Sick of network TV....missing 80s sitcoms

I enjoy modern family, but as a dad I wouldn't let my son watch it. Think about it, in many of the comedies that have been made in the last decade or so, the dads are idiots who can't turn on a light without the mom's help. Is that the opinion you want your sons (or daughters) to have of men? I'm mature enough to understand that this isn't reality. But my son will be pushing double digits before he watches a show that portrays fathers in such a bad light.

And the next time you leave your kid sitting in front of a cartoon, take a few minutes to watch it with him. Chances are a similar theme is involved there as well. We have only over-the-air broadcast channels at our house and still my son rarely gets to watch actual television. Most of the time, he's watching DVDs. At least that way, we know what he's about to see and can make an effort to address any issues that might come up.

 

1. Mad Men - Never seen an episode

2. Modern Family - Best show on network TV.

3. Community - Stopped watching after three episodes.

4. Parks and Rec - Stopped watching after two episodes.

5. Breaking Bad - Never seen an episode.

6. Glee - Stopped watching after the first episode.

7. Chuck - Watched the first season, lost interest.

8. The Good Wife - I've heard it's great, but I just had no desire to watch a show with that subject matter.

9. Fringe - I'd rather watch X-Files reruns.

10. Sons of Anarchy - Never seen an episode.


Wings was one of the most underrated shows ever.

The shows I can't get enough of are the USA and TNT shows like White Collar and The Closer.

 

See, I disagree on Modern Family. I see the Ty Burrell character as a really good parent who tries too hard. I'd take that over most fathers in real life.

I see Ed O'Neill's character as a lovable patriarch who struggles with having a young kid around again and having to deal with having a gay kid while trying to make up for mistakes he made the first time around.

The two gay characters are doting fathers, perhaps too much so, but not in a bad way.

Any kid would be lucky to have fathers like that in their lives.

 

I think the only shows that my wife and I watch with the kids is Phineas and Ferb, which I would argue is the most adult-friendly cartoon that is also suitable for kids. My kids also love old Scooby Doo episodes and also watch Pinky and the Brain and the Muppet Show, which we all watch.

The Mickey Mouse, Special Agent Oso, Yo Gabba Gabba are all fine for kids.

 

Maybe not. 30 Rock just got picked up for next season and it's never had good ratings.

 

Essentially this thread is about two different subjects:

1. Shows I'd like to watch with my kids, 17-and-under

2. Shows I'd like to watch because they're good


I'm in total agreement with Mizzou's assessment of Modern Family. Those are all good dads who happen to be a little wacky. In fact, the Ty Burrell character is probably one of the most involved dads on television. I'm not going to criticize anyone's parenting choices, partain, but even if your kid did watch these various knuckleheaded, tries-too-hard dads on Modern Family, isn't it just as likely that they'd contrast it with their own strong father figure and understand which one was the ideal and which one was a little silly? I mean, would any kid really watch that show and think "I wish my dad was more like Cam."

Some of the stuff like where Claire and Phil try to sneak off and have a romantic night together I could see as leading to some uncomfortable conversations, but as far as the portrait of men, I'm just not following.

Mizzou, here is my pitch for a few of those shows:

Mad Men -- For starters, it's probably the most beautifully shot show on television. The plot is a slow burn, almost too slow at times, but the show is perfectly cast and it does a remarkable job of capturing the time period. Jon Hamm is one of the best actors on television, Christina Hendricks one of the sexiest, but my favorite character might be John Slattery's character, Roger Sterling, who gets some of the driest, wittiest lines on televsion. If you watch two episodes, you might think it's a little boring, but if you push through, it's really enjoyable. My wife loves it too.

Community -- Started slow, but is now knocking it out of the park. It's a great ensemble comedy. It's not just Joel McHale. In fact, Danny Pudi, the guy who plays Abed, is hilarious. It's even managed to make Chevy Chase funny again, which I thought was impossible. Allison Brie is hot as hell. The episode that got me hooked was the one about the Debate team. That was the one that made me realize this show's potential. The Halloween episode, where Abed dressed up like Batman, had me laughing so hard at the end, I was nearly in tears.

Parks and Rec: This show was really not great in its first season. But it fixed some things, and just like The Office, it's really hit its stride in Season 2. Aziz Ansari is hilarious as the Tom Haverford character, but the guy who plays Ron Swanson, Nick Offerman, is just killing it right now. Watch the episode about the hunting trip they all take and see if you want to give it another chance. They've toned down Amy Poheler's character just the right amount.

Glee -- It's sort of like The O.C., but with music. It's really clever, and surprisingly heart felt at times. There were some stupid episodes in the beginning (I.E. the one with "Single Ladies") but by the time you get to the one with the mash-ups, which is like the fourth episode, the show had really found its voice. The girl who plays Rachel, Lea Michelle, is one of the most talented singers on TV. What prevents this show from being cheesy, however, is Jane Lynch. She has as many funny lines as any character on TV.

The Good Wife -- It's not a show about Julianna Margulies standing by her man, really. It's a really well-written legal drama with a lot of great non-verbal acting. I'm actually surprised I like it. My wife really wanted to watch it, and I refused for the reasons you stated (the subject matter didn't interest me) but when I would read a book or a magazine while she watched it, it slowly reeled me in. What I like about it is the line between the good guys and the bad guys is pretty blurry. The lawyers aren't really the good guys in a lot of episodes, they're just trying to do right by their client. Which sometimes means breaking the law, withholding evidence, finding a loophole, etc.

Chuck -- The second season was much, much better than the first. And the first wasn't bad. Sepinwall likes it so much, he basically saved the show single-handedly.

 

Wednesdays at 9, ABC.

 

Or you can watch some of the recent episodes on Hulu.

http://www.hulu.com/modern-family

 

Mizzou: Yo Gabba Gabba. Where the hell did this come from? I'd never heard of it until a few weeks ago, and now I can't turn around without hearing that title everywhere. One of the characters is in a car ad, folks are talking about it in the line at Starbucks. For crissakes, there's even a stage show that's been getting ungoldy commercial time here in Cincinnati.

 

EW did a story on Yo Gabba Gabba two weeks ago.

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20348539,00.html