For a sitcom that has aged well, watch The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Comment on What TV shows have aged the best, and what TV shows have aged the worst?
CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de 4 weeks ago
Some parts of MASH hold up pretty well. Some parts do not, but I think they’re the minority.
Battlestar Galactica (new) - just watched this the first time through with my partner, second time for me. It’s doing really well.
reddig33@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
miracleorange@beehaw.org 4 weeks ago
Honestly, I’d agree that sitcoms on the whole tend to age poorly, but there are some that have stood the test of time. Like another commenter said, Golden Girls still slaps, but the one that I think has shockingly aged the best is The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Despite being over 50 years old, I was laughing so hard at basically every episode, and it only gets better as it goes on.
It’s relatively progressive politics for its time have also ensured that it stays relevant, like the episode where Phyllis finds out her brother is gay and she’s just relieved that he’s not dating Rhoda. That aired in like… 1972 or 1973. That kind of casual acceptance could almost be considered radical for the time, and the women’s rights issues it occasionally brings up are still relevant.
But I think the biggest reason it’s aged so well is that it’s so character focused. It never gets overtly political like Maude, pop culture references are relatively uncommon, and the character writing is so strong to the point that even the supporting characters get good development.