Watching Sitcoms

Here’s another poll for the Hulu Awards. This one is for Best Show of the Seventies. That seems like a very broad term, since it can be a comedy, a drama or an action show, so it really matters what you like best. As it turns out, of the final five nominated shows, four are sitcoms.

Here are the nominees: Barney Miller, The Bob Newhart Show, Charlie’s Angels, I Dream of Jeannie and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. I have to honestly say that in the 70’s I religiously watched each and every one of these shows. I didn’t have much to do as a child. If I was picking which one I liked the very best, it would probably have to be Barney Miller. We still talk about things that happened in the different eps, even all this many years later. But if I’m being completely honest, I’d have to say that the award should probably go to The Bob Newhart Show or The Mary Tyler More Show, mostly because I think they more clearly reflect the spirit of that era. I mean, really, what would the 70’s have been without Bob Newhart or Mary Tyler Moore?

Of course, this isn’t me trying to discount I Dream of Jeannie or Charlie’s Angels, which were both really great shows in their own way. Jeannie was also very 70’s, but a little too tongue in cheek, if you ask me, to be the best show. It never expected to be taken seriously. As for Charlie’s Angels, it’s definitely an iconic show, but I’m not sure it could be considered the show of the decade, since it may not have appealed to a wide audience.

So here’s the poll:

I just found something new online. It’s a site called Hulu.com and it has lots of tv shows and movies that you can watch for free. Some are just clips, but there are lots of full episodes and full movies on the site. And not just new stuff, either.

For example, I just watched an old episode of Barney Miller and really enjoyed it. I used to love this show and it was fun to see an ep from back when. I’ve considered buying the DVDs, but never did because I knew I’d probably just watch them once. Now, I don’t need to spend that money, I can just watch them on Hulu. Now, not all the eps from all the seasons are there, but still there were several to choose from and that was good enough for me.

The episode I watched, The Ghost, was from the third season and starred a recurring character that I remember well from the series. His name is Kenneth Tigar and he played various crazies in several episodes over the course of the show. I remember one episode he was in where he said he was a werewolf and the way they played it, you almost believed it yourself. In The Ghost, he plays a man who claims he is haunted by the ghost of an ancestor and suddenly strange things start happening at the precinct. Very funny.

In all honesty, for years I believed that the guy who played those roles was Sam Anderson, who presently plays Bernard on Lost and also had a recurring role on Angel. The two actors do look something alike and I never thought to look it up. So, see, I learned two things this week. Apparently, you are never too old to learn.

So go check out Hulu.com. It only takes a moment to register and the site is free, so enjoy!