Television Recycling

In today's blog I'd like to hear all of your opinions on television today in relation to show from decades ago. Most of my favorite television shows aren't the teen favorites of today. I have never seen Gossip Girl(although I have read one of the books) or One Tree Hill. My favorites are the oldies. Mary Tyler Moore Show, One Day at a Time, I Love Lucy, Bewitched etc. If your a teenager and you are reading this why not check some older shows out? They really are great. The more recent ones I like are ,Family Ties, Saved by the Bell and especially Gilmore Girls.

I was watching Mary Tyler Moore and in one episode Phyllis is hitting Mary's table with a chain. They needed it look like an antique. Mary couldn't do it she just kept laughing. OK nothing special there but it sure was funny. I went downstairs and saw my younger brother watching icarly. It was so weird! The main character Carly and her older brother Spencer were hitting something or another with a chain. I had seen the exact same thing 30 minutes ago. That got me thinking about the similarities between the two shows. Mary and her best friend Rhoda reminded me a lot of Carly and her tough friend Sam. Carly and Mary both have a huge conscience. They are sweet and even naive at times. In the end of the icarly theme song Carly does the classic blue hat toss we see in Mary Tyler Moore. It got me thinking that icarly is a modernized, kids version of Mary Tyler Moore.

The second similarity I noticed was that of Wizards of Waverly Place and Bewitched. A mortal married to a wizard/witch. Both families do their best to fit in with everyone else. They try to stay true to their roots while keeping up with school and such at the same time. There is a Larry Tate in Wizards of Waverly Place too ;)

It is common knowledge that television shows often use ideas from from other shows. Its expected. The Partridge Family and Ruby and the Rockets?(They even both have David Cassidy:) The Brady Bunch and Full House? All those medical shows? I just thought I'd get this idea out there. A lot of people don't see the similarities. After all how many people watch both icarly and Mary Tyler Moore. Perhaps a parent would. Or a teen who just really likes old television like me. That brand new show you starting watching may have gotten inspiration from someplace else. Not to say the new ones can't be great in their own right. That's your daily dose of reality. Thanks for reading!

Discussion Questions
What television shows seem similar to you? Share your opinions.