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Homicide: Life on the Street (1993-1999)
By Marilyn Ferdinand As soon as the opening theme of electronica and crackling police radio intones and a kinetic roll of street scenes, abstract streaks, and cast member faces appearing and...
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22. Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1962)
by Sam Juliano Charles Gounod (1818-1893) was a renowned French composer perhaps best known for his version of Ave Maria, based on a work by Bach, though his two big operas, Mignon and Romeo et...
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21. I, Claudius (1976)
by Allan Fish (UK 1976 652m) DVD1/2 Old King Log p Martin Lisemore d Herbert Wise w Jack Pulman novels “I, Claudius” and “Claudius the God” by Robert Graves m Wilfrid Josephs art Tim Harvey...
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20. The Civil War (1990)
by Stephen Mullen (I’m sorry this is going to look like a homework assignment – but this is a show that feels a bit like a homework assignment, a textbook at least. That isn’t a bad thing, of course –...
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19. Brideshead Revisited (1981)
by Allan Fish (UK 1981 640m) DVD1/2 Vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas p Derek Granger d Charles Sturridge, Michael Lindsay-Hogg w John Mortimer novel Evelyn Waugh ph various ed Anthony Ham...
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It, The Teacher and The Brooklyn Bridge Elephant Stampede on Monday Morning...
by Sam Juliano A somber remembrance is upon us today. The school year is underway, with summer 2017 now reaching its final days. Before long it will be Halloween decorations, and horror movie...
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19. The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-66)
by Dennis Polifroni If one were to think of television’s classic sitcoms as a series of bricks being laid to build a house, then the history of the sitcom can be broken down into three stages of...
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# 18. Berlin Alexanderplatz
By Adam Ferenz One of the great achievements in German television-others include Heimat and Our Hitler-this work is arguably the best of writer/director Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s rich career. This...
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16. Saturday Night Live (1975 to present)
Observations and ramblings with some autobiographical content, presented by Brian E. Wilson Autobiographical introduction (to read in the voice of Don Pardo): I know exactly where I was at 11:35pm...
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15. Dekalog (1989)
By Stephen Mullen Dekalog is a 10 part television series, made in Poland in 1988, directed by Krzystof Kieslowski, written by Kieslowski and Krzystof Piesiewicz, his frequent writing collaborator....
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14. Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1969-1974)
By Stephen Mullen This is very near and dear to my heart. For my money, Monty Python’s Flying Circus is the best show ever on television. What was it? A sketch comedy show, made by a group of writers...
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13. The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977)
By Marilyn Ferdinand “Who can turn the world on with her smile? Who can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?” The well-remembered opening lines to the theme song of The Mary...
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12. Fawlty Towers (1975 & 1979)
by Adam Ferenz One of the funniest works of art in history. There are twelve episodes. This is in part because program stars, creators and writers John Cleese and Connie Booth decided to get a divorce...
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Greatest Television Countdown and Caldecott Medal Contender Series on Monday...
by Sam Juliano The Top 80 Greatest Television Countdown is fast approaching the Top 10, and with it a conclusion to Phase One this long-running project. The longer section will commence in...
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11. The Sopranos (1999-2007)
by Dennis Polifroni It was never truly about gangsters. There, I’ve said it. THE SOPRANOS really isn’t, and never was, about the Italian Mafia inasmuch as the Mafia is simply a springboard device...
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10. Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
by Adam Ferenz The premise sounds like it should not work. Yet work it does, like a Walter White master plan. A man, dying of cancer, decides to take his skills as a Nobel-winning chemist, and apply...
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9. All in the Family (1971-1979)
by Dennis Polifroni Let me just get this first statement out of the way and we can move on from here… ALL IN THE FAMILY is, without question, the single most important TV series to come out of the...
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8. The Prisoner (1967-1968)
By J.D. Lafrance What if James Bond tried to resign? It is this intriguing premise that lies at the heart of influential British television series The Prisoner. Coming off the spy show Danger Man,...
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7. Star Trek (1966-69)
by Sam Juliano It was the brainchild of a moderately successful screenwriter who was hoping to achieve a moderate success with a genre program that was essentially aimed at young people, and fans of...
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6. M*A*S*H (1972-1983)
by Adam Ferenz Note: Due to unforeseen circumstances, Sammy’s duty as writer for this piece was unable to be filled, and I was called in at the last minute to provide the essay. I hope the following...
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