Creative TV

I am compiling my list of top five most creative television shows of the last 50 years. Trying to skip things that were not books first.. hope it didn't miss any.

5. United States of Tara - A woman struggles to find a balance between her dissociative identity disorder and raising a dysfunctional family.

4. True Calling -A university graduate working in the city morgue is able to repeat the same day over again to prevent murders or other disasters.

3. Star Trek (no explanation needed)

2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer - original thinking by none other than Joss Whedon

1. Alfred Hitchcock Presents (amazing story telling even years after is still original)

Not necessarily in order:

1. All In the Family: This show made TV grow up. It was Beverly Hillbillies type shows before Archie went on the air. Still one of the best out there.

2. Newhart: Bob Newhart had a hit show in the 1970s and came back to TV with this gem. The first year was OK, but the start of the second season with some changes made this one the classic it is. The series finale is an all time classic!

3. Thriller: Boris Karloff was the host of this hour long show which featured some imaginative stories. Some horror based and others were mystery based. "This one is going to be a real Thriller!"

4. Curb Your Enthusiasm: Larry David plays himself in this hilarious series on HBO.

5. The Sapranos: This show was very riveting during its run. It broke down the family aspects of mob life and stayed on the top of its creativity up til the end.

6. Doctor Who: Still one of the most imaginative series out there. This show has been on since 1963 and was off the air for 15 years. It came back again and it was like The Doctor never left.

7.The Avengers: This spy drama debuted in England in the late 1950s and stuck around for ten years. John Steed, Dr Catherine Gale, Emma Peel and Tara King are remembered now for the humor and creativity of the show.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054518/

8. The Ernie Kovacs Show: Ernie Kovacs was a comic genius and did this show in the early 1960s. I remember watching the reruns on my PBS station and laughing out loud many times. It was not your typical show and was way before its time. Ernie Kovacs passed away and the show died with him.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1218020/

9. Father Ted: One of the funniest shows out there about a Catholic Priest who is sent to an island in Ireland. Only three seasons of this show were made as Dermot Morgan died of a heart attack after the third season.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111958/

The above series show how creative TV can be when they want to be. It doesn't have to be just reality shows or sitcoms with fart and penis jokes.

some ones I forgot!

The Larry Sanders Show: Another HBO comedy with Garry Shandling as a talk show host in the mold of Johnny Carson. Rip Torn steals the show as producer Artie.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103466/

The Electric Company: Who said learning can't be fun! This show was made in the 1970s and was quite hip in its day. Morgan Freeman and Rita Moreno were a few of the actors in this kids show. Very imaginative without having to sell products based on the show.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066651/

The Twilight Show: Rod Serling hosted and sometimes wrote the episodes of this classic series. "To Serve Man is a cookbook!"

Pushing Daisies: Only two partial seasons (just 22 episodes) were made of this wonderfully imaginative series. The creator of this show is doing a modern spin on The Munsters, where the family is not wearing make-up and will be more of a drama. I can't wait.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0925266/

Kolchak: The Night Stalker: This show lasted just one season and was based on one of the highest rated TV movies ever. A grizzled reporter from Chicago finds all kinds of creatures and things that go bump in the night.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071003/

Cop Rock: This much maligned series was a cop show and a musical combined. They would have episodes where the jury or others would burst into song. Very creative and

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098772/

I forgot about cop rock. I think that was one of those really short lived tv shows.

Now there is Smash and Glee.

I did catch a few episodes of Cop Rock and it was very different.

The People's Choice: For the most part it was a typical 1950s style sitcom. But it had a dog character named Cleo whose thoughts we the viewers were in on. Cleo was also a Basset Hound, which makes a lot of sense.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047762/

I love Pushing Daisies.

A new show I am so in love with is Grimm. I hope it stays on the air, it's on NBC Friday nights. it is just fantabulous.

I also am a huge fan of Alcatraz

I agree with Mercury, Curb Your Enthusiasm is pants wetting, side splitting funny.

The original Twilight Zone, best show ever! Along with Red Dwarf a British Sci-Fi series.

I am a big fan of British humor. Also love Blackadder.

Hugh Laurie of House always played the idiot on Black Adder (The Prince Regent). Black Adder's version of A Christmas Carol is one of the best out there. Adder's version of Scrooge starts off nice and ends up nasty.

I loved Miranda Richardson as Queen Elizabeth, but the best character on the show was Lord Flashheart.

A few years back Showtime, or was it HBO....anyway Carnivale' was a really great original, macabre series.

I also really liked Deadwood, once you got used to the language

Deadwood felt like Shakespeare with plenty of f bombs thrown in. I really loved the show as it was dead on in its historical accuracy. The third season would of featured the town of Deadwood burning to the ground. They rebuilt it using mostly brick after that.

Mercury wrote:

Deadwood felt like Shakespeare with plenty of f bombs thrown in. I really loved the show as it was dead on in its historical accuracy. The third season would of featured the town of Deadwood burning to the ground. They rebuilt it using mostly brick after that.

We went to Deadwood a couple of years ago, one of the highlights of my life. Went to Wild Bill's grave, we didn't make it up to Seth Bullocks though, it was way too high up on a hill .

I was based at Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota and went to Mount Rushmore and Deadwood a few times. I loved both places and could see why people wanted to retire there.

They bury people standing up in the Deadwood cemetery. There is so much history in that area I could spend years there.

My mom is planning a trip there this summer.. also to see Devil's tower. I have always wanted to see it since it was made up of mashed potatos in CLOSE ENCOUTERS..