Ranting about reruns (Part 1)

Today I want to talk about what you ARE NOT seeing on television these days. I rent a lot of TV on DVD through Netflix, and I try to feature a handful of shows in an informal rotation, spreading the series out rather than watching a whole season in a short period of time.

This year, I've seen some excellent TV series this way, and I think it's a shame that I have to see them on DVD rather than on the tube. Sure, I'm thankful that I at least have the opportunity to view these neglected shows, but come on, isn't the point of TV to recycle itself? These days, reruns are endless screenings of shows that were on a few years ago or "repurposed" airings of episodes that were on a few weeks ago. I grew up on a heavy diet of classic reruns. Where would I be without my endless viewings of "Brady Bunch," "Gilligan's Island," or--OK, maybe the Sherwood Schwartz sitcoms aren't the greatest examples. But the point is there is not much room for quality old-school television in today's landscape. For example, why can't we see...

The Invaders: I believe this was on Sci-Fi back before I got the channel, and of course the new SyFy isn't interested in an ancient show like this Quinn Martin production anymore than it is interested in offering a name that doesn't induce guffaws.

Season 1 is really good stuff, and while I wouldn't recommend watching big chunks of it at a time--the format gets a little repetitive, and you start to question some of the show's plot elements--it would make a great weekend rerun offering. A Sat.-Sun. slot would also avoid burning through the show's limited number of episodes. If invading aliens are passe just because they're 40 years old, well, then it's a sad time for TV. Of course, ABC is remaking "V" and trying to avoid using the word "aliens," so I guess they're half-afraid of sci-fi. But why is Sci-Fi afraid of sci-fi? Because it's "old," I guess--even though this one is, as it proudly proclaims at the start of each episode, IN COLOR.

Room 222: I talked about this one before. It's a gentle, amusing show, probably quaint to younger audiences today. But who cares about younger audiences? Well, besides advertisers? Good TV is good TV, and this is the kind of show that deserves another look. I mean, it's no "Saved by the Bell," but don't baby boomers have any kind of cachet anymore?

Mannix: OK, I understand why a laid-back show about kindhearted teachers and the social problems of the 1960s might seem a tad dated in this era of "The Wire," but "Mannix" is hip even today. The show is in color (if not IN COLOR), it features a private eye, and Mike Connors kicks ass. And I mean that literally. The show is violent as hell, which ought to appeal to today's bloodthirsty audiences. People die in this series. Mannix often kills them. Oh, if Sleuth would only show something like this instead of...whatever it shows these days.

The Paper Chase: I can actually understand why this one isn't on anymore. It's a dramedy about law students, but they don't hop into each other's beds each episode or pass out after drug overdoses at off-campus parties every night. I've only seen most of the first season, but I'm pretty sure "The Paper Chase" never built up an episode on the intrigue of which of its characters would engage in a threesome. The fact is, the straight college drama genre just doesn't appeal to the powers that be anymore. Straight-up dramedy is getting rarer. "The Paper Chase" is an example of a genre known as GOOD TV, and sadly, that's just not enough to get it in reruns nowadays.

Maybe an outlet like RTV will eventually get around to showing programs just because they are good, but until then, we will have to rely on DVD to check out these sort-of-lost classics. After all, the TV channels we have are filling their schedule with...Well, let's get to that in a future post.