Television is the most popular form of entertainment as we age. It has probably been our most popular form of entertainment through the years also. We were bombarded with warnings of turning our brains to mush if we engaged with the boob tube, idiot box, squawk box or whatever insulting name it was called.
Yet, television has prevailed and is now accompanied by cousins laptop, iPad and smartphone. I am not advocating a couch potato lifestyle, but if you have a desire and some time in your life for television diversion, here are my recommendations of 10 great TV shows to enjoy in your vintage years.
This Is Us
This show is an incredibly heartwarming and emotional, multi-generational and cross-cultural television series. This Is Us will tug and rip at your heart strings. The show and cast were consistently nominated for the Golden Globes, NAACP and Primetime Emmy Awards. The American Film Institute named it one of the top television shows in 2016 and 2017.
This Is Us, with its numerous timelines and time jumps forward and back, keeps you guessing as to what is to come and what has happened with all of these beloved characters. You are given peeks into the characters’ lives. There are many times you know what is going to happen, but you are so intrigued as to how they got to that conclusion.
The pilot episode is phenomenal, and it continues with the same intensity and quality throughout many seasons. This show is unique in style and filled with humanity, complexity and universality.
Breaking Bad
This iconic show is in the Guiness Book of World Records as the most critically acclaimed TV show of all time. Breaking Bad has won 16 Primetime Emmy awards and in 2023, it was ranked by Rotten Tomatoes critics as the best TV series in the last 25 years.
This is the story of a high school chemistry teacher, Walter White, who, when diagnosed with cancer, becomes a methamphetamine producer. I know it sounds ridiculous, but the story works fantastically well. It is true to its name as we watch Walter White transform slowly and nonlinearly from straight laced family man high school teacher to drug kingpin.
This is a very intense drama with extreme suspense and just extraordinarily memorable scenes. It is a psychological thriller that leaves you pondering your own moral ambiguity. Tension and dark humor underlie much of the show and add to the captivation.
The relationship between Walter White and his partner, Jesse Pinkman, is intricate and fascinating. Also, the cinematography of the show can be just breathtaking at times. The acting, the story writing, the aesthetics and detail in Breaking Bad make it an exceptional show.
Better Call Saul
Breaking Bad’s spinoff, Better Call Saul does not disappoint. It could easily be watched as a standalone show, but there is so much more to get out of it if you watch them both. Better Call Saul is mostly a prequel to Breaking Bad, although it also works as a sequel. It focuses on the life of Saul Goodman, the fan favorite lawyer of Breaking Bad. This is in large an origins story.
There are a lot of what the whippersnappers call Easter eggs (secrets or bits of information) in Better Call Saul that throw back to Breaking Bad. Off-handed comments, such as Saul’s character saying he gave himself a Jewish sounding name because he thought it would be good for business in an episode of Breaking Bad, turns into a whole plot, the main character starting out as Jimmy McGill and it taking seasons for him to assume the name of Saul Goodman. There are numerous Easter eggs for you to find along the way and I won’t spoil them.
There are numerous situations and characters on the show that are not on or referenced in Breaking Bad, of course. The relationship between Saul (or Jimmy) and his brother Chuck is fascinating and complex along with his unique relationship with girlfriend Kim Wexler.
This show uses an interesting technique of showing post Breaking Bad scenes in black and white and before and during Breaking Bad scenes in color. The style and tone of this show seems very different to me than Breaking Bad, but it is equally as mesmerizing and intriguing.
I Love Lucy
Yes, my list is very eclectic. I cannot put out a list of great TV shows and leave out the classic I Love Lucy. It was the most watched TV show in the United States for 4 of its 6 seasons. In 1955, I Love Lucy became the first TV show to have reruns. This iconic treasure is just plain fun and hilarious.
I Love Lucy was a transformative part of television history. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz created Desilu Studios which was one of the first independent television studios. Lucille Ball demanded the TV show have Desi Arnaz cast as her husband, which CBS was reluctant to do. CBS did not think a Cuban band leader with an accent would be accepted by the American audience. They were so wrong! The chemistry between Lucy and Desi was magic and gave us the first Latino lead in a TV show.
When Lucille Ball was pregnant, the Code of Practices for Television Broadcasting did not allow pregnancy of TV due to it being sexually suggestive. This absolutely bewilders me. I do not believe there are or were many if any children who had not seen a pregnant woman in their everyday lives. Again, Lucy and Desi insisted on getting their way and the episode where Little Ricky was born was watched by more viewers than any other television episode to that date. But, enough history; it’s a great show! Watch it.
Ted Lasso
This show just works as great entertainment, and curiously, many people are not able to tell you why they like it so much. It is a heartwarming story about an American football coach moving to England to coach soccer (most of the world would call this real football). Ted Lasso is a TV show that is the exact opposite of edgy. It is down to earth yet not sappy. It makes you laugh and smile but not chortle and snort. There is a soft optimism and kindness throughout this show that our cynical existence needs.
Jeopardy
Cannot have a list of TV shows for those of vintage age without including Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. These are the stereotypical TV shows of the elderly and for good reason! We need to try and keep our minds as sharp as possible and what better way to do that than game shows. Jeopardy questions are tough and even if we rarely get the answer right, it is fun to try. The first episode of Jeopardy aired March 30, 1964. The format of the show has barely changed through all those years. There is no more iconic game show than Jeopardy.
Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune is another game show created by Merv Griffin. It first aired in 1975. This is another show to try and keep your mind as sharp as possible while having a lot of fun. The format is simple, but the puzzles can be challenging.
The Office
The Office is a mockumentary filled with laughs, drama and heart. Irreverent at times, The Office gives you relatable characters. The running gags are great, and the plots and call backs are consistent. I dare to call this show iconic. It lives in infamy with numerous fans, merchandise, and memes galore.
The Twilight Zone
I am referring to the original Twilight Zone series from 1959 through 1964, with Rod Serling. If you have never seen it, I find this anthology series a little difficult to explain. Each episode can be very different from the next. It will go from science fiction to horror and sometimes just plain absurd.
Basically, it is a show about individuals finding themselves in unusual situations referred to as The Twilight Zone. The episodes often end in a twist to catch you off guard and shock, scare or teach you something. The Twilight Zone is a cultural phenomenon that will have you “traveling through another dimension – a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind.”
Queen’s Gambit
This TV show is about a chess-playing prodigy. How can that possibly be interesting, you would probably ask. It is surprisingly mesmerizing. You get to know the main character, Beth, so well that you constantly forget this is not a true story. We experience Beth through her days in the orphanage and her drug addiction, and we see how the structured precision of chess brings clarity to her life.
So, these are my 10 recommended TV shows for those of vintage age. They bring me great joy, and I hope they do the same for you.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Who else loves these shows? Which is your favorite? Has anyone watched all 10 of these TV series? What are your favorites not on this list?