Irritating and/or Obnoxious

 I don’t watch many half-hour comedy, western, detective, or sci-fi television series these days, so I can’t really compare contemporary ones with those of the ‘60s, ‘70s and early ‘80s.

Why that early time period? Because I see them on MeTV, a habit I picked up during my stay at Kalakaua Gardens Rehab Center. They’re pretty much formulaic, with many recurring characterizations. 

The characterizations that stand out to me are the irritating and obnoxious ones. There are two types.

The first ones are usually minor side characters. They get on my nerves, and I think that if their personalities changed, it definitely would be for the better. In fact, if they disappeared completely, the series would be more enjoyable.

• Eddie Haskell (“Leave It to Beaver”): Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver’s brother Wally’s best friend.
• Eustace Haney (“Green Acres”): Dishonest Hooterville salesman.
• Charles O’Casey (“My Three Sons”): Live-in housekeeper “Uncle Charley.”

(Shudder … you know what I mean?)

The other group consists of major co-stars. These are a lot more tolerable as they are sidekicks and add a lot to the cast, and in fact, they’re often the focus of the episode.

• Festus Haggen (“Gunsmoke”): Marshall Matt Dillon’s deputy.
• Barney Fife (‘The Andy Griffith Show”): Sheriff Andy’s deputy. 
• Gunnery Sgt. Vince Carter (“Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.”): Pfc. Gomer Pyle’s drill instructor. 

Any thoughts are welcome.

MeTV’s Plethora of Medical Ads

Recently, I’ve spent several weeks in a hospital rehabilitating after suffering a stroke (still here as of this posting). I watched a lot of daytime television and all I can say is thank goodness for cable TV.

Two years ago, a friend told me about about MeTV (Saturday nights on the locaI ABC affiliate). She told me about “Svengoolie,” a weird character who hosted a two-hour show on Saturday night. His shtick is classic ‘50s-‘70s horror, monster, and sci-fi movies.

That made me a mini-MeTV fan. Then, while lying on my back in the hospital, I discovered the 24-hour MeTV Channel ‘way down among the triple-digit cable channels. Series galore! Westerns (e.g., “Gunsmoke”), detective (e.g., “Mannix”), crime (e.g., “In the Heat of the Night), comedies (e.g., “Leave It to Beaver”), varieties (e.g., “The Carol Burnett Show”), and more.

It took me back to my high school and college days. Save for live Los Angeles Dodgers games, it’s my in-room channel exclusively.

One thing surprised me — there are lots of pharmaceutical television commercials throughout the day. My conclusion: The pharmaceutical companies are catering to people more or less my age, who remember but haven’t watched these shows in years. And we are most likely to be affected by the medical problems that can be treated with the products.

With little to do, I took notes. I had heard of two; maybe you are familiar with more:

• Austedo (Deutetrabenazine): Unintentional movements
• Enbrel (Etanercept): Auto-immune diseases
• Entresto (Sacubitril /Valsartan): Heart failure
• Farxiga (Dapagliflozin): Type 2 diabetes
• Fasenra (Benralizumab): Asthma
• Jardiance (Empagliflozin): Type 2 diabetes
• Lynzess (Linaclotide): Constipation
• Neuriva (Phosphatidylserine): Brain supplement
• Nucala (Mepolizumab): Severe asthma
• Rybelsus (Semaglutide): Type 2 diabetes
• Skyrizi (Risankizumab): Psoriasis 
• Tepezza (Teprotumumab): Thyroid eye disease

I feel so much smarter now. Do you?