[oh8eleven]

MeTV is pretty cool although I'm amazed at the simplicity of the plots and scripts for some shows. It also rekindled my crush on Marlo Thomas :)
I've had Encore for many moons and it's well worth the $7 a month since it's all commercial free.

[driftless2]

You've got to remember that in those days tv shows sometimes had 39 yearly episodes. After a few seasons I'm sure the writers were wracking their brains to come up with different story lines. What to do? Recycle old plots was their answer. That's why I'm amused to see the same plot lines repeated in a lot of different shows. For instance, in a typical long-running western like Bonanza, you'll plots like

old enemies coming to the Ponderosa to get revenge
the man falsely accused of a crime about to be lynched
one of the Cartwrights falsely accused of a crime about to be lynched
the drifter getting hired with a mysterious past
an old friend of one the Cartwrights who has a mysterious past and has come to cheat or help the Cartwrights
a minority who has been wronged by the townfolk getting aid and sympathy from the Cartwrights who teach the bigoted townspeople about tolerance
and my favorite plot device: the evil twin.

These and countless other story lines were repeated in practically every long-running western. I still watch them though.