What to Watch: Classic and Neo-Classic Television on DVD

This time I thought I would concentrate on television and dug deep into the archives of my VHS and DVD collection to see what was worth keeping, what was getting upgraded, what's getting sold, and what was going into that dumpster that it should have gone into months ago!

After all, did I really need 6 hours of the live action Japanese Spider-Man TV show, in which Spidey fights off weird ninja guys and jumps into a giant robot whenever some giant rubber monster comes out? Who thinks of this junk? On second thought, that's just too crazy to get rid of......

Anyways, here's some of the best TV I've ever watched, not including newest favorites like Lost, just some classic or lesser known stuff:

Fawlty Towers- Monty Python's Flying Circus is better known and subsequently better loved, but John Cleese's follow-up as a bitter, sarcastic owner/manager of a hotel he tries to run as cheaply as possible is not to be missed. The British Film Institute named it the #1 television program of all time! Even at only 12 episodes, it's some of the most brilliant comedy ever written.
Quote: You ponce in hear expecting to be waited on hand and foot? Well I'm trying to run a hotel here! - Basil Fawlty, "Waldorf Salad" episode.

Captain Scarlet - The premise is that the alien Mysterons of Mars ends up engaging in a war of nerves involving political and character assassination, body-snatching, and downright terrorism against the Earth, and the Spectrum organization in particular. One man, the agent Captain Scarlet, after a failed attempt on his life, becomes virtually indestructible. He readily makes himself available to be blown up, shot, run over, and other nasty deaths while fighting the good fight against this alien threat.
Believe it or not, this was a Gerry Anderson Supermarionation show, as in: Puppets! The same guy that brought us Thunderbirds, Stingray, Supercar, Firebird XL5, Space: 1999, and UFO brought us this dark gem. It was remade a few years back into an all new CGI animated series in England. Both attempts are awesome!
Quote: This is the voice of the Mysterons. We know that you can hear us Earthmen! - The Mysterons, from the beginning.

Firefly - Joss Whedon's space western was woefully ignored during its initial run on Fox, even by me. Too bad, because as I finally watched the re-runs on Sci-Fi Channel and ran out to obtain the DVD boxed set, I found a thrilling action adventure with engaging characters, sharp dialogue, and a unique universe that avoided a lot of science fiction cliché's. I hadn't been this attached to a sci-fi since I first saw Star Wars in 1977! At least with Firefly, it expanded into a worthy motion picture (Serenity) that gave fans a bit more of this great premise.
Quote: If you take advantage of her, you're going to burn in a very special level of hell. A level they reserve for child molesters and people who talk at the theater. - Shepherd Book, "Our Mrs. Reynolds" episode

WKRP in Cincinnati - Arguably the greatest sit-com ever! I still want to be a D.J. based on the exploits of this whacked-out radio station. Even the most dramatic of episodes had the best laughs ever on my small screen. Great cast and this series still hold up, even with its bad late 70's fashion! This finally got released to DVD but due to rights issues the music is replaced in several sequences, but the series is still worth it!
Quote: As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly. - Arthur Carlson, "Turkeys Away" episode

Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Premise for this show is better than some of its execution, as an average Joe is shot into space and forced to watch horrid cheesy B-flicks with the aid of his robot companions. Sometimes, the movies are so wretched it's hard to watch even with the jokes. Other times, the jokes just miss the mark. Overall though, when this show hit on all cylinders it was excellent! I highly recommend the 'shorts' they use to do, taking educational or motivational films and adding their own spin to it and at anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes each, a great primer.
Quote: Perhaps booze would alleviate this situation? - Tom Servo during "A Date With Your Family" short.

I Love Lucy - My wife's favorite show ever! I would be remiss not to bring it out, especially since I've seen dozens (hundreds?) of episodes and there's a reason for this series longevity. It always cracks me up when Ricky goes into a Spanish rant at his wife's latest scheme!
I couldn't pick a favorite quote!