Opening credits - Cheers

One of the best sitcoms of all time, Cheers. If you didn't watch this, then I feel sorry for you as it was awesome. It had a rather wistful little theme tune but I used to love it and sing along happily every week. Also, very unusual credits in that you didn't see any actors, just drawings of ye olde worlde people in a bar.

The theme of Cheers was loneliness and how the people in the bar were their real friends even if they really annoyed them. It has some of the best characters in sitcom world. Carla was hilarious.

Norm: "I have on several occasions been known to perspire a bit."
Carla: "We could grow rice."

Norm. I loved Norm.
Woody: "What's going on Mr Peterson?"
Norm: "What's going *in" Mr Peterson. A beer please Woody."

I could quote them all. The show that brought us the wonderful Frasier and the even better Lilleth. Cliff and his stream of useless facts boring everyone to death. Woody and his lovable dimness. Diana and her pseudo-intellectual posturing and of course, Sam. Yes, once upon a time Ted Danson was a sex symbol and if you don't know why, you never saw Cheers.

Everyone wants a neighbourhood bar like Cheers. Where everybody knows your name.

The Golden Girls

While we're having a sitcom moment, I'd just like to state for the record that I adored The Golden Girls. Sex and The City girls, eat your hearts out, this was the original show about female friendship.

This was such a brave show to make - a sitcom about a bunch of female pensioners living together? It was so wonderful and genuinely heart-warming. The actresses in this were all spot on. Bea Arthur was a legend, Rue McClanahan played the southern belle perfectly and Betty White was everyone's favourite grandma. I struggled a bit with Estelle Getty as Sophia at the time but on reflection, the show needed her one-liners.

My abiding memory of this (and I've not watched it in years) is that everything was solved by eating cheesecake at the kitchen table. Amen to that! I like to think this is how I might be in my golden years, hanging out with my old friends and having fun together.

So RIP Bea, Rue and Estelle and hang in there Betty - we love you!

Also, great theme tune.

Opening credits - 80s sitcom special

We've already amply established I didn't do much in the 80s except watch TV. And it occurred to me today that I watched many really bad sitcoms. I don't know if they even have an equivalent today of the sitcoms of the 80s. They all had exceptionally cheesy opening credits with syrup-laden ballads crooning over them. So here I present a few for your delectation.

First up, Family Ties. The show that brought us Michael J Fox and therefore always holds a place in my heart. It also has Jason Bateman's sister in it! It was about a liberal family who had a conservative son (MJF - Alex). This was the show that taught me about the evils of Richard Nixon. I also liked the dad quite a bit - not sure why in retrospect. Cheese rating: 8/10.

Next up - Charles In Charge. Does anyone else remember this? At my school, we were obsessed with this and used to rush home to watch it. Scott Baio! Can you ever fail? Scott was Charles who looked after a family while the parents worked. That's all I remember about it and I've never seen it repeated. It's another white, middle-class family folks. Cheese rating: 9/10

Next! Kate and Allie. I loved this show. Two recently divorced women living together with their kids in NYC. Fab-u-lous. I wanted to be Susan Saint James who was basically the lesser man's Kate Jackson. She was super cool in this. Plus the kid who played Allie's daughter turned up in The West Wing years later (she was annoying in that too). Each show opened with a little head to head with Kate and Allie. The main credits were at the end so I include them both. Cheese rating: 7/10

Next! Empty Nest. Oh dear. This really was bad. I think it may have been late 80s/early 90s. I can't defend it except to say it must have been on after Cheers. A dad with grown-up daughters who don't leave home. That's about it. Cheese rating: 9/10

Finally, to prove that black people did exist, A Different World. Another show I adored when Lisa Bonet was in it. A spin-off of The Cosby Show, it showed Denise Huxtable at college. It was cute and funny. I reckon those early episodes would stand up to a viewing now. Cheese rating: 5/10. This wasn't that cheesy at all.

Opening credits - Happy Days

It's a blah day in February and so thoughts turn to happier days. In fact my thoughts turn to Happy Days. After my Grease post yesterday and viewing of Jersey Boys on Broadway last week, I am having a 50s moment.

How I loved Happy Days. It was so innocent and well, happy. Who didn't love The Fonz? And Richie Cunningham? We wanted to hang out with them all and eat ice cream sundaes.

I could watch reruns of Happy Days for several hours without getting bored. It was cheesy and silly but it was comforting too.

And what an opening song. Watch it and try not to smile. Bet you can't.

Opening credits - Diff'rent Strokes

I am going away tomorrow for a week so you get two posts in one day.  Lucky you!

What is there to say about Diff'rent Strokes? One of the all-time great theme tunes. It's really all I have to say about it.

Enjoy.

The Cosby Show

The Cosby Show was a groundbreaking show. It's hard to imagine now but back in the 80s (yes, I know I sound about 85 years old) there weren't many black characters on TV and there certainly weren't many shows (any shows?) where the entire cast was black. Not only black but wealthy, educated and well, like white people.

The Cosby Show aired on Channel 4 and one of the things I loved about Channel 4 in the 80s was it showed so much US comedy. It also showed my much adored Cheers and the wonderful Golden Girls but we will save them for another day.

The Cosby Show was a simple set up. College educated, working couple and their home life with their five children. It was all very cosy and Bill Cosby, I now realise, is very annoying and smug but back then I felt I could just walk into that family and be right at home. They argued like normal people and I always felt a little sorry for Vanessa who wasn't the eldest, wasn't the cute young Rudy (although she did not keep her cuteness once adolescence kicked in), wasn't the beautiful Denise and was slightly awkward. But the scriptwriters knew this and wrote her very well. Theo was a bit dull but as the only boy had to be given tedious storylines. My favourite was Denise as played by Lisa Bonet, one of the most beautiful women in the world. It amused me that none of this so-called family looked vaguely like each other and were varying shades of black but hey, it was the 80s and progress of a sort.

Lisa Bonet went on to marry Lenny Kravitz, a coupling I always felt was perfect in terms of total coolness. She also starred in the spin off show, A Different World. This show was good when Lisa was in it and turned into a very different beast when she left. Early shows also had Marisa Tomei in it who I thought was great at the time and I was most gratified when she won a best supporting actress Oscar. I still think she's a good actress now. Here she is:

I adored The Cosby Show and back then (when it was all trees round here) shows were shown once and if you missed them, you missed them. We didn't have a VCR and so it was a proper event every Sunday night when this was on. 

Finally the mum in The Cosby Show is the sister of Debbie Allen (Lydia from Fame and if you don't know that, go watch it immediately!) I always thought she was a lovely mum. Not as nice as mine but still, a great TV mom.