Friday Finds: MeTV

As many of you know, I can get a bit obsessive about all things TV. You may remember my love of As Seen on TV products and my Tivos (yes, multiple boxes). However, nothing has captured my imagination quite as thoroughly as MeTV.

MeTV is, well... It's easier for me to just quote the "about" page on their website:

Me-TV (Memorable Entertainment Television) has been entertaining viewers in Chicago since January 2005 and in Milwaukee since 2008. The classic TV format was created to present a wide variety of the iconic series, stars and genres that have defined pop culture and television for decades. On December 15, 2010, Weigel Broadcasting Co. announced the launch of Me-TV as a national network.

Me-TV features a wide range of classic television programming, some of the best programming written for television, that audiences and advertisers find comfortable and engaging. Its library includes series from Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution and CBS Television Distribution as well as independent series owners and producers. Some of the comedies on Me-TV are: M*A*S*H, Cheers, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Love Lucy and The Bob Newhart Show. Dramas on the network include: Perry Mason, The Untouchables, The Big Valley, the original Star Trek and the original Hawaii Five-O series.

In total, the Me-TV Network premiered with approximately 50 series under long-term license agreements. This allows for the type of seasonal and thematic program stunts and schedule changes which have defined Me-TV as the destination for true, classic television presented with respect for the programs and viewers.

So, basically, it's all the shows that I watched as a kid - whether in re-runs (Perry Mason, The Rifleman) or in "real-time" (The Brady Bunch, Hawaii Five-O). I mean, when it comes right down to it, there are only a few series that they broadcast (mostly from the 1950's and mostly Westerns) that I have no memory of.

Hubba-hubba!

I've been OD-ing on Perry Mason and Kojak (on whom I still harbor a ridiculous crush). I love catching episodes of I Love Lucy and The Bob Newhart Show. And, on a cold Saturday afternoon, there's nothing better than a dose of Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, and Bonanza.

Most Intense.Family.Ever.

Beyond nostalgia, these shows were actually pretty good. Most of the stories are compelling and fairly well written - although after many years of watching increasingly detailed procedural dramas I'm appalled when Perry Mason withholds or tampers with evidence.

Dude! Don't handle the murder weapon that way! Where's your evidence bag??

Here's the funniest part of the story... I've been waiting YEARS for ATT U-Verse to be available at my address and have been chomping at the bit to ditch my cable subscription. I found out a few weeks ago I could finally get it - but here's the rub... they don't carry MeTV. I'm keeping my cable for now.

- Alex the Obsessed. (click here to see if MeTV is available in your area)