All hail Scottish engineer John Logie Baird!  Your lesson for today is that Mr. Baird invented the first mechanical television (followed by Philo Taylor Farnsworth who invented the first electronic television).  Considering I didn’t know his name until recently, I am certain he doesn’t really get his due for the significance of his invention.

How far we have come in my lifetime:  From my early years of television viewing on the 5 channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, UHF Channel 19) broadcasting on our living room console TV to the 1300+ channels in the Spectrum cable channel guide lineup.  Even if due to repeated, HD versions, non-programming, on-demand channels, etc., there are only 288 channels (that’s what Spectrum says I receive in my Gold package) that is a 5660% increase in just my 50 years.

And, what a 50 years I’ve had with my television friends.  I know I started as an avid viewer quite early in life, being just over a year and a half when “Sesame Street” first aired; and, my mother often reminded me that “Speed Racer” was my first favorite television show (or maybe first celebrity crush; however you want to look at it).  Either way, it was the start of a lifetime of TV devotion.

RCA, Sony, General Electric, Magnavox, Sharp, Sylvania or Zenith, they all made sure I had my fix.  In fact, I still have, in perfect working order, a 1989 Radio Shack television that survived a 6.7 magnitude earthquake, 8 cross country (or county) moves and 29 years of amazing broadcasting.  It continues to enable my small screen obsession.

Though I missed a lot of television’s early defining moments, I can affectionately say I was witness to:  Charles & Diana’s wedding, USA Hockey’s Miracle Olympics, Baby Jessica, the M*A*S*H Farewell, Johnny Carson, David Hasselhoff singing on the Berlin Wall, the white Bronco chase and “Who Shot J.R.?”

And, even better, I was able to delight in the both the consummate 80s Tuesday night lineup of: “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “Three’s Company,” “Too Close for Comfort,” and “Hart to Hart;” and, the one-two punch of Saturday night’s “The Love Boat” and “Fantasy Island” combo.

The kids today have no idea.

As I lovingly examine my history with television, I remember so many remarkable shows.  The family series “Eight is Enough” (1977); the semi-action series “CHiPs” (1977), the superhero drama “The Incredible Hulk” (1977) and the one that really made no sense at all, but was one of my favorite shows of all time – “BJ and the Bear” (1979) about a truck driver, BJ McCay (Greg Evigan) and his best friend Bear (a chimpanzee in the passenger seat).  Hey, it made sense then.

Of course, there are the favorites that no one else seems to remember except me:

“Tabitha”: Ran for one season (Fall 1977-Winter 1978).  “Bewitched” spin-off starring Lisa Hartman as Tabitha Stevens, the witch daughter of Samantha & Darrin Stephens, hiding her witchly powers as she works as a television production assistant.

“Me and Maxx”: Ran for one season in 1980.  11 year-old girl goes to NYC to live with her father, with other characters to add to the fun – dad’s girlfriend, a wild neighbor and a crazy elevator operator.

“Mr. Merlin”: Ran for one season (Fall 1981-Spring 1982).  Immortal wizard Merlin, disguised as a garage owner, hires a teenager that pulls a crowbar (really Arthur’s Excalibur) out of cement and becomes an apprentice wizard in training.

“The Powers of Matthew Star”:  Ran for one season (Fall 1982-Spring 1983).  An alien prince escapes his war torn planet and comes to earth, posing as a normal American teenager, perfecting his powers, hoping to someday return to free his planet’s people.

Note to self:  Seems you really liked shows where people had special powers.  (i.e. “Heroes” 2006 was also a favorite)

There were a few sitcoms on my favorites list (and I don’t really watch a lot of sitcoms):

“Benson” (1979):  A spin-off of “Soap” featuring Robert Guillaume playing Benson, the head of household affairs for the scatterbrained and widowed governor of New York and his daughter Katie.

“Angie” (1979):  Coffee shop waitress Angie falls in love and marries a pediatrician who rebels against his wealthy family.  Her mother is impeccably played by Doris Roberts, in the kind of role she has always done like no one else.

Speaking of roles that no one else can touch, Tom Hanks starred in another of my favorites along with Peter Scolari, “Bosom Buddies” (1980).  Two single men disguise themselves as women in order to live in an affordable apartment.  You know what you are going to get and it’s doesn’t disappoint.

“Silver Spoons” (1982):  Ricky (Ricky Schroder) moves in with his father, Edward Stratton III (Joel Higgins) who runs a toy business.  Ricky thinks his father needs to grow up, Edward thinks his son is too uptight and needs to have fun.  Great casting of Jason Bateman as one of Ricky’s best friends.

“It’s a Living” (1980):  A show about a group of waitresses that work in the club atop the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles.  It was also called “Making a Living,” at some point, which always bothered me; and, I finally found out why.  Like many other sitcoms during the 1980-81 season, it suffered from the SAG and AFTRA strike.  The first season was not a success, due to an abbreviated season.  It was eventually retooled with two of the five waitresses returning and coming back as “Making a Living.”  It actually didn’t do well in its 2^nd season either and was cancelled.  But, it came back in syndication just using its original name, “It’s a Living.”  So now I know.  And, despite being cancelled twice, I thought it was a enjoyable show.  But, what do I know?

Then, there were the Aaron Spelling masterpieces:

“The Love Boat” (1977): Still my favorite ensemble show.  It brought virtually every one of my favorite television actors on for a cruise or two.  Still love to watch the fun.  In fact, I was all set to board a Princess cruise to celebrate my 50^th birthday (I have done many cruises, but never a Princess one); but, the week of my birthday the only Princess sailing was in Japan.  Oh well, one day I’ll visit the Promenade & Lido decks…and I’m sure I’ll love every minute of it, even without Gopher, Doc & Isaac.

“Beverly Hills 90210” (1990):  This was a show I vowed I would never watch, until I moved to Chicago and missed the camaraderie among my Los Angeles friends.  I tuned during their unprecedented summer season and I was in – hook, line and sinker.  I not only watched every one of the 248 glorious episodes, I also got addicted to its spin-off “Melrose Place” (1992).  Thank you Mr. Spelling.

And, from my favorite television category of all time, the detective show, “Charlie’s Angels” (1976)!  I mean solving crimes, living at the beach, going undercover, catching criminals, looking gorgeous; when wouldn’t that be a dream job?  I was thrilled when the last angel added to the cast was named Julie, even if she was played by Tanya Roberts – nothing against Tanya, I was just a Cheryl Ladd fan.

There is, of course, a long list of detective shows in my repertoire of idyllic episodic television:

“Remington Steele” (1982) with a fictional first-class detective persona whose identity is assumed by a former thief and con man played by Pierce Brosnon; and, the true detective, Laura Holt, played by Stephanie Zimbalist.

“The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries” (1977) based on the novel series’.  Amateur teen detectives Joe & Frank Hardy (Shaun Cassidy & Parker Stevenson) and Nancy Drew (Pamela Sue Martin) solve crimes, investigate mysteries and uncover nefarious plots.

The obvious, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” (2000) which can hardly be a surprise to anyone reading my rantings.

And, finally, the top of the top: “Moonlighting” (1985).  Cybill Shepherd as Maddie Hayes, broke fashion model that finds out she owns a detective agency & Bruce Willis playing the wittiest television character of all time, David Addison. There is so much I could say about this show because it had so much.  It was a comedy and a drama; A mystery and a romance.

Its writing was unparalleled and they weren’t afraid to do anything.  They broke the 4^th wall and talked to the audience, referencing themselves as a show, having crew members take props out of the set before the end of the show; and, filling unused airtime to talk about the fact that they didn’t have any other scenes to show.

It embraced fantasy, creating a Shakespearean themed episode of The Taming of the Shrew; and, filming an episode in black-and-white as the characters reflect on a murder from the 1940s.  Orson Welles himself even provided a disclaimer at the beginning of the show, in case people didn’t respond well to the black-and-white.

They even mocked themselves and the detective shows that preceded it.  Pierce Brosnan made a cameo appearance as Remington Steele; and, Lionel Stander (Max from “Hart to Hart”) played his character in an episode where Maddie sees another future where Jonathan and Jennifer Hart took over her detective agency’s lease.  When you stop taking yourself so seriously, you can come up with extremely memorable episodes.

“Supernatural” (2005), another favorite, used a similar twist in an episode where Sam & Dean (supernatural hunter/detective brothers) find themselves as characters in both a mocked crime lab forensics show and a over-sexed hospital resident series.  What you have to know is that on competing stations during the broadcast were “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”  Genius.

That technique is probably why I also loved “Quantum Leap” (1989) so much. After all, week after week, Sam could be or meet up with anyone the writers came up with!  Or maybe I loved it because it’s kind of a smart detective show (figuring out how to make right what once went wrong) where they also have really cool powers (leaping from year to year, place to place).  And, maybe it was just that much better because I shared this show with one of my best friends, Casey.

Sometimes who you watch the show with makes the show that much better (Brian & Paul, I’m also talking to you).  After all, real friends are way better than television friends. They bring the real comedy, mystery, fun and, yes, even the drama into your life.  And, when you get the chance to bring all your friends together, it certainly makes you wish the episode would never end – and, if you’re lucky, the series runs for a very long time. #50WeeksTo50