70's and 80's Flashback Television

I'm a child of the 70's. Born in 1971, I had a television for a babysitter. Sure, my friends and I played outside after school, but nights were all about tv. And this past weekend sure made me feel nostalgic. At first I thought it was a kind of tryptophan dream state built up from the Thanksgiving turkey overload. But over and over again on Saturday and Sunday nights, the 70's and 80's seemed to wind their way back into my tv and it made me happy.

Let's start with the "Battlestar Galactica" tv movie "Razor" this past Saturday night on SciFi. You're thinking, "well, sure, 'Battlestar' is a 70's show." But it's more than that. Probably the best show on television right now, "Battlestar" goes well beyond camp into commentary. The show is about the Iraq war, about the erosion of civil liberties, and on a deeper level even about the idea of identity and what makes us human. Sounds weighty doesn't it?

In its three seasons on the air, the show has re-imagined the old "Battlestar" and there has never been a solid tongue-in-cheek reference to the old show. But on Saturday, out of the blue, some characters suddenly encountered the "old guard" cylons--in those same funky ships I remember from the 70's show. And then the camera went inside the ship and we saw two silver cylons and a goldie in back. Jump back, friends--I thought I was going to wet my pants. One of the silvers even said the famous line from the old 70's cylon days, "As you command." And he said it in that voice that we used to try to recreate as kids by talking into a fan.

So that had me stoked. It was a really organic way to pay homage to the history of the show, but in a way that wasn't funny or too self-referential. So my head was already in the 70's clouds as I was watching tv the next night. I had on "Desperate Housewives" hoping to see the tornado they keep promising in the promos. Maybe a twister can finally kill Kyle MacLachlan.

So I'm watching and all the sudden Richard Chamberlain shows up as Lynette's stepfather! WTF? Yeah, 1980's Richard Chamberlain. "Shogun." "The Thorn Birds." I jumped up from the sofa and immediately thought, "hey...didn't he just come out as gay?" Not 10 minutes later Richard's character came out to Lynette on the show and it kind of rocked my world. I didn't think the timewarp could continue. Surely it was over, right?

But about 30 minutes later, Sally Field's character Nora on "Brothers & Sisters" is talking about losing her virginity. She calls her ex up and--hello--it's Chevy Chase. Yep...1970's "SNL" Chevy Chase. Not to even get into his 80's flicks like "Vacation" and "Caddyshack." When I saw Chevy, all I could think is that he looked a bit better (and not as dazed) as he had looked on Martha Stewart a few weeks back.

So it was just a blast from the past this weekend. Now I'm jonsing for some hardcore guest appearances from the past. Where is Teri Garr or Kristy McNichol? Oh...how about Lee Majors? Or the trifecta of Shaun Cassidy, Parker Stevenson, and Pamela Sue Martin? Who would you want to see?

Image courtesy Amazon