The End of TV's Golden Era
I've come to believe the axiom that things happen in threes. How often does it happen? Within the past week, three venerable TV legends that were synonymous with great TV characters passed away. You likely knew all three if you grew up watching TV in the 60's. That era featured three networks with hour-long dramas ranging from westerns to police shows. They were our reality - you lived a fantasy through the characters in the program that were larger than life.
Fess Parker, aka Daniel Boone in the Daniel Boone TV program, was the first to leave us. Who didn't want to own a coonskin cap like him? You dreamed of wilderness life and living off the land, if only for that hour. Parker was type cast and never really achieved another career milestone, but he always had time for his fans. He understood the fame game, unlike stars of today. Parker went on to new heights in the wine business and won a supporting role in "Sideways" with his Fess Parker Family Winery and Vineyard.
There will be no more 'missions' for Peter Graves as he passed away last week. Who could forget the great opening trailer of Mission Impossible with the tape recording of instructions for the great Jim Phelps? You knew he would always accept the mission and the tape would self-destruct. There was comfort in that weekly predictability. His team was the 60's precursor to the A-Team. It was an action drama that was appointment TV, long before the term came into vogue in the 80's and 90's. Imagine today a drama opening with a theme song lasting a minute or two? Theme songs were memorable and helped you engage and identify with the show. That last opening theme song I can recall was for the Soprano's series. If done right, it still works.
This past Wednesday, Robert Culp of I Spy fame died. I Spy was another great show in the spy genre that featured great back and forth exchanges with Culp's partner, Bill Cosby. Yes, the comedic actor who has had a distinguished career, including his run as Cliff Huxtable in the Cosby Show. Like the others, Culp was type cast. But is that such a bad thing? Being remembered is a great thing. It's better to be a has been than a never was.
TV in the 50's, 60's and 70's was innocent and brought a fantasy world into your living rooms. There was no 'reality' TV and maybe that was a good thing. You used your imagination and were transported to different places. Say what you want about how the shows hold up today, but you have to admit that there was certainly more creativity then.
Today, network TV is formulaic with very little originality. Do we really need four Law & Order shows or three CSI offerings? Reality TV rules because it's cheap to produce. The lack of good dramas is appalling. There is no risk being taken and networks wonder why audiences have moved away in droves. Make a better product. Cheaper isn't always better. Demand great scripts and plots. The easy way out is the path to ruin. NBC experienced that with the Jay Leno experiment.
As you grow older, you get nostalgic for your youth. You can't replicate your youth, but sometimes you like to go back for a little bit. Give me the Cartwrights riding in on the Ponderosa, Frank Cannon and Robert T. Ironside, Herman Munster and Jed Clampett any day. I can just see the boys from Hawaii 5-0 - Chin Ho, Kono, Danny and Steve McGarrett wrapping up an episode - "Book em Dano, Murder One." Cue the Ventures and their great Hawaii 5-0 theme song!
Rest in peace, Jim Phelps, Daniel Boone and secret agent Kelly Robinson. Your passing marks the end of a great TV era.
or...I Love Lucy, Leave it to Beaver, Lost in Space...oh how I miss those shows. I watched them over and over. You can't do that with Reality shows - they run once..it's over. I agree, no creativity today. TV shows began in September around Labor Day and the Finale was in May around Memorial Day. Programs today begin in October and never run straight through until May. Repeat weeks are often. It's disappointing to turn on the TV only to see it's a repeat week.
This also makes it difficult as a media buyer to purchase air time. You really have to take the time to review with the station rep on a weekly basis which shows are first run and which are repeats. If you don't, your client ends up paying higher prices for repeats that get lower ratings. Upfront buying may be quick and easy but it only benefits the buyer not the client unless weekly monitoring is done.
Yes, TV has changed in many, many ways. But..we still love watching it!
The creativity to produce interesting shows may still be there but the almighty dollar is driving too many decisions regarding what gets produced and what doesn't on television these days. Reality shows are cheap to make, the viewers are there for them, so the networks (and cable) prefer to crank out more of that genre.
Forty years from now who will we recall from this age of television? Paris Hilton? Dog the Bounty Hunter?
Submitted for your approval: A college basketball coach roams the sideline, pleading with the refs, or anyone else that will listen to him. His eyes bulge from his head like a toad. He appears to be gonzo, and in fact, he is. He has just crossed over the baseline into...the Twilight Zone.