Top 10 old T.V. shows you’ll want to binge-watch

Editor+Nina+Raman+lists+the+top+10+old+T.V.+shows+that+are+better+than+the+typical+dramatic+shows+that+are+so++popular+with+todays+youth.+

Nina Raman

Editor Nina Raman lists the top 10 old T.V. shows that are better than the typical dramatic shows that are so popular with today’s youth.

With streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, today’s youth is discovering old television shows that were adored before their time. Messages like family and honesty were valued instead of analyzing Dan Humphrey and Serena van der Woodsen’s drama in Gossip Girl, or caring about finding out who A is in Pretty Little Liars. The best shows were ones that generations before ours were not able to access whenever they wanted- they had to wait for the good things every week, and the wait was worth it.

These streaming services opened up a door for the avid binge-watcher, but the door is much more like a vortex. Although there are shows that still air today like Grey’s Anatomy and Riverdale, the best shows are the ones you should sit down with your family to watch because the times were simpler and the family bonds were stronger.

Here are the top 10 television shows that no longer air today, but are just as memorable.

10.) Frasier

1993-2004 (Netflix)

Frasier is about a radio psychologist named Dr. Frasier Crane who uses his quick wit and intelligence to help others with their issues while struggling to fix his own. After moving to Seattle and taking in his elderly father and his dog along with frequent visits by his brother Niles, the psychologist finds his life driving him crazy sometimes and fails to use his own methods to deal with them.

Best characters: Mr. Crane and his dog

Theme song: “Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs”

 

9.) That 70’s Show

1998-2006 (Netflix)

That 70’s Show follows a memorable high school gang of six- Eric, Donna, Hyde, Jackie, Kelso, and Fez through their foolish high school shenanigans, getting in trouble, meeting new people, and establishing fun relationships along the way. Although the transition between certain scenes might come across as strange to today’s youth, it is an acquired taste when you get into the 70’s theme. Bonus: Actor Ashton Kutcher and actress Mila Kunis met on this show!

Best Characters: Red and Kitty Foreman

Theme Song: “In the Street”

 

8.) Cheers

1982-1993 (Hulu)

Main character, Sam Malone, former pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, owns and runs Cheers, a bar in Boston- the setting for the show. His bar fills with regulars like the mailman and an accountant who never hold back their views and opinions. With helpful and memorable workers like Coach and Carla, Sam is able to make his bar a place of comfort and humor for all of his customers. Later, he hires an uptight and well-read Dianne who serves as a waitress and throws a curve ball the bartender’s way.  

Best Character: Carla

Theme Song: “Where Everybody Knows Your Name”

 

7.)  ER

1994-2009 (Hulu)

ER is an older medical drama that is similar to Grey’s Anatomy. Set in Chicago, the show follows both the personal and professional dilemmas of doctors in the emergency room at County General Hospital. Like Grey’s Anatomy, the show offers both fascinating and dull days where each case requires doctors to be on their A game and make difficult but rational decisions.

Best Character: Doug Ross (George Clooney)

Theme Song: “ER Theme Song

 

6.) Full House

1987-1995 (Hulu)

This is probably one of the most well-known shows on this list. Everyone at some point has seen this show and it’s no question why. The show follows young father Danny Tanner after the death of his wife as he is left to raise three young daughters, DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle with the help of his brother in law, Jessie, and his best friend, Joey. The house is filled with issues with both the children and the adults as they all have a little bit of growing up to do.

Best Character: Stephanie Tanner

Theme Song: “Everywhere You Look”

 

5.) The Andy Griffith Show

1960-1968 (Hulu)

There’s something about black and white that is so perfect and gives you a taste of what it was like to live in the ‘60s. Andy Griffith, lead in this hit television show broadcasts the struggles of being an honest father and an honorable sheriff in the small town of Mayberry. This show is enjoyable for its life lessons given by the father side of Andy and the sense of togetherness established in the community that Sheriff Taylor enforces. Although Andy seems to always have the answers, he learns best from his experiences with supporting characters who often have something different to teach him.

Best Characters: Opie and Barney

Theme Song: “The Fishin’ Hole”

 

4.) I Love Lucy

1951-1957 (Hulu)

That memorable smile and those big eyes filled with mischief can’t keep you away from this hit T.V. show! Lucille Ball, playing Lucy Ricardo, is a meddlesome housewife who alway tries to put more on her plate than she can handle. Always trying to be involved in her husband’s life, her friends’ life, and the life of society, Lucy finds herself always getting her hands dirty with attempts to accomplish great things. Although some of the views are a little outdated, that iconic smile and the excited expressions of Lucille Ball never go out of style.

Best Characters: Lucy Ricardo and Frank Mertz

Theme Song: “I Love Lucy”

 

3.) Boy Meets World

1993-2000 (Hulu)

Boy Meets World circles around average student, Cory Matthews, and his attempts to make it through many years of school, maintaining a healthy social status, and building romantic relationships with girls. The show maps Cory’s life from middle school to college, each episode holding an important life lesson, whether it be Cory learning it from someone, or Cory teaching it to someone. After watching just one episode, it is easy to tell that you can’t learn everything from the inside of a classroom- it is your duty to go out into the real world and experience it for yourself.

Best Characters: Eric Matthews and Mr. Feeny

Theme Song: “Boy Meets World Theme Song”

 

2.) Seinfeld

1989-1998 (Hulu)

If you are looking for a show about nothing, this is the show for you. Although it may seem like a waste, the main characters- Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer are a ragtag team of thirty year olds that still try to find themselves each day in the busy and peculiar city of New York. The group constantly finds themselves in strange predicaments that could be easily avoided, but it’s the way they avoid their impending problems that makes the show hilariously relatable. The show is proof that you don’t have to have your life figured out and even when you’re a grown up, you still have a lot of growing up to do. Bonus: They take famous events that happen in the news and put an interesting spin on it!

Best Characters: Kramer and Newman

Theme Song: “Seinfeld”

 

1.) Friends

1994-2004 (Netflix) 

This classic show is probably the most famous television show to make a comeback with today’s generation. With Instagram accounts and Twitter pages devoted to posting the best moments from this show, it is easy to say that this will be the one to go down in history. Following a gang of twenty-somethings who face challenges of finding the right career, relationship, and lifestyle, characters Monica, Chandler, Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, and Joey all help each other with learning how to be adults. With each character so different from the other, fans often find themselves identifying with a specific character. Whether you eat like Joey, are unique like Phoebe, clean like Monica, make silly jokes like Chandler, dress like Rachel, or are bookish like Ross, it’s clear that this show has something for everyone.

Best Characters: Joey and Phoebe

Theme Song: “I’ll be there for you”

Take a break from the drama that is valued in nearly every T.V. show today and instead take some time to watch a lighter show where family and friends come before anything else. Happy binge watching!