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Why Older TV Shows Are Being Rediscovered by a New Generation

Jan 22, 2013  •  Post A Comment

More young people are digging into "retro TV" — programs from the 1990s and earlier — the New York Post reports. That’s because of the increased availability of the programming online on streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu and on DVD sets, the story reports.

"Even though it was from the ’90s, it doesn’t look dated, because it’s just so interesting,” said Maria Claudia Sanchez, who is 17 and has become a fan of "Twin Peaks." She wasn’t born when the show, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, first aired on ABC from 1990-1991.

She has discovered other older shows such as "Freaks and Geeks" and "Doctor Who" because of Netflix.

Hulu’s popular shows illustrate the interest in older programs, with the most-watched series including "Star Trek," "Daria" and "Lost," the piece adds. Serial dramas such as "Battlestar Galactica" and "24" are also popular, according to a Netflix spokesman.

Social media sites are helping to spread the word about the shows among young people, the report notes.

3 Comments

  1. It goes even further back. I Love Lucy is a hit show 62 years after it’s premiered. This past year CBS made $20 million from it.
    Young people watch it with their grandparents and then share it with their friends and eventually share it with their children.

  2. I wouldn’t overlook the digital over the air networks that have almost exclusively programmed pre-1985 television series. With indie stations programming very few ‘classic’ series, these networks look a lot like the indie stations used to. The economy being the way it is and cable / satellite charging way too much for what the viewers get in return, there are a LOT of people “cutting the cable” and getting their entertainment from the broadcast stations and internet streaming. I honestly believe that we’re in the early stages of what could very well become a new “golden age” of broadcast television. If the FCC would loosen up a little on content restrictions, at least in late night, there’s no reason why network programming couldn’t compete with cable.

  3. Retro is in, at least for now.

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