As the years go by, there are many of us who long for a return to the old times. Things were simpler and less expensive, life was slower and TV had shows that were more like Miami Vice. As anybody who has gotten into the new craze of satellite TV can testify, the past need not be so far behind.
Scanning through a satellite TV program guide, you'll see a host of programs from simpler times all over a nightly TV lineup. Do the comedies of today not hit home like Seinfeld used to do? Maybe not, but you'll be able to find Jerry and Elaine, George and Kramer every night on TBS or Fox, for example. Episodes in which Kramer sues Calvin Klein still pack a punch in 2009, for you'll see that Seinfeld's zany neighbor is not the kind of guy who likes to take his case to court. Instead, he'll settle for a modeling gig in which Calvin Klein underwear is the only garment covering his gaudy frame. Disturbing? Perhaps, but you'll remember why the show has such legendary status.
The same goes for Miami Vice, appearing nightly on satellite TV channels like Sleuth. In terms of creating a thick atmosphere and bringing a city's crime culture to life, there was no equal to Miami Vice. Crockett and Tubbs are still on the beat on Sleuth, getting chewed out by Lieutenant Castillo (Edward James Olmos) while they try to put crooks like guest stars Dennis Farina or Bruce Willis behind bars. In the meantime, you can see episodes directed by stars in their own right, like Abel Ferrara of King of New York and The Addiction fame.
Perhaps you're not looking for such an antique look at life, with pastel colors and flashy cars so reminiscent of 1980s excess. To go back in the not-so-distant past, check out a revival one of the "brilliant but cancelled" shows like Smith. Smith was a short-lived NBC crime series from 2006 with a cast featuring Ray Liotta, Virginia Madsen, Simon Baker and Amy Smart. No, not a film with this host of Hollywood stars, a TV show. With its big-budget HD action sequences and serious star power, Smith proved to be more than NBC was willing to handle and was cancelled after a poor early showing. Its revival only a few years later is reminding viewers that popularity and excellence often don't go hand-in-hand.
Of course, for the strangest of classic series, scan through your program guide for Twin Peaks. No one has ever approached the television medium quite like David Lynch, who for several years kept viewers hanging on one question: Who killed Laura Palmer? In many ways the question became a metaphysical one, as the dark and sometimes twisted past of this sleepy town were hauntingly exposed. Whether it was the Log Lady, the philosophical Colonel or the catatonic criminal, Twin Peaks wrote the book on oddball characters.
If you feel like a nice piece of noir like Miami Vice or a side-splitting comedy like Seinfeld, you can get your share of the classics nightly on satellite TV.