A&E: Shorter-Term Memories

Yes, I really can write a 2-part piece on a bunch of shows that aren't even on any more. I actually published it in one piece originally, but then when I saw it kind of took up an entire page, I decided to break it up. So continuing chronologically, I've made it all the way to the Reagan Administration so far.

I always think of Hill Street as kind of an entry with St.Elsewhere. Also groundbreaking in its own small way; also a deft synthesis of drama and comedy. The show featured talent like Denzel Washington and Helen Hunt, passing through on their way to better things, and Howie Mandel & Ed Begley Jr., just passing through. Consider the greatness of a show that made Howie look talented. One of the reasons I loved it was their use of inside jokes and little winks to the audience….

…. Which was also a characteristic of another show I miss, Moonlighting. When they were at their peak in the first couple of years, I used to watch the clock all evening long to make sure I didn’t miss it. Later in the run, they were just looking peaked and I watched the clock to see if it was almost over yet. A great combination of smart and smart-alecky; maybe the fastest-moving show ever – don’t try to watch while writing a letter or picking up around the house.

I think many of the shows you fall in love with turn out to be like old girlfriends you’re still friendly with. At least I hear that happens; I’m married, so that would NEVER NEVER be something I would do. I do think I’ve broken up with ER, even though we still see each other regularly. When it started, it was a real shot of adrenaline, administered stat; I think it’s more like a pressure bandage or an IV drip of lactated Ringer’s now. Since basically all the actors worth watching have moved on (with one exception: Maura Tierney is awesome, light-years above her NewsRadio days), it seems almost like inertia (and NBC’s abject desperation) is all that keeps it going. There’s probably a life-support metaphor in there, which will be your homework assignment.

I seem to have a weakness for fast-talking shows: consider The West Wing. Also perhaps in the ER category (upon reflection, more than “perhaps”). It was – and I hate to say “was” but I think it’s the case – the rare show that could hook you dramatically and also make you think about larger issues. Such as, can a guy really get elected by telling the truth? I’m leaning towards “not”, but Martin Sheen made it seem almost plausible.

I missed one in there chronologically, I think. Actually everyone missed it; if they hadn’t, I’d still be watching it instead of missing it. That would be Sports Night, which I think the Trio Network’s Brilliant But Canceled show was invented for. I was biased toward it to begin with, since it’s about a SportsCenter-type show. Actually, it isn’t “about” that at all, and if more people (especially female people, I suspect) had realized that, its fate might have been different. There’s a vast difference between being set in a particular environment and being about that. Was Cheers “about” a bar? Was Barney Miller “about” a police station? Well, sorta.

I’m struck by how much of their DNA these shows seem to share – I’ll leave Adam-12 out of the discussion, since the 8-year-old me perhaps wasn’t quite as discriminating. Two of them were even created by the same person (Aaron Sorkin: Sports Night and West Wing). I suspect there would be many more creative names in common if I dug a little. I think it’s worth noting that every one of these shows is smart and funny and assumes the audience is smart enough to keep up. A network executive would no doubt counter that several of them weren’t wildly successful either. There are plenty of dumb shows I enjoy, but I can only give my heart to the ones that challenge me a little.

Check back again in 20 years to see if I'm typing homages to According to Jim or Fear Factor....