Hey, what was your favourite show growing up?
What decade did you spend your formative years in?
Me, I’m a child of the ’80s.
I grew up with 1 channel and so much going on. Marathi lessons via Aamchi Mati Amchi Manase. Hum Log because that’s how we bonded as a family. Vikram and Betal for the creepy spirit dude. The news in English because elocution lessons. And for pure unadulterated joy, Star Trek and Fraggle Rock on Sunday mornings.
My access to the television world beyond our box was courtesy uncles and aunts who came bearing VHS tapes with Solid Gold, Remington Steele, Knight Rider, Magnum PI and The A team, Charles in charge, Who’s the Boss, and so many more.
Yeah, most of them are on the Internet today, but there’s something deliciously nostalgic about the real deal. Something none of the streaming sites can ever replicate.
When I’m feeling particularly melancholy, like today, I find myself going to ’80s TV. Created by the wonderful Joey Cato, a software engineer at Netflix who builds really cool nostalgia rabbit holes in his spare time. This site is one of my favourite places on the Internet – an exhilarating yet sobering marker of the disruption technology hath wrought.
If you aren’t of the ’80s vintage, you can go ’60s, ’70s, ’90s or even ’00s. Each decade has a separate website that faithfully replicates the television viewing experience. If you like it muchly, buy Joey a coffee. Or 5.
Love muchly,