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Time Magazine's All-Time 100 TV Shows

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 2:07 am
by J.J. Walters
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/ ... 41,00.html

A pretty good list in my opinion, although no Magnum! Anyway, I was ready through some of the entries and came across this opening sentence in the Sopranos entry:

"To get a sense of how The Sopranos changed TV, get a pen and make a list of the 20 best TV dramas before 1999. That list will very likely include Magnum, P.I."

First immediate thought is, "Grrrr!" Second thought is, "Why are they making a specific reference to Magnum here? Kind of odd!" But then I think, "Hey, they just said Magnum is a Top 20 drama in the 1948-1999 time period. Not bad!" I'm sure they meant it as an insult, but it a weird way it's not.

Anyway, they should have replaced General Hospital with Magnum P.I.!

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 9:37 am
by Styles Bitchley
Thanks James.

It's a strange list. A mixture of drama series, sitcoms, specials (Charlie Brown Christmas, The Day After, etc.), news programs, and talk shows.

Pretty hard to compare these shows - maybe that's why they call the list "All Time TV Shows" rather than Greatest TV Shows of All Time. Do they mean influential?

It's an interesting list, but I don't get the point.

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 2:30 pm
by ConchRepublican
I'm glad to see Wiseguy get some respect, it was a good show. That said, it was only really good for what, two years? Maybe three?

Magnum confronted and changed the cultural view of the Vietnam veteran, not to mention tackled race relations just by the natural friendship and no mentioning of race between Magnum and TC.

There are many shows on that list I'd replace with Magnum. The Monkees? MTV 1981-1992 (why not include FOX instead their actual shows early on?) King of the Hill? The GILMORE GIRLS?!?!?!

Bah . . .

I will say, I do also appreciate Buffy the Vampire Slayer getting some love as well . . .

Re: Time Magazine's All-Time 100 TV Shows

Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 11:31 pm
by AmandaByNight
J.J. Walters wrote:http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/ ... 41,00.html

Anyway, they should have replaced General Hospital with Magnum P.I.!
What's so ironic about that is that General Hospital is now the Sopranos. I'm actually watching it now. Everyone is in the mob and blowing up stuff??? Crazy!

At any rate, GH did change the face of daytime in the 80s, and it did have some episodes air in prime time, making it kind of a trailblazer and unique. It's not my "story" (One Life to Live was), but I get why they placed it on the list.

Still, I agree that Magnum really dealt with the horrors of Vietnam in a way I don't think we really saw as openly at that time. Even MASH used Korea to soften the blow of the situation.