It’s Saturday night on the 19th January 2019 and I’m currently sat at home watching an old episode of Baywatch, courtesy of Amazon Prime Video. The episode – The One That Got Away – is from 1991.
This morning, I kick-started the day by watching an old episode of Saturday morning kids’ show, What’s Up Doc?, this time courtesy of YouTube. The episode I watched was originally broadcast in 1993.
I’ve currently got a stack of new shows sitting on my Netflix ‘watch’ list, including the likes of Titans and The Punisher, but for some reason, right at this moment, I feel more inclined to sit through 45 minutes of a dated David Hasselhoff show than I do something new.
I regularly spend time in the company of the past. If I wasn’t watching Baywatch right now, I’d probably be watching an episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Batman: The Animated Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer or The X-Files – all shows from my youth. Sure, I watch a lot of new programmes too, but I really do watch a heck of a lot of old classic shows.
And it’s not just TV – I watch a lot of old movies, I collect old toys and when it comes to gaming, I have little desire to play anything on a new console unless it’s a retro game. Call of Duty? Overwatch? No thanks – just give me Sonic the Hedgehog, Road Rash or Dr. Mario.
I don’t know why I’m so obsessed with the past – but I am. My general rule of thumb is that if it came from the past I’ll probably be 90% more interested in it than if it came from 2019.
Is it because I’m getting older and everything from my youth seems magical, because being a kid was a much simpler time? Is it because 2019 is just not as exciting as 1989 or 1999? Or is it something else?
Nostalgia – why can’t I quit you?!
Oh and yes, I am going to watch another episode of Baywatch tonight.
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4 Responses to Nostalgia – why can’t I quit you?
I’m exactly like this too! I have a whole list of movies/TV shows I want to watch but I always end up going back to old school stuff instead. I wasn’t even around for Baywatch or Buffy but I’d much rather watch them and feel nostalgic for the 80’s/90’s than watch whats currently on Netflix. I think I have a weak spot for old running TV shows haha
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I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s fine to continually revisit old shows, so long as I find time to squeeze in some new stuff too. As to why I keep revisiting it – I don’t know. Maybe I just really liked the ’80s & ’90s?
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Yeah that makes sense. I was born in the late 90s so I honestly don’t know why I have such an obsession with the 80s/90s haha. I think a part of me wanted to be a part of that era – seemed way more authentic and fun?!
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Getting nostalgic for things tends to come in waves and at present we’re in the era of being nostalgic for the ’90s, but the love for the ’80s still remains. I think why many people look back to the ’80s is because it was a creative decade and it was a commercial one, with larger than life characters and ideas. I was born at the beginning of the ’80s, so I was fortunate enough to be a child of the ’80s and a teen of the ’90s. 🙂
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