Hurrah! I'm glad this thread was started, since I was late getting onto my laptop.
Here's my contributions (which overlap with some suggestions above, because I wrote this a couple of days ago):
"China Beach" (1988-1991). American drama about the Vietnam War, with lots of women in the cast: nurses, Red Cross workers, entertainers, journalists, career soldiers, you name it. Heartbreaking, humorous, romantic, filled with tons of period music, and quite innovative for its time, with some episodes that had nontraditional storytelling.
"Brideshead Revisited" (1981). Stars Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews; set between the 1920 and the 1940s. A classic about a student at the University of Oxford, his love for another student, and the latter student's dysfunctional family. Catholicism plays an important role in the series; warnings for subtle homophobia. What I love about this adaptation of the Evelyn Waugh novel was that it gave the lie to the old canard that you have to rip a book apart in order to turn it into a show/film. The script kept nearly everything in the novel, including the narrative.
"Flambards" (1979). An excellent adaptation of a young adult novel by K. M. Peyton about an Edwardian girl who ends up living with her tyrannical uncle, her unscrupulous, horse-mad cousin, and her other, airplane-mad cousin. She finds herself drawn to both cousins; then a servant complicates matters. The series extends into World War I. If you watch the series, you'll also want to read Peyton's fourth novel in the series, which was published after the TV series aired, and which proceeds to thumb its nose at the ending of the TV series. (Even though the TV series's ending is the same as Peyton's ending to the third novel.)
"The Waltons" (1972-1981). Inspired by a true story, this is a somewhat romanticized portrayal of the life of a poor family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression. To my mind, the best episodes are in the first season, in which Richard Thomas gives a stunning performance as the oldest boy, who aspires to be a writer. The series lasted long enough for some of the child actors to grow up and portray parents.
"All Creatures Great and Small" (1978-1990). Based on the autobiography of a Yorkshire veterinarian, starting in the 1930s. Christopher Timothy is James Herriot, Robert Hardy is the head of the vet surgery, and Peter Davison (i.e. the Fifth Doctor) is the head's younger brother. This was the show that made Peter Davison's reputation.
"I, Claudius" (1976). Adaptation of the novel by Robert Graves, set in Ancient Rome. Lots of deaths and conspiracies, but with performances that make it worth it to sit through all the trauma. Doctor Who fans: Look out for John Hurt (the War Doctor) in his younger days. He plays Caligula.
"Outlander" (currently on Starz and on DVD). Time travel series in which a World War II nurse ends up in sticky situations in eighteenth-century Scotland and America. An oddly satisfying mixture of period drama, science fiction, romance, adventure, and domestic drama. I've only seen a portion of the first season, but it was amazingly faithful to the novel series by Diana Gabaldon, which I love.
Two adaptations of the Dorothy L. Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey series, one featuring Ian Charmichael (1972-1975) and the other featuring Edward Petheridge (1987). Both were terrific. The series (based on the novels by Dorothy L. Sayers, set in the 1920s and 1930s) featured an English aristocrat detective who can do a deceptively good imitation of being a rich idiot. Romance enters into the later novels, which Petheridge acted out.
"The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" (currently running on Amazon). I'll probably end up writing a review of this series, set in 1950s New York City, once I've watched the second season. Till then: Jewish couples. Jewish families. Jewish comedians (male and female). And a leather-clad butch lesbian. What else could you ask for?
o--o--o
Four series produced by the late, great John Hawkesworth:
"Upstairs, Downstairs" (1971-1975). This was the "Downton Abbey" of its time. For four years, viewers on both sides of the Atlantic (including me and my parents) watched with bated breath the changing fortunes of an English family and its servants. The story spanned three decades, so the characters aged considerably.
"The Duchess of Duke Street" (1976-1977). Set in London between 1900 and 1925. A servant gets her life messed up by the rich. She then proceeds to become a businesswoman, in demand with the rich. Inspired by a true story. Doctor Who fans will be interested to see that a girl in the series is played by the actress (Lalla Ward) who also played Time Lady Ramona.
"Danger UXB" (1979). Stars Anthony Andrews. The adventures of a WWII squad whose job it is to defuse unexploded bombs in Britain. "Suspenseful" is an inadequate word for a series premise like this.
"Sherlock Holmes" (1984-1994). The version with Jeremy Brett. If you haven't seen it, and you're a fan of "Sherlock," you should know that Benedict Cumberbatch was inspired by Brett's performance. Nearly all of Conan Doyle's original stories were filmed.
o--o--o
Not to forget comedy:
"Peabody's Improbable History," part of the quirky cartoon satire called "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends" (1959-1964). A scientist dog, along with the boy he has adopted, goes back in time in every episode and . . . Um. As indescribable as a "Simpsons" episode.
o--o--o
* * * * *
Those asterisks are memorials for all the wonderful children's dramas, airing in Britain during the 1970s and 1980s, that got wiped out because nobody bothered to preserve them. I was privileged to see some of them as a teen visiting Britain during those years; I totally lost interest in American children's television after that.
Here's some clips from a couple of series I loved which did survive:
Midnight is a Place, based on Joan Aiken's 19th-century alternate history novel.
(Somewhat off-topic): Raven, a contemporary Arthurian drama.
no subject
Here's my contributions (which overlap with some suggestions above, because I wrote this a couple of days ago):
"China Beach" (1988-1991). American drama about the Vietnam War, with lots of women in the cast: nurses, Red Cross workers, entertainers, journalists, career soldiers, you name it. Heartbreaking, humorous, romantic, filled with tons of period music, and quite innovative for its time, with some episodes that had nontraditional storytelling.
"Brideshead Revisited" (1981). Stars Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews; set between the 1920 and the 1940s. A classic about a student at the University of Oxford, his love for another student, and the latter student's dysfunctional family. Catholicism plays an important role in the series; warnings for subtle homophobia. What I love about this adaptation of the Evelyn Waugh novel was that it gave the lie to the old canard that you have to rip a book apart in order to turn it into a show/film. The script kept nearly everything in the novel, including the narrative.
"Flambards" (1979). An excellent adaptation of a young adult novel by K. M. Peyton about an Edwardian girl who ends up living with her tyrannical uncle, her unscrupulous, horse-mad cousin, and her other, airplane-mad cousin. She finds herself drawn to both cousins; then a servant complicates matters. The series extends into World War I. If you watch the series, you'll also want to read Peyton's fourth novel in the series, which was published after the TV series aired, and which proceeds to thumb its nose at the ending of the TV series. (Even though the TV series's ending is the same as Peyton's ending to the third novel.)
"The Waltons" (1972-1981). Inspired by a true story, this is a somewhat romanticized portrayal of the life of a poor family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression. To my mind, the best episodes are in the first season, in which Richard Thomas gives a stunning performance as the oldest boy, who aspires to be a writer. The series lasted long enough for some of the child actors to grow up and portray parents.
"All Creatures Great and Small" (1978-1990). Based on the autobiography of a Yorkshire veterinarian, starting in the 1930s. Christopher Timothy is James Herriot, Robert Hardy is the head of the vet surgery, and Peter Davison (i.e. the Fifth Doctor) is the head's younger brother. This was the show that made Peter Davison's reputation.
"I, Claudius" (1976). Adaptation of the novel by Robert Graves, set in Ancient Rome. Lots of deaths and conspiracies, but with performances that make it worth it to sit through all the trauma. Doctor Who fans: Look out for John Hurt (the War Doctor) in his younger days. He plays Caligula.
"Outlander" (currently on Starz and on DVD). Time travel series in which a World War II nurse ends up in sticky situations in eighteenth-century Scotland and America. An oddly satisfying mixture of period drama, science fiction, romance, adventure, and domestic drama. I've only seen a portion of the first season, but it was amazingly faithful to the novel series by Diana Gabaldon, which I love.
Two adaptations of the Dorothy L. Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey series, one featuring Ian Charmichael (1972-1975) and the other featuring Edward Petheridge (1987). Both were terrific. The series (based on the novels by Dorothy L. Sayers, set in the 1920s and 1930s) featured an English aristocrat detective who can do a deceptively good imitation of being a rich idiot. Romance enters into the later novels, which Petheridge acted out.
"The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" (currently running on Amazon). I'll probably end up writing a review of this series, set in 1950s New York City, once I've watched the second season. Till then: Jewish couples. Jewish families. Jewish comedians (male and female). And a leather-clad butch lesbian. What else could you ask for?
Four series produced by the late, great John Hawkesworth:
"Upstairs, Downstairs" (1971-1975). This was the "Downton Abbey" of its time. For four years, viewers on both sides of the Atlantic (including me and my parents) watched with bated breath the changing fortunes of an English family and its servants. The story spanned three decades, so the characters aged considerably.
"The Duchess of Duke Street" (1976-1977). Set in London between 1900 and 1925. A servant gets her life messed up by the rich. She then proceeds to become a businesswoman, in demand with the rich. Inspired by a true story. Doctor Who fans will be interested to see that a girl in the series is played by the actress (Lalla Ward) who also played Time Lady Ramona.
"Danger UXB" (1979). Stars Anthony Andrews. The adventures of a WWII squad whose job it is to defuse unexploded bombs in Britain. "Suspenseful" is an inadequate word for a series premise like this.
"Sherlock Holmes" (1984-1994). The version with Jeremy Brett. If you haven't seen it, and you're a fan of "Sherlock," you should know that Benedict Cumberbatch was inspired by Brett's performance. Nearly all of Conan Doyle's original stories were filmed.
Not to forget comedy:
"Peabody's Improbable History," part of the quirky cartoon satire called "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends" (1959-1964). A scientist dog, along with the boy he has adopted, goes back in time in every episode and . . . Um. As indescribable as a "Simpsons" episode.
* * * * *
Those asterisks are memorials for all the wonderful children's dramas, airing in Britain during the 1970s and 1980s, that got wiped out because nobody bothered to preserve them. I was privileged to see some of them as a teen visiting Britain during those years; I totally lost interest in American children's television after that.
Here's some clips from a couple of series I loved which did survive:
Midnight is a Place, based on Joan Aiken's 19th-century alternate history novel.
(Somewhat off-topic): Raven, a contemporary Arthurian drama.
And finally, a subscription online video service:
BritBox, where you can see a few of the above.