Otherworldly sounds surrounded me and chilled me to the bone. The theme song still gives me goose bumps and, until recently, I was afraid to revisit my childhood fear and relive Sunday nights spent huddled under a blanket. When I was little, Sunday night was TV night. My family would watch “Malcolm in the Middle,” then “The Simpsons,” and then, the bane of my existence, “The X-Files.” The X-Files” inhabited my mother’s and my Sunday night timeslot for years during my youth.
“The X-Files” is a legitimately scary show. I would get angry with my parents for watching it because even the introduction of the music or the opening credits made me too scared to walk the long dark hallway back to my bedroom, so I would be forced to stay in the living room and watch. “The X-Files” started to fade out of my life when it was cancelled. Then, one fine spring break morning, I was browsing the homework distractor, Netflix Instant, and I spotted the unmistakably familiar black-and-white DVD cover of “The X-Files.”
Two weeks later, I was two seasons in and reliving the once-terrifying alien invasions of my youth. As I watched, I realized that many current shows follow the same narrative arc and contain the same themes as “The X-Files.” “Bones” has less of the creepiness, but maintains the sexual tension which plagues the main characters. “Fringe” contains some of the supernatural matter beloved in the “The X-Files,” but lacks the humor.
Many of today’s popular shows are simply reincarnations of the past. There are shows that have similar plot lines, but are adapted for a modern audience; there are shows that encapsulate a previous time. “Mad Men” falls into this category: it’s so old, it’s new.
Netflix Instant and Hulu have made these forays into retro TV watching easy. Anytime you are feeling the need for a TV fix when your favorite shows are not on, here are some recommendations by genre.
High school to college drama: Enamored with “Gossip Girl” or “The OC?” “Felicity” can be a great substitute, a downtown alternative to the “Gossip Girl” Upper East Side upper-crust world that, for me, can get annoying. The show follows students’ lives at a New York University-type school, where ‘90s grunge abounds.
“Felicity” follows the common plotline of a classic love triangle. Felicity follows her high school crush to college (I know, typical). Created by J.J. Abrams of “Lost” and “Star Trek” fame, the show often showcases science fiction plotlines, which make it an anomaly in the sea of teenage dramas. It has the sort of angsty drama you want from a college show without the upscale apartments and clothes of “Gossip Girl.” Though “Felicity” is not what you’d call an old show, the style and maturity of the characters seems foreign to our high school environment in 2012.
Vampires and the Women Who Love Them: As many of you know, vampires are a big deal right now, or at least they have been in the last four years. I was first exposed to vampires when my parents named my first dog Lestat, after the vampire ruined by Tom Cruise in “Interview with a Vampire.” That movie was based on the books of Anne Rice in the 80s and 90s, but beginning in 2005, Stephanie Meyer introduced a new type of vampire, a tamer version of Rice’s sexually deviant bloodsuckers.
Between these two eras of vampires was “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” “Buffy” was a high school show, but with vampire and demon killing. In my opinion, the strong woman lead was much more likeable than the often-weak Bella Swan of “Twilight.” The vampires are “classic” in that they actually wish to drink human blood and do not sparkle. What many do not know is that “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” had one of the first same-sex relationships on TV. This was unknown on many high school shows and truly represents the groundbreaking themes that Joss Whedon, the creator, was exploring. Buffy is kickass in the best way possible and can hold her own against the Hellmouth and various other monsters. “Buffy” recaptures the scariness of vampires and the humor and camaraderie the best high school shows have.
Drama in the ER: One of the many TV shows with an ensemble cast that has gone from great to good is “Grey’s Anatomy.” I will admit that I loved it in the beginning, but then I got bored with the constant ferry boat/ambulance accidents. I still watch the show because I like many of the characters, but searching for a retro version, I found one of the shows that inspired it, “ER.”
Instead of the rainy Seattle weather, the scenery is snowy downtown Chicago. I will go so far to say that the “ER” ensemble cast is a close second in overall quality to “Arrested Development”, which has the best ensemble cast in recent television. During the first four seasons before George Clooney left to pursue a movie career, the viewer is blessed with the great screen chemistry of Doug Ross (Clooney) and Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards). These are the type of doctors you want — snarky and comedic, but capable of saving your life while you’re languishing in a worn-down Chicago hospital. Another selling point of “ER” is that it can keep you occupied for a long time! With all 14 seasons and a total of 331 episodes, even if you watched just one episode a week, it would take you over six years to complete it. The “ER” characters knew when it was their time to depart and allow new and interesting characters to occupy their space.
So dear viewer, I beg of you, investigate the inspirations behind your favorite current TV shows. I am in no way saying that all modern TV shows are not original or worth watching, because I love “Parks and Recreation,” “Mad Men” and “30 Rock,” but just understand that there are other options to peruse. Browse Netflix Instant and Hulu for some retro viewing inspiration. Delve into these shows of the past and time travel to a show that’s actually worth watching — even if you have trouble sleeping afterwards.