It is so left-wing, pontifical and preachy. It makes no bones about its left-of-center views -- 180 degrees opposite of mine. It takes great pleasure in poking fun or outright ridicule at all things and people right of center -- George Bush, Dick Cheney, and all political matters near and dear to the hearts of conservatives. But its sheer irreverence and the far-out ridiculous cases tried each week in its courtrooms make it fascinating. In some ways it's the legal version of "Grey's Anatomy;" it finds the most extreme situations to present to its regular cast.
William Shatner plays the gun-toting, sex-crazed conservative Denny Crane, who lusts after every female and regularly shoots clients and indigents with unrestrained glee. Everyone fears what Denny will do or say next. He blames it on "Mad Cow Disease," but he is in the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease, which shows some progression during the series. Denny's political opposite and best buddy is Alan Shore (played by James Spader), who is left-wing, articulate but unconventional in his legal approach and brilliant in the courtroom. The only other character I'll make note of is Brad Chase (played by Mark Valley), a former Marine who threatens to take charge or take prisoners in every situation where his military background can be exploited and ridiculed. Get the picture?
So why do I like it when I should be offended? I don't know. Maybe because it's so outrageous.
But my favorite all-time TV series -- again, one I own the entire set -- is M*A*S*H, which aired an incredible 11 seasons from Sept. 17, 1972 until Feb. 28, 1983. To put that in perspective, M*A*S*H started airing during the first month of my freshman year at South Dakota State University, and ended when I was working as managing editor of The Stewart (MN) Tribune. It is, of course, about a team of zany doctors and their support staff who operate a mobile army surgical hospital just 3 miles from the front line during the Korean War.
M*A*S*H's main characters were so well-defined and known. Hawkeye (Alan Alda), Trapper John (Wayne Rogers), BJ Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell), Charles Emerson Winchester III (David Ogden Stiers), Frank Burns (Larry Linville), Father John Patrick Francis Mulcahy (William Christopher), COL Sherman T. Potter (Harry Morgan), Lt. Col. Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson), Maxwell Q. Klinger (Jamie Farr) (the resident cross-dresser), and of course Radar O'Reilly (Gary Burghoff) and Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan -- the oversexed but by-the-book, all-military head nurse. Of all the characters, my favorite is Frank. I don't know why because Hawkeye, Trapper and BJ pick on him constantly. I think Larry Linville had great fun playing Frank -- a snivelly, cheap, smarmy guy who carried on a long love affair with Hot Lips while his wife kept their home in Fort Wayne, IN.
This series was cutting edge in its treatment of war and its casualties. While usually funny, it gradually became more drama-based. And its final show -- the 251st episode -- was the most-watched television episode in history at the time with 105.97 million viewers (Wikipedia). The TV series ended with the end of the Korean War and followed each of the main cast as they left the compound to return to their civilian lives.
Several years ago the kids and I got to see many of the show's artifacts at the Air & Space Museum near Lincoln, NE. I photographed the kids standing beside the famous mileage pole, which anchored the middle of the hospital compound and pointed the direction with mileage to some of the characters' home towns.
Another favorite show -- and another that I own in complete DVD set -- is "Seinfeld." Seinfeld has only four main characters and touts itself as a "show about nothing." Of course, the show centers around comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his relationships and encounters with friends Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards), Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and George Costanza (Jason Alexander). This was a funny show with some great one-liners (many of which Barb has heard me quote again and again, ad nauseum). Having said all that, I'll add this: While funny and lacking any political leanings, it is adult humor and lacking in any moral compass. The characters treat sex as an casual recreational dalliance. For that reason, I don't recommend it.
Another favorite show of mine is (or was) "Cheers," starring Ted Danson as the playboy, former Red Sox reliever and now Boston bar owner. The main cast includes Shelly Long as Diane Chambers and Rhea Perlman as Carla Tortelli (both bar maids), Woody Harrelson as Woody Boyd (bartender), and regular customers Cliff Claven (John Ratzenberger), Norm Peterson (George Wendt), Frazier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) and Lilith Sternin (Bebe Neuwirth).
Early in the show's years, the cast included Nicholas Colasanto as the philosophical bartender Ernie "Coach" Pantusso, who took a few too many fastballs to the ol' melon. Coach was well-known for his pithy sayings and butchering the language. What a lovable guy though. But, for my taste, the show took turned from funny to just plain stupid shortly after Kirstie Alley joined the cast as Rebecca Howe. Not that she turned it stupid but that the story lines became so far out that the show lost its luster.
I suppose it's not surprising that my favorite shows are sitcoms. Still, I would add the CBS news documentary "60 Minutes" to my list of all-time faves. Mike Wallace, Ed Bradley, Morley Safer, Harry Reasoner and Andy Rooney were a few of the correspondents who reported stories that were usually relevant to what was going on in the world currently. If there was a burning issue nationally, you'd usually find it as a hot topic (no pun intended) on 60 Minutes.
We recognize many of our favorite shows by their musical themes -- in the case of 60 Minutes, the ticking of the clock. We know then it's time to put down whatever we've been doing and prepare ourselves to be entertained. All the shows I've mentioned have recognizable themes -- the barroom chorus from "Cheers," the theme from "M*A*S*H," and the lively, animated theme from "Boston Legal." But some of the most recognizable themes belong to the oldies. More on that next time.
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