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May 19, 2013

Web site lists top 12 shows set in the suburbs (?)

by Bob Sassone, posted Dec 1st 2007 12:02PM

The SimpsonsRight away this list from Burbia.com of the 12 Top TV shows based around the suburbs doesn't make any sense. Sorry, any show that doesn't include The Dick Van Dyke Show just doesn't know what it's talking about. It was the show that epitomized the suburbs in the early 60s, but it doesn't even get a mention on this list.

Instead we get recent shows like The Sopranos, Weeds, and The Simpsons. They might even be good choices, but whenever a list leaves out a show that is so obvious the entire thing becomes suspect. They did include some classic shows on the list, including Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (and some that didn't make the list but are mentioned anyway, like Mr. Ed), but I have to ask: since when is Milwaukee (Happy Days) a suburb? Wasn't My Favorite Martian set in L.A.? And I wouldn't really call Beverly Hills (The Beverly Hillbillies) a suburb either.

What other shows should have been on this list?

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brian.stuart

I don't know about Dick Van Dyke. It was always sort of two shows. The suburban family sitcom and the New York City workplace sitcom. I think too much of the show took place in NYC to really consider it a suburban show.

December 03 2007 at 10:25 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Vito

Seriously. This list is total crap. And wouldn't have been if the author had even bothered to research older shows at ALL.

December 01 2007 at 10:14 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Oreo

The lists sucks...so you post it???

December 01 2007 at 5:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Brent McKee

It`s a typical list compiled by people who don't believe TV was any good before they were born. Hence the "placeholder" inclusion of "My Mother the Car" as a representative of "the many shows in the 1960s offering similar silliness and sometimes laughably poorly executed 'high concept' themes." Plus the list has a pretty liberal definition of suburbia. Milwaukee has already been noted but also "Twin Peaks" needed a city in order to be a suburb, and I was under the impression that Springfield (in "The Simpsons") was a small city and not a suburb (of what, Shelbyville?). And look at the shows they mention for 1960s high concept things: is Beverly Hills a suburb? Is San Juan Puerto Rico (location of "The Flying Nun")?

December 01 2007 at 3:05 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Stedven

I read the list. I'd put Dick V Dyke on it but I disagree without it it's not any good.

There are great shows on it. Simpsons, South Park, Mary Hartman. Same with Twin Peaks. I'm not bothered by fact that some shows maybe stretch suburbia. Like Happy Days. I don't know exactly where it was but it definitely was a suburbia lifestyle they led.

Weeds and Soparanos are great shows, different kinds. My Mother the Car and those types were included i think as reminders of stupid shows not good ones. Think they said Beverly Hillbilles and My favorite Martian sucked, which they did.

I like it, maybe I'm in minority. I like to add 10 more including Dick Van Dyke. But I've seen a lot of those Van Dyke episodes and I'd take The Simpsons and bunch of the others on list first.

I suppose that's what makes these lists entertaining. You can always argue about them

December 01 2007 at 2:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
veeelchop

hmmm, lets see:
Maude, they were in Westchester County north of NYC
Eight is Enough, Sacramento which is just one big suburb of a city
I Love Lucy, in its final years was in Connecticut, with chickens even.





December 01 2007 at 12:50 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to veeelchop's comment
JC

you know what, to the posters who say list is crap or the people were born after the 60s shows were made -- you don't know what you're talking about.

i was born before whichever shows you're talking about were on. i've been a tv & movie critic for decades. of course this list is limited. but it contains a lot of excellent choices.

guess what? the simpsons is better than the shows of the 60s. the dick van dyke show -- yes it was terrific for its time. but was it, objectively, better than many of the good ones today? no.

soap, mary hartman, roseanne. those are and were significant. the sopranos? uh, not bad. happy days? i didn't like it but it helped define an era pop culturally. twin peaks. again, original, unique, strange. i can't argue with it at all. south park too. stilted largely and moronic shows like beverly hillbillies and others did dominate the 60s. were a few pioneering? absolutely. but that didn't make them great and, on a list of 12, you're going to miss plenty.

the only series i'd really question on this list is knots landing. it was drek. but it was also a hit for 13-14 years and did trigger a wave of similar series to come.

honestly, i'd also recommend you watch some of the shows listed that you think are crap. they're good for the most part; in some cases excellent.

it's easy to label things crap. no way is the list perfect. but it's reasonable in my judgment and in most cases better than 5that.

December 02 2007 at 1:32 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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