An ode to my all time favourite TV series

      

I’m in seventh heaven! Why? Because I have finally managed to connect my antiquated LCD TV with my DVD player AND the new receiver – which, compared to the old one – has two Scart connections again so that I don’t have to switch cables every time I want to watch a DVD. Yes, I know, my whole entertainment system is so out of date it’s scary. One of my colleagues constantly tries to convince me to finally invest in a “real” TV with all the fancy options like internet, HD and whatever else TVs nowadays can do short of cooking. Stubbornly I hold onto my TV set, which I inherited from my father and therefore is quite precious to me.

So, as you might have guessed, I’m still one of those few buying DVD boxes instead of streaming … and I love my DVDs. My absolute treasures are those series that were popular in my youth and even though I know every episode by heart I love watching them again and again and again. Well, since this posting is not about my ancient entertainment system but my all time favourite TV series and why I adore them so much, I’ll take you back in time. Back to the 80s, in fact. I remember being a little girl, allowed to watch pre-evening series running from Monday till Friday, 6:30 pm to 7:15 pm (remember those times when series episodes lasted 45 minutes instead of 40? Great times! Great times!). Austrian TV only had two channels, without disrupting commercial breaks every few minutes to enjoy full 45 minutes of pure series pleasures! Those were also those times when airing stopped around midnight until 9 am for the first channel and 4 pm for the second channel. Hard to believe, right?

Which made the pre-evening programme the highlight of my young childhood days. No matter which series, I watched whatever was on air in these 45 minutes. Older series like Bonanza and Star Trek as well as Falcon Crest, Knight Rider, Murder she wrote, Hotel, Love Boat, MacGyver, A-Team, Hardcastle & McCormick, Remington Steele … But, my absolute favourite TV series of all times has and will ever be “Hart to Hart”. Who can top self-made millionaire Robert “Jonathan Hart” Wagner and his sophisticated journalist wife Stefanie “Jennifer Hart” Powers. And Max! Charismatic, loyal friend and caretaker. Always there to slip into various roles and costumes to help Jonathan and Jennifer to catch another murderer. And then there’s Freeway, of course, the couple’s adorable dog, so cute and cuddly you just want to grab and have him for yourself, even though you are not a dog person.

Now, what’s so special about “Hart to Hart”? I mean, it’s just another detective series, with a couple, a dog, a butler and a murder every week. Not that original! But the chemistry between the main characters is! Love and humour is oozing from the screen and every little girl dreams of having such a relationship. At least I did and still do!

Watching the episodes again from time to time is always a happy return to my childhood and I have to smile when I see the fashion, cars, gadgets, appliances of the 80s which now seem so … lovingly out-of-date. Like the car phone! I always swore to myself that when I had a car myself, I would have one of those … who would have imagined something like smartphones in those days. But 30 years later I still adore the huge wardrobe. All those beautiful closets with beautiful gowns, the plush cream carpet, the mirrors, sink and vanity table … enough space for all my shoes … think I need some serious “Hart to Hart” time again to refresh my memory! Happy watching!

Advertisement