Happy Days
The Ultimate TV Network
July 21, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
If I created the ultimate television network, the prime time program lineup would probably look like this:
On Sunday, I would start with the legends. I Love Lucy at 8:00pm followed by The Jack Benny Program at 8:30pm.
The pairing makes sense since Lucille Ball and Jack Benny were not only show business icons, but also neighbors in real life. They lived next door to each other on North Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills.
Then, we turn to the rural heavyweights. The Andy Griffith Show at 9:00pm and The Beverly Hillbillies at 9:30pm.
Sunday nights should be nice and easy, after all. And what's nicer and easier than our friends in Mayberry and the hillbilly transplants to the land of Rodeo Drive?
At 10:00pm, The Sopranos.
On Monday nights, I would pair The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Tyler Moore in the 8 o'clock hour, followed by M*A*S*H and Murphy Brown in the 9 o'clock hour.
At 10:00pm, St. Elsewhere.
Tuesday nights would start with family comedy. The Cosby Show and Family Ties 8:00pm and 8:30pm respectively.
Everybody Loves Raymond at 9:00pm and Two and a Half Men at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Law & Order.
Wednesday nights would start with sophistication.
Frasier at 8:00pm and The Odd Couple at 8:30pm. I'm sure Felix Unger would have enjoyed talking wine, opera, and art with the Crane brothers.
The 9 o'clock hour would consist of You'll Never Get Rich starring Phil Silvers as Sergeant Bilko and The Twilight Zone.
At 10:00pm, Hill Street Blues.
Of course, Thursday nights would truly be Must See TV with Cheers, Taxi, Seinfeld, and Friends followed by ER at 10:00pm.
Friday night would be another family-friendly night, starting with The Brady Bunch at 8:00pm and The Wonder Years at 8:30pm.
At 9:00pm, Friday Night Lights, a depiction of a west Texas town obsessed with high school football.
At 10:00pm, The Wire.
Saturday night begins with cartoons.
The Simpsons at 8:00pm and King of the Hill at 8:30pm.
The Honeymooners at 9:00pm and Curb Your Enthusiasm at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Homicide: Life on the Street, an undervalued, underrated, and underwatched program during its tenure on NBC in the 1990's.
Reasonable minds can differ.
Should Happy Days be in the lineup instead of The Brady Bunch?
What about L.A. Law, thirtysomething, Scrubs, or All in the Family?
What's the standard for making the linuep?
All good questions.
For now, it's merely instinctive.
Programs can be replaced.
Or I can start another network.
david@davidkrell.com
If I created the ultimate television network, the prime time program lineup would probably look like this:
On Sunday, I would start with the legends. I Love Lucy at 8:00pm followed by The Jack Benny Program at 8:30pm.
The pairing makes sense since Lucille Ball and Jack Benny were not only show business icons, but also neighbors in real life. They lived next door to each other on North Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills.
Then, we turn to the rural heavyweights. The Andy Griffith Show at 9:00pm and The Beverly Hillbillies at 9:30pm.
Sunday nights should be nice and easy, after all. And what's nicer and easier than our friends in Mayberry and the hillbilly transplants to the land of Rodeo Drive?
At 10:00pm, The Sopranos.
On Monday nights, I would pair The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Tyler Moore in the 8 o'clock hour, followed by M*A*S*H and Murphy Brown in the 9 o'clock hour.
At 10:00pm, St. Elsewhere.
Tuesday nights would start with family comedy. The Cosby Show and Family Ties 8:00pm and 8:30pm respectively.
Everybody Loves Raymond at 9:00pm and Two and a Half Men at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Law & Order.
Wednesday nights would start with sophistication.
Frasier at 8:00pm and The Odd Couple at 8:30pm. I'm sure Felix Unger would have enjoyed talking wine, opera, and art with the Crane brothers.
The 9 o'clock hour would consist of You'll Never Get Rich starring Phil Silvers as Sergeant Bilko and The Twilight Zone.
At 10:00pm, Hill Street Blues.
Of course, Thursday nights would truly be Must See TV with Cheers, Taxi, Seinfeld, and Friends followed by ER at 10:00pm.
Friday night would be another family-friendly night, starting with The Brady Bunch at 8:00pm and The Wonder Years at 8:30pm.
At 9:00pm, Friday Night Lights, a depiction of a west Texas town obsessed with high school football.
At 10:00pm, The Wire.
Saturday night begins with cartoons.
The Simpsons at 8:00pm and King of the Hill at 8:30pm.
The Honeymooners at 9:00pm and Curb Your Enthusiasm at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Homicide: Life on the Street, an undervalued, underrated, and underwatched program during its tenure on NBC in the 1990's.
Reasonable minds can differ.
Should Happy Days be in the lineup instead of The Brady Bunch?
What about L.A. Law, thirtysomething, Scrubs, or All in the Family?
What's the standard for making the linuep?
All good questions.
For now, it's merely instinctive.
Programs can be replaced.
Or I can start another network.
Herman the Rookie
June 02, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Baseball season prompts a look back at guest stars from the national pastime who give a little oomph to a favorite television program.
Don Drysdale on The Brady Bunch.
Henry Aaron on Happy Days.
Willie Mays on The Donna Reed Show.
In 1965, The Munsters used the baseball theme and player-turned-manager-turned-Los Angeles Dodgers executive Leo Durocher for that oomph.
The Dodgers welcomed Durocher back into the fold after he defected to the crosstown Giants when both teams played in New York City -- the Dodgers at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field and the Giants at Manhattan's Polo Grounds.
While talking with reporter Charlie Hodges, Leo the Lip gets knocked on the head by a baseball hit from several blocks away. He discovers that Herman Munster hit the ball.
Eager for a brand-new discovery, Durocher arranges a formal tryout with the Dodgers for Herman. Undoubtedly, Herman's physical strength is the tool that will propel the Dodgers to win the National League pennant and the World Series.
By literally crushing the ball out of the park, Herman could probably single-handedly win every game.
But every asset has a consequent cost or liability. In Herman's case, his asset of strength is the liability.
Wearing #37 for his tryout, Herman takes batting practice. The force of his swing causes a ground ball to literally go under ground and destroy the infield. A home run knocks over the scoreboard.
Durocher exclaims that he doesn't know whether to sign him to the Dodgers or send him to Vietnam!
Herman's dreams of big-league status will not be realized. The Dodgers won't sign him because of financial cost. Salary is not the issue. Walter O'Malley, then the Dodgers owner, would have to spend $75,000 after each game to repair Dodger Stadium.
Baseball fans will enjoy the episode because of the tryout scenes at a practice field.
The episode has a nice tag before the credits when former Los Angeles Rams player and current Rams executive Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch discovers a football kicked from several blocks away, much farther than the length of a football field.
Upon advice from Hodges, Hirsch forgets about identifying the kicker and signing him to the Rams.
Leo Durocher also made a guest appearance on The Beverly Hillbillies where he tried to learn more about Jethro Clampett's pitching prowess. What a combination! Jethro's ability to make the ball dance in the air from the pitching mound and Herman's ability to crush the ball over the fence.
Only in television land.
david@davidkrell.com
Baseball season prompts a look back at guest stars from the national pastime who give a little oomph to a favorite television program.
Don Drysdale on The Brady Bunch.
Henry Aaron on Happy Days.
Willie Mays on The Donna Reed Show.
In 1965, The Munsters used the baseball theme and player-turned-manager-turned-Los Angeles Dodgers executive Leo Durocher for that oomph.
The Dodgers welcomed Durocher back into the fold after he defected to the crosstown Giants when both teams played in New York City -- the Dodgers at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field and the Giants at Manhattan's Polo Grounds.
While talking with reporter Charlie Hodges, Leo the Lip gets knocked on the head by a baseball hit from several blocks away. He discovers that Herman Munster hit the ball.
Eager for a brand-new discovery, Durocher arranges a formal tryout with the Dodgers for Herman. Undoubtedly, Herman's physical strength is the tool that will propel the Dodgers to win the National League pennant and the World Series.
By literally crushing the ball out of the park, Herman could probably single-handedly win every game.
But every asset has a consequent cost or liability. In Herman's case, his asset of strength is the liability.
Wearing #37 for his tryout, Herman takes batting practice. The force of his swing causes a ground ball to literally go under ground and destroy the infield. A home run knocks over the scoreboard.
Durocher exclaims that he doesn't know whether to sign him to the Dodgers or send him to Vietnam!
Herman's dreams of big-league status will not be realized. The Dodgers won't sign him because of financial cost. Salary is not the issue. Walter O'Malley, then the Dodgers owner, would have to spend $75,000 after each game to repair Dodger Stadium.
Baseball fans will enjoy the episode because of the tryout scenes at a practice field.
The episode has a nice tag before the credits when former Los Angeles Rams player and current Rams executive Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch discovers a football kicked from several blocks away, much farther than the length of a football field.
Upon advice from Hodges, Hirsch forgets about identifying the kicker and signing him to the Rams.
Leo Durocher also made a guest appearance on The Beverly Hillbillies where he tried to learn more about Jethro Clampett's pitching prowess. What a combination! Jethro's ability to make the ball dance in the air from the pitching mound and Herman's ability to crush the ball over the fence.
Only in television land.