Just from watching and comparing shows in each decade, it seems like television in the 60s revolved around silly, absurd, and whimsical elements, like characters who could perform magic or had superpowers. I wonder if it had something to do with all of the turmoil that was going on in society at the time, with the civil rights movement and Vietnam War. Writers might've figured people wanted a vacation from reality when they watched TV in the evening after a long day. Considering we're still living in the midst of confusion (well, I do believe there's a lot of positive stuff happening that doesn't get covered on the news. But nonetheless, we're inundated with scary headlines), our brains could use a break now more than ever. My Favorite Martian is the tale of Los Angeles Sun reporter Tim O'Hara (Bill Bixby), who, on his way home from Edwards Air Force Base, where he had reported on the flight of the US Air Force's rocket plane, the North American X-15, witnesses a silver spaceship crash land, which was the same one that almost collided with the X-15. An extraterrestrial who looks like an adult male human comes out, and Tim decides to take him back to his place. To avoid panic in the public, he tells everybody the alien is his uncle, whom he calls Uncle Martin. What ensues is a series of mishaps and misunderstandings from Uncle Martin's powers, like having telepathic abilities and levitating objects, that provide substantial laughs. Yeah, it's dumb, but it's also hilarious. And quite delightful. Despite not being his real uncle, Tim and Martin start to form a bond with each other. It's a great show if you just need something to relax and veg out to.
