My Most Influential TV Shows (Part 1)
Hi Friends!
Last week I was super inspired by one of my favorite Podcasts, the JennaJulien Podcast. Jenna Marbles (Mourey) has been a super popular YouTube Creator for nearly 10 years and I have watched her since about 2012. Jenna and her long-time boyfriend Julien Solomita are two of my favorite creators. Every single one of their podcasts makes me laugh so hard. Sometimes I have to force myself to not listen to their podcast while I work out because I just walk around with the dumbest grin on my face because I'm trying not to laugh. In one of their recent episodes, they talk about their top seven most influential TV shows such as Seinfeld, Family Guy, and The Office (find it here). As I listened I realized how much TV has been apart of my life, and how much it is apart of our society today. I mean, everyone watches TV Shows (whether they have cable or not) and hundreds of shows are readily available at our fingertips.
I have to admit, I am a huge TV watcher. I constantly have some show (usually the Office or Friends) on in the background while I clean, cook, write, read (okay only if my husband is watching), etc... As I listened to this podcast, I began to make a mental list of the shows that have influenced me the most in my life, and it was really long because I watch (or listen) to a lot of television shows! It's kind of embarrassing really, but I know I'm not alone. I really wanted to share my shows with you because I think it is really interesting to read how these shows shaped and influenced lives, how they brought happiness and grounding to certain people at certain times. I can remember watching specific shows during parts of my life and the feelings that show left me with afterwards. Because I have so many, this will be a little series here on the blog!
Here are five of my most influential TV shows (in no particular order).
(FYI, these first three shows are OLD TV shows, so if you are in your twenties and haven't watched them, its okay, but you really should).
ONE // I Love Lucy
"I Love Lucy" is probably my mom's all-time favorite show. Because of this, we watched it so many nights before bed when I was a kid. She owns every single season on DVD, so my entire family has pretty much watched every single episode. This show is most likely the reason I find the 1940's + 50's to be the most beautiful and fun era. Lucille Ball was absolutely hilarious, and her show brought our family so many laughs throughout the years. Not only was she hilarious, she was stunning! Watching "I Love Lucy" brings so many good memories and feelings, I don't think I will ever not enjoy it. I also love that it is pure goodness. No unnecessary violence or sexuality, no agenda. It is just good. I mean, Lucy and Ricky don't even sleep in the same bed, that's how pure it is! That is impossible to find on television today. Lucy's dresses were everything I ever wanted and dreamed of (if wearing beautiful dresses every day came back into style, I would absolutely not be mad), I only wish I could see all of them in color! "I Love Lucy" will always and forever remind me of my mom and grandmother. It was a show that brought our family together, and one that they both love.
TWO // The Dick Van Dyke Show
Along those same lines, "The Dick Van Dyke Show" is one of my favorite, most influential TV shows. I fell in love with Dick Van Dyke at a young age, and I relate to Laura Petra now more than I ever have before. I watched a clip of the show the other day in which Laura is crying her eyes out to Rob because she thought he didn't like her hair. Boy have I been there. This was another purely good show that our entire family came together to watch in the evenings, a show all of us laughed at, a show that brings all the good + warm nostalgia whenever I watch it today. Mary Tyler Moore (yeup, I also watched the Mary Tyler Moore Show growing up!) is another absolutely stunning woman, another domestic goddess, 1950's/19960's housewife role model. Her style was stunning and honestly, I just want to be Laura Petrie. Dick Van Dyke's humor is the best, and his goofy but dapper ways wooed my young middle school heart. The day Dick Van Dyke passes away will be heartbreaking.
THREE // The Andy Griffith Show
One more old show to add to the list. "The Andy Griffith Show" holds an extra special place in my heart. Though I had watched this show my whole childhood, in 2013, my entire family went through an extremely difficult time and I was in the throes of depression. We found this show again shortly after Netflix began streaming it, and it was definitely a source of comfort and peace. I even briefly fell in love with Andy Griffith (you can't tell me he wasn't absolutely handsome in this show!) and his suave southern ways. He was so calm-spirited and always kind, it warmed my heart in a time of darkness. It was a source of good-hearted light, and a reminder that while I felt ugly, used, and broken, the world still had good things in it. I remember vividly sitting in our big blue recliner, knitting my heart away, watching and laughing at this show with my family. I will always cherish the warmth of this show, and will forever whistle that familiar tune (I won't whistle it well, but I will whistle it).
FOUR // Spongebob Squarepants
A hug leap in time, nearly 50 years further, we come to the era of Spongebob Squarepants. This show! Y'all, this show. That little yellow square brought me so much joy as a kid and still does to this day (the amount of Spongebob references I know is at times absurd and will be said at almost anytime). I know many people think he's annoying, but I think he is the best. He's just so innocent and simple, and funny. He just lives his happy little life in bliss. I know a lot of my peers relate more to Squidward in adulthood, but I forever want to have a fun, adventurous, light heart like Spongebob. I can remember walking into Wal-Mart once as a kid, seeing Spongebob Squarepants merchandise EVERYWHERE because it was his 10th birthday. Watching this show was also a sweet way to bond with my new husband on our honeymoon. We would wake up in the morning, get our coffee, turn on Spongebob, and build our puzzle together. I won't ever turn down watching an episode with you, and I turn it on whenever I need a good laugh. It was one of the shows that helped distract me when I lost Penelope last month, too. I wish all of the episodes were streaming, but if you need a fix, the first four seasons are free on Prime! We will be purchasing the DVD's over time too, that way Spongebobe is always apart of our family and home. It sounds kind of ridiculous, but when you love something, you love it.
FIVE // The Office
Since I am making this a mini series on the blog, I had a difficult time deciding where to place this show, because it holds so much importance to me. The Office has been a huge, continual part of my life and I'm struggling to adequately express the influence it has had on me. It almost needs it's own post altogether. I'll start from the beginning. I began watching this show because my older brothers did, and though was probably a little young for it at the time, I wanted to be cool and hang out with my brothers. It started as just a way to hang out with them, and then it became a thing we just did together. I can remember watching it when new episodes aired on TV, and I just felt cool to hang out with my big brothers and laugh with them. Before long, I was able to make references with them and quote the show more than we probably should (but if you don't make TV references in everyday life, who are you?). In 2011, my family and I went ice skating for my birthday and my brother Cody (the biggest Office fan I know besides my husband) fell on the ice and got a concussion. He had short term memory loss for about two days, but one thing he could remember was when Dwight got a concussion. It was a huge way for us siblings to bond and relate to one another. No matter how much our lives have changed, we can all still go back to The Office.
As I got older, The Office continued to be a way for me to bond with people in new relationships. My husband and I, when we first met, found common ground in our love for The Office. It has always felt even more special to me because I loved the way that Jim and Pam fell in love in the grey, unpretty, unromantic office space. Josh and I met at an office, where I worked as a receptionist. We would flirt in passing all the time, and Josh would walk up to my desk a strike random conversations just like Jim. I felt (and still feel) like we were Jim and Pam. The Office is a show we literally watch over and over...and over and over and over. It brings us both laughter, we quote it to each other constantly, and it's almost always on our TV. We do enjoy many other shows, but it's our go-to. The Office is also something that my college roommate and I bonded over. We watched the series through when we lived together, and while we were best friends already, it was another way for us to connect and laugh together.
I've had such a fun time writing this post and I am looking forward writing more similar to this, my mind is bursting with ideas! I think it is so cool to reflect on the way television can bring people together. I'd LOVE to hear what TV shows have been a meaningful influence on you throughout your life, so let me know in the comments below! I'd love to see if we have any in common. Thanks for reading!
-Kaydee
