As luck would have it, this nursing major had two free electives this winter quarter. I chose to take two television studies courses, mostly because I thought they would be fun and easy. And while they weren’t always the latter, they have been the former. I’ve seen shows in both classes that I had heard of but never watched before. Mostly comprised of sitcoms, each viewing experience made me realize there are so many great TV programs in history. Here are a few to watch if you feel like stepping back in time for your entertainment fix. Each is available on either Hulu or Netflix.
The Wonder Years
Image courtesy of Rolling Stone
I had heard of this show so many times before I actually saw episodes. It’s set in the late 1960s in California, so I was already a fan based on those two details. However, the episodes I watched were genuinely entertaining and cute.
I Love Lucy
This is one of the earliest sitcoms to have aired when television first began. It was super popular during its runtime and is still considered popular. Lucy and Ricky’s adventures are often shown on a few different TV channels each day.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Image courtesy of ABC News
When this show aired on CBS in the 1970s, many in the audience applauded it because it was so different. It focused on Mary, a single woman shown as a successful news producer. It ran for seven seasons, so there are many plotlines to binge.
The Twilight Zone
This isn’t a sitcom like the other shows I’ve listed here, but Twilight Zone is a great TV show. Each episode focuses on a different plot and characters. If you start watching this, I would recommend watching season 1, episode 4 titled “The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine”. I’ve watched a lot of Twilight Zone episodes, but this is still my favorite.
Fawlty Towers
Image courtesy of Daily Mail Express
Fawlty Towers was only 2 seasons long, but each episode is memorable. It aired on the BBC in the 1970s and is a classic example of what British humor is.