Nick at Nite’s Definition (or Lack Thereof) of “Classic” Television

Growing up, Nick at Nite was one of my favorite things to watch.  I was absolutely smitten with the shows they aired, many of which became some of my all-time favorite shows.  When I was younger, Nick at Nite actually lived up to what it is supposed to be – a place to watch classic television that is no longer on the air.  Due to this, I was exposed to some of the TV greats that I otherwise would’ve never gotten to see.  I spent my summer nights watching classics such as Mister Ed, The Patty Duke Show, Dick Van Dyke, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  They even played The Monkees at one point in the 80′s!  I was probably the only 6 year-old at the time with a crush on Davy Jones.  As I got older, they added a few more contemporary (but still classic) shows like The Wonder Years and Cheers and I loved this.

For some reason though, Nick at Nite has gone extremely downhill in the past four years or so.  The current line-up includes such “gems” as Full House and Family Matters.  I’m sorry, but Full House is hardly “classic” television.  Hell, it’s hardly television.  I watched the show as a little kid, but even as an 8 year-old I realized the show was crap and had the common sense to stop watching.  If you really feel the need to bring back a TGIF show from the 80′s or 90′s, why not bring back Perfect Strangers?  Now that is good comedic TV…I love me some Balki and Cousin Larry.

There was a point in the 2000′s when Nick at Nite played shows I actually enjoyed.  For a time, they played Different Strokes, Growing Pains, Who’s the Boss?, and A Different World.   I wouldn’t call these shows “classics,” but they were at least watchable and good TV.  Now I’m sure some of you are thinking, “Why don’t you just watch TV Land?”  While I appreciate TV Land (especially for playing 3rd Rock From the Sun), it is hardly old-school Nick at Nite.  I mean, come on, the show they air most at night is some lame reality showed called “The Cougar.”  That fact alone pisses me off.

If it was up to me (and it should be) Nick at Nite would go back to its old programming.  I think it’s about time we expose kids today to the true TV classics.  Without old school Nick at Nite, I’m not sure I would appreciate or enjoy TV the way I do.  Maybe if more people watched the classics, then we wouldn’t have so many horrible pilots made and picked up (I’m talking about you Cavemen show).  So I’m begging you Nick at Nite, please bring back the real classics and expose another generation to just how great TV can be.

The Seedy Underbelly of Old School Vh1

When I was a kid, my parents didn’t let me watch MTV.  This didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me considering I was allowed to watch 90210 and the uber-slutty Lubbock sisters on Just the Ten of Us (who I idolized…seriously) and pretty much any other primetime show I wanted.  So it’s beyond me why MTV was the only thing  they deemed as “inappropriate.”  I was, however, allowed to watch all the Vh1 my little heart desired.  I guess they figured since Vh1 didn’t play any rap it was okay.  Not sure how they came to this conclusion, especially since I grew up in Miami listening to some of the dirtiest rap imaginable.  As a wee 7 year old, I used to jam and sing-a-long to “Pop that Coochie” riding home from school in my Mom’s car (I had no idea what the lyrics meant – but I still loved the damn song).  So basically, listening and singing to dirty rap – okay – seeing dirty rap videos – not okay.

In the late 80′s and early 90′s, Vh1 actually played music videos and not this celebreality and whatever they call it crap.  Usually they played the same four or five videos on heavy rotation with some random filler ones in between.  This meant I got to watch my favorite videos eight million times a day – which I loved.  The brilliant part about this is that a lot of these videos played were secretly and fabulously raunchy.  Three of my absolute favorite videos were Madonna’s “Express Yourself,” Paula Abdul’s “Cold Hearted Snake,” and my all-time favorite Billy Idol’s “Cradle of Love.”  Now for anyone who’s seen these videos, you know just how saucy the dance moves were (all three include the classic seductive crawl across the floor move).  Of course, since these were my favorite videos – I wanted to dance JUST like the girls in them…and I did.  I practiced those moves like it was my job.  Looking back on it, it probably wasn’t the greatest way to spend my time as a kid, but whatever – I thought it was awesome.  So the moral to this story is that Vh1 was just as dirty as MTV……….so my parents should’ve just let me watch that too.

For those of you not familiar with the old school videos mentioned – please enjoy the following:

Will Scrubs Still Be Scrubs If It Gets Picked Up For Next Season??

While watching the Series (or season???) Finale of Scrubs last night, I began to wonder, “If Scrubs gets picked up for another season will it still be the Scrubs we know and love?”  You’re probably thinking, “But I thought this was supposed to be the last season.”  Turns out, this might not be the case.  I’ve heard plenty of chatter about the possibility of Scrubs getting another season and have it become almost like a comedic “ER” with a revolving cast of characters.  It also makes sense that ABC would want to get a bit more out of Scrubs, considering they just picked it up this season from NBC.  Here’s the problem though, if the show does get a green light for next season will it still be worth watching.  Let’s take a quick look at the facts.  Zach Braff has already made it clear this would be his final season – so he’s a no go.  Donald Faison shot a pilot for ABC and if that gets picked up he’s also out for the count.  I also discovered that John C. McGinley is also in a new pilot, which lessens the possibility of his character, Dr. Cox, returning as a series regular.

So this leaves the question of who would come back.  Most likely, the show would focus on the new interns introduced this season.  Almost like a “new class” kind of scenario.  Now I do like some of the new interns, but I don’t think I could stomach a whole show revolved around them.  They’re just not that entertaining and throwing in peripheral characters like The Todd and Ted (who would most likely be back as well) just isn’t enough to sustain the same energy we’ve come to love about Scrubs.  It’s like “Saved By the Bell: The New Class” – same concept with a few familiar faces, but for some reason it just doesn’t live up to the original (much like the new 90210 – for more of my feelings on that scroll down to Tuesday’s post).  With this as our only option, I’m left to the conclusion that Scrubs would be better to just end this season.  I’m thankful that ABC picked it up so that the show could go out on the note it deserved, but let it die gracefully now and on its own terms.  If it actually does get picked up for next season, my feeling is that it will get destroyed in the ratings and end up getting canceled half-way into the season (if not sooner) and Scrubs just doesn’t deserve that kind of fate.

UPDATE:  ABC went ahead and picked up Scrubs for another season.  Zach Braff has agreed to come back for six episodes (I’m a little surprised at this) and Donald Faison and John C. McGinley are returning as regulars.  This is a little better than what I thought would happen if Scrubs returned, but I’m still not sure if it’s enough.  I really would’ve have preferred it just end this season and go out on a great note.  Guess we’ll just have to wait and see how the show turns out next season…here’s hoping it’s not as horrible as I think it might be.