Here's my list of my favortie TV shows of all time.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Hi Guys,
I'd like to compliment everyone on their lists. I might not have listed some of them but they are all worthy. My list may not make some NY Times critics list of important series, but they make me feel good:

1) Andy Griffith Show
2) Dick Van Dyke Show
3) Route 66 (some of the best writing/acting in tv history)
4) Magnum PI
5) Rockford Files
6) WKRP
7) The Honeymooners
Black Adder
9) The Avengers - the 2 seasons with Mrs. Peel
10) Twilight Zone
11) Bonanza
12) Monty Python
13) I SPY
14) Bill Cosby Show(the late 1960's one that ran for 2 years with Bill as a gym teacher, 50 times better than his later much more famous series).
Plus my favorites as a kid:
Jonny Quest
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo
Bugs Bunny
3 Stooges
Gigantor
Superman
Wonderama
Soupy Sales Show
Sea Hunt
Bozo, Garfield Goose and Ray Rayner on WGN Chicago

It's been 10 years since I posted the above, but not once since then have I been able to watch "I Spy" despite it being a great series that could never be replicated because
no one could afford to film a series that one week was in Japan and the next Algeria or London.
I get you are supposed to separate the actor from the role but Cosby's crimes are so vile I can't watch anything he is in.
So I am amending my list:

1) Andy Griffith Show
2) Dick Van Dyke Show
3) Route 66 (some of the best writing/acting in tv history)
4) Magnum PI
5) Rockford Files
6) WKRP
7) The Honeymooners
Black Adder
9) The Avengers - the 2 seasons with Mrs. Peel
10) Twilight Zone
11) Bonanza
12) Cheers
13) Star Trek
14) Blue Heelers
15) The Saint
16) Doc Martin
17) The Prisoner
18) Perry Mason
19) Newhart
20) All in the Family

Did I SPY really film on location? I'm sure many episodes were but I doubt every episode was. I'm sure many episodes had establishing shots of some faraway locale but the rest was probably filmed locally. Can't imagine they'd be shooting in Athens one week and then in Tokyo the next. These weren't exactly James Bond movies. Cosby or not, I was never a huge fan of the series though it wasn't a bad show. Certainly more believable and grounded than something like Man from U.N.C.L.E. Actually my favorite episode has always been "It's All Done with Mirrors" with Carroll O'Connor as a brainwashing expert working for the Russkies. He brainwashes Culp to shoot Cosby. Pretty tense episode. The others don't really stand out too much in my memory.

Hey, no Hawaii Five-O on that list??? Blasphemy!!! Should be right at the top at #1. Book 'em Danno!

I Spy was a groundbreaking show in its use of location shooting, and it was expensive and complex to plan, but they did it. Writers were encouraged to include lots of local landmarks in their stories. A lot was done in European cities, but also Mexico and Hong Kong among others.

I got to see much of the series many years ago on a cable channel I don’t recall and have never seen it since. I didn’t see every episode, but I remember being impressed when I realized they were actually filming on location. It’s very well done and if a higher quality than contemporaneous shows like Mission Impossible and The Man from UNCLE shot mostly on studio backlots.

I also recall that there were times when several episodes were in a particular region. The Greek Isles comes to mind and also in and around Mexico. Sometimes the location wasn’t too far from Hollywood. I remember one in Palm Springs and at least a couple in San Francisco. So they weren’t exactly going from Tokyo one week, to Paris the next, and then to Mexico City, but they were filming on location.

Also, an hour long drama back then didn’t film an episode per week. It generally took seven plus production days per episode. That’s why filming usually started about two months before the new season premiered, to have several already in the can. This is no longer true for most series today with shorter seasons and often film-like production values, but it was then and in the 80’s with MPI.

Ivan, Pahonu,
Doh! How I could leave Hawaii Five-O off my list.I have no excuse, though I am recovering from surgery and am on oxy, but still. It's in my top 5 for sure.
Pahonu, excellent response to Ivan concerning I Spy's positives and the fact it was filmed on location. It did use studios as well, why rent space in London for interiors when you
can do it cheaper in Hollywood later on.
The original pilot was subpar and would not have passed muster with the suits so over the weekend Culp wrote a new one that was excellent. The suits were pleased but producer Sheldon
Leonard's ego was bruised. It didn't help that Culp constantly fought for higher standards, and that he was almost always right.
The whole business of the hip, stylish patter with him and Cosby was his idea, and he penned them, though everyone assumed it was Cosby.
His intellect was far above average, the 6 scripts he wrote were the series's best episodes and if he had chosen screen writing over acting he would have been even more successful doing that.
Note how his guest shots on Columbo etc (Bonanza)were always top notch, that's because he would rewrite his lines and tactfully make script suggestions that again were invariably spot on.
He spent time after work schooling the raw Cosby in acting, Cosby always credited Culp for him winning an Emmy and getting most of the acclaim and not resenting Cosby overshadowing
him in the media coverage. Culp just wanted to make sure it was a good show, his efforts raised "Scotty" from more of a sidekick to partner, don't forget it was envisioned as "I" spy, not "we" spy.
Great title song as well, I have the soundtrack somewhere.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Hi Guys,
I'd like to compliment everyone on their lists. I might not have listed some of them but they are all worthy. My list may not make some NY Times critics list of important series, but they make me feel good:

1) Andy Griffith Show
2) Dick Van Dyke Show
3) Route 66 (some of the best writing/acting in tv history)
4) Magnum PI
5) Rockford Files
6) WKRP
7) The Honeymooners
Black Adder
9) The Avengers - the 2 seasons with Mrs. Peel
10) Twilight Zone
11) Bonanza
12) Monty Python
13) I SPY
14) Bill Cosby Show(the late 1960's one that ran for 2 years with Bill as a gym teacher, 50 times better than his later much more famous series).
Plus my favorites as a kid:
Jonny Quest
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo
Bugs Bunny
3 Stooges
Gigantor
Superman
Wonderama
Soupy Sales Show
Sea Hunt
Bozo, Garfield Goose and Ray Rayner on WGN Chicago

It's been 10 years since I posted the above, but not once since then have I been able to watch "I Spy" despite it being a great series that could never be replicated because
no one could afford to film a series that one week was in Japan and the next Algeria or London.
I get you are supposed to separate the actor from the role but Cosby's crimes are so vile I can't watch anything he is in.
So I am amending my list:

1) Andy Griffith Show
2) Dick Van Dyke Show
3) Route 66 (some of the best writing/acting in tv history)
4) Magnum PI
5) Rockford Files
6) WKRP
7) The Honeymooners
Black Adder
9) The Avengers - the 2 seasons with Mrs. Peel
10) Twilight Zone
11) Bonanza
12) Cheers
13) Star Trek
14) Blue Heelers
15) The Saint
16) Doc Martin
17) The Prisoner
18) Perry Mason
19) Newhart
20) All in the Family

Did I SPY really film on location? I'm sure many episodes were but I doubt every episode was. I'm sure many episodes had establishing shots of some faraway locale but the rest was probably filmed locally. Can't imagine they'd be shooting in Athens one week and then in Tokyo the next. These weren't exactly James Bond movies. Cosby or not, I was never a huge fan of the series though it wasn't a bad show. Certainly more believable and grounded than something like Man from U.N.C.L.E. Actually my favorite episode has always been "It's All Done with Mirrors" with Carroll O'Connor as a brainwashing expert working for the Russkies. He brainwashes Culp to shoot Cosby. Pretty tense episode. The others don't really stand out too much in my memory.

Hey, no Hawaii Five-O on that list??? Blasphemy!!! Should be right at the top at #1. Book 'em Danno!

I Spy was a groundbreaking show in its use of location shooting, and it was expensive and complex to plan, but they did it. Writers were encouraged to include lots of local landmarks in their stories. A lot was done in European cities, but also Mexico and Hong Kong among others.

I got to see much of the series many years ago on a cable channel I don’t recall and have never seen it since. I didn’t see every episode, but I remember being impressed when I realized they were actually filming on location. It’s very well done and if a higher quality than contemporaneous shows like Mission Impossible and The Man from UNCLE shot mostly on studio backlots.

I also recall that there were times when several episodes were in a particular region. The Greek Isles comes to mind and also in and around Mexico. Sometimes the location wasn’t too far from Hollywood. I remember one in Palm Springs and at least a couple in San Francisco. So they weren’t exactly going from Tokyo one week, to Paris the next, and then to Mexico City, but they were filming on location.

Also, an hour long drama back then didn’t film an episode per week. It generally took seven plus production days per episode. That’s why filming usually started about two months before the new season premiered, to have several already in the can. This is no longer true for most series today with shorter seasons and often film-like production values, but it was then and in the 80’s with MPI.

Ivan, Pahonu,
Doh! How I could leave Hawaii Five-O off my list.I have no excuse, though I am recovering from surgery and am on oxy, but still. It's in my top 5 for sure.
Pahonu, excellent response to Ivan concerning I Spy's positives and the fact it was filmed on location. It did use studios as well, why rent space in London for interiors when you
can do it cheaper in Hollywood later on.
The original pilot was subpar and would not have passed muster with the suits so over the weekend Culp wrote a new one that was excellent. The suits were pleased but producer Sheldon
Leonard's ego was bruised. It didn't help that Culp constantly fought for higher standards, and that he was almost always right.
The whole business of the hip, stylish patter with him and Cosby was his idea, and he penned them, though everyone assumed it was Cosby.
His intellect was far above average, the 6 scripts he wrote were the series's best episodes and if he had chosen screen writing over acting he would have been even more successful doing that.
Note how his guest shots on Columbo etc (Bonanza)were always top notch, that's because he would rewrite his lines and tactfully make script suggestions that again were invariably spot on.
He spent time after work schooling the raw Cosby in acting, Cosby always credited Culp for him winning an Emmy and getting most of the acclaim and not resenting Cosby overshadowing
him in the media coverage. Culp just wanted to make sure it was a good show, his efforts raised "Scotty" from more of a sidekick to partner, don't forget it was envisioned as "I" spy, not "we" spy.
Great title song as well, I have the soundtrack somewhere.

All is forgiven, Dobie. Because I was about to say - what's with some of these titles like Doc Martin and Blue Heelers (which I'd never even heard of) and no Five-O anywhere in sight? But you allayed my fears with your confirmation that it's in the top 5. That's more like it! But see if you can move it into your top 1. I'll have to come up with my list some time soon. Gotta think about that one a bit. So many great shows from our past.

Didn't Cosby win 3 Emmies in a row for each of its 3 seasons? As Best Actor in Drama Series? I can only remember that Barbara Bain did the same thing - 3 wins in a row for the 3 seasons that she was in on MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE. I can understand her 3 wins because at the time leading ladies in drama series were far and few in between. I think the only other 2 candidates were Barb Stanwyck on THE BIG VALLEY and Diana Rigg on THE AVENGERS. Plus Bain really did play a very beautiful and intelligent and strong character in the show so I have no complaints about her. But did Cosby really deserve those 3 wins? I can't really say that he steals the spotlight from Culp so I'm not sure what it is. I always thought they were on pretty equal footing as far as their acting abilities and humor went. And yet I don't think Culp was even nominated. Yet Cosby won 3 times in a row? Something doesn't feel right there. I get that he was the first black leading man on TV at the time (though second billed to Culp) but was he really that much better than Culp or even other leading men on television at the time? I'm sorry but Dan Blocker as Hoss and Michael Landon as Little Joe ran circles around him when it came to acting talents and especially humor! There were a lot of leading men in drama series at the time so I don't know how Cosby stole their thunder 3 times in a row.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

It's been 10 years since I posted the above, but not once since then have I been able to watch "I Spy" despite it being a great series that could never be replicated because
no one could afford to film a series that one week was in Japan and the next Algeria or London.
I get you are supposed to separate the actor from the role but Cosby's crimes are so vile I can't watch anything he is in.
So I am amending my list:

1) Andy Griffith Show
2) Dick Van Dyke Show
3) Route 66 (some of the best writing/acting in tv history)
4) Magnum PI
5) Rockford Files
6) WKRP
7) The Honeymooners
Black Adder
9) The Avengers - the 2 seasons with Mrs. Peel
10) Twilight Zone
11) Bonanza
12) Cheers
13) Star Trek
14) Blue Heelers
15) The Saint
16) Doc Martin
17) The Prisoner
18) Perry Mason
19) Newhart
20) All in the Family

Did I SPY really film on location? I'm sure many episodes were but I doubt every episode was. I'm sure many episodes had establishing shots of some faraway locale but the rest was probably filmed locally. Can't imagine they'd be shooting in Athens one week and then in Tokyo the next. These weren't exactly James Bond movies. Cosby or not, I was never a huge fan of the series though it wasn't a bad show. Certainly more believable and grounded than something like Man from U.N.C.L.E. Actually my favorite episode has always been "It's All Done with Mirrors" with Carroll O'Connor as a brainwashing expert working for the Russkies. He brainwashes Culp to shoot Cosby. Pretty tense episode. The others don't really stand out too much in my memory.

Hey, no Hawaii Five-O on that list??? Blasphemy!!! Should be right at the top at #1. Book 'em Danno!

I Spy was a groundbreaking show in its use of location shooting, and it was expensive and complex to plan, but they did it. Writers were encouraged to include lots of local landmarks in their stories. A lot was done in European cities, but also Mexico and Hong Kong among others.

I got to see much of the series many years ago on a cable channel I don’t recall and have never seen it since. I didn’t see every episode, but I remember being impressed when I realized they were actually filming on location. It’s very well done and if a higher quality than contemporaneous shows like Mission Impossible and The Man from UNCLE shot mostly on studio backlots.

I also recall that there were times when several episodes were in a particular region. The Greek Isles comes to mind and also in and around Mexico. Sometimes the location wasn’t too far from Hollywood. I remember one in Palm Springs and at least a couple in San Francisco. So they weren’t exactly going from Tokyo one week, to Paris the next, and then to Mexico City, but they were filming on location.

Also, an hour long drama back then didn’t film an episode per week. It generally took seven plus production days per episode. That’s why filming usually started about two months before the new season premiered, to have several already in the can. This is no longer true for most series today with shorter seasons and often film-like production values, but it was then and in the 80’s with MPI.

Ivan, Pahonu,
Doh! How I could leave Hawaii Five-O off my list.I have no excuse, though I am recovering from surgery and am on oxy, but still. It's in my top 5 for sure.
Pahonu, excellent response to Ivan concerning I Spy's positives and the fact it was filmed on location. It did use studios as well, why rent space in London for interiors when you
can do it cheaper in Hollywood later on.
The original pilot was subpar and would not have passed muster with the suits so over the weekend Culp wrote a new one that was excellent. The suits were pleased but producer Sheldon
Leonard's ego was bruised. It didn't help that Culp constantly fought for higher standards, and that he was almost always right.
The whole business of the hip, stylish patter with him and Cosby was his idea, and he penned them, though everyone assumed it was Cosby.
His intellect was far above average, the 6 scripts he wrote were the series's best episodes and if he had chosen screen writing over acting he would have been even more successful doing that.
Note how his guest shots on Columbo etc (Bonanza)were always top notch, that's because he would rewrite his lines and tactfully make script suggestions that again were invariably spot on.
He spent time after work schooling the raw Cosby in acting, Cosby always credited Culp for him winning an Emmy and getting most of the acclaim and not resenting Cosby overshadowing
him in the media coverage. Culp just wanted to make sure it was a good show, his efforts raised "Scotty" from more of a sidekick to partner, don't forget it was envisioned as "I" spy, not "we" spy.
Great title song as well, I have the soundtrack somewhere.

All is forgiven, Dobie. Because I was about to say - what's with some of these titles like Doc Martin and Blue Heelers (which I'd never even heard of) and no Five-O anywhere in sight? But you allayed my fears with your confirmation that it's in the top 5. That's more like it! But see if you can move it into your top 1. I'll have to come up with my list some time soon. Gotta think about that one a bit. So many great shows from our past.

Didn't Cosby win 3 Emmies in a row for each of its 3 seasons? As Best Actor in Drama Series? I can only remember that Barbara Bain did the same thing - 3 wins in a row for the 3 seasons that she was in on MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE. I can understand her 3 wins because at the time leading ladies in drama series were far and few in between. I think the only other 2 candidates were Barb Stanwyck on THE BIG VALLEY and Diana Rigg on THE AVENGERS. Plus Bain really did play a very beautiful and intelligent and strong character in the show so I have no complaints about her. But did Cosby really deserve those 3 wins? I can't really say that he steals the spotlight from Culp so I'm not sure what it is. I always thought they were on pretty equal footing as far as their acting abilities and humor went. And yet I don't think Culp was even nominated. Yet Cosby won 3 times in a row? Something doesn't feel right there. I get that he was the first black leading man on TV at the time (though second billed to Culp) but was he really that much better than Culp or even other leading men on television at the time? I'm sorry but Dan Blocker as Hoss and Michael Landon as Little Joe ran circles around him when it came to acting talents and especially humor! There were a lot of leading men in drama series at the time so I don't know how Cosby stole their thunder 3 times in a row.

Ivan,
I look forward to seeing your list, please do one.
Cosby's wins were due in part to his very large footprint in the media and national impact. His comedy records were huge, my brothers brought them home from Rutgers, I remember his
bio from (for kids) Scholastic Books catalog as 3rd grader me bought a copy(I had to earn every penny so I recall that).
He was the first black co-star of a series that everyone who was 'with it' at the time watched. Culp did get screwed, but he understood what was happening and still tutored Cosby who
to his credit never ceased to praise Culp as an actor who was far better than him. Culp was also hurt by Sheldon Leonard's animosity - Culp almost always won when he and Leonard went
to the network over how to make the show better - and as a result Leonard constantly promoted Cosby in the media etc at Culp's expense, using all his considerable influence with
the Hollywood trade papers etc to promote Cosby as the driver of the show.
No doubt guilt at how black actors were previously treated helped Cosby win 3 times in a row, during the height of the Civil Rights battles.
There was still echos of the past persisting then, Cosby's stuntman was a white guy in blackface till he and Culp said they wouldn't work till a black stuntman was hired.
He was the first black stuntman in Hollywood history, the others resented him and during a fight scene they all started viciously hitting him for real.
Cosby and Culp( a real life hard ass) waded into the fight - all caught on camera for the episode - and some of the actual footage was used as the fighting was so realistic, which it was.
I got this info from a book about I Spy, the best book written about a series that I have ever read but I have it buried in a box in the basement and my leg injury precludes me from
fishing it out and thus recalling the title.
You asked about the series on my list titled "Blue Heelers"? I got bored of the cookie cutter cop dramas with the same old NY or LA scenery and as Australian TV is now recognized as
turning out first class fare, I started watching (at the behest of a Aussie pal) the 510 episode, set in Mt. Thomas, Victoria, Australia copper show Blue Heelers.
It's a solid series, and with so many episodes, as the characters change over the years they are like old friends, er, mates.

Actually "Water Rats" is superior, with a bigger budget, concerning the Sydney Harbour Water Police. Lots of action set around what is probably the most beautiful harbor in the world
and more likely to appeal to the average Seppo, er, American. Fun to see lots of Sydney as opposed to Toronto filling in for NYC in many cop shows here.
The Australian Television Information Archive is THE place to go for info on any Aussie TV show.

Australians grow up watching our shows, so they are quite familiar with our culture/cities/slang etc and if you watch Aussie TV you will learn a lot about them.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Did I SPY really film on location? I'm sure many episodes were but I doubt every episode was. I'm sure many episodes had establishing shots of some faraway locale but the rest was probably filmed locally. Can't imagine they'd be shooting in Athens one week and then in Tokyo the next. These weren't exactly James Bond movies. Cosby or not, I was never a huge fan of the series though it wasn't a bad show. Certainly more believable and grounded than something like Man from U.N.C.L.E. Actually my favorite episode has always been "It's All Done with Mirrors" with Carroll O'Connor as a brainwashing expert working for the Russkies. He brainwashes Culp to shoot Cosby. Pretty tense episode. The others don't really stand out too much in my memory.

Hey, no Hawaii Five-O on that list??? Blasphemy!!! Should be right at the top at #1. Book 'em Danno!

I Spy was a groundbreaking show in its use of location shooting, and it was expensive and complex to plan, but they did it. Writers were encouraged to include lots of local landmarks in their stories. A lot was done in European cities, but also Mexico and Hong Kong among others.

I got to see much of the series many years ago on a cable channel I don’t recall and have never seen it since. I didn’t see every episode, but I remember being impressed when I realized they were actually filming on location. It’s very well done and if a higher quality than contemporaneous shows like Mission Impossible and The Man from UNCLE shot mostly on studio backlots.

I also recall that there were times when several episodes were in a particular region. The Greek Isles comes to mind and also in and around Mexico. Sometimes the location wasn’t too far from Hollywood. I remember one in Palm Springs and at least a couple in San Francisco. So they weren’t exactly going from Tokyo one week, to Paris the next, and then to Mexico City, but they were filming on location.

Also, an hour long drama back then didn’t film an episode per week. It generally took seven plus production days per episode. That’s why filming usually started about two months before the new season premiered, to have several already in the can. This is no longer true for most series today with shorter seasons and often film-like production values, but it was then and in the 80’s with MPI.

Ivan, Pahonu,
Doh! How I could leave Hawaii Five-O off my list.I have no excuse, though I am recovering from surgery and am on oxy, but still. It's in my top 5 for sure.
Pahonu, excellent response to Ivan concerning I Spy's positives and the fact it was filmed on location. It did use studios as well, why rent space in London for interiors when you
can do it cheaper in Hollywood later on.
The original pilot was subpar and would not have passed muster with the suits so over the weekend Culp wrote a new one that was excellent. The suits were pleased but producer Sheldon
Leonard's ego was bruised. It didn't help that Culp constantly fought for higher standards, and that he was almost always right.
The whole business of the hip, stylish patter with him and Cosby was his idea, and he penned them, though everyone assumed it was Cosby.
His intellect was far above average, the 6 scripts he wrote were the series's best episodes and if he had chosen screen writing over acting he would have been even more successful doing that.
Note how his guest shots on Columbo etc (Bonanza)were always top notch, that's because he would rewrite his lines and tactfully make script suggestions that again were invariably spot on.
He spent time after work schooling the raw Cosby in acting, Cosby always credited Culp for him winning an Emmy and getting most of the acclaim and not resenting Cosby overshadowing
him in the media coverage. Culp just wanted to make sure it was a good show, his efforts raised "Scotty" from more of a sidekick to partner, don't forget it was envisioned as "I" spy, not "we" spy.
Great title song as well, I have the soundtrack somewhere.

All is forgiven, Dobie. Because I was about to say - what's with some of these titles like Doc Martin and Blue Heelers (which I'd never even heard of) and no Five-O anywhere in sight? But you allayed my fears with your confirmation that it's in the top 5. That's more like it! But see if you can move it into your top 1. I'll have to come up with my list some time soon. Gotta think about that one a bit. So many great shows from our past.

Didn't Cosby win 3 Emmies in a row for each of its 3 seasons? As Best Actor in Drama Series? I can only remember that Barbara Bain did the same thing - 3 wins in a row for the 3 seasons that she was in on MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE. I can understand her 3 wins because at the time leading ladies in drama series were far and few in between. I think the only other 2 candidates were Barb Stanwyck on THE BIG VALLEY and Diana Rigg on THE AVENGERS. Plus Bain really did play a very beautiful and intelligent and strong character in the show so I have no complaints about her. But did Cosby really deserve those 3 wins? I can't really say that he steals the spotlight from Culp so I'm not sure what it is. I always thought they were on pretty equal footing as far as their acting abilities and humor went. And yet I don't think Culp was even nominated. Yet Cosby won 3 times in a row? Something doesn't feel right there. I get that he was the first black leading man on TV at the time (though second billed to Culp) but was he really that much better than Culp or even other leading men on television at the time? I'm sorry but Dan Blocker as Hoss and Michael Landon as Little Joe ran circles around him when it came to acting talents and especially humor! There were a lot of leading men in drama series at the time so I don't know how Cosby stole their thunder 3 times in a row.

Ivan,
I look forward to seeing your list, please do one.
Cosby's wins were due in part to his very large footprint in the media and national impact. His comedy records were huge, my brothers brought them home from Rutgers, I remember his
bio from (for kids) Scholastic Books catalog as 3rd grader me bought a copy(I had to earn every penny so I recall that).
He was the first black co-star of a series that everyone who was 'with it' at the time watched. Culp did get screwed, but he understood what was happening and still tutored Cosby who
to his credit never ceased to praise Culp as an actor who was far better than him. Culp was also hurt by Sheldon Leonard's animosity - Culp almost always won when he and Leonard went
to the network over how to make the show better - and as a result Leonard constantly promoted Cosby in the media etc at Culp's expense, using all his considerable influence with
the Hollywood trade papers etc to promote Cosby as the driver of the show.
No doubt guilt at how black actors were previously treated helped Cosby win 3 times in a row, during the height of the Civil Rights battles.
There was still echos of the past persisting then, Cosby's stuntman was a white guy in blackface till he and Culp said they wouldn't work till a black stuntman was hired.
He was the first black stuntman in Hollywood history, the others resented him and during a fight scene they all started viciously hitting him for real.
Cosby and Culp( a real life hard ass) waded into the fight - all caught on camera for the episode - and some of the actual footage was used as the fighting was so realistic, which it was.
I got this info from a book about I Spy, the best book written about a series that I have ever read but I have it buried in a box in the basement and my leg injury precludes me from
fishing it out and thus recalling the title.
You asked about the series on my list titled "Blue Heelers"? I got bored of the cookie cutter cop dramas with the same old NY or LA scenery and as Australian TV is now recognized as
turning out first class fare, I started watching (at the behest of a Aussie pal) the 510 episode, set in Mt. Thomas, Victoria, Australia copper show Blue Heelers.
It's a solid series, and with so many episodes, as the characters change over the years they are like old friends, er, mates.

Actually "Water Rats" is superior, with a bigger budget, concerning the Sydney Harbour Water Police. Lots of action set around what is probably the most beautiful harbor in the world
and more likely to appeal to the average Seppo, er, American. Fun to see lots of Sydney as opposed to Toronto filling in for NYC in many cop shows here.
The Australian Television Information Archive is THE place to go for info on any Aussie TV show.

Australians grow up watching our shows, so they are quite familiar with our culture/cities/slang etc and if you watch Aussie TV you will learn a lot about them.

Thanks for the info, Dobe. You are a treasure trove of facts and trivia. I actually didn't realize that Cosby was already a big name in the mid-60s. I thought I SPY made him. I thought he was a nobody when he joined the show. But if he already had clout and was the hottest new thing in town at the time then I guess that explains his 3 Emmy wins.

As for Aussie TV I know nothing about it. Might have to give it a whirl one of these days if things ever get slow for me. I still want to check out a few classic British shows like THE PRISONER (sounds too bizarre so I doubt I'd stick around with it) and especially THE SAINT since I'm a big Roger Moore (Bond) fan.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Ivan wrote -
As for Aussie TV I know nothing about it. Might have to give it a whirl one of these days if things ever get slow for me. I still want to check out a few classic British shows like THE PRISONER
(sounds too bizarre so I doubt I'd stick around with it) and especially THE SAINT since I'm a big Roger Moore (Bond) fan.

Ivan,
The very last episode of The Prisoner is bizarre, 1960's to the max. But regardless the series is outstanding. The last episode does have its own merits, its just that the viewer is forced
to reflect and ponder on it, so it went over the heads of many people who wanted a traditional James Bond like ending.
Filmed in Port Merion, Wales, in a stunningly beautiful town that originally was owned by a wealthy eccentric who bought striking looking buildings from around the world and then had them
reassembled on the grounds of his estate, thus this series looks like none other you have ever seen. I'd love to live there and would never try to escape, if only the pesky people in charge didn't
insist on trying to brainwash me. Heck with me it'd only take a light rinse.

My revised list of favorite TV shows, restoring my somehow forgotten, criminally overlooked and beloved series Hawaii Five-O to its proper place -

1) Andy Griffith Show
2) Dick Van Dyke Show
3) Route 66 (some of the best writing/acting in tv history)
4) Hawaii Five-O
5) Magnum PI
6) Rockford Files
7) The Honeymooners
8 ) WKRP
9) The Avengers - the 2 seasons with Mrs. Peel
10) Twilight Zone
11) Bonanza
12) Cheers
13) Star Trek
14) Blue Heelers
15) The Saint
16) Doc Martin
17) The Prisoner
18) Perry Mason
19) Newhart
20) All in the Family

As regards the Aussie cop show Blue Heelers - #14 - the Sydney Harbour set Water Rats is actually better, better produced and written and beyond scenic. It's just that with it's 510 episodes
Blue Heelers totally sucks you into its world like a soap opera does, so I like it better, but if one is tempted to watch a Aussie series for the 1st time, go watch Water Rats.
The place for info is the Australian Television Information Archive.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Hey Dobie,

I forgot that I was supposed to give you my list of favorite shows. These are just off the top of my head...

1) Hawaii Five-O -- the grand-daddy of all cop shows and you can book that!!!
2) 24 -- once I started watching it was total addiction!
3) Knight Rider -- this was my childhood - the greatest thing my childhood eyes ever witnessed!!
4) The A-Team -- we all loved it when the plan came together
5) Walker, Texas Ranger -- another guilty pleasure from my childhood and teen years
6) Matlock
7) Bonanza
8 ) The Andy Griffith Show
9) Mission: Impossible
10) The Wonder Years
11) Family Matters
12) The Streets of San Francisco
13) Columbo
14) Three's Company
15) All in the Family
16) MacGyver
17) Batman: The Animated Series
18) The Rockford Files
19) Happy Days
20) The Brady Bunch
21) Scarecrow and Mrs. King
22) Magnum PI
23) The Big Valley
24) I Love Lucy
25) The Honeymooners

That's just 25 off the top of my head... in roughly that order. Not set in stone, mind you.

Still missing from that list... Mannix, T.J. Hooker, Hunter, Airwolf, Sanford and Son, Beverly Hillbillies, Cheers, In the Heat of the Night, etc. Lots of good television that I'd still like to add. It'd be a pretty long list. Dick Van Dyke Show too!

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Hey Dobie,

I forgot that I was supposed to give you my list of favorite shows. These are just off the top of my head...

1) Hawaii Five-O -- the grand-daddy of all cop shows and you can book that!!!
2) 24 -- once I started watching it was total addiction!
3) Knight Rider -- this was my childhood - the greatest thing my childhood eyes ever witnessed!!
4) The A-Team -- we all loved it when the plan came together
5) Walker, Texas Ranger -- another guilty pleasure from my childhood and teen years
6) Matlock
7) Bonanza
8 ) The Andy Griffith Show
9) Mission: Impossible
10) The Wonder Years
11) Family Matters
12) The Streets of San Francisco
13) Columbo
14) Three's Company
15) All in the Family
16) MacGyver
17) Batman: The Animated Series
18) The Rockford Files
19) Happy Days
20) The Brady Bunch
21) Scarecrow and Mrs. King
22) Magnum PI
23) The Big Valley
24) I Love Lucy
25) The Honeymooners

That's just 25 off the top of my head... in roughly that order. Not set in stone, mind you.

Still missing from that list... Mannix, T.J. Hooker, Hunter, Airwolf, Sanford and Son, Beverly Hillbillies, Cheers, In the Heat of the Night, etc. Lots of good television that I'd still like to add. It'd be a pretty long list. Dick Van Dyke Show too!

Ivan,
I like your list, some of the titles a reminder that due to being a kid with a early bedtime, or schoolwork demands or an adult with work/offspring demands that one just can't see every great series out there.
I missed out on Streets of San Francisco when it first ran, was very happy when MeTV+ started showing it but they only run the first three seasons. The Wonder Years I haven't seen as yet despite its reputation.
I have to laugh when I consider that I know for a fact, that since I was a kid I have seen every episode of Bonanza at least 5 times. 431 episodes x 5 = 2,155 hours of viewing. I think a little less hanging out
with the Cartwrights would have freed up time for The Wonder Years, not to mention reading War and Peace.
Bah, forget War and Peace, I have tried to read it and it bored me out of my mind, dour and dark Russian characters, give me Hoss battling leprechauns any day or Hop Sing beating up Mike Mazurki, the
giant Ukrainian American ex wrestler and prototype tough guy in 100's of movie/TV roles.
Ivan, I think a list of one's favorite 40 TV series would give more leeway as it is hard to keep it to 25. You mentioned Mannix which still holds up better than most every other show of it's kind,
it would make it on to my extended list as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“When you go down in deep water, you’re scared. You don’t know how scared you can be. Soon, you forget. But the reef never forgets. It just waits.”
— Gilbert Roland as Mike Petrakis in "Beneath the 12-Mile Reef".

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Hey Dobie,

I forgot that I was supposed to give you my list of favorite shows. These are just off the top of my head...

1) Hawaii Five-O -- the grand-daddy of all cop shows and you can book that!!!
2) 24 -- once I started watching it was total addiction!
3) Knight Rider -- this was my childhood - the greatest thing my childhood eyes ever witnessed!!
4) The A-Team -- we all loved it when the plan came together
5) Walker, Texas Ranger -- another guilty pleasure from my childhood and teen years
6) Matlock
7) Bonanza
8 ) The Andy Griffith Show
9) Mission: Impossible
10) The Wonder Years
11) Family Matters
12) The Streets of San Francisco
13) Columbo
14) Three's Company
15) All in the Family
16) MacGyver
17) Batman: The Animated Series
18) The Rockford Files
19) Happy Days
20) The Brady Bunch
21) Scarecrow and Mrs. King
22) Magnum PI
23) The Big Valley
24) I Love Lucy
25) The Honeymooners

That's just 25 off the top of my head... in roughly that order. Not set in stone, mind you.

Still missing from that list... Mannix, T.J. Hooker, Hunter, Airwolf, Sanford and Son, Beverly Hillbillies, Cheers, In the Heat of the Night, etc. Lots of good television that I'd still like to add. It'd be a pretty long list. Dick Van Dyke Show too!

Ivan,
I like your list, some of the titles a reminder that due to being a kid with a early bedtime, or schoolwork demands or an adult with work/offspring demands that one just can't see every great series out there.
I missed out on Streets of San Francisco when it first ran, was very happy when MeTV+ started showing it but they only run the first three seasons. The Wonder Years I haven't seen as yet despite its reputation.
I have to laugh when I consider that I know for a fact, that since I was a kid I have seen every episode of Bonanza at least 5 times. 431 episodes x 5 = 2,155 hours of viewing. I think a little less hanging out
with the Cartwrights would have freed up time for The Wonder Years, not to mention reading War and Peace.
Bah, forget War and Peace, I have tried to read it and it bored me out of my mind, dour and dark Russian characters, give me Hoss battling leprechauns any day or Hop Sing beating up Mike Mazurki, the
giant Ukrainian American ex wrestler and prototype tough guy in 100's of movie/TV roles.
Ivan, I think a list of one's favorite 40 TV series would give more leeway as it is hard to keep it to 25. You mentioned Mannix which still holds up better than most every other show of it's kind,
it would make it on to my extended list as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“When you go down in deep water, you’re scared. You don’t know how scared you can be. Soon, you forget. But the reef never forgets. It just waits.”
— Gilbert Roland as Mike Petrakis in "Beneath the 12-Mile Reef".

Yep, you're right Dobie. We're gonna need a bigger list. It's interesting that you say that you've seen every single episode of BONANZA 5 times. I've seen certain episodes more than once but I've seen very little of the later seasons, mostly the ones in the 70s when the show changed its iconic theme song to something else (what was that all about anyway??). Basically the last 3 seasons I have not seen because for some reason they would skip those when running the show in syndication back in the late 90s/early 2000s. For a long time season 9 was my favorite (1967-1968) - great episodes there like "Night of Reckoning" with Richard Jaeckel playing a vicious baddie, "To Die in Darkness" with the excellent as always James Whitmore (best baddie multiple times on THE BIG VALLEY), "The Late Ben Cartwright", The Crime of Johnny Mule" with Noah Beery, Jr. giving a touching performance of a mentally challenged friend of Hoss, "Justice Deferred", etc. Lots of great ones there!! But then with seasons 10 and 11 they would show less and less episodes. And then seasons 12, 13, 14 they would skip altogether. I only remember "The Night Virginia City Died", "Gideon the Good", and the very last episode of the series "The Hunter" with a deranged Tom Skerritt stalking his prey - Little Joe! Those 3 I saw somewhere online years ago. So most of my BONANZA memories come from its 1960s episodes, especially the earlier seasons with Adam.

Hey, I remember Mike Mazurki on GILLIGAN'S ISLAND! He played mad scientist Vito Scotti's assistant/henchman in the season 2 episode where they capture the castaways and Vito Scotti plans to do some experiments on them in his spooky castle. Imagine that - there was even a spooky castle on the island! How did our castaways never notice a castle on the island?? How big was this island???

Speaking of my fellow Ukrainian thespians... none are more famous than the great Jack Palance!!! Or Walter Jack Palance, as he was known back during his SHANE days. Or Walter Palanyuk, as he was known by his birth name. Now, there was a tough guy (both on screen and off) if one ever lived!! A real Ukrainian who never forgot his roots and spoke Ukrainian fluently. Despite being born in the states. Proved his mettle in the Pennsylvania coal mines (as did Charles Bronson) and also was a boxer - hence his crooked nose. Quite a character he was - at 70 something years old he got down on the floor on the Johnny Carson show I think it was and did I forget how many push-ups!!! I believe this was around the time he won the Oscar for CITY SLICKERS in the early 90s.

Another Ukrainian actor I discovered some time back was John Hodiak, who unfortunately died fairly young. I remember him in the Alfred Hitchcock film LIFEBOAT.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Hey Dobie,

I forgot that I was supposed to give you my list of favorite shows. These are just off the top of my head...

1) Hawaii Five-O -- the grand-daddy of all cop shows and you can book that!!!
2) 24 -- once I started watching it was total addiction!
3) Knight Rider -- this was my childhood - the greatest thing my childhood eyes ever witnessed!!
4) The A-Team -- we all loved it when the plan came together
5) Walker, Texas Ranger -- another guilty pleasure from my childhood and teen years
6) Matlock
7) Bonanza
8 ) The Andy Griffith Show
9) Mission: Impossible
10) The Wonder Years
11) Family Matters
12) The Streets of San Francisco
13) Columbo
14) Three's Company
15) All in the Family
16) MacGyver
17) Batman: The Animated Series
18) The Rockford Files
19) Happy Days
20) The Brady Bunch
21) Scarecrow and Mrs. King
22) Magnum PI
23) The Big Valley
24) I Love Lucy
25) The Honeymooners

That's just 25 off the top of my head... in roughly that order. Not set in stone, mind you.

Still missing from that list... Mannix, T.J. Hooker, Hunter, Airwolf, Sanford and Son, Beverly Hillbillies, Cheers, In the Heat of the Night, etc. Lots of good television that I'd still like to add. It'd be a pretty long list. Dick Van Dyke Show too!

Ivan,
I like your list, some of the titles a reminder that due to being a kid with a early bedtime, or schoolwork demands or an adult with work/offspring demands that one just can't see every great series out there.
I missed out on Streets of San Francisco when it first ran, was very happy when MeTV+ started showing it but they only run the first three seasons. The Wonder Years I haven't seen as yet despite its reputation.
I have to laugh when I consider that I know for a fact, that since I was a kid I have seen every episode of Bonanza at least 5 times. 431 episodes x 5 = 2,155 hours of viewing. I think a little less hanging out
with the Cartwrights would have freed up time for The Wonder Years, not to mention reading War and Peace.
Bah, forget War and Peace, I have tried to read it and it bored me out of my mind, dour and dark Russian characters, give me Hoss battling leprechauns any day or Hop Sing beating up Mike Mazurki, the
giant Ukrainian American ex wrestler and prototype tough guy in 100's of movie/TV roles.
Ivan, I think a list of one's favorite 40 TV series would give more leeway as it is hard to keep it to 25. You mentioned Mannix which still holds up better than most every other show of it's kind,
it would make it on to my extended list as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“When you go down in deep water, you’re scared. You don’t know how scared you can be. Soon, you forget. But the reef never forgets. It just waits.”
— Gilbert Roland as Mike Petrakis in "Beneath the 12-Mile Reef".

Yep, you're right Dobie. We're gonna need a bigger list. It's interesting that you say that you've seen every single episode of BONANZA 5 times. I've seen certain episodes more than once but I've seen very little of the later seasons, mostly the ones in the 70s when the show changed its iconic theme song to something else (what was that all about anyway??). Basically the last 3 seasons I have not seen because for some reason they would skip those when running the show in syndication back in the late 90s/early 2000s. For a long time season 9 was my favorite (1967-1968) - great episodes there like "Night of Reckoning" with Richard Jaeckel playing a vicious baddie, "To Die in Darkness" with the excellent as always James Whitmore (best baddie multiple times on THE BIG VALLEY), "The Late Ben Cartwright", The Crime of Johnny Mule" with Noah Beery, Jr. giving a touching performance of a mentally challenged friend of Hoss, "Justice Deferred", etc. Lots of great ones there!! But then with seasons 10 and 11 they would show less and less episodes. And then seasons 12, 13, 14 they would skip altogether. I only remember "The Night Virginia City Died", "Gideon the Good", and the very last episode of the series "The Hunter" with a deranged Tom Skerritt stalking his prey - Little Joe! Those 3 I saw somewhere online years ago. So most of my BONANZA memories come from its 1960s episodes, especially the earlier seasons with Adam.

Hey, I remember Mike Mazurki on GILLIGAN'S ISLAND! He played mad scientist Vito Scotti's assistant/henchman in the season 2 episode where they capture the castaways and Vito Scotti plans to do some experiments on them in his spooky castle. Imagine that - there was even a spooky castle on the island! How did our castaways never notice a castle on the island?? How big was this island???

Speaking of my fellow Ukrainian thespians... none are more famous than the great Jack Palance!!! Or Walter Jack Palance, as he was known back during his SHANE days. Or Walter Palanyuk, as he was known by his birth name. Now, there was a tough guy (both on screen and off) if one ever lived!! A real Ukrainian who never forgot his roots and spoke Ukrainian fluently. Despite being born in the states. Proved his mettle in the Pennsylvania coal mines (as did Charles Bronson) and also was a boxer - hence his crooked nose. Quite a character he was - at 70 something years old he got down on the floor on the Johnny Carson show I think it was and did I forget how many push-ups!!! I believe this was around the time he won the Oscar for CITY SLICKERS in the early 90s.

Another Ukrainian actor I discovered some time back was John Hodiak, who unfortunately died fairly young. I remember him in the Alfred Hitchcock film LIFEBOAT.

Ivan,
I remember Palance dropping to the floor to do push ups, as even with his new Oscar he wasn't getting job offers because of his age and he wanted to show he was still vital.
Milla Jovovich, Mila Kunis and Lee Strasberg are also Ukrainian, if Milla and Mila want to drop and do push ups poolside I am so in their corner.

You might check out the season 14, 2 part 1972 Bonanza episode "Forever" where Little Joe gets married, and the death of Hoss is acknowledged. In a scene with Landon and Greene, both broke down
for real when dealing with the death of a character in the script but in reality both were grieving their late cast mate Dan Blocker and completely fell apart when they hugged.
With Bonnie Bedelia, Andrew Robinson(the loon from Dirty Harry).
Director Landon had originally written this episode for Blocker, with Hoss getting married. I think it is some of the very best work Landon did behind the cameras.
The original theme music returned here for the final season.
Landon and Greene are both interned in the same cemetery, a dozen steps apart.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Hey Dobie,

I forgot that I was supposed to give you my list of favorite shows. These are just off the top of my head...

1) Hawaii Five-O -- the grand-daddy of all cop shows and you can book that!!!
2) 24 -- once I started watching it was total addiction!
3) Knight Rider -- this was my childhood - the greatest thing my childhood eyes ever witnessed!!
4) The A-Team -- we all loved it when the plan came together
5) Walker, Texas Ranger -- another guilty pleasure from my childhood and teen years
6) Matlock
7) Bonanza
8 ) The Andy Griffith Show
9) Mission: Impossible
10) The Wonder Years
11) Family Matters
12) The Streets of San Francisco
13) Columbo
14) Three's Company
15) All in the Family
16) MacGyver
17) Batman: The Animated Series
18) The Rockford Files
19) Happy Days
20) The Brady Bunch
21) Scarecrow and Mrs. King
22) Magnum PI
23) The Big Valley
24) I Love Lucy
25) The Honeymooners

That's just 25 off the top of my head... in roughly that order. Not set in stone, mind you.

Still missing from that list... Mannix, T.J. Hooker, Hunter, Airwolf, Sanford and Son, Beverly Hillbillies, Cheers, In the Heat of the Night, etc. Lots of good television that I'd still like to add. It'd be a pretty long list. Dick Van Dyke Show too!

Ivan,
I like your list, some of the titles a reminder that due to being a kid with a early bedtime, or schoolwork demands or an adult with work/offspring demands that one just can't see every great series out there.
I missed out on Streets of San Francisco when it first ran, was very happy when MeTV+ started showing it but they only run the first three seasons. The Wonder Years I haven't seen as yet despite its reputation.
I have to laugh when I consider that I know for a fact, that since I was a kid I have seen every episode of Bonanza at least 5 times. 431 episodes x 5 = 2,155 hours of viewing. I think a little less hanging out
with the Cartwrights would have freed up time for The Wonder Years, not to mention reading War and Peace.
Bah, forget War and Peace, I have tried to read it and it bored me out of my mind, dour and dark Russian characters, give me Hoss battling leprechauns any day or Hop Sing beating up Mike Mazurki, the
giant Ukrainian American ex wrestler and prototype tough guy in 100's of movie/TV roles.
Ivan, I think a list of one's favorite 40 TV series would give more leeway as it is hard to keep it to 25. You mentioned Mannix which still holds up better than most every other show of it's kind,
it would make it on to my extended list as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“When you go down in deep water, you’re scared. You don’t know how scared you can be. Soon, you forget. But the reef never forgets. It just waits.”
— Gilbert Roland as Mike Petrakis in "Beneath the 12-Mile Reef".

Yep, you're right Dobie. We're gonna need a bigger list. It's interesting that you say that you've seen every single episode of BONANZA 5 times. I've seen certain episodes more than once but I've seen very little of the later seasons, mostly the ones in the 70s when the show changed its iconic theme song to something else (what was that all about anyway??). Basically the last 3 seasons I have not seen because for some reason they would skip those when running the show in syndication back in the late 90s/early 2000s. For a long time season 9 was my favorite (1967-1968) - great episodes there like "Night of Reckoning" with Richard Jaeckel playing a vicious baddie, "To Die in Darkness" with the excellent as always James Whitmore (best baddie multiple times on THE BIG VALLEY), "The Late Ben Cartwright", The Crime of Johnny Mule" with Noah Beery, Jr. giving a touching performance of a mentally challenged friend of Hoss, "Justice Deferred", etc. Lots of great ones there!! But then with seasons 10 and 11 they would show less and less episodes. And then seasons 12, 13, 14 they would skip altogether. I only remember "The Night Virginia City Died", "Gideon the Good", and the very last episode of the series "The Hunter" with a deranged Tom Skerritt stalking his prey - Little Joe! Those 3 I saw somewhere online years ago. So most of my BONANZA memories come from its 1960s episodes, especially the earlier seasons with Adam.

Hey, I remember Mike Mazurki on GILLIGAN'S ISLAND! He played mad scientist Vito Scotti's assistant/henchman in the season 2 episode where they capture the castaways and Vito Scotti plans to do some experiments on them in his spooky castle. Imagine that - there was even a spooky castle on the island! How did our castaways never notice a castle on the island?? How big was this island???

Speaking of my fellow Ukrainian thespians... none are more famous than the great Jack Palance!!! Or Walter Jack Palance, as he was known back during his SHANE days. Or Walter Palanyuk, as he was known by his birth name. Now, there was a tough guy (both on screen and off) if one ever lived!! A real Ukrainian who never forgot his roots and spoke Ukrainian fluently. Despite being born in the states. Proved his mettle in the Pennsylvania coal mines (as did Charles Bronson) and also was a boxer - hence his crooked nose. Quite a character he was - at 70 something years old he got down on the floor on the Johnny Carson show I think it was and did I forget how many push-ups!!! I believe this was around the time he won the Oscar for CITY SLICKERS in the early 90s.

Another Ukrainian actor I discovered some time back was John Hodiak, who unfortunately died fairly young. I remember him in the Alfred Hitchcock film LIFEBOAT.

Ivan,
I remember Palance dropping to the floor to do push ups, as even with his new Oscar he wasn't getting job offers because of his age and he wanted to show he was still vital.
Milla Jovovich, Mila Kunis and Lee Strasberg are also Ukrainian, if Milla and Mila want to drop and do push ups poolside I am so in their corner.

You might check out the season 14, 2 part 1972 Bonanza episode "Forever" where Little Joe gets married, and the death of Hoss is acknowledged. In a scene with Landon and Greene, both broke down
for real when dealing with the death of a character in the script but in reality both were grieving their late cast mate Dan Blocker and completely fell apart when they hugged.
With Bonnie Bedelia, Andrew Robinson(the loon from Dirty Harry).
Director Landon had originally written this episode for Blocker, with Hoss getting married. I think it is some of the very best work Landon did behind the cameras.
The original theme music returned here for the final season.
Landon and Greene are both interned in the same cemetery, a dozen steps apart.

[Pahonu]

Hey Dobie,

I forgot that I was supposed to give you my list of favorite shows. These are just off the top of my head...

1) Hawaii Five-O -- the grand-daddy of all cop shows and you can book that!!!
2) 24 -- once I started watching it was total addiction!
3) Knight Rider -- this was my childhood - the greatest thing my childhood eyes ever witnessed!!
4) The A-Team -- we all loved it when the plan came together
5) Walker, Texas Ranger -- another guilty pleasure from my childhood and teen years
6) Matlock
7) Bonanza
8 ) The Andy Griffith Show
9) Mission: Impossible
10) The Wonder Years
11) Family Matters
12) The Streets of San Francisco
13) Columbo
14) Three's Company
15) All in the Family
16) MacGyver
17) Batman: The Animated Series
18) The Rockford Files
19) Happy Days
20) The Brady Bunch
21) Scarecrow and Mrs. King
22) Magnum PI
23) The Big Valley
24) I Love Lucy
25) The Honeymooners

That's just 25 off the top of my head... in roughly that order. Not set in stone, mind you.

Still missing from that list... Mannix, T.J. Hooker, Hunter, Airwolf, Sanford and Son, Beverly Hillbillies, Cheers, In the Heat of the Night, etc. Lots of good television that I'd still like to add. It'd be a pretty long list. Dick Van Dyke Show too!

Ivan,
I like your list, some of the titles a reminder that due to being a kid with a early bedtime, or schoolwork demands or an adult with work/offspring demands that one just can't see every great series out there.
I missed out on Streets of San Francisco when it first ran, was very happy when MeTV+ started showing it but they only run the first three seasons. The Wonder Years I haven't seen as yet despite its reputation.
I have to laugh when I consider that I know for a fact, that since I was a kid I have seen every episode of Bonanza at least 5 times. 431 episodes x 5 = 2,155 hours of viewing. I think a little less hanging out
with the Cartwrights would have freed up time for The Wonder Years, not to mention reading War and Peace.
Bah, forget War and Peace, I have tried to read it and it bored me out of my mind, dour and dark Russian characters, give me Hoss battling leprechauns any day or Hop Sing beating up Mike Mazurki, the
giant Ukrainian American ex wrestler and prototype tough guy in 100's of movie/TV roles.
Ivan, I think a list of one's favorite 40 TV series would give more leeway as it is hard to keep it to 25. You mentioned Mannix which still holds up better than most every other show of it's kind,
it would make it on to my extended list as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“When you go down in deep water, you’re scared. You don’t know how scared you can be. Soon, you forget. But the reef never forgets. It just waits.”
— Gilbert Roland as Mike Petrakis in "Beneath the 12-Mile Reef".

Yep, you're right Dobie. We're gonna need a bigger list. It's interesting that you say that you've seen every single episode of BONANZA 5 times. I've seen certain episodes more than once but I've seen very little of the later seasons, mostly the ones in the 70s when the show changed its iconic theme song to something else (what was that all about anyway??). Basically the last 3 seasons I have not seen because for some reason they would skip those when running the show in syndication back in the late 90s/early 2000s. For a long time season 9 was my favorite (1967-1968) - great episodes there like "Night of Reckoning" with Richard Jaeckel playing a vicious baddie, "To Die in Darkness" with the excellent as always James Whitmore (best baddie multiple times on THE BIG VALLEY), "The Late Ben Cartwright", The Crime of Johnny Mule" with Noah Beery, Jr. giving a touching performance of a mentally challenged friend of Hoss, "Justice Deferred", etc. Lots of great ones there!! But then with seasons 10 and 11 they would show less and less episodes. And then seasons 12, 13, 14 they would skip altogether. I only remember "The Night Virginia City Died", "Gideon the Good", and the very last episode of the series "The Hunter" with a deranged Tom Skerritt stalking his prey - Little Joe! Those 3 I saw somewhere online years ago. So most of my BONANZA memories come from its 1960s episodes, especially the earlier seasons with Adam.

Hey, I remember Mike Mazurki on GILLIGAN'S ISLAND! He played mad scientist Vito Scotti's assistant/henchman in the season 2 episode where they capture the castaways and Vito Scotti plans to do some experiments on them in his spooky castle. Imagine that - there was even a spooky castle on the island! How did our castaways never notice a castle on the island?? How big was this island???

Speaking of my fellow Ukrainian thespians... none are more famous than the great Jack Palance!!! Or Walter Jack Palance, as he was known back during his SHANE days. Or Walter Palanyuk, as he was known by his birth name. Now, there was a tough guy (both on screen and off) if one ever lived!! A real Ukrainian who never forgot his roots and spoke Ukrainian fluently. Despite being born in the states. Proved his mettle in the Pennsylvania coal mines (as did Charles Bronson) and also was a boxer - hence his crooked nose. Quite a character he was - at 70 something years old he got down on the floor on the Johnny Carson show I think it was and did I forget how many push-ups!!! I believe this was around the time he won the Oscar for CITY SLICKERS in the early 90s.

Another Ukrainian actor I discovered some time back was John Hodiak, who unfortunately died fairly young. I remember him in the Alfred Hitchcock film LIFEBOAT.

Ivan,
I remember Palance dropping to the floor to do push ups, as even with his new Oscar he wasn't getting job offers because of his age and he wanted to show he was still vital.
Milla Jovovich, Mila Kunis and Lee Strasberg are also Ukrainian, if Milla and Mila want to drop and do push ups poolside I am so in their corner.

You might check out the season 14, 2 part 1972 Bonanza episode "Forever" where Little Joe gets married, and the death of Hoss is acknowledged. In a scene with Landon and Greene, both broke down
for real when dealing with the death of a character in the script but in reality both were grieving their late cast mate Dan Blocker and completely fell apart when they hugged.
With Bonnie Bedelia, Andrew Robinson(the loon from Dirty Harry).
Director Landon had originally written this episode for Blocker, with Hoss getting married. I think it is some of the very best work Landon did behind the cameras.
The original theme music returned here for the final season.
Landon and Greene are both interned in the same cemetery, a dozen steps apart.

Without going into too much detail, I was going to say that I recalled Palance doing one-armed pushups at the Academy Awards too because I was there at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion the night it happened. He was wearing a shiny gray suit instead of a traditional tuxedo. Suffice it to say that my buddy and I weren’t supposed to be there, but had snuck in to the ceremony. It was the year Silence of the Lambs won the big five. We did the same the next year when Unforgiven won and the following two years when it was at the Shrine Auditorium. I have programs from three of the four years.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Hey Dobie,

I forgot that I was supposed to give you my list of favorite shows. These are just off the top of my head...

1) Hawaii Five-O -- the grand-daddy of all cop shows and you can book that!!!
2) 24 -- once I started watching it was total addiction!
3) Knight Rider -- this was my childhood - the greatest thing my childhood eyes ever witnessed!!
4) The A-Team -- we all loved it when the plan came together
5) Walker, Texas Ranger -- another guilty pleasure from my childhood and teen years
6) Matlock
7) Bonanza
8 ) The Andy Griffith Show
9) Mission: Impossible
10) The Wonder Years
11) Family Matters
12) The Streets of San Francisco
13) Columbo
14) Three's Company
15) All in the Family
16) MacGyver
17) Batman: The Animated Series
18) The Rockford Files
19) Happy Days
20) The Brady Bunch
21) Scarecrow and Mrs. King
22) Magnum PI
23) The Big Valley
24) I Love Lucy
25) The Honeymooners

That's just 25 off the top of my head... in roughly that order. Not set in stone, mind you.

Still missing from that list... Mannix, T.J. Hooker, Hunter, Airwolf, Sanford and Son, Beverly Hillbillies, Cheers, In the Heat of the Night, etc. Lots of good television that I'd still like to add. It'd be a pretty long list. Dick Van Dyke Show too!

Ivan,
I like your list, some of the titles a reminder that due to being a kid with a early bedtime, or schoolwork demands or an adult with work/offspring demands that one just can't see every great series out there.
I missed out on Streets of San Francisco when it first ran, was very happy when MeTV+ started showing it but they only run the first three seasons. The Wonder Years I haven't seen as yet despite its reputation.
I have to laugh when I consider that I know for a fact, that since I was a kid I have seen every episode of Bonanza at least 5 times. 431 episodes x 5 = 2,155 hours of viewing. I think a little less hanging out
with the Cartwrights would have freed up time for The Wonder Years, not to mention reading War and Peace.
Bah, forget War and Peace, I have tried to read it and it bored me out of my mind, dour and dark Russian characters, give me Hoss battling leprechauns any day or Hop Sing beating up Mike Mazurki, the
giant Ukrainian American ex wrestler and prototype tough guy in 100's of movie/TV roles.
Ivan, I think a list of one's favorite 40 TV series would give more leeway as it is hard to keep it to 25. You mentioned Mannix which still holds up better than most every other show of it's kind,
it would make it on to my extended list as well.
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“When you go down in deep water, you’re scared. You don’t know how scared you can be. Soon, you forget. But the reef never forgets. It just waits.”
— Gilbert Roland as Mike Petrakis in "Beneath the 12-Mile Reef".

Yep, you're right Dobie. We're gonna need a bigger list. It's interesting that you say that you've seen every single episode of BONANZA 5 times. I've seen certain episodes more than once but I've seen very little of the later seasons, mostly the ones in the 70s when the show changed its iconic theme song to something else (what was that all about anyway??). Basically the last 3 seasons I have not seen because for some reason they would skip those when running the show in syndication back in the late 90s/early 2000s. For a long time season 9 was my favorite (1967-1968) - great episodes there like "Night of Reckoning" with Richard Jaeckel playing a vicious baddie, "To Die in Darkness" with the excellent as always James Whitmore (best baddie multiple times on THE BIG VALLEY), "The Late Ben Cartwright", The Crime of Johnny Mule" with Noah Beery, Jr. giving a touching performance of a mentally challenged friend of Hoss, "Justice Deferred", etc. Lots of great ones there!! But then with seasons 10 and 11 they would show less and less episodes. And then seasons 12, 13, 14 they would skip altogether. I only remember "The Night Virginia City Died", "Gideon the Good", and the very last episode of the series "The Hunter" with a deranged Tom Skerritt stalking his prey - Little Joe! Those 3 I saw somewhere online years ago. So most of my BONANZA memories come from its 1960s episodes, especially the earlier seasons with Adam.

Hey, I remember Mike Mazurki on GILLIGAN'S ISLAND! He played mad scientist Vito Scotti's assistant/henchman in the season 2 episode where they capture the castaways and Vito Scotti plans to do some experiments on them in his spooky castle. Imagine that - there was even a spooky castle on the island! How did our castaways never notice a castle on the island?? How big was this island???

Speaking of my fellow Ukrainian thespians... none are more famous than the great Jack Palance!!! Or Walter Jack Palance, as he was known back during his SHANE days. Or Walter Palanyuk, as he was known by his birth name. Now, there was a tough guy (both on screen and off) if one ever lived!! A real Ukrainian who never forgot his roots and spoke Ukrainian fluently. Despite being born in the states. Proved his mettle in the Pennsylvania coal mines (as did Charles Bronson) and also was a boxer - hence his crooked nose. Quite a character he was - at 70 something years old he got down on the floor on the Johnny Carson show I think it was and did I forget how many push-ups!!! I believe this was around the time he won the Oscar for CITY SLICKERS in the early 90s.

Another Ukrainian actor I discovered some time back was John Hodiak, who unfortunately died fairly young. I remember him in the Alfred Hitchcock film LIFEBOAT.

Ivan,
I remember Palance dropping to the floor to do push ups, as even with his new Oscar he wasn't getting job offers because of his age and he wanted to show he was still vital.
Milla Jovovich, Mila Kunis and Lee Strasberg are also Ukrainian, if Milla and Mila want to drop and do push ups poolside I am so in their corner.

You might check out the season 14, 2 part 1972 Bonanza episode "Forever" where Little Joe gets married, and the death of Hoss is acknowledged. In a scene with Landon and Greene, both broke down
for real when dealing with the death of a character in the script but in reality both were grieving their late cast mate Dan Blocker and completely fell apart when they hugged.
With Bonnie Bedelia, Andrew Robinson(the loon from Dirty Harry).
Director Landon had originally written this episode for Blocker, with Hoss getting married. I think it is some of the very best work Landon did behind the cameras.
The original theme music returned here for the final season.
Landon and Greene are both interned in the same cemetery, a dozen steps apart.

Without going into too much detail, I was going to say that I recalled Palance doing one-armed pushups at the Academy Awards too because I was there at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion the night it happened. He was wearing a shiny gray suit instead of a traditional tuxedo. Suffice it to say that my buddy and I weren’t supposed to be there, but had snuck in to the ceremony. It was the year Silence of the Lambs won the big five. We did the same the next year when Unforgiven won and the following two years when it was at the Shrine Auditorium. I have programs from three of the four years.

Movie maven me for my whole life is sooo jealous you got to do that. You California guys get everything, the beach, the weather, Hollywood plus you married a Jersey Girl. Life ain't fair.
Palance milked the push up bit on various talk shows as well, it was a crowd pleaser - the host often challenged to do the same - then he'd lament he should be getting more job offers.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Hey, I totally forgot that not only did Palance do the push-ups but he actually did them with one hand!!! At 70 something!! DANG!!!

Yes I think I'm aware of the season 14 opener where Little Joe finally gets married to Bonnie Bedelia but tragedy strikes. Of course! It always does with the Cartwright boys - the Cartwright curse! I do want to see that episode. One of these days I shall. I don't think any Cartwright ever got as far as marrying someone. Until this episode. The girl usually dies before any wedding can happen.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Hey, I totally forgot that not only did Palance do the push-ups but he actually did them with one hand!!! At 70 something!! DANG!!!

Yes I think I'm aware of the season 14 opener where Little Joe finally gets married to Bonnie Bedelia but tragedy strikes. Of course! It always does with the Cartwright boys - the Cartwright curse! I do want to see that episode. One of these days I shall. I don't think any Cartwright ever got as far as marrying someone. Until this episode. The girl usually dies before any wedding can happen.

Four Cartwright marriages, four deaths of young women. If this was happening today, Ben would have Perry Mason on retainer and there'd be a podcast hosted by Hop Sing titled
"The Cartwrights: Murder Clan USA or Just Unlucky in Love?"

[Pahonu]

Hey, I totally forgot that not only did Palance do the push-ups but he actually did them with one hand!!! At 70 something!! DANG!!!

Yes I think I'm aware of the season 14 opener where Little Joe finally gets married to Bonnie Bedelia but tragedy strikes. Of course! It always does with the Cartwright boys - the Cartwright curse! I do want to see that episode. One of these days I shall. I don't think any Cartwright ever got as far as marrying someone. Until this episode. The girl usually dies before any wedding can happen.

Four Cartwright marriages, four deaths of young women. If this was happening today, Ben would have Perry Mason on retainer and there'd be a podcast hosted by Hop Sing titled
"The Cartwrights: Murder Clan USA or Just Unlucky in Love?"

I love that podcast title!