Classic TV Shows You Might Like To Watch (Again)

Current TV gives us creative stories, flawless acting, and the best-ever photography and editing. But we're getting just one shade in what should be a rainbow of TV. Most people like music and movies spanning many years. But what about all the terrific TV that came and went -- where is it?

Classic TV is still available -- some of it, some of the time. You just have to dig for it. Keep reading to discover where I found more than 70 terrific TV shows from yesteryear.

To round out my TV diet, I enjoy watching classic shows that originally ran in my younger years -- not due to nostalgia, but because they are entertaining in a different way. Older shows have a different style and pace. They also can have intriguing plots, excellent acting, fun characters, and some long-lost story concepts. Remember cool private eyes, rugged heros, tough cops, and super villians? TV shows from the 50s, 60s and 70s have classic style, and appealing characters that are fun to get to know again, or for the first time.

But TV broadcasters don't particularly care to serve Boomers. We are not in the 18-39 audience they desire (a separate debate: why is this the only important age group?). In 2006, cable channel TV Land commissioned a survey of Boomer television viewers, and determined that we are not happy with today's TV offerings. This is ironic, because TV Land is part of the problem; years ago it presented classic adult-oriented TV shows, but now it's just for kids. In fact, TV Land feels so uncomfortable running older shows that it makes fun of them -- let's all laugh at the old-fashioned TV, wink-wink.

In search of Classic TV shows

Few classic TV shows are broadcast today (not counting a handful of evergreen sitcoms). Finding the true TV classics requires some detective work, and actually watching them requires some luck. Some of the best shows are only on certain cable and satellite services, but chances are you don't get all the desirable channels. If a terrific TV show is on a channel you don't receive, you can either move to where there's a better cable company, or switch to a satellite service that carries the channel, or lobby your TV service provider to add the channel you desired.

For instance, many terrific 60s dramas are on AmericanLife TV Network, which has so-so distribution on cable systems. In San Diego County, neighborhoods with Cox Cable can watch it, but those with Time-Warner Cable can't.

TV in the late 50s had more westerns than you can shake a six-gun at, but just a tiny fraction are on TV now. The best place to find them is the Encore Westerns channel, which is typically packaged with Encore movie channels, including Encore Action and Encore Love. But other than showing old TV westerns, the Encore movie channels are disappointing because they chop off the sides of widescreen movies. To see movies as they were originally filmed, watch them on TCM -- Turner Classic Movies. If a film is widescreen (Cinemascope, VistaVision, etc.), TCM shows the full width, which reduces the height, so there are dark bars top and bottom (called letterboxing). If you have a modern widescreen TV, just hit the Zoom button on your TV remote and you'll see the movie fill your big screen as it was shown in theaters. Maybe someday Encore will figure this out.

TV Land, the cable channel launched years ago as the home of classic TV, used to be a treasure-trove of terrific adult drama and action shows. But now it's just a tired collection of sitcoms, with Gunsmoke and Bonanza thrown in on weekends.

When tracking down classic TV, keep in mind that some channels change their schedules frequently. And for long-running shows, you'll sometimes find only newer episodes. For instance, I haven't found any channel running the original half-hour Gunsmoke that featured Dennis Weaver as Chester, perhaps because they were in black-and-white. And sometimes when I expect to see a classic game show such as I've Got A Secret hosted by Gary Moore, I find a lame revival with none of the charm of the original.

Classic TV you can watch now

With much digging, I turned up quite a list of classic TV shows that are back on the air right now. On the next page of this article I list the show, when it originally ran, where it can be viewed now, and thoughts on why it's worth watching, and some trivia about the show.
Classic TV shows I'm watching now include:

• 77 Sunset Strip -- the coolest private eyes in Hollywood, and Kookie combing his hair
• The Man From U.N.C.L.E. -- the coolest spies battle the nastiest Thrush villains
• I Spy -- Robert Culp and Bill Cosby are globe-trotting spies in the first drama with an African-American star



• Combat! -- the best war series ever, many directed by legendary Robert Altman, who later created the movie M*A*S*H and other major films, starring Rick Jason and Vic Morrow (photo)
• Maverick -- James Garner and other wise guys hustle their way through the old west
• Mission: Impossible -- This spy-vs.-spy is a con-game with gadgets galore, and fortunately, nothing like the Tom Cruise movies.
• Rockford Files -- James Garner and other wise guys hustle their way through the new west
• The F.B.I. -- Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. is the ultimate g-man in an odd world where every car is a Ford
• ...and much more...

When you revisit old shows, you'll be reminded of certain aspects of life and TV that have changed. The pace is slower, with longer scenes and calmer editing. Stories have one plot line, perhaps with a minor secondary plot line, unlike today's shows that twist several plots together, some spanning multiple episodes.

Most jarring to me is that everyone smokes, or seems to, especially in the 50s and 60s. I think more people smoked on TV than in real life. Smoking is used as a dramatic ingredient, an acting tool, and sometimes as a plot element. Everyone drinks, too, but not wine or beer -- cocktails. There's always a full ice bucket but no apparent source of the ice.

Of course styles vary, with the 50s and 60s dressier than today. The 70s were different in every way, notably hairy and sometimes bizarre.

Even cowboys were different then. Modern westerns are grungy, while classic westerns are somehow clean. Trail hands are tidy, lawmen are well-dressed, and legendary Bat Masterson "wore a cane and derby hat" according to the theme song.

Many theme songs were so memorable I can still sing them and/or bang them out on my piano. More than a few themes became hit records, and several shows generated entire albums. Some dramas included musical performances in their plots, notably Connie Stevens singing in most Hawaiian Eye episodes.

You might feel that acting style has changed, but that depends on the show. For every over-acted show of the 60s there's equally mannered delivery today -- I keep thinking CSI: Miami is a parody like The Office. Many 60s actors were ultra-cool, especially Roger Smith in 77 Sunset Strip, Vic Morrow in Combat!, and David McCallum in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (he strikes the same tone in his current series NCIS).

The cars were, and are, classic. Notice how every private eye drives a convertible, with the top down day and night. So does Perry Mason.

Of course, communication seems archaic. Every time someone is in trouble, they search for a dime and a dial pay phone. Or they drive to see someone. There's no mobile phoning, no e-mail, no faxing, even in the shows filmed in Los Angeles, no traffic. If there's anything to be nostalgic about, that's it!

On the next page I list more than 60 classic TV shows, with networks/channels and comments, that you can watch right now.

Classic TV Shows On The Air In 2007

Here's my list of classic TV shows you can watch today. I focused on dramas, and mostly found shows from the 1960s and 70s, with a few 50s shows, and a few Boomer favorites from the 80s. I don't list all the comedies that run endlessly and aren't hard to find. Keep in mind that TV schedules change frequently, and shows sometimes move to other channels. If you know of shows I overlooked, please share your discoveries by adding comments to this article, which I'll update from time to time.

If you don't find what you want to watch, contact the TV companies, especially the major cable networks identified in my list, and let them know. Like the old days when I was program director of "all request" radio stations, TV programmers really do want to "play what you say"!

Show name, original years	Show concept, details, stars and trivia	Network now showing, color
1958-1964	Hollywood's coolest private eyes, the best theme song, and stars Efrem Zimbalist, Jr (Stewart Bailey), Roger Smith (Jeff Spencer), Ed Byrnes (Kookie), Richard Long (Rex Randolph), et al. Long's character originated in Bourbon Street Beat. Filmed at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California, sharing the soundstage with the sets of Hawaiian Eye.	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W
Addams Family 1964-1966	Goofy ghouls, inspired by Addams' macabre cartoons.	TV Land, B&W
1952-1957	George Reeves as Superman leaps tall buildings in gray (and sometimes colorful red and blue) wool tights, and fools Lois Lane (Noel Neill) by wearing Clark Kent glasses. Filmed in Los Angeles at what is now Raleigh Studios.	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W, Color
Alias Smith and Jones1971-1973	Trying to go straight, ex-outlaws just can't escape trouble. Filmed on the backlot of Universal Studios in Los Angeles. Take the tour!	Encore Western, Color
Alice 1976-1985	Linda Lavin is a waitress at Mel's Diner. Inspired by movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.	Ion, Color
Andy Griffith Show 1960-1968	Mayberry is one funny place. Opening credits scene of Andy and Opie filmed in Franklin Canyon (see Combat!).	TV Land, B&W
Bat Masterson 1958-1961	Gene Barry "wears a cane and derby hat" according to the theme song (wears a cane?). Wherever he goes in the old west, it looks like the same hills of Los Angeles.	Encore Western, B&W
Battlestar Galactica 1978-1980	Sci-fi series with Bonanza's Lorne Greene leading a space fleet. Filmed at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, where red-eyed Cylons were on the tourist tour. Not at all like the 2000's series of the same title.	Ion, Color
Benny Hill 1969-1989	Low-brow British humor is often risque, and always hilarious. Filmed in England.	BBC America, Color
The Big Valley 1965-1969	Barbara Stanwyck heads a sprawling soap opera about the Barkley family, with Lee Majors, Richard Long, Linda Evans, Peter Breck and plenty of horses.	Encore Western, Color
Bonanza 1959-1973	Lorne Green, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker, and Pernell Roberts are the Cartwrights. Filmed at Paramount Pictures and nearby movie ranches in Los Angeles, not at the Ponderosa's fictitious location near Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The theme was a big hit by guitarist Al Caiola.	TV Land, Color
Bourbon Street Beat 1959-1960	New Orleans private eyes Richard Long, Andrew Duggan, and Van Williams sweat it out in the Big Easy. Actually filmed at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California. Long's character Rex Randolph later moved to 77 Sunset Strip, and Williams' character Ken Madison moved to Surfside Six.	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W
Bronco 1958-1962	Adventures of cowboy Bronco Layne starred Ty Hardin. Filmed at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California.	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W
Burke's Law 1963-1965	Gene Barry trades his horse for a Rolls Royce and transforms his Bat Masterson persona into a rich detective.	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W
Cheyenne 1955-1963	Clint Walker rides very tall in the saddle in adventures of Cheyenne Bodie. Filmed at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California.	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W
Chico & The Man 1974-1978	Freddie Prinze and Jack Albertson cross cultures to work together humorously. Prinze killed himself in 1977.	AmericanLife TV Network, Color
China Beach 1988-1991	Dana Delaney, Marg Helgenberger, and Robert Picardo help solders during the Vietnam War.	AmericanLife TV Network, Color
Cimarron Strip 1967-1971	Stuart Whitman plays a rock-solid U.S. Marshal in the old west.	Encore Western, Color
Columbo 1971-1993	Peter Falk's rumpled detective has just one more question: Excuse me, who says Monk is the original defective detective?	Sleuth, Color
1962-1967	In the best war series, Lt. Hanley, Sgt. Saunders and the platoon fight Nazi's in WWII. Episodes directed by Robert Altman and other leading talents. French towns and country actually legendary MGM backlots 2 and 3 (now filled with houses and condos) in Culver City, plus Franklin Canyon above Beverly Hills, and hills of Iverson Ranch. A few episodes filmed in France.	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W, Color
The Courtship of Eddie's Father 1969-1972	Cute kid (Brandon Cruz), cute dad (Bill Bixby), cute Japanese lady (Miyoshi Umeki) make cute show. Inspired by 1963 movie of same name.	AmericanLife TV Network, Color
Dragnet 1967-1970	Jack Webb as detective Joe Friday gets just the facts, ma'am. Partner is Harry Morgan (later in M*A*S*H). Filmed on the streets of Los Angeles. Theme was big hit. Webb also starred in rarely shown 1952-1959 series, and original 1949 radio show.	Sleuth, Color
F Troop 1965-1967	Wacky soldiers forget their Army training in the old west. With Ken Berry, Larry Storch, Forrest Tucker.	AmericanLife TV Network, Color
The FBI 1965-1974	Super G-Man Lewis Erskine in action. Star Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. travels to many crime locations but usually doesn't leave Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California. Show strived for realism, except almost every car is a Ford, the show's primary sponsor.	AmericanLife TV Network, Color
The Gallant Men 1962-1963	GIs on World War II's Italian front. Star William Reynolds (photo) later joined The FBI series. Filmed at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California, with big battles at a nearby movie ranch.	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W
1950-1956	The singing cowboy is back in the saddle again, with wacky sidekick Pat Buttram and smart horse Champion. Filmed in various classic western locations. The 1950 black&white episodes were filmed in Pioneertown outside Yucca Valley, north of Palm Springs, California. The 1951 color episodes likely were filmed at Iverson Ranch in the hills above the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. Some hour-long Gene Autry movies are also shown, mostly filmed at Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, California.	Encore Western, B&W, Color
The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. 1966-1967	Stefanie Powers and Noel Harrison battle Thrush and other supercrooks. Sillier than The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Filmed in Culver City, California on legendary MGM backlots 2 and 3, now filled with houses and condos.	AmericanLife TV Network, Color
Green Acres 1965-1971	City slickers in the country, with Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor.	TV Land, Color
Green Hornet 1966-1967	Masked man with secret identity takes on the bad guys -- not a coincidence, because Britt Reid is the Lone Ranger's nephew! Instead of a horse, the Green Hornet's ride is super-car Black Beauty. Stars Van Williams, formerly of Surfside Six, plus legendary Bruce Lee as Kato.	AmericanLife TV Network, Color
Gunsmoke 1961-1975	The longest-running western in its hour-long version. Mostly the later episodes are shown. Not shown is the original 1955-1961 half-hour version. Dennis Weaver is deputy Chester Goode in 1955-1964 episodes. Mister Dillon!	TV Land, Color
Harry O 1974-1976	David Janssen is ex-San Diego cop who becomes a PI at the beach, first on San Diego Bay, then at Paradise Cove in Malibu (same site as Jim Rockford's trailer), where his next door neighbor is a flight attendant played by Farrah Fawcett. No explanation of how either of them could afford these homes.	AmericanLife TV Network, Color
1959-1963	Robert Conrad as Tom Lopaka and Anthony Eisley as Tracy Steele are PIs at Hawaiian Village Hotel, where Connie Stevens as Cricket Blake sings nightly in the Shell Bar. Actually filmed at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California, concurrently with 77 Sunset Strip on the same soundstage.	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W
The Honeymooners 1966-1970	Jackie Gleason moved production to Miami and filmed 42 hour-long shows. Ralph Kramden got a new Alice played by Sheila MacRae, but the same old Norton (Art Carney). Not shown are the original 1950s shows.	AmericanLife TV Network, Color
Hunter 1984-1991	L.A. detectives Rick Hunter (ex-NFL player Fred Dryer) and DeeDee McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) try to out-tough each other. Works for me.	WE, Color
I Love Lucy 1951-1961	Lucy's 'splaining still brings laughs around the world. Desi Arnaz invented three-camera shooting with live audience, unchanged to this day. almost everywhere	B&W
I Spy 1965-1968	Bill Cosby and Robert Culp overflow with wonderfulness as tennis pros who are really secret agents. Notable as first TV drama to star an African-American, and for filming on location around the world.	AmericanLife TV Network, Color
It's A Great Life 1954-1956	Goofball fun, starring Michael O'Shea, William Bishop, James Dunn and Frances Bavier.	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W
I've Got A Secret 1952-1967	Game show hosted mainly by Gary Moore, broadcast live from New York. Beware of later lame remakes.	GSN Game Show Network, B&W
Kung Fu 1972-1975	Odd concept caught on thanks to David Carradine's mystical manner as Caine, a Buddhist monk in the wild west who recalls lessons of his younger "grasshopper" self.	AmericanLife TV Network, Color
Land Of Giants 1968-1970	Two tiny men dealing with a world of giant humans. Terrific special effects in this Irwin Allen production, likely inspired by "little people" movies such as The Incredible Shrinking Man. Story is set in the "future" -- 1983!	AmericanLife TV Network, Color
Lawman 1958-1962	John Russell plays a tough marshal in old-west Laramie.	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W
Leave It To Beaver 1957-1963	Adventures of Cleaver family members Ward, June, Wally, and The Beav, plus weasily Eddie Haskell. It was a real-life documentary, right?	TV Land, B&W
Little House On The Prairie 1974-1983	Michael Landon avoids barbers and raises kids in the old west.	TV Land, Color
Lost In Space 1965-1968	Danger Will Robinson! Essentially a family sitcom on a far-out planet. Swiss Family Robinson influenced by Star Trek on Twinkies. Guy Williams, June Lockhart, Bill Mumy, Mark Goddard, Angela Cartwright, Marta Kristen, and Jonathan Harris as inept villain Dr. Smith. An Irwin Allen production that is a classic of its kind.	TV Land, B&W, Color
The Little Rascals 1950s	Funny kids have funny adventures. TV show was renamed recycling of 1930s Our Gang comedies, in case you watched the show in the 50s or 60s and wondered why all the cars are so old.	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W
1955	TV series patterned on 1940's movie series about former crook Michael Lanyard who now roams the world solving crimes.	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W
Magnum P.I. 1980-1988	Beach bum/ex-military officer is a private eye with the best house and car in Hawaii, but apparently, no money. That's OK, because he looks like Tom Selleck. Filmed on island of Oahu in Hawaii.	Sleuth, Color
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. 1964-1968	Robert Vaughan, David McCallum and Leo G. Carroll star as United Network Command for Law and Enforcement agents who save the world from Thrush madmen and women. Adventures span the world, but were actually filmed in Culver City, California on legendary MGM backlots 2 and 3 (sadly now filled with houses and condos).	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W, Color
M*A*S*H 1972-1983	Hilarious and horrible experiences of Korean War medical team in metaphor of Vietnam War.	TV Land, Hallmark, Color
Maverick 1957-1962	Maverick family members James Garner, Jack Kelly, and others are humorous con-men roaming the old west. Filmed at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California.	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W
Mayberry R.F.D. 1968-1971	Mayberry without Andy Griffith and Don Knotts is sillier, but still funny with stars Ken Berry, George Lindsey and Frances Bavier.	AmericanLife TV Network, Color
Miami Vice 1984-1989	Don Johnson mixes t-shirts, sport coats, beard stubble, fast boats and faster cars in this show about MTV cops.	Sleuth, Color
Mission: Impossible 1966-1973	The original MI is back. Your mission: Watch it before it self-destructs.	AmericanLife TV Network, Color
Murder She Wrote 1984-1996	Mystery writer Angela Lansbury outsmarts the cops every time. But don't be her friend -- they die! Filmed at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. Take the tour!	Biography Channel, Color
My Favorite Martian 1963-1966	Tim O'Hara (Bill Bixby) has an out-of-this-world Uncle Martin (Ray Walston) with strange antennae and stranger abilities.	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W
The Nat King Cole Show 1956-1957	Nat sings his hits and duets and jokes around with big stars of the day. Legendary arranger Nelson Riddle leads the orchestra. This is the first TV variety show starring a major African-American entertainer. Slightly-fuzzy kinescopes of original live shows.	BET, B&W
Perry Mason 1957-1966	Raymond Burr is the ultimate puzzle-solving detective. But how often does he actually do lawyer stuff?	local stations, B&W
1971-1972	American actor Tony Curtis and British actor Roger Moore play contrasting characters who use finesse and fists to put things right. Filmed on location in Europe's scenic spots.	BBC America, Color
The Rat Patrol 1966-1968	Another WWII team led by Christopher George takes on Nazis in North Africa. Jumping Jeeps vs. clanking tanks? Why not?	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W
The Rifleman 1958-1963	Chuck Conners as Lucas McCain, who totes the coolest rifle and raises his son Mark (Johnny Crawford) in old west.	Encore Western, B&W
The Rockford Files 1974-1980	James Garner switches from Maverick's horse to Jim Rockford's Firebird but he's still getting by on clever comments and lots of luck. And somehow he lives at Paradise Cover in Malibu, one of the most expensive places on the planet (and the same site as Harry O).Theme song was a pop hit.	Sleuth, Color
The Saint 1967-1969	Roger Moore as Simon Templar, who is either a secret agent or a crook. The cops aren't sure, but the ladies love his halo. Filmed in England.	BBC America, Color
Simon & Simon 1981-1988	San Diego detective brothers Rick (Gerald McRaney) and A.J. (Jameson Parker) solve crimes. Filmed at Universal Studios in Los Angeles.	Sleuth, Color
The Sinatra Collection 1957-1958	Frank Sinatra sings his hits and duets and jokes around with big stars of the day. Legendary arranger Nelson Riddle leads the orchestra. This is a repackaging of the original shows.	BET Jazz, B&W
Star Trek 1966-1969	The original seven year mission of the starship Enterprise, boldly going where no man has gone before. Some stations run episodes upgraded in 2006 with improved special effects and music. Filmed at Desilu studios in Hollywood.	TV Land, G4, local stations, Color
1960-1962	77 Sunset Strip clone puts privates eyes Troy Donahue, Van Williams, and Lee Patterson on a houseboat in Miami Beach. Williams' character Ken Madison formerly worked in Bourbon Street Beat. Filmed at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California.	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W
The Time Tunnel 1966-1967	Fun premise of traveling in time, encountering famous people and events throughout history. Stars James Darren (movie Gidget's Moondoggie) and Robert Colbert. An Irwin Allen production, perhaps inspired by movies such as The Time Machine.	AmericanLife TV Network, Color
12 O'Clock High 1964-1967	WWII bomber crews face the enemy and their own personal challenges. Based on 1949 movie. In a management training program I attended, this show and the film were used as case studies to explore difficult decision-making.	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W
Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea 1964-1968	Sometimes intriguing, sometimes silly adventures in a super submarine that is perpetually saving the world. Richard Basehart and David Hedison star. An Irwin Allen production, inspired by his 1961 movie of same name.	AmericanLife TV Network, B&W, Color
Welcome Back, Kotter 1975-1979	Gabe Kaplan plays high school teacher Kotter, who faces undisciplined but hilarious high school student "sweathogs" including John Travolta. Theme song was pop hit by John Sebastian.	Ion, Color
What's My Line 1950-1967	John Daly helps an illustrious panel guess people's odd jobs and identify mystery celebrities. Everyone signs in, wears tuxedos and gowns, and reeks of New York sophistication and an era gone by.	GSN Game Show Network, B&W
The Wonder Years 1988-1993	A grown-up recalls, and we see, kids growing up in the 1960s.	Ion, Color