3 Old TV Shows You Should Watch {Part 2}

Well, at long last, we are back! I know I said this post would be coming a whiles ago, but things got crazy. (My life has been like that lately.) I’m seriously considering going back down to two posts a week. Thoughts?

But, in the meantime, let’s talk about TV shows. I … have a lot. A lot a lot. And I tend to have a lot to say about them! So scroll down (or click through), and we’ll talk about those TV shows!

(p.s. I finished with TLOTV for a while! I’m so glad. It was a huge relief. I just have to format … and order proof copies … and proofread … and …)

Still a series!

Remember that I’m still gonna be rambling about the same things as before. But with different TV shows. So. Let’s get on with it, mates.

(note: images in this post are credited to their original owners)

3 Old TV Shows You Should Watch (again)

1: Gidget

Sadly, this show only ran for one season (1965/1966). But that season is a treasure! I’ve rewatched and rewatched it.

Gidget was honestly my role model as a small child. Not as in I wanted to make all the stupid mistakes and get into all the cheesy situations she did … but as in she was so great with her dad and she seemed to have so much fun and she was innocent but HUGELY amusing!

(And yes, I named my precious dog after her!)

The story centered around Frances “Gidget” Lawrence, her father, her sister Anne, and her brother-in-law, a psychiatrist. She also has a friend, Larue. She gets into lots of crazy situations and learns a lot of lessons.

Honestly, it is soooo innocently cute and good!

Overall, I would recommend this TV show to pretty much everyone! I loved it when I was smaller, and now I absolutely ADORE it! Definitely rewatchable … and definitely entertaining.

My Favorites:

Gidget, of course! Her father is also a favorite of mine. He’s so sweet and such a great dad! I like Larue (even as she drives me crazy). Gotta love all Gidget’s fun catchphrases, too.

Family Friendly Guide:

This TV show is generally innocent. In a couple episodes different issues are discussed that you might want to skip over for the littlest littles.

For instance, Gidget writes her diary in advance AND makes it more exciting by saying she kissed a boy or something along those lines (but describing it … vividly). So when her dear sister Anne reads it, she assumes that Gidget is doing immoral things. Drama commences.

So mostly stuff like that (which should be fine for anyone 10+). It’s very cute and clean overall, though.

Learning Opportunities:

Being a teen is tough, and it’s just as tough NOW as it was in the ’60s. Maybe tougher. This TV show honestly shows a cuter, sweeter, more AMIABLE way of being a teen! Which was great for me.

2: Perry Mason

This show ran from 1957-1966, and it was a crime drama/courtroom drama/mystery thingy series that I honestly really enjoyed.

This show was so fun! Also, it taught me oodles about the court system. You know, back in the ’50s/’60s. But whatever.

Was I the only one who thought Della was the best thing ever? Even though she is “just the secretary,” she’s hugely helpful, and she doesn’t pay any mind to Paul Drake, the detective who always greets her with, “Hello, beautiful.”

I also liked Paul Drake a lot. He was so much fun! (And handsome, but shh.)

Overall, this is a great show for lovers of mystery, courtroom/legal stuff, and fun characters!

My Favorites:

Della was my favorite character, of course, and I also liked Paul Drake. I kinda liked “the villains,” too – district attorney Hamilton Burger got on my nerves, but I also thought he was a worthy adversary for Perry.

Also, Paul Drake is pretty good-looking. Just sayin’.

Family Friendly Guide:

Overall, this show was 100% clean! It centers around murder and whatnot, but there was no blood shown. Occasionally the murders included things like affairs and whatnot, as they often did, but there was never anything I couldn’t watch as a six-year-old.

Learning Opportunities:

Court stuff! Made me a lot less worried about appearing in court (if that ever happened) and taught me a lot about the legal system.

3: MASH

MASH (which stands for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) ran from 1972-1983. It follows the whacky MASH 4077, a unit which … is beyond quirky and out of control. But which saves just as many or more lives every day.

Honestly, what’s not to love about this show? It’s hilarious, it talks about the horrors of war (yeahhh), the characters are great (you fall in love with the cast as a whole), and it’s insanely weird.

Hawkeye Pierce, the de facto main character, isn’t a great guy, so I guess there’s that. He’s out of control, judgmental, liberal, and stubborn. But y’know. It can’t be perfect. And he is pretty funny.

You have to look past the ’70s/’80s propaganda a bit, and a lot of these guys are straight-up immoral, but eh. It’s still a great show.

MASH is so fun!

Overall, I would recommend this to adults or older teens who love a ridiculous sitcom with serious undertones.

My Favorites:

In later seasons, I loved Margaret Houlihan. At first, when she was involved with Frank, she wasn’t great. But more and more, her character developed into something admirable.

Father Mulcahy is also just fantastic. B.J. Colonel Potter. Radar.

Just … the whole cast, y’all.

Family Friendly Guide:

This TV show is not so family friendly. I watched it when I couldn’t understand it – and then when I was older. Both work. So either watch it before your kids can understand sexual innuendo and whatnot or when they’re older. 😅 Especially the first couple seasons are bad that way.

Learning Opportunities:

War is hell. There we go. It’s simple but true. Also, people are goofy and funny, and it’s nice to see that!

Hope y’all enjoyed this post!

TTFN!

~Kellyn Roth~

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p.s.

Have you heard of any of these? What are your thoughts on old TV shows? What do you like to watch? Do you think you’ll give any of the above old TV shows a try?

Sidenote: it’s my little brother’s birthday today! Thad is now 12. Whoosh.