Obviously it is a bit difficult to find reviews of the time, so I link here some musings of modern reviewers. TV (The Book): Two Experts Pick the Greatest American Shows of All Time Miami Vice box set review: Crockett and Tubbs still thrill in espadrilles - With its anti-heroes and experiments with form, Miami Vice was a key influence on the development of today’s complex, grownup TV Miami Vice TV Review: Part 1 (Why It’s Good) Revisiting ‘Miami Vice’ - 1980s noir (in pastels) BINGE WATCHIN' TV REVIEW: MIAMI VICE Miami Vice (TV Milestones Series) Tv Museum
Well, a lot of shows that are appreciated in retrospect were not all that well-loved by critics in their time. But as I said, I never really followed Miami Vice. My impression was that it was not especially well-regarded, but maybe that's because of the ways it was parodied in other pop culture. As for Magnum, I never got the sense that it was considered any more special than any other popular TV action or detective show.
Oh yes, it was. Some episodes, like Did You See the Sun Rise? are considered milestones for the U.S. scripted television. However, my point is: when @Korusan asked for some suggestions, I tried to recommend some show where there is some form of critical consensus about their quality. There are any shows on that list that I liked the first time I watched them and now I don't recommend? Yes, of course. But it was more than thirty years ago, and I really don't know how much have in common @Korusan and that kid that so desperately craved for any kind of sci-fi tv show. Anyone want to recommend other shows? Please, be my guest, the more the merrier But if I didn't named your favorite show, it doesn't mean I'm denigrating it or whatever. because, you know, tastes differ. For example The Phoenix isn't a show I would recommend, but if @Korusan wanted to watch it, well, I would be quite curious about his/her opinion...
The thing I remember most about the series is that the lizards in human costumes forgot that they were lizards in human costumes. There were the lizards who got married in a human marriage ceremony while in human costume, for example. And, best of all, there was Diana having a relaxing bubble bath in her full-body human suit. Interesting. I didn't realize there were so few. I wonder if there were unaired episodes. According to Wiki, it was indeed a BBC production, so if it was shown here it would have been on PBS (the home of Doctor Who in those days). I might see if I can pick it up on DVD. Which reminds me of something else from the 80s: The BBC adaptation of Hitchhiker's Guide, which had a very Doctor Who aesthetic. Fantastic Journey is definitely something I'd pick up on DVD if I could-- I love obscure B-Movies and B-TV Shows.
I loved the TV version of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The Doctor Who aesthetic is no coincidence. Douglas Adams wrote for Doctor Who, in the late Tom Baker era, when Romana II was the main companion.
I didn't say you denigrated them because you didn't mention them. I said that because you posted a link to a list of '80s SF shows and said the only good ones were TNG, The Twilight Zone, and Max Headroom - and the rest were awful (or whatever other negative adjectives were used).
Yes, I expressed an opinion. The world is full of them. But for some reason, you are taking any opinion that differs from yours as a personal matter. Considering that: @Korusan asked for some suggestion I don't know him/her personally. I don't know what s/he likes or don't like. I don't know if s/he prefer camp sci-fi, serious sci-fi, adventure sci-fi or whatever There are some tv show on that list that probably I would watch again but I rationally know that are not very good, especially for a modern viewer. I don't believe that my personal tastes are universal truths (wouldn't be this, I don't know, arrogant?). And I know there can't be a objective judgment on a work of fiction. So I tried to suggest tv shows where are some form of consensus about their quality. So I'm not denigrating any of those other shows. I'm not saying that you are stupid for liking them or whatever. Would @Korusan love The Phoenix? Sure, why not. But from a pure statistical point of view it seems to me a little unlikely. But if I knew a little more about @Korusan's tastes, I would probably recommend other shows from that list.
Leaving me out of the equation, the fact remains that you posted a list of TV shows, and said that only three were any good and the rest were terrible. You would have said that no matter if I were on this forum or not. So no, it's not personal. I merely commented that most of the shows you denigrated were ones that happened to be favorites of mine. Can we just drop this?
I think "Magnum" was dismissed at first as lightweight or lowbrow by some critics focusing on the surface, the image of hunk Tom Selleck driving around in a red Ferrari and hanging out on Hawaii beaches. But by the end of its run I think it was quite a bit more respected, as people realized that it had playfully subverted and re-purposed the image, and had developed into a show with deep character relationships, an appealing company of recurring players, an overarching sense of its own history and the ability to pull off comedy as easily as action or suspense. Even early on, though, some people saw deeper layers to it. In the "Magnum" press clippings archived here, there is a Village Voice article from 1982 called "Magnum's America: 'Nam and Apple Pie" that thoughtfully identifies some of the elements that made Magnum P.I. a classic series, IMO. Miami Vice of course set itself up quite consciously to be evaluated on its image and style. And actually it got pretty good critical notice in the beginning, as well as Emmy nominations. It was influential in bringing art-film techniques to TV, for an uncompromising view of the underworld and drug trade (though definitely emphasizing the glamorous) and for giving the audience the benefit of the doubt in following sometimes complex plots. And of course for pushing the boundaries of what sex and violence could be shown on network TV (one with guest star Melanie Griffith was never repeated on NBC because of a sex scene). It could definitely rely on the visuals to carry thin writing sometimes, though. I watched quite a few a year or two ago, and found it didn't hold up that well after the first season. Mostly OK, not great.
"Mirage" I'd definitely heard on oldies radio over the years, but I was less familiar with the Raiders song and unfamiliar with the Temptations song when I discovered them while building my playlists. For the Temptations, I imagine it's probably an underappreciated period...caught between their earlier stone-cold classics and the distinctive psychedelic soul sound that they'd soon help to pioneer. Interesting thing I read about "Respect"...it was written and originally recorded by Otis Redding...Aretha, in not just swapping genders but reworking the lyrics accordingly, made her version the definitive one and a feminist anthem. (Plus she added the most distinctive part of the song, the "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" part.)
Yep. And just to stay in theme, Donald P. Bellisario, the creator of Quantum Leap, was one of the co-creators (with Glen A. Larson) of Magnum P.I.
Kung Fu "Dark Angel" Originally aired November 11, 1972. Oh yeah, here it is, second regular episode...the beginning of Caine's quest to find his brother via meeting his grandfather. I'd forgotten that the preacher factored into it. Robert Carradine also guest-stars as Serenity's mute companion. There's some arrow business in this one...Caine swats several aside with one hand before catching and breaking one. Caine seems more canny here than he comes off in some episodes that I've recently seen on in the background, the way he deals with Serenity's desire for the gold. Some good scenes exploring getting by without sight...and it makes sense for Caine to know about this, since he learned from Master Po. Apparently Serenity even got some of that Master Po-brand staff training somewhere between scenes. A 10-day hunger/thirst strike sounds pretty badass, but can even a Shaolin survive that long without water? What objects did Grandpa Caine give Kwai Chang? The episode doesn't give us a good look. One seemed like a pocket watch and the other seemed very small...a cuff link? Caine's grandfather doesn't seem to be quite old enough...33-year age difference, so he could be by a stretch, but it's not likely. He's only three years older than John Carradine.
Right. Apparently space lizards suffer from mammal envy. It's like they were set in the same universe. I've got the DVD set, and I like the aesthetic a lot more than the big-budget movie that came out years later. We used to call it MTV Vice. I don't think I knew that. I'll have to track down the Otis Redding version and compare. Yeah! That's what I'm thinking of. According to lore, yes, they can do that and other superhuman things. Whether it's true or not, I don't know. Not sure. I don't remember that. Teen pregnancy existed in the Old West.
I have to correct myself. Douglas Adams started writing for Doctor Who during the Key to Time season, which explains why I nearly quit watching in the first 3 minutes of "The Pirate Planet." He wrote that, and at the time I hadn't read any Hitchhiker's books or seen the TV series. It takes a particular frame of mind to enjoy Adams' humor and satire, and I had yet to learn that. Peter Davison was in both series, btw. In the Hitchhiker's Guide episode where they went to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Davison played The Dish of the Day. Arthur Dent would probably have had just as perplexing a time if he'd traveled in the TARDIS, although he might have had more access to tea and ginger beer (two beverages the Fourth Doctor liked).
Yeah, Grandpa Caine said one object belonged to his father, and one to Kwai Chang's father...don't remember which now. I'll have to keep an eye open if these come up again. If one wanted to take that seriously, you'd have to factor in that Kwai Chang's father was previously married and had a son 3 or 4 years older than KC. KC? Oh geez, now there's an association that isn't going to go away easily....