Just reading through others posts again, & thinking of mine, I wonder how much our work & life patterns effect our TV watching choices.

I can remember happily vegetating in front of Top Gear, CSI, & the Dukes of Hazzard. This was when I was working very hard mentally, for long hours, & probably the last thing I wanted was to think about anything on the box.

Even then I could not stand things like Seinfeld, but when Dukes of Hazzard returned to our screens recently, I could not turn it off quickly enough. Perhaps as a retired old f4rt very light "entertainment" is no longer desirable, & I am looking for something a little more challenging/interesting, to stir the brain a little.

I would love to see a couple of old favourites from my youth, Maverick, & Have Gun Will Travel. I had these in a "not to be missed if possible" list back in the day. I wonder if, like the Dukes of Hazzard, I would find then quite poor today.

Dear Hasbeen,

My father's favourites used to be - "Cheyenne,"
"Sugarfoot," "RawHide," and "Maverick," as well as
"Gunsmoke," just to name a few.
In other words - dad loved westerns.
He worked very hard physically, and I guess he
(like you ) - needed the light relief. Dad died of
a massive coronary at the age of 52. And even today
watching a western brings a lump to my throat.

It would be interesting to see your reaction today - to some
of your favourites from the past. A remake of "Maverick"
with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster should be available on
DVD. James Garner has a small role in the film.

Do you find as you get older, the shows you thought were hilarious when you were younger seem passe and overdone. 'Flying High' which I laughed at so much in the 70s, crying with the rest of the audience in pain (we were easily amused in the 70s) now seems slapstick and OTT.

Mind you, Yes Minister/PM is one of the best documentaries out there even today. And who can go past the Good Life.

We did not have TV until my early teens (having lived remotely for a time and then my parents restricted viewing until well into our teens) so shows like Get Smart (where people of my generation parrotted lines like 'good thinking 99'), even the occasional 'Carry On' movie. What were we thinking!?

Nowadays I watch mostly ABC, some SBS, movies and crime shows. Even the ABC has had a few shocker reality shows like that dreadful kid's bootcamp thingy. Perhaps as one ages the plethora of reality TV seems inane - but it does seem to sell. Is it lack of choice? Yesterday's Get Smart may be tomorrow's Big Brother.

What happened to good scriptwriting? Australians always had a mix of some amazingly brilliant raw stuff but also some really bloody awful stuff like Don's Party, Blazing Saddles, and some really bad weekly soaps.

However I must admit some reality shows have a perverse way of hooking you in (the manipulative blighters) and confess to watching bits of Australia's Got Talent, Idol and The Voice. Although I'm off the Voice after one airing as the format is too contrived, loud, and full of mutual back slapping from the judges. Time wasted airy-fairing about, when you could be listening to some actual singing by some amazing talent.

I watch the much maligned Q&A as it is a rare opportunity to see our political animals in the wild. Much preferable to the trend for all those new animal shows which are rarely as good as the David Attenboroughs.

PS: I am auditioning for Grumpy Old Women, thought I'd give it a whirl here.

Pelican,

I'm a huge fan of Carry On movies - I'm not sure why, but I realised how much I liked them in my early forties when I was up at night with baby, and the ABC used to play them about 4 am....

And further more, the first thing that lured me to Foxtel (apart from the news) was the thought that I could again watch I Dream of Jeanie, Bewitched, The Munsters and Top Cat.....etc, etc. All of which captivated me after school at primary age - and they're still good (which might say more about me than I'm comfortable with : )

<< …I Dream of Jeanie, Bewitched, The Munsters and Top Cat.....>>

Ahh Poirot, that’s my after primary school experience too.

The Munsters were good. I haven’t heard them mentioned much over the years. The Addams Family seemed to be much more popular. But I always liked the Munsters better.

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This has turned out to be a very interesting thread. Thanks to all respondents.

In light of your comments, I’ll have to reassess my dwindling use of the old teev and hopefully get back into a bit of quality viewing.