Adam West is my Batman: RIP

Screen cap from Batman movie

Before there was Ben Affleck, Christian Bale, and Michael Keaton, there was Adam West. A new generation has grown up, mentally visualizing Christian Bale as their Batman. There's also plenty of argument that Bale's Batman is a more realistic portrayal of Batman. And it's a slam dunk to argue that Kevin Conroy may be the best Batman voice actor of all-time.

That said...Adam West is my Batman.

I remember what it was like to be a Batman fan before Michael Keaton even wore cowl. I remember what it was like to be a Batman fan before the animated series became a reality and Kevin Conroy became THE voice of Batman.

I was first exposed to Batman through Super Friends, a wannabe cartoon version of the Justice League. It wasn't until I saw the reruns of  Batman '66 that Batman became more than a passing character of interest. West's portrayal of Batman solidified the Caped Crusader as one of my favorite fictional characters of all-time.

West only played Batman for three seasons and 120 episodes, along with one movie, but that was enough to mark his place in television history. Acting in many different western movies and television shows, West was new to the comic book genre when he earned the role of Bruce Wayne. West has played Doc Holiday, Wild Bill Hickock, acted alongside Paul Newman, Chuck Connors, The Three Stooges, and guested on Perry Mason, all before he became Batman. He was a working actor and had a successful career going prior to being Batman.

After playing Batman, West became known for his voice talents, acting in animated series such as Family Guy, Rugrats, The Simpsons, SpongeBob Squarepants, and more.

No matter how you view it, West had a successful career and shouldn't have had to wait as long as he did to earn that star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

With 193 screen credits to his name, I will always think of Adam West as my Batman.

Yes, he was campy.

Yes, he was cartoon-y at times.

But Adam West was my Batman and will always be.

Random Facts About Your Favorite TV Shows

Screencap from M*A*S*H of Gary Burghoff playing Radar O'Reilly

Every television show out there has a story on how it got made, who stars in it, and/or other behind the scenes stories that only some of the most loyal fans to these particular shows would know. The fun thing is that these facts are some good conversational fodder while talking to your coworkers around the water cooler or with your buddies while scarfing down wings and beer.

So here it is, some facts about your favorite TV shows and actors that starred in them.

1. Scotty has no middle finger: Star Trek favorite James Doohan, known for playing Scotty, was in the Royal Canadian Artillery during World War II. On the night of D-Day, Doohan was shot six times, including in the chest where a bullet hit a silver cigarette case and in the right hand which led to his middle finger having to be amputated. So next time you see Scotty do a shot or throw a punch, take a look at his right hand if you can.

2. Radar always hid his left hand with a clipboard: "Radar" O'Reilly of M*A*S*H was always seen holding a clipboard with his left hand. When he wasn't holding a clipboard, usually his left hand was out of the frame of the picture. This was because actor Gary Burghoff was born with a congenital deformity of three of his fingers. Occasionally, you can see this if you pause a scene at the right moment. There have been scenes with Burghoff weight-lifting and holding a football that it is most noticeable. Despite this deformity, Burghoff was a drummer for a band called the Relatives in 1968. The lead singer of this band...Wonder Woman's Lynda Carter.

3. The J. Peterman catalog in Seinfeld is real: In real life, there is a J. Peterman catalog that the writer's of Seinfeld incorporated into the show when a catalog came across their desk. The real life company is based out of Kentucky and the owner is named John Peterman, unlike his TV show counterpart, Jacopo Peterman. Want to go a little more meta? Actor John O'Hurley, the man who played J. Peterman, now works and is a part-owner of the real life J. Peterman catalog.

4. Sophia Petrillo was younger than her daughter: Actress Estelle Getty played Sophia Petrillo in the 1980's hit, The Golden Girls. Her character was famous for being short, old, and the mother of Dorothy Zbornak who was played by Bea Arthur. Make-up and acting went a long way as Getty was actually a year younger than Arthur was in real life.

5. Cobie Smulders was not originally asked to play Robin: A hit show that aired for nine seasons and 208 episodes, How I Met Your Mother's Robyn was not originally supposed to be played by Cobie Smulders. A little known actress at the time, show creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, cast Smulders only after their original choice for the role had turned it down. In wasn't until 2014 when the show came to an end when they stated during an interview who their first choice to play Robyn was...Jennifer Love Hewitt. Afterwards, Bays and Thomas said it was best that Smulders was an unknown actress because it was like America was meeting her for the first time at the same time Ted Mosby did.

6. Portlandia's Fred Armisen was originally a drummer: Some people have realized that Fred Armisen is musically talented since he became the band leader for Late Night with Seth Myers. What some people don't know is that Armisen used to be a backup drummer for the famous Blue Man Group. Armisen was also for a punk rock band called Trenchmouth during the late 1980's and into the early 1990's.

7. Comet is Air Bud: The dog known as Comet on the ABC hit show, Full House, was played by a golden retriever named Buddy. Later, after finishing his role as Comet, Buddy went on to the big screen to star in kid-friendly movie, Air Bud.

8. Kevin Arnold dated sisters: A hit series in the late 1980's to the early 1990's, The Wonder Years centered around the life of a teenaged Kevin Arnold while his adult self narrated the series. Arnold's love for friend-turned girlfriend, Winnie Cooper, is a main theme for the show as he tries to figure out how women work. As many people know, Arnold wasn't always part of a couple with Cooper the entire series. Arnold dated Becky Slater, sometimes as a way to make Cooper jealous in hopes that she would come back to him. What many people don't know is that the actress that played Slater is Crystal McKellar, the real life sister to Danica McKellar who played Cooper.

9. The number 47 is everywhere: In the spy series Alias, the number 47 appears all the time. Sydney needs to access information on Server 47 to take down SD-6. There are 47 parts to Rambaldi's magnum opus. Marshall wants to improve a camera design so it has 47 exposures. The key code to access the computer room that houses information on SD-6 is 4747. The number 47 is seen in large print on the door Sydney's abductors take Sydney through while she's retrieving her lost memories.

10. Mitt Romney's sister-in-law almost caused a TV show to be cancelled: Terry Rakolta, Mitt Romney's former sister-in-law, started a letter writing campaign that cost the show Married...with Children many of their advertisers. Rakolta was angry and determined that the show be ripped off the air after she witnessed an episode that featured Al Bundy and Steve Rhoades buying a bra for Peggy. Rakolta would go on to be a guest of many talk shows while the show would garner its highest ratings ever less than a year later.

11. Van Wilder wasn't almost a cast member of Buffy: While many people know that Katie Holmes was originally asked to play the role of Buffy in Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, not as many people know that Ryan Reynolds was asked to play the role of Xander. Coming out of high school in real life at the same time, Reynolds didn't want to play a high school kid and instead was searching for more adult roles. Holmes, of course, would go on to play Joey Potter in Dawson's Creek.

12. People would frequently go missing in Philadelphia...and no one cared: In the ABC's TGIF hit, Boy Meets World, it wasn't uncommon for characters to just disappear without a word. Mr. Turner never appeared again after his motorcycle accident. Stuart Minkus disappeared after the first season, only to be seen one more time when they all graduated high school. Corey's little sister disappeared and was replaced by an older pre-teen version. Shawn's sister Stacey was mentioned in one episode when Shawn called her on the phone, only to have Stacey never heard from or about again. Topanga's parents kept changing appearances. Peter Tork and Michael McKeon both played her father at some point. Marcia Cross and Annette O'Toole both played her mother. Finally, two years of the kid's lives go missing. They never were seen attending the 9th and 10th grades.

13. Jennifer Love Hewitt sure passes on a lot of roles: As earlier, when revealed that Jennifer Love Hewitt was originally asked to play Robyn in How I Met Your Mother, she also passed on the role of Piper in Charmed. Instead, Rose McGowan would go on to be cast in this role that would replace Shannen Doherty's character leaving the show.

14. Twitter is not just for Trump: Wil Wheaton was asked to be a reoccurring member of Big Bang Theory after he tweeted that he enjoyed the show. Producers saw the tweet and asked Wheaton to play an "evil" version of himself to be Sheldon Cooper's archrival.

New Forms of Media Influence Politics

With the advancement of technology, every President of Presidential candidate that has been ahead of the curve has seen substantial results in their favor if they embrace it before their counterparts do.

FDR embraced radio through his fireside chats. JFK understood how television worked compared to Nixon. Obama embraced a grass roots campaign through the internet.

Even the current candidates have turned to a fairly new media...social media. Current Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders rose from a fringe candidate status to a serious contender for nomination, winning many states in the process. Republican candidate Donald Trump has turned to Twitter to get his message out and gain followers in the process.

Whenever a new medium is released it quickly catches the attention of the American public. The youth are the largest group to jump on new media forms. This is often a key demographic that a political party hopes to capture because not only do they represent a significant portion of the present day voters, but they also represent the future of their political parties for years to come.

At a time of uncertainty, FDR used the 30 fireside chats on radio to promote the Emergency Banking Act in response to the banking crisis, to talk about the recession, New Deal initiatives, and update Americans on our stance during World War II. These radio addresses kept America as calm as possible during one of the darkest times in our history.

How did this work in FDR's favor? He became the only President to serve more than two terms (elected four times), destroying Hoover, Landon, Willkie, and Dewey in the national elections.


Later television would capture America. This worked in the favor of John Kennedy who participated in the very first televised presidential debate against then Vice President Richard Nixon.

Those who watched the debates on television saw a young, handsome looking man who exuded the appearance of confidence. On the other side of the stage they saw Richard Nixon who was rumored to be sick, was noticeably sweating on air, refused to wear makeup, and sported a five o'clock shadow. Nixon was considered the better debater and those who listened to the first debate on the radio thought he won. Those who caught the debate on TV though felt the opposite was true.

Nixon had a slim lead in the polls at the time of the debate, but that was the last time he was considered to be the front runner.

The result of the debate was that presidential staffs learned that they had to strategize on how their candidate and their message would appear on television. Teams of people actually focused on how the President looked now when they appeared in public.

By 2008, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama adapted his campaign to reach those on the internet. Using his website as well as other websites that were created in support of his campaign, Obama was able to reach a youth vote out there without spending a ton of money. His grassroots campaign was something unseen before as Republican candidate John McCain used traditional outlets of media such as television and radio to reach his base. Social media was still growing at the time and the majority of Americans weren't using it yet. Those who were also got to see the early signs of what it could do.

This year, two candidates have not only utilized social media...they've dominated in it.

Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders was considered a fringe candidate at the time he announced his candidacy. At the time he entered the race, he was only polling at 2 to 5 percent of the total Democratic votes. Hillary Clinton wagered her campaign on name recognition and the use of news media. Sanders on the other hand put together one of the best social media campaigns every seen in politics and rose up to be a serious challenger to the presumed nominee.

Sanders' Facebook followers went from several thousand to over 4 million. His posts on Facebook and Twitter have earned thousands of shares and retweets. At the time of this posting (May 7), Clinton is beating Sanders by over two hundred delegates and has won 26 states to his 19. Though Sanders is behind, his results are not bad for someone considered a far-shot. In fact for those under 40 years old, he is considered the favorite. His message has also been mostly adapted by Clinton to prevent him from rising farther in the polls.

On the Republican side, Donald Trump understood the power of social media better than his other opponents. Ted Cruz's social media campaign was weak. Marco Rubio's made him come across as boring compared to the youthful and energetic image he was hoping to maintain. Jeb Bush's social media presence was abysmal. John Kasich's social media presence seems to be ghostly as his posts are rarely shared compared to the other candidates.

Trump touched on a the theory that "all press is good press". Often appearing to go "nutty" on Twitter in the late hours, Trump comes off no different than some of those online looking to pick fights with other strangers. He tweeted ugly images of his opponents and their family. He retweeted quotes and endorsements from those who come off as being racist or fascist. He often airs out his opinions without his campaign staff getting a chance to chime in on whether the Tweet should go be tweeted.

Even with that said, he still continues to gain more followers, many of whom feel anger towards what they consider as dirty politics ironically.

But one thing can be said about his social media use...he knows how to gain more supporters using it. Trump understands that social media can be a major factor in gaining supporters and getting his message out there, just as Berne Sanders does.

On the flipside, social media can also tear down a candidate. Democrat Anthony Weiner is a prime example of this.

Perhaps one of the brightest Democrats when it came to policies and strategy, he was about as dumb as a horny teenager when it came to social media. On his Twitter account, he tweeted pictures of his genital area on the internet. Perhaps he didn't realize that this would be seen by the world, but that's not an excuse. His actions knocked him out from probably being a future presidential candidate to someone who could no longer even when a race for mayor of New York City, especially when he was caught again being stupid on social media during his mayoral campaign.

As technology continues to develop it should be interesting on what new form of media will develop and then in turn be used by politicians to help further their careers. Maybe some form of virtual reality will be used to transport people in their homes to feel like they're standing by a candidate on stage as they give a speech.

Whatever new form of media develops, it's almost a guarantee that a future president will use it to win a seat behind the Resolute Desk of the Oval Office.

What Happened to...Sitcom Idols

Television has engrained itself into the fabric of America. People grew up watching iconic characters for year after year, almost feeling like they personally know the characters from the TV shows they watched. When you break down each decade in America for the past 70 years, one of the first things you think of when you look at each decade from a cultural aspect is the TV shows that aired during these decades. The problem is a show would run for a limited amount of time and even though each hit series had a finale, it would leave you with the question...what happened to (insert character name here) after the show ended.

A recent trend in television and now Netflix is to continue these series years later. Disney Channel has Girl Meets World which continues the storyline of Cory and Topanga from Boy Meets World. Netflix has Fuller House which continues the hit show from the '80s and now surrounds DJ, Stephanie, and Kimmy's storylines who were originally the kids in Full House. Frasier sort of filled this "what happened to" scenario with Frasier Crane. Even though it was a spinoff, it took place for 11 seasons after Cheers ended.

But what about all those other characters out there that we all loved or hated that we never got an answer to the "what happened to..." question? Well I present to you a short list of hit characters and what I think may have happened to them. Not everyone of them has a peachy-keen story after their show ended.

1. Steven Urkel (Family Matters): Though socially awkward throughout the show and obsessed with the Winslow family, Urkel was a genius when it came to science. He in invented the Urkel Bot that actually displayed feelings and could be said to have reached sentience because it feel in love with Laura. He invented Boss Sauce which would work with his Transformation Chamber to change someone into someone socially different and even eventually led to the clone of Stefan Urquelle. He had entered negotiations to sell his invention of exploding veggies to the US Military and even invented a teleportation pad that zapped him to Paris.

So what happened to the genius? Well my take is that he did indeed eventually marry Laura Winslow. Happy ending right? Wrong...

Diving deeper into working on his inventions Urkel uses his previous military contacts to invent new types of weapons for them to use. He probably had something to do with that ray gun that when fired at people would give them the sudden urge to poop. I imagine since this gun is similar to the gun that makes you vomit, he probably had a hand in this too. Over time, he secretly amasses a fortune as the lead scientist for a weapons manufacturer. Being a pacifist and rarely seeing him anymore, Laura eventually divorces Urkel when he's not there for her when Carl Winslow is killed in a police standoff in Chicago. Laura takes half his fortune and Urkel dives deeper into isolation and the last we heard, he's working on a bomb that makes the nuclear bomb look like a spit-wad gun.

2. Norm Peterson (Cheers): Famously known as Norm! from the hit show Cheers, he was the most famous customer of the bar of the same name. Running tabs that ran into the thousands of dollars, Norm would often banter back and forth with Cliff Clavin and Frasier Crane. The last appearance of Norm on a television show was the spinoff of Frasier when Cliff Clavin is having a retirement party and Frasier along with his family fly to Boston for a conference, running into the outgoing postal worker.

So what happened to the lovable bar patron? Well he's dead.

How drastic you say! Yes, but take into account how much he drank, his diet, his weight, his lack of physical exercise, and his general outtake on life, he certainly drank himself to death by the time he hit his mid-60's. How did he die? Sclerosis of the liver. Not being able to give up his beer drinking habit, no doctor in their right mind would put him on the donor list unless he changed his habits. Unfortunately Norm couldn't and he passes away in St. Eligius Hospital, famously nicknamed St. Elsewhere which was another '80s show that George Wendt also guested on as Norm Peterson. In his will, he leaves a small amount of money to help pay off his bar tab with Cheers.

3. Balki Bartokomous (Perfect Strangers): The distant cousin of Larry, Balki intrudes on Larry's kindness and the pair become roommates in Chicago. The twenty-two year old is naïve and Larry is the one that takes it upon himself to help Balki adjust to the new settings of America which are far beyond that of the primitive country of Mypos. Originally the two work as clerks at the Ritz Discount Store, but by the time the series ends, Larry is a news reporter and Balki draws a weekly comic strip based on his stuffed sheep. Larry marries Jennifer and they have a kid named Tucker. Balki rushes into marriage with Mary Anne and the two have a kid named Robespierre.

So what happened to the lovable foreigner? Well he's now in charge of his own rebel group looking to overthrow the Myposian government on behalf of Islam.

Yes, I went dark on you. During his years in America, Balki tried his hardest to become more American-like, but never quite gets it. As many people do when they age he becomes more conservative and he reverts back to the teachings of his family while he grew up on the Mediterranean island just between Turkey and Greece. A culture that often is referred to being centuries in the past (so much so that it is alluded that pterodactyls are still alive there), the country has self imposed a ban on sciences and modern day electronics. Only one phone exists on the island for example. What is never said is that the island is under the control of an Islamic group that restricts technology within the country.

After 9/11 and other terrorist events, Balki starts becoming more fanatical with the cries of the people on his island to overthrow American values that he leaves his wife and child and returns to his homeland. Through his knowledge of American culture and his early weapons training as a child on Mypos, Balki rises among the ranks of the Muslim rebel group and overthrow King Ferdinand. Balki has resented the king since season 2 because the king tasked Balki in selling land to an American corporation to turn a large chunk of the island into a toxic dump. After seizing control of the government, Balki personally condemns King Ferdinand to death and rises quickly on the American most wanted list.

 4. Vicki Lawson (A Small Wonder): A robot created by Ted Lawson, Voice Input Child Identical (V.I.C.I.) was engineered to help children with physical handicaps. Ted brings the robot home to mature within a real family and as a cover, gives her the name Vicki to blend in with the rest of the family. She is 10 years old in appearance and during the shows 4 season run, Ted provides her with upgrades to continue to pass a human girl.

So what happened to this monotone robot? She's been dismantled by her evil twin Vanessa.

As the son, Jamie Lawson grew up, he found himself becoming more interested in the prospect of having a human-looking robot always around him and willing to do whatever he said. By the time they reach their college years, Jamie moves across the country to a small one bedroom apartment and takes Vicki along with him. At first Vicki gives him trouble because she no longer wishes to live in a closet, but Jamie refuses to share his personal space with him. He suggests that they could "share" a bed if she agrees to his sexual advances, but she rejects him. Remembering that his father also created Vanessa, Vicki's evil twin that was more human-like and spoke without the monotone voice, Jamie has Vanessa reactivated and sent to his apartment.

As the evil twin who is to take Vicki's place, Vanessa blindsides Vicki and deactivates her. Vicki is disassembled and Vanessa lives out the rest of her robot life as Jamie's servant/lover under the guise of Vicki.

On a side note, Jamie is the ancestor to a robotics expert named Noonian Soong who uses the V.I.C.I. plans to be the foundation of the three androids he creates, Data, Lore, and B4.

5. Bud Bundy (Married...With Children): Son of the famous Al Bundy, Bud was supposedly college educated, but never displayed this in the real world. The one thing that motivates him is sex. Maybe this is because of the women that his older sister, Kelly, would bring home and hang out with (played by actresses such as Lisa Boyle and Jennifer Lyons). When we last see Bud, he graduated college and worked for the Illinois DMV.

So what has Bud been up to since then? He became a porn producer, but is on the downside of his career now.

Married...With Children left off in 1997 at the end of the VHS era and going into DVD's. This was the perfect time for electronically inclined Bud Bundy to have a brain storm to shoot soft core porn starring Kelly's friends. This actually would work for a while since in previous episodes they don't require a lot of money to be motivated to do things that most people think would be overstepping their sexual boundaries. Also Bud is able to put on a good act and pretend that things are nicer/better than they really are or at the very least a professional quality like when he directed the workout video starring Kelly.

During this time, it would even be possible to believe that he might win an Adult Video News (AVN) Award and come into some minor fame.

The kick-in-the-head is with the free porn available on the internet, Bud's career will eventually crumble when he has a hard time making money from video sales. He'll glide by for a little by selling his clips online, but eventually this too will lead to a decline in sales, especially when Kelly's friends get older.

6. Sabrina Spellman (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch): After growing up and learning to be a witch with the help of her aunts Zelda and Hilda, Sabrina eventually graduates college and moves back into her childhood home along with her best friends Roxy and Morgan. From there she went to work for an entertainment magazine called Scorch and left her fiancé at the alter in favor of Harvey, her high school sweetheart.

So what happened to the good hearted witch? She tried to take over the world, only to be thwarted.

A couple of years after the television show ends, Sabrina will catch Harvey in bed with Roxy, who was about the only friend of Sabrina's he didn't date during the television show run. Furious, Sabrina's hair darkens instantly from blond to brunette and she cast a spell on them. The spell placed on Roxy places her on a stake and she is burned alive like a witch during the Salem Witch Trials. Harvey on the other hand instantly finds himself thrown into a dark room and is now transformed into the pet dragon underneath the staircase of a family called the Munsters.

With her fragile psyche now snapped, Sabrina decides to rule the world, appearing before a UN meeting and declaring that if they don't all pledge allegiance to her she will launch all the nukes in the world, thus killing off every living thing.

Displeased that she revealed that she was a witch to the mortal world, Drell (Penn Jillette) appears in front of the UN and throws Sabrina into the Other Realm. Once there the two of them battle, but it is apparent that being such a young witch, her powers are nothing like Drell's. He tosses her into a dungeon, where she is locked in a pillory for the rest of her eternal life for her indiscretions. Hilda and Zelda are thrown into the same cell with her, chained to the wall and voiceless since they are still considered responsible for Sabrina's tutelage.

7. Ross and Rachel Gellar (Friends): After years of pining for Rachel, Ross finally dates her on and off for the entirety of the 10 seasons of the show. At one point they even marry each other, although by drunken accident in Las Vegas. Toward the end they have Emma and Rachel must choose between being with Ross, the man who is willing to do anything to be with her, or her dream career in the fashion capital of the world, Paris. She chooses Ross and it is alleged that they will spend the rest of their lives together in New York while Monica and Chandler have moved out of the city, and Joey has moved to California to advance his Hollywood career. Sadly no one seems to care about Phoebe.

So what happened to Ross and Rachel after the show ended? Nothing.

After a couple of years raising Emma and Ross' son from his first marriage, Ben, Rachel snaps after Ross brings home another dinosaur bone and starts talking about the history of the particular dinosaur it belongs to. She hated dinosaurs, let alone science and has had enough of his geekiness. What makes matters worse is that she just rented the movie Captured at her local Red Box which starred Joey Tribbiani. This is when she comes to the realization that she played it safe--too safe--and settled for Ross. On a whim, she has Phoebe come over to her apartment to watch the kids and in the same fashion as when she flew out to London to stop Ross' second wedding, Rachel flies across country to declare her love for one time boyfriend Joey.

Finding him at his beach front apartment, she realizes that he is in a serious relationship with his neighbor Alex Garrett. Rachel pleads with Joey to leave Alex for her. Realizing that the two of them could be a power couple, the famous actor and his fashion mogul girlfriend, and also thinking back to how serious his feelings were for Rachel when he lived in New York, Joey accepts her plea and the two move into together...and live happily ever after.

*All photos are publicity photos or screencaps used in this post are from each character's respective TV show

Ten Best Couples in Movies and Television

Screencap from Sin City of Dwight and Gail kissing

Being that it's Valentine's Day weekend, many newer and young couples are looking for things to do out in the world. Have a romantic dinner, walk on a beach, or go see a movie. Often though, established couples find ways to avoid the business of public places by staying in and watching a movie at home or Netflix-ing a popular TV show they like.

For these couples, here is a list of some of the best fictional couples on television and in movies...

Screencap of Gail and Dwight from Sin City

1. Gail and Dwight (Sin City): Now granted this is originally a comic book/graphic novel series, but in this case the actor and actress that play these two have so much chemistry with each other that they make this list. Originally a photographer for a Basin City newspaper, Dwight went through a bout of alcoholism and near death before coming out the other end as a private investigator. During his near death experience, Gail and the Old Town girls rescued Dwight and patched him back up. During this time, the two bonded and even though she was a prostitute/dominatrix and he had a couple of flings with Ava Lord and Shellie, the two were meant for each other. Every time they are around each other it's hard for them to keep their hands off each other. Dwight also proved that he was willing to risk his life to save Gail and vice versa.




Screencap from Friends of Ross and Rachel

2. Ross and Rachel (Friends): It took ten seasons for these two to finally figure it out, but when they finally paired up for good in the last episode of the series, it felt like a logical conclusion to the show. Beginning with a crush on Rachel during their teenage years, Ross almost became a hero to Rachel who thought she was stood up by her prom date. Years later, the two would become a couple, but would go through their personal tribulations of "the break", two marriages, and "the sleepy apology", the two managed to become parents to a baby named Emma before figuring out that they belonged together.

Screencap of Harry and Sally from When Harry Met Sally

3. Harry and Sally (When Harry Met Sally): Harry first met Sally as they traveled east after graduating college. Through the years, they would find ways to maintain a friendship without letting sex get in the way. Being there for each other through breakups and hard times, by the end of the movie, they figure out that they are meant to be together.

Screencap of Tara and Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

4. Willow and Tara (Buffy the Vampire Slayer): While most of the Buffyverse people viewed the relationship between Buffy and Angel as perfect, it was actually Willow and Tara who were the best couple. They balanced each other out. Tara kept Willow grounded while Willow ascended to becoming one of the most powerful witches in the world. When Warren accidentally killed Tara, Willow in her sorrow, went on a manhunt for the three involved and was on the verge of destroying the planet as "Evil Willow". Even during the last season rolled around and Kennedy made it known that she wanted to be with Willow, she always kept the most sacred piece of her heart for Tara.

Screencap of Topanga and Cory on Boy Meets World

5. Cory and Topanga (Boy Meets World): From the time they were babies to their adult years, the two were always around each other as friends and eventually as husband and wife. The only time in their lives that they weren't a couple was during those years when boys and girls think that the other sex has "cooties". Otherwise, every first you can think of, they shared together.

Screencap of Julia and Robbie in The Wedding Singer

6. Robbie and Julia (The Wedding Singer): Both were destined to be married to other partners when they first met. Robbie was a wedding singer and Julia was a waitress for a reception hall that holds weddings. After Robbie's bride-to-be runs out on him on the day of the wedding, he finds comfort in his friendship with Julia, helping her plan her up coming wedding. The more they were around each other and the more Robbie was around her fiancé Glenn, the more that everyone around knows that Robbie should be with Julia. Well, except for the one date he went on with her best friend Holly, but even that became apparent when she tried to kiss Robbie.

Screencap of Penny and Leonard in The Big Bang Theory

7. Penny and Leonard (The Big Bang Theory): In what seemed like the unlikely relationship at first between the scientist and the struggling actress, every season of Big Bang Theory ended on a new twist between the relationship of Penny and Leonard. Though the two came from both worlds, they brought out the best in each other. Penny brought Leonard out of his shell while Leonard made Penny want to aspire to be more.

Screencap of Annie and Crash in Bull Durham

8. Crash and Annie (Bull Durham): Brought in to mentor a top draft pick, Crash and Nuke are the final candidates for baseball groupie, Annie Savoy's affection. Deciding he's too old to be part of some sort of seasonal ritual to be with Annie, Crash bows out and lets Nuke be with Annie. From that moment on of being passed by, Annie finds that she's actually infatuated with Crash. Unlike others she had been with, Crash is a combination of brains and brawn. When Nuke is called up to the big leagues and Crash is released, he finally comes knocking on Annie's door for their romance to begin.

Screencap of Justice and Jay kissing in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

9. Jay and Justice (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back): Forever the punk who sells weed, Jay and his hetero-life-mate Silent Bob go on a quest across America to stop a movie using their likenesses. On the way, he runs into Justice and her gang of diamond thieves. At first he is unaware of her true intentions of pulling off a diamond heist, but once the heist is successful and the authorities are searching for the fall guys, Jay and Silent Bob, Justice has a change of heart and saves the day. For her part in the robbery, she still has to go to prison, but Jay and her make a pact to wait for each other.

Screencap of Dante and Becky dancing in Clerks 2

10. Becky and Dante (Clerks 2): Dante always thought his life was meant to be grand in some way, expecting bigger and better things to come his way. What he never realizes is that his true happiness is right there the whole time. After the Quick Stop burns down, Dante and Randall go to work for Mooby's. In his personal life, he meets and gets engaged to Emma whose father has promised Dante a carwash business manager job if they move to Florida. Becky, who also suffers from the "is this life" syndrome, find comfort in each other's presence. When the time comes for Dante to finally leave, Becky reveals that the one night that she and Dante spent with each other has led to a pregnancy. At the same time, Dante slowly realizes that Becky is his true love.

Reboots Coming to a Television Near You

With the resurgence of movie reboots in the past decade, it shouldn't be a shock that television wouldn't be far behind. Television had been drifting into an endless void of reality shows and the world of the television writer was shrinking rapidly. Now, the writing industry will be making a comeback, but unfortunately not on original terms.

Popular shows such as Full House, Married With Children, and Coach will all pick up where their original runs left off. Another 90s favorite, Boys Meets World, has already picked up where it left off, but in the form of Girl Meets World with Cory and Topanga as the parents. Even The Odd Couple was remade with Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon playing Felix and Oscar. Rumors of other hit shows such as Three's Company, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and Green Acres have been rumored to also be in discussions for a reboot.

Has the industry really run out of good ideas? No, they still exist, but studio executives are unwillingly to give many new intellectual properties a chance. They prefer to error on the side of caution by greenlighting shows that contain characters that America has already built a love for. These reboots may answer questions such as, "Whatever happened to Coach Fox after the show ended?", but there is no reason to expand these answers beyond something more than a reunion episode or movie.

Internet streaming services have benefited from the lack of original writing on standard and cable television. The most watched Netflix shows, House of Cards and Orange is the New Black were both turned down by primetime networks.

If any good can be said to have come from the revival of old shows, it's the fact that children's favorites such as Reading Rainbow and The Muppets will be making their comebacks as well.

Television needs to drift back towards original programming. Reality shows have gone as about as far as they can go with shows such as Hollywood Cycle, Ax Men, and Big Brother scraping the bottom of the "topics" barrel. With talented writers everywhere to be found, there are hit ideas out there that are waiting to be discovered. Will there be flops? Yes, of course, but successful shows will more than make up for the flops.

*Photo Credit: Married With Children promotional photo