Nice to to see some shows I've enjoyed over the years like
Just A Minute, Seven Up!, Tenko, Victoria Wood: As Seen On TV, The Two Ronnies, dinnerladies and
UpDown.
I'd quite like to have seen
Round The Horne included. Of imports, I feel
Columbo and
Cagney & Lacey deserve a spot.
Me-That's-Currently-Watching-1984-
Brookside feels it's shameful that it's not included. But Me-Who-Suffered-Through-The-Mid-Nineties-Hoping-It-Would-Return-To-Form and Me-Who-Fell-Asleep-Twice-Watching-The-Last-Episode both accept that sometimes these things have to be taken in their entirety. I imagine that's why some shows like
Dallas didn't make it in.
But then
Corrie and
Enders are included and any long-running series is going to have periods that aren't as good/enjoyable/entertaining as others.
Loads of British sitcoms spring to mind particularly some of the Larbey/Esmonde ones. I'd made peace with the fact that usual suspects such as
Only Fools... are always automatically included to represent sitcoms but I'm still finding it difficult to reconcile the omission of something like
Ever Decreasing Circles to make space for
Not On Your Bloody Nellie: a short-lived sitcom spinoff which was drastically inferior to the parent series and whose wheels well and truly came off at the end (though I also simultaneously appreciate RTD's context and cheer the inclusion of a less-"obvious" sitcom choice).
I can't answer that question. Every nation would have its own unique list, with some overlaps regarding international entertainment and historic moments.
Yes, and even even within one nation, there's never going to be agreement over what's "best". Change a couple of the people offering their choices and the entire list would change drastically.
The problem with any "best of" list is: how is it quantified? It's always going to disappoint because there are so many factors - many of them subjective - which make something feel best/better/bad to any individual
* .
A change of semantics would probably have helped keep expectations in check. If they'd factually named it "Media Luvvies' Favourites" it would be bulletproof. In that context it's an entertaining read, and I think personal experiences with series are frequently more interesting than dry stats of most-watched this or that.
As soon as someone invokes the word "best", though, I'm overcome with perversity.
* Even on these boards, you can visit areas dedicated to specific series where a group of members agrees that "X" is the best show ever while also supplying numerous examples of characters, storylines and sometimes years' worth of episodes that are all arguments against it being the best.
