The original post: /r/television by /u/OptimusPrimeWasRight on 2025-07-01 19:46:52.
I recently started watching “Life Goes On” from 1989, and was surprised at how often they use cutaway vignettes to tell you what a person is thinking and feeling, and they usually work very well, too. They’re utilized as, like the title says, dream sequences, fantasies/daydreams, flashbacks, and just general gags. That got me thinking: just how far back does this practice go? I don’t mean occasional cutaways, either, I’m talking about shows that use at least a few cutaways per episode as storytelling devices in various ways. There’s obviously “Scrubs,” that’s an easy one I remember, but what are some of the oldest shows you can think of that use this storytelling technique regularly? Even if the shows you can think of aren’t older than “Life Goes On” I’d still like to hear about them, because it really is a very enjoyable device when done right.