Author: intothisshadow

Answers to this week’s questions at https://thefridayfive.dreamwidth.org/107390.html

1. What is the first TV show you remember watching?

Pikku Kakkonen, a Finnish tv series for little kids. It started in 1977 when I would’ve been 3 and I know I watched it because it just has always felt familiar and like I’ve always known it. But the first one I have an actual memory of watching, is Nils Holgersson aka Peukaloiset retket aka The Wonderful Adventures of Nils aka Nirusu no Fushigi na Tabi (1980 – 1981). When I was a kid, Nils Holgersson was very important to me, and I still remember the Finnish version song from the tv series.

I have very faint memories of other little kids things but I’ve no idea whether they were tv shows or movies, or what they were. I couldn’t explain these enough to, say, to my Mom or other older people for them to ID them.

2. What is the first “grown up” TV show you watched?

I’m not sure! I started watching them early I think. Maybe Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1982 – 1983) or The Thorn Birds (1983)? Those two are certainly some of the oldest first run tv shows I remember watching.

The earliest Finnish grown up tv series I remember watching is Vihreän kullan maa (1987 – 1988), then I can’t remember watching Finnish tv shows until Tuntemattomalle jumalalle in the 1990s. I don’t like watching Finnish language movies and tv shows because of the awful dialogue. Either its wooden and unnatural, sort of formal and not how people talk in real life, or the rhytm is natural but pronounciation is unclear and I need subtitles because everyone is mumbling their lines. Basically I can never forget these are actors saying words, so I don’t watch Finnish things except for a very special few cases where the thing in genres I prefer and is so praised that I want to check it out.

3. What is the first TV show you watched from the start to finish when it aired live (i.e., not via reruns)?

One of the kids shows, like the Nils Holgersson one mentioned above.

4. What is the oldest TV show you’ve watched?

Edited: Actually, looks like it’s I Love Lucy! That one started in 1951. Alfred Hitchcock Presents, according to IMDB. I’m not sure all episodes were aired/if I caught all episodes if they did. The oldest Finnish one is propably Heikki ja Kaija (1961 – 1971) that I’ve seen some of on re-runs at some point ages ago.

5. What is one TV show you will stop and watch if you come across it on TV, even though you’ve seen every episode at least 20 times?

I don’t watch live TV anymore except for special things such as the governments COVID-19 sitreps (not all of those anymore either) or the Independence Day Reception every year (one eye on it, one eye on something else). Back when I did still watch live TV, Sledge Hammer! and Dark Skies were shows I always watched if I could even on re-runs. Otherwise, there haven’t been reruns of tv shows I’m a huge enough fan of on tv channels I have had access to.