Sunday's media madness...

In the not too distant past the TV networks strived to give us wholesome shows that reminded us of family values and to do the right thing; not to vote out our house mate or try to get fire before the other tribe so they would be cold and wet for the night. I do miss the days when the networks had to come up with new ideas for the programs each week instead of relying on a group of people all locked up together in what is reality TV. Of course people are going to get into a fight or fall in love, lab rats would do the same thing. Looking back I found two shows that were the epitome of the family values era.

The first is Highway to Heaven which ran for five years on NBC, between 1984 - 1989 and is the story of ex cop Mark Gordon who is sent probationary angel Jonathan Smith. Together they travel the country on a mission to deliver love, understanding and humility to the people they encounter. The show was a reminder of many values but also deal with very human issues such as ego, greed and fear as well as looking at some of the worst social issues like racism and terminal illness.

Second is Touched by and Angel which ran for nine years on CBS, between 1994 - 2003 and is the story of an angle sent to earth to help the people she comes in contact with, whether it be to deal with a difficult issue such as facing death or abuse to depression and homelessness, always with the help of her Supervisor Tess and on occasion the Angel of Death, Andrew.

If you have never seen these shows and would like to see if you enjoy them check out bits of them on YouTube by just putting in the name of the show and selecting what you would like to view. If you remember them and would like to own them for yourself here is where I found the best prices:

For Highway to Heaven the best deal for a new copy was at DVD Empire, the cost is $25.99 for the full first season on 7 discs, shipping is regularly $0.99 per item but with an order over $25.00 they offer free shipping with some restrictions. If you would like a used copy I was able to find them as low as $11.95 with free shipping on eBay, the less expensive copies are making up for the difference with $9.00+ shipping, which is outrageous, so be sure to read all the fine print.

For Touched by an Angel, which comes as a boxed set of season 1, 2 and 3, the best deal was also at DVD Empire for $15.99 with the free shipping on orders over $25.00, for a used copy on eBay there is a buy it now at $10.92 with free shipping and a few that are still bidding under the $10.92 with free shipping.

I hope you all are enjoying your weekend!

C.Q.