What 5 TV shows would you suggest an alien/future culture watch to understand humanity-good/bad

[Justice wanted]

funny/ugly. What five shows would showcase great writing and acting? What 5 shows would you like the 20th/21st century judge upon.


Just got an e-mail from a friend who forward this question to me. Has me thinking. (Yes, my friend is a "nerd" with a Star Trek/Star Wars Fetish -begging the pardons of those who love those movies and shows- but He will come up with off the wall questions like this once in a while. It's his way of reaching out friends and getting them to talk, debate, argue, and entertain HIM.

[CBGLuthier]

1. Ken Burn's Jazz for starters

Homicide:Life on the Streets for the acting, writing and general sense of humanity.
Fawlty Towers for the comedy.
Combat to showcase our love/hate of war.
The Twilight Zone for everything above and everything else.

[dawg]

2. The Dukes of Hazzard ...

Baywatch.
Charlie's Angels.
The Bachelor.
American Idol.

They might as well see us for what we really are.

[hlthe2b]

4. Oh, Gawd... You must really want them to hate us...

[dawg]

5. Not really.

It's just that I wouldn't want them to come here under false pretenses and then be all disappointed with what they found.

[alphafemale]

3. Charles Kuralt - On the Road

Not TV but movie - The Grapes of Wrath

Jersey Shore - to show what a low life is.

Deadliest Catch - Do NOT fuck with us. We WiLL make you wish you'd stayed outside our atmosphere.

It's a Wonderful Life - because we shouldn't have to suffer this atrocity alone. We must inflict this brain fuck on other alien brains as soon as possible.

[KeepItReal]

6. Battlestar Galactica

The aliens would go crazy looking for fraking Cylons...

[Archae]

7. Carl Sagan's "Cosmos."

'Nuff said.

[NV Whino]

8. I Love Lucy

I think that covers about everything.

[ChazII]

9. Twilight Zone

Rifleman - not for the rifle. It has lessons on NOT judging a person on looks but by character.

[XemaSab]

10. No question: The Simpsons

Particularly the first 10 or so seasons.

[lunatica]

11. The movie Idiocracy

But also, uh, well, I can't think of anything that would show humanity in a good light.