OLD SCHOOL: “Saved By the Bell” Elizabeth Berkley (left) and Mario Lopez in ’92.
OLD SCHOOL: “Saved By the Bell” Elizabeth Berkley (left) and Mario Lopez in ’92. (
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Maria Claudia Sanchez wasn’t even born when “Twin Peaks” originally aired on ABC — but it’s one of her favorite shows.
“Even though it was from the ’90s, it doesn’t look dated, because it’s just so interesting,” says Sanchez, 17, of Weehawken, NJ. She says she recently watched the series with her mother on Netflix — where she has also discovered shows like “Freaks and Geeks,” “Undeclared” and “Doctor Who.” “It’s easier to watch [on Netflix] than record something on TV and make the time to watch it.”
Sanchez is among legions of young people watching entire series of “retro” TV — shows that aired in the ’60s, the ’90s or even a few months ago. These older shows are seeing renewed popularity among a new generation of viewers, who learn about the shows via social media, because they feature well-known actors or directors, or are discovered simply by scrolling through Hulu or Netflix.
“Most of the shows now, they have a certain formula — you know what’s going to happen next,” says Sanchez. “I’d rather be watching something that was new when it came out.”
On Hulu, currently popular shows include “Star Trek,” MTV’s “Daria” and “Lost.” Jonathan Friedland, chief communications officer of Netflix, says the service typically sees strong interest in serial dramas like “Battlestar Galactica” and “24.”
Traditional sitcoms are less popular, he says.
“There were billions of old TV shows on Netflix a couple of years ago, and we gradually whittled them away, because people weren’t watching them,” Friedman says.
Some old shows have seen revived interest because viewers recognize the cast from newer work, Friedman added. “Freaks and Geeks,” for instance, features now-big stars like James Franco and Seth Rogen, and “My So-Called Life” starred a pre-“Homeland” Claire Danes.
Viewers — particularly the younger viewers who are watching a growing portion of their TV online — are drawn to the older shows partly out of nostalgia, because they can easily “marathon”-watch shows online, and from the pleasure of finding something off the beaten path, experts say.
Networks are “taking all their ’90s retro content, putting it online, on iTunes, and for kids who missed that content are discovering those shows just as if they’re living in the days when they were flipping through 37 channels on their TV,” says Jake Katz, general manager of YPulse, a youth market-research firm.
“This generation is all about what we call the dig — there’s something really fun about digging behind the curtain of everything, so if they get into a show on CW, they’re going to want to go on CW’s Web site and see what else is there,” Katz says.
Or sometimes, they’re looking for something they consider hard to find on current network or cable TV.
“I guess I prefer more wholesome TV,” says Sarah Hayes, 23, of Springfield, Va., who has enjoyed “Saved by the Bell” on Netflix. “It’s sort of like a throwback for me, to watch the shows from when I was a kid, where I know there’s not going to be 14 people having affairs and eight people getting their heads chopped off.”