Vintage TV

A co-worker argued today that older, more classical television programs are better than the television of today.  I think this is a bit generalized and biased, but at the same time, I agree.  The quality of modern television programming isn't exactly amazing. When you look at shows like MASH, I Love Lucy, or more recently Friends; these shows ran for several seasons and had a huge audience.  Today, a show lasting more than five seasons is worth celebration.  Speaking strictly of an American audience, we're too fickle.  The 'family' type show is also gone.  Sitcoms still exist, but the Full House's and the Boy Meets World's are gone.  Heroes, while a very entertaining show, isn't exactly something you can watch with your kids.  The Looney Tunes classics aren't on anymore (to my great disappointment), making it hard to watch cartoons with your kids for fear of simply falling asleep. 

Even the random shows that us twenty-somethings see on TV and get really excited about are rarely on even the most random high-numbered cable channel.  American Gladiators, Supermarket Sweep (which is sadly no longer in rerun), or Angry Beavers. Shows that I thought would be amazing to show to my kids.  My generation had Nick at Nite to watch I Dream of Jeanie, and Bewitched.  What will our kids have? Is it all going to be eventually released on DVD? Or are these amazing pieces of television gone? Although, with the advances in science, our kids will probably just download all of them from some super computer in a machine the size of your thumb that projects a wide screen high-definition quality. What is the world coming to?