Favorite and least favorite eras of long-running franchises?
I'll start with my thoughts on Doctor Who.
My favorite era would have to be sometime between Jon Pertwee's second season and the Tom Baker years. For me, the show was at its finest in the 70s. I thought Pertwee's first season had a lot of pacing issues, but once the Master was introduced and they trimmed the episode count n the serials, I felt that those were much-needed improvements. There was also the presence of UNIT, which I really enjoyed, and surprisingly a more serious take on the Doctor was a welcome change. But, I still really like Tom Baker's Doctor, which went back to his familiar eccentricities.
As for my least favorite era; when John Nathan Turner was show-runner. People complain a lot about Steven Moffat and how he ruined Doctor Who, but I personally wasn't a big fan of the changes Turner made. For me, a lot of the stories in the 80s were too dark and serious. Doctor Who has always been known for horror, but at least they were balanced out with some comedy. To me, it just sucked a lot of the fun out of the show. I know not every flaw was his fault. There was also Michael Grade, and Colin Baker's awful costume...
My favorite era would have to be sometime between Jon Pertwee's second season and the Tom Baker years. For me, the show was at its finest in the 70s. I thought Pertwee's first season had a lot of pacing issues, but once the Master was introduced and they trimmed the episode count n the serials, I felt that those were much-needed improvements. There was also the presence of UNIT, which I really enjoyed, and surprisingly a more serious take on the Doctor was a welcome change. But, I still really like Tom Baker's Doctor, which went back to his familiar eccentricities.
As for my least favorite era; when John Nathan Turner was show-runner. People complain a lot about Steven Moffat and how he ruined Doctor Who, but I personally wasn't a big fan of the changes Turner made. For me, a lot of the stories in the 80s were too dark and serious. Doctor Who has always been known for horror, but at least they were balanced out with some comedy. To me, it just sucked a lot of the fun out of the show. I know not every flaw was his fault. There was also Michael Grade, and Colin Baker's awful costume...
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I'm obsessed with Doctor Who, but can't say I am too familiar with all the eras. To be honest, I think right now is a great era. With Peter Capaldi at the lead and better production quality, it's amazing.
I like dark Doctor Who, but have only seen very little of Five, and none of Six or Seven, which falls into the era that you mentioned.
I like dark Doctor Who, but have only seen very little of Five, and none of Six or Seven, which falls into the era that you mentioned.
I agree with you...Tom Baker got me hooked on Doctor Who, especially when Leela and K9 were his companions.
Okay, here are my thoughts on The Price Is Right:
My favorite era was back in the 70s and 80s, when Bob Barker was the host, Johnny Olson was the announcer, and Janice Pennington was everyone's favorite model. It was Johnny who initiated the phrase "Come on down!" on the 2nd or 3rd episode of that show, and it's been a major catchphrase ever since. And the way he said "A NEW CAR!!!" made that particular prize the most desirable by practically every potential contestant. Everyone loved Bob for his charming good looks, but more so for the eloquent way he described the pricing games. He would also spontaneously comment every hilarious moment that happened. (One time a lady wearing a tube top came on down the aisle, and the tube top slipped...Bob commented: "She came on down and they came on out!") And he somehow got so sick and tired of offering fur coats, he decided to bring pets up for adoption to the show. (He openly professed to doing volunteer work at the Humane Society, which provided some of the pets.) Also, the description of the items on the show was not only longer, but also mentioned the brand/manufacturer. And the showcases weren't just a short list of the prizes...Sometimes they were part of some "play/drama" of some sort. (Check the videos of that show on YouTube.)
My least favorite era is right now, with Drew Carey as the host. After Johnny Olson - and later creator Mark Goodson - died, the show began to slowly lose its lustre. Sure, Rod Roddy was no Johnny Olson, but he was still a pretty good announcer...Of course, his greatest attribute was those flashy and colorful outfits which were made in Thailand. In 2007, when Bob passed on the hosting duties to Drew, everyone started to wonder about the decision. Of course they also knew that Drew had his own sitcom before he hosted...and somehow that kept the show going, despite his "flat-ish" monologue. (On a side note, the real reason the show became somewhat less dramatic was the increasing number of commercials.)
Okay, here are my thoughts on The Price Is Right:
My favorite era was back in the 70s and 80s, when Bob Barker was the host, Johnny Olson was the announcer, and Janice Pennington was everyone's favorite model. It was Johnny who initiated the phrase "Come on down!" on the 2nd or 3rd episode of that show, and it's been a major catchphrase ever since. And the way he said "A NEW CAR!!!" made that particular prize the most desirable by practically every potential contestant. Everyone loved Bob for his charming good looks, but more so for the eloquent way he described the pricing games. He would also spontaneously comment every hilarious moment that happened. (One time a lady wearing a tube top came on down the aisle, and the tube top slipped...Bob commented: "She came on down and they came on out!") And he somehow got so sick and tired of offering fur coats, he decided to bring pets up for adoption to the show. (He openly professed to doing volunteer work at the Humane Society, which provided some of the pets.) Also, the description of the items on the show was not only longer, but also mentioned the brand/manufacturer. And the showcases weren't just a short list of the prizes...Sometimes they were part of some "play/drama" of some sort. (Check the videos of that show on YouTube.)
My least favorite era is right now, with Drew Carey as the host. After Johnny Olson - and later creator Mark Goodson - died, the show began to slowly lose its lustre. Sure, Rod Roddy was no Johnny Olson, but he was still a pretty good announcer...Of course, his greatest attribute was those flashy and colorful outfits which were made in Thailand. In 2007, when Bob passed on the hosting duties to Drew, everyone started to wonder about the decision. Of course they also knew that Drew had his own sitcom before he hosted...and somehow that kept the show going, despite his "flat-ish" monologue. (On a side note, the real reason the show became somewhat less dramatic was the increasing number of commercials.)