North Roxbury Drive

The Ultimate TV Network

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.