Entertainment

Four Old TV Shows That Are Classic Viewing for Families

Four Old TV Shows

You’ve seen all of the newest shows on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, and rewatched the movies in your queue enough to recite them line-by-line. What now?

Whether you’re looking to take a stroll down memory lane or bond with young children while enjoying age appropriate classic television, consider some of the greats to watch in your spare time.

Let’s take a journey back to another time and check out some of these old TV shows that are still worth watching.

1. I Love Lucy 

What better way to start our list than with one of the best black and white TV shows: I Love Lucy. The show was a trailblazer in many ways. In fact, when it first aired in 1951, very few TV shows featured women as prominent characters.

It broke social taboos by discussing the forbidden topic of pregnancy, despite the fact no one could utter the word on camera.  Additionally, Lucy, a red-headed white woman, was married to Ricky, played by the Cuban-American actor Desi Arnaz. The diversity was uncommon and controversial at the time.

While I Love Lucy was progressive in ways, it was ultimately a product of the time. The sitcom does attempt to make light of troubling situations like domestic violence. But, all in all, it paved the way for other shows and genres and may have even built the foundation for American reality TV.

2. Have Gun, Will Travel 

In the 50s and 60s, Western TV shows were often in the top 10 most-watched programs in American households. Have Gun, Will Travel is no exception. According to the Nielsen Media Research Corp., the series was in the top 5 of all American Westerns for three years.

It was a hit on the TV screen from its start date in 1957 until 1963 and on the radio from 1958 to 1960. The main character “Paladin” was distinct from other gun-slingers as he was book-smart and contemplative.

The show ran for 225 episodes written by numerous famous writers like Gene Roddenberry, Bruce Geller, and the main star himself.

3. The Twilight Zone

Rod Sterling’s 1959 science-fantasy thriller has had a major impact on nearly every sci-fi program that followed. Popular media today that is undoubtedly influenced by Sterling’s spooky and surreal storytelling are Black Mirror, Electric Dreams, and The Truman Show.

The Twilight Zone has even been rebooted multiple times since the end of the original run in 1964.

4. Gilligan’s Island

Even those who have never seen Gilligan’s Island almost certainly know what it is or can even quote parts of it through cultural osmosis. This sitcom ran from 1964 to 1967 and detailed the misadventures of a group P2P4U of castaways trying to survive on a deserted island.

The bunch often attempt to get off the island, which should be an easy feat considering they can make nearly anything from bamboo but are continuously thwarted by Gilligan.

Four Old TV Shows For the Whole Family

These old TV shows broke ground and influenced some of our favorite media today. If you want to revisit the classic television shows on our list, search your streaming platforms. Show them to your family and share some of the facts from this article!

If you like this article, let us know and check out the rest of our site for more fun posts like this one.

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