Television. If you don’t use a television, I respect your choice, of course. But I have to say, if you aren’t watching TV, I think you are missing out.
While I didn’t see a great deal of TV as a kid, I certainly have many fond memories of the programs we did view. Captain Kangaroo. Countless cartoons and old movies. Shows like I Love Lucy or The Andy Griffith Show. The Wizard of Oz. So many more.
And today, it offers several things to me. It is an educational tool, a source for news, and also an escape from other thinking.
Who knew it started so early? There was a German inventor named Paul Nipkow who managed to achieve static black and white television transmission with his famous “Electric Telescope” in 1884. I’m kind of glad we don’t call our current TVs an “Electric Telescope.” Instead, we all know the word “television,” a term coined in 1900 by Russian scientist Constantin Perskyi.
There are a lot of early inventors who helped bring about our TVs of today.
But. This next fact is incredible to me. The first American television station started working in 1928. For those who care, that station was WRGB (then W2XCW) was the world’s first television station. It broadcasted from the General Electric facility in Schenectady, New York.
Does anyone remember when the first “high-definition” televisions started to hit the market? It took a little getting used to the way they looked. Which is quite better than when old TVs started out. The first television sets had only modest picture capabilities of 200-400 lines of resolution. Now, a UHD TV has 3,840 horizontal lines of resolution. Ka. Ching.
But all that aside.
We watch.
In fact, the average American family watches TV for eight hours per day. The statistics also say that the average “person” watches three hours per day. I think, technically, this number is low. Although it may not be considered “TV” many people watch a lot of video and streaming TV on their handheld devices. So. There is that.
And, currently there are over 275 million television sets in the United States.
But. All this comes to mind because of an article I recently read concerning the best sitcoms of all time. I believe Reader’s Digest published this list. They pooled several sources according to the article, and here are the shows they came up with. From bottom to top.
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10 – Modern Family
The story of three separate, but mutually connected families through eleven seasons. The show won numerous awards, especially in the earliest stages.
9 – The Nanny
The unmistakable Fran Drescher in the “Nanny” role. The maiden season started showing back in 1993. The show lasted for six seasons, and it had its spin-off with Fran in the main role. Nevertheless, the spin-off did not last longer than two seasons.
8 – The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls provides 180 episodes full of love, laughter, empathy, and some serious questions that will make you wonder at times. The earliest days of the show date back to 1985 when the likes of Betty White, Rue McClanahan, Estelle Getty, and Bea Arthur gathered to form a staggering crew of actresses. Unfortunately, Beatrice Arthur had to leave after the seventh season. Since then, the show had three different spin-offs, but none came anywhere near the Golden Girl success.
7 – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Andy and Susan Borowitz created one of the most legendary American sitcoms that went on air from 1990 to 1996. The series launched Will Smith to the stars as he impersonated a fictional vision of himself.
6 – 2 Broke Girls
Just as the title suggests, this American TV show describes everyday situations in the lives of Caroline Channing and Max Black. The two best friends collide with each other on so many levels.
5 – Two and a Half Men
It has gone live for as many as twelve years since 2003. In the earliest phases, Charlie Sheen had the main role together with Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones. In 2011, Sheen made some unhealthy comments about creator Chuck Lorre who was forced to part ways with the famous actor. Ashton Kutcher came in as a savior. From start to finish, 12 seasons.
4 – Only Fools and Horses
This is the only non-American sitcom on this list. The legendary British series was created by John Sullivan and it aired on BBC One from 1981 to 1991. The plot happens in a small part of London called Peckham.
3 – How I Met Your Mother
Aired from 2005 to 2014. It told the story of the main character Ted Mosby and his funky group of friends in Manhattan.
2 – The Big Bang Theory
Leonard and Sheldon. They are geniuses in the lab and certainly among the smartest people on the planet. Nevertheless, as smart as they are in the lab, they lack common sense for numerous everyday happenings. There are 279 episodes televised over 12 seasons.
1– Friends
The show lasted for ten seasons with the last episode being shown in 2004. However, this sitcom is among the most popular TV shows even two decades later as people like to remember the good old days by re-watching it. We will end the article with the names of six extraordinary characters, each special in its own right. Jennifer Aniston starred as Rachel Green, Courtney Cox was a hilarious Monica Geller, and Lisa Kudrow lived in her own world as Phoebe Buffay. The trio’s male friends were equally interesting and hilarious, starting with Matt LeBlanc as a neighboring actor. His roommate was charismatic Matthew Perry in the role of Chandler Bing, who is the complete opposite of Monica’s brother Ross Geller, embodied by David Schwimmer.
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Okay. I might be a bad judge of this because, from this list, I’ve only seen or watched one of the shows. The Golden Girls.
And, I have to say, there are several shows that are missing here. Like Seinfeld. Or All In The Family. Cheers. The Simpsons. I Love Lucy. M*A*S*H. The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The Honeymooners.
These are just a few off the top of my head. Obviously, these are the ones that I watched.
Regardless, they all brought laughs. And laughing is a good thing. It relieves stress, increases oxygen levels, stimulates the heart, lungs, and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain. Among other things.
So tune into your favorite TV. Or, more to the point, tune into some laughter.
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“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
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“If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane.”
― Robert Frost
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“With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.”
― William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
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