This week on the Today Show they’re revisiting casts of old sitcoms. Yesterday was Happy Days (a show I didn’t watch or like) and today was One Day at a Time (a show I watched and loved). It got me thinking about all the sitcoms I loved as a kid. I know if I were to re-watch them today I’d think they were awful (well, maybe not all of them) but as a kid I didn’t miss a single episode. Without a VCR or TiVo I not only had to be in front of the TV in time for the show to start, but I had to watch all the commercials. So here’s a list of some of my favorites. What were yours?
The Brady Bunch
One Day at a Time
Good Times (loved the theme song)
Sanford and Son (another great theme song which is on my iPod now)
The Jeffersons
The Facts of Life (my dad used to say “all those kids are smart asses”)
Fantasy Island
Love Boat (where old sitcom stars go to revive their careers)
Magnum, P.I.
Bewitched
Family Affair (I even had clothes from the Buffy and Jody line)
The Carol Burnett Show (love, love, love that show)
Green Acres (loved it so much my sister’s nickname is “Ralph”)
I could go on and on, since I watched a lot of TV, but now I want to know what you used to watch. As you can see, most of my shows are 70s-heavy since that was the bulk of my childhood. So, what were your favorite shows as a kid?
Pretty Pretty Bang Bang 
Jeez – you make it sound like your parents let you watch TV all the time – I know for a fact that you were actually locked out of the house once since you kept running in and out and you were encouraged to play outside. You also did a lot of reading and playing with Barbies. I just don’t want your audience to think you were allowed to “fry brain” all day long when you weren’t in school! You must have watched TV when you were at Nana and Papa’s house!
Hey, if the sitcom fits…I don’t remember watching any of these at Nana and Papa’s. We watched Lawrence Welk, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, The Wonderful World of Disney, and the Nightly News. Sorry to burst your bubble, but you did allow a lot of TV viewing at home!
I wasn’t allowed to watch much as a kid. I had never seen an episode of Gilligans island, Three’s Company or Happy Days. I used to think that it was because there wasn’t something morally objectionable in them. I asked my Mom about this as an adult, and she admitted that we “weren’t allowed to watch them because they were just plain stupid.” She just basically allowed us to think that there was something wrong in them because it was convenient. When I did finally see an episode of Gilligans island, all I could think was: “That is stupid! Nice work Mom!”
I do remember when Nick at Night made its debut though. I was suddenly hooked on Andy Griffith, Carol Burnett (I agree with you and I love the dentist/ novocaine episode), and Alfred Hitchcock. LOVED Alfred Hitchcock! For some odd reason, and much to my family’s disappointment, I was hooked on the Donna Reed show. I don’t think that I would find it so delightful now.
I also grew up in the TGIF hayday. I’ll admit that I watched some Family Matters and Full House, but believe me, I was just following the crowd on that one!
Of course they’re dumb, that’s what makes them so funny! I watched Twilight Zone as a kid and loved it! I also was the only kid I know who was allowed to watch Saturday Night Live when it first aired (can anyone name the first host? Anyone?). I have no idea why my parents thought it was acceptable, but I’m glad they let me watch. Maybe it contributed to my weird sense of humor!
Oooh! You just named 2 more of my favs! I saw somewhere that George Carlin was the first host, but that really doesn’t seem right.
LAND SHARK!
Yep, it was George Carlin. Good job!