I've been watching a Star Trek: Next Generation marathon on Spike today (in between thunderstorms messing with my dish). I really haven't watched TNG much since it went off, despite being a big fan during it's run.My god, this is every bit as cheesy and badly acted as a soap opera. I can't belive we not only watched this but liked it. Was all other 1980's TV so bad that it made this seem good?
Have you watched the SuperFriends cartoon series from your childhood recently? I lived for that show as a kid. Every Saturday growing up. To watch it now I'm conviced the claims Tom Cruise makes about Ritalin might be true. Not only is it badly acted, it's looks awful - I think it was drawn by drunken one-armed monkeys.
Have you punched up a most beloved show from your youth and been aghast at how much it actually sucked? The only show I've found that still holds up to time is Monty Python (I'm from a weird family).
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-15-2005 @ 9:05PM
kyle said...
monty python, mash, all in the family(archie bunker) are all good shows that have passed the test of time, IMHO
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7-15-2005 @ 9:13PM
Bob Sassone said...
Yeah, I would say most of the TV shows that I loved as a kid still hold up: The Dick Van Dyke Show, MASH, Bewitched, Mannix, Rockford Files, Andy Griffith Show. And Star Trek: TNG is 10,000 times better than the original, and holds up better! :)
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7-15-2005 @ 9:48PM
Tony said...
Star Trek: TNG took a while to find its stride. I remember seeing an early episode some time ago (with a beardless Riker), and not only was the actin weak, so was the plot, and so were the effects. But, unless I'm really losing my mind, it got much better later on.
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7-15-2005 @ 10:36PM
jen segrst said...
Yeah - this was an early ep, the one I clearly remeber today was the one with the evil La Brea tar pit beast who kills Tasha off.
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7-15-2005 @ 11:20PM
Emily said...
The first season of TNG was pretty bad. Everyone was trying to find their place, I think. My favorite 2 episodes are Data's Day and The Thread (not sure of the title - but it is the one where the ship hits something and knocks out everything and Picard is stuck in a turbolift full of kids; Worf has to deliver a baby and Riker carries Data's head to engineering to save the day) and I believe they stand the test of time.
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7-16-2005 @ 8:55PM
TheMovieGoer.com said...
All of the Star Treks took a season (or more) to go from mediocrity to greatness.
Its in the inherent complexity of writing for sci-fi, you have to focus on the story AND the technology, but when it works thats what makes it so memorable.
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7-17-2005 @ 4:40PM
Takara said...
TNG's first two season aren't great especially compared to the rest of the series but I would hardly call it "cheesy and badly acted". Even though season 1 & 2 pale in comparison to season 3 on, there are still some gems there.
Emily, the episode you weren't sure of the title was called Disaster.
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7-18-2005 @ 3:02AM
Dan said...
^Actually, it's called "Skin of Evil."
There are some shows and movies I liked when I was younger and it shocks me when I watch them today and realize how much they sucked, but TNG certainly isn't one of them. I'll take TNG over 99% of the crap on TV today which is why you'll catch me watching it on other Star Treks on DVD way more than any current TV show. In fact, even when I watch TV, more often than not I'll be watching reruns of older shows like Cheers and Seinfeld than the newer shows. Broadcast TV is really terrible these days.
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7-18-2005 @ 3:09AM
Dan said...
Ooops! Forget what I said about the episode title.
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7-18-2005 @ 3:21PM
Robert Floyd said...
The original Bob Newhart Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Avengers (with Diana Rigg), The Prisoner, The original Dick van Dyke Show, The Match Game reruns on GSN(!) all survive the test of time for me.
Interestingly, as I've been watching The Avengers with Linda Thorson, which I hated first time around, I'm starting to appreciate it more. Are there shows that other people hated first time around, but like more now?
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7-18-2005 @ 5:29PM
Tom Hadley said...
I think what you also have to remember is that, even during it's original run, TNG didn't have much to compare to. I watch it now in comparison to, say, Firefly, Farscape, nBSG, and it doesn't really stand up, any season, to any of those shows in acting and overall quality. It's still good. Just not...GREAT.
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7-25-2005 @ 1:23PM
Skerdog said...
I've been watching old episodes of THE INCREDIBLE HULK (with Lou Ferrigno) and KNIGHT RIDER lately. In both cases, I've been like "Oh my God, I actually LIKED this stuff? How hokey!". Oh yeah, and the original Saturday morning show LAND OF THE LOST. I had a crush on Holly when I was 6 years old, but now the acting just makes me cringe.
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