introducing my dad to pop culture - TV
 

OK I hang out with my dad a couple times a month. He's 63, and basically he knows nothing about pop culture past say 1975, and thinks most of it is total garbage. I tried with music but he just couldn't get the stuff I was giving him, which is OK, whatever. Now I want to try with TV - he of course thinks anything on TV now is junk (and he obv doesn't own a TV but can watch stuff on his PC). I am thinking of good things to give him made in the past 10-15 years. I put together a CD and am thinking about the next one. The stuff I give him has to be <u>accessible</u>, stuff that you could get the premise of easily on the first viewing.

First CD is:

2 Simpsons episodes, I randomly grabbed S6 so put my two favorites from there in it, the stonecutter's episode and the SLH-has-25-puppies episode.

The Office - The Client (michael/jan/tim meadows in chilis, jim/pam "date") episode, this is probably my favorite episode of the show and I figured it was a decent introduction to it also. Definitely better than giving him the crappy pilot.

Lost - Pilot.

Only thing I have lined up for next one is Sopranos pilot. Any thoughts?

Re: introducing my dad to pop culture - TV
 

There's a lot of really obvious answers (The Wire, The Shield, Deadwood, Rome, Veronica Mars, Six Feet Under, Dexter) but really, what does your dad like? Depending on his tatstes, you could also go with stuff like House, Heroes, Boston Legal, My Name is Earl, Masters of Horror, The Closer, Penn &amp; Teller's [censored], Numb3rs.

You know your dad, we don't...

Re: introducing my dad to pop culture - TV
 

House is probably a good choice

P&amp;T BS

Re: introducing my dad to pop culture - TV
 

He is a very conservative straight laced guy. We had a "movie swap" and his choice was his favorite movie.. High Noon. House I considered but don't think he would like it, I think he would just think the protagonist is a jerk (which is right of course). He def. wouldn't like vulgar stuff like P&amp;T. Heroes might be a good choice. Rome/Deadwood too but I haven't seen either yet.

Re: introducing my dad to pop culture - TV
 

The West Wing

I'd suggest "In Excelsis Deo" from the first season.

EDIT: spelling, and more typing:

Seriously, if he doesn't love that episode, something is wrong. Also, "A Proportional Response" from the same season, maybe.

Re: introducing my dad to pop culture - TV
 

My dad is somewhat similar and he really enjoys Boston Legal. Id recommend showing him that.

Re: introducing my dad to pop culture - TV
 

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The West Wing

I'd suggest "In Excelsis Deo" from the first season.

EDIT: spelling, and more typing:

Seriously, if he doesn't love that episode, something is wrong. Also, "A Proportional Response" from the same season, maybe.

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I haven't really seen it but would a conservative like it? He's not die hard but..

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My dad is somewhat similar and he really enjoys Boston Legal. Id recommend showing him that.

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Got an episode? I've seen maybe 1-2 and thought it was pretty mindless spader/shatner mugging though.

Re: introducing my dad to pop culture - TV
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The West Wing

I'd suggest "In Excelsis Deo" from the first season.

EDIT: spelling, and more typing:

Seriously, if he doesn't love that episode, something is wrong. Also, "A Proportional Response" from the same season, maybe.

[/ QUOTE ]

I haven't really seen it but would a conservative like it? He's not die hard but..

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Yeah, I tried to take that into account when choosing the episodes. The show gets pretty liberal every once in a while, but not so much in the first season. Anyway, "In Excelsis Deo" is sort of a feel-good Christmas episode (while still being very sharply written, and it still includes pills and a prostitute, and now that I think about it, maybe you should watch the thing first...) and it's nearly impossible to dislike.

I'll try to think of a perfect episode, but that one was my first thought because it was their first Emmy winner and is usually talked of as one of the series best. Hmm.

EDIT SOME MORE: He would love "A Proportional Response"

Re: introducing my dad to pop culture - TV
 

Do we even no if Vehn actually has a father? He's obviously making this up.

Re: introducing my dad to pop culture - TV
 

have him meet george and kramer

Re: introducing my dad to pop culture - TV
 

My gut says comedy is the wrong way to go. Different generations have very different senses of humor. If you must try comedy, I'd go with something along the lines of Friends. I would think he'd understand a sitcom much more than the Simpsons or the Office. Did he watch any old sitcoms like MASH or I Love Lucy?

Re: introducing my dad to pop culture - TV
 

as far as I can tell he basically has never watched TV since the mid 50s. But I agree re: comedies.

Re: introducing my dad to pop culture - TV
 

[censored] doesn't change all that much. If you can tell us even a few old-school TV shows that he liked, there's probably some modern equivalent.

Re: introducing my dad to pop culture - TV
 

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as far as I can tell he basically has never watched TV since the mid 50s. But I agree re: comedies.

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Jesus, let's get him some Barney Miller and Police Squad! then.

Seriously, it's tough, because the description of conservative and that he doesn't like stuff with profanity or whatever, kind of limits his palette, and excludes osme of what I think are the very best shows on TV. (Hard to imagine him getting into Arrested Development or It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, for example.)

Re: introducing my dad to pop culture - TV
 

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as far as I can tell he basically has never watched TV since the mid 50s.

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Well, if we have almost the whole breadth of tv history to pick from...

If his favorite movie is "High Noon", he might really go for "Deadwood". However the language is really raw and he might just consider it vulgar. Maybe pre-watch the first couple eps..

Would he have seen the "Gunsmoke" tv series? What about "Have Gun Will Travel"? Or "Maverick" or "Rawhide"? For something a little more modern, how about "Adventures of Brisco County Jr".

Non westerns...

Law &amp; Order
MASH
Magnum PI
Rockford Files
Monk
ER
Hill Street Blues
Homicide: Life on the Street
Moonlighting
Remington Steele
NYPD Blue
LA Law

Yeesh, could be at this all day...

Re: introducing my dad to pop culture - TV
 

How about Season 3 of 24? I think if you're going to go with a drama, you really need to do a whole season, and that one grabs you pretty fast. I know the first season's considered to be the best by most people, but it takes quite a while to get going compared to Season 3 which is my favorite.

Also, the whole "good vs. evil" thing is pretty reminiscent of a lot of the old Westerns as Jack's pretty much the classic self-sacrificing hero.