I’m a sucker for nostalgia, which means I find myself rewatching a lot of shows and movies I enjoyed as a younger man. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of brilliant releases still coming out, but sometimes you just want to get lost in childhood bliss. I find this is especially true of television. We may be in the midst of yet another golden age of television, but I find I miss the aesthetic and charm of older shows.
But how much of that is actually nostalgia, and how much of it is actually down to some measurable quality? Well, at the end of the day, it’s all subjective, but there are certain shows that I believe are better than most of what’s released nowadays, even with inflated budgets and A-list casts attached.
The Wire
Watch The Wire on HBO Max
I’m sure you’ve heard of The Wire by now. It usually pops up on any best-of list when it comes to television, and for good reason. The Wire is not your typical procedural cop drama, as being on HBO allowed it to really navigate more complex topics in a serialized setting. Each season focused on a different aspect of policing in Baltimore, and the way it all fits together is nothing short of brilliant. Of course, some consider the ending disappointing, but I’ve never personally subscribed to that belief.
The Wire never really got the due it deserved while it was airing, but like anything fantastic, many have discovered its brilliance since. For me, it’s easily the best show about cops around, and it’s not even close. Creator David Simon would go on to create other shows, many of them great in their own right, but nothing really captured the genius of The Wire.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Hulu
Often imitated, never duplicated. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a game-changer for teen dramas because of its stellar cast and the writing of creator Joss Whedon. What could have just been a typical horror show with melodramatic teens became so much more than that. Buffy the Vampire Slayer explored themes of death, growing up, and morality in ways that would put a lot of modern shows to shame.
The quality waxed and waned, especially in later seasons, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer remains a nostalgic time capsule for what television used to be like. Beyond that, it inspired a whole new generation of teen-based supernatural shows that explored the darker side of humanity. But for me, nothing comes close to what this series brought to the table.
Six Feet Under
Watch Six Feet Under on HBO Max
Nowadays, many media outlets love to explore themes of grief and death, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a subject that anyone can relate to. But nothing quite captures it for me like Six Feet Under, a show that lives with death on its mind. Six Feet Under centers around the Fisher family and their trials and tribulations as they run a funeral home in California.
But beneath that surface level, it’s about so much more. Each episode deals with a death, and it reveals just a little bit more about who these characters are. To this day, I still think the series finale of Six Feet Under is one of the best episodes of television ever created. And, in a lot of ways, the series as a whole works so much better than a lot of what’s released nowadays.
Malcolm in the Middle
Watch Malcolm in the Middle on Hulu
While other shows had done it before, Malcolm in the Middle is a pretty special sitcom because of its use of a single camera and its lack of a laugh track. Nowadays, this might not seem like such a big deal, but at the time, it was fairly uncommon for network sitcoms. It also helps that Malcolm in the Middle is absolutely hilarious.
Frankie Muniz plays the eponymous Malcolm, a genius child who tries to navigate his own intelligence while dealing with his bizarre family, who aren’t exactly Einsteins themselves. Breaking Bad fans might recognize Bryan Cranston in the role of Hal, Malcolm’s father. If you’re coming to Malcolm in the Middle after that show, Cranston’s performance may seem bizarre, but it’s a true testament to his capabilities as an actor.
Malcolm in the Middle has also aged quite a bit better than a lot of sitcoms from this time period, and it remains consistently great throughout. In fact, I’d consider it one of the great sitcoms I could watch forever without getting bored. If you missed out when it aired, now’s the time to experience it.
Twin Peaks
Watch Twin Peaks on Paramount+
When the first episode of Twin Peaks dropped in 1990, it was an instant sensation for audiences. The question of who killed Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) captivated viewers. Of course, once the show was forced to solve that mystery, interest sort of fell off, but Twin Peaks remains a brilliant early example of serialized storytelling centered around murder.
Twin Peaks also had the surrealism that co-creator David Lynch often brought to his feature films. While the original series ended on a frustrating cliffhanger, dedicated fans were treated to Twin Peaks: The Return in 2017 to wrap things up… sort of. I mean, if you know Lynch, you know that nothing is ever really answered. That final season is grand and strange, and the perfect cap on the series. But the original series still holds up very well, especially that first season.
Nostalgia or not, I just can’t get enough when it comes to older television
So whether it’s nostalgia or something else, older television just hits differently. There are still some great shows around, but nothing that hits like the series I watched from my formative years. Speaking of media outside modern Hollywood, perhaps you’re interested in foreign horror films that are scarier than anything American studios have ever produced.
