Summary

The article "10 TV Shows That Define Me — So Blame Them!" by Pierce McIntyre is a personal reflection on the television series that have significantly influenced the author's life and personality.

Abstract

In a nostalgic exploration of the intersection between television and personal identity, Pierce McIntyre identifies ten TV shows that he believes have played a pivotal role in shaping who he is. From the comedic and dramatic depths of MASH to the quirky humor of The Monkees and the heartfelt lessons from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, these series have left an indelible mark on his sense of humor, musical taste, and outlook on life. The author's pen name itself is a tribute to characters from MASH, underscoring the profound impact these shows have had on him. The article spans a wide range of genres and eras, from the early years of Saturday Night Live to the groundbreaking music television network MTV, and from the detective drama Magnum, P.I. to the surreal Twin Peaks and the medical comedy-drama Scrubs. McIntyre invites readers to reflect on their own defining television shows, suggesting that our favorite series often reveal much about our values and personalities.

Opinions

The author, Pierce McIntyre, admires the balance of comedy and drama in MAS*H and feels a personal connection to the characters, inspiring his pen name.
The Monkees TV series and music had a significant impact on the author, making them his all-time favorite group.
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood is credited with teaching the author the value of kindness and influencing his behavior towards others.
Happy Days and its character The Fonz served as a role model for the author during his formative years.
Saturday Night Live's early years are highly praised for their cast members and their role in shaping the author's sense of humor.
WKRP in Cincinnati is appreciated for its humor and its depiction of a rock and roll

10 TV Shows That Define Me — So Blame Them!

These television series helped make me who I am

Dan Aykroyd and Steve Martin as “two wild and crazy guys” on Saturday Night Live. Image source: NBC Television

#10TvShowsThatDefineMe has been trending on Twitter (follow me there, if you like) the past couple of days.

Call me a rebel, but I felt like sharing my list of 10 shows here rather than on Twitter. (Please forgive me, Twitter.)

I think each of the following shows has played a large part in shaping who I am today — with the exception of the last one that I mention. With that one, I was already well into being an adult when it premiered. However, I feel that I share a lot of things in common with the main character of it, so I included it.

Here they are, in no particular order of preference:

1. MAS*H

Wayne Rogers (left) and Alan Alda as, respectively, Trapper John McIntyre and Hawkeye Pierce. Image source: 20th Television, Inc.

This is definitely one of my favorites ever. It had a fantastic mix of comedy and drama in it.

This series, quite literally, helped make me into the Pierce McIntyre I am today.

Pierce McIntyre is not my real name. It’s a pen name that was inspired by the characters Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John McIntyre of M*A*S*H.

2. The Monkees

I first discovered The Monkees TV series when I was 8 or 9 years old. At that time, reruns of the series were running every weekday on a local TV channel. I discovered the show and very quickly became addicted to it. I thought it was hilarious and I absolutely loved the music of The Monkees.

They became my favorite group — and they still are.

3. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood

I was a somewhat lonely child when I first met Mister Fred Rogers. He became a teacher, a friend, and my favorite neighbor ever.

To me, he always seemed like one of the nicest people ever. Being extra-nice to others has been something I’ve always strived to do. I’m sure that the influence of Mister Rogers played a large part in that.

4. Happy Days

I watched Happy Days every Tuesday night during its original run. It premiered when I was 7 years old and it ended when I was 18, so I can honestly say that I grew up watching it.

I loved watching the adventures of Richie Cunningham and his family and friends. My favorite character was The Fonz, played by Henry Winkler. In addition to thinking he was The King of Cool, he was also a bit of a hero and role model to me.

Many, many years after the series ended, I met Henry Winkler at a book signing. It was an honor to meet him. I told him how much his works over the years had meant to me. Even though he’s probably heard that sort of thing thousands of times, he seemed to be sincerely flattered and grateful. He couldn’t have been any nicer.

5. Saturday Night Live (The early years)

I was pretty much addicted to Saturday Night Live during the 1970s and 1980s. I still watch it from time to time, but I’m not into it like I was during my teens and 20s.

I especially loved the first 10 (or so) years of it. There were so many amazing cast members back then! Some of my top favorites from then are Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Eddie Murphy, Joe Piscopo, Billy Crystal, Martin Short, Christopher Guest, and very frequent host Steve Martin.

They all played a very large part in shaping my sense of humor.

6. WKRP In Cincinnati

Howard Hesseman as Dr. Johnny Fever. Image source: CBS Worldwide, Inc.

A sitcom about a rock and roll radio station?

Oh, yeah!

As a comedy and music lover, I was interested in WKRP as soon as I heard what it was about. I distinctly remember sitting down to watch the first episode when it premiered and hoping that the show wasn’t going to disappoint me.

It didn’t.

I loved it immediately. The episodes were usually very clever and hilarious. Plus, all of the cast members were exceptional in their roles.

7. MTV (The early years)

I know I’m sort of cheating here since MTV is a TV network as opposed to a TV series, but I spent a lot (a massive understatement) of time watching it when I was a kid and in my 20s.

I was 15 years old when MTV premiered in 1981, so I was definitely part of their main target audience. I loved them immediately and watched it whenever I could.

I was already a music lover before it came around, but MTV helped propel my love of music to a whole new level. The music and videos back then played a big part in who I was at that time and they still play a big part in who I am today.

Here is a list of all 209 of the music videos MTV played on their first day, August 1, 1981. Most of them stayed in very heavy rotation on the channel for several months, since there weren’t a lot of music videos around yet for MTV to play.

8. Magnum, P.I. (the original series from the ‘80s)

I love cop and P.I. shows from the 1970s and 1980s. I watched a lot of them back then and I still watch a lot of them regularly now.

I think Magnum, P.I. is one of the best ever of those types of series. Tom Selleck was perfect as Thomas Magnum. He was great playing both the humorous and dramatic moments in the show and he always displayed a lot of charm while doing so.

Am I anything like Thomas Magnum or Tom Selleck? No, not at all — but I did sport a couple of pretty cool-looking mustaches back then! (Although my wife has seen pictures of them and her opinion of them is very, very different than mine.)

In addition to Magnum being an awesome show, it also had one of the best TV theme songs ever:

9. Twin Peaks

Clever, bizarre, funny, and creepy.

I’m at least half of those things on most days.

10. Scrubs

Scrubs is definitely one of my favorite shows ever. I’ve watched and rewatched all of the episodes several times.

Even though I’m not a doctor like the main character J.D. was, I’ve always felt a sort of kinship with him. Like me, he was often very silly and got lost in daydreaming. Also, just like I do, J.D. frequently made references to pop culture of the 1970s and 1980s.

We also both had a lot of strange, challenging romantic relationships before finally finding the loves of our lives.

Scrubs often reminded me of M*A*S*H in the ways that it could make you laugh hysterically at times, but it could also occasionally make you cry.

It was a truly fantastic series.

How about you? What are 10 TV shows that define you?

If you want to list more or less than 10 shows — go for it. Whatever makes you happy!

Just let me know in the comments below or write your own article.

If you’d like to do the latter, please use TV Shows That Define Me as a tag so that we can all easily follow each other’s articles.

Thank you for reading the above.

Have a beautiful day in your neighborhood!