Norton "address" the golf ball, seeing Ralph play a version of "Name that Tune" (incorrectly), or viewing Noton watch "Captain Video" are among the funniest things TV has ever seen, Lucille Ball included.
Ralph and Norton dancing "The Huckelbuck?" Hysterical.
As much as I revere I Love Lucy, number one is too high for me. Oh, I realize it's important and part of the reason for that was the savvy that Ball and Desi Arnaz had, including the smarts to make sure there was an archive of their show by filming it. They revolutionized TV beginning in 1951.
It's an iconic show.
For me, The Sopranos is number one. The depth of storytelling exhibited in the show, combined with fascinating characters and legendary acting placed it in a different stratosphere for me. We had simply scratched the surface of James Gandolfini's brilliance and we're truly blessed to have those shows to watch for years to come.
And while I mean no offense -- honestly, I loved the show, especially in the early years -- there's zero chance I'd leave The Simpsons in the top 10, especially over shows like Seinfeld, All in the Family, and M*A*S*H. What The Simpsons does have is longevity but does that mean the writing still holds up?
By the way, All in the Family at 16 is a crime. Oh, and The Golden Girls at 18 made me laugh out loud. Then again, let's not delve into Sex in the City at 6. At that point, we will start nitpicking the whole thing but, isn't that the fun of it all?
I realize I'm likely forgetting shows that I'll scratch my head at for it not being on this list but, overall, this list isn't that bad.
But no Doctor Who or Monty Python's Flying Circus or Frasier or Better Call Saul? I'm honestly trying to not pull any shows off this list...but yeah, I'd pull some for sure.
However, Variety didn't ask for MY top 100.
It's just a list I agree with and, honestly, I can't tell you a single list I'll ever agree with.
It's part of the game, I guess.
Anyway, discuss.
No comments:
Post a Comment