Comments on: So he loaded up the truck … http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/ Curiously Long Posts Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:40:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Ricochet http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-36238 Ricochet Thu, 16 Oct 2008 06:21:40 +0000 http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-36238 Other non-pixieshows: Hogan's Heroes; M*A*S*H; All in the Family; Columbo; Maverick; Quincy; Wildside; Dragnet; Mission Impossible; Alias Smith & Jones; Rockford Files; Hardcastle and McCormick; Fridays. Other non-pixieshows: Hogan’s Heroes; M*A*S*H; All in the Family; Columbo; Maverick; Quincy; Wildside; Dragnet; Mission Impossible; Alias Smith & Jones; Rockford Files; Hardcastle and McCormick; Fridays.

]]> By: Ricochet http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-36237 Ricochet Thu, 16 Oct 2008 06:18:13 +0000 http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-36237 If Springfield's founder was "named" for Jedadiah Strong Smith, there's even some irony in that. Jedadiah (called 'diah by his friends) met his end searching for water on the Sante Fe Trail. Depending on which theory you believe, he was killed either by Commanches or Mexicans, after he'd found a spring. This spring was located in Seward County, KS and was probably the future site of either Fargo Springs or Springfield, both of which have long since been ghost towns. The name Springfield comes full circle maybe? I'd vote for Jedadiah Smith as most athletic Jed due to the fact that besides his exploring accomplishments, he was also a leader among men, well respected, etc. He once tangled with a grizzly bear and nearly had his scalp and one ear torn off, so he had another mountain man buddy sew his ear back on for him. Now that's definite All-Madden consideration, I mean All-Time All-Madden. The coexisting thread about pixieshows brought a few good memories of some classics, especially the anti-pixie list. Barney Miller has lasting appeal, from the esoteric humor of Dietrich to the bathroom humor at Fish's expense (literally). I think a lot of the votes for pixieshows may owe part of those feelings to burnout. After someone watches every episode over and over and over, they eventually outgrow or and/or burn out on it, so it'll never be the same for them. Raisins aren't a pixiefood, but I can't stand them since I ate so many I burned on them when I was a kid. I don't think anything with Jim Carrey qualifies to be a pixieshow just because it's too stupid to begin with. I can't think of anything good (TV show or movie) with Jim Carrey in it except the Dead Pool. One, Clint Eastwood is the star and Carrey only plays a minor role. Two, Carrey gets killed off early in the movie. Quark is likewise not elibigle for pixieshow status, even though it might have had an entertaining moment or two, but not much else. I can't believe that show only lasted a couple episodes it seems. Shows like Charlie's Angels, Dukes of Hazzard, and Vegas weren't aiming to be the video equivalent of a Nobel Prize winner in literature,. They entertained, and they still do. Jacqueline Smith, Farrah Fawcett, Cheryl Ladd, Catherine Bach, Phyllis Davis, and the Landers twin (I think) were the eye-catchers, and who cared much one way or the other if there was a plot. I don't think CSI will become a pixieshow, but then, one person's pixieshow might be another's classic. But, if it became a pixieshow and you also have Beverly Hillbillies on your pixie list, what about their offspring, ...... CSI: Little Rock. You know the one, they just couldn't solve that many crimes because everyone had the same DNA and there weren't any dental records. A-Team isn't really any dumber than every other Hollywood TV show or movie that misrepresents the capabilities of the weapons, it's still classical good guys vs. bad guys. MacGuyver was pretty good until he got on his gun control soapbox too man times (once was too much). He rants about individual gun ownership and then builds a bomb out of whatever was handy. The first two or three seasons of most long-running shows are probably the best, and not just because they might run out of ideas. By the second season, there are knockoffs and maybe even spinoffs and you're headed toward that famous burnout again. Even the soaps copy each other all the time, right down to naming new characters similarly (remember Sean Donnelly and Shane Donovan?). If Springfield’s founder was “named” for Jedadiah Strong Smith, there’s even some irony in that. Jedadiah (called ‘diah by his friends) met his end searching for water on the Sante Fe Trail. Depending on which theory you believe, he was killed either by Commanches or Mexicans, after he’d found a spring. This spring was located in Seward County, KS and was probably the future site of either Fargo Springs or Springfield, both of which have long since been ghost towns. The name Springfield comes full circle maybe? I’d vote for Jedadiah Smith as most athletic Jed due to the fact that besides his exploring accomplishments, he was also a leader among men, well respected, etc. He once tangled with a grizzly bear and nearly had his scalp and one ear torn off, so he had another mountain man buddy sew his ear back on for him. Now that’s definite All-Madden consideration, I mean All-Time All-Madden.
The coexisting thread about pixieshows brought a few good memories of some classics, especially the anti-pixie list. Barney Miller has lasting appeal, from the esoteric humor of Dietrich to the bathroom humor at Fish’s expense (literally). I think a lot of the votes for pixieshows may owe part of those feelings to burnout. After someone watches every episode over and over and over, they eventually outgrow or and/or burn out on it, so it’ll never be the same for them. Raisins aren’t a pixiefood, but I can’t stand them since I ate so many I burned on them when I was a kid.
I don’t think anything with Jim Carrey qualifies to be a pixieshow just because it’s too stupid to begin with. I can’t think of anything good (TV show or movie) with Jim Carrey in it except the Dead Pool. One, Clint Eastwood is the star and Carrey only plays a minor role. Two, Carrey gets killed off early in the movie. Quark is likewise not elibigle for pixieshow status, even though it might have had an entertaining moment or two, but not much else. I can’t believe that show only lasted a couple episodes it seems.
Shows like Charlie’s Angels, Dukes of Hazzard, and Vegas weren’t aiming to be the video equivalent of a Nobel Prize winner in literature,. They entertained, and they still do. Jacqueline Smith, Farrah Fawcett, Cheryl Ladd, Catherine Bach, Phyllis Davis, and the Landers twin (I think) were the eye-catchers, and who cared much one way or the other if there was a plot.
I don’t think CSI will become a pixieshow, but then, one person’s pixieshow might be another’s classic. But, if it became a pixieshow and you also have Beverly Hillbillies on your pixie list, what about their offspring, …… CSI: Little Rock. You know the one, they just couldn’t solve that many crimes because everyone had the same DNA and there weren’t any dental records.
A-Team isn’t really any dumber than every other Hollywood TV show or movie that misrepresents the capabilities of the weapons, it’s still classical good guys vs. bad guys. MacGuyver was pretty good until he got on his gun control soapbox too man times (once was too much). He rants about individual gun ownership and then builds a bomb out of whatever was handy. The first two or three seasons of most long-running shows are probably the best, and not just because they might run out of ideas. By the second season, there are knockoffs and maybe even spinoffs and you’re headed toward that famous burnout again. Even the soaps copy each other all the time, right down to naming new characters similarly (remember Sean Donnelly and Shane Donovan?).

]]> By: The Man http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-36204 The Man Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:01:46 +0000 http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-36204 While there is a lot of commentary on there about "pixishows" what about, what I like to call, "boomerang" shows. These are the shows that you loved as a kid, were too cool to watch as a teen/early college student, but then came back to after watching a needlessly complicated/preachy episode of say..."The West Wing" I think that Matlock, Murder She Wrote, and Magnum P.I. all fit pretty solidly into this wheelhouse. I know that for years and years I wouldn't let anyone know I used to like matlock but then Senior year of college I started skipping the first half of my finance class to finish up episodes. Then I would brazenly walk into class and if I was questioned I would just claim "Griffith just went on, and on today" and was never really nailed down on specifics. The same hot dog jokes and formulaic plot are kind of nice to watch now that every show makes you think. If I wanted to think I'd read a book, I get the feeling that a lot of the "smart" shows like the wire, sopranos, the shield, and others are going to look really lame in a couple of years due to the evolutionary leaps that are taken while the CSI's (not a big fan of) will hold up well b/c you can just enjoy and do your laundry and such and pretty well know what is going to happen next. While there is a lot of commentary on there about “pixishows” what about, what I like to call, “boomerang” shows. These are the shows that you loved as a kid, were too cool to watch as a teen/early college student, but then came back to after watching a needlessly complicated/preachy episode of say…”The West Wing” I think that Matlock, Murder She Wrote, and Magnum P.I. all fit pretty solidly into this wheelhouse. I know that for years and years I wouldn’t let anyone know I used to like matlock but then Senior year of college I started skipping the first half of my finance class to finish up episodes. Then I would brazenly walk into class and if I was questioned I would just claim “Griffith just went on, and on today” and was never really nailed down on specifics. The same hot dog jokes and formulaic plot are kind of nice to watch now that every show makes you think.
If I wanted to think I’d read a book, I get the feeling that a lot of the “smart” shows like the wire, sopranos, the shield, and others are going to look really lame in a couple of years due to the evolutionary leaps that are taken while the CSI’s (not a big fan of) will hold up well b/c you can just enjoy and do your laundry and such and pretty well know what is going to happen next.

]]> By: Bobby A http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-35883 Bobby A Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:56:22 +0000 http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-35883 "Dukes of Hazzard". “Dukes of Hazzard”.

]]> By: Bob McWilliams http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-35848 Bob McWilliams Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:19:03 +0000 http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-35848 Whew, Joe has unleashed the tv passions of several generations! I was born in the mid 50's, so many of the shows talked about from the 70s and 80s are a bit late for me on the pixie time spectrum. I did notice someone put down sitcoms of the 70's/early 80's--I agree for the most part, but the Bob Newhart shows hold up VERY well (much as the Dick Van Dyke show does from the 60's). I think that is because much of the humor in both shows is about people and their timeless traits, as opposed to being social commentary that turns much less interesting over time. Despite the twin beds of the Dick Van Dyke show and the lesiure suits of the Bob Newhart show, the comedy is timeless. Many people mention shows from the 60's that were certainly the equivalent of mental junk food---Gilligan, Hogans Heroes, F Troop. I did love those as a little kid, but I am pretty sure even then that i KNEW they were stupid mental junk food. How about shows I thought were good. Hawaii 5-0? After the theme music, pretty lame. Mission Impossible? Well, as someone said the Landau/Bain episodes hold up pretty well. I wonder about I Spy---loved it so much, but I wonder what I would think now. One show that holds up very well is Combat. Yes, it is unrealistic in the sense of no blood and guts flying, etc, but is actually very very dark in a psychological sense--not at all a rah rah show glorifying war. Altman directed some of the episodes if I remember correctly. The Monkees---defiinitely Pixie food. Batman? I am surprised no one has mentioned this!!!!! (or did I miss it?) Not exactly tv, but I saw them all on tv (much like with three stooges). A KC tv station showed Bowery Boys movies every Saturday when I was a kid (a lot less sports on tv back then!) and I thought they were wonderful. PIXIE for sure with those. I agree about Ed Sullivan--and virtually all the variety shows. Flip Wilson...arrgh. Carol Burnett...not as bad but still. Red Skelton...urp. Even the Smother Brothers is not as wonderful as my memories. I watched a bunch of them at the broadcasting museum in nyc a few years ago (mostly to see the pete seeger episodes), and while there were some great moments, the sketches were SLOWWWWW (big change from later) and often not funny. NOT funny. NOT FUNNY. here's one that is anti-pixie food. What's My Line. i often see this at 2 a.m. on the game show network. It is often very witty, very funny. Something about smart people being set loose on odd situations. Or just smart people in evening dress interacting! I guess that makes me an elitist. How about Green Acres? I come down on the side that it was totally brilliant. Almost a deconstructionist comedy. Beverly Hillbillies--other than the first few shows of culture shock in California, very lame....except when Flatt and Scruggs were on. Of course, there was great bluegrass on the far superior Andy Griffith show when the Dillards were on portraying the Darlings. More non-Pixies: Columbo. Holds up very well, despite the formula. Maverick. I have seen these and they are still very good. Ditto Rockford Files. Did Jim Garner ever make a bad tv series (answer: NO) Ultimate pixie tv show: local pro wrestling shows from the early-mid 60's. In St. Joe we had Wrestling with Bob on Channel 2 late at night (10???) on Saturdays, and I did everything I could to stay up late, hear the theme song ("The Wrestling Polka"). This was when the likes of Bob Geigel and Bob Brown were relatively young (Brown was, however, as non-handsome as later). Whew, Joe has unleashed the tv passions of several generations! I was born in the mid 50’s, so many of the shows talked about from the 70s and 80s are a bit late for me on the pixie time spectrum. I did notice someone put down sitcoms of the 70’s/early 80’s–I agree for the most part, but the Bob Newhart shows hold up VERY well (much as the Dick Van Dyke show does from the 60’s). I think that is because much of the humor in both shows is about people and their timeless traits, as opposed to being social commentary that turns much less interesting over time. Despite the twin beds of the Dick Van Dyke show and the lesiure suits of the Bob Newhart show, the comedy is timeless.

Many people mention shows from the 60’s that were certainly the equivalent of mental junk food—Gilligan, Hogans Heroes, F Troop. I did love those as a little kid, but I am pretty sure even then that i KNEW they were stupid mental junk food. How about shows I thought were good. Hawaii 5-0? After the theme music, pretty lame. Mission Impossible? Well, as someone said the Landau/Bain episodes hold up pretty well. I wonder about I Spy—loved it so much, but I wonder what I would think now. One show that holds up very well is Combat. Yes, it is unrealistic in the sense of no blood and guts flying, etc, but is actually very very dark in a psychological sense–not at all a rah rah show glorifying war. Altman directed some of the episodes if I remember correctly.

The Monkees—defiinitely Pixie food.

Batman? I am surprised no one has mentioned this!!!!! (or did I miss it?)

Not exactly tv, but I saw them all on tv (much like with three stooges). A KC tv station showed Bowery Boys movies every Saturday when I was a kid (a lot less sports on tv back then!) and I thought they were wonderful. PIXIE for sure with those.

I agree about Ed Sullivan–and virtually all the variety shows. Flip Wilson…arrgh. Carol Burnett…not as bad but still. Red Skelton…urp. Even the Smother Brothers is not as wonderful as my memories. I watched a bunch of them at the broadcasting museum in nyc a few years ago (mostly to see the pete seeger episodes), and while there were some great moments, the sketches were SLOWWWWW (big change from later) and often not funny. NOT funny. NOT FUNNY.

here’s one that is anti-pixie food. What’s My Line. i often see this at 2 a.m. on the game show network. It is often very witty, very funny. Something about smart people being set loose on odd situations. Or just smart people in evening dress interacting! I guess that makes me an elitist.

How about Green Acres? I come down on the side that it was totally brilliant. Almost a deconstructionist comedy.

Beverly Hillbillies–other than the first few shows of culture shock in California, very lame….except when Flatt and Scruggs were on. Of course, there was great bluegrass on the far superior Andy Griffith show when the Dillards were on portraying the Darlings.

More non-Pixies:
Columbo. Holds up very well, despite the formula.
Maverick. I have seen these and they are still very good.
Ditto Rockford Files. Did Jim Garner ever make a bad tv series (answer: NO)

Ultimate pixie tv show:
local pro wrestling shows from the early-mid 60’s. In St. Joe we had Wrestling with Bob on Channel 2 late at night (10???) on Saturdays, and I did everything I could to stay up late, hear the theme song (“The Wrestling Polka”). This was when the likes of Bob Geigel and Bob Brown were relatively young (Brown was, however, as non-handsome as later).

]]> By: Mike Bagnall http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-35795 Mike Bagnall Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:45:15 +0000 http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-35795 The one really good laugh I remember from Night Court was Selma Diamond talking about her fancy stationary bicycle with all the heartrate and bloodpressure gear that she had to remove to make room for an ashtray. Looking back, it's kind of sad, but it was hilarious at the time. Does that qualify as pixieism? The one really good laugh I remember from Night Court was Selma Diamond talking about her fancy stationary bicycle with all the heartrate and bloodpressure gear that she had to remove to make room for an ashtray. Looking back, it’s kind of sad, but it was hilarious at the time. Does that qualify as pixieism?

]]> By: Snowman http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-35567 Snowman Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:09:51 +0000 http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-35567 While I agree on "Happy Days" being a pixieshow, I can't agree on "The Beverly Hillbillies." It sucked the first time around. It was mildly amusing for an episode or two, and then you began to realize that it was the same joke, over and over and over again, episode after episode, and the character never learned anything. The thing I first think of when I think of Jed and brood is the doorbell. Time and time again, the doorbell would ring, and they would ask "Where's that music coming from?" And lo and behold, company would arrive. What kind of morons wouldn't eventually put two and two together? Add to that the fact that it was a cheap, dumbed-down knockoff of the far superior Walter Brennan/Richard Crenna vehicle, "The Real McCoys," and the Hillbillies were just a loser from day one. While I agree on “Happy Days” being a pixieshow, I can’t agree on “The Beverly Hillbillies.” It sucked the first time around. It was mildly amusing for an episode or two, and then you began to realize that it was the same joke, over and over and over again, episode after episode, and the character never learned anything.

The thing I first think of when I think of Jed and brood is the doorbell. Time and time again, the doorbell would ring, and they would ask “Where’s that music coming from?” And lo and behold, company would arrive. What kind of morons wouldn’t eventually put two and two together?

Add to that the fact that it was a cheap, dumbed-down knockoff of the far superior Walter Brennan/Richard Crenna vehicle, “The Real McCoys,” and the Hillbillies were just a loser from day one.

]]> By: Callaway Kid http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-35553 Callaway Kid Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:05:30 +0000 http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-35553 Must take issue w/"Dinosaurs" being labeled as a pixieshow. (Many of) The jokes on that show are subtle and written more for adults than kids. We're in our 40's and it still makes us laugh. Of course, being able to empty my bladder in less than 20 minutes makes me smile so what do I know? Must take issue w/”Dinosaurs” being labeled as a pixieshow. (Many of) The jokes on that show are subtle and written more for adults than kids. We’re in our 40’s and it still makes us laugh. Of course, being able to empty my bladder in less than 20 minutes makes me smile so what do I know?

]]> By: mcgatman http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-35541 mcgatman Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:03:52 +0000 http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-35541 Hey Joe, Your Chiefs column the other day, and the recent baseball news kind of linked up in my brain and got me thinking about something that always bothered me: just what is the deal with all these sports guys named Thigpen, anyway? I mean you have Bobby Thigpen, he of the late lamented save record. (I remember when Bobby first came up, Lupica saying something similar about the Thigpen name in a column that your buddy said, along with wondering what Mickey Mantle's nickname would have been if he was named Bobby Thigpen - "The Thig"? Never forgot that...) Then of course there was the Steelers/Titans receiver Yancey Thigpen in the 90's, who went to 2 Pro Bowls. And of course currently Tyler, carrying on the proud Thigpen name into the new century. and I just learned from nosing around pro-football-reference.com (another awesome stats site) that the NY Giants drafted a guy named Thigpen in 1993 as well. I mean, what's the deal here? Are all these Thigpens related, like the Sutter brothers or the Boones or something? And related to this column, who is the "best" Thigpen? I guess at this point Tyler's not in the conversation... I mean, Hey Joe,

Your Chiefs column the other day, and the recent baseball news kind of linked up in my brain and got me thinking about something that always bothered me: just what is the deal with all these sports guys named Thigpen, anyway? I mean you have Bobby Thigpen, he of the late lamented save record. (I remember when Bobby first came up, Lupica saying something similar about the Thigpen name in a column that your buddy said, along with wondering what Mickey Mantle’s nickname would have been if he was named Bobby Thigpen – “The Thig”? Never forgot that…) Then of course there was the Steelers/Titans receiver Yancey Thigpen in the 90’s, who went to 2 Pro Bowls. And of course currently Tyler, carrying on the proud Thigpen name into the new century. and I just learned from nosing around pro-football-reference.com (another awesome stats site) that the NY Giants drafted a guy named Thigpen in 1993 as well. I mean, what’s the deal here? Are all these Thigpens related, like the Sutter brothers or the Boones or something? And related to this column, who is the “best” Thigpen? I guess at this point Tyler’s not in the conversation…
I mean,

]]> By: Richard Aronson http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-35540 Richard Aronson Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:58:25 +0000 http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/10/07/so-he-loaded-up-the-truck/#comment-35540 Mike Bagnall: the full line (one of my friends insists these are the funniest ten words ever spoken on television) is: "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." There are several shows cited as both being classic and pixi. I think the problem is that many shows just lasted too long. Early "The Cosby Show" was great; late, not so much. Same for Roseanne, and give her show its due: Terry Metcalfe and John Goodman led a great cast to act with/against. I think Happy Days suffered from this, and although it didn't last as long and was pretty badly screwed by the network, "Mork and Mindy" also peaked early. The original Star Trek was in rapid decline its third season, or maybe just had lots and lots of bad episodes written to be makeable affordably (i.e. historical costumes). Early Cheers was much funnier. Friends had a lot of bite its first few years, and while it didn't drop off as far, at the end it was all a character show. Early "Night Court" drew more heavily upon Harry Anderson's standup material. "Dharma and Greg" is another that started with a bang and ended with a fizzle. "L.A. Law" went from must see to must avoid. "Ally Macbeal" was a show I watched with my daughter every week the first three years, but once so many cast members departed (especially Robert Downey Jr.) it wasn't worth the effort. About the only potential pixishow I can think of which was as good at the end as at the beginning and had a long long run was "The Muppet Show." Some dramas were solid their whole run, especialy the frequently cited "Hill Street Blues" but to a lesser extent "Homicide" and "NYPD Blue." But it's hard to find excellence, and even harder to sustain it. And it's hard to call a serious police procedural a pixishow. Except CSI: Miami. Many, that's pixi. Mike Bagnall: the full line (one of my friends insists these are the funniest ten words ever spoken on television) is: “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.”

There are several shows cited as both being classic and pixi. I think the problem is that many shows just lasted too long. Early “The Cosby Show” was great; late, not so much. Same for Roseanne, and give her show its due: Terry Metcalfe and John Goodman led a great cast to act with/against. I think Happy Days suffered from this, and although it didn’t last as long and was pretty badly screwed by the network, “Mork and Mindy” also peaked early. The original Star Trek was in rapid decline its third season, or maybe just had lots and lots of bad episodes written to be makeable affordably (i.e. historical costumes). Early Cheers was much funnier. Friends had a lot of bite its first few years, and while it didn’t drop off as far, at the end it was all a character show. Early “Night Court” drew more heavily upon Harry Anderson’s standup material. “Dharma and Greg” is another that started with a bang and ended with a fizzle. “L.A. Law” went from must see to must avoid. “Ally Macbeal” was a show I watched with my daughter every week the first three years, but once so many cast members departed (especially Robert Downey Jr.) it wasn’t worth the effort.

About the only potential pixishow I can think of which was as good at the end as at the beginning and had a long long run was “The Muppet Show.” Some dramas were solid their whole run, especialy the frequently cited “Hill Street Blues” but to a lesser extent “Homicide” and “NYPD Blue.” But it’s hard to find excellence, and even harder to sustain it. And it’s hard to call a serious police procedural a pixishow. Except CSI: Miami. Many, that’s pixi.

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