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Quaeritur…
If you were to be stranded on an island with a big flat TV screen, ...
...which THREE TV series on DVD (or other) would you choose to have with you?
5 December 2008
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Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek (The Original Series)
let’s hope all DVDs of Voyager and Enterprise went down with the ship. [EXECUTIVE RULING: “Star Trek” automatically includes all the series in all its forms. You get two more.]
Comment by Brian O'Gallagher, Boston — 5 December 2008 @ 2:17 amBattlestar Galactica and Lost, definately. I’m not sure about the third – but I think it’d be either Heroes or Fringe.
Comment by Symeon — 5 December 2008 @ 2:18 amLife is Worth Living, Murder She Wrote, and Monk.
Comment by Mary W — 5 December 2008 @ 2:26 am1. Fawltey Towers
Comment by Stephen Morgan — 5 December 2008 @ 2:27 am2. Complete BBC Shakespeare
3. Sharpe
Battlestar Galactica
Comment by Ryan — 5 December 2008 @ 2:45 amSimpsons
Futurama
The Simpsons – If I watched one show a day it would take me over a year to watch the whole thing.
Comment by Christopher Y — 5 December 2008 @ 2:49 amBand of Brothers – As good as tv gets. The best mini-series of all time.
The Muppet Show – Music, comedy, and famous guest stars. What else would you want?
(1) Upstairs Downstairs
Comment by Christabel — 5 December 2008 @ 3:01 am(2) Band of Brothers
(3) Pride and Prejudice (BBC version)
Cheers
Comment by Mark — 5 December 2008 @ 3:16 amFrasier
The Simpsons
Definitely:
(1) House
(2) Lost
(3) Joan of Arcadia (I know, right?)
~cmpt
Comment by Christopher M. P. Tomaszewski — 5 December 2008 @ 3:35 amThats a tough question. I’ll have to think about it.
Comment by Jane — 5 December 2008 @ 4:04 am1.
Comment by Brian Anderson — 5 December 2008 @ 4:22 am1. Six Great Ideas with Mortimer Adler and Bill Moyers
2. Civilization with Kenneth Clark
3. American Civil War by Ken Burns
Brian
Comment by Brian Anderson — 5 December 2008 @ 4:25 am***NEWSFLASH***
Father Z will probably see this soon enough and make a post… The Russian Patriarch of the Orthodox Church has died – http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,462326,00.html
Comment by Steve — 5 December 2008 @ 5:23 amHi Father,
long time listener, first time caller. Couldn’t resist replying here:
Fawlty Towers
X-Files
Heros
Thanks, I’ll listen for your response off the air!
Comment by christopher — 5 December 2008 @ 5:25 amColumbo
Comment by Vicki — 5 December 2008 @ 5:48 amThe Twilight Zone (the original)
Star Trek Next Generation [EXECUTIVE RULING: “Star Trek” automatically includes all the series in all its forms. I rule that spin offs are included.]
The original Twilight Zone
Comment by Subvet — 5 December 2008 @ 5:51 amThe Outer Limits
Law & Order
M.A.S.H.
The Woodwright Shop
Fly Fishing Masters or On the Rise
Close behind would be
Lost
BSG
Heroes
and maybe something like Top Chef, Kitchen Nightmares (BBC) or Iron Chef Japan
Comment by Paul — 5 December 2008 @ 6:07 amYankee Workshop
Comment by Mary Jane — 5 December 2008 @ 6:08 amThe Sopranos
Fawlty Towers
Christabel @ 3:01 am
Comment by Henry Edwards — 5 December 2008 @ 6:09 amWhat can I add? You got them. The best three. In the right order.
1) Lost
Comment by John Harden — 5 December 2008 @ 6:51 am2) Band of Brothers
3) Flight of the Conchords (assuming they make more than the one season)
1. M*A*S*H
Comment by John Hammond — 5 December 2008 @ 7:08 am2. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
3. Battlestar Galactica (re-imagined series)
I know you said three and TV series but you can’t go wrong with
Chad Vader – Day Shift Manager
Comment by Paul — 5 December 2008 @ 7:12 amIt wouldn’t matter…there’s no electricity!
Comment by eyeclinic — 5 December 2008 @ 7:14 am^ ha!
I’d rather be stranded with Ginger, but on to the question: [EXECUTIVE RULING: Stranded with Ginger also includes the other dopes. Are you sure you want to go there?]
1. Original Twilight Zone
Comment by Aelric — 5 December 2008 @ 7:19 am2. Original Mission Impossible
3. BBC Jane Austen set
- Monty Python’s Flying Circus – Lost – Heroes
Comment by John — 5 December 2008 @ 7:22 am1 – Blackadder
Comment by Paul — 5 December 2008 @ 7:30 am2 – Dad’s Army
3 – Frasier
Twighlight Zone
Cheers
The EWTN Saints Shows of Bob & Penny Lord
Honorable mention: Lost and Chuck (funniest show on NBC)
Comment by Brian Wisconsin — 5 December 2008 @ 7:32 amGilligan’s Island, of course, so I could study all those neat gadgets that the Professor built. I would then reproduce them and live an idyllic life of ease on my island.
Comment by Dave — 5 December 2008 @ 7:34 amThis will clearly date me…
1. Combat!
Comment by Frank H — 5 December 2008 @ 7:38 am2. The Prisoner [Haven’t thought about that for a while!.]
3. The Fugitive (but only a bootleg copy since CBS/Paramount replaced all the original incidental music for Season 2)
M*A*S*H
Comment by matt — 5 December 2008 @ 7:42 amBattlestar Galactica (new)
Lost
Rockford Files
Comment by Matt Callihan — 5 December 2008 @ 7:44 amHawaii Five O
Magnum P.I.
The Fugitive
Comment by Renee — 5 December 2008 @ 7:49 amPerry Mason
Miss Marple (the one with Joan Hickson)
I love the excellent choices from the late 60’s and early 70’s.
Comment by Vianney33 — 5 December 2008 @ 7:52 amMy three span the 60’s – 90’s.
1. Star Trek (the original)
2. Little House on the Prairie (I would have never admitted this back then)
3. The Wonder Years (I love nostalgic shows)
1) Rumpole of the Baily
2) Monty Python’s Flying Circus
and the third is difficult; it’s a tie between Family Guy, M*A*S*H, The Addams Family or something more serious like the made-for-television serial of Brideshead Revisited (which may not qualify because it’s not actually a TV series per se.)
Comment by David Andrew — 5 December 2008 @ 7:56 am1.)The Office
Comment by Miseno — 5 December 2008 @ 7:57 am2.)24
3.)Brideshead Revisited (mini-series)
Sorry, I got to thinking and decided I just couldn’t leave these three out.
1. Leave it to Beaver
2. Alfred Hitchcock
3. Combat
When you think about it, you didn’t have to worry about being assaulted by something vulgar or a politically correct story line back then, and were often times treated to a good “moral of the story”. Now adays you can’t avoid this, even in commercials. It is a little like sitting through some homilies that make you cringe these days.
Comment by Vianney33 — 5 December 2008 @ 7:59 am1. Perry Mason
Comment by Mitchell — 5 December 2008 @ 8:02 am2. Hogan’s Heroes
3. The Prisoner
1. The Real McCoys
Comment by MJS — 5 December 2008 @ 8:03 am2. The Dick Van Dyke Show
3. The Untouchables (tied with) The Honeymooners
1. Battlestar Galactica
2. Band of Brothers
3. Star Trek (original)
Comment by WRiley — 5 December 2008 @ 8:09 amI hadn’t thought of Gilligan’s Island, my thought was MacGyver for inspiration;)
Leave It to Beaver, Dick van Dyke, and I Love Lucy would probably tie for one, at least. Maybe the Andy Griffith show?
Dick van Dyke is probably the most consistent through the whole series. Now, if I could have only the first three seasons of more than three shows, that would be ideal. Then I could consider Little House or The Waltons.
And since someone else posted Murder She Wrote, I no longer feel so embarrassed that it is my secret favorite, lol. However, murder mysteries could be kind of creepy to have a steady diet of if alone on an island.
Comment by Lindsay — 5 December 2008 @ 8:12 amStar Trek (original)
M*A*S*H*
Seinfeld
Can I get another 3? or 6? [... no …]
Columbo
Fraiser
Mary Tyler Moore
The Shield
Life is Worth Living
Parker Lewis Can’t Loose
etc. etc. etc.
Semper Fi!
Comment by jarhead462 — 5 December 2008 @ 8:18 am1. The West Wing [I was wondering when someone would come up with this one.]
Comment by Fr. Toborowsky — 5 December 2008 @ 8:20 am2. C.S.I. (Las Vegas)
3. Law and Order (the original series)
Wow I forgot The Rifleman!
Shame on me!
Semper Fi!
Comment by jarhead462 — 5 December 2008 @ 8:21 amBabylon 5 for my geeky entertainment
Comment by tihald — 5 December 2008 @ 8:22 amFiring Line with Wm Buckley and Life is Worth Living not only for the entertainment, but to give me something to ponder.
Hmm…
1) Battlestar Galactica (that’s a given)
Comment by Jenny Z — 5 December 2008 @ 8:27 am2) Firefly
3) Futurama
1. Frasier
Comment by Cliff — 5 December 2008 @ 8:34 am2. The Office (US)
3. The Mighty Boosh series 3
1. Monty Python’s Flying Circus
Comment by Fr. Erik Richtsteig — 5 December 2008 @ 8:40 am2. Star Trek: TNG
3. The Simpsons
Frasier
Comment by Theresa — 5 December 2008 @ 8:42 amSeinfeld
The Bob Newhart Show
(If one more could be allowed: Dr. Who, but only the early ones…)
Well,
1. Arrested Development
2. Bishop Sheen’s Life is Worth Living
3. Probably, Law and Order (Original)- There’s just so many episodes [EXECUTIVE RULING: This automatically includes all the series in all its forms, as would Star Trek and CSI… I guess All In The Family would have to include The Jeffersons too, come to think of it.]
With The Office(US), Psych or Monk, and Curb Your Enthusiasm as alternates/replacements for L&O
Comment by Thomas L — 5 December 2008 @ 8:55 am1. The Office (US version)
Comment by Eric — 5 December 2008 @ 8:58 am2. 24
3. Mythbusters
Not one vote for the Flying Nun? [Yah… that’s a shocker, ain’t it?]
Comment by Tomás López — 5 December 2008 @ 8:59 am1. Mad About You, #1!
2. Providence
3. House or Ballykissangel
Runners-up: Kenneth Clark’s Civilization; Will and Grace [ducks] (not likin’ the agenda, but it does have great writing and some good acting!)
Comment by MargoB — 5 December 2008 @ 9:05 amI’m more nerdy:
1) McGyver—so I can figure out how to get OFF the island and power my large screen tv using coconut and seashell batteries. Although that may be a chicken-and-egg question. And get a lot of cornball entertainment out of it.
2) Mythbusters—so I don’t actually attempt most of McGyver’s stunts—and get a lot of cornball education out of it.
3) Someone else mentioned it, but Iron Chef Japan, so I can be inspired for my 1000th “Battle Coconut” against my imaginary, but very fierce opponent and archrival: Iron Chef Jesuit. And get a lot of cornball entertainment out of it.
Comment by A Random Friar — 5 December 2008 @ 9:06 amWait! 1st place is a tie: how could I have forgotten “Jon and Kate Plus Eight”?!!
Comment by MargoB — 5 December 2008 @ 9:10 amSo… lots of ideas here. Some of the series can be pretty long. BBC Shakespeare, for example, or all the Sherlock Holmes. We can’t, however, just say “Masterpiece Theatre”. CSI has about a zillion… but I think you would wind up suicidal. The Sopranos is brutal, but so very engaging. Star Trek with all the spinoffs would keep you busy. I didn’t see StarGate… but then again, I’ve never seen StarGate, other than the movie.
Quite a few Battlestar Galactica fans, I see! You are to be praised.
I noticed The West Wing: truly intelligent television once you get past the bias.
Fulton Sheen! Interesting.
Firing Line was creative! I didn’t think about a news/talk series. How about endless years of CBS Nightly News with Dan Rather. I’d Rather die, I think.
Some oldies, too. I haven’t thought of Combat in years. I think I would rule that you can throw in The Rat Patrol as a bonus.
Okay… back at it.
If you want to revise.. go ahead.
Comment by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf — 5 December 2008 @ 9:11 amFirst, don’t get me wrong, I love the show. But, I don’t understand why so many people would want to have LOST while stranded on a deserted island. Creepy.
So my 3….
Comment by Chris — 5 December 2008 @ 9:13 am1. the Practical(ish) one: Man vs Wild – so I could build a hut around my big screen to cut down on glare
2. humorous: Everybody Loves Raymond
3. something dramatic and cathartic, not depressing though…. Well, so much for my intro: LOST. I’d rather have it and then decide not to watch it, than not to have it.
[EXECUTIVE RULING: Stranded with Ginger also includes the other dopes. Are you sure you want to go there?]
Is this a trick question?
PS: The Prisoner – that white ball caused me nightmares when I was a kid!
Comment by Aelric — 5 December 2008 @ 9:15 amIn no particular order…
1. The Office
Comment by tj — 5 December 2008 @ 9:20 am2. The Simpsons
3. Fulton Sheen
The Munsters
Comment by Willie Z — 5 December 2008 @ 9:21 amThe Waltons
Frasier / Seinfeld
In alphabetical order:
Carol Burnett Show
The Twilight Zone (original)
Upstairs, Downstairs
Runners up:
Comment by Liam — 5 December 2008 @ 9:24 amThe Mary Tyler Moore Show (this was tough to make a runner up, but I’ve seen more of it repeatedly than Twilight Zone so there you go)
The Waltons (yes, it could get rote, and the seasons sagged at the end, but it was a remarkably consistent ensemble bit of drama)
Joan of Arcadia (season 1 had so much promise – and Little Girl God rocked!)
Six Feet Under (maddeningly uneven, but superlative when it was)
Mad Men (may rise to the first list if it continues – the image of Betty with a cigarette dangling from her lips while taking care of the neighbor’s avian pals is among the more priceless of the past decade of TV)
Just for the record, I would trade in the TV and videos for the Complete Calvin & Hobbes.
Comment by Aelric — 5 December 2008 @ 9:27 am1.The Rifleman
Comment by Anna Jean — 5 December 2008 @ 9:30 am2. The Lone Ranger
3. The Munsters
Dick van Dyke Show (and spin-offs)
The Carol Burnett Show (and spin-offs)
Laugh-In (and spin-offs)
I’d want to keep it light and upbeat.
Ed
Comment by Ed Casey — 5 December 2008 @ 9:33 amLife is Worth Living
Carol Burnett Show
Gunsmoke
Helen
Comment by Helen Donnelly — 5 December 2008 @ 9:34 amDearborn, MI
1. Paris Hilton’s My New BFF
Comment by Sawyer — 5 December 2008 @ 9:35 am2. The Hills
3. Rock of Love
Aelric…
Could you really be comfortable reciting the Rosary and saying Daily Office given the likely nature of your relationship with Ginger? Quite frankly… I could think of better things to do with MaryAnn than have her keep Ginger company…
1. The Office (could we include all future episodes?)
Comment by chironomo — 5 December 2008 @ 9:36 am2. Fat March (truly… it was captivating…)
3. X-Files
1) Kenneth Clark’ Civilisation
2) Jacob Bronowski’s Ascent of Man
3) Abba Eban’s Heritage: Civilisation and the Jews
4) Fulton Sheen’s Life is Worth Living
(If I can’t take all four, I would refuse to be stranded!) [No… one of the series must be ejected from the lifeboat.]
Comment by Roland de Chanson — 5 December 2008 @ 9:41 amI will trade my entire video collection to somebody on the neighboring island for their collection of US Army survival manuals. (how do you make a snare out of vines anyway?)
Comment by Ohio Annie — 5 December 2008 @ 9:41 am1. THE HONEYMOONERS no competition
Comment by booklover — 5 December 2008 @ 9:44 am2. KOJAK who’s your baby?
3. THE TONIGHT SHOW
Law and Order
Comment by Lynne — 5 December 2008 @ 9:49 amMonty Python
Battlestar Galactica
1. House
Comment by Fr. Seth Wymer — 5 December 2008 @ 9:49 am2. Family Guy-extremely irreverent, but awfully funny
3. The Roast of Dean Martin
1) House, MD - I love this show although the writing has fallen off a bit.
Comment by Brian Day — 5 December 2008 @ 9:57 am2) Babylon 5 – hands down over Battlestar Galactica (OK – flame me!)
3) X-Files – though I have to acknowledge Fringe as a worthy successor.
1. I Love Lucy
Comment by Fr. Gary V — 5 December 2008 @ 10:05 am2. Golden Girls
3. Mama’s Family
Highlander
Comment by Baron Korf — 5 December 2008 @ 10:05 amBabylon 5 [A lot of people really like this series. I have never seen it.]
Life is Worth Living
I think A Random Friar is closest to my thought processes in this matter.
If I’m in my problem-solving, geek/engineer mode (presuming I’m on the proverbial tropical deserted island), I’m looking for the collected DVD set of some how-to/survival/cooking series. Something to teach me how to build a dugout/outrigger canoe, something to teach me to survive in the hunter/gatherer department (episode 1 – Poisonous Mushrooms), and something to teach me how to cannibalize the components of said TV/DVD player to build a transmitter. Honorable Mention to MacGyver (and Mythbusters).
Brings to mind a parody I saw of that Tom Hanks movie from a few years back. At the end, the protagonist has been rescued, is somewhere in the American Heartland, discharging his duty by delivering that one last express passage, the one he kept sealed all that time on that lonely island, etc… It turns out to have a been a Satellite phone and a box of batteries!
If I’m looking to kick back and enjoy the stay (let’s say it’s Manhattan Island), [LOL! Good one…. but no.] then I’d say…
Star Trek
Monty Python’s Flying Circus
The Muppet Show
Honorable mention to Northern Exposure & Ballykissangel.
Rob
Comment by Charivari Rob — 5 December 2008 @ 10:10 am1. The Simpsons
2. The Muppet Show
3. The Twilight Zone (original)
I seriously considered Brideshead Revisited and the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice.
Comment by Lirioroja — 5 December 2008 @ 10:10 amEven though I love those mini-series, if I were stranded I think I’d rather have the
books.
1. Battlestar Galactica
Comment by MikeG — 5 December 2008 @ 10:16 am2. Futurama
3. The Office [EXECUTIVE DECREE: The Office includes both UK and USA versions.]
1. The Andy Griffith Show
Comment by TNCath — 5 December 2008 @ 10:19 am2. The Beverly Hillbillies
3. I Love Lucy
1. ER
2. M*A*S*H
3. JAG
if the store was out of any of these, then The West Wing is a very suitable substitute
Comment by David — 5 December 2008 @ 10:22 amAll in the Family [You get The Jeffersons with that, of course.]
Comment by Eric — 5 December 2008 @ 10:23 amCarol Burnett
Andy Griffith
1. Only Fools and Horses
Comment by Nicola C — 5 December 2008 @ 10:34 am2. Inspector Morse
3. I’m torn between Numbers and Bones
Alright, here are my three:
1.) Battlestar Galactica (re-imagined)
2.) Lost [This is popping up frequently. I saw a couple episodes, but decided that if I would ever see it, I would wait a few years and try to see the series as a whole.]
3.) The West Wing [Good choice.]
I pick them because in each case, the writing is very well done, the plot is engaging, the characters are well developed, and there is a decent mix of heavy drama and humor. Pure comedy is great, but I think if I were stranded on an island I’d want each of my choices to have some depth to them as well.
Comment by Jeff R. — 5 December 2008 @ 10:34 am1) Dallas
Comment by Ager Flandriae — 5 December 2008 @ 10:35 am2) Alf
3) Family Guy
Let’s see…. gonna go with…
Firefly.. short-lived, but I can watch it over and over (I include the follow up movie “Serenity” in this as well) [EXECUTIVE DECREE: Movies from shows are included in the series.]
BSG… of course
NCIS… there is just something so right about a Goth chick in the basement doing the forensics.
Close runners-up… UFO, the early 70s series by Gerry Anderson, and The Prisoner.
Comment by Andy Lucy — 5 December 2008 @ 10:36 amYes Minister/Yes Prime Minister (I consider this required viewing for all would-be politicians!) [How I wish there was an ecclesiastical version. One of the sharpest shows I’ve seen!]
Comment by Joan — 5 December 2008 @ 10:37 amLaw & Order
CSI Miami
Fr. Z. said “EXECUTIVE RULING: This automatically includes all the series in all its forms, as would Star Trek and CSI… I guess All In The Family would have to include The Jeffersons too, come to think of it.
All in the Family would also have to include Maude, and from that Good Times
If you really want the most bang for your buck, pick Saint Elsewhere because of the “Tommy Westphall Crossover theory”
Comment by Roman Sacristan — 5 December 2008 @ 10:45 amBBC Complete Shakespeare
BBC Peter Whimsey Series-either one
BBC Series of Dickens
Comment by supertradmom — 5 December 2008 @ 10:47 amEh, something that would inform me as to how to build a boat in primitive circumstances.
Comment by Paul the Other — 5 December 2008 @ 10:47 am1. Dr. Who (The new series is fantastic, and I can’t believe I’m the first to mention it! The great thing is, by Fr. Z’s executive ruling, it includes both the older and new series and it’s equally great, if not darker spin off, Torchwood.) [Weird show… and I detested the homosexual overtone. Couldn’t do that one after checking out the first season.]
2. Heroes [Another weird but more engaging show. What I find troubling is the ambiguity of good and evil. This reflects out age, I guess.]
3. Frasier (I guess, by executive decree, this also includes Cheers?) [EXECUTIVE DECREE: Yes. Cheers and Frasier must go together.]
(Battlestar Galactica and The Golden Girls I might have to sneak in.) [Like matter and anti-matter. For the safety of the universe, I decree that it must be one or the other, but not both on the same island.]
Comment by Todd — 5 December 2008 @ 10:57 amWhat a fascinating selection. I’m surprised nobody has mentioned ‘One foot in the grave’ but perhaps it is too English to have been shown in America? It would remind the castaway of the problems he had left behind in civilisation and also raise a laugh.
Comment by pelerin — 5 December 2008 @ 10:58 amYes I think watching archbishop Fulton Sheen would be most uplifting but although I used to enjoy the original ‘Twilight Zone’ it would be far too spooky to watch stranded alone.
And my third would also have to be ‘Faulty Towers’ which never fails to raise a laugh. So two comedies and all of Fulton Sheen’s talks to lift the spirits.
“Eh, something that would inform me as to how to build a boat in primitive circumstances.
Comment by Paul the Other — 5 December 2008 @ 10:47 am ”
That’s why I picked the Woodwrights Shop and not the New Yankee Workshop
Comment by Paul — 5 December 2008 @ 11:08 amFather Z, I have to agree about The West Wing. If it weren’t for the obnoxious bias, it would definitely make my top 3.
Comment by Thomas L — 5 December 2008 @ 11:10 amHi,
Going back to the ‘90s, I would add my old favorite,
*Homicide: Life on the Street (Andre Brauer (sp?) was Catholic)
*Pride and Prejudice—BBC version (I’m a girl)
*Battlestar Galactica—new (I’m a geek)
Comment by Massachusetts Catholic — 5 December 2008 @ 11:12 am1.firefly. Best show on the planet, anyone who likes BSG or Star Trek would love it, and people who don’t even like sci-fi, but appreciate drama humour and action will love it :)
Comment by Devin — 5 December 2008 @ 11:16 am2.All Creatures Great and Small(BBC)
3. Toss up, BSG or Star Trek, maybe House.
Dexter
Comment by Brendan — 5 December 2008 @ 11:25 amSeinfeld
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
1) Scrubs
2) Jeeves & Wooster (BBC)
3) Arrested Development
4) Lost (if the island inhabited by strange forces with mysterious intent)
I figure I’d want my favorite comedy shows with me if I was on a depressing desert island. I included Lost, however, as a fourth potential show because it could help me survive if it turned out that the island I was on was being controlled by mysterious powers. Or if I could bring future seasons of Lost with me and find out the ending.
-L
Comment by Luke — 5 December 2008 @ 11:26 am1. Friends (need some comedy)
2. 24 (Makes you realise how much worse things could be)
3. Brideshead Revisited (the Granada Series – sublime)
No. 4 would have been Fr Z’s podcasts of course :-)
Comment by Dominic — 5 December 2008 @ 11:36 amCan’t believe no one has mentioned Green Acres.
Comment by Romulus — 5 December 2008 @ 11:36 am1. All Creatures Great and Small (All 90 episodes!)
Comment by Mike Morrow — 5 December 2008 @ 11:49 am2. Band of Brothers
3. Cosmos (Carl Sagan)
1. Alias
Comment by Geoffrey — 5 December 2008 @ 11:50 am2. King of Queens
3. Fraiser
1) Survivorman – I’d like to stay alive, thanks.
2) The Boat Shop – That palm tree would make make a nice boat…
3) HowStuffWorks – I bet I can make a radio transceiver out of that TV and power supply I have here.
Trying to enjoy being on a desert island would be like trying to enjoy purgatory. I’d rather get off it and back to civilization sooner rather than later. ;-)
Comment by Art — 5 December 2008 @ 11:50 am1. I Love Lucy
Comment by marnie — 5 December 2008 @ 11:58 am2, Law and Order (all the different ones)
3. The Immemorial Tridentine Mass- Narrated by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
Northern Exposure(as yet unmentioned)
Comment by RosieC — 5 December 2008 @ 11:59 amThe West Wing(infuriating at times but very well written and thought provoking)
Days of Our Lives (Not actually on video, but so many characters die and come back to life that it’s probably got some useful hints on it.)
If I’m stuck with 3 here’s the list.
1. Solemn Mass DVD…If I’m going to be trapped on a deserted Island, and since I’m not anticipating a priest being on this island, having Mass will remind me of what I’m missing.
Comment by Joe of St. Thérèse — 5 December 2008 @ 12:00 pm2. Mythbusters…My inner science nerd.
3. Dinosaurs …I was mad when that show got canceled…no more.
Sorry, this is my third post but I keep remembering great TV series from the 60’s & 70’s.
Comment by Vianney33 — 5 December 2008 @ 12:17 pmHere is my tribute to Irwin Allen:
1. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
2. Lost in Space (allthough nobody like the weasel Dr. Smith)
3. The Time Tunnel
Well, Father, you didn’t say whether there was any electricity to power that flat screen TV or the dvd player. [There is, of course, a miniature arc reactor available, useful also for popping the popcorn that washes up in crates from time to to time.] But assuming there is:
Comment by bobd — 5 December 2008 @ 12:19 pm1. The Donna Reed show-I had a crush on Shelley Fabares and I loved her song “Johnny Angel”
2. I Dream of Jeannie
3. If I say “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis” can I get Gilligan thrown in (due to Bob Denver) because I loved MaryAnn.
P.S. also Paul Peterson (who played Shelley’s younger brother) also had a big hit that he sang on the show called “My Dad”. It was a really terrific song and made the top ten. Johnny Angel was #1 for several weeks and I voted for it every week on WKBW in Buffalo.
Comment by bobd — 5 December 2008 @ 12:25 pmTo really stretch the conceputal envelope, I would hope that a “TV series” would include the TV coverage of the “World Series.” If that flies, my collection would be:
1. EWTN’s coveage of EF Masses, especially Fr. Goodwin’s homily on the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in 2007.
2. The 2004 World Series.
3. Any pick from Christabel and Henry Edwards’ selections.
Is this a postmodernist interpretation of “TV Series?” [This is a WDTPRS benevolent dictator’s interpretation according to whim.] I do admit to defining the concept according to my feelings and my experience, rather than an objective reality….The objective reality is that I haven’t paid too much attention to a TV series since, well, Love Boat was on the air.
In Christ,
Comment by Nathan — 5 December 2008 @ 12:32 pmBoston Legal, for its unintended send up of mindless emotive liberalism.
Time for Beany, circa 1948, with Daws Butler & Stan Freeberg. (Einsteins favorite)
Ozzie & Harriet, so I can see the kids in the background with whom I went to school.
Comment by Sieber — 5 December 2008 @ 12:44 pmNathan: especially Fr. Goodwin’s homily on the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in 2007
Now that you mention it, the finest 25 minutes of audio the modern era has produced, with the first sight of the procession for that Mass being the most electric single visual image in the lifetimes of those of us who date to pre-Vatican II days.
Comment by Henry Edwards — 5 December 2008 @ 12:48 pmFr. Z: [No… one of the series must be ejected from the lifeboat.]
OK, fair enough. I hope Bronowski can swim.
Comment by Roland de Chanson — 5 December 2008 @ 12:57 pmHouse;
Monk;
Rockford;
Columbo.
Desert Island Disks allows Shakespeare and The Bible as automatics.
CD of the late Fr. Oswald Baker’s Mass
Comment by Michael UK — 5 December 2008 @ 12:59 pmand,
DVD of Pre-1962 Tridium at Durham University Debating Chamber -Celebrant Fr. T C G Glover. [Sorry. Something has to go. Only three.]
Tales of the Unexpected
Comment by Paul — 5 December 2008 @ 1:43 pmNight Gallery
The Wild Wild West
The Royle Family
Comment by Ttony — 5 December 2008 @ 2:13 pmThe Beiderbecke Affair
Only Fools And Horses (when Del’s son is born)
“Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister [How I wish there was an ecclesiastical version. One of the sharpest shows I’ve seen!]”
There was an Anglican version in the 60s: “All Gas and Gaiters”
Comment by Ttony — 5 December 2008 @ 2:15 pm1) Connections (James Burke)
Comment by pdt — 5 December 2008 @ 2:21 pm2) Bless Me Father
3) The West Wing
I’ve already voted but I wanted to make a comment about what our gracious host wrote about Lost: [This is popping up frequently. I saw a couple episodes, but decided that if I would ever see it, I would wait a few years and try to see the series as a whole.]
My choices had both current TV series and older, or “classic” series. It would have been interesting to see how the choices would have been made if the choices had to be series that have “stood the test of time”.
Comment by Brian Day — 5 December 2008 @ 2:32 pm1. Monk
Comment by Giulio Vian — 5 December 2008 @ 2:56 pm2. Il Giornalino di Gian Burrasca
3. Nero Wolfe
Paul mentions Tales of the Unexpected. A great series but surely once seen the end is no longer unexpected?!!
Ttony mentions ‘All Gas and Gaiters’ which I also remember. Wasn’t there a ‘Catholic’ follow up with Derek Nimmo? – I think it was called ‘Oh Brother!.’ Has anyone mentioned ‘Father Ted’? Very funny and watchable over again.
Comment by pelerin — 5 December 2008 @ 3:04 pm1. Highway to Heaven
Comment by C. D. — 5 December 2008 @ 3:09 pm2. Fantasy Island
3. Law & Order
1. Supernatural
Comment by Tony — 5 December 2008 @ 3:09 pm2. Hee Haw
3. Saturday Night Live (1972 vintage)
Monk
Comment by CB — 5 December 2008 @ 3:57 pmLost
As many BBC literary movies as possible. (Dickens collection, Austen collection, Gaskell collection, Brideshead Revisited, etc.) [only THREE - TV series – pick ‘em]
I don’t watch TV series, so I may get an executive ruling. [EXECUTIVE DECREE: If they are sold together as a series, okay.]
– Sagan’s Cosmos – Documentaries narrated by Attenborough – non-verbal films
Comment by Derik — 5 December 2008 @ 4:09 pm1. Babylon 5 —The greatest and best-plotted SF show ever. And they have priests and rabbis in space, too.
2. Firefly—The best characters of any SF show ever.
3. Lost—if I am allowed to have the whole series, including future episodes! [EXECUTIVE RULING: All future episodes are miraculously updated, either via seagull or another washed up crate with the popcorn delivery.]
Definitely not BSG. It’s a lot of fun, but the writers aren’t always consistent with what they have established before. That sometimes spoils it for me.
Comment by Lawrence King — 5 December 2008 @ 4:57 pmI don’t watch TV series, so I may get an executive ruling. [EXECUTIVE DECREE: If they are sold together as a series, okay.] OK so non-verbal films have to go. I would rather have Burke’s Connections.
Comment by Derik — 5 December 2008 @ 5:06 pmQuick only 3
!
1. Thirty Something
Comment by tradone — 5 December 2008 @ 6:02 pm2. Frasier
3. Seinfeld
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
Comment by lmsrep — 5 December 2008 @ 6:03 pmBless me Father.
Fawlty Towers
1) Columbo
Comment by David Cheney — 5 December 2008 @ 6:09 pm2) Brother Cadfael
3) Dinosaurs
Dr. Who ( old & new series)
Green Acers
Fawlty Towers
Columbo [Just three]
Newhart
X-Files
The Beverly Hillbillies
yes it’s more than 3 but I found it so hard to pick only 3
Comment by Dennis — 5 December 2008 @ 6:30 pmPerry Mason
Comment by Kathleen — 5 December 2008 @ 7:04 pmMary Tyler Moore
Remington Steele
Lots of good selections. Since this is a desert island scenario, I’ll be somewhat practical and pick long-running series.
Seinfeld
Comment by Eric R. — 5 December 2008 @ 8:34 pmM*A*S*H*
Masterpiece Theater (hosted by Alistair Cooke from 1971-1992) – this doesn’t actually exist on DVD in its entirety, but since this is a fantasy scenario I’ll choose it anyway.
My three choices in no particular order:
*Foyle’s War
*The Jack Benny Show (no one is as funny as Jack!)
*Jakers, the Adventures of Piggly Winks (yes, it’s a kid’s series, but it teaches moral lessons & captures the innocence of childhood from years past. It’s also very funny).
Comment by little gal — 5 December 2008 @ 9:07 pmA-Team
Comment by Blue Falcon — 5 December 2008 @ 9:10 pmSledgehammer
Burn Notice
1. Airwolf
Comment by Rev. Dcn. Dan Squires — 5 December 2008 @ 9:50 pm2. Star Trek the Next Generation
3. C.S.I. New York
Beauty and the Beast
Comment by TKS — 5 December 2008 @ 9:53 pmMurder She Wrote
Magnum PI
Two six hour mini series
1. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
2. Smiley’s People
3. Nero Wolfe or Sherlock Holmes (A&E quit running the Wolfe series, so I bought the set—I have two of the Holmes sets).
Comment by RBrown — 5 December 2008 @ 10:13 pm1. Father Ted
Comment by Scott — 6 December 2008 @ 12:41 am2. Frasier
3. Everybody Loves Raymond
1. The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
Comment by kdpfam — 6 December 2008 @ 12:49 am2. Ozzie and Harriet
3. My Three Sons
4. Car 54 Where are You [Remember the part about “three”?]
Hmm, let’s see… Hogan’s Heroes.
That’d be the only one I’d certainly want. Then whatever else seemed available (maybe Looney Tunes).
Comment by Willebrord — 6 December 2008 @ 6:36 amThis was a hard choice, but here are mine:
Comment by Megan — 6 December 2008 @ 10:11 am1. Beauty and the Beast
2. Star Trek
3. MacGyver
(1) Deadwood
(2) The Wire
(3) Lost
Honorable mentions:
Mad Men
Comment by BJA — 6 December 2008 @ 12:09 pmThe Shield
Twilight Zone
Comment by ken — 6 December 2008 @ 7:08 pmStar Trek, all iterations (thanks for the loophole, Father!)
Road to Avonlea (Hey, it’s about people stuck on an island, too!)