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As my senior year is winding down, I take pause to remember some of the many changes I’ve seen during my four years at Marist. I remember the old, creaky library that sat in the spot where the new one currently presides. I remember the old Fontaine building, Adrian Hall, and the old mailroom. I even remember when there wasn’t a McDonald’s across the street. Yes, I have seen a lot of changes here, but one of the ones that sticks out in my mind the most is the old cable system.

You freshmen may not know this, but up until this year, Marist’s offerings in terms of cable channels were pretty low. In addition to the broadcast networks, we had a couple of news channels, a couple of music channels, A&E, and ESPN. That’s it. So you can imagine my joy when I came back to school last fall to find all these new cable channels: Cartoon Network, TV Land, Lifetime, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central; the list goes on and on. These channels are great, and show some great old shows. So, as network TV offerings become increasingly worse (what with all the Temptation Islands, Boot Camps, even the return of Big Brother this summer), I thought I’d let you all know that you can fashion a great weekday evening of TV viewing at Marist without ever once having to venture into the 21^st century. And, believe me, you’ll be better off this way.

Kick off your evening with an episode of The Golden Girls at 6 on Lifetime, which is Channel 42. While it’s not the most intelligent show ever, Golden Girls is always good for laughs, and their stories often have meaning to them. So, sit back and enjoy a half hour with Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Sophia. Then, at 6:30, flip up two channels, to Channel 44, and catch NewsRadio on A&E. Sure, this TV show’s fairly recent (it ran from 1995-99), but it’s still among the best shows in the history of television. It’s an incredibly intelligent show, and quite often laugh-out-loud funny.

After NewsRadio, turn over to TBS, located at Channel 15, for an episode of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I’m sure you’re all familiar with the exploits of Will Smith, who was born and raised in West Philadelphia. But he got in one little fight, and his mother got scared, and sent him to live with his aunt and uncle in Bel-Air. While not great, Fresh Prince provides good, clean entertainment. At 7:30, you can flip to Channel 5 and check out a classic episode of The Simpsons. While this show is still in production, its best days are behind it, and Channel 5 frequently shows some downright brilliant mid-90s episodes of the show. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one.

At 8, turn to Comedy Central (Channel 49) to check out Whose Line is it Anyway? The current Americanized version of this has become a big hit on ABC, this original British version features much of the same cast and is sometimes funnier. While the improv comedy gets old after a while, a half hour of it every so often is often very enjoyable. Then, at 8:30, you can scroll down to Nick at Nite, located at Channel 46, to check out The Brady Bunch. While this show is undeniably cheesy, it also is something that all of us grew up with, and provides a nice nostalgia trip.

After Brady Bunch, go up a couple notches on the remote to TV Land, located at Channel 48. Here you can stay for an hour, and watch The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show. These are two of the best sitcoms in television history. They both feature great writing and an excellent ensemble cast. At 10, go down to Cartoon Network (Channel 47), and check out The Flintstones. While there’s no denying the fact that this show wore itself out towards the end of its run, the first few seasons of this modern stone-age family are still great for some laughs. After Flintstones, though, move back to TV Land and prepare yourself for the best show in the history of television.

I’m talking about Get Smart. TV Land recently added this show to its lineup, and it is just great. The show is a frequently hilarious spoof of all the James Bond spy movies that were big in the mid-1960s (which was when Get Smart originally aired). The show stars Don Adams as Maxwell Smart, who works for an intelligence organization known as CONTROL. Along with his partner, the sultry Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon), Max battles the dastardly criminal organization KAOS. The writing in this show is often brilliant, and Adams does a great job playing the bumbling hero Smart. It is a half-hour of excellence.

After Get Smart, go back to Nick at Nite to catch back-to-back episodes of All in the Family. The show’s not quite as good as Get Smart, but it’s still very funny, and some of what Archie Bunker says surprises me to this day. At Midnight, turn to Comedy Central and check out an old episode of Saturday Night Live. Comedy Central frequently shows episodes from what the late-‘80s and early-90s, and, let’s face it, those were great seasons for SNL.

At 1 a.m., go back to Nick at Nite to catch back-to-back episodes of I Love Lucy. Yes, the show’s celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year, but you know what? It’s still a great show. Then, at 2 a.m., return to TV Land and catch another episode of Get Smart. Don’t worry; it’s a different episode than the one you watched at 10:30. And then, kiddies, you should go to bed. It’s 2:30 in the morning. But you can go to bed confident that you never once had to watch a current show on the broadcast networks. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.